#zha

He smiled at me, a smile I wasn't familiar with, but one that seemed so genuine.

Charlie: Fiancée, let's experience eloping first.

He held out his arm to me. Without hesitation, I linked my arm with his. A soft chuckle reached my ears, and then my waist was encircled, and I was swept up into his arms.

The white curtains flashed before my eyes, and we had already leaped over the rusty railing of the balcony. The rapid fall made all the stars in the sky seem to turn upside down.

And in the next second, a pair of enormous black wings unfurled behind Charlie.

We soared upwards from the lowest point, crashing into a rain cloud. The fierce wind whipped up countless raindrops, pelting us in the face. I instinctively closed my eyes.

Charlie's cheerful, mischievous laughter rang in my ears.

Charlie: Open your eyes, the scenery around us is beautiful.

Charlie: After learning how to fly, I've always really liked doing this.

I opened my eyes as he instructed. All around us was a vast expanse of clouds and mist, and tiny ice crystals flitted past me. The city lights had become distant and blurry, yet their reflections made them even more dazzling.

Charlie's hair was already soaking wet, and his eyelashes looked as if they were covered in frost as he gazed at a higher point, as if in remembrance.

Was he like this back then, when he had just become the older brother and had just learned to fly? On nights when he looked forward to the heavy rain at the window, avoiding everyone's gaze, flying alone into the high sky.

Would he have felt excited because this was exactly what he wanted to do, and would he have felt lonely because there was no one to share such a spectacular sight with?

I held his neck tightly and whispered in his ear.

You: Taking your fiancée to see the night view in such heavy rain, only you would do that.

Charlie: After all, aren't your eyes only on me when it's sunny?

You: Hahahahahaha.

You: Charlie, fly even higher—

I reached out to brush the raindrops off his wings. The black feathers were smooth and hard, even a bit sharp. Charlie was taken aback for a moment, then held me even tighter.

We flew into the torrential rain, heading towards the higher and farther night sky.

We passed over the surging low-lying clouds, brushed past birds flying in the storm, and stretched our fingers towards the sky, feeling the traces of wind and rain slipping through our fingertips.

When we encountered dark clouds, Charlie used his talent to blast them open, and the starry sky behind them would leak out from that gap, scattering clean starlight in the turbid rain.

Bolts of lightning struck down from right in front of us, brilliantly illuminating the entire night sky. Charlie hovered in the air and covered my ears with the tips of his wings.

Later, I started to feel cold, so he lowered our altitude. As we flew over a dimly lit alley, we noticed a man sneaking behind an oblivious girl.

Before I could even say anything, Charlie had already swooped down and kicked the man over.

The man fell into the muddy green belt, struggling to get up, but he couldn't even straighten his body before Charlie stepped on his shoulder and pressed him back down.

Man: Who are you?! Let me go—agh—!

The man's arms, ankles, and even his mouth and nose began to sink into the wet, smelly mud. His cries weakened, and instinct drove him to crawl forward.

Charlie bent down and reached out to grab the man's throat.

Charlie: Will you dare to do it again?

The torrential rain fell amidst the roar of thunder. Charlie looked unperturbed at the man struggling under his hand.

The man's face had already begun to turn red and purple. He writhed in pain, squeezing out a few words from his blocked throat.

Man: I... I understand....

The dim yellow light of the street lamp reflected the dense raindrops. Charlie leisurely picked up a torn advertisement from the ground, walked around, and stood in front of the man.

You: Shall we go?

Charlie: Do I look like someone with such a good temper?

The man was stripped naked and tied to the lamppost.

Charlie: You'd better pray that more people walk this way, so someone can call the police for you sooner.

The man struggled to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Charlie stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth and throat.

Charlie: Have a pleasant evening.

With that, Charlie picked me up again, spread his wings, and flew towards the high sky.

He seemed to be in a good mood, but his gaze never left my face, and he didn't say anything.

Was he observing my reaction, or waiting for me to speak?

But what was there to wait for? My heart was filled with tenderness.

You: Well done, Charlie!

You: Is there anything more exciting?

Charlie: You want something even more exciting?

Charlie raised an eyebrow. The airflow around my ears suddenly became violent. We flew up to the clouds again, and then plunged rapidly downwards amidst my screams and laughter.

Clumps of leaves flew past us. Before the first startled dry leaf could fall to the ground, Charlie flew us straight into the blinds of a penthouse on the top floor of a villa.

The glass window shattered in front of us, sharp and glittering fragments shooting outwards in all directions, yet they were uniquely steered clear of us by Charlie's talent.

In the darkness, I could barely make out that this was a study. Charlie looked around and picked up a briefcase in the corner, marked with the Novaten logo.

When we crashed out through another window, shouts of alarm and hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway. In the garden, guard dogs barked fiercely. Before taking off, Charlie didn't forget to ruffle the head of one of them.

The black-clad bodyguards chased us to the window. In the distance, I recognized one of them as the person who had taken us to see Minister Tang that day. Was this Minister Tang's residence?

In the air, Charlie snapped his fingers, and the clasps of the briefcase sprang open, revealing stacks of banknotes inside. With a gust of wind, these papers flew all over the sky.

Charlie: Fiancée, isn't it beautiful?

Before I could answer, Charlie burst out laughing.

Charlie: Of course, it's beautiful! Who wouldn't like money?

He manipulated the air, making the banknotes swirl and flow into a river in the sky, then scattered them, letting them fall like rain on the ground.

Like a natural conductor, his every gesture was captivating. Charlie noticed my gaze and smiled, looking down at me.

Charlie: What's wrong? Are you mesmerized?

You: Maybe "gone crazy" is more accurate.

I grabbed a handful of banknotes from the briefcase, cheering as I threw them outwards as well.

Of course, I liked money. I thought Charlie liked it too. We liked all the things money could buy, liked discussing money matters, and liked haggling with each other.

But we also liked watching banknotes fall from the sky and onto the ground like this, bringing a disorderly joy.

Charlie and I threw handful after handful of money into the wind, our voices carried away by the breeze as well.

The rain-filled sky seemed to merge the boundary between night and dawn. I only hoped it could rain for a little longer.

At the storefront of a small bar on the street, the bartender placed two mixed drinks he had just prepared on the windowsill. Suddenly, something covered his eyes.

He frantically took the object down, only to find that the two drinks on the windowsill were gone, and in his hands were two wet banknotes.

From the distant horizon, the laughter of a young man and woman seemed to drift over.

After what felt like an endless flight, Charlie landed us on an abandoned railway track.

The briefcase was completely empty. We leaned against the rails, raising our glasses to clink them in celebration.

I finished my drink in one gulp, but Charlie set his glass aside.

You: Do you think a train might come?

Charlie: Scared?

You: Who wouldn't be?

Charlie: Fiancée, I used to think about how I would die in the future.

Charlie: It had to be something spectacular, definitely not being run over by a train.

Charlie: So, don't worry, I'll hold up the sky for you if it falls.

He pulled me down, and we lay down on the tracks, shoulder to shoulder.

I couldn't see where the railway tracks in the distance led. But the section beneath us felt like some kind of steel spine, carrying us into the earth.

If the sky falls, I don't want Charlie to hold it up for me.

I just want us to lie here, being the last two people to get hit, and finally talk about that ice cream shop we went to earlier.

I moved my arm slightly, and the back of my hand touched Charlie's fingertips.

He didn't move, and neither did I, carefully feeling that tiny bit of contact, that small distance.

You: If... if it were him, would he have obediently taken that thug to the police station?

You: Would he have suddenly broken into that minister's house, stolen his briefcase, and made it rain money in the sky?

You: And all those things just now and before... would he have done any of them?

So, why did you have to meet me with your most arrogant and unruly side, why did you have to reveal your true feelings from time to time, why did you have to let me see everything, making it impossible for me not to guess who you really are?

I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my eyes. Charlie's knuckles gently brushed across my face.

Charlie: Fiancée, do you know who I am now?

The rain in front of us had lessened, almost disappearing into the gradually rising light of dawn, like mist.

Beyond the distant mountains, a layer of light also rose on the horizon.

I no longer needed to think about this question, because there had only ever been one answer.

You: Charlie.

You: Right here, right now, there's no one else.

You: The person who scared me on the plane was called Charlie.

You: The person who helped me out at the bar was called Charlie.

You: The person in the white coat at the hospital, calm and professional, was called Charlie.

You: The person who clearly did nothing wrong but chose to exile himself because he was wanted was called Charlie.

You: The person who hid so much from me is Charlie, and the person who took me to see the night view in the stormy sky is Charlie.

I spoke faster and faster. The moments I had spent with him before flashed before my eyes, like scattered feathers finally falling to the ground.

We had known each other for a long time, yet it felt like the first time we met.

I would never know what Charlie, if he grew up as the younger brother, would have been like, where he would be, or what kind of life he would be living.

Maybe better, maybe worse, maybe we wouldn't have even met. Maybe even now, the two of us would still be inexplicably drawn together, going around in circles until today.

But so what? We have nowhere to go but the future.

I gently squeezed Charlie's hand, looking at him solemnly, as if looking at someone I would get to know in the future.

You: Nice to meet you for the first time, Charlie. My name is Y/N.

Charlie looked back at me.

A ray of golden dawn light jumped into his pupils, and then it was dazzling.

He rolled over, sheltering me beneath him.

The sky behind him was already covered in the glow of dawn. He could probably see it in my eyes.

His light, even breaths fell on my face. Charlie laughed, finally seeming to let go of something.

Charlie: I'm done for. I think I really want to give up.

His voice was very soft. I didn't ask him what he wanted to give up. I just reached out and put my arm around his shoulders.

I would tell him, then give up. We eloped, why should we care about the troubles of the world? He would agree and laugh boisterously, saying, "That's right, let's fly far away and find a beautiful little island and never come back."

Then the sky would brighten, and he would hear sounds from near and far. Giving up would become a joke.

But only one thing was different: this was the first time he had told me that he wanted to give up.

The undried droplets on the tips of his hair fell onto the tip of my nose. I couldn't help but sneeze, making both of us laugh.

Charlie: Want to go back?

I nodded, and the sky turned a blue-white color. Charlie then flew me back to the old Zha family residence.

-

The warm water washed away the chill of the night. Outside the bathroom, Charlie was leaning against the wall, counting my sneezes one by one.

Charlie: Fourth, fifth...

By the time he counted to twenty-six, I had finished showering. I went out and glared at him, just as Charlie turned to face me with a smile.

But unlike the wicked smile he had on his face at night, this time his smile seemed much more heartfelt.

You: Hurry up and go wash up, or I'll start counting your sneezes!

Charlie blinked at me innocently and walked into the bathroom.

I had been busy dealing with our soaked clothes earlier, so now I finally had the time and leisure to properly observe the room Charlie had brought me to change in.

Warm wooden lamps, a wardrobe adorned with carvings, an oil painting with delicate brushstrokes above the bed... This should be a bedroom, decorated elegantly and with care.

There was a round cushion by the bed, like one used for children to play on. There was also a book on the cushion, carefully wrapped in a fancy and cute cover.

I walked over and reached out to open it. Contrary to the cover, it turned out to be a medical textbook filled with notes. The handwriting was a bit childish but very neat.

You: Are these Charlie's brother's notes?

I flipped through the pages. In the middle, there were two pages that seemed to be stuck together with glue.

Over time, the glue's stickiness had weakened, and I was able to carefully separate them. The handwriting was the same, but the content was no longer related to the book. It seemed to be something written unintentionally.

It said that Dad had guests over today, and he really wanted to go see them, but Dad said no. So when his younger brother pulled him to go take a peek secretly, he deliberately didn't resist.

At the end of this passage, he wrote---

You: "I wish I had the courage to put my ideas into action like my younger brother does."

I couldn't help but trace those lines of writing. A small boy with silver hair and purple eyes appeared before me. Now I could see the difference between him and Charlie.

I saw the boy sitting at his desk, his back straight, carefully writing these words stroke by stroke.

His expression was a bit vacant until the sound of his younger brother calling him for dessert came from outside the door.

Only then did he react. Looking somewhat embarrassed, he rummaged through a drawer, found a glue stick, and hurriedly stuck the two pieces of paper together, pressing them down carefully.

After making sure the two pages were firmly stuck together, he jumped down from the tall stool at the desk, responding with a series of "I'm coming's" as he ran towards the door.

The small figure quickly disappeared from my sight, and the scene before me also faded away.

Charlie said he envied his brother and wanted to be his brother for one day.

But did he know that his brother might have also thought about how wonderful it would be to be the younger brother for one day? He should know, no, he must know.

I hugged the book and ran back to the bathroom. The person inside seemed to have heard my footsteps, and the sound of the water lessened.

Charlie: Fiancée? If you've come to count my sneezes, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.

The frosted glass allowed me to see his blurry silhouette, standing tall and straight. I pressed my head against the door panel.

You: Charlie, I found a book, your brother's book. There are some words written inside.

You: I don't know if you've ever seen them, but I wanted to tell you...

To tell you that from that time on, you possessed something incredibly precious.

And thank you for still keeping them to this day, bringing me endless courage when I felt lost.

I spoke incoherently. The bathroom door was suddenly pulled open, and a large cloud of white mist billowed out. Charlie stood at the door, wrapped in a towel.

Without a word, he walked over, bent down, and gave me a wet hug.

You: What are you doing?

Charlie: Being a rogue.

Charlie: Thank you.

Charlie: Thank you for thinking of me all the time.

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S2 Chapter 4-20

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