The police were very efficient, and the murderer who accidentally killed Wang Lei was quickly apprehended. As the only person in the city connected to Wang Lei, I received her belongings. There weren't many things; I took her tablet computer and a notebook she used for taking notes.

I learned from the notebook that the 190,000 yuan was all her savings from the past year. She had used the money she earned in the previous years to donate to a school in her hometown in rural Sichuan. The students, like her, were orphans who had lost their parents in the earthquake.

On the day they parted ways at the bar, she wrote: "Before 5.12, I had a happy family. My father was in the building materials business, my mother was a good wife and mother, and we never lacked money. I was a princess in everyone's eyes. After 5.12, everything changed. The only thing that remained the same was that I became a 'princess.' When I have insomnia, I often think, what would life be like now if there hadn't been the 2008 earthquake? Maybe it's because of this city and my identity that I don't dare to believe in love, and I don't dare to believe that there are still people in Dali who can live so carefree. But this time, I'm really moved. I hope there's a man who loves me and whom I love, who will take me on a motorcycle and let us while away the time by Erhai Lake and under Cangshan Mountain. If we could open a guesthouse together in Dali, wouldn't this life be worthwhile?"

At that moment, I burst into tears. My mind was filled with Wang Lei's short and unfortunate life, and her unfinished dreams...

Wang Lei's sudden passing has made me think more about life. I keep asking myself, how should I live? Is it really a dead end for people like me to stay in a big city? It's not that extreme, but I certainly won't be happy; there are countless painful memories here. I also don't have much hope of earning enough money to establish myself here. I feel like I'm constantly living in a vortex of right and wrong, good and bad, struggling to cope.

I painstakingly searched for the song I heard in the bar, because it was the bar where I last saw Wang Lei alive, and its melody and lyrics formed my final impression of her. I finally learned it was a song by Wang Feng called "Goodbye, 20th Century."

I put on my headphones, turned the volume up to the maximum, and played this song on repeat. I took a taxi, a bus, and a subway, trying to see every corner of the city. Finally, I stopped at the Bund, where I saw all sorts of people and a constant stream of vehicles, with the Huangpu River right at my feet.

The transition from day to night was so swift, seemingly only the time it takes to smoke a cigarette. The lights replaced the afterglow of the sunset, becoming the essence of the city. In a daze, the towering buildings transformed into towering trees, forming an urban forest, while the corner where I sat became the most exposed spot, threatened from all sides, and no one was willing to stand beside me anymore.

I'm tired, I've had enough pain. I'm going to Dali. I must be happy again. Wang Lei may be gone, but her dream lives on.

...

A phone rang; it was my dad calling. I lit a cigarette and answered, "Dad."

Have you eaten?

"I ate. A colleague got married today, so I went to the wedding banquet."

"How's work lately?"

Not wanting to disappoint him, I gritted my teeth and said, "It's fine."

"That's good. I know it's not easy for you in Shanghai, but Lu Jia is not getting any younger. Don't keep dragging her along like this. Find a suitable time to get married."

I was still lying: "It's probably not going to work this year... Lu Jia has been transferred to another job. She went abroad just last week."

"Go abroad! ...That's a long way, something bad could happen. Didn't you try to stop her?"

I replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Lu Jia isn't the kind of girl who's fickle. We've had a relationship for four years, so how could things just fall apart like that!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. After a long pause, someone said, "Your mother and I are both retired workers. We can't help you much. Just be mindful of your behavior and be sincere with that girl."

"Know."

"Let's bring Lu Jia back to our area for Chinese New Year this year. It's lively here, and it feels like Chinese New Year."

"Let's talk about it during the New Year. It's not certain whether she'll come back or not."

After chatting for a while, I hung up the phone. After thinking it over and over, I mustered up the courage to dial Lu Jia's number. This was the first time I'd done this since she left.

A soft female voice came through: "The number you dialed is no longer in use..." I seemed to see Lu Jia eager to distance herself from me. I shouldn't bother her either. I just wanted to ask her to cover up her lie and ask her how she was doing.

I threw down the phone and collapsed to the ground. I saw the moonlit night sky, like a mirror reflecting my own shattered state. Is life ultimately cruel or kind? If it's full of kindness, then why did such a good woman like Wang Lei leave in such a heartbreaking and unfortunate way?

I want to cry, but I don't want to shed a single tear for this shitty life.

...

I quit my job, gave up my rented apartment, and burned all my memories of Shanghai on the rooftop.

I packed my luggage and headed to the train station. Next stop: Dali.

Just as I was about to have my ticket checked, my former boss, Huang Heping, called me. He had treated me well, and I didn't hide my plans for the next step from him.

I assumed it was some kind of handover issue, so I answered the phone with some doubt and asked, "Mr. Huang, is there something wrong?"

Have you boarded the train?

"Get ready to check tickets."

"Don't check the tickets yet. A friend of mine has a daughter who insists on driving to Dali, and she's having a huge fight with her family. It's thousands of kilometers away, how can they let a young girl go? You're going too, so you can take turns driving and look after each other on the road."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!