Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Shen Yihuan still hadn’t heard from Lu Zhou by the next day.
She sat on her bed, clutching her phone, her fingers idly rubbing the screen. After ten minutes of spacing out, she finally called Lu Youju.
Lu Youju hadn’t been able to reach Lu Zhou for a day either.
His inability to contact Lu Zhou was different from Shen Yihuan’s. If Lu Youju also didn’t know Lu Zhou’s current status, it likely meant Lu Zhou had encountered an uncontrollable situation and had gone rogue from his team.
“Then... do you think something might have happened to Lu Zhou?”
Lu Youju said, “Don’t worry, he has plenty of combat experience. He knows how to protect himself.”
Shen Yihuan spent the next three days in a state of anxiety.
In between, she visited her studio to hand over the photos she had taken to Zhou Yishu.
“The photos you’ve given me are actually enough to hold a photography exhibition.”
Most people know very little about border soldiers, so there’s a wide range of photos to choose from. Shen Yihuan’s photography was indeed among the best in the studio, and she rarely had any unusable shots.
Shen Yihuan sat across from her and didn’t respond for a moment.
Zhou Yishu tapped the table twice with her fingers. “Shen Yihuan?”
“Oh.” She came back to herself. “I know I have enough for now, but I want to show more.”
“The time for the venue is already set and can’t be changed. We’ll see how things go. If you have any new content, just give it to me, and I’ll get it ready for you.”
“Okay, thank you, boss.”
Shen Yihuan stood up to leave, but Zhou Yishu stopped her.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Zhou Yishu looked at her. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”
Lu Zhou hadn’t been in contact for three days, so she hadn’t slept well for three nights. How could she look good?
Shen Yihuan ran a hand through the stray strands of hair on her forehead and forced a smile. “I’m fine, I just have insomnia.”
As she left the office, Shen Yihuan instinctively took out her phone and opened WeChat again. Lu Zhou still hadn’t replied. Her nose tingled, and she pressed the heel of her hand against her eyelids.
After fighting back the tears, she opened her eyes again, and her phone vibrated.
It was a message from Lu Youju.
—There’s news about Lu Zhou. Come to the Lu family’s house.
________________________________________
“Come in, no need to take off your shoes.”
As soon as Shen Yihuan entered the military compound, she was led into the Lu family’s home. Commander Lu’s wife was waiting at the door, her expression serious, not as jovial as before.
Shen Yihuan’s heart began to beat irregularly. Before she knew it, she was being led into Lu Youju’s study.
Commander Lu’s wife guided her inside.
“Youju,” she said softly.
Lu Youju, who was sitting at his desk, looked up hastily. He appeared noticeably haggard, his eyes bloodshot. He waved Shen Yihuan over. “Come here.”
Shen Yihuan took a step forward, a bad feeling rising within her.
As she got closer, she noticed a small, familiar item on Lu Youju’s desk: the pink doll charm she had given Lu Zhou.
The doll’s surface was now dirty, a mix of black and red. The red was blood.
“This...”
Shen Yihuan reached out, but didn’t dare to touch it.
Lu Youju asked, “Is this Lu Zhou’s?”
She looked up, her dark pupils glistening with tears that slowly spread, swallowing unspoken fears.
In that single glance, Lu Youju understood Shen Yihuan’s answer.
He lowered his voice. “Lu Zhou has gone rogue. This is the last thing they found at the location where he lost contact. They rushed it back to us for confirmation.”
A tear fell, unbidden, landing on the stained doll.
Shen Yihuan frantically tried to wipe it away, but the stain had already soaked into the fabric. When her fingertip touched it, she only smeared the blood further.
She abruptly stopped, her hands frozen as she stared at the spreading bloodstain.
...
...
Shen Yihuan didn’t remember how she left the Lu family’s house.
The streetlights stood dutifully, their dim yellow glow illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
Whether driven by a desperate need for a sense of security or something else, Shen Yihuan ran nonstop from the taxi to Lu Zhou’s apartment—the place she and Lu Zhou had lived together for many years.
The motion-sensor lights turned on one by one as she rushed down the hallway, illuminating the entire corridor.
As she was fumbling with the lock, Shen Yihuan saw an envelope tucked into the door. On it was a familiar, strong handwriting.
Recipient: Shen Yihuan.
The postmark showed a date from more than half a month ago.
Lu Zhou had mailed this letter to Shen Yihuan before he even left for his mission.
Without even taking off her shoes, Shen Yihuan tore open the envelope. Inside was a single, thin sheet of paper.
The paper rustled softly in the quiet night. The young woman knelt on the floor and, as if she couldn’t read, forced herself to go over the words again and again.
Lu Zhou had written about everything he had been investigating during this time.
He also confessed all the secrets he had been keeping from her.
In the information, pieced together one character at a time, Shen Yihuan finally understood many details she had been unable to figure out before.
What exactly Gu Minghui was doing in Xinjiang.
Why even Gu Minghui’s father didn’t know what he was doing.
The true meaning behind what she overheard him say on the phone that day: “Don’t let him show his face again.”
Who had ordered the group of people Lu Zhou encountered during his night patrol.
Why Gu Minghui, whom she thought had never touched a gun, was so calm and decisive when he fired during the gunfight in the desert that night.
And Lu Zhou’s abrupt, out-of-context remark that night they slept together: “If I ever do something that makes you unhappy in the future, just don’t stop talking to me.”
...
Staggering, Shen Yihuan went into the study that she rarely entered.
She remembered Lu Zhou bringing back a file folder, which must have been about Gu Minghui or his company.
Her fingers trembled as she roughly and messily opened one drawer after another, ignoring the pain in her fingertips. In the chaos, she discovered a familiar old diary.
After nearly ten years of seasons, the edges of its cover were worn smooth and shiny, a testament to the passage of time. It lay before Shen Yihuan, carrying all their past moments.
She didn’t find any other information about Gu Minghui.
But in her desperate search, she stumbled upon the first, second, and third years of her relationship with Lu Zhou.
________________________________________
“Class president, do you think this notebook is pretty?”
The young Lu Zhou’s gaze shifted from the girl’s face to the two identical notebooks in her hands. He raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn’t say anything.
Shen Yihuan sat down beside him, excitedly saying, “A fortune-telling stall opened on the street next to our school, right? I bought this notebook there. It’s a cou-ple’s di-a-ry!”
For the last four words, she punctuated each one by patting the notebook.
She placed one of them in front of Lu Zhou. “This is yours. You have to write in it every day, and when you finish a book, you have to show me.”
Lu Zhou took it, casually flipped through it, and asked, “What should I write?”
“Hmm.” Shen Yihuan propped her chin in her hands and thought for a moment. “Just write about how cute I am.”
Lu Zhou smiled. “Okay.”
________________________________________
She opened it to the first page and saw a single line of text:
You must not regret this. I won’t let you escape.
Her pace of turning pages gradually slowed.
What Lu Zhou had written wasn’t a diary in the traditional sense; it was a very clean and tidy record, just like his notes. It clearly recorded the time, place, and events.
October 1, 2011
Went to the movies with Shen Yihuan. I kissed her for the first time. Her lips were soft, and she smelled like cream.
December 24, 2011
Christmas Eve. Prepared an apple. Saw that her desk had many from other people, so I threw mine away. Shen Yihuan got mad at me.
...
May 28, 2013
It’s almost the college entrance exam. Lately, she’s been in the classroom listening to lectures. Even though she often falls asleep, she hasn’t gone out to play. She’s still very well-behaved.
June 8, 2013
The college entrance exam is over. Played with Shen Yihuan all night. It’s now the early morning of the 9th. She looks beautiful when she smiles.
Shen Yihuan’s vision began to blur. She rubbed her eyes and continued reading, as if trying to engrave every word in her mind.
The last page was from last summer, not long after they had reconnected.
There were only three words: her name.
Shen Yihuan.
Separated by many years, Lu Zhou’s handwriting had changed subtly.
His high school writing was more youthful, the strokes not as sharp.
Just like the boy back then, in his blue and white school uniform and baggy pants. He would stand outside the classroom with his bag slung over one shoulder, his face expressionless, seemingly nonchalant, yet with all his attention focused on her.
Shen Yihuan carefully closed the diary and put it back in the drawer.
She sat on the chair with her head bowed, her bangs falling over her forehead, her long eyelashes shielding her from the light above.
Gradually, her body stopped shaking. Her rusty mind was released, occasionally making a clicking sound, as if reminding her not to overthink.
She found He Min’s phone number from Lu Youju.
He Min’s location likely had a weak signal, and the call was disconnected three times.
By the time she hung up, Shen Yihuan understood how Lu Zhou had gone rogue.
Their operational plan had been compromised by Gu Minghui. The trap they had set to catch him had been turned against them, making them the “mantis” in the classic idiom.
She sat in the chair for a long time before slowly getting up.
She walked to the window, took out her phone, and dialed Gu Minghui’s number.
“Oh, so you remembered to call me today.” The man’s voice was nonchalant and careless, completely at odds with what Shen Yihuan had learned in the past few hours.
Shen Yihuan asked, “Where are you?”
After a moment of silence, he laughed. “Do you miss me?”
Shen Yihuan didn’t say anything.
He answered, “I’m in Xinjiang, taking care of some business.”
“Gu Minghui,” Shen Yihuan said, slowly blinking and breathing. “Can I trust you?”
He said, “You already know everything.”
In that moment, Shen Yihuan heard the howling wind on the other end of the phone, the same sound she had heard every night during her calls with Lu Zhou.
________________________________________
Qiu Ruru arrived two days later. The moment she opened the door, she was almost scared to death by Shen Yihuan’s appearance.
She looked as if she had just been pulled out of the water; if not for her beautiful face, she would have looked like a water ghost.
“...No, sit down. Are you running a fever?”
“No.” Shen Yihuan waved her off.
Qiu Ruru checked her forehead. She didn’t seem to have a fever, and Qiu Ruru let out a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong with you?”
She had gone on a business trip right after the class reunion and had just returned to Beijing. Shen Yihuan’s messages over the past two days had seemed off, so Qiu Ruru came over as soon as she got off the plane.
“Didn’t you go to work?”
Shen Yihuan shook her head.
“Seriously, what happened?”
Shen Yihuan looked at her and told Qiu Ruru everything.
Qiu Ruru was shocked and couldn’t believe it. “...Are you saying Gu Minghui is involved in arms smuggling?”
“Yes.”
“What about Lu Zhou?”
“No news yet.”
Qiu Ruru gritted her teeth and asked with difficulty, “Is it related to Gu Minghui?”
“Yes.”
Qiu Ruru frowned.
Shen Yihuan added, “He admitted it to me.”
“Admitted what?”
“That he shot at Lu Zhou.”
Qiu Ruru gasped, her eyes wide, and she covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief.
Shen Yihuan straightened her upper body, ran a hand through her hair, and wearily lowered her eyes. She picked up the hot water Qiu Ruru had just poured for her and took a sip. “But he didn’t catch Lu Zhou.”
Shen Yihuan still believed that.
Even though it was Gu Minghui, it was because he was Gu Minghui.
Qiu Ruru’s breathing was shaky. After a long pause, she asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know.” Shen Yihuan pressed her forehead. “But I have to find Lu Zhou.”
“Cherry, listen to me,” Qiu Ruru said, taking a deep breath and quickly organizing her thoughts. “No one can live in the light forever. What Gu Minghui is doing—arms smuggling—is definitely wrong. We’ve been friends with him for so many years and never noticed. I don’t know why he went down this path.”
“But even if there’s a glimmer of hope, even if his future might be unsalvageable, I still want him to know how to be a respectable person. I don’t want to see him... completely lose his humanity.”
Gu Minghui was a very stubborn person, and Qiu Ruru knew that.
She also knew that Gu Minghui wasn’t a completely kind person.
But she never imagined that the horrifying things Shen Yihuan was talking about would be linked to Gu Minghui.
Shen Yihuan said, “I’m going to see Gu Minghui tomorrow.”
Qiu Ruru was stunned.
Then, to her own surprise, she smiled with a sense of relief.
She knew in her heart that Gu Minghui liked Shen Yihuan, and she was surprised that even in a situation like this, he was still willing to see her, even though he could probably guess her purpose.
Qiu Ruru said, “I’m going with you.”
________________________________________
The next day.
The plane flew from Beijing to Xinjiang.
On the twentieth floor of a building, Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru entered the elevator and pressed the 19th floor.
The security inside was tight. Gu Minghui had obviously given them prior notice. As they walked in, everyone around them simply nodded and didn’t stop them.
Gu Minghui was waiting for her inside.
He was surprised to see two people, and after a moment, he smiled. “You both came.”
Qiu Ruru looked at him and couldn’t help but frown.
“Gu Minghui, you weren’t like this before,” Qiu Ruru said.
Gu Minghui chuckled. “What was I like before?”
Shen Yihuan looked around his office and asked directly, “Where’s Lu Zhou?”
“He’s really not with me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the landline in the office rang. Gu Minghui’s expression froze. He walked over quickly and pressed the button, and a voice came through.
It was a man’s voice.
He said someone was coming, an English name that Shen Yihuan couldn’t make out.
Gu Minghui’s face instantly changed. He called someone in and told them to immediately take Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru out. Before they could ask any questions, Gu Minghui had already walked out without looking back.
The building soared into the clouds, the tallest one in the area.
It’s lonely at the top.
Even if Gu Minghui wanted to turn back now, it was impossible.
Qiu Ruru looked confused as she followed the man. “What the hell is going on? I feel like something else is about to happen.”
“I have the same feeling,” Shen Yihuan said, holding Qiu Ruru’s hand and walking briskly forward. “Let’s go.”
The man leading them took two turns and arrived at a door. He swiped his hand on the wall, revealing a keypad. He entered the code, and the door opened.
Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru continued to walk forward.
Suddenly, a strange noise came from behind them, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object falling.
Shen Yihuan didn’t even have time to turn around.
In the next moment, a hand grabbed her, pulled her into an embrace, and an arm wrapped around her head, covering her eyes—
A voice above her said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Google Sites
Report abuse