krystalheart.com :: mars

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

"Did you lock the door when we left?" Ling asked Qiluo as he turned the door knob.

"I did. I remembered I turned off the lights as well." Qiluo said.

Ling opened the door after some hesitation.

"You're back! What a cool chair!" A man sitting stood up and turned to say to Ling.

"Officer Tian!" Ling said.

"Thank you." Officer Tian said to Ling, raising the beer bottle in his hand.

Lights were turned on.

"You must be Miss Han Qiluo." Officer Tian said to Qiluo.

"How do you know?" Qiluo asked Officer Tian.

"I have been here for more than half an hour. It would be too humiliating if I didn't know who you were?" Officer Tian said to Qiluo.

"Do you policemen always have to do things in such a way?" Ling said to Officer Tian.

"The right way to say is that if we don't things this way, we aren't doing our stuff." Officer Tian said to Ling.

"Do you want some?" Officer Tian said to Ling, pointing and then drinking his beer.

"I don't have any wine at home. Let's go out." Ling said to Officer Tian.

"Let's go." Ling said again.

Officer Tian put down his beer.

"Wait for me for a little while. I'm out for some business. I'll be back in a little bit." Ling said to Qiluo.

"See you some other day." Officer Tian said to Qiluo.

At a pub

"Officer Tian, How are you? Long time no see. Same kind of wine?" A waitress said to Officer Tian.

"The same." Officer Tian said to the waitress.

"By the way, give me some beer." Ling said to the waitress.

"Okay." The waitress said to Ling.

Ling and Officer Tian sat down at a table.

"Let's skip the pleasantry. Why do you come to see me?" Ling said.

"You're still as blunt as before. Okay. I just want to ask you if you still remember Fang Tongdao. He was the victim of your assault case five years ago."

"What for?" Ling said after pausing for a moment.

"Are you in contact with each other?" Officer Tian asked.

Ling leaned forward.

"I've also just found it out recently that he was the little kid whose face had swollen as red as a tomato." Ling said.

"I think it might be just a coincidence." Office Tian said.

The waitress put down their orders on the table.

"But I'm a little worried that why you two are attending the same university." Officer Tian continued as Ling drank from his beer bottle.

"What did this guy do, after all, that policemen are watching him? Was he a pickpocket or something?" Ling asked.

"He killed somebody. Fang Tongdao killed someone two years ago. The legal term for it is manslaughter. In fact, it was lawful self-defense. The name of the dead person was Cheng Qingmu, 21 years old. He was the guy who was beaten by you and had to be hospitalized. Drugs, intimidations, assaults, anyway, he was a guy rotten to the core." Officer Tian said.

"What was the relationship between Tongdao and that guy?" Ling asked.

"They were playmates since they were kids in elementary school. But all the testimonies showed that Fang Tongdao had been violently physically abused by Cheng Qingmu for a long period time. Moreover Cheng Qingmu was getting worse. Finally, Fan Tongdao could no longer endure the terror and pressure so he killed him accidentally. It happened three years he was beaten by and hospitalized; Cheng Qingmu was stabbed indiscriminately to death by Fan Tongdao. But the law verdict was that Fang Tongdao had been under excessive violence for a long period of time and lost his sanity, so he killed him accidentally. So the law said that he wasn't responsible for anything." Office Tian said.

Officer Tian started drinking.

"It sounds really sad, but what has it got to do with me?" Ling said and put down his beer bottle.

"I feel it's very similar. The relationship between Cheng Qingmu and Fang Tongdao is very similar to you and your young brother Sheng." Office Tian said.

"What do you mean?" Ling said.

"Cheng Qingmu wasn't born to be bad. He had his violent side, but he actually loved Fang Tongdao. It was like what you were to your brother. Cheng Qingmu often stood up and protected Fang Tongdao who was often bullied. One day he accidentally pushed a kid who often bullied Fang Tongdao down the stairs, he changed after that." Officer Tian said.

"Was that guy dead?"

"He died of broken neck. It was a children dispute, but someone died over it. Cheng Qingmu's life has since changed 180 degrees. But in the end he died in the hand of Fang Tongdao whom was always under his protection. It sounds really sad." Officer Tian said.

"And then what? Are you thinking that I will become the next Cheng Qingmu?" Ling asked after drinking some beer.

"Do you know that, after Cheng Qingmu died, Fang Tongdao was treated in a psychotherapy hospital, the same one that you stayed? After he was discharged by the hospital, he goes to the same university you're attending. There're too many things I feel too coincidental. I've got a strange feeling, hard to put into words. Fan Tongdao is indeed a poor guy, but it's also a fact that two people had die because of him." Officer Tian said.

"Chen Ling, take care of yourself." Office Tian said.

Ling sighed.

Qiluo was watching dished in Ling's apartment when Ling returned

"You're back. I'm boiling water to make coffee. Do you want some?" Qiluo said to Ling.

"Okay." Ling said and went to sit down on the bed.

"Watch out. It's hot." Qiluo said as she brought over two mugs of coffee and gave Ling one.

"Thank you." Ling said.

Qiluo sat down next to Ling on the bed.

"Why did the office look for you?" Qiluo asked Ling.

"Nothing. He just checked to see how I was doing. Before when I was less mature, I gave him lots of trouble." Ling said.

"Is it really all there is to it?" Qiluo asked. Ling was silent.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you tell me the whole story, all things and everything? I may look weak but I'm not so fragile that I cannot take it. Moreover, I feel that I'm becoming stronger and strong after I'm with you, “Qiluo asked.

Ling considered for a long time.

"I hope that it's just that I'm being too suspicious. But I still hope that you and Tongdao don't become too deeply involved."

In an art supply store

Qiluo took out a wood board.

Qiluo remembered what Ling said, "I hope that it's just that I'm being too suspicious. But I still hope that it's better you and Tongdao don't become too deeply involved."

Qiluo re-shelved the wood board.

Tongdao appeared silently behind Qiluo's back and placed his hand on Qiluo's shoulder.

"Xue-jie, what a coincidence!" Tongdao said.

"Tongdao." Qiluo said.

In a restaurant

Qiluo followed Tongdao upstairs. Qiluo and Tongdao sat at a table.

"Thank you for shopping for the art supplies with me today. I know nothing about oil painting and wouldn't have known what to buy." Tongdao said. Qiluo simply looked at Tongdao.

"Is there something on my face?" Tongdao said after drinking from his glass.

"No." Qiluo said and drink.

"Do you have a date with upper classmate today?" Tongdao asked.

"We agreed to meet after he finishes his work. It's almost time. I'm leaving in a little while." Qiluo said.

"So you two are going on a date. It's really great." Tongdao said.

"It's really not a date. Because Ling has to work, we meet briefly when he has breaks." Qiluo said.

"I feel you and upper classmate seem to have some very deep affection connected you two together. For example, I don't even have somebody to talk to. So I envy the two of you a lot." Tongdao said. Qiluo drank her juice without saying a word.

"Oh... Hurry up. Upper classmate should be waiting for you." Tongdao said.

"Then, I'm leaving." Qiluo said and stretched her hand to pick up the bill.

"Let me pay for it. Thank you for shopping with me today. After all, I'm a man. Send my regards to upper classmate." Tongdao stopped her and said.

"Ah. Thank you." Qiluo said. Tongdao nodded. Qiluo stood up and left.

In the billiard snooker club

Ling was shooting pool.

Tongdao set up balls on the pool table.

"Hey, the guy who looked for you before is here again." The man shooting pool with Ling told Ling.

"What do you want? I don't know what you like about me. Five years ago, I didn't mean to rescue you." Ling said to Tongdao.

"I know you were in bad mood. So you beat people up. But I don't care, because it is something very fortune for me to have met you." Tongdao said to Ling and placed a ball on the pool table.

"My words are the same as before. I'm not interested in you at all." Ling said to Tongdao and leaned over the pool table.

"It doesn't matter. It's good enough that I'm interested in you." Tongdao said to Ling.

"Then, I'm taking back what I just said. I loathe you." Ling said after pausing for a moment and stretched up his body.

"Is it? It looks our relationship has moved forward one step. At least disliking a person means that you know his existence." Tongdao said as he walked toward Ling.

Ling looked at Tongdao and then around him; he saw two men smoking and talking together. Ling took the cigarette from one of them.

"I hate the smell of this brand the most." Ling said to the man and then looked at Tongdao.

Tongdao extended his left palm with an ashtray in it.

"This has gotten dirty." Ling said to Tongdao.

Tongdao put down the ashtray and then extended his palm bare.

Ling stubbed the cigarette out in Tongdao's palm.

"I think I'm already crazy enough, but you're even crazier than I." Ling said to Tongdao.

Ling sighed and looked aside.

"I'm sorry. I'm not playing today." Ling said to Tongdao and left.

Ling walked up the stairs in school

Ling saw Tongdao coming down the stairs.

"Good morning, upper classmate." Tongdao said to Ling when he walked past Ling.

"Wei, did you go to see a doctor?" Ling turned and stopped Tongdao. Tongdao looked at his bandaged left palm.

"I did. The doctor said it would be completely healed in two weeks." Tongdao said to Ling.

"It's not that. It's this." Ling said to Tongdao, pointing to his head.

Ling turned and saw Qiluo watching them. Ling ran up stairs and pulled Qiluo to walk along with him.

"Qiluo, I want you to promise me one thing." Ling said to Qiluo as he pulled Qiluo along with him.

"What happened?" Qiluo said to Qiluo.

"Don't have anything to do with Tongdao." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Why?" Qiluo asked.

"I say Don't have anything to do with Tongdao. Do you hear it?" Ling turned and yelled at Qiluo. Qiluo nodded.

Ling pulled Qiluo to walk again.

In the classroom.

Qingmei came to the classroom.

"Qiluo, Abin is looking for you. He's downstairs now." Qingmei told Qiluo.

"Looking for me?" Qiluo said to Qingmei.

Abin was leaning against a post waiting for Qiluo.

"Qiluo." Abin called when he saw Qiluo.

"What is it? Abin." Qiluo asked Abin.

"I finally remember it. I feel I need to tell you as soon as possible. That Tongdao guy killed someone." Abin told Qiluo.

"Kill someone?" Qiluo repeated.

"I heard it from a friend." Abin said.

Qiluo ran up stairs

Abin's voice-over. "About two years ago, there was a guy named Zheng Qingmu. He was rotten to the core. I fought with him before. Later on, I heard he was stabbed indiscriminately to death. He died terribly. The person who killed him seemed to be called Fan Tongdao."

Qiluo saw Daye coming out of the school building.

"Daye, is Ling still in the classroom?" Qiluo asked Daye.

"He doesn't have any classes in the afternoon. He already left at noon. He probably has gone to work." Daye said.

"Work? Do you know where he works?" Qiluo asked.

"It seems a place called S something? S something?" Daye said.

"It is called 14-floor snooker club. If you don't mind it, do you want me to take you there?" Tongdao interrupted and said to Qiluo.

"What happened?" Daye asked Qiluo.

"No. Nothing." Qiluo said to Daye.

"Then, I'll trouble you." Qiluo said to Tongdao.

Qiluo followed Tongdao to the club

Qiluo's voice-over, "When he is silent and not talking, you can't sense his presence at all. It feels like someone spying you in the dark all the time.

In the snooker club

Ling just finished gambling one game. The other guy was paying Ling money.

"You are really a good shot." The other guy said to Ling after he handed some money to Ling.

"Thank you." Ling said to the other guy after he counted the money.

Qiluo and Tongdao showed up. Ling saw them.

"Qiluo." Ling said.

"So this is the easy and better-paying job." Qiluo said.

"You, the dead kid. What do you want to do?" Ling went to grab Tongdao.

"Ling." Qiluo intervened and shouted to stop Ling.

"Why do you hide everything from me? It was the same last time when the policeman came to see you." Qiluo said to Ling.

"Policeman." Tongdao said.

"You should still remember Officer Tian. We've both caused him a lot of trouble." Ling said to Tongdao.

"So you all know that I killed Qingmu." Tongdao said.

Ling put on his jacket.

"Actually Qingmu was not a bad guy. It was I who had changed his life. I caused him to become someone who could never go back. I killed him. No matter what I do or how much I repent, he will never come back." Tongdao said, sobbing. Then Tongdao covered his face with his hands and bent his head low.

"Don't cry. This can't all be blamed on you." Qiluo said to Tongdao.

"It was all my fault. It was all because I was too timid. How can I be forgiven by Qingmu?" Tongdao.

Ling just looked at Tongdao contemptuously and drank his beer.

"Tongdao." Qiluo said.

"These are just deceptive bullshit. What he's thinking inside is that human trash like this might as well die earlier." Ling said.

"Ling, what are you talking?" Qiluo said.

"It's the fact. Isn't it, Tongdao?" Ling said to Tongdao.

Tongdao stopped crying and started laughing. Tongdao raised his head, smiling.

"Indeed. People like him deserved to die early. Even if I hadn't killed him, sooner or later he would have died in the hand of someone else." Tongdao said to Ling.

"Lunatic. You killed people; nonetheless you painted yourself as a victim. You're really something." Ling said to Tongdao.

"Since law is designed for intelligent people, of course I'll use it well." Tongdao said to Ling.

"That Zheng Qingmu was really pitiful. He was well used. In the end, he even lost his life." Ling said to Tongdao.

"How could you call it using him? That guy was actually a useless idiot. He was so timid and yet wanted to be the boss. When the stupid neighbor died, he acted the same way. No one asked for his help. He put himself forward and eventually killed the person accidentally. He blamed it on me. He was a coward and yet wanted to protect me." Tongdao said to Ling.

Tongdao turned to look at Qiluo.

"I just made Zheng Qingmu, whom parents and policemen failed to do anything about, disappear from this world. If I have to be punished because of them, there is no justice in this world. Don't you think so?" Tongdao said to Qiluo.

Qiluo covered her mouth, cried and ran away.

"Qiluo." Ling shouted.

"She can't take it. Is it because what I say is too stimulating?" Tongdao said to Ling.

"Get lost." Ling said to Tongdao and left.

Qiluo was vomiting in the rest room.

Ling came in. Qiluo raised her head and saw Ling in the mirror.

"He must be out of his mind. Someone died and he can talk like that. He must be out of his mind." Qiluo said to Ling in the mirror.

Qiluo continued vomiting and pulled a sheet of paper to wipe her mouth.

"Are you okay? I'll take you home." Ling said to Qiluo, leaning against the door.

"It's not necessary. I'll take the subway myself." Qiluo said.

"Are you angry?" Ling said. Qiluo remained silent.

"If you're angry, just say it. This is what I don't like about you the most. Clearly there's something but you often pretend as if nothing happened." Ling said.

Qiluo turned to face Ling.

"Why can't you tell me anything?" Qiluo asked.

"The reason I didn't tell you about Tongdao was because I was afraid to scare you. My gambling on pool isn't some thing so terrible. I can easily make 5-6 thousands in one night. Then I don't have to work on Saturdays and Sundays. We have more time out together. Isn't it?" Ling said angrily.

"If our going out together interfere your work, I can stay at home. Are you thinking I'm such a weak girl who can't take anything? I'm sorry about that." Qiluo said.

"You're so unreasonable? It's such a small matter. You're making a mountain out of a molehill. I tell you. This is not something important. It's not worth of discussion. You don't need to know it." Ling said.

"Why don't I need to know?" Qiluo shouted.

"Because we are people of different worlds." Ling shouted.

Qiluo ran past Ling out of the restroom.

"Do whatever you want." Ling said angrily and left the rest room.

Next day on campus

Ling waited for Qiluo, leaning against a tree.

Qiluo stopped when she saw Ling.

Ling walked to in front of her.

"Can we not quarrel?" Ling said to Qiluo. Qiluo didn't say a word.

"I couldn't sleep the whole night last night. My tummy hurt and my head ached. Why was it like that? I never thought this could happen. I never used to be like that. After quarrelling with you, my whole body just felt wrong. I even bumped my head for no reason at all when I walked?" Ling said. Qiluo couldn't help but smile.

"Moreover, I've found a new job with the fastest speed. And I guarantee that no matter what happens in the future, I'll always tell you first." Ling said.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for those stupid words that I said." Ling said

"Hug me a little bit." Ling said.

Qiluo hugged Ling. Ling hugged and patted her.

Ling and Qiluo were sitting on the steps.

Ling was drinking coffee.

"Actually at the time, I was losing out unwillingly because you and Tongdao's frequency seemed matched very well. Moreover, why did he know that you were gambling on pool?" Qiluo said.

"You're jealousy, aren't you?" Ling said. Qiluo looked up at Ling.

"He's a guy!" Ling said.

"I know. but” Qiluo said.

"Let me tell you. Even if all the girls in the world have died, I will not get involved with him. Moreover, if I'm with him, who knows some day my head might get cut off by him unknowingly." Ling said.

Qiluo still looked worried.

"I'm just joking." Ling said.

"Why has Tongdao become like that? I saw his whole body inflicted with scars. I heard he was physically abused by that guy Qingmu. I think whoever has gone through that kind of physical abuse will become abnormal. His heart must be like his body, covered with scars." Qiluo said.

"He's not that kind of person who becomes abnormal for such small matters. He's born like that. Some people are born pervert. He can't stand normal folks. So he thinks of some excuses to persuade himself that the reason he has become like that is because he has been badly tortured. Do you understand? This is the fact. He's born like that." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Ling, come to play basketballs." Someone called Ling.

"Wo. Okay. I'm coming right away." Ling said to the guy.

"Qiluo. Don't meddle with this any more. He's not as innocent as you think." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Moreover, don't get jealousy without any reason." Ling said, pointing to Qiluo's head.

"I'm leaving." Ling said and left.

Qiluo stood up and walked.

"You two are still very sweet to each other." Tongdao said to Qiluo.

Qiluo turned and saw Tongdao was hiding behind a post.

"When Ling was with you, he's really just like a kid. To be honest, the first time when I saw Ling with you, I was in shock. It was ten-thousand-miles different from the Ling that I knew of. The Ling I knew was very cruel and extremely cunning. He could just burn everything with one fire, a person like a furious fire. The Mars painting you drew I thought was to symbolize him. I think I misunderstood you. It's a pity." Tongdao said to Qiluo and then walked to climb the steps.

"Hold on." Qiluo called to stop Tongdao. Tongdao turned to face Qiluo.

"I think you're the person who is wrong. Ling isn't the person you think he is." Qiluo said to Tongdao.

Tongdao unwrapped the bandage around his palm.

"This s a burn which has burned through the derma layer of skin and needs two weeks to heal. Do you know who did it? He could do this sort of thing, even without frowning." Tongdao said to Qiluo.

Qiluo was drawing under a tree.

"Xuejie. Qiluo-xuejie." A girl ran to Qiluo.

"Oh." Qiluo said and looked up at the girl.

"Excuse me. Can we not include people in a landscape painting?" The girl asked Qiluo.

"It's up to the painter. If you think it's better to include people in the painting, you can paint them." Qiluo said to the girl.

"Okay. Thank you." The girl said to Qiluo and left.

"Don't mention it." Qiluo said.

Qiluo sighed and put her hands up against her head.

Qiluo's voice-over, "No. Ling isn't that kind of person."

Qiluo continued drawing.

Ling was taking a nap in the art studio.

Tongdao came in stealthily and approached Ling. Tongdao bent his head and tried to kiss Ling.

Ling opened his eyes.

"I'm not Qingmu." Ling said.

"So you weren't really sleeping." Tongdao said.

"Shouldn't there a limit to playing jokes!" Ling said.

Ling sat up in the recliner. Tongdao pulled a chair by him.

"Have you said something baseless to Qiluo?" Ling said.

"Did she say something to you?" Tongdao said after he sat down.

"She needn't to say. I know it. She's not that kind of people who can hide what they think." Ling said.

"So she's even more ordinary than I thought. I thought girls who date with you are all as extraordinary as you." Tongdao said.

"I'm afraid it's you who are way too different from other people." Ling turned to say to Tongdao.

"Strange. Why are people's standards and viewpoints always so much like in textbooks? Even you are no exception. You disappoint me." Tongdao said.

"Who will treat someone normal, who could kill people as if it had been nothing?" Ling said.

"Do you know, up until now, what kind of history human beings have gone through?" Tongdao said to Ling.

Tongdao stood up and started walking.

"The history is just like a history of killings. Only one hundred years ago, people still killed other people justifiably for their own desires and thoughts. But now they're talking about human rights and universal love all the time, wearing a coat of humanity but effectively twisting human's nature. Human's values are getting lower and lower. Actually, the act of killing best matches to human's willpower." Tongdao continued, as he walked around in the art studio.

Tongdao picked a mug of paint brushes.

"In fact, I'm not the only one who can kill as if it was nothing." Tongdao said as he examined the bug and then looked at Ling.

"When they kill, they're much more frightening than I'm” Tongdao continued.

"Have you read too many books that you should not have read?" Ling said.

Tongdao put down the mug along the edge of the table and walked toward Ling. Tongdao bent down next to Ling.

"Don't pretend it. Haven't you already experienced the thrill of killing someone long time ago? When your younger brother died, you saw a dead body looking exactly the same as you. How did you feel? Actually, I was very moved by the way Qingmu looked when he was covered all over by blood and tossing and turning on the ground. He asked me not to kill him. He said he didn't want to die. He begged someone who was abused by him half-dead!" Tongdao said to Ling.

Ling gradually turned his head and looked at Tongdao's neck. Ling touched Tongdao's chin.

"What a slender neck. It should take only one hand." Ling said.

Ling grabbed Tongdao's neck and pushed him to the ground.

"Was it very happy to see other people on the verge of dying? Why don't you try it, experiencing the moment you're dying. How is it? It's very uncomfortable, isn't it? All the pores of your body open up. You break out a cold sweat. Your vision gets more and more blurred. You gradually can't hear any voice." Ling said as he strangled Tongdao.

Meanwhile, Tongdao struggled to push Ling's hand away and kicked his legs.

"So you're afraid of dying! You're too selfish, aren't you? It's okay that other people die. But, you don't want to play when you're the one to die." Ling said.

Tongdao continued kicking his legs.

"But it doesn't matter. Don't worry. It's very quick. Dying or not will soon not be a concern of yours. In a few more minutes, your body will gradually lose its conscience." Ling said to Tongdao and tightened his grip of Tongdao's neck.

Tongdao's kicking slowed down. The mug fell to the ground and woke up Ling. Ling loosened his grip. Tongdao pushed Ling's hand away and crawled away, coughing.

Ling looked at his own hand and his hand started trembling.

Qiluo returned to the art studio and heard sound coming out of it.

Tongdao started laughing. Ling still looked terrified at his own hand.

"You were for real, weren't you? You meant to scare me. But you never thought you would be seduced by the thrill of killing me. But I was really scared. I thought I was really going to die." Tongdao said to Ling while Qiluo eavesdropped outside the door.

Tongdao continued laughing out loud.

"Why are you laughing? Does this make you happier?" Ling said.

"Of course, I'm happy. It takes me twenty years and with lots of efforts to have finally found someone with the same feeling as my. Such an outstanding life has company now. How can I not be happy?" Tongdao said, laughing

Ling looked terrified of himself.

Tongdao continued laughing.

"I thought there wouldn't be anyone in this world who would understand me." Tongdao said.

Tongdao crawled closer to Ling.

"In that instant, we two were in empathy, weren't we?" Tongdao said to Ling, smiling.

Ling still looked in shock and panic. Tongdao continued laughing.

Ling looked almost crying.

Qiluo was walking on a street.

Her cell phone rang.

"Wei. Yes. My mom fainted!" Qiluo said over the cell phone.

Qiluo got to the hospital and ran to her mom's room.

"Mom, mom, I'm here." Qiluo said to her mom, as the woman sat next to her mom stood up and made way for Qiluo.

"She's fine now. She just took her medicine and she's sleeping now. The doctor said it was caused by her fatigue. It's probably because she has been constantly working overtime lately." The woman said to Qiluo.

Qiluo crouched down by her mother's bedside.

Voice-over of Qiluo's mother, "Mom will find ways about the tuition. You just concentrate on studying."

"Mom... Mom..." Qiluo murmured and started crying. The woman tried to comfort Qiluo.

Daye walked up the stairs and saw Ling.

"You come to school so early." Daye slowed down and said to Ling. Ling walked toward Daye.

"It looks like that nature is striking back. All regular things have become irregular." Daye continued.

"Have you eaten too much of Qingmei's saliva? Your tone is as bad as hers." Ling said to Daye as the two walked together.

"Wei, you looked very tired. Have you made progress with Qiluo?" Daye said as he touched and pointed at Ling. Ling shook his head.

"Still no. What happened to you two?" Daye said as the two of them started climbing up the stairs.

"Good morning, Ling." Tongdao climbed past them and said to Ling.

"Are you making a mistake? Is this how a lower classmate addresses an upper classmate?" Daye said after Tongdao. Tongdao continued walking up the stairs.

"You just leave it like that." Daye said to Ling.

"Whatever he likes." Ling said.

"This is not like your style." Daye said to Ling. Ling continued climbing up the stairs.

Daye caught up and stopped Ling.

"Wei Wei. You haven't had any strange relationship with him, have you?" Daye said to Ling.

"Me. And him. Am I so much like an animal in your mind, something like that also works for me?" Ling said, pointing to the direction in which Tongdao walked.

"Yeah." Daye said.

"You really look down on me!" Ling said and walked up by himself.

"Okay. Okay. Wei. Okay. Okay. Why are you so narrow-minded?" Daye said and followed Ling.

Qingmei ran up to Ling.

"Ling, do you know it? Qiluo's mom suddenly fainted and was hospitalized yesterday." Qingmei said to Ling.

In Qiluo's mother's room

"Are you the family? How are you? Here are the night medicines for the patient." A nurse entered the room and said to Qiluo.

"Thank you." Qiluo said to the nurse.

"Good. No problem." The nurse said to Qiluo and left.

"Thank you." Qiluo said to the nurse.

"Go home." Qiluo's mom told her as Qiluo was pouring water into a cup.

"I'm fine now. You've been here to look after me for the whole day and night. You should go home and take some rest. Don't worry. My colleague is coming to look after me in a little while. You can come here after school tomorrow." Qiluo's mom said to her.

Qiluo gave water to her mother.

Qiluo came home and saw Ling waiting for her.

In Qiluo's apartment.

Ling was looking at Qiluo's high school year book.

"Daye looked so unstylish in high school." Ling said, pointing to a picture and laughing.

Qiluo was cooking.

"Qiluo, where were you?" Ling asked, as he tried to find Qiluo in the year book.

"Try to look for me yourself." Qiluo said.

"Try to look for.... Try to look for... Qiluo. Qiluo. Qiluo. Where were you? Here." Ling said after fingering up and down and across the photo page.

"Ah, our adorable Qiluo. You looked so cute even without smiling." Ling said.

"Stop looking at the photos. Come here and have some noodles." Qiluo said to Ling as she ladles up noodles in a bowl.

Ling closed the year book and stood up.

"It seems that I haven't been of much help since I was here. Instead I've made you more tiresome." Ling said.

"Don't say it. Actually, when I saw you, I was very moved. I was really moved. Thank you for coming over to stay with me." Qiluo said.

"That's good, then. At least I've got some use; I'm not just coming here to have fun." Ling sat down and said.

"In fact companionship is also something very important." Qiluo said.

"Let's eat." Qiluo said.

Ling started eating but Qiluo just watched him eating. Then, Qiluo started crying.

"Qiluo, what is it?" Ling asked.

"I'm very worried about my mother. Even though the doctor said that it was just fatigue, I'm still very worried. My mother hopes that I will go to a graduate school. So she has been working a lot of overtime, trying to save more tuition for me." Qiluo said.

"Qiluo, your mother will be fine. As for other things, we can work at them together." Ling said to Qiluo.

"Don't cry. Don't cry. Be good. Don't cry, Qiluo. Please don't cry. okay." Ling said.

Qiluo was lying in bed.

"Will you stay with me? I'm scared. I'm scared to be alone in the room. I will feel there's sound in the room as if someone tried to sneak into the room. Very stupid." Qiluo asked Ling.

"So my Qiluo is a kid who's afraid of dark." Ling said.

"Don't worry. Sleep in ease. I've already taken the night off." Ling said.

"Ling, I like you." Qiluo said to Ling.

Qiluo's voice-over, "At dawn, I seemed to hear motorcycle's sound. I dreamed in my dream that I forgot everything and rode happily with Ling on his bike to the end of the world."

At dawn, Ling left on his bike.

Ling was eating breakfast, leaning against a railing.

"I heard that Qiluo's mother has been hospitalized. I think she must feel very miserable." Tongdao said to Ling as he came over and stood next to Ling.
"Can you stop bothering me all the time?" Ling said to Tongdao, looking at him.

"Why do you dislike me so much? Or are you afraid of me?" Tongdao said, looking at Ling.

"I think I'm afraid." Ling said.

"No, I'm not afraid of you. What I'm afraid is that I’ll lose something I cherish most because of you. Now I've found something I want to protect. I've found someone I don't want to lose. If you want to call it being weak, I don't care. I don't really want people to think I'm very strong. I don't want to pretend I'm very strong, either. It's such a boring game, play it by yourself. Don't bother me any more." Ling said and left.

In Tongdao's room

"Don't want to lose something he cherishes most. This doesn't sound like what Ling would say." Tongdao murmured to himself.

"It's all because of you. You have bad influence on him. From now on, I won't allow you to do any more harm." Tongdao said as he lowered his head to look at the knife in his hand.

Qiluo and Qingmei were in the art studio.

"I most likely won't go to a graduate school." Qiluo said to Qingmei as she worked on the painting on the easel.

"Why?" Qingmei asked.

"Sooner or later your mother will be discharged from the hospital. If there's no other way, you can still apply for a scholarship. It's such a pity to give it up. It's rare that you're gifted with such talent." Qingmei said as Qiluo continued drawing.

"Last time when I won the prize, I really thought about going to a graduate school. But on second thoughts, it's not like I can't paint by myself. There's no need to go to a graduate school. I have decided to find a job after I graduate." Qiluo said while painting.

"It would be very strange if you have time spending on painting after you start working!" Qingmei asked.

"But I can't be a burden to my mom any more. It's been very hard on her." Qiluo said.

"You can marry Ling." Qingmei said.

"Hmmm." Qiluo said in shock and then smiled.

"He himself is almost starved to death." Qiluo said.

"I heard he has a rich father. Even if he's not satisfied with Ling, he should be quite satisfied with you. He will give you a big red envelop. Then, the problem is solved. Unless you don't want to marry Ling. It's just a matter of time, isn't it? Ling does things without planning, but he’s got super strong vitality. No matter what happened in the future..." Qingmei said.

"What are you talking!" Qiluo interrupted.

"Really..." Qingmei said, but was interrupted again. Her cell phone started to ring.

"What is it? It's in the drawer in the classroom. You, stupid. Can't you look for it? Okay. I'm coming over to help you." Qingmei talked over her cell phone and then hung up.

"I'm going back to the classroom to help Daye find something." Qingmei said to Qiluo.

"Um. Okay. See you later." Qiluo said.

"Bye." Qingmei said.

Qiluo came home. Tongdao was hiding behind a post and watching her.

Ling stopped at a traffic light.

A car stopped by Ling. The driver rolled down the car window, it was officer Tian.

"Young man. You're off work." Officer Tian said to Ling. Ling lifted his helmet visor.

"Can I ask you not to show up around me all the time? How am I going to live my life like this?" Ling said to Officer Tian.

"So it's difficult to make friends once you're a cop." Officer Tian said.

Ling and Officer Tian were having grilled chicken and beers together.

"A very interesting place. How did you find it?" Officer Tian said to Ling.

"You don't seem to be a person who likes to make friends." Ling said.

"I just want to know how the kids of my cases are doing now." Officer Tian said.

"It's already been 3 years since Sheng died." Officer Tian continued.

"It's not that it's already been 3 years, it's that it's been only 3 years." Ling said.

"Hey, is the girl who was with you last time your girlfriend? Very cute." Officer Tian said.

"I say. How much longer do you plan to let the cow graze the grass?" Ling said.

"Aee." Officer Tian was lost.

"Fan Tongdao. He's such a weirdo." Ling said.

"What has he done?" Officer Tian said.

"He hasn't done anything yet, but I believe he will soon do something really big. He planned carefully to kill Zheng Qingmu." Ling said.

"Did he tell you himself?" Officer Tian said. Ling nodded.

"Moreover, he said it proudly. I think he's completely out of his mind." Ling said.

"Forget it. Anyway we have to wait until some day when some unlucky person dies that policemen would come out to say something. So, What I say now is just wasting my time." Ling said. Officer Tian shook his head.

"These days, are young people all speaking as harshly as you do?" Officer Tian said.

"In name, we enforce law. But when we're faced with real crime, we're as powerless." Officer Tian said.

"What is law after all? Can law really deal with people who have committed crime? Or can law only deal with stupid and poor people?" Ling said.

"Can you tell me?" Ling asked. Officer Tian just smiled.

"I think there will never be an answer to it. But recently, I've finally understood something." Ling said.

"It's not bad to have something to protect. Before I always thought that only people who have nothing can become strong. But now I've found out that having someone to protect makes you learn the true meaning of being strong." Ling said.

Ling walked slowly.

"I drank too much." Ling said and then looked upward.

Image of Ling's mother appeared. Ling woke up in his sleep.

Ling rode to Qiluo's apartment on his bike.

Ling walked up the steps. A woman walked passed by stopped him.

"Hey... Are you also a friend of Qiluo's? She's not in." The woman asked Ling.

"Also... Excuse me. Did someone just look for Qiluo, too?" Ling turned and said to the woman.

"Um. A friend just came over to see her and went to the hospital with her. Her mother needs to run more tests. Do you know her mother is in the hospital?" The woman said.

"Qingmei. Was it a tall and skinny..." Ling said.

"Yes. It was a tall and skinny boy, very cute and looking like a girl. Yeah. His hand was bandaged." The woman said.

Qiluo and Tongdao walked together to the rooftop of the hospital.

"Tongdao." Qiluo said.

"You're very stupid and also very unlucky. Your mother happens to get sick at the same time. But it doesn't matter." Tongdao said.

Tongdao raised the knife in his hand.

"I'll help you. You’ll soon feel at ease and forget all your trouble." Tongdao said.

Tongdao walked toward Qiluo and Qiluo walked backward.

"I didn't want it to do this. But as long as you're here, Ling will become more and more boring. Now I still don't want to, so I hope you ..." Tongdao said.

Qiluo was forced to the edge of the rooftop.

"Jump off yourself." Tongdao raised his knife to point at Qiluo.

***************************End of Episode 8 ***************************