Arnold Simmons walked ahead with a person on his back, "There are no snow-capped mountains in Sullivan District."

Hannah swung her hand gently, "Then what does Sullivan District have?"

Arnold Simmons thought for a moment, "It has Moon Bay."

"What else?"

"Common zinnias."

Each time Hannah asked, Arnold Simmons answered.

He knew everything.

Hannah asked him if he had secretly visited there.

Arnold Simmons shook his head and said, "No."

Hannah looked into his eyes, which contained the color of ink and her own reflection, but no lies.

Her Mr. Simmons never lied to her.

That’s why she liked him the most.

It was a liking ten times greater than her liking for the stars.

*

The day before leaving, Hannah visited George River in prison.

She did not hide her visit from Arnold Simmons, but she asked him to wait outside and went in by herself.

It was raining that day, the whole sky was misty.

Not many people were visiting the prison.

Separated by a glass window.

Seeing George River again, all his former aloofness and pride had disappeared. It was as if all his edges had been smoothed out, settling him down, adding gracefulness and composure to his persona.

Looking at the person sitting opposite him, George River’s heart was still full of admiration and affection.

But these feelings were no longer completely shown, suppressed deep inside.

His smile carried memories and acceptance, "Hannah, I do not regret that shot I fired, it was what I owed you."

Hannah lowered her gaze to look at the man’s scarred hands, "George, from now on you owe me nothing."

What needed to be returned had been returned.

The rest was left to time and memory.

Between them, there was mostly prolonged silence.

George River’s gaze steadily rested on Hannah’s face.

As if he wanted to etch her features forever into his mind.

Half an hour passed quickly.

As Hannah was about to leave, George River suddenly spoke again, "Hannah, I’m sorry, and... I love you."

His voice was choked with emotion.

The thing he regretted most in this life was not realizing his feelings sooner.

The most foolish thing was betraying the genuine heart of a girl.

These words, he should have said them sooner.

The story that had begun with George River ended with George River as well.

The entanglement between George River and Hannah Winter came to an end here.

...

The next morning, Hannah and Arnold Simmons boarded a plane.

For more than half a year, Hannah and Arnold Simmons traveled many corners of the world.

They saw the common zinnias of Sullivan District, witnessed the perennially ice-capped mountains at dusk, and viewed the stars filling the night sky over Jiuyuan.

The world had many more beautiful sights, too many to see in one lifetime.

But Hannah’s time was limited.

So limited that she spent each day dragging Arnold Simmons through different streets, meeting different people, and then seeing different landscapes.

She would say good morning to him, and also bid him good night.

Sweet nothings were never too much, only fearing that later they could never be said.

Arnold Simmons acted as if he hadn’t noticed anything, usually cuddling the spoiled one in his arms, carrying her on his back while walking under the night sky and beneath the lights.

Then teasing her with a word, "Spoiled."

She would hug his neck and laugh, her voice filled with joy, "Because it’s you, I can be spoiled like this."

He helplessly smiled and shook his head, then lowered his gaze to the overlapping shadows of the two on the road.

If there were a next life, he would pray to God that he could let go of all the lifetimes to come, if only he could stay with her in this one.

Regrettably, there were no gods in his world.

He was a cursed star, one who would never receive blessings.

Mid-December.

Hannah still could not manage to see the Northern Lights she had always dreamt about.

That was the first time her illness struck.

She was in so much pain that her whole body trembled.

The doctor said her remaining time was short, as the episodes of the illness would become more frequent and more painful as time went on.