Cold Dependence - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dark clouds covered the sky, and it kept crying all day.

On the way, Qi Wenxi drove calmly, her face showing no expression.

Only her tight grip on the steering wheel faintly revealed her emotions.

When she drove to the place where she always picked up flowers, she took a deep breath, easing her tense and suppressed mood.

White irises.

They were her mother’s favorite flowers when she was alive.

“You’re here. I thought you wouldn’t come today because of the rain,” the flower shop owner said, looking up at the familiar black figure as the wind chimes on the door rang, greeting her immediately.

Qi Wenxi placed her umbrella on the rack by the door, adjusted her slightly wet sleeves, and walked inside.

“It rains every year at this time. Have you ever seen me not come?” Qi Wenxi said calmly, taking the white irises from the shop owner.

“Hmm… you’re right. You’ve come every time these years,” Boss Yu said with a smile, looking at Qi Wenxi, thinking how she never missed a visit.

Miss Wenxi was always like this, with her eyes cast down, carrying a natural air of melancholy and coldness.

Because of this, the first time she came to the shop to buy flowers, Boss Yu thought this woman might have escaped from a mental hospital. It was a stormy night, and she stood soaking wet, like a ghost, at the door of the shop that had closed early.

She only asked: Hello, do you still have white irises in the shop?

Recalling that moment, Boss Yu found it both scary and funny. Back then, she was startled by Qi Wenxi. After all, on a stormy night, who wouldn’t be scared of a woman in white, drenched and standing at the door?

“The flowers are perfectly arranged for you,” Boss Yu said, handing the prepared white irises to Qi Wenxi for her to inspect.

Qi Wenxi took the elegant white irises, examining them carefully, and said sincerely, “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

Boss Yu, used to this, waved her hand dismissively, took a plastic bag from the counter, and packed the flowers to protect them from the rain.

“Really, no need to be so polite,” Boss Yu said, carefully packing the flowers, scolding Qi Wenxi lightly. Then she went to the counter to wash her hands and prepare a cup of flower tea for Wenxi. “It gets cold when it rains. I’ll make you some tea. Drink it before you go.”

“No need, Boss Yu. I want to go early. I’m in a hurry,” Qi Wenxi politely declined, wanting to visit her parents and grandfather soon.

Seeing Qi Wenxi’s determination, Boss Yu didn’t insist she stay.

As Qi Wenxi picked up her umbrella to leave, Boss Yu suddenly remembered a rumor she heard from neighbors when opening the shop, unsure if it was true.

“Wait, are you going to take Suirong Avenue later?”

“Yes, why?” Qi Wenxi nodded, a bit puzzled.

“I heard this morning that Suirong Avenue and the roads north are all blocked. They said there was an accident or something, not sure exactly, but the roads are still closed.”

Qi Wenxi thanked Boss Yu for the heads-up, opened her umbrella, carefully held the bouquet, and quickly got into her car parked by the road.

She checked the news but found nothing about Suirong Avenue being blocked. Just to be safe, she decided to take a detour.

Through the car window, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

The alternate route was noticeably busier than usual, likely because Suirong Avenue was indeed closed.

The car radio, halfway through her drive, slowly reported traffic updates, mentioning Suirong Avenue was blocked due to construction, quickly moving on to other news.

Though this detour was longer, it was fairly smooth and easier to drive.

What was usually an hour’s drive on Suirong Avenue now took about an hour and a half.

On the mountain road, it seemed her car was the only one heading forward.

On a rainy day like this, no one would come to this mountain unless necessary.

Though the Lanhai Sea, known as the “blue gem,” lay at the mountain’s base, part of the mountain housed a cemetery.

The beach was always lively with tourists, but the mountain was desolate, avoided by most.

Yet, she came without fail because today was her parents’ memorial day.

The only people who ever cared for her in this world—her parents and grandfather—had their tombstones in this mountain cemetery.

The autumn rain kept falling, pattering against the car window.

Feeling a bit tired, Qi Wenxi focused, slowing her speed.

After passing through a tunnel, as the sky gradually lightened, she saw an elderly man with a hunched figure walking slowly along the roadside. In this rain, he was alone, without any umbrella.

He walked slowly, leaning on a cane.

Her car passed by him.

Thirty seconds later, she stopped.

Looking through the rearview mirror at the lone figure in the rain, she suddenly thought of her grandfather.

So, Qi Wenxi grabbed a spare umbrella from the car, ran to the elderly man, and handed him the unopened umbrella.

The white-haired man, walking slowly, looked up in confusion at the young woman offering him the umbrella.

He smiled instinctively, then shook his head, politely refusing.

He wasn’t afraid of the rain; in fact, he found it quite pleasant.

But the girl silently pushed the umbrella into his hands and walked away decisively.

The elderly man opened the black umbrella and, before she got back into her car, thanked her with a smile.

“Thank you, kind young lady. God will surely bless you.”

His voice was strong, oddly contrasting with his frail figure.

Hearing his thanks through the rain, Qi Wenxi nodded gently and drove on.

About ten minutes later, she parked at the cemetery entrance, taking the white irises from the car.

“On a rainy day like this, only you would come to visit them. I heard Suirong Avenue is closed, so even fewer people come,” the cemetery keeper said as Qi Wenxi signed the register.

After signing, she nodded in thanks and, alone with her black umbrella, went to the cemetery.

She often stayed for an entire afternoon, standing quietly before her parents’ tombstone, clearing scattered leaves, and speaking only after a long while.

“Mom, Dad, my life is the same as always. Don’t worry about me over there. I’m trying hard to live every day. I…”

She lowered her head, her lips trembling as she stopped.

She could never say, “I miss you so much,” because those words were why her parents left her forever.

Qi Wenxi slowly crouched, gazing sadly at the photo on the tombstone, carefully wiping it.

Suddenly, a sound she’d never heard came from afar—low and grand, like a strange noise from twenty thousand meters below the sea.

She frowned slightly. When she heard the odd low hum again, she stood up instantly, looking toward the Lanhai Sea, which seemed both near and far.

The beach was empty, but the sea surface gradually swirled with vibrant colors, moving slowly in an unusual vortex.

Everything felt so eerie.

Qi Wenxi, as if drawn by the colorful seawater, stared at the strange sea for a long time.

When leaving the cemetery, she even asked the keeper if he’d seen the strange sight in the Lanhai Sea below. He looked at her like she was crazy, even comforting her not to live in the past and to move forward.

On her way down the mountain, her mind kept replaying the eerie scene, as if her soul was being summoned.

Before she realized it, she was standing alone on the cold, silent beach.

The cold rain soaked her entirely, making her shiver.

Looking at the empty sea and its colorful water, she was stunned.

She seriously wondered if her recent stress, insomnia, and heavy use of sleeping pills caused hallucinations.

If not, was this a bizarre prelude to the end of the world?

Qi Wenxi laughed at herself for the thought, slapped her face to stay alert, and decided she didn’t want to stay and admire this imagined wonder. As she turned to leave, the massive colorful vortex in the sea suddenly calmed, and the sky and water darkened instantly.

The next second, as Qi Wenxi looked up, a fifteen-meter-high monstrous wave surged from the sea’s depths.

The strange, terrifying black tide appeared like a giant curtain before her, giving her no time to think, swallowing the entire beach and pulling her into the horrifying deep-sea phenomenon.

The raging seawater devoured everything, and she sank rapidly in the black sea.

Everything was dark.

Was she going to die?

She had no strength to survive the rapid current. Her lungs filled with seawater, her mouth tasted of rust, sharp sand cut her arms, and sea vines pierced her ankles. The wounds, stung by cold seawater and spreading venom, went numb.

They say before death, your life flashes before you, with many memories.

But she saw only black seawater and the endless low hum from the deep.

That eerie sound again.

The increasingly close, deep noise made Qi Wenxi tremble. She knew her bl00d would attract something.

She didn’t want to be shark bait.

But it seemed too late…

As she prepared to accept her fate, a light appeared before her eyes.

The sharp, cold golden light, like a pair of eyes, stared at her intensely in the dark, icy seawater.

As it grew clearer in the darkness, she felt a strange hope, wanting to reach for it, but it was so far away.

If there were gods in this world,

If they truly existed,

Then

“Please… save me.”