Unexpectedly, Zheng Zha made no move of the sort that might follow. Instead, he simply lay down, resting his head on her lap. The man lay there motionless, and Loli, after a moment of wide-eyed surprise, slowly laid her hands upon his hair.

"I... I was so worried about you," Loli murmured softly. "Seeing you like that... I was terrified."

"En..." "Zha, I was so scared. Sister said that if we stayed here for a day, you would come back, or maybe she or I would suddenly vanish, just like the other sister. Or maybe both of us would disappear... I was so afraid I'd never see you again. Even if I had to die, I wanted to look at you one last time..." Loli paused, then continued softly, "All day today, I kept thinking, Zha, if I hadn't died back then, you wouldn't be so disappointed with reality. You wouldn't have had to choose between 'YES' and 'NO'... You wouldn't have been hurt so badly. Wuwu, I was truly frightened then, seeing you covered in blood, seeing not a single part of you whole. Zha, I was so afraid of losing you then, wuwu..." Loli could say no more, clutching Zheng Zha's head, sobbing quietly.

Zheng Zha only felt profoundly exhausted, not just physically, but by an indescribable weariness of the soul. He was so tired. Struggling and lingering in that place of despair and death, every step demanded careful calculation, every hurdle a fight for his very life. By the time he reached that final, desperate struggle, he had expended every last ounce of his strength. Once safe, he lacked even the will to move, desiring only to lie on Loli's lap and rest in silence.

"We won't die... Li'er, we won't die! Neither of us will die! I promised you, I will definitely bring you back alive to the real world, to see the aurora in the far north, then take a cruise ship across the Pacific, lying on the deck counting stars late at night, then go to Easter Island to see the giant stone statues, imagining the unknown secrets of humanity together. Then we'll go to the Scottish highlands to listen to the melodious sound of the bagpipes, feeling as if we're floating in the clouds. We'll go beneath the ruins in Greece to mourn the lost, dazzling civilization of antiquity. Finally, we will return to the Great Wall, walking up Badaling hand in hand... No matter what, I must live! I haven't fulfilled a single one of these promises to you... No matter what, we absolutely must live!" The whole night passed without a word; Zheng Zha was utterly spent. He simply held Loli and slept peacefully. Only around ten o'clock the next day did he slowly open his eyes. Loli's face, beautiful as flawless jade, was pressed close to his. The little girl was still sleeping soundly with her eyes closed, but as if connected by an unspoken telepathy, she fluttered her eyes open shortly after he did.

"Good morning."

Loli wrinkled her small nose and let out a soft yawn.

Zheng Zha adored this sight in her. In his memory, when they were eleven or twelve, they would sometimes sleep together, and she always woke up with this languid, cat-like demeanor. To use a popular modern term, she was utterly "moe." Unconsciously, Zheng Zha, lost in the view, leaned in and kissed her.

Loli immediately