If Hamish had died early, died in the warm sunshine and spring breeze of April, how he longed to hear the cicadas of summer once more, yet before he could, he was gone.
Was death painful? Hamish found it hard to explain. Entangled in illness for four or five years, death was more like a release to him.
Sometimes, death is better than life. Living with pain was unbearable, life not worth living. It was just that he couldn’t bear it in his heart, couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing the person he had loved for half his life again.
Elisa said the last thing to disappear in death is hearing, and yet it isn’t. What he felt disappearing last was the voice in his heart, a voice that didn’t truly exist.
From the unwillingness in his heart to letting go in the end.
But even in letting go, the feeling in his heart was hard to express in pain, a collapse of emotions, despair, swords piercing through the heart, heart-wrenching pain.
Memories played like a carousel in his mind, from blurry to crystal clear, then gradually fading until nothing could be seen, like a cracked mirror unable to reflect its original self, eventually leaving his mind blank, plunging into darkness…
“Hamish, wake up, we’re almost there. Are you hungry?”
Hamish subconsciously shook his head, then abruptly realized something was off. He opened his eyes, his pupils transitioning from blurry to clear as he stared around. His deceased parents were sitting beside him at that moment.
Was this the world after death?
His mother gently placed her hand on his forehead, testing his temperature. Seeing his dazed expression, she smiled and said, “You’ve been asleep all the way, feeling groggy?”
Hamish instinctively grabbed her hand. The touch felt so real, he could feel her warmth, breath, the sound of the moving car, senses of touch, sight, and hearing… gradually returning to normal.
Hamish still couldn’t believe it, his face full of disbelief. He touched his hair, still intact, and pinched his cheek lightly. It hurt, definitely not a dream.
Mrs. Burns looked at his odd movements and couldn’t help but laugh, “What’s wrong with you, child?”
Hamish stiffly called out, “Mom.” He had almost forgotten that word, his eyes shining as he looked at the woman before him.
Mrs. Burns rubbed his head, “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Hamish shook his head. He couldn’t accept the reality of his “rebirth” so quickly. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw his younger self, looking about six or seven years old.
Hanging on the car’s rearview mirror was a sheep, the Year of the Sheep, according to the year, he was seven at the time.
Seven years old, what a beautiful life. Apart from being young, he had everything, could salvage everything. His parents wouldn’t have died in an accident in the past, Finn wouldn’t have been taken back by the Burns family, Louis was still Deacon at this point, and most importantly, Louis hadn’t met Elisa yet. If he had met Elisa early, treated her very well, would she fall for him?
This was like a gamble, a gamble similar to his previous life. The difference was, in his past life, he lost everything and felt empty. Now in this life, he brought a new gamble, his entire life. He could meet Elisa early, be with her. The Elisa who had never experienced love, as long as someone treated her a bit better, she would care.
His once empty heart now filled up instantly, a smile tugged at the corner of Hamish’s lips.
He thought life would continue as such, but he didn’t expect the heavens to favor him too, giving him a chance to “re-live,” to mend all losses.
“Mom, where are we going?” Hamish had no memory of this age, the scenery outside felt somewhat familiar.
“We’re going to Bankshire, dear.”
Bankshire still wasn’t fully developed thirty years ago, who could have imagined that this place would become a first-tier city in the next ten years, a key city for national development. In the future, it would frequently see entrepreneurs impacting economic development, including Elisa.
At this time, Elisa was just a four-year-old cutie, and Hamish couldn’t wait to see her.
Bankshire was a good place, with beautiful sights and delicious food, a top tourist choice. Hamish remembered how his parents often took him there for trips in his previous life, ingraining the place in his memory. So, when he left the Burns family for Chiwood, the first city he chose to head to was Bankshire.
After a stretch of road, familiar places became more and more. Finally, they arrived at a hotel and stopped.
As soon as they got out of the car, someone came to greet them. Hamish got out and followed his mother inside. At seven, he was only up to his father’s waist, lifting his head to meet his father’s slightly stern gaze.
In his memory, his father was always serious, rarely smiling.
His most profound memory of his parents was the car accident. Covered in blood, they shielded him with their bodies, a scene that was terrifying even to think about, giving him nightmares in the depths of the night.
Mr. Burns noticed that something was off with his son, but didn’t think much of it. He reached out and patted his shoulder, “Let’s go in.”
This place was one Hamish had been to in his previous life, not far from the Powell family, just a half-hour taxi ride away.
Hamish couldn’t wait, even if he had to wait until tomorrow, time felt too long.
But how could he tell his father and mother that he wanted to go out? Neither of them would trust a “child” going out on their own, yet he had to go alone to meet Elisa better.
Mr. Burns got out of the car with his two assistants, one carrying a laptop, the other a briefcase. Back in the room, Mr. Burns immediately started working on business matters, not delaying a moment.
Hamish followed, catching a glimpse of the top page showing a collaboration with none other than Powell Group.
He wanted to take another look but was dragged away by his mother, “Behave, don’t disturb your father at work.”
“If he wants to look, let him look. Just don’t mess around,” Mr. Burns didn’t mind. Hamish wasn’t like other kids, not prone to mischief. He was smart and quiet, giving him a book would occupy him for an entire day. He wasn’t worried his son would disturb him.
Mrs. Burns soon let go of her son after hearing her husband’s words. Hamish walked up to the desk, watching his father work on the files. When he saw him almost finished, he asked, “Dad, are you planning to collaborate with Powell Group?”
“I intend to take a look.”
Hamish didn’t know what was on his dad’s mind. But judging from the situation, it was impossible to visit the Powell family anytime soon, and usually, men handled these collaborations outside. Only after understanding the other party and becoming friends could there be potential family interactions.
Seeing his father fully focused on the documents and his mother gone, the idea of sneaking out came to Hamish’s mind.
Having a smartwatch on his wrist, capable of making and receiving calls, he wasn’t worried about running into trouble. Besides, he was already a mentally mature adult, such small matters couldn’t be a problem.
With some loose change on him, Hamish left through a safe exit without anyone stopping him.
He reached the hotel entrance and hailed a taxi. Many cabs ignored him upon seeing a child, but after a while, a driver stopped.
Opening the car window, the driver asked, “Where are your parents?”
“At home.”
It was the first time the driver had seen such a mature young child, jokingly he asked, “Aren’t you afraid to take a cab alone?”
“Not at all.” Hamish stared at him with his dark eyes, exuding a sense of maturity not fitting for a child. A brief glance was fine, but if the driver met his gaze too long, he would feel a chill down his spine, wanting to drive away. However, Hamish had already grabbed the rear car door handle.
Having no options left, the driver gave in and took him along. When Hamish got in, the driver asked, “Where to?”
Hamish gave the address, the Powell Residence, for at that time, the Powell family hadn’t gone bankrupt, their assets and the old house they had lived in for most of the year still intact with Old Powell around, the family wouldn’t have lost everything. It was during the period of Powell Group’s development, and in a few years, they would rise to their prime.
From the child’s attire, the driver could tell he belonged to a wealthy family, but he never expected him to reside in that affluent neighborhood. Such a wealthy young master going out alone in a taxi, wasn’t he afraid of being kidnapped for ransom? There were several kidnapping cases in recent years, so one had to be careful when kids were out on their own.
The driver intended to talk to Hamish out of goodwill, but seeing his dark expression, he swallowed his words.
As Hamish watched the streets pass by, ensuring the driver wasn’t going off track, they arrived at the destination. The driver parked the car on the side, and Hamish paid the fare before heading out.