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Mars Synopsis / Episode guides

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | to be continued

Translated by laiou2002 of http://www.vicpower.net

At a hospital's waiting area

"I beg you to return him to me. I beg you to return him to me” Shazhi cried and said to Qiluo.

"Shazhi, please stop. I haven't clutched tightly to Ling and not let him go. I like him so I stay by him. I think this is not a question of I return him or not. I don't have the rights to restrict him." Qiluo said.

"Can I like him? Can I see him? You won't interfere." Shazhi said.

"He has the freedom to choose." Qiluo said.

"I remember now. I always thought you reminded me of someone. I finally remember it. You and Sheng are very much alike. Sheng said the same thing to me when I told him I liked Ling." Shazhi said.

Shazhi sat down on the bench.

"He said he would forgive me, but he died. You won't die in the same way, will you? I beg you. Please don't do it. Please don't ever do it. I beg you. Otherwise Ling will run away to somewhere again. He will leave me alone." Shazhi said, sobbing and begging Qiluo.

Ling, who was leaning against a wall in the hospital hallway, heard of what Shazhi said.

"Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen Ling." A nurse called, standing at the door of a hospital room and looking for Ling.

Ling waved to the nurse when she was looking in his direction.

Qiluo heard of the nurse and noticed Ling.

"This is your examination report. Please take it to the check out counter. Your wound has been stitched. Remember don't eat spicy food." The nurse said to Ling and gave Ling his report. Ling opened and read the report while the nurse was giving him instructions.

"Thank you." Ling said to the nurse. The nurse nodded to Ling and left.

On campus

"I can hardly believe it. She deliberately ran toward a car just simply because someone wouldn't see her again. I'm 80% sure that she's a lunatic. Such a dangerous woman. How can Ling like her? I think Ling's head probably has problems too." Qingmei said to Qiluo as the two of them walked up the stairs.

"But she looks really cute. What she has done is very extreme, but wasn't she kind of brave?" Qiluo said to Qingmei.

"Are you an idiot? You're admiring her. Do you understand there's a possibility of Ling being snatched away by her?" Qingmei said to Qiluo.

"But from Shazhi's perspective, it's exactly the opposite. I'm the one who has stolen Ling. The one who's interfering is also me." Qiluo said to Qingmei as she walked slowly ahead of Qingmei and got to the landing.

Qingmei caught up to her. The two stood and talking at the landing.

"Hold on. What you mean is that you are the intruder who breaks them up." Qingmei said angrily to Qiluo.

"Since two years ago, Shazhi's heart has been in a static state." Qiluo said.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I don't understand what you're saying. So, you...” Qingmei said.

Qingmei stopped short as she heard two girls were talking about Ling.

"That's what I've heard. She is the one who bought Ling the other day." One girl said.

"Um. But, has he been dating with Qiluo for a quite long time now?" The other girl said.

"Girls like Han Qiluo are probably just like a convenience store for upper classmate Chen Ling. Anyway they are obedient and good-natured. He can ask anything from them. They'll always be waiting there for him." The first girl said.

Qingmei got so angry and started running upstairs.

"So upper classmate Chen Ling ...” The first girl continued.

"You two. What did you just say?" Qingmei shouted at them.

"Qingmei! Qingmei!" Qiluo yelled as she ran upstairs.

"What are you looking at? Yes, you two. Come over here. Running away? What were you two saying?" Qingmei yelled and blocked the two girls.

"Qingmei!" Qiluo yelled as she reached upstairs.

"Do you know that you two did were very impolite?" Qingmei yelled at the two girls.

"Qingmei! Qingmei!" Qiluo yelled as she pulled Qingmei to stop her.

"It's very impolite to say things like that?" Qingmei continued yelling at the two girls.

Daye happened to come downstairs.

"Do you guys know it or not?" Qingmei continued yelling at the two girls.

Daye ran over and stood between Qingmei and the two girls.

"What are you doing?" Daye yelled at Qingmei.

"Do you know what they were saying? They said Qiluo was a convenience store." Qingmei shouted back at Daye, pointing to the two girls.

"Even if you want to uphold justice, you don't have to be so reckless." Daye said to Qingmei.

"I'm like you who show no loyalty to friends. What were they talking about?" Qingmei shouted at Daye.

"Gossip. Gossip. Gossip to death." Qingmei yelled after the two girls who were leaving.

Qiluo was very upset and turned to leave.

"Qiluo." Qingmei called and ran after her. Daye stopped her.

Qiluo walked downstairs

Tongdao stood at the entrance to the building.

Qiluo bumped into Tongdao.

"I'm sorry." Qiluo said to Tongdao.

"Never mind. We all sometimes get absent-minded. Excuse me. Is the administration office upstairs?" Tongdao said.

"Um. 4th floor." Qiluo said.

"Thank you." Tongdao nodded at Qiluo and went upstairs.

Qiluo turned to watch his retreating back.

Outside Shazhi's room

Shazhi's mother, bearing a tray of food, knocked on the door.

"Shazhi. Shazhi! It's fine if you don't want to go to school. But you have to eat something." Shazhi's mother said to Shazhi, standing outside the door.

"Shazhi." Shazhi's mother knocked again.

"Shazhi, why don't you open the door? Shazhi, have you heard what I say? Shazhi, Open the door quickly." Shazhi's mother said to Shazhi, standing outside and knocking on the door.

Inside, Shazhi, lying in bed, ignored her mother.

Shazhi remembering

Shazhi and Zhuyi were hiding behind a column, watching Ling and Sheng who were leaning against a railing.

"Shazhi, Look at those two new transfer students. They are from Log Angeles. They look exactly the same." Zhuyi said to Shazhi.

Ling saw Shazhi and they looked at each other.

"Wei, Sheng. Look at that girl." Ling called Sheng, who was looking downstairs. Sheng turned around.

"She looks like the dog owned by Aunt Guangzi." Ling said to Sheng.

"You mean that dog Bomei." Sheng said to Ling.

"Almost exactly the same." Ling said to Sheng.

"You are so bad." Sheng laughed and said to Ling.

Qiluo sat alone in the art studio room

Ling came to see her.

"I've heard that you're a convenience store. Are you? So you will do whatever I say, won't you?" Ling said to Qiluo.

"Um. As long as you say it, I'm willing to do it." Qiluo nodded her head.

Ling put down his backpack and crouched in front of Qiluo. He held Qiluo's hands in his hands.

"Then, I beg you. Do not dislike me. Okay? I'm not as gentle and considerate as Daye and I'm reckless. I'm also a big fool who doesn't know how to refuse women. But I still hope you would stay by my side with me. Okay?" Ling said to Qiluo.

"Thinking it over, you really don't seem to have anything good in you. But I still like you very much." Qiluo said to Ling.

"Fool. Let's go watch a movie. But today my hand is injured, I can't ride my bike. Let's stroll over there." Ling said to Qiluo.

Qiluo nodded.

Ling and Qiluo walking on the main campus road

Ling tried to hold Qiluo's hand.

"We're at school." Qiluo said to Ling.

"It's okay." Ling said and held hands with Qiluo.

Zhuyi ran to the front of Ling.

"Fortunately, I make it in time." Zhuyi said, short of breath.

"Ling, can you come with me to Shazhi's home?" Zhuyi said to Ling. Ling didn't say a word.

"Shazhi hasn't been in school for several days. I called her at home. Her mother said that she had been locked herself inside her room for several days and wouldn't eat anything. Ling. you know she isn't strong physically. Something will go wrong if she continues like this. Please come with me to see her. Can you?" Zhuyi said to Ling.

"I beg you. Please let go of me, will you? I don't want to live that kind of life any more. I don't want to be controlled by others like a puppet on a string. I only want the life I'm having now. I beg you. Don't ever come to see me." Ling said to Zhuyi.

"Let's leave." Ling said to Qiluo and took her hand to leave.

"Ling." Qiluo said.

"Ling." Zhuyi called to stop Ling.

"Ling, wait a minute." Qiluo said. Ling let go of Qiluo's hand.

"Can you go and see Shazhi?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"No. I'm not going." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Why not?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"Because I don't want to go." Ling turned and yelled at Qiluo.

"I don't want to deal with her unreasonable behaviors. I don't want to have to do anything for her. I don't want to have anything to with her any more. I don't wan to... I don't want to be tied up because this is all over and done with." Ling turned to face Zhuyi and said loudly to him.

"Is it really over and done with?" Qiluo asked Ling. Ling turned his head to face Qiluo.

"Why do lie to yourself? It's not over yet because you haven't really faced your past. You're just being afraid. You're afraid of meeting Shazhi again. You're afraid of being reminded of what happened. Why are you running away? Running away hurriedly would only prevent you forever from seeing the truth clearly. And you'll never be freed." Qiluo asked Ling.

Images of Sheng's jumping off the school building and his conversion with Sheng about Shazhi mingled together and started flashing through Ling's mind.

"I'm just fooling around with Shazhi. You know I tend to act more casual." Ling said to Sheng.

"Why do you lie to me?" Sheng said to Ling.

"I know you're very worried about Shazhi." Qiluo said to Ling.

Image of Sheng saying to Ling, ""I know you really like Shazhi."

"You're just concerned that I might imagine and get wrong ideas, so you lie." Qiluo said to Ling.

Image of Sheng saying to Ling, "I don't want to tie you up."

"It's okay. Ling." Qiluo said to Ling.

Image of Sheng saying to Ling, "I don't want to tie you up at all."

"Because I don't want to tie you up at all." Qiluo said to Ling.

"Don't talk to me like Sheng." Ling shouted at Qiluo.

"I'm not Sheng. Please don't overlay and confuse me with Sheng." Qiluo said to Ling.

Qiluo left.

In Qiluo room

The cell phone rang. It took Qiluo a while to answer the call.

"Wei." Qiluo said.

"I absolutely have no intention to overlap you and Sheng. It I let you feel this way, I apologize for it. To tell you the truth, I don't know if I have been thinking you as a substitute for Sheng. I only know when I'm with you, my mind is peaceful and I feel very comfortable. I don't know how to put my feelings into words. Will you not be happy with what I've just said?" Ling called her from a phone booth.

Qiluo didn't say a word.

"Qiluo! Qiluo! Wei! Wei." Ling said over the phone.

"I just hope you stop running away from it. I hope you face yourself truly. Ling, go and seek the truth of the matter. After you find the answer, if you'll still want to come back, I'll be here waiting for you." Qiluo said to Ling over the cell phone.

Outside Shazhi's home

Ding Dong. Ling rang the door bell.

Shazhi's mother opened the door and saw it was Ling.

"Come in." Shazhi's mother said to Ling, looking very annoyed.

Inside Shazhi's room

"Shazhi." Ling called Shazhi who was lying in bed, face inward. Shazhi turned and saw Ling.

"Ling." Shazhi said. Shazhi jumped up and embraced Ling. Ling hugged and patted her.

"Look at yourself. Pull yourself together. Okay? Do you know how worried your mother has been?" Ling said to Shazhi.

Shazhi's mother left the room.

"I don't like my mother. I hate her. I hate her so much. She won't allow me to see you." Shazhi said to Ling.

"She is doing it only because she's worried about you. You shouldn't talk of her in such a way. Okay. Be good. Come down." Ling said to Shazhi.

"No. I don't want." Shazhi said.

"Be good. Come down." Ling said.

"I don't want to. I don't want to." Shazhi said.

"I really think you shouldn't always do things to have us worried. Okay." Ling said to Shazhi.

"Every year around this time, I always miss you very much." Shazhi said. Shazhi unwind her hands.

"Don't you remember what day is today?" Shazhi said to Ling.

On campus before classes began

Daye, standing upstairs and resting his arms atop a railing, was watching Ling who was downstairs and sitting on the stairs.

Qingmei came and stood next to Daye.

"What's Ling doing over there all by himself?" Qingmei asked Daye.

"I don't know. He has been sitting there by himself for a long time. I wonder if something has happened." Daye said to Qingmei.

"It seems that Shazhi has been seeing Ling quite often." Qingmei said to Daye.

"Forget it. Even Qiluo doesn't seem to care. Why should we be bothered by it?" Qingmei said to Daye.

"Just as long as you know it." Daye said to Qingmei.

"Even if they are not together in the end, there's nothing we can do." Daye said to Qingmei.

"Then you can go back to pursue Qiluo." Qingmei said to Daye.

"Hey." Qingmei nudged Daye.

Qiluo came to school and saw Ling sitting on the stairs.

"Hi." Qiluo said to Ling, stopping in front of him.

"Hi." Ling raised his head and said to Qiluo.

"Classes will begin. Won't you go upstairs?" Qiluo said to Ling.

"No. I'm not going." Ling said, shaking his head.

"Oh. I'm going to the class now." Qiluo said to Ling.

"Can you sit with me for a little bit?" Ling said to Qiluo as Qiluo was to climb up the stairs.

Qiluo put down her bag and sat next to Ling on the stairs.

"I can't stand those two. I'm going to the class." Qingmei said to Daye.

"Are you coming?" Qingmei said to Daye when she saw Daye stay put.

Daye followed her.

Ling and Qiluo sat together on the stairs.

"Will you tell me what's going on with you?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"Today's is the anniversary of Sheng's death." Ling said after pausing for a moment.

"Is it today?" Qiluo asked.

"I'm thinking about to visit his grave. But I just couldn't remember where he's buried." Ling said.

"Haven't you ever been to his grave?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"Because I always feel it isn't real. I can't admit... I can't admit the fact that Sheng is already dead. In fact I can't remember anything happened after Sheng's death. I don't have any recollection of it. I can only remember I went to a police station. I seemed to faint there. When I woke up, everything related to the funeral had all finished." Ling said.

"Ling, you said you pushed Sheng off the building. Is that true?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"Probably." Ling answered after a long pause.

"If you want to visit Sheng so much, why don't you ask your father?" Qiluo said to Ling.

"He will not let me go. He doesn't like me to visit Sheng's grave." Ling said.

"Why?" Qiluo asked.

"Because he doesn't like Sheng and me." Ling said after a long pause.

"How can parents dislike their own children? Every time when you mention your father, why do you always make him sound so awful? Why do you dislike him so much? Why is it?" Qiluo asked, looking puzzled.

"I don't know. I really don't know why. It was my mother. She kept telling us." Ling said.

Images of Ling's mother

Image of Ling's mother telling them, "Don't ever come close to your father. Your father is very cold and ruthless and he hates children. And he is very frightening. Don't ever depend on him. Don't believe what he says. Do you understand?" Ling's mother said to Ling and Sheng.

"You're looking more and more like papa. Ling. It's true that you're looking more and more like papa." Ling's mother said to Ling as she stretched her arm out to touch Ling.

Back to the stairs

Ling was in deep thoughts and frowning.

"Ling. Has your father ever done anything terrible to you two?" Qiluo called.

"No. My old man has never done anything." Ling said, after considering for a while.

"Then, why did your mother say things like that? Ling." Qiluo asked.

"Yeah. Why? Why did my mother always say such awful things of my old man? Every time we met, she always kept reminding us of it. But then, she would say to me, looking very happy, that I was looking more and more like my father." Ling said as he stood up and started walking.

Ling was getting a headache and leaned his arm against a column to support himself. Qiluo walked to his side.

"My mother always acted like that, saying words with contradictory and confusing meaning. Why did she say things like that? Why did I believe her? Why do I dislike my father so much?" Ling said.

Ling retracted his arm.

"Every time I try to think it through. But whenever I strained hard to think about it, my whole body felt very ill. So, my doctor told me not to think about it." Ling said.

"The doctor?" Qiluo asked.

"A Psychiatrist. He was my attending doctor when I was in the psychiatric hospital. He told me if I couldn't think about it, don't think about it; be it my father or my mother, they are all the same. So after that, I stop thinking about them. So is the matter of Shazhi. Even if I keep on telling myself not to look it that way. In the end, I still connect her with Sheng's death. You tell me not to avoid Shazhi, but I don't know if I can handle facing her. I don't have any confidence at all." Ling said.

"Ling." Qiluo.

"I don't want to go back to those days. She is not the problem. It's me. I've reached my limit." Ling said. Ling leaned against the column.

"I'm sick and tired of those days of taking medicine and staying in the psychiatric hospital. I don't want to go back to those days." Ling shouted, pressing his forehead against his palm.

"Ling” Qiluo called him, pulling his jacket.

"Ling." Shazhi called.

"Shazhi." Qiluo murmured.

Shazhi and Zhuyi were looking at them.

Zhuyi was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"What do you mean by your not having confidence? You're running away again, aren't you? You're not being fair. When Sheng was still alive, you were already like that. You liked me but you always worried about Sheng's feelings and how he would look at us. You didn't even look at me. Do you know how I wished you only had me in your heart? It was the same with Sheng. In your hearts, you only had each other. Every one envied me that I had both of you all to myself. But no one understood how lonely I was inside. Neither of you had his heart only for me. So, I told Sheng to disappear." Shazhi said to Ling.

Qiluo and Zhuyi looked at Shazhi in shock.

"I told him why there were two of you; if there was only one of you, I wouldn't be in such pain. If one of you disappeared, how wonderful it would be. After I told him that, he disappeared. Sheng granted my wish. I never thought that you would care even more about him. Is God punishing me? Punish me for saying those words. Punish me for killing Sheng." Shazhi said to Ling.

Shazhi turned and ran away.

"Shazhi." Zhuyi called after her.

"Shazhi." Ling called after her.

Both Ling and Zhuyi started running after Shazhi.

"You stay here. Stay with Qiluo. I'll chase after her." Ling stopped Zhuyi and said to him.

Ling ran after Shazhi as image of Sheng jumping off the building flashed through his mind.

Sheng was walking In a hallway of the high school

Ling ran and caught up to Sheng.

"Sheng. You got it all wrong. I was just playing around with Shazhi. You know I tend to act casual." Ling said to Sheng.

"Ling, why do you lie to me? I know you really like Shazhi. I also know Shazhi likes you better. I don't want to tie you down. I don't want to tie you down at all." Sheng said to Ling.

Qiluo and Zhuyi were waiting at school.

"It's almost dark now. Those two still haven't come back." Zhuyi said to Qiluo.

"I don't believe Sheng committed suicide for such a reason. Ling is the person Sheng loved most. He must have known what a terrible blow it would be to Ling." Qiluo said to Zhuyi.

"If this isn't the reason, what could be the reason Sheng committed suicide?" Zhuyi asked.

Qiluo shook her head. Qiluo saw Ling coming back.

"Ling. Ling." Qiluo called and ran to him. Zhuyi followed.

"Where is Shazhi?" Zhuyi asked Ling.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch up to her. I've tried and looked up everywhere. But I just couldn't find her." Ling said to Qiluo and Zhuyi.

"Has she gone home?" Ling asked Zhuyi.

"I called her home. Her mom said she hadn't come home yet." Zhuyi said to Ling.

"This...” Ling asked Zhuyi as he touched the bouquet of flowers.

"Today is the anniversary of Sheng's death. Originally Shazhi was going to ask you to go together to his grave." Zhuyi said to Ling.

"The rooftop. The school's rooftop” Ling said and ran. Zhuyi and Qiluo followed.

"Ling, wait for me." Qiluo called after him.

Ling, Qiluo, and Zhuyi got to the high school building

Ling got weakening when he looked up to the rooftop. Qiluo stayed with him and tried to help him.

"Ling, are you okay?" Zhuyi shouted at Ling.

"You hurry up and go upstairs to look for her. I'm fine. I'm fine." Ling said to Zhuyi, pointing upstairs.

Zhuyi ran upstairs.

"I'm fine...." Ling said and walked staggeringly. Ling pushed Qiluo's hand away. Ling and Qiluo entered the building.

Ling got weakening again when he looked up the flights of stairs to the rooftop.

"Ling..." Qiluo shouted when Ling fainted with images flying around in his head.

Ling came to his senses.

"I remember it now. I remember it all now. Shazhi didn't do anything at all." Ling said. Ling pushed Qiluo's hand away and ran upstairs.

Ling and Qiluo got to the rooftop.

Shazhi crouched by the railing along the rooftop. Zhuyi was with her. Ling walked and crouched in front of Shazhi.

"I was going to jump. But when I looked downward, I became so scared. I was so scared. I really feel so sad. I don't know why he did that." Shazhi sobbed and said to Ling.

"Shazhi." Ling said, hugging her.

"No. It wasn't like that. Sheng didn't commit suicide because of you. It was because he knew that we weren't our father's real sons." Ling said to Shazhi. Ling let go of Shazhi. Ling and Shazhi looked at each other.

"We are love children from our mother's extramarital affair. Sheng couldn't take the blow, so he chose to give up on himself. It wasn't because of you." Ling said to Shazhi.

"No. it wasn't..." Ling said as he hugged and patted Shazhi again.

Teacher Shi's class

Teacher Shi walked into the classroom and looked around.

"Class begins." Teacher Shi said to the class.

"Is Chen Ling the only one absent today?" Teacher said to the class.

Qiluo looked at Ling's empty seat.

"It's rare that he has been attending classes more often lately." Teacher Shi said.

Qiluo opened the door of Ling's apartment

"Ling. Ling..." Qiluo called as she walked into the apartment. Ling was lying in bed.

"Ling. Ling." Qiluo called and shook Ling. Ling opened his eyes and saw Qiluo.

"How come you're here?" Ling said and immediately closed his eyes again.

"You didn't come to school. I'm worried if you've got sick." Qiluo said to Ling.

"I feel drowsy and my head aches acutely." Ling said. Qiluo touched his forehead.

"You have a temperature. Have you caught a cold? Where is your thermometer? Do you have any cold medicine?" Qiluo said.

"How would I have any of those things? Don't worry. I'm fine. I'll be in good shape after one good night of sleep." Ling said and turned in the bed.

"No. Is there any hospital around here? I'm taking you to see a doctor. Okay?" Qiluo said to Ling.

"Are you kidding? I hate doctors the most and you're telling me to see a doctor. I'm fine. All I need is to rest for a night." Ling said.

"But you're sick and alone. You need someone to take care of you. How about I ask Shazhi to come over?" Qiluo said.

"Shazhi. If she comes, my temperature would get even higher. She doesn't know how to take care of people." Ling said.

"How about I contact your father?" Qiluo said.

"I'm fine. I can handle it. You hurry up. Go home and rest. I'm really fine." Ling said.

Qiluo called her mother.

"Wei. Mom. It's me. Can I spend the night outside tonight? Oh, with Qingmei. She keeps asking me to stay overnight. Ha Yeah Yes. Yes. I understand. Um. I'll go home right away after school tomorrow. Ha. Yes. I know it. Mom. See you." Qiluo said to her mother.

"I also need to call Qingmei." Qiluo murmured and starting punched numbers.

Qiluo finished shopping, carrying some grocery bags.

Qiluo walked back to Ling's apartment.

Qiluo's voice over, "Every one lives alone in this world. I know this. But Ling's loneliness seems to be lonelier than loneliness."

Qiluo sitting by Ling's bedside

Qiluo picked up and held one of Ling's hands.

Qiluo was sleeping in bed in the morning.

Qiluo woke up and sat up in bed. Ling was taking a bunch of celery out of the refrigerator.

"Ling¡± Qiluo called.

"Oh. You're up." Ling said.

"Can you get up?" Qiluo asked as he got off the bed.

"Um. Didn't I say I'd be fine after one night of sleep?" Ling said as he went through the grocery.

"The person who carried me to the bed was ...¡± Qiluo said.

"Otherwise, you probably would be a goner too after sitting and sleeping the whole night like that." Ling said.

"Wei. Let me tell you beforehand. All I did was to carry you to the bed to sleep. I didn't do anything else. I'm not that strong. He He He." Ling said. Qiluo stood up.

"Are you really okay?" Qiluo asked.

"How can a little cold defeat me? Let's not talk about this." Ling said.

Ling sighed as he picked up a frying pan

"What are these pots, pans, spoons, and bowls all about? Now you've made me penniless. How am I going to live?" Ling said to Qiluo.

"I was afraid you might wake up in the middle of night and get hungry. I wanted to cook some food for you. But you didn't have anything here. So... Anyway these are all useful things. I have bought a lot of food. What would you like to eat? I can make it." Qiluo said.

"Is that right?" Ling said and started thinking.

"Then, I want steak." Ling said.

"No." Qiluo said, shaking her head.

"Hamburger will do." Ling said.

"No." Qiluo said.

"Tempura." Ling said. Qiluo shook her head.

"What can you cook after all?" Ling said.

"Omelet with rice." Qiluo said.

"Why didn't you just say so earlier?" Ling said.

Qiluo was making an omelet.

Ling sat in chair, watching her.

Qiluo put the finished omelet on the table in front of Ling.

"Wow. It's so cute." Ling said.

"Try it." Qiluo told Ling.

Ling picked out a piece of hot dog.

"What a small sausage!" Ling said and started eating it.

"Not bad at all." Ling said after he ate the sausage segment.

"As long as you like it. After you finish the dish, can we go out a little bit?" Qiluo said.

"Um. Why?" Ling asked.

"Because I haven't gone to the rest room since last night." Qiluo said.

Ling turned to look at the open toilet area.

"Okay. I understand. Sorry." Ling said laughingly.

Ling went to sit on the bed. Qiluo sat down on the carpet with a drink after Qiluo washed dished in the sink

"Wow. Wow." Ling said.

"I never thought that, besides being adept at painting, you've also got a culinary talent." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Because my mom works outside, I often cook for myself." Qiluo said.

Ling smelt his wrist.

"Um. So this is what's called the smell of a mother. Because I've never tasted it, I'm not sure of it. A year after we were born, my mother was hospitalized. Even if she wasn't hospitalized, I don't think she was ever a homemaker-type of woman. Even if she's still alive, it's still questionable if I will ever get a chance to eat something she makes." Ling said.

"Ling, do you plan to continue living by yourself? Are you sure you really can't live with your father?" Qiluo asked.

"Suppose I get married. One day I find that the kid is looking more and more unlike me. To keep up the appearance, I can't separate from my wife. Even my wife left the world before me. In the end I have to face this kid of someone else and pretend we're are all on good terms as a father and a son. If it were me, I couldn't help but hope the dislikable kid to disappear before my eyes as soon as possible." Ling said.

"Was Sheng thinking the same way, so he made himself vanish? But if he hadn't known about this, none of this would have happened." Qiluo asked.

"Who knows?" Ling said.

"But how did Sheng know about it? How did he know that you two weren't your father's real sons? If no one had told him, he shouldn't have known about it. Who told him? Ling, how did you find it out?" Qiluo asked.

"Not long after we returned from Los Angeles, I found a letter among the stuff my mother left behind. It was a love letter my mother wrote to another man. You'll blush and heart-thumping if you read the letter. I think it was a letter failed to be delivered. There was a photo inside the letter. In the photo was a man, looking very much like me." Ling said.

"It was I who told him. It was me. I told Sheng." Ling said.

Sheng was sitting in bed

"Wei, Sheng." Ling called and came to sit down on the floor by Sheng's bed.

"I've found something very interesting. You see." Ling said to Sheng and handed him the photo.

"Look. Look at the photo. The guy in the photo looked very much like us, didn't he? Do you know where I found it? Our mother had an extramarital affair. So you actually are not the naturally born son of the old man whom you respect most." Ling said to Sheng as Sheng was looking at the picture.

Back to Ling's apartment, Qiluo stood up and walked up to Ling.

"Why? Why did you do that? You knew Sheng best and you valued him more than anyone else. Why did you still.... You should have known very well that, when Sheng found this out, what could have happened? Why did you do that anyway?" Qiluo asked.

"Because I disliked him. Because ever since we were kids, he always liked to act like an emissary of justice in front of me. He always spoke of being proper and morality. But he was so fragile and broke down easily and was a crybaby. The person I dislike most was him. It was just like my father's disliking us; how he wished we would vanish before his eyes. I also wished... I also wished he would never show up in front of me." Ling said.

"You lie. How could it be possible that you dislike Sheng? You specifically told me that it was because of him, you didn't feel lonely. You specifically told me that the two of you were inseparable." Qiluo said.

"That was because we didn't any choice. Our mother was dying. Our father didn't like us. He was all I had. He also only had me to rely on. I was left with him as my only companion, so I had to take care of him. We didn't have the choice to choose." Ling shouted.

"We had to be co-existent. But our co-existence relationship completely changed after we returned to Taiwan. It all changed. Sheng just wanted to please our old man whereas I argued with the old man almost every day. Finally one day the two of us argued. It was the first time we argued; the first time we completely revealed our dissatisfaction with each other. We had never seen each other so not eye-to-eye. When we were kids, if we didn't see each other for just a little while, we would feel so uneasy. We grew up relying on each other's body heat. But in the end... I killed him. Maybe there were other things he couldn't handle, but the one who compelled him to go up to the school's rooftop and helped pushing him from behind." Ling said.

"No. You can't think like that. Your heart has also been hurt." Qiluo said, crouching down before Ling.

"Why are you trying to console me? I don't want to run away from it any more. My psychiatrist once told me that people tend to forget things that look most unfavorable to themselves. Isn't this what I am? Because I couldn't rescue my own younger brother, I became frustrated, repellent and caused the nerve system obstructed. Looking at it from another perspective, how touching it is! I have been trying to persuade myself in this way. But now I've remembered everything. My nervous breakdown actually was not caused by frustration and responsibility. It was because I deeply sensed the true distorted personality inside me." Ling said.

"Distorted personality." Qiluo said.

"In fact, vaguely I've found it out myself. In my heart, there's a part which is very evil and cruel. I couldn't do anything about it. I had been straining hard to return to normal; however the thought withered whenever I was with Sheng. He was too innocent and too naive. Every time when I was with him, he was always right whereas I was always destined to act the distorted role. Whenever he showed his censoring attitude, I just got antagonized. When he cried, I got furious. When he buttered up my old man and be my old man's boy with the same face as mine, it made me sick. So..." Ling said.

"So you showed him your mother's letter. Do you really dislike Sheng so much? Is it true?" Qiluo cut in.

"Who told him to treat me with the same attitude as my old man? I protected him at all cost, but then why did he always look at me accusingly? I was a person who understood him very well and also his only family. I had protected him as my mother asked. But the protection he wanted was just a mother's embrace and tenderness. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't give him the kind of protection he wanted because I had never even owned it myself. How would I know how a mother protects her own children? I'm not a mother. Neither am I a father. How would I know how to protect somebody?" Ling said.

"You must be hoping someone can protect you, right? You, even more than Sheng, are aching for someone to support you by your side. But you don't have time to think of those things. But protecting Sheng had already kept your hands full and you didn't have time to take a break." Qiluo said.

Ling was crying.

"Don't look." Ling said as Qiluo stood up to hug him.

"It's okay. Go ahead and cry. Don't suppress yourself. It's a very natural thing." Qiluo said, crying and hugging Ling.

"But it's already too late. No matter how many tears I shed, it won't change anything and couldn't bring anything back. Sheng will never come back. I can never even hear his voice. It's too late." Ling said, both crying.

Ling and Qiluo were in a convenience store

After Ling paid for two bottles of water, the two of them came out of the store. Ling opened one water bottle and gave it to Qiluo.

"Thank you." Qiluo said.

"Ha. It tastes so good. I've never known that water could taste so good." Qiluo said after drinking from the bottle. Ling was drinking from his bottle of water.

"Both our eyes are so swollen. People who don't know might think we're lovers after a fight." Ling said.

"Yeah. We don't look like brother and sister." Qiluo said.

At a subway station

"Sorry. I've troubled you so much for these two days. Thank you." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Don't mention it." Qiluo said. Qiluo opened her bag to take out a ticket.

"Bye Bye." Qiluo said to Ling and went through an automatic ticket gate.

"Um... Can you kiss me? What I mean is the kind of kiss between friends in foreign countries." Qiluo turned and said to Ling.

"Bye Bye." Qiluo said silently to Ling.

"Bye Bye." Ling said silently.

Qiluo turned to look at Ling while she was walking.

Qiluo's voice-over: "If we can be like this forever and forever, laugh together and cry together. How wonderful it will be. It doesn't matter if we can become boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Ling, it feels so great to know you. I feel lucky to have met you." Qiluo said, facing Ling.

Qiluo turned and took the down escalator to the platform.

In a school hallway.

"Are you an idiot? Spend the night at Ling's apartment and all you did was cooking for him and taking care of him. Aren't you becoming a true convenience store?" Qingmei said angrily to Qiluo.

"If you keep going like this, Shazhi will steal Ling away." Qingmei lowered voice and said to Qiluo.

"There's nothing I can do if Ling really can't forget Shazhi." Qiluo said and started walking.

"Are you becoming a plaster statue after painting too many of them? Don't you feel sad?" Qingmei said.

"I'm willing if this can make Ling happy, because I like to see the way Ling laughs. As long as he can be happy, I'm contended." Qiluo said.

"But I like to see Ling with you. You don't know how happy Ling looks when he's with you. How irresponsible Ling used to be. How hot-tempered he used to. He was very cool but sometimes he looked scary. Actually, he was difficult to get along. But when he is with you, how should I put it, he suddenly becomes cute. It's you who have changed him." Qingmei stopped walking and said to Qiluo.

Ling arrived on his bike at the school parking lot

In Teacher Shi's class

Teacher Shi was teaching

Ling walked past him.

"Chen Ling. Do you think you're invisible?" Teacher Shi called to stop Ling. Ling turned to face Teacher Shi.

"Why did you come to the class so late?" Teacher Shi said to Ling.

"No. I went to remove the stitches." Ling said, showing his hand to Teacher Shi.

"Reasonable reason but rejected. You're marked tardy once." Teacher Shi said.

Ling walked to his seat and told the student who took his seat to move. Ling sat down. Lind and Qiluo smiled at each other.

"Hey, where are we? Can I borrow your textbook, I didn't bring mine?" Ling turned backward and said to Daye.

"Idiot. You're here to sleep. Why do you need the textbook?" Daye said to Ling.

"Sleep. You think I sleep every class. Anyway, Hasn't Teacher Shi taught you? You should give more encouragements to student who went astray but are now striving hard." Ling said to Daye.

Teacher Shi dropped his chalked and turned to face the class.

"Chen Ling." Teacher Shi called. Ling turned to look at the teacher.

"Do you think I'm deaf? Can you lower your voice while we're in class?" Teacher Shi said to Ling. Ling nodded his head.

"Strange. Every time you come to the class, I can't teach." Teacher Shi said to Ling.

"Hey. What's going on? The whole class worked with the teacher to bully me. Do you actually want to bully an aspiring young man who intends to get back on his feet?" Ling said and stood up.

The whole class laughed.

"Which part of you wants to stand up? Sit down." Daye said to Ling. Ling still stood there.

"Sit down!" Daye said and slapped Ling's hand. Ling sat down. Teacher Shi smiled resignedly.

***************************End of Episode 6 ***************************