They watched the sunset in silence. Back in the refugee zone, they were arrested. The officer looked at Gillian and sighed:
"I know what you've been through. My family also... was lost in that disaster. Go. Don't come back."
In the end, they were only fined a small amount.
The afterglow of the sunset spilled over the shore, the water shimmering with golden light. Jianyi, carrying a bag of food, walked up to Gillian and said softly:
"Thank you."
Gillian didn't turn around, his eyes still fixed on the distance. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "The ones you should thank are those who sacrificed for us... Haoyu, Uncle Li, the foreigner... they were the real heroes."
Jianyi was silent for a moment, then placed the food beside Gillian and turned to leave. Gillian looked up at the sun slowly sinking below the horizon and murmured:
"We will survive... carrying your hopes."