Chen Cheng Two saw this and asked in a low voice:
"Are you really ready? If another path lay before you right now, one that could turn everything back, would you still choose to press on?"
Chen Cheng rubbed the snowflake he had caught between his fingers, then pulled his clothes tighter around himself.
"How many paths do you think there are? Turning everything back? I stopped believing in that when I was three. And don't let Old Ke and his lot fool you, either. Even if we started over, events would still follow the objective laws of history. Things would turn out much the same."
They walked shoulder to shoulder. Then Chen Cheng Two fell half a step behind and asked:
"What about Fini, Wisdom Shield, She Li, Samlet, and the others? Is there nothing about them you're reluctant to leave behind?"
Chen Cheng stopped too. He turned to face him.
"Could you stop being so serious? You sound like my Heart Demon, always asking questions I can't answer to put my conscience on trial."
But Chen Cheng Two replied earnestly:
"This isn't a trial. These are facts you have to consider before you act. Not just for your own sake, but for everyone else's."
Chen Cheng gave a bitter laugh.
"How much can I possibly consider? This world is like a machine that's wearing out faster and faster. Unless you can replace the whole thing, all we can do is patch it here and mend it there while we wait for the day it breaks down for good.
"And we don't have the means to replace it. So tell me, what else can I do? I can only take things one step at a time. If I really slip and go over the cliff, you'll just have to