Pipi still kept the old habit of going out every day.
Every afternoon at three o'clock, it would sit by the door, waiting for Xiao Cheng to come back.
Xiao Cheng found it strange and decided to follow Pipi for a while.
Pipi first went to the sandbox in the park and dug around in the sand with its paws.
Then, it circled around the flowerbed in the neighborhood twice.
Xiao Cheng was puzzled.
Until one day, he saw a scene in the park—
A girl in a white dress with long hair cascading down was crouching on the ground, gently stroking Pipi's head.
“Pipi, where is your sister?”
Pipi called out once, then again, and then fell silent.
The girl's eyes turned red as she turned her head away.
Pipi turned around and slowly walked home.
At that moment, Xiao Cheng suddenly understood.
Pipi went out every day to retrace the path that the cloud had taken it on.
The cloud was gone, but Pipi continued to follow its old routine day after day.
As if that way, it could find the cloud again.
Xiao Cheng felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes instantly turned red.
Heavy rain poured down.
Xiao Cheng finally pushed open that door.
Pipi emerged from under the desk, holding an empty bottle marked with sleeping pills.
He suddenly recalled the crossed-out words.
"I can never go to the island again. Goodbye, Xiao Cheng."
The empty sleeping pill bottle, the scratches on the door, and the smudged handwriting from tears.
Xiao Cheng realized that on that fateful day, Yun Duo had intended to end her life.
However, because Pipi had chewed through the door lock, Yun Duo's suicide plan had failed.
Pipi tilted its head at him, seemingly asking, "What are you sad about?"
Xiao Cheng covered his face and slumped onto the floor.
A torrent of regret engulfed him, chewing over his feelings again and again.
He felt like food swallowed by a monster, slowly being digested.
Xiao Cheng began to recall what he had done on that day.
He couldn't remember.
His mind was like a malfunctioning machine, endlessly replaying the events of that day.
That morning, he opened his eyes and saw Yun Duo watering the flowers.
She wore a light blue nightgown, her long hair cascading down, her expression gentle.
She bent down to water a vibrant cactus, droplets splashing onto the leaves, crystal clear.
She said, "Xiao Cheng, good morning."
Like every ordinary couple, they exchanged greetings in the morning.
However, Xiao Cheng did not know at that moment that Yun Duo was saying goodbye to him.
He thought it was just a casual remark.
That night, when he returned home, Yun Duo was already gone.
Standing in the empty living room, Xiao Cheng realized that Yun Duo was truly not there anymore.
He pushed open the door to that room and saw those words.
And also, the medicine bottle that Pipi was holding in its mouth.
Xiao Cheng finally understood that Yun Duo had intended to die on that day.
And he had missed something.
---
Xiao Cheng stayed shut in for three whole days.
On the fourth day, Xiangzi knocked on his door.
Yong Nan had sent him messages and called, but there was no response.
With no other options, Yong Nan could only find Xiangzi.
Xiangzi was his childhood friend and also a close buddy.
Xiangzi stood at his doorstep knocking for a long time before Xiao Cheng finally opened the door.
He was wearing a white shirt stained with wine.
The moment the door opened, Xiangzi was nearly overwhelmed by the strong smell of alcohol.
However, Xiao Cheng seemed relatively stable, and his emotions were not out of control.
He calmly walked over to the sofa and sat down, then picked up the bottle of wine from the coffee table, preparing to drink.
Xiangzi frowned as he walked into the living room.
It was then that he noticed the neatly arranged empty wine bottles in the living room.
Moreover, everything in the house was organized in an orderly manner.
This did not resemble the dwelling of a drunkard at all.
Xiangzi snatched the bottle from Xiao Cheng's hand and poured the wine over him, saying, "Are you out of your mind?"
Xiao Cheng remained expressionless, staring blankly at the bottle.
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