Let Her Go, Let Me Live

The Campbell family, the wealthiest in the capital, sent people to find Alice Campbell. I was with her, catching chickens on our farm.

They said Alice was the Campbell family's missing heir, presumed gone for five years, inheriting billions.

This money is the Campbell family's compensation for your five years. We hope you'll accept it.

I knew this money was hush money, severing any connection between Alice and me.

Alice's eyes were bloodshot. She clutched my sleeve, looking wronged and sad. "I'll go back, but only if he comes with me!"

Watching everyone exchange awkward glances, I wiped chicken manure from my hands and, in front of Alice, accepted the black card.

"Alice, you go back alone."

"I'm used to living in the South. The North is dry and cold; I don't like it."

Alice, its not that I haven't gone back with you before.

Its just that I died too tragically in my last life. This time, Ive learned my lesson.

1.

The December wind was damp and cold.

Alice tightly gripped my sleeve, her eyes glistening. "Lucas, are you abandoning me?"

The same words, the same look as in my previous life.

But this time, I wouldn't soften.

Through her, I looked at the dark mass of people standing on the ridge, then slowly, one by one, pried Alice's fingers from my hand.

"Alice, you don't belong here."

"Have you forgotten? You're just a stray cat or dog I picked up on the roadside."

Alice's glistening eyes immediately turned crimson at my words.

These were the words Alice hated most.

When I first found Alice, she couldn't even speak clearly. When asked her name or where she lived, she knew nothing, only shook her head.

Helpless, I had no choice but to keep her with me.

Some mischievous children in the village nicknamed her "Fido," saying she was a dog following me everywhere.

Alice hated those words, but couldn't stop others' mouths.

"Alice, it's okay."

"Their mouths are their own. As long as we know it's not true, that's what matters."

My deceased grandfather taught me that.

Later, I taught it to Alice.

But now, I was saying those very words to Alice myself.

"Lucas, are our five years of shared life only worth this amount of money?"

Alice's voice trembled as she spoke.

In my previous life, I also felt our five years together shouldn't be severed by mere money.

So even knowing that returning to Capital City with her would mean facing scrutiny and criticism from the Campbell family, I still wanted to stand by her side and face it together.

"Alice, without money, people die. But without sentiment, people live more easily."

"You should know how important money is, having been with me for these five years. This money can ensure my grandmother and I live comfortably for the rest of our lives."

I didn't want to get further entangled with Alice. I called out to the people behind her:

"What are you still waiting for?"

"Are you expecting your Miss Campbell to climb into the car herself?"

My utterly indifferent words landed, and Alice completely lost it.

She snatched the card from my hand, forcefully snapped it in half, and threw it into a nearby muddy puddle.

Alice desperately clung to me, holding on tightly. "Lucas, I don't want to go!"

"I just want to be with you! I promised Grandma I would take good care of you. You even said we'd have a son and a daughter, that we'd work hard together to buy a house and move to the city!"

"Now I can give you the best life, why have you suddenly changed?"

Five years had etched Alice's dependence on me into her bones.

She felt she couldn't leave me, that she absolutely needed me.

That was only because, for now, she didn't remember her fiance in Capital City.

And that fiance had waited for her painstakingly for five years.

If she had known all of this back then, she wouldn't have chosen to take me with her.

"Alice, stop acting like a child."

"Are you really taking a children's game seriously?"

Those arms wrapped around me loosened.

"Lucas, you're so heartless."

The tearful accusation made it sound as if I were a cruel, unfaithful lover deserving of a thousand cuts.

But Alice, you don't know.

In my previous life, I also believed we could have a lifetime of happiness.

But it wasn't until you remembered the person you loved that I realized how foolish I had been.

The moment my grandmother and I died in that foreign land, I wished for another chance.

I would never go back to Capital City with you again.

The news that Alice was the daughter of the capital's wealthiest family quickly spread throughout our impoverished little mountain village.

Everyone, wearing ingratiating smiles, gathered in our yard to watch the spectacle.

"Lucas, you've really hit the jackpot. Don't forget us folks once you're rich and famous!"

"That's right, I heard the Campbell family only has one daughter. So you'll be the heir to a fortune, won't you?"

"I always said this Alice looks different from the children in our poor backwater. See, she's a rich family princess!"

The yard was bustling with their chatter.

I glanced over, then walked to the water pump, washed my hands, and splashed water on my face.

"Everyone, disperse."

"Alice is gone."

I knew the people gathered at the door simply wanted some benefits from Alice.

After all, a little dust falling from the capital's wealthiest family was enough for an ordinary family's year-long sustenance.

Everyone was surprised I hadn't gone with her, and murmurs of discussion rose and fell.

Too lazy to bother, I closed the door.

"Lucas..."

Grandma's weak voice came from the bedroom. I quickly went in.

Seeing Grandma, who in my previous life had frozen to death at the Campbell family's gate because of me, tears welled up in my eyes.

"Good child, why are you crying?"

"Is it because Alice didn't want to take you, and you're sad?"

I shook my head.

"Then tell Grandma what's wrong. Grandma will stand up for you."

I shook my head again, helping Grandma sit down. "Grandma, I chose not to go with her."

"I want to stay by your side forever."

Grandma lovingly ruffled my hair, holding me and gently stroking my back. "Silly child..."

The lullaby she hummed was like a sleep-inducing melody, drawing me into a dream.

But in that dream was my previous life, a past I could never forget.

The first day I followed Alice back to Capital City, I stood at the opulent Campbell Manor, carrying the dried fish, dried meat, and free-range chickens Grandma had specially prepared for me.

At that moment, I realized what it meant to be out of place.

I clutched Alice tightly beside me, as if she were my only lifeline.

Alice gently squeezed my hand, smiling. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Those were words I often said to her.

When I first found Alice, she was injured everywhere, especially her right knee, which was severely hurt.

She always walked with a limp, often mocked and bullied.

Back then, I stood in front of her, defending her, telling her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Grandma and I worked desperately to earn money for her treatment, buying her the best and most expensive rehabilitation equipment.

She always said with red eyes that she would repay us someday, promising to earn money and support us once she recovered.

Later, she did.

But she also broke her promise.

"You're Lucas?"

The question came from Alice's mother, Eleanor.

Fifty years old, yet showing no traces of time.

Completely different from the fifty-year-old women in our village.

I timidly nodded, the expensive carpet beneath my feet feeling like pins pricking my soles.

"These are specialties my grandmother asked me to bring. Here, for you..."

I crouched down, taking out the items one by one as Grandma had instructed. Alice bent down, handing them over to Eleanor piece by piece.

But when I looked up, I saw the almost identical expressions of disgust on their faces.

They covered their mouths, frowning, as if what was before them was something filthy.

My heart instantly turned cold.

Seeing their reaction, Alice roared, "Is no one going to take these?!"

No one dared to defy this young princess. At her command, several people scrambled out and carried away everything I had brought.

Alice, her face cold, helped me up, then solemnly introduced me to everyone. "This is my boyfriend, Lucas."

"He is my future husband. If you don't accept him, it means you don't accept me."

In the enormous living room, you could hear a pin drop.

No one dared to speak; the atmosphere was terribly eerie.

Until a soft sigh came from the crowd, and a path was automatically cleared.

I looked in that direction; a man in a suit silently watched Alice and me.

"Alice, you say he is your future husband."

"Then what am I?"

The first time I saw Victor, I realized a man could be so refined and handsome.

He was like a star stepped out of a movie, dazzling and brilliant.

It was then I learned that he and Alice had been childhood sweethearts, growing up together.

Their bond was so deep that even when Alice was missing for five years, Victor remained, waiting painstakingly.

"Alice, I waited for you for five years. Do you know what those five years were like for me?"

"Alice, how could you forget me?"

"And how could you fall in love with a man like this?"

Alice instinctively let go of my hand.

That was the first time I saw such a conflicted expression on Alice's face.

Alice arranged for me to stay in a villa, just across the street from Campbell Manor.

That night, Alice held me tightly as she slept, talking about her hopes for the future. "Lucas, this will be our home from now on. Don't worry, I will give you a proper answer."

"I told you, I only recognize you."

Those words were like a steady anchor, calming my uneasy heart.

Alice hadn't recovered her memory, but she still remembered how to handle company affairs.

She traveled between three points every day, and I rarely heard her mention Victor again.

Fearing I'd be bored, Alice brought my grandmother to Capital City.

Grandma and I spent every day making her favorite dishes, and she always smiled contentedly.

Every evening after dinner, we would watch the sunset from the rooftop.

We used to love watching the sunset behind the farm in our village; she said she wanted to watch sunsets with me for the rest of her life.

Those few months were the happiest time of my life.

We no longer worried about money and lived the life we had dreamed of.

But later, Alice became increasingly busy with the company, and Grandma and I often went days without seeing her.

Occasionally, she'd visit, but only for a short while before leaving.

Sunsets, too, became something I watched alone.

I often zoned out until nightfall, still unable to wait for Alice to watch the sunset with me.

It wasn't until Alice's birthday that she said she wanted to take me back to Campbell Manor. I once again stepped into that intimidatingly large house.

I wore a suit I wasn't used to, surrounded by eyes filled with malicious judgment.

I tightly gripped Alice, but this time, Alice didn't say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

She said, "I'm going upstairs to change. Wait for me here."

I wanted to follow, but she went upstairs before I could speak.

The next second, I saw Victor.

"Do you know Alice is undergoing memory recovery treatment?"

"She's about to remember me."

A piercing ringing sound erupted in my ears; my nerves snapped at that moment.

A violent impact, and I was brutally knocked to the ground.

Victor's sharp heel dug into the back of my hand, almost drilling a hole through it.

"Ah..."

The elegant music and the chatter of the crowd drowned out my cry of pain.

I lay there on the ground, watching Alice, dressed in exquisite attire, pass through the crowd.

"Alice!"

Victor smiled, waving to her, and walked to her side.

They danced song after song amidst thunderous applause, clearly the most perfectly matched couple in the world.

Like a prying thief, I numbly turned and left the Campbell residence.

Outside, Eleanor was seeing off guests.

"Alice and Victor's wedding is set for the fourth day of the New Year. Make sure you all come."

Amidst the flattery and congratulations, Eleanor said, "Campbell Manor is not a place for just any stray cat or dog."

I knew "stray cat or dog" referred to me.

Though it was only across the street, it felt like I walked for an eternity.

That day, Alice didn't return to the villa for the first time.

[Lucas, something came up at the company. I won't be coming over today.]

I knew Alice was lying.

But some things, I just wanted to hear her say to me.

Yet she didn't come for half a month straight.

When she finally did, her face was grim.

"Lucas, Victor said he came to Jade Creek Village to find me. He even met you."

"But you kept it hidden. You said you hadn't seen me. Is that true?"

That was the first time I saw Alice angry with me. The way she looked at me was like she was looking at a stranger.

I held back the tears welling in my eyes, stubbornly looking up. "I didn't."

I wouldn't admit to something I hadn't done.

"I never saw anyone come to Jade Creek Village looking for you!"

"You're still lying!"

Alice roared, playing a video on her phone, amplified.

The video showed villagers from Jade Creek Village saying they had seen Victor.

"Seen him, yes, he came from the city. I even gave him directions."

"That's right, I told him the person he was looking for was at the Lius'. I was wondering why he didn't take Miss Campbell home!"

"Lucas must have been hiding something malicious!"

One accusation after another, almost everyone was blaming me for hiding Alice.

I had no way to defend myself, only continuously clutching Alice's sleeve, saying I hadn't.

"Lucas isn't like that, Alice!"

"Five years, don't you trust him?"

Grandma, holding me, confronted Alice, pulling at Alice's hand, telling her not to be fooled by the villagers.

But those dark eyes held no trace of tenderness.

"My name isn't Alice; it's Alice Campbell."

She shook Grandma off, and even when Grandma fell to the ground, her face showed no emotion.

I suddenly realized the person in front of me wasn't my Alice anymore.

Her name was Alice Campbell, and she was Victor's Alice.

"If I had known this, I would never have brought you back to Capital City!"

Alice's resolute words were an unspoken death sentence for me.

"Alice, you remembered, didn't you?"

I recalled Victor's words, realizing the woman in front of me had recovered her memory.

She hadn't appeared for half a month straight.

Only because she remembered that the person she was meant to love, meant to marry, wasn't me.

"You really didn't have to put on such a show for me. If you had just said it, I wouldn't have clung to you."

Alice looked down at me from above, emotionless. "There was no show."

"Lucas, Victor... he waited for me for five years. I can't let him down."

I lowered my head and couldn't help but smile, tears streaming down my face. "Her five years are five years. Are my five years not five years?"

Alice's step faltered slightly, but in the end, she walked out of our home without looking back.

"This house is your compensation. The Campbell family will also cover your future living expenses."

"From now on, don't look for me again."

After that, that villa became my cage, and also my tomb.

That year was the darkest period of my life. The pain from the dream extended into reality, and I struggled awake.

Sitting up, I looked around the room and let out a long sigh of relief.

Good, it was just a dream.

This time, I didn't go with Alice.

Suddenly, there was an urgent knock at the door.

I pushed open the door, my palm sweating slightly, hidden by my side.

Standing outside the door was no one else.

It was Alice.