Chasing You (Arcs 1-7)

End of Arc 4: Silence (XX)

"Baby, please. Open your eyes."

"Mingming..."

"Baby, don't leave me behind...."

He pressed his forehead against Chen Ming. His warm stream of tears fell down onto Chen Ming's face. Sirens from the ambulance and the police were ringing loud in the background, but they were drowned out by Yu Zian. He could no longer hear anything around him, as he was solely transfixed on his lover.

He choked on his cries, "No, Mingming. This.... Today wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Please open your eyes and look at me. Tell me this is a dream, that none of this never happened. I want to see you smile and laugh. I can't...."

His voice trailed off. His hands ran through Chen Ming's hair. The warmth in his arms were fading away, bit by bit. He clung onto the body in his arms as if it was his lifebuoy.

The police quickly detained the assailant and brought him away. The paramedics rushed over. Seeing a dazed man, they tapped on Yu Zian's shoulder lightly, "Sir, are you alright?"

Yu Zian, "..."

"Sir, is this your blood?"

"..."

"Are you bleeding?"

"..."

"Sir?"

....

Yu Zian stayed silent.

One of the paramedics noticed Chen Ming, "Sir, we need you to let go of him."

Yu Zian finally moved, he looked at Chen Ming after hearing the paramedics. His eyes were hollow and lifeless, they never left the face of his lover. The tears on his cheeks had long dried.

The paramedic carefully approached Yu Zian and checked Chen Ming's pulse. The skin was already cool at the touch. There was no pulse. No breath from that body. The person had already ceased to exist in this world. He sighed and shook his head.

---

Yu Zian sat on the bed that they had once shared together. He had his head in his hands. Everything seemed so unrealistic, like a dream. Like he would wake up and Chen Ming would be right besides him. He lifted his head and glanced at the ring in his hand. More tears sprung out of his eyes.

Yu Zian stood up, his feet took him to Chen Ming's painting room. He opened the door hoping that when he entered he would see that familiar back. Much to his expectation, the room was empty. He stood there staring at the empty spot in front of the easel. His footsteps held substantial weight as he made his way over. He wanted to see what Chen Ming had painted before he passed away.

Yu Zian had promised Chen Ming not to look at the painting, at least not until his birthday. He stood looking down at the canvas, his arm stretched out and his fingertips grazed the painting. More tears slipped down from his eyes and he crumpled to the ground, as he held onto himself.

In the painting, there was a stretched-out grassland with life. To the right side, there were two people holding hands, and in the background were the never ending views of the trees and the blue mountains. There were birds and butterflies dancing in the clear blue sky. The warm rays of the sun revitalize everything it touched.

The two people resembled him and Chen Ming. They had on the clothes that they had worn on their first date. On their pinkies were the red strings of fate, symbolizing their connected fate. They had bright smiles on their face as they gazed at each other, their eyes filled with love and the prospects of their future together.

On the far left of the in the empty space were the words:

『Insignificant waters become,

When sailings to the oceans abound.

Misty clouds circle mount Wu around,

That's the best scenery I have ever found.

Many a flower I pass by,

Second looks I bother not to try,

For pilgrimages as a monk I vie,

Still remember the lover I once had.』

(A/N: Through On The Deceased Life by Yuan Zhen.)

It expressed that no where or who he's with, his heart will forever be with Yu Zian.

(A/N: ANNND That's a wrap.... Kinda cliche kind of ending but eeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-. That's the ending of arc 4! Thank you guys for your wonderful support!

TBH, I was kind of running out of things to write for the arc but I persevered! Still think that I did a half ass job and might think about going back to edit some parts of it in the future.....)