16

Because of the connection to another murder, the police became more rigorous in their investigation. The room was changed to an interrogation room, and the person in charge was replaced by a middle-aged man with a face as pale as the bottom of a pot.

"Give it your all." said the person on the other side of the spotlight.

What to explain?

"Where did that videotape come from, and why did it appear at the crime scene?"

I do know the origins of that videotape; it was filmed by Li Zitong and me. I thought it had been destroyed long ago, but it unexpectedly appeared in the well, becoming one of the cursed tapes. As for why this happened, I have no idea. I'm afraid I can only find Li Zitong and ask for the answer.

After the summer vacation from fifth grade, although I was no longer threatened by Zheng Kun, I still often went to the video store to kill time. For a poor student who couldn't afford movie tickets, the appeal of free movies was quite significant. Of course, I would go there on weekends when Li Zitong was alone at the store.

How did she view me then? Did she find me a nuisance or was she indifferent? I still don't know the answer to this question. Although I often tactfully brought snacks, she never seemed pleased to see me, often even remaining silent. But she would always quietly make room for me.

She doesn't like people talking while watching movies. She might chat for a few minutes when changing the tape, but that's all.

Sometimes her mother would come to relieve her, and we would take the same bus home. We would chat a little on the way home, but usually I would do the talking and she would just listen.

"No one in the class seems nervous at all," I said. "Even though the entrance exam to junior high school is coming up, they're still playing marbles together during recess."

"I didn't realize you cared so much about grades."

"It has nothing to do with grades or anything like that! There have been a lot of predictions about the end of the world lately. They say that when the new millennium arrives, an asteroid will hit the Earth, completely destroying the ecosystem."

"Hmm." She responded nonchalantly, staring out the window.

"Don't take it lightly," I persuaded him earnestly. "After the asteroid hits, the atmosphere will be severely damaged, the forests will disappear, and the Earth will become uninhabitable. Before that doomsday comes, we must study hard and grow up to become self-reliant, otherwise we will definitely be eliminated by natural selection."

"What is the atmosphere?"

"Well, it's a layer of air that covers the surface of the earth, like a top hat. Have you ever heard of it?"

After spending time with her, I'd noticed Li Zitong's astonishing lack of common sense. She almost never read extracurricular books, and her parents, busy with their business, rarely seemed to initiate conversation with her. Her basic understanding of the world came almost entirely from movies, easily leading to cognitive biases that differed from those of the average person. For example, when discussing "Jurassic Park," she actually believed that dinosaurs were being raised on a small island in the Pacific.

Sometimes I would talk about myself, usually complaining about my poor family environment.

By then, my parents' conflict had gone from an open one to a cold war. They saw each other every day, but acted like strangers. I once brought this up with Gao Yang, but he didn't care at all, thinking it was fine.

"My parents quarrel at home every now and then. When it's serious, they often fight, causing feathers to fly everywhere and dishes to be broken. I envy your family's peaceful and calm way of dealing with things so much more than I can say," he said.

But I think that's a completely different matter. I've met his parents; they're both railway workers, living on pickled radish and rice porridge every day. They're very straightforward in their words and actions. It's impossible for them to resort to the cold shoulder like my parents did.

In comparison, Li Zitong was a more suitable person to confide in. Although he spoke little, he never argued back, nor did he show impatience. He always sat in the back seat and listened quietly.

"My parents are two people who don't like each other very much, but they happened to be bound together by marriage, so the conflicts never end. They never look for the reasons themselves, and are always used to putting the blame on me. I can't count how many times my mother told me in front of my father that if it weren't for me, she would have divorced my father long ago, and this marriage was a mistake. Then what am I? The cumulative result of the square of "mistakes"? Parents often inadvertently push their children into the abyss of self-loathing."

"Well, it's not easy for you either." Li Zitong comforted him rarely.

Occasionally, the topic of conversation would deviate to Li Zitong's family situation.

She had a younger brother, which was quite rare. At the time, the penalties for having more children than allowed were severe: not only were there fines, but parents working in state-owned enterprises could also lose their jobs. With the exception of her, all her classmates were only children.

I asked her what it was like to have a brother. She said it was nothing special.

"Our parents were quite fair to us."

"Really? I'm quite envious of your family's environment. Your parents are a model of parenting. I really want them to teach my parents a lesson."

She seemed to want to say something else, but her lips moved and no sound came out.

The bus arrived at the station. I ended the conversation with a sense of regret and parted ways with Li Zitong at the intersection.

Many years later, I suddenly realized that the experience on that road was like my own life. When you're alone, the road stretches straight ahead, with no end in sight. But with someone walking along, you'll always reach a fork in the road in the blink of an eye.

But if I were asked about our relationship at that time, I still feel that we were not even ordinary friends, but just acquaintances.

At school, Li Zitong and I were in the same class. Naturally, we'd run into each other from time to time, passing each other in the hallway or stumbling upon each other while entering or leaving the classroom. Yet, she seemed completely uninterested in my presence. Even when I, as the class representative, collected her homework, she wouldn't even raise an eyebrow, let alone lift her eyes from her workbook. Her pupils remained unchanged, lacking any depth or brilliance.

I understand her behavior. Kids that age love to tease each other about their close relationships. But she was being rather heartless.

She seemed to particularly avoid being the center of attention, remaining isolated in class and never speaking to anyone. When the teacher called on her in class, her responses were always brief and to the point (sometimes she simply said she didn't know the answer). Her test scores were also erratic. Sometimes she'd top the class, but the next time, she'd inevitably drop to around tenth place. I always felt like she did this on purpose. Perhaps she was trying to avoid being the center of attention by meticulously managing her scores, which was much more challenging than simply getting first place.

The exception was when she was in the shop. She was usually very polite to customers who were renting DVDs, answering every question and even recommending popular movies. Once, while we were watching a movie, a middle-aged, bald man came in. Li Zitong took the initiative to greet him and update him on the latest stock.

"I didn't realize he was so good at business." I sighed after the customer left.

"That person is a regular customer." She shrugged. "If I don't treat him well, my parents will get angry."

I recalled the times she had been so dismissive of me when I first came to borrow videos, and I couldn't help but feel that I was being treated differently. "When I first came, your attitude was particularly bad."

"Who told you to choose that kind of disc? I hate disgusting people." She answered bluntly.

Come on, those so-called disgusting discs are sold in your video store, and there are more direct and explicit ones in the attic. But I didn't say this out loud. Firstly, I understand that it is their livelihood need. Almost all video stores in the city sell those videotapes; secondly, her face turned very ugly. I guess she really hates this kind of topic.

"I was forced to come here to borrow it at that time," I protested.

"I know. Didn't I help you later?... Let's not talk about this anymore." She focused her attention on the movie again.

Before I finished watching the videotapes in the video store, the owner had already started replacing the discs. My last year of elementary school passed quickly, and I still couldn't shake off my fear of the end of the world. But I still had to go to school. I memorized Xunzi's "Encouragement to Study," learned to calculate the surface area and volume of solid figures, and got a barely passable score on the entrance exam.

After graduation, she and I attended different junior high schools. Adolescence is a very delicate time. Classmates change, uniforms change, textbooks change. Your body shape, voice, and perception of the world also begin to drastically change.

When I was in the eighth grade, a Hong Kong and Taiwan idol drama became a nationwide hit, sparking widespread controversy. From today's perspective, it's hard to imagine what was so noteworthy about such a cheesy idol drama. However, the media at the time focused their criticism on the drama's relationship issues, its values, and the ambiguous long hair styles of the four male protagonists, believing it to have a negative influence on young people.

Coincidentally, a high school student in our city committed suicide after becoming pregnant. The Education Bureau took this matter very seriously, and relevant documents were sent down to our junior high school. The homeroom teacher began investigating students involved in premature relationships. In fact, there were two or three such couples.

The students in the class were all aware of this, but the parents were completely unaware. They were quite surprised and it caused quite a stir.

When my mother heard about this, she became worried. Not only did she forbid me from watching any idol dramas, she also repeatedly checked my friendships and emphasized that academic studies were the most important thing.

I nodded in agreement, but deep down I disagreed. My mother was completely overthinking it. I wondered where she got her complete confidence in her son.

The boys in my class who were dating each other generally had some common characteristics: they were all good-spoken and good-looking. I didn't meet either of these criteria: I didn't have many friends, and I had nothing in common with the girls. I was plain-looking, short, and sat in the first three rows (I developed later than my peers, and only started to grow in high school).

But besides studying for exams, I sometimes couldn't help but ponder this question. Looking around, the only person of the opposite sex I could actually talk to was Li Zitong. While her personality might be a little quirky, her looks were impressive. She was the type who could easily make most guys have wild thoughts without even opening their mouths.

But in the end, our relationship was too subtle to be called friends. Furthermore, since we went to different schools, our opportunities to interact were even fewer, so my mother's concerns about this were purely overthinking.

So, when Li Zitong took the initiative to ask me to see a movie on Christmas Day of my second year in junior high school, I was actually quite surprised.

It was December, near the final exams, and she suddenly came to me and asked if I was free to go to the movies on the weekend.

I was somewhat surprised. In the past, I had always been the one to take the initiative when we went to the music store; she had never invited me out. Furthermore, I had rarely gone since I entered junior high school.

But since I had nothing to do on the weekend, I agreed immediately.

"Okay, at the usual time, I'll find you at the store."

"You don't watch DVDs in a store, you go to the cinema."

"Cinema?"

She named a recently released Hollywood blockbuster with an infatuated expression, "I heard there's a 3D version in theaters! The picture is completely three-dimensional."

"Is it so high-tech?" I was also surprised.

She agreed on a meeting place with me, emphasized that I should ride my bike there, and then left.

The next day, Gao Yang asked me to play basketball, and the time was also set for the weekend, so I had to decline.

"Look at your expression, are you having a date with someone of the opposite sex?" he joked.

I couldn't hide my pride, "Actually, someone asked me to go to the movies together."

"Is this true?" His expression twisted. "You actually have a girlfriend?"

"What are you thinking? Not really." I explained hastily, worried he might misunderstand me. "We're just ordinary friends. He's a huge movie buff. But it's inconvenient to go to the cinema alone, so he just wanted to bring someone along."

"But do you know what the weekend is? Christmas."

"Oh, what a coincidence." I calculated the date in my head. After all, Christmas is on the 24th or the 25th. "So what?"

"Don't you watch the news? You're so out of touch with the times. In the past two years, Christmas has become a date for couples, and businesses even have rose sales."

"Is this true?" This time it was my turn to be dumbfounded.

"Why would I lie to you? Just ask the couples in your class; they've already made plans for the weekend."

I was confused for a moment. Considering Li Zitong's usual behavior, she shouldn't have that kind of intention towards me. But what if...

"In short, whoever chooses that day to ask you to go to the movies most likely has an ulterior motive," Gao Yang said confidently.

For the next week, I tossed and turned every night, unable to sleep, repeatedly guessing what she meant by inviting me to the cinema, but I could never be sure of the answer.

Finally making it to the weekend, I woke up bright and early. The weather was clear, and outside the window I could see the vast sky and snow-white clouds. I spent a long time in front of the mirror combing my hair and changed into the new jacket I got for my birthday. Before I knew it, the agreed time was almost up, so I hurried out the door and hopped on my bike to the meeting place.

As soon as they met, Li Zitong complained unhappily, "You're late."

"It's only two or three minutes," I scratched my head. "Anyway, the Shuguang Cinema is nearby, so it won't waste any time."

"Who said we were going to that old cinema? We're going to the new Fengmao Cinema in the east of the city."

"Why do we have to go far away?"

"That's the only one that has the 3D version."

"Okay, I'll go park first." I was thinking about the bus route in my mind.

"Instead of taking the bus, you can take me there on your bike."

"Bike? Do you know how far that place is?"

"Of course I know. Taking the bus requires three transfers and a lot of detours, taking a total of one and a half hours. I have to rush back to the store at noon, so I don't have enough time. That's why I asked you to ride a bike. If you ride fast, you can get back in time." She looked as if it was a matter of course.

I sighed and patted the back seat, "Come on in."

She slid sideways onto the back seat, gripping the metal frame to keep a proper distance from me as I pedaled. Even so, the breeze from behind still blew through her long hair, bringing with it the faint scent of shampoo. Suddenly, I realized, was this even part of a date?

But soon I stopped thinking about it. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way, and Li Zitong was urging me from behind, "Hurry up, the race is about to start," or "It's all your fault for being late." I pedaled hard, panting, my muscles tense.

My jacket was a bit stuffy in this season, but I wanted to take it off, but I didn't have the time. I was soon sweating profusely, and my hair, which I had carefully styled this morning, was already drooping, sticking wetly to my forehead.

After rushing all the way, I finally arrived at the new cinema five minutes before the show started. I pulled over to the side of the road, panting heavily as I said, "Wait here for a moment. I'll go buy the tickets."

Li Zitong jumped out of the back seat, took out the paper ticket and waved it in front of me, "No need, I bought it a week in advance."

But no matter how you look at it, she only has one ticket.

"Um, where's my ticket?"

"My pocket money is so meager that I can only afford my own," she said calmly. "If you're interested in 3D movies, there's still time to buy one. I'm going in first."

After saying that, she left me stunned and walked into the cinema alone.

I rushed to the ticket office, but was told that the tickets were sold out.

"Aren't there any other sessions?"

"A company has reserved the entire theater this morning, so there aren't many extra tickets. Let's wait until the afternoon," said the ticket seller without even looking up.

I walked out of the ticket office dejectedly, finally realizing that Li Zitong had no other intentions than to use me as a free transportation tool. She couldn't ride a bike.

I kicked an empty Coke can that someone had discarded on the side of the road. It flew toward the trash can, but missed, hitting the edge and bouncing back. I might as well just go home. I thought, but if I did that, Li Zitong wouldn't be able to get back in time.

After all, I owed her a lot, so I couldn't just leave her like that. Luckily, there was an arcade on the first floor of the cinema, and I used the change in my pocket to at least kill two hours of my boring time.

As the movie ended, the crowd poured out like a flushed toilet. I waited at the door, intending to complain to Li Zitong. But from a distance, I noticed her expression was grim, and I swallowed the words I had about to say.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "It's terrible."

"Not feeling well?"

"I mean the movie. It's terrible! The plot is so disjointed, with car chases and explosions filling the air. The so-called 3D is terrible too. It's just a pair of red and blue glasses, and the whole time I was dizzy, I didn't feel any 3D effect at all."

"What? It's no big deal. At least you got to see the movie. By comparison, I couldn't even buy a ticket and had to wait outside for two hours..."

"What do you mean it's no big deal?" Her expression changed seldom. "Do you know how long I've been looking forward to this movie? The movie ticket cost me six months' savings."

She kept complaining, leaving no room for interruption. I sighed and reminded her that if she didn't get back soon, it would be too late. Only then did she reluctantly shut up.

My energy was almost exhausted, and I had to ride slowly on the way back. Fortunately, Li Zitong stopped pushing me and immersed himself in his critique of contemporary film art.

"I really don't know what's going on with movies these days. Technology is constantly improving, but the only thing that's changing is the special effects. In comparison, the level of directors isn't even close to what it used to be."

"Why don't you just make one yourself?" I couldn't help but interrupt.

"Um?"

"I mean, even those third-rate crappy movies can be released openly, so maybe you can make it too. Well, maybe it will be a big hit, right?" I joked.

I heard her take a slow breath and let out a small sigh from deep in her throat, and then she didn't speak again.

After arriving at the door of the music store, she jumped off the back of the bicycle and left without even a word of thanks, which made me very angry.

Back then, I had no idea she was planning to make a film. For example, even the most basic necessity—a video camera—wasn't something a student could afford. This was the 1990s, and the average person didn't even have a camera, let alone multi-functional digital gadgets like cell phones. High-tech gadgets like video cameras were probably only available to TV stations.

But I underestimated her ability to take action. I'm afraid that many of the subsequent troubles were caused by my unintentional joke.