Chapter 1252: A Single Thought Can Decide Life and Death

Lin Lang didn't rush to withdraw his hand. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled, twirling the Capri cigarette between his fingers.

"how?"

"Ming-ge, if you don't like the Russian flavor of Capri cigarettes, I also have some Hua Zi here."

Before he finished speaking, he flipped his wrist and pulled out a pack of red Zhonghua cigarettes from his personal space. With a flick of his fingertips, he tore open the seal of the cigarette box, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to Zang Guoming.

The evening breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across the terrace. Zang Guoming looked at the familiar cigarette, and the emptiness in his eyes seemed to be rippled by a stone thrown in.

He remained silent for a few seconds before finally stepping back from the edge of the railing. He walked unsteadily to Lin Lang and took the Zhonghua cigarette.

"Click——"

With a crisp sound, the flame of the windproof lighter shot up, and Lin Lang raised his hand to light his cigarette.

The orange-red firelight illuminated Zang Guoming's pale face. He lowered his head slightly, took a drag, and the smoke slid down his throat into his lungs, causing him to cough softly twice.

After catching his breath, Zang Guoming gently tapped Lin Lang's hand with his fingertips as a silent expression of gratitude.

He looked up at the neon lights in the distance, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and the white smoke dispersed before his eyes, blurring the weariness in his eyes.

"Ah Lang," his voice was still hoarse, but it had a bit more life in it, "Judging from what you just said, it seems you know I have suicidal thoughts?"

Lin Lang lit a Capri cigarette, took a deep drag, and the pungent smoke spread out. He didn't answer directly, but looked at Zang Guoming with a calm yet firm tone.

“Ming-ge, if this is what you want, I respect your choice, but before that, I can give you another option.”

Upon hearing this, Zang Guoming suddenly smiled—his signature smile, tinged with self-deprecation yet still gentle, softening even the fine lines around his eyes.

"Oh? Then tell me, what other choices do you have for me?"

Lin Lang didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked a question, looking at him intently: "Ming-ge, do you believe me?"

Zang Guoming was taken aback, then chuckled, his tone tinged with emotion: "We're close friends despite our age difference, and you're Tiannan's brother-in-law. If it weren't for that dinner with you and Ayan, I wouldn't have met Tiannan, so of course I trust you."

Lin Lang stopped beating around the bush, turned around and leaned on the balcony railing, his elbows resting on the cold metal, a cigarette between his fingers, looking down at the bustling streets of Hong Kong Island below.

The flashing neon lights reflected in his eyes as he watched the cars come and go, as if he were witnessing life and death.

"Ming-ge, if you've lost all will to live in this world, I can take you to another world."

Zang Guoming's fingers, which were holding the cigarette, suddenly stopped, and even his breath paused for a beat.

He looked up at Lin Lang, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief: "Huh? Lang, I don't quite understand what you're saying. Can you really take me to other worlds?"

Lin Lang then turned around, his gaze meeting Zang Guoming's eyes with a deep intensity, and said, each word firm and resolute: "Of course."

"It's just that in another world, you have to give up your current wealth and your superstar status, and become an ordinary person through and through."

"Moreover, the level of modernization there is not as high, but it is also a prosperous China, a dynasty that everyone yearns for."

Upon hearing this, Zang Guoming took two deep drags on his cigarette. The pungent nicotine choked him as it went down his throat and into his lungs, but he seemed completely unaware.

When he exhaled smoke again, the white mist was thick and heavy, dissipating with his heavy breathing.

The smile on Zang Guoming's face gradually faded, and his voice was filled with an overwhelming weariness and bitterness: "A Lang, I don't know if what you said is true or false, but I am very grateful to you for giving me another option."

He paused, his fingers holding the cigarette trembling slightly, and said in a heavy nasal voice, "But I've been in so much pain since Tiannan 'passed away'."

“It’s been three years. I thought I could get over the trauma of his accidental death in a car accident, but I found that I can’t get over it at all.”

Zang Guoming's eyes were a deathly gray, even the last trace of his smile had vanished: "If there is no Tiannan in the other world you mentioned, then what is the point of me going there?"

Lin Lang's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Looking at Zang Guoming's lifeless appearance, he couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Brother Ming, you are suffering from depression. This disease is curable. After you are cured, you won't be so negative."

"It can't be cured." Zang Guoming twitched the corner of his mouth, gave a self-deprecating laugh, took another deep drag on his cigarette, and his fingers holding the cigarette trembled even more violently. "The doctor who treated my depression is the most authoritative in Hong Kong."

"I don't want to take handfuls of pills anymore, I want to be free."

These words were like a needle, piercing Lin Lang's heart and causing him to clench his fist.

He didn't say anything more. With a thought, he took out the platinum photo box chain from his personal space, held it in his palm, and said to Zang Guoming in a deep voice, "Brother Ming, look what this is?"

Zang Guoming's gaze fell on the necklace in Lin Lang's palm, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He almost staggered forward, his outstretched hand trembling uncontrollably. When his fingertips touched the cold platinum chain, even his breathing became shallow.

With a soft click, he opened the heart-shaped photo box with trembling hands.

The photo embedded in the picture immediately caught my eye. In the photo, Zang Guoming smiled brightly and charmingly, his eyes brimming with confidence and spirit.

That was a gift he gave to Chu Tiannan; he personally chose the photo box and placed the photos inside.

Zang Guoming looked up abruptly, his eyes swirling with shock, astonishment, and a glimmer of disbelief. His voice trembled uncontrollably: "A Lang... this is the necklace I gave to Tiannan. How did it end up with you?"

"Brother Ming, to be honest, I have the superpower to travel through time."

"I have just traveled back to before Brother Nan died in an accidental car accident, successfully saved him, and brought him to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty."

"boom!"

Lin Lang's words struck Zang Guoming's mind like a thunderbolt.

He shuddered, his expression changed instantly, and his eyes, which had been lifeless for three years, suddenly lit up, like withered trees coming back to life, like the dawn breaking after a long night.

Zang Guoming staggered forward, grabbed Lin Lang's arm, his knuckles turning white from the force, his voice trembling with tears and an urgent plea for confirmation.

"Ah Lang... are you telling the truth? Or... are you just lying to me so I can live?"

Lin Lang patted Zang Guoming's hand, his tone calm and convincing: "Of course it's true."

“Ming-ge, the reason I’m here is to travel back to before you jumped off the building to save you, take you back to the Tang Dynasty, and reunite you with Nan-ge.”

Zang Guoming stared blankly at Lin Lang, his lips trembling violently, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He looked down at the photo box in his palm. His smile in the photo was blinding, and Chu Tiannan's face seemed to be right in front of him.

The pain, despair, and longing of the past three years surged up at this moment, but a voice in his heart was screaming wildly—could this be a dream?

A dying dream?

Zang Guoming bit his lower lip hard until he tasted a trace of blood, barely managing to suppress the turmoil in his heart. His eyes were filled with a complex mix of belief and doubt as he looked at Lin Lang.

He gripped the photo box chain tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force, his eyes churning with struggle, yet also revealing a resolute determination to gamble everything.

"Ah Lang, if what you're saying is true, then I'm willing to go with you!"

"I'm willing to give up everything I have now and travel back to the Tang Dynasty with you to reunite with Tiannan!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Lang's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Ming-ge, before I take you back to the Tang Dynasty, I hope to cure your depression first, so that you can see Nan-ge in the best possible condition."

No sooner had he said that than Zang Guoming suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with self-mockery and helplessness. His eyes, which had just lit up, seemed to have been doused with cold water and instantly dimmed again.

He shook his head, the cigarette between his fingers burning out a long trail of ash, which he flicked away and fell to the ground.

"Ah Lang, I knew you were lying to me."

"You're just lying to me out of kindness, trying to make me temporarily give up my suicidal thoughts and get me to go get treatment for depression."

Zang Guoming paused, his voice low and hoarse, filled with deep exhaustion.

"The doctor said I have Clinical Depression, which is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, leading to physiological depression and a tendency to have suicidal thoughts. It is not easy to cure."

Lin Lang felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at the despair in Zang Guoming's eyes. He took a step forward, his tone firm and unwavering: "Brother Ming, I not only have the ability to travel through time, I also have the superpower of healing hands!"

“I can cure your depression with ease. If you trust me, let me give it a try!”

Zang Guoming paused for a moment, then forced a bitter smile, a smile that carried a sense of despair. He stubbed out his cigarette on the balcony railing, his voice light and airy, as if he had given up all hope.

"Okay, then I'll have to trouble you, Ah Lang."

"If you could really cure my depression, I would be more than happy to do so."

Lin Lang didn't waste any more words. He stepped forward, raised his right hand, and placed his palm on Zang Guoming's forehead.

A warm golden light instantly emanated from his palm, the soft halo seeming to have a life of its own, slowly enveloping Zang Guoming's entire body.

Zang Guoming's pupils shrank drastically as he stared in disbelief at the faint, soft light emanating from Lin Lang's palm. He froze on the spot, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

The healing light, gentle and warm like jade, carried an indescribable warmth, seeping into Zang Guoming's skin, flowing through his bloodstream into the depths of his mind, and traversing the brain tissue riddled with holes by the shadows of depression.

The coolness spread through his nerves, making him feel so comfortable that he couldn't help but sigh.

The pain, repression, and despair that had lingered in his heart for three years seemed to be gently peeled away and washed away by an invisible hand, gradually dissipating into the air.

His previously dull and confused mind was instantly cleared up as if it had been washed by a clear spring, and the sluggish feeling that had been building up for a long time was swept away.

Zang Guoming subconsciously took a deep breath. The salty, damp night air of Hong Kong Island filled his lungs, carrying a slightly sweet taste—a fresh scent he hadn't experienced in three years.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the neon lights of the building across the street. Those lights, which had once appeared blurry and dim to him, now seemed clear and bright, shimmering with vivid colors.

Zang Guoming's originally empty and lifeless gaze gradually regained its luster, becoming clear and bright, like a pearl covered in dust being wiped clean and shining with brilliant light again.

His chest no longer felt stuffy and oppressive; his breathing became smooth and light, each breath carrying the joy of rebirth.

Those suicidal thoughts that haunted him and made him wish he could be free immediately vanished completely, as if they had never existed.

He stared blankly at his hands, feeling the vitality surging through his body. His eyes involuntarily reddened, but a genuine, relaxed smile slowly crept onto his lips.

This is roughly what it feels like to be reborn.

Lin Lang slowly withdrew his hand, and the gentle healing light in his palm receded like the tide, completely dissipating in the evening breeze.

He looked at Zang Guoming, who was standing there stunned, and a gratified smile appeared on his lips. His tone was both carefree and domineering.

"Ming-ge, welcome back to your gentle, bright, and spirited self."