Chapter 273: Regret and Reprimand

The image on the light screen was still frozen in silence: a sea of golden flowers, the azure ocean, and the three figures holding hands, like a ray of warm light,

striking straight into the depths of everyone's heart. Lin Chen looked at Lu Ran's smile in the image,

a relaxation and tenderness he had never seen before. The emotions he had suppressed for so long suddenly broke through the dam, and tears fell without warning.

Xia Nuan was also already sobbing uncontrollably. She covered her mouth, her shoulders heaving violently,

terrified that making even the slightest sound would break this tranquility. There was no other noise in the room, only the two of them suppressing their sobs and the sound of the wind occasionally brushing past the window.

Just then, Lu Ran, who had been lying quietly on the floor, suddenly moved his fingers.

His eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry, yet it fell straight onto the image on the light screen. When he saw Sister Chu Yao Yao's gentle smiling face,

saw A-Nian jumping about holding a strawberry, and saw that boundless sea of golden sunflowers, a sob escaped Lu Ran's throat, and tears surged out instantly.

He did not cry out loud, just let the tears slide down, soaking his cheeks,

soaking the clothes beneath him. Everything in the image was what he had dreamed of,

the future he and Sister Chu Yao Yao had promised each other, yet now, he could only see it in this illusory projection.

Lu Ran abruptly pushed himself up from the floor to sit, his eyes filled with pain and despair.

He glanced at the light screen, then at Lin Chen and Xia Nuan, who were sobbing uncontrollably beside him,

his lips moved, but nothing came out. The next second, he stood up abruptly,

stumbling toward the doorway as if something behind him were chasing him.

"Lu Ran!"

Xia Nuan cried out, wanting to chase after him, but was held back by Lin Chen.

Lin Chen shook his head, his eyes filled with exhaustion. He knew that Lu Ran needed to be alone right now, needed to vent all the pain in his heart.

The sound of Lu Ran's footsteps gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor, and the room returned to silence once more.

Lin Chen and Xia Nuan did not speak again, just silently watching the image on the light screen, their tears still flowing uncontrollably.

Half an hour later, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the corridor, steady and powerful,

approaching the room step by step. Lin Chen raised his head, wiped the tears from his face, and his eyes regained their usual coldness. Xia Nuan also stopped crying and looked toward the doorway.

The door was pushed open violently. Lu Ran stood in the doorway, his hair disheveled, his face still stained with tear tracks,

yet his eyes were terrifyingly hollow. He looked at the two people in the room, his lips moved, but he still said nothing.

Lin Chen stood up and walked toward Lu Ran step by step. His eyes were cold, as if quenched in ice, and the corners of his mouth curled into a mocking arc.

"What are you running from?"

Lin Chen's voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable pressure,

"Can running away help you escape everything? Can running away bring Sister Chu Yao Yao back to life? Can running away bring back those sacrificed team members?"

Lu Ran's body trembled violently, his lips pressed tightly together, still not speaking.

"Look at yourself now, what do you look like?" Lin Chen continued, his tone growing heavier, "Like a stray dog, like a puppet whose soul has been pulled out!"

"What did Sister Chu Yao Yao say in her letter? She told you to live well, to take good care of A-Nian, and not to be trapped by hatred! And you? What have you done?"

"You died on the battlefield, thinking that was your answer to Sister Chu Yao Yao? Thinking that would reunite you with her? You're wrong! This is the behavior of a coward! You are evading your responsibilities!"

"A-Nian is still sleeping next door; how scared will she be when she wakes up and doesn't see you? Those wounded soldiers you healed with the golden pollen are still waiting for you to lead them in rebuilding their home. Is this how you act as a leader?"

"Sister Chu Yao Yao traded her own life for your chance to live, traded it for this golden pollen,

traded it for everyone's hope! And you, you just gave up your own life,

gave up everything! Are you worthy of Sister Chu Yao Yao? Are you worthy of those team members who trusted you? Are you worthy of A-Nian?"

Lin Chen's words were heavier with each sentence, more heart-piercing with each, like hammers,

slamming fiercely into Lu Ran's heart. Lu Ran's body swayed, the hollowness in his eyes gradually replaced by pain. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found he had nothing to say, forced to let those words cut into his heart like knives.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from the stairwell, very light,

yet exceptionally clear in the silent corridor. Lin Hao leaned against the wall of the stairwell,

clutching a still-warm steamed bun in his hand, looking toward the doorway of the room with a complex expression. He had just heard the crying in the room and seen Lu Ran run out in a daze, and feeling uneasy, he had specifically come around to check the situation.

He knew Lin Chen's temper and also knew Lu Ran's current state, fearing the two would clash,

yet he dared not step forward, only able to stand in the stairwell, listening to the reprimands coming from the room.

At the same time, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Lin Chen's mind, without warning, yet every word was clear.

【Strong fluctuation of regret detected, source: blood relative Lin Hao】 ===== CHAPTER 274 =====