Chapter 317: Shangxie and the Thorn Bird

That year, she was in the bloom of youth, her talent renowned across the world. And it was that same year that a man entered her life.

They met in a small painting studio at the school. He was her art instructor, a professor at the university.

From the moment she first saw him, she felt this man was different. His eyes were filled with the weariness of having seen through worldly splendor, and being with her gave her a sense of security.

The first lesson the man gave her was a drawing of a small bird without feet.

The man said, this little bird is called the Thorn Bird, a bird capable of soaring through the forest. It has no feet, no home, spending its life freely, it can only glide in the wind, drifting everywhere; when tired, it can only rest in dreams. Its body can touch the ground only once, and that moment marks the end of its life.

This was the first lesson the man gave her, which she etched forever in her heart; at the same time, the man left an indelible mark in her heart. She was deeply impressed by his talent, longing to stay by his side, hoping to see him at all times.

Later, she fell in love, the object of her affection being this man, her teacher. Although she knew he had a family and children, she still threw caution to the wind, like a moth flying into flame, throwing herself into his embrace and devoting everything she had to the man she loved most.

Taking the bell as token, and Shangxie as oath, they agreed that in this life and the next they would never part. He said he would treat her well for a lifetime; she believed him, and from then on, a generation's talented woman willingly became his mistress, not hoping for a title from him. She only wished that they could be together in this life and the next, even if it meant living like a rat in a dark, dry well, never seeing daylight, unknown to the world. She was also willing.

But worldly good fortunes are always full of twists; one moment they swear eternal vows, the next they could be total strangers. On a rainy night, the man wrote her a letter. In the letter, he confessed he had a fatal illness, and the doctors said he had less than a month to live. So the man wanted to travel, to traverse every corner of the land within his limited time, letting his body follow his footsteps and quietly return to nature.

This was a suicide note, also a wordless letter of severing ties. That night she wept until her heart felt torn apart, unable to believe the man would just leave her like that. His coldness only made her love deeper. She conceived a thought no one could understand: she wanted to die, to follow him to the underworld.

In this life, loving you is destined to be unable to continue our affection. After death, I am willing to be a pair of lonely spirits with you.

That same evening, she went to the painting building where they first met; before her death, she wrote a letter in blood, carrying it to the roof of the painting building, then leapt off and fell to the ground.

Accompanying her jump was a blood‑stained handkerchief, on which was written:

Shangxie,

I wish to know you,

May we have long life without decline.

May mountains have no hills,

May rivers run dry.

May winter thunder rumble,

May summer rain snow.

May heaven and earth unite,

Only then would I dare to sever ties with you.

This was the vow they made when they fell in love; now that the man has gone, she also wholeheartedly follows him.

But she did not know that the ghosts of suicides cannot be reincarnated; they can only linger in the place of unjust death. Month after month, day after day, she wandered around the small building, yet never saw the man's ghost.

Until one day, a girl appeared, making her feel genuine anger.

This girl sat in the seat right in front of her and even stole her bell.

She was furious; this was the love token the man had given her, which she had forgotten to take when she died, leaving it behind in the painting studio where they first met.

When the girl put her bell into her pocket, she emerged from the darkness, chased after the girl, wanting to get her bell back.

The girl was chased by her downstairs, hit a pillar and fainted. But she forgot that she was a ghost; even if the bell lay there, she could not take it.

Thus she could only leave unwillingly. Not until the next evening did two men return to the painting studio, one of them still holding her bell in his hand.

These two men are undoubtedly me and Pangzi. The two main characters in the story are Gan Su Xin and Su Zhiyuan.

After she finished telling her story, everything became clear. Meng Xue must have seen her bell while she was painting, thought it pretty, and took it. When she chased Meng Xue to get the bell back, Meng Xue was frightened and knocked herself unconscious against a pillar.

The next evening, I and Pangzi returned to the painting studio to vent our anger for Meng Xue. While downstairs, I picked up the bell again. I finally understand why Pangzi and I waited so long in the studio and she never appeared, yet as soon as the bell rang she showed up immediately. It turns out the bell meant that much to her.

"Wu wu… truly moving, senior sister you're so foolish." After the whole story was told, Pangzi also became a tearful person.

"Asking the world what love is, it directly teaches us to pledge life and death, travelers from south and north flying together, old wings how many times have known cold and heat…." Shen Yuan Ning, inspired by the scene, actually… recited the Yanqiu ci without anyone noticing.

To be honest, after hearing Gan Su Xin's story, I felt uneasy inside, even sympathized with her, thought she was foolish, and I couldn't even fathom how deep her love for Su Zhiyuan must have been to drive her to a decision of dying for love.

I admire her unwavering devotion until death, but I do not approve of her actions. Her parents gave her life—has she ever repaid them? Now, for a man, she has forgotten her parents' kindness. She willingly gave up her own life. Has she considered how sorrowful it is for white‑haired parents to send off their black‑haired children? She values emotion, yet she is selfish, recklessly trampling her own life without considering the feelings of her friends and relatives; her own grief causes everyone to suffer. Her fault outweighs her love for Su Zhiyuan.

Of course, the dead are gone; I can only keep these words buried forever, never to use them to provoke her.

But now I have a greater doubt in my heart.

She clearly said Su Zhiyuan left her a letter in which he suffered a fatal illness, yet I and Pangzi only recently saw this Su Zhiyuan—he had no ailment, was vigorous and healthy, better than could be; how could he be a terminal patient?

To uncover the truth, I and Pangzi decided to bring Gan Su Xin to confront Su Zhiyuan. Whether we mistook the person or there is some hidden matter, if we don't go, Gan Su Xin will never give up.

But we don't know where Su Zhiyuan lives, so how are we to bring Gan Su Qin to find him?

Just when everyone was stuck in a dilemma, I gave Pangzi an idea: let him ask that older sister Jingjing for some excuse to obtain Su Zhiyuan's address.

Naturally, Pangzi was delighted, he clumsily picked up the phone and called Silijing. The process went smoothly, with no obstacles, and we obtained Su Zhiyuan's address.

After learning Su Zhiyuan's address, I and Pangzi placed Gan Su Xin inside an umbrella.

Taking him, we went to the place where Su Zhiyuan lives.

…………

"Is this the place, Pangzi?"

Before us stood three residential blocks, but I didn't know exactly which one.

Pangzi lowered his head to look at the address he had noted down, then nodded and said, "This is definitely the right place."

Next, I and Pangzi, according to the address on the paper, arrived at Su Zhiyuan's front door.

Su Zhiyuan's home is in one of the three blocks, on the fourth floor.

We knocked on the door, and it was opened by a middle‑aged man wearing glasses.

This middle‑aged man is exactly the art instructor from the school, the Su Zhiyuan we know. But we cannot be certain whether he is the one Gan Su Xin knew.

"What do you want from me?" Su Zhiyuan asked us after opening the door; evidently he still had some impression of us two.

Pangzi was about to open the umbrella when I restrained him with a gesture. I gave him a look; we still couldn't be sure whether Gan Su Xin knew this Su Zhiyuan, so we couldn't just open the umbrella recklessly.

I feigned a lighthearted smile and said, "Professor Su, we've come to ask you some questions about painting."

Only then did Su Zhiyuan open the door and welcome us inside.

While Su Zhiyuan went to make tea, I carefully observed his quarters. The place wasn't large, but it had a poetic feel. The walls were hung with several oil paintings, all signed Su Zhiyuan.

I don't understand painting, but I think his work is genuinely good.

On a table, I saw a photo, in the photo were Su Zhiyuan and another woman and child. The woman looked a bit plump, even somewhat ugly. But the three people in the photo were smiling brightly; from the photo it seemed like a family portrait of three.

"Come, come, try my brewed Tieguanyin, fragrant and pleasant." Su Zhiyuan walked out of the kitchen and handed me and Pangzi two cups of tea.

After we three sat down, Su Zhiyuan asked us

"What problems have you encountered in your drawing? Feel free to speak up, let's see..."

"Do you know this person Gan Su Xin, Teacher Su?" As soon as we sat down, I directly interrupted Su Zhiyuan's words, catching him off guard.

When I said that, Su Zhiyuan's expression changed; from a gentle March sky, it instantly turned into a gloomy May downpour.

"I don't know what you're talking about? I also don't know any Su Xin or not Su Xin. If you're not here to discuss drawing-related topics with me, then please leave immediately, don't stay here,"

Having said that, he immediately stood up, preparing to drive us out.

Seeing his nervous expression, I knew he certainly had something on his mind.

I smiled and said calmly, "Teacher Su doesn't want to see us, then I wonder if Teacher Su would like to see this 'person'?"

Having said that, I opened the umbrella and released Gan Su Xin's ghost from inside.

"Ah... you... you... you, this is impossible." Su Zhiyuan was so frightened he collapsed onto the ground, his expression panicked.