Chapter Ninety-Three: Pursuing the Truth to the End

Sitting on the steps of the bank where our story began, the winter sun warmly bathed me, lulling me into a languid state. The sky was utterly cloudless, its blue so vivid it seemed almost unreal. It was broad daylight, yet the street was deserted—empty of a single soul. The profound silence made the atmosphere strangely eerie.

Amid the stillness, I suddenly heard the soft rustle of footsteps approaching from afar. It was a girl’s silhouette, one unmistakably familiar to me. The navy blue high school uniform glistened slightly under the sunlight, but she kept her head bowed, so I couldn’t quite make out her face.

“Lele?” I tentatively called out. Slowly, she lifted her head, and at last, I saw her clearly. Yet, I could hardly believe my eyes—it was really Lele! Her hair fluttered lightly in the air, and the faint scent of green apple still lingered about her. Everything was so familiar, but for some reason, her face was deathly pale, drained of all color, and I found myself unable to look at her without pain.

“Beizi Zhu,” Lele’s lips moved faintly before she sat down beside me. I stared at her figure, astonished. Her beauty remained unchanged, but it stirred in me a surreal sense of distance, as though this moment was a dream from long ago.

“Beizi Zhu, will you drink with me…? Today, I… I broke up,” Lele’s gaze held a trace of melancholy. Suddenly, it dawned on me—this was exactly how it was six years ago when we first began. But why was it daytime? And where exactly was I now?

“Beizi Zhu, I’m scared…” She lowered her head again, her bangs instantly hiding most of her face.

“What?” I was momentarily confused, but a sudden, physical urge to pull her into my arms overwhelmed me.

“Scared you’ll leave me…” She didn’t look at me, seemingly lost in her own memories.

“I won’t, Lele! I’ll never leave you… never…” I opened my arms wide and held her tightly, calling her name almost desperately. But her body felt unnervingly cold in my embrace, as if we were in a freezer. It was so cold that even my fingers began to numb.

Suddenly, her familiar face blurred before my eyes. Then, one after another, many other faces appeared: Chuchu’s, Meizi’s, Huang Xin’s, and even little Z’s…

Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t clearly see Lele’s face. I widened my eyes in effort, but the image remained hazy.

What on earth was happening?

Without warning, Lele shook off my arm and turned away.

“Don’t… don’t leave me…” I called after her, my voice nearly breaking with sobs. My body struggled desperately, but it felt as though something held me motionless. Soon, everything around me faded until I was left alone on the stone steps, the sunlight losing its brilliance, dimming gradually…

“Ah…!” I jolted awake, my body springing upright. Touching my forehead, it was soaked in sweat. It had all been a nightmare.

The sky was still dark before dawn, but I was fully awake, unable to find any more sleep. I slipped on my coat and quietly walked to the window. Outside, all was pitch black. My body hadn’t yet recovered from the nightmare—it felt weak and exhausted. Silently, I watched my reflection in the glass, and a scene from a month ago resurfaced vividly...

The fan in the internet café whirred annoyingly, but my attention was fixed entirely on the grimy computer screen.

Before me was a simple photo—one I had never seen before of Lele. She looked as innocent as the girl next door once was, but in her eyes, I saw a hint of melancholy. The most astonishing detail was the background: the Beijing National Stadium—the Bird’s Nest!

In disbelief, I quickly looked it up. The Bird’s Nest was completed on June 29, 2008, but Lele had left on October 3 of the previous year! Meaning, no matter how you looked at it, this photo could not possibly exist. Yet here it was, crystal clear before me…

Lin Hui, I need you to explain this.

Without hesitation, I dialed Lin Hui’s number. Her groggy voice answered, clearly still half-asleep.

“Who is this… on a holiday… can’t people sleep…” she mumbled, half complaining.

“It’s me,” I said, my voice icy cold.

“Xiao… Xiao Bei?” Her surprise was evident. “How have you been? Are you alright?”

“Fine.” I replied absentmindedly—so curt even I found it hard to believe.

“I don’t think you’re fine. I’ve read your writings—they’re so full of sorrow…” Lin Hui’s words came slowly, painfully slow, making me anxious.

“Sis Hui, I want to know about that photo on your page!” Before she could finish, I pressed on, eager for answers.

“Wh-what photo?” Still waking, her reflexes were sluggish.

“Lele’s! The one taken at the Bird’s Nest!” My voice was sharp with suspicion. “Tell me, why is Lele there?”

“Ah…” Lin Hui suddenly let out a startled scream, as if something had frightened her.

“Lin Hui, Hui… Sis Hui, what’s wrong?” The scream shook me.

“Nothing… nothing…” Then silence stretched long. After a while, her hesitant voice returned, “Actually… I photoshopped it myself… it looks very real… right?”

“Does it?” Such an explanation was hardly convincing. “Why?”

“Why? Li Xiaobei! Don’t you know how much Lele was looking forward to the Beijing Olympics?” Lin Hui suddenly spoke faster, her question leaving me speechless. Lele had indeed spoken to me about that once.

Yet something about this didn’t sit right. Could Lele really still be alive and well? It sounded like a fairy tale, but I had no grounds to refute Lin Hui’s words. Begrudgingly, I chose to believe…

Outside, the darkness began to lighten slowly. A few figures appeared here and there on Student Street. Dawn was near. For the past month, I had never stopped searching for any clue in this mystery, for Lin Hui’s explanation had been too flimsy.

Since that day, Lin Hui’s page had been locked. “Concealing the truth” almost seemed too tame a phrase, but I could find no better words to describe my feelings. Perhaps Lin Hui was hiding something deliberately.

But what could it be?

Before me, countless images of Lele flickered—happy, sad, joyful, pained—perhaps all of them. They passed like scenes in a film, finally freezing on that one melancholic photo of Lele’s face, just like that night years ago, the delicate figure by the window that once intoxicated my entire soul.

It has been a long time since I last loved. I’ve grown used to living alone, to quietly missing someone in solitude.

But is that person truly as I once knew? Or is everything I believed just a lie?