“Say that again?”
“…I’m very sorry, you have pancreatic cancer…fourth stage.”
“That means…”
“Unfortunately, the tumor has spread to the lungs, abdominal walls, and…” I can hardly breathe as he speaks, my eyes frozen on the biopsy report, wrinkled where my hand clutches it. Late stage pancreatic cancer? Me?
“We’ll do all we can but…the survival rate is less than 1%, so the situation isn’t looking good… You have my deepest condolences…” Survival rate less than 1%? Me? I don’t smoke, I’m fit, and I’m just 23!
After that, I spend my days mindlessly in a daze. I gaze at my contacts. I have no parents to tell, no siblings, no one but…I gaze at the two most prominent contacts in my phone. My thumb bounces between the two for a bit and finally, I decisively click call on one of them.
Half an hour later Rayan is standing in front of me, hesitantly looking at me with worry in his eyes. His clothes are ruffled as if he threw them on just before coming. Well yeah, if your best friend told you they were going to die, you would be in a hurry. I bitterly laugh.
“How can you laugh right now?!” He asks.
I shrug. Instantly he tears up and I sigh, reaching out. He lunges towards me and wraps me in a warm embrace. I feel him shaking against my chest as he sobs.
“It’s okay…” I sigh.
“No it’s not!” He blubbers. “And why are you comforting me?!”
Fifteen minutes later he’s completely calmed down. “So, have you told Kai?” I look down, avoiding his gaze. “I’ll take that as a no. And it’s obvious you haven’t otherwise he wouldn’t be cheerfully posting pictures of himself with his new girlfriend in Florida every day!”
I flinch at the word girlfriend.
“So why haven’t you told him?” He asks flopping down beside me. “Hey! Why haven’t you?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“But he’s had so many girlfriends!” He blubbers. “And for six whole years you-you…”
After telling Rayan, I don’t know exactly how I feel. There’s a strange relief in it, in the thought that at least someone will know everything, will care when I’m…gone. I mean, Kai will too and if he finds out that I’m keeping this from him… I shake my head to clear it. He has his girlfriend, let him be happy with her.
More days pass. It’s this mindless waiting. The other day Rayan asked me if I had any regrets, any last things that I wanted to do. What is there to regret? Regret not telling a straight as steel guy I like him before I die? I don’t think so, since I probably wouldn’t have told him anyway.
But as much as I tell myself this, I can’t seem to truly internalize it as I find myself, in order to distract myself from the hospital white, imagining what would have happened if I’d have told him. Then, what would happen if I told him now? Well, I can spare myself the choice since he doesn’t even know that I’m going to die…
But a week later he does. “I’m sorry man, I couldn’t keep it from him.” Rayan says apologetically, holding up his I-pad. On the screen is Kai’s angry face accompanied by an unfamiliar woman.
“You stay right there, I’m coming right over! How could you not tell me!” As he roars and rages, I find my gaze tracing the familiar contours of his chiseled jawline, dark pointed eyes, the laugh lines, the deep brows currently furrowed in anger…He’s here, he’s worried about me. Of course, because he’s your friend. But my heart ignores that voice, hoping, wishing for something else…Then I see the unfamiliar woman rub his back comfortingly and my hopeful heart drops to the pit of my chest.
When the call ends my gaze is still fixed on the blank screen.
“Just wait for him to get here, okay bud?” Rayan asks and we do our familiar fist bump as I smile in response. But when he leaves I know that I won’t be waiting, I can’t. Seeing it through a video is painful enough and if I see it in real life I don’t know what I’ll do. So I may as well leave while I can. I shut my eyes.
“His name shall be Bai, Yin Bai!” The next time I open my eyes I’m faced not with white hospital walls (thank god) but with a strangely lion king like scene. An old bearded dude holds me up and proclaims something. I blink, before noticing my chubby limbs. What the hell?
Since then, growing up as a cultivator has been…interesting shall we say? My body is fitter than it has ever been. I have parents now and even a brother. There’s a whole sect of people who know and care about me but that also means that everyone knows everyone’s business. And on top of that, I have my two besties: Huo Ran and Jiang Ren!
My besties are great except that they’re a little worrying on the romance front, having each nursed centuries long crushes. So I took the liberty of helping them out. After all, they shouldn’t end up as pathetic as I was. I laugh bitterly.
“You okay?” I look up, it’s Huo Ran. Behind him, of course, is the ever present Mo Lan. “Your expression looked unusually dark right there.”
My face blooms into a wide smile. “I’m fantabulastic!” Ran blinks, then smiles himself. “Huh, must have been my imagination then.”
“Hey Bai.” I look up, it’s Jiang Ren followed, naturally, by my brother.
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“Which of my newest cocktails is better?” I open my mouth to answer, then freeze, catching sight of a familiar figure in the crowd. I spring up and rush towards the person. “Bai!” I hear my friends call out from behind me but I forge forward with single minded devotion. I reach out and graph his sleeve, he turns around and-it’s not him. I let go of his arm, backing away despondently.
“Can I help you?” The man asks quirking his brow. He resembles him in his chiseled jaw and figure but the eyes are larger, more expressive and the nose is sharper and more prominent.
“Uh, sorry you reminded me of someone I used to know.”
“Oh? Well then familiar stranger, can I buy you a drink?” I blink. Do I really want to start something right now?
“No, I’m good.” I turn around to leave.
“I haven’t seen you in a while Bai and you haven’t changed.” I pause, then whirl around. “How do you-?”
“It’s me.” And with that familiar smirk, I immediately recognize him. “You! Asshole! What are you doing at Ren’s bar?!”
It’s him, Mu Xun, my childhood – well second life childhood – nemesis. In this lifetime, I’ve always managed to get my way with anyone but him. Our parents are close so they’d often call him when I acted up or refused to cultivate. When I ran out to escape cultivation one time, he put insect attracting pounder on my clothes so I was covered in bites by the time I came back! When I refused to use my flying sword out of a fear of heights, he left me on a skinny branch over a ravine to force me to use it to get down! But I haven’t seen him in years because he’s been out working to expand the sect’s business influence. How is it that after all these years he’s grown up to look like my male god!!! “You-you!” I feel myself fuming as I watch that familiar smirk widen.
Change of POV:
“You invited Mu Xun?” Huo Ran asks, turning towards Jiang Ren.
“Yup.” The latter replies cheerfully. “Payback for the messes he put us in.”
“Well, I guess it’s about time Bai gets in a proper relationship. Why him though?”
“He’s liked Bai since forever.”
“Seriously?! I didn’t know.”
“Well…you’re not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to romantic interest…”
“Hey!”
“Don’t tease Ran.” Mo Lan suddenly appears, facing Jiang Ren.
“Don’t threaten Ren Ge.” Yin Ru appears, facing Mo Lan.
“Alright, alright, let’s all put the swords down.” Jiang Ren hastily says. “Why do we have such violent partners?” He whispers to Huo Ran.
“But we love them.”
“That we do.”
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading until the end of Winter’s Spring! This short novella is basically done unless I have the inspiration to re-write a second version of chapter 5 since I have another idea for how it could have gone. Otherwise, this is the end! But before we finish, I’d like to say a few words. Bai’s situation in his past life is based off of a situation faced by a friend’s friend in real life. The situation reminds us that we never know what may happen or change. It’s not comfortable or healthy to live with constant, daily fear but it’s also very easy to dismiss catastrophes and sudden situations/difficulties as something that’ll never happen to you/me but it happens to someone and you’ll never know when that someone will be you.
Therefore, don’t be like Bai, nursing a love or dream or anything until it’s too late. At least he was lucky enough to have a second chance in a new world with a new person. Unfortunately, most people don’t get second chances. So go out there and live each day as your last because you never know what’ll happen. Or as some would say, Carpe Diem, seize the day!
Huh ??? The end ??? 😭
Unfortunately, yes. I’m glad you enjoyed it though! Although, if you think of a date idea or another extra chapter from some character’s perspective you’d like to see written, let me know and I’ll take it up as a challenge and make an extra 3. But for now I’m out of ideas, thanks for reading though:)
I thought Jiang Ren would get together with Yin Bai.. Never expected it’d be his brother.. It was a pleasant surprise.. Otherwise wouldn’t it be clichéd ??? I like your idea.. 👍
I just hoped to see Mu Xun pursuing Yin Bai..
Thanks for this cute little story..
I’ll try to cook up a further chapter with Mu Xun and Yin Bai, no promises but let’s see…
Haha.. thanks anyway..
“Don’t threaten Ren Ge.” *Yin Bai appears, facing Mo Lan. I think there’s a typo it should be *Yin Ru who said this line, cos in following para Jiang Ren says, “Why do we have such violent partners?” to Huo Ran.
True, let me fix that.
I loved this chapter. Cute story!
Glad you liked it:)
I do! Thank you.
Ahh thank you for the cute shorts story. Really fluffy. Thank you
I really really really liked it.
I hope to see you create more stories like this.
Thanks for everything.
😊 Thank you for reading!
Your welcome! That’s what I ought to do for giving this to us! ☆♡☆
Thank you for writing this novel! I enjoyed reading it a lot and though it’s short i managed to get attached to the characters. 💜
Thank you, it was a pleasure to read your story!
😊
I….am kinda sad that there’s no continuation to Yin Bai’s story. However, great job finishing this story! It was a great read ☺
Really enjoyed all of this and I’m glad Bai will have someone to be happy with in the future.
This was really cute! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thank you for the extra chapters!