# Chapter 222: Stench
By afternoon, Qi Xia had been spending time with Yu Nian'an for a while now.
He still carried an uneasy feeling in his heart.
After all, there were things he had once doubted, and even now, seeing them with his own eyes couldn't dispel his concerns.
Did Yu Nian'an have any connection to the "Sky Sheep"...?
He took out his torn shirt from the bedroom closet.
On the chest of this shirt was a cartoon little sheep sewn by Yu Nian'an herself.
"What's wrong, Xia?"
"An, why did you sew this little sheep for me back then?" Qi Xia asked bluntly.
Yu Nian'an stared at Qi Xia like he was an idiot.
"Xia, is it possible... that I sewed you a little sheep because your clothes were torn?"
"That's not what I mean." Qi Xia shook his head. "Why did it have to be a 'sheep'?"
"Because that's the only patch I could find at home..." Yu Nian'an said with a hint of grievance. "Don't you like 'sheep'? Yeah, maybe a sheep is too girly. Next time I'll sew you a little dinosaur."
Hearing Yu Nian'an say this, the gloom in Qi Xia's heart cleared completely.
Yeah. Why didn't he believe Yu Nian'an, instead trusting a "tiger"?
He had only met Earth Tiger once and exchanged a few words.
But Yu Nian'an had been with him for seven whole years.
"An, I'm not a child," Qi Xia shook his head. "Besides, if your clothes tear in the future, don't patch them up. We'll just buy new ones."
"Mm..." Yu Nian'an nodded. "I was just trying to save a little money, that's all."
When money was mentioned, Qi Xia's expression darkened again.
He silently pulled out the crumpled lottery ticket from his pocket.
Today was the last day to claim the prize.
"An, I have to apologize to you," Qi Xia said.
"What for?"
"I already scammed that scumbag's money," Qi Xia said. "I was going to use his money to give us a good life... but in the end, I failed."
Yu Nian'an was slightly taken aback after hearing this.
"Scammed?"
"Yes. I had no other choice," Qi Xia shook his head. "I wanted that scumbag to get what he deserved, so I had to resort to 'scamming'."
Upon hearing this, Yu Nian'an sighed deeply and said, "Xia, the reason you set up that code with me earlier—was it because you were going to commit fraud? You were afraid the police would come to me?"
"Yes."
Qi Xia had once told Yu Nian'an that if he asked her, "Did you feed the fish yesterday?"
She must answer, "Yes, but only a little."
Any other answer would be wrong.
"Xia, why don't you understand?" Yu Nian'an lowered her head, somewhat dejected. "I don't want revenge on anyone. I just want to live peacefully with you. Being by your side—that's more important than anything."
"I..."
The answer Yu Nian'an gave was exactly what Qi Xia had been thinking.
"That's why I have to apologize to you. First, I didn't follow your wishes. Second, I failed to give you a good life," Qi Xia said regretfully. "Both of these things pain me deeply."
Yu Nian'an was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Xia, don't you think it pains me too? I don't want you to become a fraudster for my sake. If that happened, I would be miserable for the rest of my life..."
"Don't worry." Qi Xia patted Yu Nian'an. "Even though this is my first time scamming, the police probably won't find me. I did it cleanly."
"Xia, no matter what happens in the future, as long as you and I can live happily together, that's enough." There was a light in Yu Nian'an's eyes. "I don't want to care about anything else."
"I understand," Qi Xia replied.
"Though there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own path, I don't want you to walk this one."
Qi Xia nodded. He brought the lottery ticket up to his eyes, looked at it, and tore it to shreds.
Maybe it was just as the book said—every person's fortune was determined at birth.
If Qi Xia got this two million, he would lose Yu Nian'an.
If that was really the case, he would rather this lottery ticket turn to ashes forever.
The two of them walked up to the rooftop, basking in the warm afternoon sunlight of early autumn.
They leaned against each other, gazing at the sky and reminiscing.
From the moment they met to the moment they fell in love, whenever Qi Xia brought up a scene, Yu Nian'an could recount every detail of that time.
Every scene she described matched Qi Xia's memories exactly.
It seemed she had always kept him in her heart.
They talked and talked, until the sunset emerged, dyeing the distant horizon with hues of color.
"Xia, you know what?" Yu Nian'an said softly. "If only time could stop right now."
"Yeah," Qi Xia nodded. "If only we could stop forever at..."
Before he could finish, Qi Xia paused slightly.
He looked at the dark red sky and the ochre-yellow sun in the distance, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
It was sunset, yet it strangely resembled the "Land of the End."
"Stop right now...?"
Time could stop at any moment... but why did it have to stop at this exact moment?
If Qi Xia had never been to the "Land of the End," an eternal dusk would naturally be a beautiful sight to him.
But he had seen that desolate land like hell itself—the red sky, the ochre-yellow sun—they inevitably reminded him of stench and blood.
"Stench...?"
Speaking of "stench," Qi Xia furrowed his brow.
It seemed he had stayed in the "Land of the End" for too long. Now, even in the real world, he could smell the odor of decay.
When the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, Yu Nian'an had already fallen asleep leaning against Qi Xia's shoulder.
Qi Xia reached out to feel the cold night breeze, then bent down and picked Yu Nian'an up, carrying her back home.
He laid her down on the sofa, then took out several blankets and spread them on the floor to make a simple bed.
After settling Yu Nian'an, Qi Xia sat beside her, watching her sleeping face, and slowly revealed a relieved smile.
He tried lying down, lying next to Yu Nian'an, and gently pulled her into his embrace.
It had been a very, very long time since he had lain down to sleep. This feeling of relaxation slowly loosened every pore on his body, and his blood began to flow freely again.
How long had it been since he experienced this feeling?
Probably about seven years.
Qi Xia didn't remember falling asleep. He only felt that all the tension in his mind was slowly releasing.
He dreamed again.
He dreamed of that long corridor, with "zodiacs" slowly emerging from both sides. They were looking at him—their eyes neither respectful nor contemptuous, but as if they all had something to say.
When would this path ever end?
"Knock, knock, knock..." A soft sound reached his ears.
Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes. Outside, it was pitch-black night, and Yu Nian'an was sitting beside him, staring at him expressionlessly.
"An?" Qi Xia was startled. "What's wrong?"
Yu Nian'an didn't answer. She just stared into Qi Xia's eyes and slowly said, "Knock, knock, knock."