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“Grandpa, where did you get this phone?” Ziya knew little about what had happened that day; Anqing Mama didn’t mention it and wouldn’t let her inquire. She had been in a coma at the time, so she was unclear about everything that transpired.
“It was given to me by the traffic police. At first, I thought it was broken, but when I took it to the shop for repairs, surprisingly, it worked again.” The old man spoke slowly, his deep-set eyes, reminiscent of Zhou Chen's, hiding a hint of melancholy.
“Grandpa…” Ziya’s throat suddenly tightened. Remembering that day made it hard to suppress the guilt she felt deep down. If he hadn’t saved her, how would things have turned out…
“Child, Grandpa is fine. Don’t feel bad. I know he cared for you a lot. I even tested his luck before…” At this point, he glanced awkwardly at the three of them and continued, “It might sound superstitious, but I got fascinated after reading some books on the five elements and trigrams. I just kept researching for fun. Nan Nan’s parents had an accident and never came back; I only have this one grandson, so I let him do as he pleases… Sigh! The child is gone; let’s not talk about it.”
“I’ve only communicated with Zhou Chen over the phone; I haven’t met him face to face since he returned,” Liang Chao said in a gloomy tone.
“I know even less about them. I’m completely clueless about what happened in high school…” Sun Meng looked dejected and quickly added his thoughts.
“None of this concerns you. The key issue is this phone—who would send him text messages? I was so foolish at the time; why didn’t I think to ask him?” As Ziya spoke, her eyes reddened, her voice thickening with emotion, causing those present to struggle to hold back their own feelings.
Just then, Ziya’s phone suddenly rang. She hurriedly pulled it out of her bag and saw that it was Anqing Mama calling. “Anqing, what’s going on?”
“Ziya, where are you?” Anqing sounded frantic, as if her daughter had gone missing.
“Tonghuimen…”
“Hurry back to the News Agency; I’m waiting for you here.”
“Okay.” Ziya closed her phone and looked at them. “I need to go back. Grandpa, can you keep his phone here with me?”
"Here, take it! I don't want to see you sad."
The three of them stepped out of the community, their moods heavy. Liang Chao's stomach growled as he looked longingly at a street-side snack shop, his mouth watering. "Let's buy something to eat! Don't starve yourself," Ziya said lightly. She had been holding Zhou Chen's phone in her hand, glancing at the strange text message from time to time. Watching Liang Chao and Sun Meng rush off to buy soup dumplings, she had a sudden thought to call back using this number.
She held the phone to her ear, and after a long moment of static noise, a voice echoed eerily, "Welcome to Hell's phone line, why meet if we have never known each other..." Sweat broke out on her forehead; the voice was strange and chilling, prompting her to quickly press the power button. Beads of sweat formed on her nose as her heart raced.
"Hey, come eat one first," Sun Meng said, handing a food bag toward Ziya with a smile. Liang Chao held his own bag of food, cheeks puffed as he chewed, releasing hot steam from the dumplings.
Seeing the dumplings reminded Ziya of her first meeting with Zhou Chen, and she shook her head at Sun Meng with a hint of sadness swelling in her heart.
The three of them caught the bus to the News Agency as usual. Sitting inside, they gazed out at the bustling city through the window, where people hurried by in all directions. Shops always seemed to have endless goods for sale, and there were always passersby on the streets. Life was like this bus stop—one wave after another, endlessly cycling. The bus moved smoothly, but the air inside felt heavy and oppressive. After a moment of reflection, a gentle breeze brushed against Ziya's bangs. Suddenly, Zhou Chen's phone vibrated in her hand; she looked down to see a new message.
Ziya picked up the phone and was startled to find that it was the same message as before: "Same place, same time." "Text message! Look at this," she hurriedly showed her phone to Sun Meng and Liang Chao.
Liang Chao swallowed hard on his dumpling with a loud gulp, his eyes wide as he struggled to catch his breath. Sun Meng anxiously patted his back. "Are you trying to eat yourself to death? Why are you eating like that..."
"Ugh, it's my fault for showing him this message," Ziya quickly explained. Liang Chao nodded in agreement; he too was shaken by the text. Sun Meng, who had always insisted that Ziya shouldn't intern at the News Agency, now showed a hint of surprise. The three of them pondered what this message could mean.
"Maybe someone is just playing a prank! Don't overthink it," Liang Chao tried to reassure them.
"Yeah, don't think too much about it; that would be worse," Sun Meng quickly added in agreement. Ziya silently nodded but felt an uneasy tension growing within her.
When they arrived at the entrance of the News Agency, they saw Anqing anxiously pacing back and forth at the door, occasionally peering toward the direction of the bus stop. As the bus came to a smooth halt, they squeezed through the crowd and stepped off. The moment they exited into the fresh air outside, the stuffy atmosphere from inside dissipated like smoke in the wind, clearing their restless minds significantly.
"Mom," Ziya still hesitated to call Anqing by her name in front of her classmates. She hurried over to Zi Anqing as soon as she got out of the car.
Sun Meng and Liang Chao could have stayed in the car, but out of politeness, they got out and approached Anqing. "Hello, Anqing Mama," they both nodded at Zi Anqing, casually adjusting their backpack straps.
"Is everything okay?" Zi Anqing asked, her words carrying a deeper meaning that was not lost on Ziya. She felt a jolt of realization that their cryptic conversation was about her attitude towards accepting reality and whether it was entirely under Anqing's control. At that moment, Ziya felt as if she were being manipulated, and the ones orchestrating it were her beloved family.
"Yes, everything went smoothly, don't worry!" Liang Chao flashed a bright smile, his teeth gleaming white as he spoke. He cast an inappropriate glance at the stunned Ziya before quickly turning his gaze away, feeling somewhat awkward.
"Thank you for your hard work," Zi Anqing said with a nod. "Make sure to come by and spend more time with Ziya. I appreciate it." She felt a noticeable sense of relief; she had feared many terrible outcomes before, but seeing her daughter's expression devoid of the usual confusion brought her comfort.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ziya asked, feigning ignorance as she noticed Liang Chao and Sun Meng had already caught another public transport vehicle and left.
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