"No." Mingrui shook his head.
"That's good." Benson said, falling silent as if lost in thought. After a long moment, he looked at Mingrui again, forcing a smile and extending his hand. "Let's start over. I'm Benson Moretti."
"Zhou Mingrui." Mingrui replied, grasping the hand and managing a strained smile of his own.
"I'm sorry, but I can't see you as Klein anymore." Benson said, releasing his hand. "But I also can't treat you like a stranger." He looked at Mingrui, his voice heavy. "I thought about asking you to stay away, but that would hurt you too… and you don't deserve that."
Benson was a good man... how else could he have raised Melissa and Klein? He couldn't bring himself to blame the young man before him, nor could he ignore Mingrui's evident sorrow. He couldn't see Mingrui as Klein or a substitute for him, yet he couldn't dismiss the part of Mingrui that carried Klein's essence.
Closing his eyes, Benson recalled the past few months. He couldn't deny... nor could he ignore... that despite knowing this wasn't his brother, he couldn't hate the person tied to those memories.
Mingrui's feelings for them were genuine, and their feelings for him, though misplaced, weren't entirely false.
Benson opened his eyes and looked at Mingrui. "I don't know what Melissa thinks, but…" He paused, then continued, "I could maybe see you as a new friend or family member?"
Not a replacement for Klein, but a new addition to their lives.
He turned to Melissa, who had stopped sobbing at some point and now met his gaze.
"Melissa, what do you think?" Benson asked softly.
Melissa's red, tear-streaked eyes turned to Benson. After a few seconds, she shifted her gaze to Mingrui.
Mingrui let her study him, his heart tight with nervous anticipation.
"…" After a long scrutiny, Melissa lowered her eyes. "You're so much like Klein, but you're also so different. I didn't notice before, but now…"
Her lips twitched into a smile devoid of joy, filled instead with bitter pain. "Klein wasn't as clever as you, or as capable, but he tried so hard. He worked tirelessly to improve, to find a good job, to help Benson…"
"I'm sorry." Mingrui said, his voice hollow, unable to offer more.
"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault... I know it's not." Melissa said, shaking her head. She seemed lost, caught in some memory, before speaking again. "I want to hate you. You took my brother's place, even if it wasn't intentional. I should hate you."
"I'm sorry." Mingrui repeated, his heart heavy with bitterness.
"But I can't!" Melissa looked up, her amber eyes brimming with tears again. "I can't hate you. I can't hate someone who loves us. Your eyes, your expression, all those memories tied to you... they tell me you love us, just as Klein did. You're in pain, just as we are."
"You're not Klein's killer. You're just an innocent person, deeply affected by him. I can't hate you... I can't even dislike you…" Melissa's red eyes fixed on Mingrui. "If Klein were here, he wouldn't be able to hate someone like you either. He'd probably be glad... glad that someone like you was here to look after us after he was gone."
"Why? Why do you have to be so good? If you were one of those villains from stories or plays, recklessly taking over someone's life, I could hate you." Her voice broke, a mix of accusation and raw emotion. "Why do you have to suffer and grieve with us?"
Mingrui couldn't answer. He gazed into Melissa's anguished eyes, his own heart tearing apart.
"Answer me, why?" Melissa's voice rose, her sudden anger at his silence erupting as she stood and grabbed his collar.
Meeting her gaze, Mingrui could no longer hold back the emotions churning within him. "Because I see you as family too, even if I'm not Klein."
The obvious truth struck Melissa like a jolt, and she let go of his collar as if shocked.
Unable to bear the overwhelming emotions, Melissa closed her eyes and collapsed back onto the sofa, as if fainting.
"Melissa!"
Both men started, alarmed. Benson rushed to her side, ready to take her to the hospital, but she stopped him.
Melissa opened her eyes and grabbed Benson's hand. "No hospital. I'm fine."
"I should leave…" Mingrui said, relieved she was alright but struggling to speak.
"No!" Melissa shook her head. Without explaining why, she reached out with her other hand, clutching the hem of Mingrui's coat.
Mingrui froze, unsure what to do, not daring to pull away.
After a moment of silence, Melissa seemed to gather her strength. She looked at Mingrui and said, "…I can't see you as Klein."
"I know." Mingrui replied, his voice dry.
"I'm not as mature as Benson, able to treat you as a new family member." She continued, pausing. "But I can't ignore your pain or those past moments…"
"So let's leave it at that." Melissa said, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again. "From today, I'll see you as Klein's friend. You're influenced by his memories and emotions, treating us as family. In a way, you're carrying out Klein's wish to look after us."
"Is that alright?" She asked, looking at Mingrui.
"…Yes." Mingrui said, unsure of his own emotions in that moment. Under Melissa's gaze, he nodded and forced a faint smile. "Then let's start over, Melissa. I'm Zhou Mingrui, your brother's friend, here to look after you at his request."
"Hello, Mr. Zoroast. I'm Melissa Moretti." She said, managing a faint smile. "Pleased to meet you."
…
Mingrui attended Klein Moretti's funeral.
With no body to bury, Benson and Melissa chose to use clothes that once belonged to Klein for the burial.
They also informed Klein's friends, though they didn't notify Dunn and the others.
***
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