Liu Xing stood only a few steps from Qing Lian. He felt a physical urge to reach for her, and his mind struggled for a solution. While he understood her despair, their reasons were different, and he was practically a stranger. Lecturing her would only make her resent him. Still, he knew loneliness would amplify her grief, and he could not leave her to face it alone.

"Why don't we go back?" Liu Xing said in a soft voice. "I'll make you a meal. It will be tasty and warm."

He tried to smile, but inside, he grimaced. It was the only thing that came to mind, and he knew it was a pathetic offer. There was no way this woman had an appetite.

"No! As I said, leave me alone!" She bent down, grabbed a handful of rocks, and began throwing them at him. The first rock whistled through the air, and Liu Xing deflected it to the side. "What do you want? You've accomplished your mission. You have given me that shitty necklace and that flower." Then, as if a revelation came to her, she nodded. "I see. You want a reward. You said that before. You want to know everything about me and that creepy baby. So you won't leave until you get your reward."

Liu Xing pressed his lips together. He wanted to deny it, but he had said those words. If he agreed with her assessment, she would believe his presence was purely selfish, and that wasn't the truth. This woman had hit rock bottom, and he couldn't leave her alone.

"There's nothing much I can say about that kid," she said, hurling rocks toward him. "Me and that creepy baby, we live in the same place at night, but during the day, we go our separate ways. That baby can do anything an adult can; hell, he's more capable than most adults. He won't starve. He can defend himself. Meanwhile, I have to beg and do menial jobs just to survive." She sneered. "That baby could provide for me, you know. But he chooses not to."

Liu Xing deflected a rock that came straight for his forehead, then caught one aimed at his shoulder and threw it into another rock headed for his groin. When the stones collided, a sharp tap echoed, and both fell to the ground. She ranted about her life with the baby, then about the citizens of Water Tower City, calling them all hypocrites and liars. "I had a friend once. She said we would be best friends forever. Yet, when I asked her for a mere bowl of rice, she sneered at me with disgust and told me to fuck off. That bitch!"

Liu Xing dodged another throw, making sure to keep his eyes locked on hers, trying to convey that he was paying attention. Anything that could distract her from killing herself was welcome. Sure, she was still trying to hurt him, growling and snarling wildly like an animat, but at least she was talking.

"I bet she would laugh hysterically if she knew I failed at something as easy as killing myself!"

Her words made Liu Xing feel her resentment for the world, but he reminded himself that she had decided to end her life after hearing of her husband's death. Given his condition, Qing Lian must have suspected her husband was long dead, yet only now, with concrete proof, had she decided life was no longer worth living. Her husband was her anchor. Without any news, she could cling to the small hope that he would return. But that hope was now shattered. Despite her words, she truly loved her husband.

He decided to latch onto that. "I'm sure your husband would be sad if he knew you decided to jump."

Upon hearing his words, she let out a deeper growl. Her eyes sharpened, and she looked at him like a rabid dog that wanted to tear him apart. "That useless husband of mine has no right to be sad. All of this happened because of him. If he hadn't tried to court me, my life would be infinitely better!"

"Is that so?" Liu Xing said. "Then I have to ask you this. If you could turn back time, would you reject his advances? Or would you fall for him all over again?"

She sneered. "Of course I'd reject him! I know my life would be miserable if I decided to be with him. What a foolish question!"

"Sure," he nodded. "But if you could truly turn back time, your husband would be alive again. You would know the future. You would know many things that could immensely improve your and your husband's lives. For example, when you both decided to run away, instead of leaving with nothing, you could have prepared some funds. Then you wouldn't have to live in a tent, drenched in the rain. You could get a little house, and you and your husband could start a new, hopeful life."

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Qing Lian growled, bending to pick up more rocks and throwing them at him rapidly. Liu Xing deflected all of them. "Think about it. In this new life, you would have more experience. The first time you cooked, you would blow your husband's taste buds away. He would praise you to the heavens. You said your husband successfully built that hut. Is he talented at building things? What did he do to provide for you? Did he scavenge for food in the forest? Or do manual labor? Does he have any hobbies? Is he a scholar?"

As he dodged and deflected the rocks, he saw that Qing Lian's growl was low, but her eyes swam left and right, as if her brain was imagining the scenario. Liu Xing just wanted to overwhelm her mind, and it seemed the idea was working.

"Answer my questions," Liu Xing said.

"Why should I?" She sneered. "There's no point thinking about that. It's a mere fantasy."

"Just humor me," he said. "Before he went on his journey, how did he provide for you?"

"He found a job," she answered. "There's a little old man on the outskirts of the city. He has a small rice field and a vegetable patch, as well as dozens of chickens and pigs. My husband begged him for a job, and he caved. The pay was small, but the old man often gave us eggs and vegetables."

Liu Xing snapped his fingers. "Imagine if he got that job at the start of your marriage. Now, you have a cozy little house to live in, and your husband instantly gets a job. Hell, if you had enough money, maybe you could buy a field and several animals, and your husband could start his own farm. Imagine that better life. How happy you would be."

"What the fuck are you trying to say?! Do you want to make me jealous of an alternate version of myself?"

"It's not like that," Liu Xing said. He hadn't planned for their conversation to go this way, but it was good. At the very least, it kept her mind occupied. "I just want to say that your life right now is at rock bottom. But a future exists for you. Sure, your husband is dead, but he gave you the Spirit Flower. Assuming that flower could help you and your baby, allowing him to grow and lifting the curse that plagues you, you could start anew. Life might not be instantly good, but you could be like your husband in this alternate scenario. Perhaps you could live by tending fields and raising livestock. Imagine your husband's expression if you could have a happy life, and imagine how sad he would be to know that the solution to your problem already existed, yet you chose to throw it all away."

Qing Lian growled and once again grabbed rocks to throw at him. But her growl was a notch softer than before, and the intensity of her throws lessened. Liu Xing tried to maintain his calm expression, but inside, he was happy with his choice of words. Perhaps they were enough to remind her of the happy memories with her husband, and then she would start to think about how to build a happy future. Of course, that was nearly impossible in the short term, since he hadn't forgotten that the Qing clan, her own family, would try to hunt her down and kill her. Still, he decided that if she wanted to turn over a new leaf, he would help her. He would bring her under his protection.

"You love your husband," Liu Xing stated. "Even if you say you hate him, your heart knows better. You want a better life. You want to be happy. And you know, deep down, that it's the right thing to strive for. Your husband went on a journey not because he was selfish, but because he wanted to make you and his son happy. Killing yourself is against his wishes, and while I know your life belongs to you, not your dead husband, it's a waste to just throw it away."

She still snarled, but the sharp glint in her eyes was gone. She stopped hurling rocks, letting them fall from her arms until she held only one in her right hand. The rock was the color of charcoal and had four sharp edges, shaped almost like a diamond. She cocked her arm back as if to throw it at him, but at the last moment, she canceled the motion.

Qing Lian looked down, her messy hair shadowing her face, her expression one of deep sorrow but also contemplation. Liu Xing considered this a win. It seemed his words had finally broken through. He knew they wouldn't suddenly change her for the better, but it was a start.

Soon, she raised her head, her eyes glinting with focus. "You're right. Even though I said I hate him, even though there's a mountain of things about him that pissed me off, I love him." She inhaled deeply. "If I could turn back time, perhaps after seeing his smile once again, I would decide to run away with him. Yes, I love him. I love him from the depths of my heart."

Liu Xing nodded. "Then—"

"However, turning back time is impossible. And the fact that my husband is dead cannot be changed. There's no way for him to come to me and kiss me and hug me. Even if I have a better life, I would spend it without him." She pointed at her chest. "My heart already has a giant hole in it. It's hollow. There's nothing that can fill it."

At that, she looked at the rock in her hand. Then, without hesitation, in a motion as fast as a snake, she pulled the sharp edge of the rock right toward her neck. "I still want to die."

Liu Xing's eyes widened. He thought his words had made her see her error, but reality was not so kind. The sharp rock moved closer and closer to her neck. Liu Xing steeled his heart and kicked the ground, sending rocks and dust flying as he shot toward Qing Lian like a cannonball.

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