Cai Lang stood beside the desk for a moment after Shen Mo left.He looked down at the files on the floor and slowly picked them up. When he reached under the desk,his hand stopped.There was an old document under the other files.He pulled it out and looked at the date.His face stayed calm,but his eyes changed.He opened the document and read one line. Then he read it again.His fingers tightened around the paper. He closed it and looked toward the door. The bodyguard was still outside.
Cai Lang picked up the document and walked to a small metal bin in the corner. He took out a match and lit the paper. The fire slowly moved across the page. Cai Lang watched without saying anything. Just before the paper burned away completely,he saw number written in back.His eyes narrowed.He quickly pulled the paper away from the fire,but part of the number was already gone. He held the burning edge carefully and looked at the numbers that were left. His expression became serious. He knew that number. He had seen it in one of Lu Cheng's old records. "Damn.." he said. He dropped the paper into the bin and watched the last piece turn black.Then he picked up the small corner that still had the number on it. He crushed the ashes under his shoe and put the small piece into his coat pocket.
Meanwhile,Suo Ran took Jun Wei to the shopping mall. It was a cold winter afternoon,and Jun Wei was wearing a thick brown jacket over a warm sweater,with a soft scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he walked beside Suo Ran.As soon as they entered,the warm air from inside made Jun Wei pull his scarf down from his face. He rubbed his hands together and looked around at the crowded mall. "It's warmer here." Suo Ran glanced at him. "You were the one who didn't want gloves." Jun Wei looked down at his bare hands. "I can still use my pockets."
Jun Wei smiled and slipped both hands deeper into his pockets. They walked slowly through the entrance,passing people carrying shopping bags and families moving between the stores. Jun Wei looked at a man carrying three large boxes and quietly said,"He bought a lot." Suo Ran followed his gaze. "Maybe he's moving." Jun Wei looked at the boxes again. "Inside the mall?" Suo Ran paused for a second. "Maybe he's very tired of his house." Jun Wei laughed. They continued walking. A few minutes later,Jun Wei suddenly stopped near a glass railing and looked down at the lower floor. "How many floors are there?" "Three." "We've been here before." "I know." Jun Wei looked up at him. "Then why did you ask?" Suo Ran looked at him. "You asked me." Jun Wei thought about that and nodded. "Right."
They walked through the mall for a while, stopping at a few stores along the way. At the first clothing store,Suo Ran picked up a dark sweater and held it against Jun Wei. "Try this." Jun Wei looked down at it,then at Suo Ran. "Why this one?" "Because you need one." Jun Wei frowned slightly. "I already have one." Suo Ran glanced at him. "The one with the torn sleeve?" Jun Wei immediately looked away and rubbed the edge of his scarf between his fingers. "That was a small tear." Suo Ran handed him the sweater. "Go." Jun Wei sighed but took it and went in changing room.
A few minutes later,he came out wearing it. He pulled at the sleeves,then held his hands up when the fabric covered most of his fingers. "It's too big." Suo Ran looked at him for a moment before stepping closer. "It's fine." Jun Wei lowered his hands. "The sleeves are covering my hands." Suo Ran reached over and folded one sleeve back, then did the same with the other. "There." Jun Wei moved his fingers and looked at his hands. "Now it's better." Suo Ran nodded. "Good."
Jun Wei turned toward the mirror and looked at himself from both sides. He tugged lightly at the bottom of the sweater,then glanced at Suo Ran through the reflection. "Does it look okay?" "It looks fine." Jun Wei narrowed his eyes at the word,but his mouth twitched into a small smile. He turned once more toward the mirror before going back to change. After that,they picked out a pair of jeans,a few pairs of socks,and a dark blue scarf. Jun Wei stood in front of the scarf display for a moment before taking two of them from the rack. He held one against his neck,then switched to the other and looked at Suo Ran. "Which one?" Suo Ran pointed at the darker one.
Jun Wei looked down at it,then at the other scarf still in his hand. "I like this one."Suo Ran shrugged. "Then take that one." Jun Wei looked at him with a small smile and put the darker scarf back on the rack. "I wanted to know if you would change your answer." Suo Ran gave him a look. Jun Wei quickly placed the scarf in the shopping basket and walked ahead before Suo Ran could say anything. Suo Ran picked up the basket and followed him,shaking his head as Jun Wei tried to hide his smile.
They had barely walked past the first few stores when Jun Wei suddenly slowed down. His eyes had caught something across the hall. There was huge display of toys stood outside one of the shops,with colorful boxes stacked almost as high as him. Jun Wei stopped completely. Suo Ran took two more steps before noticing he was no longer beside him. He turned around. "What happened?" Jun Wei pointed toward the display without saying anything.
Suo Ran followed his finger and looked at the toys,then looked back at him. "We came for clothes." Jun Wei lowered his hand slowly. "I was just looking." Suo Ran raised an eyebrow. "Just looking?!" Jun Wei nodded.Suo Ran held his hand and Walked towards another store.Jun Wei looked at the toys again and then quickly looked away, trying to act like he didn't care.Suo Ran watched him for a second before walking toward the store.
After finishing their shopping,they passed a photo booth near the end of the mall. Jun Wei slowed down when he noticed it,and after taking two more steps,he turned around and looked at Suo Ran. "Can we take a picture?" Suo Ran glanced at the booth,then down at the shopping bags hanging from his hands. He shifted them to one side and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Jun Wei stepped closer and lightly tugged at the sleeve of his coat. "Because I want one." He looked at the booth again,then back at Suo Ran. "Just one."
Suo Ran let out a quiet sigh,but the corner of his mouth moved slightly. He adjusted the bags in one hand. "Fine. One." Jun Wei's face brightened immediately. He caught Suo Ran's sleeve and pulled him toward the booth before he could change his mind. Inside,the space was small enough that their shoulders almost touched. Jun Wei quickly sat down and patted the seat beside him. Suo Ran placed the shopping bags near his feet,straightened his coat,and looked at the small screen. "Where do I look?" Jun Wei leaned forward and pointed at the camera. "There." Suo Ran followed his finger. "Like this?" Jun Wei nodded seriously. "Don't move."
Suo Ran looked at him. "You're the one who asked for the picture." Jun Wei sat up straight and tried to look innocent. "I know." The countdown appeared on the screen. "Three,two—" Before the camera flashed, Jun Wei puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes. The flash went off. Suo Ran slowly turned his head toward him. "What was that?" Jun Wei started laughing,covering his mouth with one hand. "You said don't move."Suo Ran stared at him for a second. "I meant you." Jun Wei tried to stop laughing,but his shoulders were still shaking. "I didn't move." "Your face did."
Jun Wei grinned as the second countdown began. This time,he leaned closer and made another silly expression just before the flash. Suo Ran shook his head and looked away, but he couldn't completely hide the small smile on his face."You're wasting the pictures." Jun Wei leaned back against the seat. "They're better like this." Suo Ran glanced at him. "Who told you that?" Jun Wei pointed at himself. "Me." Suo Ran gave him a look. "Of course." Jun Wei laughed again. The third countdown began. This time,he quickly fixed his hair,straightened his sweater,and sat properly beside Suo Ran.
Suo Ran looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Finally." Jun Wei kept his eyes on the camera. "Don't ruin it." The flash went off. Jun Wei looked at the screen and smiled. "See? A normal one." Suo Ran leaned back slightly. "Finally." The machine made a soft sound,and the photo strip slowly came out. Jun Wei immediately leaned forward and pulled it from the slot. He held it between both hands and looked through the pictures. He laughed at the first one and turned it toward Suo Ran. "Look at your face."
Suo Ran glanced at the picture. "I wasn't doing anything." "You look angry." "I wasn't." Jun Wei pointed at the picture again. "You were." Suo Ran reached for the strip,but Jun Wei quickly pulled it away and laughed. "Give it back." "No." "Jun Wei." Jun Wei held it against his chest. "It's mine." Suo Ran looked at him for a moment,then let his hand drop. "Fine." Jun Wei smiled proudly and moved to the second picture. "This one is funny." He held it between them,and Suo Ran leaned closer to look. "Keep it." "I will."
Jun Wei lowered his eyes to the last picture. His smile slowly faded. He tilted the strip toward the light and looked again. In the reflection of the glass behind them,there was a person standing farther down the corridor. Jun Wei's fingers tightened around the photo strip. "Ge-ge."Suo Ran noticed the change in his voice and leaned closer. "What?" Jun Wei touched the picture with one finger. "Someone is there." Suo Ran looked down at the photograph. His eyes moved to the small figure in the reflection. He immediately turned toward the glass behind them.
The corridor was crowded,but the person was gone. Suo Ran looked back at the photograph and took it gently from Jun Wei's hand. He studied it for a moment before giving it back. "Probably someone walking past." Jun Wei looked from the picture to the corridor. "But they were behind us." Suo Ran kept his voice calm. "People walk around." Jun Wei didn't look convinced. He held the photo closer and frowned slightly. "I think they were looking this way."
Suo Ran glanced at him,then lightly tapped the edge of the photo with his finger. "Maybe they were looking for someone." Jun Wei looked at him. "Who?" Suo Ran gave a small shrug. "I don't know."Then they stepped out of the booth and Suo ran stood in the corridor and looked in both directions. People passed by carrying bags. A child ran past a store entrance. Someone was talking on the phone near the escalator. Nothing looked unusual.
Suo Ran's eyes moved slowly across the crowd before he looked back toward the booth. Nobody was there. He returned to Jun Wei and gently tapped the top of his head. "Come on." Jun Wei looked up. "Where?" "Let's get something warm to drink." His mood changed immediately. "Hot chocolate?" Suo Ran sighed. "You already asked for that." Jun Wei slipped the photo strip carefully into his pocket and smiled. "So that's a yes?" Suo Ran picked up the shopping bags. "Let's go." Jun Wei happily caught his hand,and they walked away from the photo booth. Suo Ran glanced back once before following him. The corridor was still crowded. There was still no sign of the person in the photograph.
At almost the same time,Cai Lang entered the mall.He wore a long black coat over a dark shirt,and a thin silver chain showed near his collar. His hair was slightly messy from the wind outside,with a few strands falling over his forehead.He didn't stop to fix them.He walked quickly through the entrance and checked the time as he walked and then looked at his phone again.His phone suddenly vibrated. Cai Lang glanced at the screen. "He's here." His steps slowed for only a second.He read the message again,then put his phone back into his pocket.He looked toward the other side of the mall and started walking faster.
People moved in front of him,but he quickly went around them without stopping. Someone almost bumped into him,and Cai Lang stepped aside at the last moment before continuing.He passed a glass storefront and caught his reflection for a second.Without stopping,he quickly pushed the loose hair away from his eyes and adjusted his coat. Then he kept walking,his eyes fixed on the corridor ahead.
At the same time,Suo Ran and Jun Wei were coming from the other side. Jun Wei was talking about something,and Suo Ran was listening while carrying the shopping bags. They were getting closer to the same corner. "Ge-ge,do you think the last picture looks funny?" Jun Wei asked,looking up at him. Suo Ran glanced down. "You mean the one where you crossed your eyes?" Jun Wei laughed. "Yes." "It looks funny." Jun Wei smiled proudly. "I told you." Suo Ran shook his head. "You were the only one who liked it." "You liked it too." "I didn't say that." Jun Wei walked a little closer and looked at him. "But you smiled." Suo Ran looked ahead. "I didn't." Jun Wei grinned. "You did." They kept walking,their voices getting closer to the corner at the same time Cai Lang was approaching from the other side.
Cai Lang reached the end of his corridor and slowed when he saw people gathering ahead.He moved past them and looked toward the open space beyond.For a second, he saw a familiar dark coat in the distance.He stopped so suddenly that someone behind him nearly bumped into his shoulder.His fingers slowly tightened around his phone. "Suo Ran..." Someone walked between them,and the figure disappeared.
Cai Lang blinked and quickly stepped forward.His eyes moved through the crowd,searching for the dark coat. He caught sight of it again and followed without thinking. He moved too quickly and almost walked straight into the person. The stranger stepped back in surprise. "Hey!" Cai Lang stopped at once. He looked at the man's face and froze. It wasn't Suo Ran.Then he stepped back. "Sorry." The stranger looked at him strangely,then glanced behind him as if trying to understand what had happened. "It's fine." he muttered before walking away.
Cai Lang didn't move. His eyes followed the stranger for a moment,then quickly turned back to the crowd.He looked toward the shops,the stairs,and the corridor behind him.Suo Ran wasn't there.His fingers tightened around his phone. He took a slow breath and looked once more in the direction where he had seen the familiar figure. Why did I stop like that? ...He turned his face away and took a few steps forward,but stopped again. His eyes went back to the crowd. For one second,I thought I could see you again. He swallowed and looked down, his grip on the phone loosening at last. After all this time...why did it still feel the same? He stood there for another moment before finally forcing himself to walk away.
Later that afternoon,Lian Ziho returned to his old university. He stood outside the main gate for a moment,looking at the familiar buildings beyond it. The place had changed a little,but not enough to feel strange. The old trees were still along the path,the same stone steps led toward the main building, and students still moved across the courtyard with books in their hands. Lian Ziho put one hand into his coat pocket and slowly walked inside.He walked past the library and stopped near a large tree beside the old courtyard. His eyes rested on the bench underneath it and he smiled."You two used to sit here all the time." he murmured.
The memory came back before he could stop it. Lu Cheng stood near the university map,one hand resting against the stone railing as he studied the buildings ahead. He looked at the map once,then at the buildings,then back at the map. Cai Lang noticed and stopped beside him. "Still not sure?" Lu Cheng folded the map halfway and gave him a look. "I know where we're going." Cai Lang's mouth lifted slightly. "You said that ten minutes ago." Lu Cheng looked at him for a moment before looking away again.
Lian Ziho,standing a few steps behind them, quietly laughed.Lu Cheng heard it and turned. "Don't."Lian Ziho raised his hands slightly,still smiling. "I didn't say anything." "You didn't have to." Cai Lang looked down for a moment,trying not to smile. Lu Cheng caught it anyway and shook his head. "You two haven't changed." He folded the map properly and slipped it into his coat pocket. As he started walking,Cai Lang fell into step beside him. Lian Ziho followed a moment later,his hands in his pockets. "You know,"Lu Cheng said after a few steps,"you could have corrected me earlier."
Lian Ziho glanced at him. "You looked so sure." Lu Cheng gave him a sideways look, but there was a smile at the corner of his mouth. Cai Lang quietly laughed. "That's exactly why he didn't say anything." Lu Cheng nudged his shoulder lightly as they walked past the old courtyard. "You enjoy this too much." Cai Lang looked at him. "A little." Lu Cheng shook his head and kept walking. Lian Ziho watched the two of them for a moment before catching up. At the steps,Lian Ziho slowed when he noticed Cai Lang had stopped. Cai Lang was looking back toward the courtyard. "Coming?" Lian Ziho asked. Cai Lang glanced at him and nodded. "Yeah."
Lu Cheng was already a few steps ahead. He turned around and raised his hand impatiently. "Are you two coming or not?" Lian Ziho smiled and started up the steps. Cai Lang followed beside him. For a moment,the three of them moved together again in the same easy rhythm they had once known without thinking about it. The memory slowly faded. Lian Ziho stood alone on the same path years later. His eyes remained on the empty steps for a moment before the faint smile on his face disappeared.
Lian Ziho slowly turned away from the steps and continued toward the canteen. The path looked smaller than he remembered. He passed a row of benches and slowed when he saw one near the canteen entrance.For a moment,he could almost hear Lu Cheng's voice again. "You took mine." Cai Lang's voice followed. "You left it there." "I was coming back." "You said that yesterday too." Lian Ziho had laughed then,watching Lu Cheng take the cup from Cai Lang and sit down beside him. It had been such a small moment that none of them had thought they would remember it.The memory disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Lian Ziho stopped beside the bench and looked at the empty space where they had once sat. His fingers tightened slightly around the strap of his bag before he let it go. He continued toward the canteen,but another memory came quietly.
The three of them had been standing outside the canteen late one evening. Lu Cheng looked tired,and Cai Lang stood with his arms folded,watching him. "You should have told us earlier." Lu Cheng looked away. "There was nothing to tell." "Then why did you disappear for two days?" Cai Lang's voice was quiet,but there was frustration underneath it. Lu Cheng didn't answer. Lian Ziho looked between them. "Can we not do this here?" Lu Cheng finally looked at Cai Lang. "You don't have to keep checking on me."
Cai Lang's expression tightened. "I'm not checking on you." "Then what are you doing?" Cai Lang remained silent. Lu Cheng looked at him for a few seconds before lowering his eyes. He picked up his bag from the bench and swung it over his shoulder. "Forget it." He walked past them without another word. Lian Ziho turned to follow him,but Cai Lang caught his arm lightly. "Let him go." Lian Ziho looked at Cai Lang's hand,then at his face. Cai Lang released him. Neither of them moved for several seconds. The canteen lights flickered above them,and somewhere inside,the last few students were gathering their things. Then the scene slipped away.
Another moment came with it.Lu Cheng stood near the same steps,his voice lower. "You don't get to decide what I do." Cai Lang looked at him. "I'm not trying to." "Then stop acting like you are." Lian Ziho stepped between them before the argument could grow. His hand rested briefly against Lu Cheng's shoulder. "Just go home tonight." Lu Cheng looked at him,but didn't answer. He pulled his shoulder away and walked down the steps. Cai Lang stayed behind. His eyes followed Lu Cheng until he gone. Lian Ziho looked at Cai Lang,but neither of them spoke. A few seconds later,Cai Lang turned away. The memory ended there.
Lian Ziho reached the canteen entrance and stopped for a moment. The memories were still in his mind,but he pushed them away and walked toward the main gate. The afternoon was getting colder,and the campus was quieter now. A few students walked across the courtyard while others stood near the old buildings. Lian Ziho passed the notice board without looking at the posters. When he reached the gate,he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and he saw man who just just entered the university. He was wearing a dark coat,and both hands were in his pockets. His face was turned away as he looked around the campus.He stood there for a moment,looking toward the old classroom building and then toward the canteen.
Lian Ziho slowed down.The man took out his phone,looked at it,and put it away. Then he started walking toward the buildings. Lian Ziho watched him go. Just before the man disappeared behind the building,he stopped and turned his head slightly. Lian Ziho couldn't see his face.His phone suddenly vibrated.Lian Ziho looked down at the screen for a moment. When he looked up, the man was gone. He walked a few steps forward and looked around. There was no one there.
Lian Ziho frowned and looked back toward the steps. Something was lying on the ground. He bent down and picked it up. It was an old university access card. The card was dirty and scratched. He turned it over in his hand. The name on it made him stop. [Lu Cheng.] Lian Ziho stared at the card for several seconds.He slowly looked toward the building where the man had disappeared."Five years!"he said quietly. He suddenly folded the card hard in his hand, then stopped himself before tearing it. He took a slow breath,but his grip only tightened. "You really thought you could leave like that?" He looked down at the card again,his eyes cold. "And come back when you felt like it?"