Rebirth of a Rose

78. Life and Death

Dong Fu was sitting on a chair, a blanket wrapped around him to keep him warm. He gazed at the far-stretched frozen land through the huge glass window. The temperature outside was below the freezing point. The room temperature was warm, the burning wood in the fireplace surrounded the dark chamber with faint radiance.

The food on the table had long gone cold. He had no appetite to eat nor move. His body had lost a ton of weight, he seemed worn out, like a man lost in a cold storm. His once glossy skin had turned pale, his lips were chapped like a sick man. His eyes didn't move, nor did he blink, he sat there like a lifeless person. The maid picked up the untouched food and left the room.

Orlando stood outside the room pacing back and forth. He glanced at the untouched food and asked the maid with concern, "Not a single bite?"

She shook her head, she had lost count on how many times she had warmed up the food and placed it on the table. But the man sitting inside the room never moved. Orlando chewed his thumb, "Ask the chef to prepare something fresh and light."

"There is no need for that." A sharp voice was heard from behind them. The blonde woman walked with a glass of warm milk in her hand. "You should clear the place."

Orlando bit his lower lip, "Let me take it to him."

The blondie glared at him, "You are the last person he wants to see now. You shouldn't even be here. You failed to give orders, you dismissed the possibility that Liang's life could become a bait for the enemy."

Orlando gritted his teeth, "you think I don't know that? I am off the field because of what happened."

"You are upset about being off-field? Sui has shut himself down completely because of your negligence and all you care about is you not being in the field? I don't want to see your face on this floor. If I do, I will pull your eyeballs out myself." She glared at him again before opening the door.

She studied the small figure that had settled himself in the corner of the room. She placed the glass of warm milk on the same table as before. She walked to the closet and pulled out a warm blanket. She walked back to where Dong Fu was sitting and replaced the old blanket with a fresh one. She then pulled a chair next to him, settling herself staring at the frozen land.

She picked up the glass of milk and took a sip. "The land has been like this for years. Just a huge pile of ice and snow. It's very beautiful to look at it from up here, but its a nightmare when you are out in the open." Knowing that she wouldn't get a reply, she continued speaking, "There is a small village up north, a small tribe. They worship the ice as their god. They have never seen the green land, they think of it as a taboo. Centuries ago, the ice here had melted and their village was submerged in water. Since then they have been worshiping the ice god to make sure he doesn't get angry and kill their people."

"What they don't know is that the ice would eventually melt as the global temperature increases. The flood would arrive once again at their doors. Life keeps changing, nothing is constant." She glanced at the stone-faced young man, who had blinked a few times listening to what she had just said.

"I was thirteen when your grandfather found me. I was hiding while the earth below me shook with the constant bombing. I was alone, lost, hungry, and wounded. But when the silence fell, I left the hiding place. Knowing that it was dangerous out there, that there was a possibility of a bomb bursting right on top of me, I still left the small safe place I had found. That was the most absurd decision I have ever made, yet the best one, only to meet the old man. I was crushed and crumbled by cruel people, but your grandfather gave me a home. I trained myself day and night in the cold weather out there until I was sent to the organization Grace. When I was ready, I went after the people who were responsible for my parents' death."