The Final Leg of the Journey

* About death, revenge, and the intermingling of love and hate. They take turns in pursuing each other; the early chapters feature a small ensemble cast.

[My birdwatching novel is now out. Feel free to visit my author page!]

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If he is destined to die within six months, should you put him in the ICU, his body riddled with tubes, his trachea cut open, and keep him sedated until the line of his heartbeat stops moving? Or should you hope that in his final days, he can hold you, take your hand, and pass away peacefully, without pain?

What if he is a two-and-a-half-year-old child who quietly says to you, "Big brother, it hurts"?

"Please, Dr. Chen. He can't sleep because he's in pain every day. I went through so much just to find you."

The first time Chen Zhongxu met this bearded man, he assumed he was a new father.

But the child was his younger brother, twenty-seven years his junior.

Chen Zhongxu raised an eyebrow. A second child born to an older mother? Where were the child's parents?

The boy only had his brother to rely on now.

Chen Zhongxu had seen desperate, pleading eyes many times, but there was something in Ji Zhanwei's gaze beyond pain, and it made him swallow his refusal.

Still, he knew this child was a hot potato, nothing but cold data, and a blade hanging over his head.

And Ji Zhanwei was certainly no ordinary man.

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The pale child slept through a winter afternoon, smiling as he closed his eyes to the steady ticking of the clock.

May he be free of pain and live in joy.

"What are you going to do now?"

"What can I do? He's gone. I have to find his mother, and then his father." Ji Zhanwei's gaze suddenly turned sharp. It was a look he had never shown anyone at the hospital.

"The child was still alive, so I couldn't take revenge in front of him. But now..."

Chen Zhongxu raised an eyebrow and cut him off. "Don't do anything reckless."

"I know what I'm doing." Ji Zhanwei's gaze softened a little. He suddenly raised his hand and smoothed Chen Zhongxu's wind-tousled hair. "After all, I'm no longer a man with nothing to lose."

"Then count me in." Chen Zhongxu held his wrist, his fingertips slowly sliding between Ji Zhanwei's.

Ji Zhanwei narrowed his eyes, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "All right, if Dr. Chen is willing to help with emergency care."

"Go easy on them. I can't save anyone who's critically ill."

* Chen Zhongxu, a doctor in palliative care, x Ji Zhanwei, a seemingly ordinary big brother with hidden depths. They take turns pursuing each other.

* Their personalities and backgrounds grow increasingly complex. They're a little crazier and the story is a little longer than expected.

* They're both capable and gentle people. The story may tug at your heartstrings; it's based on references. The medical content is not professional advice.

First draft of the blurb: April 14, 2025. Revised July 16.

The random releases for 2025-2026 are complete. This is a somewhat heavy free novel.

Theme: A peaceful end to life's final journey.