Breeze

Chapter 10 : A Fragment of Memory

The events of the day had weighed heavily on his mind, especially the startling resemblance of the old photograph to him and Yibo. After they had returned to Yibo's apartment, they had talked for a while, but the unspoken tension of everything that had happened hung in the air. He had stayed longer than planned, unknowingly passing the dormitory curfew time, and Yibo had offered him to stay for the night.

That night, Xiao Zhan found himself lying beside Wang Yibo on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark, save for the faint light from the streetlamp outside filtering through the curtains. His mind was restless, filled with the events of the day-the startling photograph in the museum, the eerie resemblance to him and Yibo, and the ghost story Professor had shared.

He sighed softly, trying to push away the thoughts that swirled in his head, but exhaustion soon took over. His eyelids grew heavy, and slowly, he drifted into a deep, uneasy sleep.

In his dream, Xiao Zhan was walking down a long corridor, the sterile white walls surrounding him. The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, heavy and thick, as if the hospital itself was steeped in sadness. He felt his heart race, his steps growing faster as he moved forward.

At the end of the hallway, a door stood slightly ajar, drawing him closer. He felt an overwhelming sense of dread, as if whatever was behind that door was something he wasn't ready to face. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pushing the door open.

Inside the dimly lit room, Xiao Zhan saw a figure lying on a hospital bed, frail and weak. His breath caught in his throat. It was Ruolai. Except... it wasn't just Ruolai-it was Yibo. His face, pale and gaunt, resembled Yibo's so much that Zhan's heart ached. His mind struggled to make sense of it.
His legs moved on their own, carrying him to the bedside. His hand trembled as he reached out, gently touching Ruolai's hand. It was cold, lifeless, and Zhan's heart twisted in pain.

"Ruolai..." Zhan whispered, his voice filled with sorrow. In that moment, he wasn't Xiao Zhan anymore-he was Gu Yiye, standing at the bedside of the man he loved, the man he had failed to protect.

Ruolai's eyes fluttered open weakly, locking onto Zhan's. His lips moved as if to say something, but no words came out, just a soft, broken whisper. The beeping of the heart monitor began to slow, each sound dragging painfully, marking the moments Zhan had left with him.

"I'm sorry," Zhan choked out, tears welling up in his eyes. "I couldn't save you. I should've told you... I should've-" His voice broke, the regret too heavy to bear.

Ruolai's hand moved weakly in Zhan's grasp, his fingers brushing against his palm. Even in his final moments, his eyes were filled with love-a love that Zhan had never fully understood until now.

The heart monitor's beeping grew slower, each sound echoing like a countdown to the inevitable.

"No, please..." Zhan's voice was barely a whisper as tears streamed down his face. "Don't go, Ruolai... Please don't leave me."

But Ruolai's eyes fluttered shut, his chest rising one last time before the heart monitor flatlined. The long, continuous tone echoed through the room, filling Zhan with a suffocating grief.

"Ruolai!" Zhan sobbed, collapsing onto the bed, his head resting against Ruolai's chest. The pain of losing him was unbearable, as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. He held onto Ruolai's cold hand, refusing to let go, the weight of all the unsaid words and lost moments crushing him.

Xiao Zhan awoke with a gasp, his chest heaving, his heart pounding wildly as if it had been torn apart. His body was drenched in sweat, his breath ragged as he tried to calm down from the intensity of the dream. The pain, the grief-it had all felt so real, like he had truly lost someone he loved.
His hands trembled as he wiped at the tears on his cheeks. It had been more than just a dream-it was a memory, a fragment of Gu Yiye's life. But why? Why had he seen that moment? Why did it feel like he had lost Ruolai?