DYH | Chapter 1

An Tianming only took two minutes to accept the reality of his own death. But it took him a full two days to finally admit the possibility that he had been murdered by Bai Wei.

When he was alive, An Tianming used to think that as long as he was breathing, he would never be able to leave Bai Wei. Turns out, the truth was—he couldn’t leave Bai Wei even after death.

For the past two days, An Tianming had been lingering by Bai Wei’s side. No one could see him—naturally, because An Tianming was dead. That day at the cliff, the moment he realized that Bai Wei had let go of his hand, his heart had already died. And then, when he fell and crashed into the sea that was as hard as cement, he had truly, completely died.

New ghosts don’t understand much about the mechanics of the afterlife. The only thing he was certain about was that he wasn’t a vengeful spirit—because he didn’t hold the slightest bit of resentment toward Bai Wei. He figured he was just a ghost who couldn’t let go, stubbornly clinging on. So, for these two days, he had simply followed Bai Wei around in silence, watching as Bai Wei, in a world without him, seemed to be shedding his past self and stepping into a brand-new life.

Clearly, Bai Wei had planned this new life well in advance. Maybe, from the very start, he had known that An Tianming would never return from Europe. So, he had long prepared a place to live. The moment he got off the plane, Bai Wei pulled his suitcase behind him and headed straight for his new home.

It was a simple two-bedroom apartment. An Tianming couldn’t tell whether Bai Wei had bought it or was just renting, but he was sure of one thing—the curtains and the sofa had definitely been changed by Bai Wei himself. Despite having once been a spoiled young master, Bai Wei still retained some eccentric sensitivities of an artist. He needed thick curtains to block out all sunlight, and he would only sit on fabric sofas with circular patterns.

An Tianming, who had once hovered over Bai Wei day and night like a foolish, neglectful king who had abandoned his throne, couldn’t help but wonder—when had Bai Wei found the time to set up this new home?

On the first day after moving in, Bai Wei unpacked and, from the hidden compartment of his suitcase, took out a picture frame. He carefully studied the layout of the room before finally placing the frame on a corner shelf in the middle of the bookcase.

An Tianming stood in front of the frame for a long time. He stared at the photo—at the young boy in it, laughing so freely, so carefree. And then, he turned his gaze toward the man standing beside the boy—the man An Tianming hated the most.

Bai Wei, meanwhile, was in an excellent mood as he gave the whole place a thorough cleaning. An Tianming could hardly believe what he was seeing—this young master, sleeves rolled up, swiftly and efficiently wiping away dust, sweeping, mopping the floor… all with practiced ease. Throughout it all, Bai Wei casually hummed a tune of his own making. Whenever he came up with a melody he particularly liked, he would pause to jot it down in a notebook.

Ever since meeting Bai Wei again, An Tianming had always thought that the Bai Wei by his side was relaxed and happy. But now, for the first time, he saw what Bai Wei looked like when he was truly at ease.

It had been so long since that memory—since the days when Bai Wei had shone so brightly that he didn’t even need sunlight to make him glow. An Tianming had once believed that time had stripped Bai Wei of that youthful radiance, that light that only the overly young and naive could possess. But now he understood—Bai Wei hadn’t lost that brilliance. He had only hidden it when he was with An Tianming.

That night, three young men whom An Tianming didn’t recognize came over, bringing beer and food to Bai Wei’s place.

Bai Wei, who had once told An Tianming he had no friends, greeted them with a familiar, easy smile. They even opened a bottle of red wine.

The blond one raised his glass and gave a toast.

“First, let’s celebrate Xiao Bai’s housewarming. Second, let’s celebrate the start of a new life. And third—let’s celebrate that bastard An Tianming is finally—”

The ever-smiling Bai Wei’s expression cooled slightly. He interrupted the blond, “Xuan Zi, let’s not talk about An Tianming anymore.”

An Tianming silently watched Bai Wei, who had immediately turned moody just from hearing his name.

What he couldn’t understand was—he was already just a ghost, a soul without a body, and yet… why could he still feel such suffocating pain?

In that room, four living people were celebrating the new life that An Tianming’s death had brought them.

And the dead ghost, time and time again, reached out—trying to touch Bai Wei, who lay tipsy on the sofa, his unfocused yet still dazzlingly bright eyes full of scattered starlight.

Again and again, An Tianming’s hands passed straight through Bai Wei’s cheek—each attempt a futile failure.

After the three friends finally left, a very drunk Bai Wei staggered into his bedroom, kicking off his slippers and letting himself fall heavily onto the bed.

An Tianming simply stood beside him, watching his sleeping face until dawn.

Not long ago, he had done the same. Back then, he suffered from insomnia every night. So, he would slip into Bai Wei’s room, crouch by his bedside, hold his hand, and whisper, “I’m sorry.”

He never expected Bai Wei to truly forgive him… but he also never imagined that Bai Wei might have hated him so much—so much that he wished for his death.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Wei. I’m sorry…” An Tianming murmured the same words he had repeated countless times before.

But this time, he could no longer hold Bai Wei’s hand.

This time, he finally understood—he would never be able to touch the person he had loved so deeply, yet hurt so cruelly, ever again.

The next day, Bai Wei’s new home had another visitor.

This visitor was clearly unexpected. The man introduced himself as an investigator from an insurance company, claiming that he was here to verify the details of An Tianming’s accident in the United Kingdom.

Bai Wei didn’t recognize this so-called “investigator.” In reality, the man was Zheng Zhong, An Tianming’s security director. With a background in the Special Forces, Zheng Zhong was meticulous in his work and possessed an exceptionally sharp sense of observation.

An Tianming immediately understood—Zheng Zhong was using a fake identity to investigate his death.

As a powerless ghost, An Tianming could only watch helplessly as Bai Wei invited the fake insurance investigator into his home.

Seemingly without a shred of doubt about Zheng Zhong’s identity, Bai Wei swiftly took the initiative as soon as they sat down.

“Mr. Zheng, who exactly filed an insurance claim with your company? It’s hard to imagine that someone as wealthy as Tianming would even bother with insurance.”

Zheng Zhong, already prepared for this, replied naturally, “Precisely because Mr. An had such considerable wealth, his insurance policy had a massive payout. That’s why we must be extra cautious in investigating this accident. Mr. Bai, I hope you can answer a few questions for me.”

“Of course, no problem. But just like I told the local police before, I don’t know much.”

“That’s fine, Mr. Bai. Just answering a few simple questions based on what you do know will be enough.”

“Well then, let’s begin.”

“First—Mr. Bai, you traveled to Europe together with Mr. An?”

“Yes.”

“Who planned the itinerary?”

“Tianming did.”

“Mr. Bai, did you notice anything unusual about Mr. An’s emotions during the trip?”

Bai Wei hesitated for a moment before looking at Zheng Zhong in surprise.

“Wait… are you suggesting that Tianming committed suicide?”

“The main issue is that Mr. An’s insurance policy does not cover suicide. The claim process would be handled very differently if that were the case, so I need to confirm.”

Bai Wei immediately shook his head with certainty.

“Tianming would never commit suicide.”

Zheng Zhong nodded, as if reassured. “That aligns with our previous findings. But on that note, I heard from your driver that between the two of you, you were the one in a lower emotional state?”

Bai Wei frowned in confusion. “And what does my emotional state have to do with Tianming’s insurance policy?”

“I was simply considering the possibility that emotions can sometimes be contagious between people. I just want to rule out suicide completely,” Zheng Zhong replied matter-of-factly.

Bai Wei let out a soft sigh. “It’s true that I wasn’t in a great mood during those days, but that was due to some personal reasons. Forgive me, but I’d rather not discuss that part. However, I can assure you—Tianming was not the kind of person who would ever consider suicide, no matter how big the setback.”

Zheng Zhong nodded in understanding before continuing, “Then, do you believe Mr. An accidentally fell off the cliff?”

“I don’t know. After all, I wasn’t there.” Bai Wei’s tone was light, almost indifferent. “But the local police seem to think so.”

An Tianming, who had been unwilling to admit it—unable to admit it—dreading to admit it, finally had no choice but to face reality.

He watched the man who, without changing his expression, was lying to Zheng Zhong.

Bai Wei said he wasn’t there. But in reality—when An Tianming had slipped on the loose gravel and was desperately trying to climb back up that cliff—it was Bai Wei, who had been right there, who had let go of the hand that was holding onto him.

Chapter 3

“You weren’t at the scene, Mr. Bai? The hotel’s surveillance footage shows that you went downstairs at that time.”

Zheng Zhong feigned curiosity, his tone casual and unassuming, revealing no trace of suspicion.

Bai Wei answered without hesitation, “I just went to sit at the bar downstairs for a while. Since you’ve seen the surveillance footage, you should also be able to see that I never left the hotel building.”

“Unfortunately, the footage from the cameras leading to the northern beach access was lost due to a data error, so we have no way of confirming whether you or Mr. An entered or exited.”

Bai Wei raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “What a coincidence.” He blurted it out as if this was unexpected, but in reality, it was clear he had known all along. That was the only reason he could be so confident in claiming he had never gone toward the beach.

An Tianming carefully sat down on the sofa beside Bai Wei.

So close—yet forever untouchable.

He remembered that day—how he had frantically searched for Bai Wei, climbing up the restricted cliffs where tourists weren’t allowed.

There, on that massive rock, he had seen Bai Wei standing at the edge, looking as though he might jump at any moment. His heart had been gripped by sheer panic.

“Don’t come any closer, Tianming.” Bai Wei had told him. “When you first told me about those things, I tried—I really tried—to forgive you. But now, I remember everything. I remember exactly how it felt to go through it all. These aren’t just stories I heard anymore. And because of that, I can’t do it—I just can’t forgive you. But I also don’t want to hate you… Maybe the only thing I can do is jump from here.”

“I told you before—I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do again.” An Tianming had taken slow, careful steps toward him. “So, if you want to jump, I won’t stop you.

“But, Xiao Wei, please… let me go with you.

“I don’t want to die—not at all. But even more than that, I don’t want to be apart from you. Please, let me stay by your side.”

Bai Wei had been momentarily stunned by his words. By the time he snapped out of it, An Tianming had already reached out and held onto his right hand.

…Back then, as he had gotten closer, An Tianming had actually noticed the safety rope tied around Bai Wei’s ankle.

At the time, he had assumed he was seeing things.

Even after his death, he had told himself he must have seen it wrong.

But now, thinking back—it all made sense.

Of course, Bai Wei had made sure he wouldn’t actually fall. He had planned it all so carefully. Everything had gone exactly as he had intended.

An Tianming had stepped on loose gravel. He had slipped. He had tumbled off the cliff. And at that moment—his hand had still been gripping Bai Wei’s.

If Bai Wei had pulled him up with just a bit of strength, he could have climbed back. But instead—Bai Wei had let go.