Xu Yanwu gave Huo An Ran a ring.
What it represented went without saying.
But... Huo An Ran refused the ring.
She said only one thing to Xu Yanwu.
She hoped he would keep the ring safe.
Just over a week after Huo An Ran refused the ring... she passed away in her hospital room.
She went quietly, a little after five in the morning.
There was no tearful farewell before death, no final burst of lucidity... nor any deeply moving last words.
The last thing Huo An Ran said to Xu Yanwu was that she wanted some water.
Xu Yanwu poured her a glass, inserted a straw, and brought it to Huo An Ran's lips.
But... all he could see were bubbles gurgling up through the water in the cup. There was no sign of the water being drawn up.
After that... Xu Yanwu went to call the doctor on duty.
By the time Fu Hua arrived at the hospital from home, Huo An Ran was already gone.
Nothing remained, except Xu Yanwu sitting blankly outside Huo An Ran's hospital room.
His hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in stubble.
His eyes were visibly bloodshot.
Only then did Fu Hua realize that a person could suddenly become so haggard.
"Xu Yanwu, what are you doing sitting here? Get up. You'll catch a chill on the floor."
For a moment, Fu Hua did not know what she should do, so she reached out, intending to pull Xu Yanwu up from the floor.
But Xu Yanwu turned his head, then looked listlessly at Fu Hua standing beside him. As though he had suddenly found something, he embraced Fu Hua and buried his face against her stomach.
"Fu Hua, An Ran is gone."
Xu Yanwu did not cry or anything.