An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Yu Wen opened the computer and looked at it. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed.
As expected, the song order was all messed up. Luckily, there was still time to fix it.
There was no other way.
She pulled up a chair and sat in front of the computer. Her fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard. She had to restore the order as quickly as possible.
Downstairs, Huang Xiaozhi and Su Li stood together, their eyes fixed on the figure running out of the broadcasting room. Both of them instinctively leaned forward, squinting their eyes to get a better look.
Su Li even pointed her finger directly. “Xiaozhi, did you see that? Someone just ran out so fast. Did Yu Wen hit her?”
Huang Xiaozhi didn’t think so. Yu Wen wasn’t that kind of person. She usually didn’t resort to violence—well, at least she had never seen her do so.
She gently patted Su Li’s arm to make her put it down. “As far as I know, Yu Wen wouldn’t do that. Maybe she said something that angered that person. Did you get a good look at who it was?”
Su Li pouted and shook her head. “No. Did you?”
Could she get a good look? From that far away, and with so many people on the field, it would be a challenge to see a face.
“No.”
Su Li patted Huang Xiaozhi’s back. “Okay, okay, let’s watch the rehearsal. Who cares what it was? She probably wanted to cause trouble. We can just ask Yu Wen later.”
That was true. The two of them, in a moment of silent understanding, stopped dwelling on it. They would just ask Yu Wen later. After all, she was in there and surely knew what happened.
The host was still nervously looking at her script. The rehearsal was scheduled to begin in ten minutes.
Upstairs in the broadcasting room, Yu Wen was still fighting with the chaotic music order. It was a true test for her.
The field was bustling with noise. As long as Huang Xiaozhi and Su Li were together, they could chat non-stop, from the talented musician freshman to the freshman host in front of them, to critiquing the senior’s dance…
They could talk for a whole day, chirping like two happy little birds. The art festival was indeed a good thing.
It wasn’t until the moral education director called Huang Xiaozhi’s name that she hurried over. She stood in front of the director and said with a smile, “Hello, Director. I’m Huang Xiaozhi.”
The director didn’t even look up. He glanced at her and asked with a stern face, “Where’s your performance costume?” He was writing something in his notebook as he asked.
Huang Xiaozhi kept her polite smile. “My costume was slightly damaged at school today, so can I not wear a performance costume?”
The director, who was still writing, waved his hand, gesturing for her to go up on stage for the rehearsal.
Huang Xiaozhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They all said this moral education director was hard to talk to, but she thought he was okay. He just had an exceptionally strong presence.
The peacock dance was supposed to be performed in a gorgeous dress, but for this rehearsal, she was wearing flared jeans and a tight top that outlined her figure.
As the music began, she was instantly immersed in it. Her fingers were agile, and her body swayed gracefully. Even in casual clothes, she danced with the spirit of a peacock.
Upstairs in the broadcasting room, Yu Wen had already restored the music order. She stood by the window and looked down.
From this position, she could only see Huang Xiaozhi’s back, but she still wanted to document it. She took out her camera and snapped a picture.
She didn’t get a picture of her back, but a perfect profile. The wind blew the hair from Huang Xiaozhi’s forehead onto her face. She was wearing a focused and beautiful smile.
She got the shot.
Yu Wen was quite satisfied with her photography skills.
While admiring the photo, she noticed a gaze through the door crack. She quickly turned her head and saw Zeng Ling standing there, her eyes full of mixed emotions.
They looked at each other, and Zeng Ling turned around expressionlessly and walked away. The panic from before was gone. Now, it was more like a cold scrutiny.
Yu Wen raised her eyebrows. Was she being watched? It seemed she had to be cautious of Zeng Ling. She was probably not a pushover either.
The music downstairs also ended. Huang Xiaozhi bowed gracefully and came down from the stage. The moral education director, for once, couldn’t help but smile. The applause from the audience was enthusiastic.
Huang Xiaozhi’s mood brightened. She was more confident about tomorrow.
She could only wear the old white one. The white peacock was also beautiful, she just hadn’t worn it much.
But it was fine. It was just a performance. Maybe it would be a pleasant surprise.
Yu Wen also came downstairs to find Huang Xiaozhi. When Huang Xiaozhi saw her, she waved happily. Su Li was also next to her.
Just now, Su Li had been excitedly praising her for how beautiful her dance was, especially the moment when the wind blew across her face.
Huang Xiaozhi’s eyes immediately fell on the camera in Yu Wen’s hand. She understood and held out her hand to Yu Wen. Yu Wen understood and handed her the camera.
Huang Xiaozhi couldn’t wait to see what Yu Wen had taken. Su Li also leaned in.
The moment they saw the photo, both of their mouths dropped open slightly in surprise. Was this her? Was this her Princess Xiaozhi? The light and angle were perfectly captured!
Yu Wen looked at their identical expressions of surprise and couldn’t help but smile. “What do you think?”
Su Li and Huang Xiaozhi nodded in unison like little chicks pecking at rice. They said in unison, “It’s amazing!” They would ask her to take all their photos from now on so they wouldn’t have to worry about bad pictures.
Huang Xiaozhi looked at her, her eyes sparkling. “It’s so beautiful. Only you could take a picture this good of me.”
Being praised, Yu Wen’s lips curved. Not bad. Keep up the good work.
The rehearsal ended late, and they could go home.
Su Li held Huang Xiaozhi and Yu Wen’s arms, one on each side, and stood in the middle. “Let’s go, let’s go, school’s out! Let’s go get our backpacks and go home. I’ll definitely bring my big camera tomorrow to take some world-class photos of you!”
The two were dragged away happily by Su Li.
Youth was pushed by time. Time hid in all the stories, invisible and untouchable. There was only memory.
…
The three of them parted ways at the school gate.
Su Li stood where she was, watching Huang Xiaozhi and Yu Wen walk away side by side. Their laughter could be heard faintly, and then it gradually disappeared around the corner.
It felt like in the past, Huang Xiaozhi treated her the same way. She was good, and she was still good now.
It was just that she herself couldn’t stay here anymore. The people at school came after her again and again. Her family ran away and left her alone in this abyss, only leaving a cold ten thousand yuan.
She was also her parents’ daughter. Why did they take her brother but abandon her? The answer was obvious—they favored boys over girls, or, leaving her, this “trouble,” would solve everything?
If she had a choice, she would not have come into this world.
The only sweetness she had in this world was the warmth from her friends, but that warmth ultimately couldn’t withstand the coldness of reality.
The world’s malice toward her was too great. It was so great that she could only grope in the dark by herself.
Looking at the figures that had completely disappeared, Su Li couldn’t hold back anymore.
Her tears flowed out like a dam breaking, so fiercely that it seemed they wanted to wash away all the grievances from her past and present life.
Why couldn’t she be happy? Why was she born to suffer? Why was there such a huge difference between people?
As she cried, a terribly ugly curve appeared on her lips. The tears were still flowing, but a weird smile hung on her face.
She wiped her face hard, turned around, and walked back to that dark place.
She was the one in the sewer, a dirty mouse that could only look up and peek at the happiness of others.
The road back was bustling with traffic. The streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow.
Her face looked even paler in the light and shadow, with no color at all.
Pretending to be brave and cheerful at school was very effective. Most people who knew her believed it. She had fooled everyone but herself.
Seeing the dark and narrow alley that was the only way home, a strong sense of nausea rose in her throat.
Why was her home here? There was no why. Her fate was already written, and she had no other choice.
The familiar old van was parked in the alley. It was like an ominous symbol.
Why were they here again? She sniffled and looked around blankly. Everything seemed cold and unfamiliar.
One floor after another, the climbing was exhausting. Every step felt like lead.
The door was ajar.
As expected, they were here again. When would this all end?
Su Li pushed the door open and went in. Two men were sitting on the sofa like two grim reapers.
One was wearing glasses and looked refined; the other was burly and had a rough face.
Su Li looked at them and stopped at the door.
“Uncle Zhuang,” she said in a low voice to the one with glasses.
“Uncle Xie,” her voice was a little tight.
Neither of the men responded.
The man with the rough face stood up with a “thud” and pointed at Su Li, shouting, “Pay up! If you don’t pay up, don’t even think about living in this broken house!”
Su Li forced a smile that was uglier than crying. “Uncle Xie, I’ll pay you. I’ll go get it. I’ll figure out a way to get the rest…”
“Bullshit!” The man slapped the table violently, his spittle flying everywhere. “You f***ing b1tch, are you negotiating with me? You’re as disgusting as your mother!” Then he turned to the man with glasses and said, “I’ll wait for you downstairs. Come down with the money.” Then he roughly shoved Su Li and left, muttering curses.
Su Li staggered from the push. She stood there as if nailed to the spot, her head lowered, biting her lower lip hard. She couldn’t seem to escape.
She looked up, forcing herself to face the silent man with glasses on the sofa again. She forced a smile. “Uncle Zhuang, I’ll go get the money for you.”
The man with glasses nodded expressionlessly. Su Li went back to her room, took out the only thirty thousand yuan she had left—even her last bit of food money was in there—and handed it to the man with glasses.
The man with glasses put it in his bag without counting.
He was about to leave when Su Li gathered her last bit of courage and stopped him.
She held out a white envelope with a trembling hand, her head lowered, not daring to look at him. “Uncle Zhuang… please keep this letter for me. If you… ever have a chance to meet a very beautiful girl named Huang Xiaozhi, her name is written with the character for ‘yellow’ in Huang, the character for ‘bamboo’ in Xiao, and the character for ‘branch’ in Zhi… please… give this letter to her. I’m begging you.”
The letter hung in the air, all alone. The man with glasses looked at the desperate girl. A hint of a subtle emotion seemed to flash in his eyes. He took the letter, his voice very soft. “Okay.” He turned and left.
The door closed with a loud “bang.” The loud sound echoed in the empty room.
She looked at everything in the room. The furniture was all there, but it was filled with a deadly silence, like a place where no one lived.
Everything in the house was cold and stiff, as if they were all dead, too.
Su Li exhaled a long breath. She turned off the living room light.
She went back to her room, sat on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, and buried her face in her arms, recalling the few happy memories she had. She remembered all of them because there were so few, so they were exceptionally clear. She thought that the luckiest thing in her life was probably meeting Huang Xiaozhi.
Her nickname was Lili. Who knew? Who remembered? Maybe her parents had already started a new life. Would they ever think of her? Of her, their daughter…
Probably not.
She would be forgotten, forgotten by everyone, until she truly disappeared from this world.
Su Li often wondered, where would a person’s consciousness go after they died? What would it be like?
She truly, truly wanted to get rid of all this. The tears flowed silently and alone. Perhaps, a long, long time ago, the little girl named Su Lili had already died.
The person she was now was just an empty shell, a walking corpse.
…
The night was as dark as ink. Su Li walked step by step toward the rooftop. Her footsteps sounded particularly hollow in the silent stairwell.
She walked very slowly, as if this long staircase was the last life she would walk through.
The expression on her face was one of complete numbness and emptiness. Her eyes had lost all their light.
The place where her heart was was a dead silence. Her world had completely stopped.
Standing at the very top, she looked down at the city, City A, that was illuminated by lights but still felt so unfamiliar. It was the place where she grew up, and it was the place that ultimately left her with the most unbearable memories.
The cold wind howled, blowing across her cheeks and through her hair. Her expression was numb, her eyes empty. Her soul seemed to have been pulled away.
She was reminiscing, recalling the only good things she had. She had to remember them, remember them in her last moments.
“Lili, your dad and I love you the most. You’re the crystallization of your father and me. You’re a gift from God.”
“Lili, if anything happens, tell Daddy. Daddy will take care of it for you.”
“Our Cherry is the best in the world! I’ll be one of your friends.”
“Because we’re friends.”
…
“Su Li, stay away from your brother! Do you hear me! If you dare to hurt him, you’ll get out of this house right now!”
“You f*ing b1tch, why are you so cheap? How did I give birth to something like you?”
“It’s fine, but you have to pay back the debt.”
“If you didn’t provoke people, they wouldn’t hit or scold you. If you just didn’t provoke them at school, would they hit or scold you?”
“Sister Su Li, my mommy and daddy don’t love you anymore.”
…
She took out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket that had been kneaded over and over. The handwriting was already blurry. “We’ve taken your brother and left. You can stay here. We owe you in this life, and we will pay you back. It’s Mommy’s fault. It was Mommy who brought you into this world because your birth was an accident. We just didn’t have the heart to… I’m sorry, Lili.”
The paper was cold. Who knew how old it was? It must have been a long time.
She took a deep breath.
“Bang—!”
A dull, violent thud sounded in the night.
At this moment, no one knew that deep in this dilapidated alley, a young life, with scars and despair, had chosen to end it all.
She ended her own pain.
Her body fell onto the cold ground in a twisted posture. Her limbs were deformed. A blindingly red bl00d quickly spread out beneath her. No one saw it.
She didn’t end her life. She ended her endless suffering.
Would it have been better if she hadn’t come into this world?
The child was tired. It was time to sleep.
It would be better once she fell asleep. She wouldn’t be able to see the pain once she was asleep.
Goodnight, Su Li.
…
When Huang Xiaozhi returned home that night, she saw her performance costume lying on the floor. She grabbed her hair in frustration.
Ah—so annoying! Her family didn’t have any cheap performance costumes. The one time she brought it, it got ruined.
Wei Qingwen came in with a plate of fruit. She put it on the table and sat next to Huang Xiaozhi. She also saw the terrible state of the bag. “Give me the clothes. Let me see if I can use some technology to restore it for you.”
Huang Xiaozhi nodded weakly. Strangely, she felt unwell tonight. Her heart was throbbing with a dull pain. Why? She had never had this problem before.
Wei Qingwen patted Huang Xiaozhi’s back to comfort her. “It’s nothing. It’s just a piece of clothing. Let’s be the white peacock tomorrow. Mom will go find it for you.” She got up as she spoke.
Huang Xiaozhi forced a smile. She wanted to tell someone about this strange feeling, but she knew her mom would be worried.
Wei Qingwen went to her room to look for the performance costume. Huang Xiaozhi took out her phone and opened Su Li’s chat box.
Xiaozhi: Cherry, what are you doing?
Xiaozhi: I’m telling you, my heart is throbbing with pain, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Xiaozhi: Hi? Su Li? Are you there, are you there?
Xiaozhi: ?… Where did she go?
She waited for a moment, but there was no reply. She thought Su Li must be tired and had gone to bed early. She sent one last message.
Xiaozhi: Are you asleep? Okay then, goodnight. Remember to take photos of me tomorrow.
Xiaozhi: Goodnight.
Okay, it seems she really is asleep. She then opened Yu Wen’s chat box.
Xiaozhi: Student Yu, the genius, are you there, are you there?
Wen: 1
Xiaozhi: I’m telling you, my heart is throbbing with pain. I even feel a little out of breath, and I don’t know why.
Wen: Maybe you didn’t get enough rest?
Xiaozhi: Maybe.
Wen: Then you should get some rest early tonight.
Xiaozhi: Okay, can you send me the photo you took of me? I want to keep a copy for myself.
Wen: Okay.
Wen: (Image)
The photo was sent. Huang Xiaozhi immediately saved it.
The photo was indeed beautiful. Not only did it capture her dance moves, but she could also see Su Li’s smile in the crowd in the background. The smile seemed to have a kind of carefree spirit that she longed for. She really liked this photo.
Xiaozhi: [(Thumbs up)]
Xiaozhi: [Our great photographer, Yu, is really something else. The photos you take are so special.]
Wen: [Thank you for the compliment.]
Xiaozhi: [Okay, you’ve given me the photo. I’m going to rest. I have to wake up early tomorrow. You should go to bed early, too. Remember to bring a good camera.]
Wen: [(ok)]
Wen: [Goodnight.]
Xiaozhi: [Goodnight.]
After sending the messages, she jumped up from the sofa and walked to her bedroom. Wei Qingwen was still rummaging around inside.
“Mom, have you found it yet?”
Wei Qingwen wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I found it, I found it. Let me see what other clothes you have.”
“Why are you looking at my clothes? Do you want to wear them?” Huang Xiaozhi raised an eyebrow.
Wei Qingwen’s eyes immediately lit up with anticipation. “Yes, I do. Would you let Mommy wear one?”
Huang Xiaozhi waved her hand helplessly. “Wear whatever you want. Just take whichever one you like.”
“Bang!” Wei Qingwen clapped her hands together excitedly. “This is amazing, Little One. You’re Mommy’s favorite daughter!” She even made a heart shape with her hands.
Huang Xiaozhi’s face was full of disgust. “Okay, okay, just find what you need. Stop doing that.” Her mom’s “annoying” trick was always effective.
Wei Qingwen took out the box and opened it. She carefully spread out the white performance costume—the White Peacock.
The skirt, like flowing moonlight, took up the entire bed.
Huang Xiaozhi stood with her arms crossed, looking at it carefully. “This is the first time I’ve realized this dress is so beautiful.”
Wei Qingwen said smugly, “That’s because you don’t understand beauty. I’ve always thought it was beautiful.” She always saw the unique beauty in different things.
Huang Xiaozhi walked over and touched the soft fabric. Forget it. I’ll just put it back in the box.
“Mom, shouldn’t you be getting some rest? You still have to do my makeup early tomorrow morning.” Huang Xiaozhi reminded her while kneeling on the bed.
Wei Qingwen slapped her forehead. “Oh, right! Okay, I’m going back to my room. You put the performance costume away. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Mom.” Huang Xiaozhi said as she started to fold the clothes.
The door closed with a “click.”
Huang Xiaozhi put away the clothes in her room. That strange feeling she had before came back again.
Why did the Zeng family keep bothering her? Did her family have a feud with the Zeng family? She hadn’t heard of one. Zeng Ling was Zeng Hongjiao’s daughter, and both of them wanted to mess with her…
Could there really be some kind of grudge from a past life? She had to ask her mom sometime.
The thing that made her most uneasy was Su Li. Normally, Su Li would have already messaged her by now. But today, it was like she had vanished. It was strange. Too strange.
She shook her head. She had a performance tomorrow and had to wake up early. Time to wash up and go to sleep.
After washing up, Huang Xiaozhi lay in bed, looking at the dark ceiling. The surroundings were silent.
Sleep. Goodnight.
…
On this night, some people had quietly left like autumn leaves. No one knew. They left without a sound.
She couldn’t escape anymore. She would never escape.
She was forever trapped in that dilapidated house, trapped in that dark alley.
She stepped out again and again, and she stepped back in again and again. This time, she stepped in and never came out.
Forever.
Su Lili.