Main Story Chapter 13-17: Witness of the Past (过去的证人） | Light and Night 光与夜之恋

Before reading this chapter, please consider reading Chapter 13-15 here!

TRIGGER WARNING!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!

Mentions of suicide, depression, killing, death

Osborn's face is half lit under the moonlight. He has been watching the wall, and never looked at the man.

I could feel a very deep story between them since a long time ago, but Osborn doesn't seem like he wanted to see him at all.

Because the gaze he had earlier, it was as though he was awakened from a nightmare that has lasted for years.

???: It's really you?! I didn't expect... for a day where we could still meet. The God must've been helping me, it must be. I've been living under the shadows of being a killer throughout all these years, I've caused the death of so many people, including your best friend Ji Xi. I know you hate them too, let's expose the sins of the Strains, and end everything together, can we?

Yet, Osborn only sneered coldly.

Osborn: How much do you plan to spend to hire me?

???: What are you saying?

Osborn: I'm a bounty hunter, I work for money, not charity.

Zhou WeiCheng was at a trance at first, he doesn't seem to have understood what happened, and muttered Osborn's words to himself. At last, he finally understood, and the gaze of his turned from shock into disappointment and anger.

Zhou WeiCheng: ... How did you end up becoming someone like this?

Osborn: What kind of person?

Zhou WeiCheng: With no sense of morality and righteousness, with only your eyes set on benefits. How are you different from those people, and there's no way you would say things like this back then.

Osborn: Back then? Have you forgotten? You were the one that helped me to abandon that side of myself. Ever since that day, I've been always like this.

Zhou WeiCheng's expression turned ever so pale, only to have just recalled some painful memories, lets out a cry, and kept gasping for air.

Osborn: She isn't wrong. Your so-called righteousness are mostly haunted by hatred. You don't understand why those people can live with peace of mind, yet you are questioned by your conscience because you were played by them like a chess piece. You said I've became the same as those people, but you are actually the one who has became so. 

Osborn: The only way to seek justice is to have equal treatment. Those who have hurt others should be hurt by the same way as how they've hurt others. I've killed many people, but I would never let my hand to be stained with a single drop of innocent blood. Zhou WeiCheng... Professor. We are different, we can only walk on our own paths.

As soon as he finishes, Osborn holds my hand, and brought me away with great strides.

The matter has taken into a great turn in development. I couldn't bring myself to respond to everything, and I could only subconsciously follow his footsteps, but I can't hold back from turning around to glance at the man that he addressed as professor.

It's as though he's poked right into his wound, Zhou WeiCheng's expression is filled with pain and anger. He looked up, and growled towards us.

Zhou WeiCheng: You said you have not stained yourself with innocent blood, then do you still remember the five children from Yu Da Academy?! If you weren't being persistent to question the cause of death for Ji Xi, I would've been able to send them out! You were the one that has stalled time, because you can't accept Ji Xi's death! At the end of the day, we both the same! In order to save our consciences, we ignore others' lives!

The night breezes have clearly delivered those words to my ears.

Yu Da Academy... I suddenly shivered when I can't help myself but to recall what Osborn told me in the cafe, and the expression he has when he spoke about it.

Could it be, that Osborn was once in Yu Da Academy too?!

Did he hear those words just now? What would he think?

The person who's walking forward while holding my hand has never looked back, nor he has stopped.

But his hand is trembling.

I wanted to say something, like "I wouldn't come if I knew this would happen". or "thank you for suddenly appearing to protecting me", and I also wanted to tell him the jokes I saw yesterday.

He likes to joke around so much, I've learnt quite a lot from him, I'll definitely be able to make him laugh easily.

But when I looked at the trembling figure that is about to break under the moonlight, everything I wanted to stay are all stuck in my throat.

There's no way I can do this, I can't comfort him, so I can only accompany him. All I can do is to hold his hand tightly, and give the rest of my strength to him.

And he held my hand back just as powerful, as though he's afraid that I'll disappear, and it seems like he's very afraid that I'll find out the fears he's now feeling.

At the next instant, a dark, jail-like room appeared before my eyes.

The youth standing in the middle of the room collapsed from a kick from behind, knelt on the floor, and he made a full cry of pain.

The person behind him grabbed his hair violently, the darkened and bright red blood are smudged all over the youth's face, and all I can see is the resentment and resolute burning in the wolf-like eyes, as though he wants to end everything together.

Is that... Osborn?!

His hand is grasping something in the air, I suddenly understood that it's his movement to summon the flames. Yet his head is immediately pressed into the waters, and he's completely incapable to move.

I immediately returned to my senses, and cold sweat filled me.

What I saw just now... was that Osborn's past? The jail-like place is Yu Da Academy? What has he been suffering from that place?!

I really wanted to ask him, but I swallowed my words before they can even be spoken, and all I could do is to return to the car quietly. However, just when I have buckled up my seatbelt, the car suddenly dashed out!

It's a speed that I have never experienced, and everything outside the windows suddenly became a blur. Yet, Osborn is only grabbing onto the steering wheel tightly, just like a mad beast.

There's not a single bit of light within his eyes.

You: Osborn!

The sound of tire gripping the floor was deafening from the emergency brake, and the powerful inertia almost made me bounce.

He seemed to have said "sorry", but I couldn't hear him well.

You: Can you tell me, please? If you're feeling very sad, tell me, please? Or you can also choose to not say it out, I'll be staying with you.

But he only stared at me with a dull gaze, and this made me feel that he's at the verge of falling apart.

I really wanted to tell him, that he can cry it all out, or to vent them all out, no matter what it is. Just don't blame yourself like this.

But he still didn't say anything in the end, gaze became filled with coldness and resistance once again. I felt a pair of shapeless hands pushed me out from his world.

I don't know if I should feel dejected or sad, he's just this close from me, but it feels so distant. Just then, the seatbelt on me is opened. Osborn picks up the phone, only saying "come here", and hung it up quickly.

Until the glass window of the car is knocked, that I've finally seen Wen Wan standing outside.

Osborn opened the door, and signaled Wen Wan to take me out from the car.

I looked at him in disbelief.

You: Why are you sending me away?

Osborn only gritted his teeth, unwilling to utter a single word. His expression looks very, very fierce, but I know, he's already lost much of his strength.

You: Are you going to do something? Why can't I go with you? Didn't we agree to be together as a duo?

Osborn: Get out of the car.

You: I'm not leaving.

I wiped my face and stubbornly rejected him, only hoping for him to allow me to stay. I know that the real him really, really needs someone to remain by his side. I don't want to leave.

But he looked at me with a begging gaze, that all of my tough stance have lost its support.

In that instant, I suddenly understood, that he didn't want me to face who he's going to become.

I don't recall how I got out the car, only to stare blankly at his departure, nor I remember how I got into Wen Wan's car. I can only feel my eyes boiling, as though something grazed over them.

He brought me to his racing team; He brought me back home; He brought me to have beer at the top of the mountain; He made a self-defense brooch for me; and he hugged me tightly even at the second before we crash into the ocean.

But he's unwilling to allow me to shoulder his past with him.

Wen Wan: Miss Y/N, Big Brother Xiao placed many lemon and strawberry candies here, he said it's for you. Do you want them?

You: No need, thank you.

Wen Wan: Actually... Please don't think I'm saying this because I'm siding Big Brother Xiao. But I have been acquainted to him for almost seven years, but I've never heard him telling what bothers him, not even once. In the past, if he encounters something that bothers him, he'll be speeding with a terrible expression. He seems to have gotten used to vent on his own, and after venting, the rock that's stuck in his heart has also became smaller.

Hearing this, the restlessness I feel has finally receded a little.

You: So is he going to vent by speeding too?

Wen Wan: Probably.

You: Has he been injured whenever he vented in the past?

Wen Wan: I remember that there was probably a few times. The worst time was him crashing down from a slope, that he almost had a fracture. But don't worry, he's definitely not going to do something this dangerous now, you're here now, after all.

You: Do you know where he'd be speeding? In case he's injured again...

Wen Wan: I don't know about that, I'm sorry. He always says that little brothers should be protected by big brother. So he would never tell us what troubles him, nor he would allow us to worry about him.

Yeah, he has always been saying this, and he chose to face everything on his own.

You: Wen Wan, do you know the man in the little shop just now? He's called Zhou WeiCheng.

Wen Wan: I don't.

You: Then have you heard about Ji Xi?

I remembered Zhou WeiCheng mentioning this name, saying that he's Osborn's friend.

Wen Wan: Ji Xi? He's Big Brother Xiao's best friend in Yu Da Academy, he's also my brother's best friend.

Yu Da Academy...! My heart sank deeply, as expected, Osborn really had spent time there.

Wen Wan: It's probably 8 years ago. My brother suffered from severe depression back then, so he decided to give up on his own life. Ji Xi is my brother's classmate during middle school. Back then, he argued with his family and said that he's joining (the suicide) too. Afterwards, they got acquainted to a few friends on a forum. They formed a club, and agreed to a time to leave (commit suicide) together. But during that night, they have all given up, and my brother was the only one that died*. 

*A similar case has happened in China, where there are suicide groups on the internet, where there's a small group of students agreeing to commit suicide together. Someone among them ended up filing a police report so not everyone died. There are many other cases related to internet suicide as well.

Wen Wan: Ji Xi was sent to Yu Da Academy by his parents, and there's where he met Big Brother Xiao. The chat history of my brother and the rest were found out, and he's said to be the person behind all of these. I was so angry that I wanted to end myself with the newspaper company. It was Big Brother Xiao that had found me, and he said it was a request by his friend. He asked me if I am brave enough to do something great instead of seeking revenge with my life. Everything will be gone if I die. 

Wen Wan: I think it's probably requested by Ji Xi. Afterwards, I secretly investigated that Ji Xi died to the academy's experiment. I think, Big Brother Xiao must've been blaming himself about it throughout all these while. He might be thinking that his death is related to himself, it's him who didn't manage to protect Ji Xi. He would ask me to visit Ji Xi's parents on a yearly basis, but he wouldn't show up himself. 

I don't know what to say, my heart is a complete mess, and I've only been listening to Wen Wan talking all the way.

The car drives into a slow lane, and the night in the city opens before my eyes.

.
.
.
.