Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

Mike remained silent.

"I like him, a man. I was so close to succeeding. I was so close to getting him."

"Texas..."

Texas threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out with the sole of his shoe, then switched from Lungmenese to Syracuse.

She tilted her head back and exhaled her last breath of smoke.

"An, why didn't you wait for me to come back?"

"An, are you upset that I didn't respond to you in time?"

"An, is this the life you want?"

"No one will bother you, no one will make things difficult for you, and there are no boring games."

Texas turned her head and uttered her last words in Syracuse.

"Mike, Anne, I love you. I loved you before and I will love you in the future, but I won't bother you anymore. Maybe someone like me is only suited to grow old alone. I'm sorry."

The staggering figure of the Luper fell into Mike's eyes.

37. Love at dusk

An doesn't speak Syracusan and can't understand it.

Texas knew this very well; what she had just said was meant for herself.

So this is what giving up feels like.

The Luper man looked up, but his tears did not flow backward as the story says; they stubbornly streamed down his cheeks.

She was saying goodbye to her past, and also to the person she loved most.

She no longer had the courage to stand here.

Mike watched Texas's retreating figure. The Lupo spoke at length, and images from the past surfaced one by one. So many beautiful memories from a lifetime, the phantoms of the past returned before his eyes.

The man let out a sigh.

This is the sigh of a lion that has been conquered.

"Cellina."

The man let out a low growl, and Texas, whose body was half-submerged in darkness, stopped in his tracks.

The Lupo turned his head slowly, his tear-streaked face showing an expression of disbelief, his mind blank, and he had lost the ability to think.

He, he, he, he...

He actually did it!

He was actually speaking Syracusan!

Despite the strange accent and awkward pronunciation, it was indeed Syracuse that was spoken!

"Cellina."

Mike stepped out of the repair shop's lights, his shadow elongated by the light, overlapping with Texas's shadow.

Texas's lips trembled, her eyes widened, and a possibility suddenly occurred to her.

Just now……

He thought he wouldn't understand what she just said, things that would shame even the best actor to the point of jumping into a river, but he was wrong...

For the first time, Texas felt the urge to run away, even stronger than when they said goodbye.

It’s over.

There is no longer any place for her to live in Longmen; she must move to another city.

"Cellina."

Mike called out the Luper's name for the third time, and all the pretense he had put on before was completely shed at this moment.

She is Texas, and she is also Cherenina.

He is Mike Ann, also known as Dr. Ann.

“Celinina, you have rejected me so cruelly, humiliated me in ways I could not bear, and discarded my love for you like trash, trampling it underfoot. According to the traditions of the Syracuse family, should I seek divine revenge against you?”

This is a line from the Syracuse film "Death in Texas," in which the protagonist's name has been changed from Mike to Cherlinina.

Texas had watched it many times with her colleagues at Penguin Logistics, and Exusiai even had a collector's edition DVD. Of course, she knew this well-known classic line.

But now that Mike is saying it, it sounds like an interrogation.

Omg.

Texas was almost suffocating. First, her sob stories were overheard, then she was bombarded with movie lines based on her own experiences—a combination that left her breathless.

When did he become so amazing?

Mike reached out and grabbed the Lupo woman's shoulders, pushing her against the wall. He stared intently into her panicked eyes, continuing to roar like a lion.

"Celinina, in this chilly winter, on this ever-flowing Po River, my love is as bright as the moon, eternal and unending."

These are lines from the movie "Death in Texas," spoken by the male and female leads on the eve of their farewell, as they express their love for each other.

Texas swallowed hard. From the moment she started, she had been pinned against the wall by this man, and she had even lost the courage to resist.

Now, her turn has finally come.

Why are you saying goodbye to me?

"I thought we had no tomorrow."

Why don't you know that I love you?

"I thought you loved your family more."

“I love my family, but Texas is dead. I love you, and you are right in front of me.”

When Rupert finished saying that line, his heart skipped a beat. He was so engrossed in the movie that he didn't notice the female lead kissing the male lead right after she finished her line.

But with the atmosphere already built up to this point, what reason is there to run away?

Lost and found.

The emotions suppressed deep inside burst forth.

Texas closed her eyes.

But Mike didn't make a move.

A man's nasty voice came through: "Wow, Texas, you haven't gone back. You've been hiding here drinking your sorrows away, and you reek of sweat."

Texas: ?

What are you doing?!

She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with anger, and pushed the man away with both hands in a fit of rage and shame.

It couldn't be moved.

"This is revenge, Cherenina, my revenge."

Mike grabbed Texas's chin with his right hand and kissed her directly.

Well.

Panic, disarray, loss of control, shy response, passionate, lingering, and unfinished business.

Rupert opened his eyes groggily, his legs went weak, but luckily he was leaning against the wall to avoid falling.

Mike smacked his lips: "It all smells like smoke."

Texas punched him on the spot.

"wait."

The man took a piece of chewing gum out of his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and said softly, "Want to try again?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Texas wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his.

Now that's great, cigarettes and sugar, unparalleled magic power.

After a passionate, deep kiss, both of them were covered in sweat.

Texas asked breathlessly, "How do you speak Syracuse?"

"Didn't I tell you I wanted to learn before you went back to Syracuse?"

"Hmm, but you actually learned it in such a short time?"

Mike pursed his lips: "Because I like you."

Texas was speechless, then asked, "I didn't agree to your request, so you're faking your death to leave Rhodes Island?"

“Everyone rejected me. Actually, not everyone, but I know some people must have had ulterior motives and left Rhodes Island for other reasons.”

"An, I want to hear you say it again."

“I love you, Cellina, so this is my revenge against you.”

"Just the first sentence."

"I like you."

"Add the name."

“I like you, Cellina.”

The man and woman pressed their foreheads together, their eyes fixed on each other, a gleam in their eyes.

She said, "I like you too, An, I..."

"Oh no, I don't like you anymore."

Texas was stunned.

Mike said in a serious tone, "Now we're even... Ouch."

He took a Texas headbutt.