Liu and Lili slipped into the narrow alley beyond the garden's back gate, hearts still hammering from the pavilion's hush. Dawn's first light painted crooked shadows on the brick walls as Lili unfolded the second note:
"Take the 6:15 bus to Nanjing Road. A friend awaits at Café Verona. Trust no one but each other."
Her fingers trembled around the paper. Liu slid an arm around her waist, grounding her without a word.
"Then let's go."
They reached the bus stop under a gray sky, the city slow to wake. When the 6:15 rattled in, they boarded, pressing side by side into the crowded aisle. The bus windows fogged with breath and rain as they sped through Shanghai's waking streets, past markets setting up stalls and newsboys shouting headlines.
At Nanjing Road, neon signs flickered, reflections pooling in the wet pavement. Café Verona stood tucked between a shuttered tailor's shop and a dusty bookstore, its green awning half-torn but familiar.
Inside, the hush felt almost sacred. A single figure stood behind the counter, back turned, pouring two cups of jasmine tea. Lili's breath caught.
The bell over the door tinkled. The figure set down the teacups and turned—revealing Liwei, her brother.
Gone was the polished arrogance of their childhood. His face was sharper now, lined with exhaustion and determination. He met her gaze with something fierce and unspoken.
He handed her a cup first.
"You made it."
Lili's fingers tightened around the porcelain.
"You helped us."
Liwei nodded once, glancing at Liu with wary acknowledgment.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
Liu met his stare without flinching.
"I do."
Liwei pulled a folded map from his jacket, tracing a route with a blunt finger.
"We have one window. An old river ferry—quiet, no questions asked. We reach the docks by foot. No cars. Too visible."
Lili leaned closer, studying the marked alleys and hidden turns.
"How much time do we have?"
"An hour. After that, the morning patrols start sweeping."
No further words were needed. They moved.
They slipped from the café into the drizzle, cutting through side streets where laundry flapped like ghost flags between crumbling balconies. The city's heartbeat quickened: shutters rising, vendors shouting, rickshaws rattling across slick stone.
Lili clutched her shawl tighter around her shoulders, every sense sharpened by adrenaline. Liu stayed at her side, one step behind, scanning windows, corners, doorways.
At the old jade market, they slowed. Something was wrong.
A man leaned against a rusted lamppost, his cigarette glowing like an ember. Another figure lingered near a newsstand, pretending to read. Lili caught Liu's sleeve.
"They're watching."
Liwei cursed under his breath.
"We split."
"No," Liu said sharply. "We stay together."
"If they catch all of us, it's over."
Liwei pressed a scrap of paper into Lili's palm.
"Docks. West entrance. Go."
Before Lili could protest, her brother melted into the crowd, drawing one of the watchers with him like a decoy flame.
Lili gritted her teeth. She wanted to scream, to run after him. But Liu grabbed her hand, his voice urgent.
"Trust him. Trust me."
Heart splintering, she nodded once.
They ducked into a wet alley, boots splashing in puddles, weaving through butcher stalls and vegetable carts. Behind them, footsteps slapped the stone—closer, faster.
Lili's lungs burned as they reached the dock's edge, the Yangtze gray and swollen under the stormy sky. A battered ferry waited by the wharf, engine coughing to life. The captain, face hidden beneath a straw hat, beckoned sharply.
"Go!" Liu urged.
They sprinted down the splintered planks, hand in hand.
Just as they reached the gangway, a shout rang out—angry, sharp, commanding. Lili dared a glance back and saw two men breaking into a run, one pointing directly at them.
Without thinking, Liu shoved her ahead.
"Don't stop!"
Lili stumbled onto the deck. The ferry's horn bellowed. Ropes snapped loose.
Hands grabbed her arm—Liu's—and yanked her aboard as the vessel pulled away from the dock.
Shots cracked behind them, splinters of wood flying from the wharf's edge. But the river's current took them fast, swirling them into the mist.
Lili collapsed onto the deck, gasping, rain mingling with tears on her cheeks. Liu knelt beside her, chest heaving, his face a blur of relief and fear.
They had made it.
But ahead lay a river wide as an unknown future—and behind them, Shanghai disappeared into the mist, carrying the past they could never fully outrun.