It's too late, everything is too late...

I looked at the message I sent to Lengyang, it remained unanswered. Ten video calls were all canceled by me. I felt so sad.

I slowly lifted my head, my red-rimmed eyes watching the sunset that had already painted the sky. I felt so lonely. I forced a smile, but accidentally squeezed out a tear from the corner of my eye.

I turned back, there wasn't a single person, let alone Leng Yang. I don't understand what I was still expecting.

My heart shattered as I walked up the steps, my soul lost and wandering. I refused to believe that I had been stood up. The path was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person. This was an abandoned park, the steps no longer smooth, with some stones chipped away. The railings on either side were dilapidated, and the weeds and bushes grew wildly along the sides, encroaching onto the path itself. Only occasionally would someone nostalgic for the past come up the mountain to trim the branches and weeds.

Even the streetlights aren't continuously on, they flicker on and off. This is because the government is afraid that people will go up the mountain at night to play, so they only made a simplified road lighting system.

It's so late, the mountain should be deserted by now, but I stubbornly keep climbing upwards. My heart is as hard as cement, with only one thought: I want to watch the last sunset of the year with Leng Yang.

A bitter coldness settled on my face, I couldn't describe the contradiction I felt right now. I knew I had been stood up yet I was deceiving myself, my heart still held onto the expectation of Leng Yang appearing behind me.

"Quietly comforting herself, oS: “Leng Yang won't forget me, he must be busy with something. It's fine, I'll just take a look myself. We still have so many such evenings ahead of us.”

Clenching her fist, she gave herself a pep talk in a low voice, "It's okay, I can do this!"

It was another dark patch ahead. There was a street lamp in front, so I didn't bother turning on my phone flashlight. I walked forward calmly and effortlessly. I had been walking along the wall, but suddenly a branch brushed my hair. I casually shifted to the left. Unfortunately, with my next step, my left foot landed on an edge of the steps. I lost my balance for a moment and stumbled backward, kicking up some gravel.

In the panic, I felt branches behind and to my right, and there seemed to be quite a few. I grabbed onto them in haste, but immediately regretted it. In the hazy darkness, I had no idea what I was touching. Only as my fingers brushed against the branches did I feel a searing pain in my palm. I realized then that I had grabbed a thorny branch.

My heart was afraid of falling down the steep stairs and getting seriously hurt, so I endured the pain and held on tightly. As a result, I fell against the right side wall railing, pinning my right hand against it. My posture was pitiful, to say the least, but more laughable because my right foot was bent and my left leg was kicked high in the air.

At the moment I fell, I closed my eyes. Even though I couldn't see anything, I was terrified. I was so afraid of pain.

"Ah!" The sound of the fall was piercing, magnetic, and made one want to imagine things.

I felt a wave of heat and moisture in my palms. I slowly straightened up, pulling my right hand out. The bent thorn sprang back quickly, almost scratching my ear. My left hand immediately reached for my phone and turned on the flashlight. I clearly saw that my palm was full of blood, with burning pain from the small holes pierced by the thorns, oozing blood. There were still long, hard black spines remaining on my fingers, and a deep gash had been cut into my palm.

I looked at the mess in my hands, and I couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears welled up in my eyes, big and fat, blocking my vision. It was hard to stop them for a while.

I carefully pulled the thorn out of my hand and angrily threw it into the bushes. My heart is so bitter! oS: "Waaa, too bad. Before this, I thought I was so lucky today!"

Let's take a look at what he said. "This is so frustrating, I didn't even get to see the sunset and I couldn't climb the mountain."

"Oh!" She sighed deeply.

I held a handful of tissues in my palm, trying to stop the bleeding that way. Thankfully it was just a minor wound. I wanted to get up, shifting my left foot down one step and gathering strength to stand, but the pain in my right foot pulled me back.

I realized I had twisted my ankle. I hurriedly reached out to touch it, but I used the wrong hand. As I opened my right hand, the feeling of the wound that had just closed was ripped open again. A chill and pain ran through my palm. In the confusion, my left hand dropped my phone between my legs, and everything went black before my eyes. The pain made me close my eyes.

I closed my eyes, looked up, and took a quick breath to calm myself. At this moment, all the feelings of panic, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness were released. I really wanted to vent my emotions. My breathing gradually became heavy and long. I lowered my head and calmly watched the light from the lamp on my legs emit a faint glow. I picked up my phone, held it in my mouth, and slowly lifted my pants leg with my left hand. There was no wound, but I rubbed my instep and felt swelling.

I gave a bitter smile, holding my phone. I opened it to see that it was already 9:45. Thinking about my current situation and Leng Yang who still hadn't shown up, I felt a chill run through me. I was especially disappointed. I finally believed I had been stood up.

It's getting late, I know I have an early train tomorrow, so I'm not going to climb to the top of the mountain anymore. I'm going downhill now.

I sat on the steps, deep in thought. "They're all home, my sisters too. Who can help me? 119? Forget it, wasting police resources. Leng Yang? Forget it, it's all because of this guy that I'm like this, and he still hasn't replied to me. I'm really disappointed. Guess I have to do this myself!"

I held my phone up for light, with my right hand clutching a tissue. Using only my left hand to support myself on the railing, I pulled myself up with all my strength, putting all my weight on my left foot while my right foot lightly touched the ground. I tried to find a stick to lean on, but looked around and saw nothing. Looking back at the railings along the way, I decided to use them as my crutch and walk down the hill to hail a car home.

I slowed down a few steps, and my phone suddenly vibrated. I stopped, leaning my entire body against the long-neglected fence. As soon as I opened it to see Cold Yang's message, I heard a creaking sound. The next second, a section of the fence broke off. I hurriedly grabbed the remaining part and leaned against the wall. Luckily, this side of the fence was leaning against a mountain! I was thankful, but at the same time, my phone slipped from my hand and landed on the edge of the stairs. It just kept sliding until it finally stopped far away. All I could see was the light illuminating the phone lying lonely on the ground.

On the other side, Leng Yang finally got back home, completely exhausted. He flopped onto his bed in a big letter, and before he could even catch his breath, he remembered about watching the sunset.

……

Looking at the dozen or so messages and missed video calls I sent him, Leng Yang's face clearly turned ugly. He anxiously messaged, "Xing Yi, didn't you go somewhere?"

"Excuse me, I was delayed by something."

"I hope you can forgive me!"

Have you gotten home yet?

Leng Yang stood anxiously in the room, waiting for my answer. He prayed countless times hoping I would reply, "I didn't go, I'm home!" But I remained silent.

Cold Yang didn't have time to think too much, he immediately ran out of the room and drove to school as fast as he could. Luckily, there was no traffic along the way, all green lights, and the journey that normally took 30 minutes, Cold Yang completed in just 17 minutes.

Leng Yang anxiously waited for a reply, his eyes filled with seriousness and self-blame. His voice message was urgent but he tried to suppress his emotions, trembling as he said, "Are you there? Are you still there?!"

"Starry, what's wrong? Can you reply to me?!"

"My voice broke, "Xing Yi, please reply. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have stood you up. Please hear me out."

Strong voice, "Are you there? Reply to me, please? It's so late, I need to know where you are."

"Shall I text you back? I'm worried about you!"

Then several video calls went unanswered, and Leng Yang's eyes were filled with worry and self-blame.

As soon as they reached the school across the street, Leng Yang immediately got out of the car. Even though the crosswalk light was green, everything seemed very smooth. However, Leng Yang's heart was racing, feeling like fate had led him here to find me. He became even more certain that I was still here. Leng Yang ran as fast as he could, taking several steps at a time until he saw the faint glow of a phone light. He felt a little relieved, but his speed didn't decrease.

……

I was relieved that I hadn't been injured again when my phone dropped. I gathered myself and heard the video call from my phone ringing constantly. I knew it was Lengyang calling. I didn't want to worry him, so I quickened my pace.

Every step, I worried about falling again. I was cautious, my eyes glued to my phone the whole time, eager to reply to the message.

After much effort, I finally made it to my phone. I sat down heavily, picked up my phone with my left hand, and looked at the cracks on the screen. Just as I was about to open it to reply to a message, a dramatic scene happened: my phone shut down! I helplessly tapped my phone lightly, feeling utterly defeated.

I can't see the road, I lean against the railing. It's so quiet around me that I can hear the wind rustling through the grass. The sound of the wind blowing through the grass whispers in my ear. This scene is just like the night when I was a child. I collapsed on the ground, and a cold wave washed over me. I suddenly felt scared. The wind howled, and I didn't know what it would bring, just like when I was a child.

(Editor in charge：it novel)