Category: The Obsessive Beauty Came to Terms with His Terminal Illness

Su Qingci wasn’t ignoring him—he simply hadn’t seen the message. The night he burned the painting, he left Pei Jingchen’s home, hailed a taxi, and checked into a random five-star hotel. When his phone beeped to warn of low battery, Su Qingci ignored it. He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He…

　　“These octopus balls are amazing—try one!” Wu Lü skewered one with a bamboo stick and passed it over the driver’s seat to Pei Jingchen. Pei Jingchen wasn’t fussy. Eating in the car was no big deal—as long as it made him happy, he didn’t mind. Octopus balls? Sure. Even stinky tofu or snail noodles? No…

Su Qingci thought he’d spoken the words aloud, only realizing the next morning that he’d merely murmured them within his heart. It wasn’t that he was putting on a show—those words truly flowed like molten lava through his throat, scalding his voice until it bled. Pei Jingchen was gone. It was nearly nine; he must…

His entire body shook violently as his internal organs convulsed and contracted. He vomited up every last bit of the dessert he’d just eaten before it could digest, yet the retching wouldn’t stop. By the end, only sour stomach acid remained, and he felt as if he might vomit bile itself, his mouth filled with…

As dusk approached, Su Qingci opened his WeChat Moments. It might be hard to believe, but the renowned painter’s WeChat contact list contained only three friends. Pei Jingchen, Annelise, and his grandfather, Su Baidong. He didn’t really need to pin Pei Jingchen to the top—with only three contacts, everything was clear at a glance—yet Su…

The following week, they each went about their own business. As a professional painter, Su Qingci spent half his days holed up in his studio—a habit cultivated since living with Pei Jingchen. When he lived alone, he resembled a mad scientist, so absorbed in painting that he could lock himself in his studio for an…

“Mr. Su, visiting your mother again?” The nurse’s smile was gentle as she guided Su Qingci into the ward. The word “again” was used with great politeness. In truth, Su Qingci rarely visited. His last trip had been early last year, in the dead of night, when the sanatorium director personally called to say Jiang…

The words weighing on his heart for days finally escaped his lips. Su Qingci expected to feel relieved, but instead, his fingers trembled with nervousness. 　　Pei Jingchen’s expression froze, clearly taken aback by those four words. Silence fell in the million-dollar car as fine snow fluttered outside, landing without a sound. Pei Jingchen suddenly asked,…

As Pei Jingchen stepped out the door, Su Qingci thought—he really was an honest man. But he was too honest, incapable even of telling a lie. With every new friend Pei Jingchen made, Su Qingci’s place in his heart shifted one step back. Each time Pei Jingchen gathered with friends, Su Qingci was left alone…

　　At nine o’clock that evening, Pei Jingchen was still working while Su Qingci sat curled up on the sofa, watching him without blinking. After enduring this stare for too long, Pei Jingchen finally couldn’t take it anymore and turned his head. Their eyes met, and Su Qingci hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue.…

“We can basically confirm it’s idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.” The doctor tapped the keyboard with practiced ease. “I’ll write you a referral. Go ahead and get admitted!” Su Qingci picked up the report. “No need.” Doctor: “?” Su Qingci stood up and left the examination room, his departure clean and decisive. 　　Closing the door behind…