Xu Xuan handed me a bottle of soda and asked, “So, tell me. What happened between you two?”
I didn’t even know where to begin.
I spoke haltingly about my past with Chen Qiao Luo—about my love, his affection, about the happy and painful times we shared. Finally, I spoke of the day Gu Yu fell into the water and Chen Qiao Luo stood by, silent and indifferent. By then, I couldn’t stop my tears from falling.
Even now, I don’t want to believe how cold he was in that moment. In my heart, Chen Qiao Luo should have been that pure and innocent boy, not the devil with black wings I saw on the riverbank that afternoon. That incident became a nightmare that has haunted me relentlessly, night after night.
I don’t know how long I cried, but Xu Xuan remained silent beside me the entire time.
I don’t know how much time had passed before I finally heard Xu Xuan’s slightly somber voice. He said, “Zhu Yun Hao, you’ve misunderstood Chen Qiao Luo.”
Startled, I turned to look at him. Xu Xuan closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his gaze as calm and deep as a silent ocean.
He said, “Actually, I’ve known Chen Qiao Luo since we were kids. Back then, I lived on the street next to his. He would often follow me around, calling me ‘Brother Xu Xuan.’ I don’t know if you’re aware of what happened to his family. When he was ten, his father went to prison for murder.
“Our street was full of gossipy people, and the news of his father’s crime quickly spread. I was young myself at the time, and when my mom heard about it, she stopped letting me play with him. There were times when he came to our house looking for me, but my mom would block him at the door.
“My mom… well, she’s a straightforward person. What I’m about to say might make you laugh, but it’s the truth. She believed the rumors and thought that Chen Qiao Luo wouldn’t turn out to be a good person either. She even said some really hurtful things to him. I remember standing by the door, watching as he turned around silently and left. After that, he never came looking for me again. Sometimes I’d pass by the alley and see him being bullied. I wanted to help, but my mom’s words held me back. By the time I finally made up my mind, he and his mother had already moved away.
“Occasionally, I’d hear bits and pieces about him from others. I wanted to find him, but I was too scared he might still resent me for what happened back then. Later, when my dad’s business took off, we moved away as well. From that point on, I lost all contact with him.”
Xu Xuan let out a long sigh and continued, “All these years, this incident has been like a thorn in my heart. The guilt I feel toward Chen Qiao Luo has often been suffocating.
“I never expected to see him again. That day at the pool hall, if I hadn’t run into you, I might have just let him pass by. But it seemed he didn’t recognize me—he didn’t even glance my way before leaving. After that, I looked into his situation and learned that he hadn’t had it easy over the years.
“I know you’re a good girl, and I know that Chen Qiao Luo truly likes you. I thought everything was going well, so I decided not to interfere. But I never imagined things between you two would turn out like this.”
He sighed again before saying, “You said that Chen Qiao Luo stood by and did nothing, that he ignored your friend’s life and death. But, Zhu Yun Hao, you’re mistaken. He didn’t stand by and do nothing; he couldn’t save him.”
I looked at him in shock.
He went on, “When he was five or six years old, he once came to ask me to go fishing with him by the river. We were both just kids, playing recklessly. At first, we stayed in the shallow area, but somehow, we ended up wandering too far. Just as I realized something was wrong and was about to tell him to go back, he accidentally stepped into a muddy sinkhole and was instantly submerged.
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