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墨書 Inktalez
She stood frozen in place, her fingertips still curled as if grasping something. The lead had broken, but her confusion only multiplied. Who had taken the item? Why? Lin Li bit her lip, suddenly recalling the words of her mentor: “Even if a clue is lost, they will intertwine and present the truth in other forms. All we need to do is witness and record.”
Taking a deep breath, she redialed the number. “I didn’t find it; it’s already been taken... Alright, I’ll head to your shop now and get ‘Gladiator’ ready. I need to vent!” After hanging up, she turned to leave. Behind her, the rope used for theft lay quietly in the shadows of the platform, as if it had never been used.
Meanwhile, Li Xuyang slumped in a corner of the rooftop, a bottle rolling away from him before coming to a stop. The dusk spread across the sky like thick ink, and with the last sip of alcohol, his world spun. Why was he drinking alone? To forget someone. Who was he trying to forget? That lovely, beautiful, kind girl who would forever remain asleep. In his memory, her smiling face gradually blurred, while the twisted visage from the crime scene was burned into his mind like a branding iron.
A cold wind swept by, sending a shiver through Li Xuyang and clearing much of his drunken haze. Struggling to lift his head, he saw the familiar outline of an advertisement—he had returned here again, to their former home, the place where her life had ended. “She’s dead… she’s dead…” He suddenly burst into laughter that was tinged with tears; they streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground, spreading dark stains. Memories surged like a tide—those moments they shared together transformed into sharp blades that cut at his heart.
He first met her in the hospital corridor. The smell of disinfectant was overwhelming as his father lay weakly on the hospital bed receiving an IV drip. Li Xuyang anxiously stood by the bedside, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the metal railing. At that moment, a cup of perfectly warm water and a gentle smile suddenly entered his line of sight. “Don’t worry too much, sir; your father’s condition is stable.” Xu Yanran wore a crisp white nurse's uniform; her name tag swayed gently with her movements. The radiant smile of Yanran unexpectedly pierced through his heart.
From that day on, the hospital became Li Xuyang's most frequented place. He claimed he was visiting his father, but his gaze always followed that busy figure. She administered injections gently and bent slightly when speaking to elderly patients; even the way her hair brushed through the air when she turned made his heart flutter. On the day his father was discharged from the hospital, he shyly handed over a rose he had hidden for so long, and they officially confirmed their relationship.
In the year that followed, their love grew quietly like vines. Even though Yanran's night shifts and emergency calls often disrupted their routine and Li Xuyang's salary barely covered their basic needs, sharing instant noodles in their cramped rental while exchanging smiles and late-night phone calls filled with mundane details only strengthened their bond. At least that’s what Li Xuyang believed.
The change began on a sweltering afternoon. Li Xuyang stood at the hospital entrance watching Xu Yanran emerge from a shiny black sedan. The car belonged to Dr. Duan from oncology, who wore an impeccably pressed shirt beneath his white coat; his wristwatch gleamed coldly in the sunlight. “What’s so great about having a car? I’ll have one soon enough—one for me and one for you,” Li Xuyang thought as he crumpled the plastic water bottle in his hand with an audible crunch.
Suddenly, memories came rushing back with clarity brought by the cold wind. That day school let out early due to a power outage; he eagerly went to pick up Yanran after work but saw Dr. Duan slip a thick envelope into her hands instead. The corner of red bills peeking from the envelope burned in his eyes while Yanran’s lowered lashes as she refused it and her pursed lips when accepting money became thorns piercing his heart.
The taxi sped through bumpy roads as Li Xuyang dug his nails deep into his palms. In the underground parking lot, Dr. Duan's car sat silently as if mocking him. He rushed upstairs in three strides for every two steps and pounded on the door with a dull thud: “Yanran! Open up!” Inside came hurried footsteps and sounds of things colliding; three minutes later, Xu Yanran appeared wrapped in a damp towel, water droplets cascading from her hair onto her collarbone: “Honey, why are you home so early? I just got out of the shower.”
Li Xuyang squeezed past her into the room, scanning it with piercing eyes. The bed was perfectly made without a wrinkle; however, two steaming cups on the coffee table and crumpled tissues in the trash spoke silently of lies. “Did anyone come over?” His voice was icy cold. Xu Yanran tilted her head with a smile revealing her canines: “Dr. Duan gave me a ride home; I’ve been feeling like someone is following me lately.” She tiptoed to wrap her arms around his neck, “Tomorrow I’m going to Yu Mountain for a gathering with my sister; you just wait at home for me!”
Li Xuyang suddenly felt nauseous. Those once charming flirtations now felt like poor performances. He pushed her away roughly and caught sight of an unfamiliar men’s lighter on the dressing table; its metallic surface still radiated warmth.
That night, he stared at the blinking cursor on the computer screen, replaying the scenes from earlier in his mind. At three in the morning, he suddenly rushed to the balcony—under the moonlight, the friction marks left on the railing stood out starkly against the darkness. "So that's it," he murmured to himself, his nails digging into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks. "Duan Doctor slid down the rope to the ground and left through the front door, while Yanran was responsible for collecting the evidence..."
The next morning, as Xu Yanran dragged her suitcase out the door, Li Xuyang lay in bed with his back to her, pretending to be asleep. Hearing the sound of the door closing, he dashed into the storage room and yanked down all the ropes, sheets, and curtains. The torn fabric fragments fluttered down like snowflakes. At that moment, he had no idea that this farewell would turn out to be eternal.
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