Chapter 31

Forty-seven days after Qiu Yayu's death, the official accident liability report was finally issued.

Lü Xiaoyan didn't go to the traffic police station; it was Qiu Yayu's father who went. That afternoon, Qiu's father came to the school and waited for a long time downstairs in the dormitory before Lü Xiaoyan returned from the library—he now spends most of his time there, using the vast sea of ​​books to briefly numb himself, or hiding in that darkroom filled with memories of him and her.

"Xiao Yan." Qiu's father's voice was hoarser than ever before, and the wrinkles on his face were deeper, as if the past forty-odd days had drained the last of his spirit. He held a brown paper document bag in his hand.

Lu Xiaoyan stared at the file folder, his steps faltering. He knew what was inside. It was a cold, official commentary on that devastating disaster, something that ultimately reduced all the chaos, pain, and uncertainty to a hard, cold conclusion. He both wanted to know and feared to know.

The two walked silently to a bench by the lake and sat down. The early winter wind already carried a chill, rustling the dry reeds on the lake's surface.

Qiu's father handed the file folder to Lü Xiaoyan, his hand trembling slightly. "You... take a look."

Lu Xiaoyan took it, his fingers icy cold. He took a deep breath, as if gathering enough courage, before slowly opening the file folder and pulling out the few thin, yet incredibly heavy pages inside.

Road Traffic Accident Determination Certificate.

His gaze quickly swept over the formatted text and on-site diagrams before landing directly on the most crucial parts—"Analysis of Facts and Responsibility" and "Determination of Responsibility."

It is written clearly in black and white on white paper:

The investigation determined that, in this accident, the driver of the heavy semi-trailer truck, Li XX, was excessively fatigued due to prolonged continuous driving, and his inattention during the journey led to his failure to drive safely according to operating procedures. His actions were the direct cause of the accident. His behavior violated Article 22, Paragraph 1 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China"...

Qiu Yayu, the party involved, was not at fault for causing this accident.

Based on Article 60, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the "Regulations on Procedures for Handling Road Traffic Accidents," it is determined that:

Li XX, the driver of the heavy semi-trailer truck, bears full responsibility for the accident.

Qiu Yayu, the party involved, bears no responsibility.

No responsibility.

These three words, like three cold nails, were driven deep into Lü Xiaoyan's eyes.

She did nothing wrong.

She simply boarded an ordinary bus on an ordinary night, a bus that should have arrived safely.

She was filled with sweet anticipation for their reunion the next day and was thinking of giving him a birthday surprise.

She knew nothing and did nothing wrong.

But because of a fraction of a second of negligence by a driver they had never met before, who was driving while fatigued, they lost everything.

"Is this fair?" Qiu's father's voice rang out from the side, carrying an overwhelming sense of sorrow and mockery. "They say the other party is fully responsible. Legally, they've given us an 'explanation'."

Lu Xiaoyan stared intently at the few lines of text, the paper creaking softly in his hands. His knuckles turned white from the pressure.

Can legal "full responsibility" bring her back to life?

Can it alleviate the grief of her parents who lost their only daughter?

Can it fill that huge, unhealable void in his world?

cannot.

Nothing.

This flimsy official document is like a cruel joke. It clearly tells you that a tragedy has occurred, someone is responsible, and then what? Nothing more. All that's left is for the survivors to spend the rest of their lives alone chewing on the bitter fruit of "accident" and "loss."

"Where is the driver?" Lü Xiaoyan's voice was terribly hoarse.

“She’s been detained. She’ll face criminal charges and civil damages.” There was no joy in Qiu’s father’s voice, only exhaustion. “What’s the use of compensation… no matter how much money we have? Can we use money to get Yu Yu back?”

As he spoke, his eyes reddened again, but he held back his tears. He patted Lü Xiaoyan's shoulder, the movement heavy.

"Xiaoyan, this is the result. This is all the law can offer." Qiu's father stood up, his back hunched, as if overwhelmed by the burden. "The rest... we'll have to endure it ourselves."

After saying that, he slowly walked away, step by step, his figure disappearing into the desolate winter scenery.

Lu Xiaoyan sat alone on the bench, clutching the accident report tightly in his hand. The cold wind lashed his face like knives, but he felt no cold; instead, he felt a huge, unmelting block of ice lodged in his chest.

He lowered his head and looked at the document stamped with a red official seal, representing the "final conclusion".

Everything seemed to have been settled just like that.

A traffic accident.

A driver who is fatigued.

A young life lost irresponsibly and tragically.

Simple, clear, cold.

For him, however, the findings were less an answer and more like salt rubbed into an already bleeding wound. They unequivocally confirmed that her departure was a pure, random, unpredictable misfortune that could not be attributed to anyone he knew.

This sheer "unexpectedness" is what makes people even more desperate.

If there were a specific target of hatred, perhaps one could find an outlet for anger. But there wasn't. There was only a pervasive, unyielding, immense fear and powerlessness in the face of the capriciousness of fate.

He carefully folded the certificate, stuffed it back into the document bag, but didn't take it with him. He left it on that cold bench.

Then he stood up and walked toward the darkroom.

He doesn't need this official "answer".

His answer was already in that photo album filled with her pictures, in that camera that could never be given away, and in every autumn when he could no longer wait for her to appear.

Every year thereafter, when the autumn wind blows, he will repeatedly relive the cruelty of this "accident" until the end of his life.

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