They Regretted it After Their Hearts Turned to Ashes - Chapter 25

The cruise ship moored into the night, and the shadows melted into the water.

The last missing person was leaning back in a deck chair on the deck, covered with a thin blanket, his hair lightly stroked by the sea breeze.

He slept soundly, and although his breathing was still weak, it was much more stable than before.

His right hand was folded into the warmer hand, which was still writing in the palm of his hand, slowly stroke by stroke.

This time, in addition to the customary payment, there are two more words than before.

“Wei, Ting.” The owner of the hand introduced himself to him, “My name is Ming Weiting, and I’m your friend.”

The owner of the hand stopped at this relational title.

Although he was just practicing and deliberating, he still didn’t know whether he could call himself in such a relationship, so he changed his mouth: “My name is Ming Weiting, I’m your fan, I’m chasing your star.”

The missing person’s hand was held lightly, and the thick eyelashes fell down. The soft short hair was touched by the wind, making people almost have the illusion that he was attracted by this somewhat strange self-introduction, and then tilted his head slightly.

But he never woke up, maybe because he was too tired, or maybe because he couldn’t find anything necessary to wake up.

Since the day he was rescued, he has been so quiet and lethargic, never even moving.

Ming Weiting raised his hand, stroked his hair lightly, put the pale hand back under the blanket, and covered all the edges of the blanket.

He gestured to the people beside him, stood up, and walked a little further on the other side of the deck.

The person who came consciously lowered his voice: “Sir…”

“I already know.” Ming Weiting recalled the name and slowly read it out, “Ren Chenbai.”

Ming Weiting asked, “Uncle Lu, what else did he do?”

Ming Lu is the general manager of the Ming family. He is nearly seventy years old and has been with the Ming family for three generations.

He came over and respectfully handed over the sorted information: “I still need to find someone.”

Ren Chenbai refused to accept Luo Zhi’s disappearance in the shipwreck.

Ren Chenbai called Luo Jun, but Luo Jun was being punished on his knees in the confinement room. Luo Cheng didn’t know where to hide, so he couldn’t find anyone at all. Jian Huaiyi simply told him that Luo Zhi was dead, and was beaten to death by Ren Chenbai uncontrollably, which almost killed him…

A clumsy farce full of chicken feathers.

In the end, Ren Chenbai only saw the items of the missing person sent by the cruise ship.

Much less than he imagined.

There was actually only one windbreaker that was soaked in the sea and then left so dry, wrinkled and clumped with salt.

Half of the windbreaker was scratched by the reef, and the fabric fragments were tinged with some dark red.

Because Luo Zhi’s ID card is placed in the inner pocket of the windbreaker, and the seal of the pocket is just right, it is easy to confirm the owner of the item.

As for what happened after that, it is difficult for outsiders to inquire completely.

All that can be known is that Ren Chenbai must take away the windbreaker, and the Luo family naturally disagrees. The two parties started arguing, disturbing Luo Chengxiu, who had been in the study room for the past two days.

Ming Lu said a few words briefly, then stopped talking: “It’s just a play for them, sir, it’s nothing to see.”

Can people act for themselves?

Of course it will, especially if you’re trying to fool yourself into believing something.

The Luo family are used to being merciless, and they are best at putting the blame on others. The most suitable “other” is Luo Zhi, and now Luo Zhi is out, so he is replaced by Luo Jun.

Only after being pushed into a situation similar to Luo Zhi did Luo Jun finally begin to understand Luo Zhi’s pain. As for other people, there may be some late regrets, and maybe there will be a moment of guilt and guilt when waking up from a dream in the middle of the night… But if there is no special change, it is probably the limit.

Those people will even be relieved by their own regrets and sadness, truly believe that they have broken hearts and tears for Luo Zhi, and then tacitly let these things pass quickly.

No one will take the initiative to touch any truth, and no one will ask for trouble and find guilt.

No one would think of peeling off the layers of selfish cover-ups, standing in front of the truth that can burn people to ashes, waiting for that bit of human shame and guilt to recover, and then being dragged into an endless hell.

…

Mingweiting walked to the deck.

The beach in the distance was shrouded in night fog. The night was dark, and the darkness was cold and blurry.

It was in that place that Luo Zhi was found.

Luo Zhi took his ticket, but never got on the boat.

Ming Weiting took someone off the boat to find him, and finally found someone along the beach.

At that time, Luo Zhi was completely like a block of ice, and the rising tide of the sea was about to fill his mouth and nose, but he seemed to not know it, still lying motionless on the wet sand.

Ming Weiting picked him up and found that Luo Zhi was still awake.

Luo Zhi was awake, but he couldn’t recognize him very much. He just opened his eyes to see the outline of the cruise ship in the fog.

Ming Weiting hugged him and got up, Luo Zhi’s hands and feet drooped down.

Ming Weiting knew that he couldn’t hear, so he took his hand and wrote “um” back and forth in his palm, but Luo Zhi didn’t seem to remember what it meant.

Just one day.

Just a day ago, Luo Zhi would be so happy because he sold the painting, he kept praising his taste in artistic aesthetics, and generously gave him a script by buying one for one.

Luo Zhi couldn’t hear it, so Luo Zhi didn’t know that he didn’t say the words out of his voice, but just happily kept talking to himself. He is not good at recognizing mouth shapes, so he has to trouble the other party to repeat it many times.

Then he understood, Luo Zhi was saying thank him very much, very happy today.

He was also very happy, so he gave Luo Zhi a ferry ticket and wrote an invitation to Luo Zhi on the hotel’s post-it note.

“The first mistake.” Ming Weiting saw the ripples in the sea for a while, “I thought he was just drunk and needed a rest, so I temporarily left him alone in the hotel.”

The cruise ship was about to arrive at the port. Ming Weiting wanted to discuss a business before leaving the port, so he left the hotel before nightfall.

He was actually planning to come back, so he didn’t take anything else with him. Even the script was unknowingly stuffed into the briefcase under Luo Zhi’s kind recommendation.

But when he returned to the hotel, Luo Zhi was gone.

“I saw the sketch he left and thought he remembered what happened at that time.” Ming Weiting left the side of the boat and walked slowly back to the deck chair, “I thought he just left in a hurry, the second mistake.”

As the night deepened, the sea breeze became cold, and it was not suitable to stay on the deck.

Mingwei Pavilion wrapped the sleeping man with a thin blanket, picked it up with light movements, and returned to the cabin.

His strength was very careful, and the person he put back on the bed was not disturbed at all, not even frowning.

“The third mistake, I took him from the beach back to the cruise ship thinking I would take care of him without reviewing the passenger list.”

Mingweiting took off the thin blanket and covered the quilt again: “The fourth mistake, I actually failed to prevent the cruise ship from rolling over.”

Ming Lu followed up and finally fell silent when he heard this: “Sir, this is the captain’s fault. It has been dealt with severely, and the evidence has been sorted out for prosecution.”

The accident stemmed from a serious error in judgment by the captain, who illegally drove the ship into the shallow waters near the coast. Ming Weiting immediately rushed to the captain’s room to deal with it as soon as he found out that something was different, which allowed the Luo family to take advantage of it.

If it is not dealt with in time, the cruise ship will not be as simple as running aground and hitting the rocks. Once an explosion or capsize occurs, it will really cause irreversible consequences.

“The follow-up to this accident was close to perfect, only the last link.”

Minglu hesitated for a while before asking again, “Sir, are you really not going to announce the conclusion of zero deaths?”

“It’s not necessary.” Ming Weiting shook his head, “Strengthen internal supervision, re-assess qualifications, and strictly prohibit such low-level accidents in the future.”

Of course, these are all things that must be done, Ming Lu responded, wrote them down one by one, and looked at the people sleeping on the bed.

“Sir.” Minglu asked, “Is it because of this… Mr. Luo Zhi?”

Ming Weiting frowned.

The Ming family has no tradition of good temperament. He looked kind, because next to the sleeping guest, now the breath was cold, and there was a dark darkness in the bottom of his eyes.

Ming Lu knew that he had asked the wrong question, so he lowered his head to apologize, but Ming Weiting opened his mouth again.

“Luo Zhi sank in the sea and couldn’t be rescued.”

Ming Weiting said: “It has been sent back to the Luo family.”

Ming Lu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked at the sleeping man with his eyes closed, and immediately understood what Ming Weiting meant: “Yes.”

Ming Lu took a closer look at the guest again, as if he wanted to ask something else, but he was a little hesitant.

“I’m his fan, and I’m chasing his star.” Ming Weiting said, “I consider myself his friend.”

He has practiced these few sentences in his mind many times, so he speaks them fluently now. On the other hand, Ming Lu was a little surprised by this statement: “Sir, do you know what star chasing is?”

Ming Weiting lowered his gaze and looked at the guitar leaning against the bed.

He sat motionless until Minglu thought he would not get the answer to this question and was about to exit the door when he heard his voice again.

“The fifth mistake.” Ming Weiting said.

Ming Lu was stunned.

Ming Weiting stretched out his hand to cover the quilt again, and then got up to go out. He went all the way out of the cabin and returned to the deck along the gangway.

Ming Weiting lit a cigarette.

He didn’t have the habit of smoking, he just looked at the cigarette and saw the light of the fire in his hand flickering and flickering.

He doesn’t know what a fan is and what a star chaser is, so he misses the most important thing.

The beach there was not supposed to be so dark and cold, and there was the brightest and warmest bonfire there, and the best guitar solo in the world. He had never heard someone sit on the beach by the sea and play a guitar like that, and he chased the guitar and made a line, and cruise ships have been calling here ever since.

But the bonfire is gone.

“I jumped into the water to hug him.”

Ming Weiting said, “He’s not far from me.”

Not far away was Luo Jun’s lifeboat. Luo Jun eagerly reached out to Jian Huaiyi, who didn’t even see Luo Zhi at all.

Ming Weiting pulled the water and swam over, the sea water was bone-chilling, and his arms were too cold to exert any strength, and he failed to catch Luo Zhi in one attempt.

Luo Zhi was awake, and the surging icy cold salty liquid covered his body and swallowed him.

Ming Weiting dived into the water and hugged him, holding him up to the surface.

They were very close, his arm was behind Luo Zhi’s back, Luo Zhi’s face was pressed against his neck, hot liquid seeped out in big chunks, and was quickly assimilated by the seawater to a temperature close to freezing point.

After some time, the liquid gradually disappeared.

He lowered his head and saw the fire leaning against his chest coldly, his pale head and neck folded back weakly, and he was no longer breathing.

Luo Zhi was left in that sea forever, along with everything the name contained.

When the person who took care of him passed away, during the years of living as Luo Zhi, no one ever told him that he liked him again.

How can there be fans who are chasing stars? After seeing the real person, they don’t know how to say that they like him.

“So no.”

Ming Weiting’s voice was very soft: “It’s just acting, not good.”

He brushed off the ash, and the sea breeze immediately rolled up those gray-white debris and threw them into the water, and the lights of the cruise ship reflected ripples and shredded stars.

Luo Zhi handed the painting to him and wrote crookedly on it, stroke by stroke, I did nothing wrong.

Luo Zhi was lying on the cold, dark beach before dawn, opening his eyes in confusion, unable to understand his answer.

Luo Zhi sank into the ice water before his eyes, without calling for help.

“They’re going to regret it.”

Ming Weiting looked at the sea: “They will always regret it.”

He will not let those people disturb the fire again, no one deserves to disturb the fire. But those people must always regret it.

Those people can no longer be associated with that fire, but they must be grilled on the truth, and must be sober and torture themselves forever.

Minglu replied behind him, “I see.”

“The girl from the Luo family hid in the school.” Minglu said, “That Mr. Ren Chenbai happened to be helping her contact a documentary waiver contract. The director has some evidence in his hands, and he can sue the Luo family’s master for intentional harm over the years. Behavior…”

Ming Weiting nodded, he put out the cigarette, let the smoke from his body dissipate completely, and then returned to the cabin.

From his personal will, he didn’t want that fire to have anything to do with the past. But after all, he has no more position, so there is no way to ask the other party if he is willing to be named Ming.

…

Either pick a better-sounding surname, or don’t have a surname at all.

These matters need to be decided on their own after the other party wakes up and has a completely clear ability to act.

Therefore, Mingwei Pavilion had to temporarily pick out the name Luo Chi.

Luo Chi did a comprehensive physical examination after being rescued. The cardiac apnea caused by drowning was rescued in time, and there were no more serious consequences. But doctors suspected that a lump in his brain was pressing on him, causing problems with hearing and other bodily functions.

After all, the medical level on the cruise is not as good as that on land. Ming Weiting is going to take Luo Chi to the hospital for examination tomorrow, so he will have a good rest tonight.

Ming Weiting sat on the edge of the bed, he reached out and touched Luo Chi’s hair, which rubbed softly against his palm.

“Good night.” Ming Weiting whispered, “My name is Ming Weiting, I’m your fan, I’m chasing your star. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about it in the past, I like you very much.”

As long as he is free in the past two days, he will practice saying this to Luo Chi many times. In this way, when Luo Chi wakes up, he can speak fluently like every star chaser.

He retracted his hand and was about to stand up, but suddenly stopped.

Luo Chi’s fingers curled slightly, his eyelashes twitched a few times, and finally opened little by little.

Mingwei Pavilion stood in place.

It’s not surprising that Luo Chi doesn’t seem to know him anymore.

According to the doctor’s speculation, Luo Chi’s mental state was already very poor the few times they met, and the pressure of the suspected mass in the brain might also have an impact.

They didn’t know each other very well, so it didn’t matter, he could introduce himself again, he had practiced it many times.

“Good night.” Ming Weiting sat back again, “My name is Mingweiting.”

When he said this, he suddenly stopped in Luo Chi’s eyes.

Luo Chi’s eyes were dazed, and the bottom of his eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of fog. It was a void without a clear focus, and his pupils appeared to be cleaner and darker.

Ming Weiting lowered his gaze.

He took a little more time to suppress the almost sullen and cold hatred towards the family and the surname Ren, which disturbed his star chasing thoughts seriously, and stopped halfway when he finally practiced his skills.

He actually thought about taking revenge in a more illegal way, but no, he is learning to be a fan of Luo Chi, and I heard that fans can’t discredit idols casually.

So he gave this matter to Uncle Lu, he would not tie up all these people and throw them on a deserted island without people.

“My name is Ming Weiting.”

He held Luo Chi’s cold fingers without temperature, and recited it again: “…I like you very much.”