"Can Can and I found him in the house. After leaving the house to check on him and confirming he was still breathing, we brought him back inside and quickly left the 'scene of the crime'."
Rao Beichen looked up at the starry sky, dotted with countless stars, a breathtaking sight.
The island, standing alone on the sea, was free from the pollution of cities and boasted a beautiful environment. The stars and the sea were magnificent.
In the city, seeing the stars at night was a luxury.
But here, it was an easy matter.
"He is very strong. In that situation, everyone else died without a burial place, yet he was merely injured and unconscious. And after waking up, he healed himself quickly. It was also he who advised me not to go to the northern base, suggesting I choose a southern city instead."
Rao Beichen turned his gaze from the stars to Su Ling. "We rushed all the way here just to meet up with you. We were quite lucky to have encountered you at the port in Lucheng. The rest, I don't need to elaborate, do I?"
The last sentence held a hint of playfulness.
Su Ling listened quietly. Upon hearing that Shang Qi single-handedly confronted a well-trained and fully equipped team, only to fall in a pool of blood and lose consciousness, her heart felt as if it were tightly clutched by a large hand, her breathing slowing.
The night air carried a hint of coolness within the warmth of the heatwave, brushing against her skin.
Su Ling raised a hand and ran it through her hair. She asked Rao Beichen, "So, is Shang Qi really from the north?"
Rao Beichen hummed in agreement and explained to Su Ling, "He is a native of the capital. I had business dealings with him when I visited the capital for my business affairs. I wouldn't say I know him intimately, but I know a thing or two."
However, that was before the apocalypse. After the world ended, everyone's identities were no longer based on their pre-apocalypse status.
Su Ling didn't ask about Shang Qi's identity in the capital, but from her dreams and Shang Qi's experiences, she had an inkling.
The last time she met Shang Qi was long after the apocalypse.
By then, she and Sister Na's son had been surviving in the post-apocalyptic world for quite some time. Later, in Lucheng, she met Qingqing and Yu Ling.
It was after that, in the province adjacent to Lucheng, that she met Shang Qi. He was a lone wolf, operating by himself.
She had actually noticed him earlier. Back then, being young and foolish, she felt sympathetic seeing Shang Qi alone and wanted to invite him to join their group, to face the apocalypse together.
In fact, she did just that.
Fortunately, Shang Qi, despite being a powerful individual, didn't dismiss her.
The outcome was that Shang Qi joined their team, and they journeyed through the apocalypse together.
They fought side by side, surviving battles for five years, until Shang Qi was betrayed and killed by Yang Guang Han Xu...
Looking back now, Su Ling found it highly suspicious.
Shang Qi was such a strong person; how could Yang Guang Han Xu have possibly harmed him?
Could she interpret it as Shang Qi not actually dying in the previous life, but merely faking his death and leaving?
As for the reason for his departure, she couldn't fathom it, nor dared to.
Sometimes, knowing the truth wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Su Ling simply felt a pang of discomfort, a slight ache in her chest.
From the very first time she met Shang Qi, he had never told her the truth.
His name wasn't Shang Qi; his surname was Wen, and his given name was Wen Shang Qi.
He wasn't from the south but was a native of the capital, a true northerner.
She, on the other hand, had revealed everything to him without reservation.
But him? Five years of living together, day in and day out, and he had never once shown any intention of being open with her.
Even when he finally chose to leave, he didn't inform her, opting for a method she couldn't comprehend.
Shang Qi, you lied to me.