Departure

Gao Fei walked to the door and stood there for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before knocking.

Qiu Mei opened the door with her hair in disarray, her eyes red and swollen, and her clothes rumpled.

When she saw Gao Fei standing outside, a flicker of panic crossed her face. Then, as if recalling something, she straightened her chest and invited him inside.

The room was furnished very simply: one double bed, two chairs, and a small tea table between them.

The room was spotless and exceptionally tidy. It was clear its owner cleaned it often.

Gao Fei found a chair and sat down.

"Life in Great Wu is already hard enough. There's no need to grieve for the dead. Perhaps death was a kind of release for them."

Qiu Mei parted her dry lips and spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"That doesn't sound like you're comforting me. It sounds like you want me to die right away."

Gao Fei rubbed his nose awkwardly and stood up.

"Life is the most precious thing a person has. I never thought you'd become so fragile. Think about the past—you finally escaped the cage, yet now you want to enter another cage woven by some man. How many of his words can you truly believe? You should live for yourself, for your own goals."

Qiu Mei had been sitting opposite him, but halfway through his words, she stood. Her loose nightgown could not conceal her perfect figure at all. With the light shining from outside in, its outlines were plainly visible.

A feeling of pity welled up from the depths of his heart.

"Will you marry me? Do you dare marry me?"

As Qiu Mei spoke, she pressed forward step by step. Softness and strength mingled in