In twenty minutes, Xiao Yanzhi rushed to the vicinity of the garden in a hurry.
She really knows how to pick a place.
This is the largest ornamental garden in Huacheng. During the flowering season, it's swarming with tourists and can accommodate tens of thousands of people to enjoy the flowers simultaneously.
Now, the surroundings are desolate, and the whole world is covered in white snow.
The main gate is tightly shut. It's hard to imagine how Jiang Li got in until he saw a small door dozens of meters away slightly ajar.
He hunched down and walked in through the small door directly.
The snow inside is deeper than outside. With each step, it submerges his ankles, and when he lifts his foot, there's some mud sticking to his sole.
He paused for a moment, then looked up with squinted eyes to search for Jiang Li.
-
Jiang Li didn't feel the cold. She smiled and squatted down to scoop up the snow. Her slender and fair fingers had already turned purple from the cold, but she didn't notice at all. She piled the snow on herself layer by layer.
She wanted to use her body as the skeleton and the white snow as the filling to bury herself in this icy world.
In such cold weather, no one would come here. Maybe it would be next year when spring returns and the ice and snow melt that someone would discover the body that had slept through the whole winter.
She would wake up peacefully when all things revive.
By that time, Embroidery Girl would be on.
The media would write that she dedicated herself to art. Marketing accounts would say that she committed suicide due to excessive mental stress. When the whole crew was interviewed, they would all sadly say, "She was a very excellent actress."
Her death would elevate the movie and bring unprecedented popularity to the whole crew.
It was also a kind of mockery.
She forgot her father, her elder brother, Cheng Yingchun who had looked at her tearfully, and even Xiao Yanzhi who had brought her love and hatred.
At this moment, only she herself remained between heaven and earth.
A broken and fading soul.
"Jiang Li."
She heard someone calling her name.
Her movements stopped instantly. The snow had already covered her knees. It took her a while to turn around.
She saw the man standing in the snow, dressed all in black, standing solemnly.
God knows how long he had stumbled around before he caught a glimpse of the woman who was almost merging with the snow.
Damn it. Why was she wearing a white dress?
If he had been a bit more negligent, he would have easily missed her.
Jiang Li's eyes were blurred by the snowflakes. She couldn't really see who the person was. Maybe it was the god of death who came to claim her life. During a previous filming, the actor who played the god of death dressed like this.
But this man had a more cold and unapproachable aura.
He seemed even colder than the ice and snow.
Xiao Yanzhi put his hands in his pockets. His calm eyes looked at her, and his voice was as relaxed as possible. "What are you doing?"
Jiang Li smiled absent - mindedly. "Making a snowman."
She lowered her head, looking at the snow in her palm, then looked up at him with a smile. "Do you want to play together? It's very simple. Just pack the snow tightly and pile it on me. Then I'll become a beautiful snowman."
"I'm sacrificing myself to the snowy day, and you're the creator of this work. Isn't it very romantic?"
Xiao Yanzhi's face was gloomy, and it was hard to see clearly in the night.
How dared she?
How dared she so casually ask him to sacrifice her with his own hands? And she even asked if it was romantic?
"You're already very beautiful," he said again. His voice was as calm as usual. "You're a big star. Your beauty should be on the stage, not in the snow."
Jiang Li was stunned for a moment.
Her eyes were empty, without any light. Only when she heard the words "big star" did she regain a bit of clarity.
"... Xiao Yanzhi?"
She was a bit incredulous. Her eyes were fixed on the man dressed all in black from head to toe. Her voice was soft. "Why are you...?"
Why was he here?
In an instant, her will to die seemed to be forcefully pressed into the water. Her eyes began to move slowly, and her lips started to tremble.
Only then did she realize how cold her hands were and how icy her body was.
She began to shiver.
"Why aren't you wearing a coat?"
He asked casually, and walked towards her step by step.
He was afraid that Jiang Li would have another emotional outburst, so he took the mildest approach, persuading her while getting closer.
Jiang Li's eyes were instantly filled with mist. She wanted to respond to him, but her throat seemed to be stuffed with a handful of snow, and she couldn't make a sound.
"Where did you put your coat?" he still asked, in the tone of talking to a child. "I didn't see it on my way here. Did you hide it secretly?"
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and answered honestly. "I left it in the car."
She hadn't intended to go back since she got out of the car.
"Why did you leave it in the car? Do you not like that coat?" His voice was gentle. "When the weather clears up, I'll ask all the brands to send over their new - season magazines. I'll ask them to send over whatever you pick."
Jiang Li lowered her head, and her tears rolled down. "It's not that I don't like it. It's just unnecessary."
"Why is it unnecessary?" he continued to ask. "You love being beautiful so much. Don't you want to wear the new - season fashion for photo shoots? Or are those designers so bad that there are no designs that match your taste?"
Jiang Li began to feel pain when she breathed. She was almost drowning in his gentle coaxing.
"Come back with me."
He watched as she gradually regained her vitality. With each step, he took a bigger stride, wanting to reach her side faster.
She looked up. The moment she heard those four words, her tears began to fall uncontrollably, dropping into the snow and leaving one pit after another.
"... I don't deserve to go back. I've hurt their hearts."
"Whose hearts?"
"Sheng Shuocheng's, Sheng Jingxi's, Granny Cheng's, and Sister Chen's, Xiao Ye's, Jingyi's."
They must be very disappointed that she was so cowardly as to seek death.
Xiao Yanzhi smiled. "Why don't you ask me if you've hurt my heart?"
Jiang Li sniffed. She patted the snow off her hands and didn't answer for a long time. Only her palms were no longer cold but burning hot.
Xiao Yanzhi took one look and knew that she had frostbite.
Her skin was so precious. She would spend a long time on skin - care after every shower. How could she stay in such a cold environment for so long?
If she stayed any longer, her hands and feet would surely be frostbitten and amputated.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't wait for her answer. He asked another question. "Since you know it will hurt the hearts of those who love you, why did you do this?"
He walked over and wiped the tears on her face with his hand.
Her face was so cold. The liquid on her face had already formed a thin layer of frost. It felt like it was frozen stiff, and the warmth of his fingers couldn't warm her up.
Jiang Li closed her eyes, and her breathing began to weaken.
Finally, she said the words that had been pent up in her heart for a long time. "I'm in so much pain."