When I walked out carrying the fruit platter Gu Yu’s mother had prepared, I happened to see Gu Yu and Chen Qiao Luo leaving one after the other. I put down the fruit and called out, “Where are you two going?”
Gu Yu turned back and smiled at me. “I have something to discuss with Chen Qiao Luo. Don’t follow us.”
I was stunned for a moment, and before I could react, the door had already closed behind them.
I knew there was a knot in Gu Yu’s heart, and only Chen Qiao Luo could untangle it. Naively, I thought that perhaps, after this conversation, their relationship would change for the better.
But my hope was shattered not long after. While Gu Yu’s mother and I were sitting on the sofa eating fruit, chatting, and watching TV, an urgent knock came at the door.
I opened it, and someone pushed past me, rushing into the living room. “Wu Shumei, something terrible has happened—Gu Yu fell into the water!”
The words left me frozen. Behind me, Gu Yu’s mother dropped the remote she was holding, and it hit the floor with a loud thud.
By the time we hurried to the nearby riverside, Gu Yu had already been pulled ashore and was lying on the grass. His face was deathly pale, his lips a bluish-purple.
Gu Yu’s mother burst into tears and stumbled through the crowd to kneel beside him, crying out his name over and over. Her voice was raw with grief, piercing and heart-wrenching.
People around us whispered and speculated, but I stood there as if rooted to the spot, watching the scene unfold. I wanted to cry, but my tears wouldn’t come. Instead, an emptiness expanded in my chest, as if a cold wind were blowing through, leaving a deep, unbearable ache.
After a while, I remembered Chen Qiao Luo. If Gu Yu was like this, where was Chen Qiao Luo? They had left together earlier. Panic engulfed me, and I frantically started searching for him.
I finally found him not far from the riverbank. He was sitting on the ground, his shadow stretched long under the sunlight.
My heart eased slightly, but the next second, I noticed his clothes were completely dry—no sign of water anywhere.
Fear swept over me like a tidal wave. I don’t know how much effort it took to walk to his side, but as I did, tears began streaming uncontrollably down my face.
I opened my mouth, my voice hoarse: “Chen Qiao Luo, why are you here?”
At the sound of my voice, he slowly lifted his head.
In that moment, I saw his swollen, red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. He looked at me with silent sorrow, and my heart felt as if it had been struck hard. Pain radiated through my entire body.
He didn’t speak, and I bit my lip, tears continuing to fall. “Tell me—why did Gu Yu end up like that?”
One minute passed, then two. Chen Qiao Luo remained in the same position, tears pooling in his eyes.
Looking at him like this, I shut my eyes in disappointment. If Chen Qiao Luo said it had nothing to do with him, I would have believed him. No matter what he said, I would have unconditionally trusted him. But his silence gave me no way to convince myself that it wasn’t his fault.
After a long pause, I opened my eyes, sadness etched in my voice. “Chen Qiao Luo, I thought you were kind. I thought you had no ill intentions toward Gu Yu. But I never imagined you could be so cruel. I guess I was wrong about you.”
With that, I turned and left. I didn’t know what expression Chen Qiao Luo wore behind me, but as I walked away, tears poured down my face.
When I returned to the scene of the accident, the crowd had dispersed, and neither Gu Yu nor his mother was anywhere to be found.
0 Comments