Early Saturday m, Zhuang Zi'ang bought some ham sausage and diced it up. Following Little Butterfly's instrus, he went to Xishan Park to feed the stray cats.

  As soon as Zhuang Zi'ang took out the food, a flurry of cats of all different colors quickly surrounded him. He carefully recalled the names Little Butterfly had giveiger, Cheese, Pudding, and so on.

  But the little amed Tom would never appear again. The image of Little Butterfly g her heart out for it was impossible tet.

  "Young man, why didn't that girl e with you?" a warm voice asked from behind him.

  Zhuang Zi'ang turned around. It was the sanitation worker from st time.

  He replied despoly, "She's been busy with something tely. I haven't seen her in a few days either."

  "She's such a kied girl. Ever sihree months ago, she's e here every weekend to feed the cats," the auntie said with a smile.

  "Three months ago?" Zhuang Zi'ang murmured to himself.

  He remembered the fried potato stall owner had also mentiohat she met Little Butterfly three months ago. That would have been before the New Year.

  Zhuang Zi'ang took out his phone and recorded a short video of the cats. He wao send it to Little Butterfly, but then he remembered that her old flip phone probably couldn't receive videos. He'd have to wait until she came back to show it to her in person.

  The sun rose high in the sky, illuminating the park's flowers and trees. The air was exceptionally fresh. Zhuang Zi'ang took a few deep breaths, then turo leave.

  Today, he had an appoi with Dr. for another check-up, even though he k would be futile.

  The hospital corridors were filled with the pu smell of disiant. Faint sobs could be heard ing from the wards.

  Whenever he walked these halls, Zhuang Zi'a a chill run down his spine.

  He sat on a ben the corridor for a long time before a middle-aged couple finally emerged from Dr. 's office, their faces streaked with tears.

  Zhuang Zi'ang could uand their pain. After all, most patients who sought out Dr. were seriously ill.

  When it was Zhuang Zi'ang's turn, Dr. looked up from behind his gsses. "Why are you alone again? Didn't any family e with you?"

  Zhuang Zi'ang shook his head. "It's like this, I don't want to trouble anyone."

  Dr. sighed but didn't press the issue. In his long career as a doctor, he had seen all kinds of patients, including those with plicated family situations.

  He took Zhuang Zi'ang through a battery of tests, which took up most of the m. Finally, the results were in.

  "Do you want to see them yourself, or should I expio you?" Dr. asked, his expression serious.

  "Please keep it simple, in terms I uand," Zhuang Zi'ang requested.

  "Look on the bright side."

  Just three simple words, easy to uand.

  They extinguished the st flicker of hope.

  This time, Zhuang Zi'a even more despohan before because back then, he hadn't met Little Butterfly yet.

  Dr. plucked a peach blossom from the vase on his desk and ha to Zhuang Zi'ang. "Here, take this. Rex, and spend more time with the people you love."

  Zhuang Zi'ang took the flower. "Are the peach blossoms about to fade?"

  Dr. nodded. "Just about. This is the st ohere used to be a patient who loved peach blossoms. She often brought me one, hoping it would brighten my day."

  "What about that patient?" Zhuang Zi'ang asked.

  "She won't be seeing any more peach blossoms," Dr. replied, shaking his head.

  As a doctor, he was aced to life ah. He could talk about such things with hardly a ripple of emotion. But for Zhuang Zi'ang, that simple, matter-of-fact statement was incredibly cruel.

  This would likely be the st peach blossom he would ever see in his life, too.

  Clutg the examinatio, Zhuang Zi'a Dr. 's office. In the main hall, he uedly ran into Lin Mushi.

  "Mushi, what a ce."

  Lin Mushi's grandmother was hospitalized here due to some ic health issues. She had e to visit her over the weekend. It leasant surprise to run into Zhuang Zi'ang.

  "It is a ce. What are you doing at the hospital?"

  "Nothing much. I had a nosebleed yesterday, so I came to get it checked out," Zhuang Zi'ang said, instinctively trying to hide the report in his hand.

  "You had a massive nosebleed yesterday. It really scared me. Are you okay?" Lin Mushi suddenly reached out and snatched the report from his grasp.

  "Mushi, don't..." Zhuang Zi'ang tried to stop her, but it was too te.

  The report was filled with teical medical jargon that Lin Mushi couldn't fully uand. But the words "cer cell metastasis" jumped out at her, sending a shiver down her spine.

  So this was Zhuang Zi'ang's terrible secret.

  Lin Mushi's hands trembled as she held the report. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, this isn't real, is it?"

  "Please don't py this kind of joke. It's not funny at all."

  "I was a bit harsh with you st time. I knorong now. Please don't scare me with this."

  ...

  Lin Mushi was talking to Zhuang Zi'ang, but it was almost as if she were talking to herself, even though she knew deep down that it ointless.

  There was no way Zhuang Zi'ang would have prepared something like this in advance just to py a prank, especially since he had no idea he would run into her at the hospital.

  "Mushi, promise me you won't tell anyone," Zhuang Zi'ang pleaded calmly.

  "Why? Why would this happen to you? You're oeen," Lin Mushi sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

  "My mom sidered having an abortion when she regnant with me. So, in a way, I've already gaieen years," Zhuang Zi'ang said with a self-depreg smile.

  "Stop smiling. I told you it's not funny at all," Lin Mushi cried even harder.

  "Hush, keep your voice down. Don't disturb the other patients," Zhuang Zi'ang said helplessly.

  Iy, hardly anyone around them aying attention. After all, this was a hospital; heart-wreng ses of life ah were onpce here.

  "Zhuang Zi'ang, how much time do you have left?"

  "Three months. No, it's been a week, so a little over two months now."

  Zhuang Zi'ang remembered the dar he had bought. He had already torn off ten pages. ting down his life in pages of a dar didn't feel very good.

  Lin Mushi recalled that Zhuang Zi'ang had taken a day off st week, saying he was going to see a doctor. When he came back, he seemed like a different person, wearing a gaudy floral shirt, breaking down in tears during math css, and then frequently skipping school.

  So, he had already received his diagnosis back then.

  And she had been upset with him for not takio the movies. When they had barbecue st time, she kept critig him, even telling him he had no future.

  "I'm sorry, Zhuang Zi'ang. I didn't know. I shouldn't have said those things to you."

  Zhuang Zi'ang's eyes reddened. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize."

  "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you have to shoulder such a heavy burden all by yourself?"

  "We're friends. I just didn't want to see you like this."

  As tears poured down her cheeks, Lin Mushi recalled all the moments she had shared with Zhuang Zi'ang. In just over two months, she would lose such a good friend forever.

  It was all her fault. She hadn't been there for him enough.

  An overwhelming sense ret filled her heart. No amount of tears could express the depth of her sorrow.