2

However, I arrived in Changshu and still hadn't seen him. The meeting place kept changing, five times so far. There was no pattern to the designated locations; sometimes I even found myself going in circles and back to the starting point. But the overall direction was westward. My father called me countless times, but I didn't dare answer.

From the third time we changed locations, the car entered a rainy area. The night deepened, the ground became slippery, and the cold rain clung to the car window like gray sputum, impossible to clear no matter how hard the wipers tried. The rain obscured everything. Although I've never drunk driven before, I imagine this must be what it feels like.

I forced myself to steady the steering wheel. Fatigue clung to my back, and I couldn't shake it off. I felt like a machine, driven by the navigation system. The place names on the map were completely unfamiliar, and I had no idea where I was.

The rain was getting heavier, and the road we were driving on was no longer even a highway. Without streetlights, the only visible distance was the mere ten meters illuminated by the high beams. I was forced to slow down to under 60 mph. Fortunately, the time limits on the other end of the phone were becoming increasingly relaxed.

After turning a sharp corner, the view suddenly widened. Fatigued, it took me several seconds to react and slam on the brakes. The tires bit into the gravel, and I heard the sound of stones hitting the fender. Then, the front of the car hit the cliff guardrail, and the airbag pressed in like a thick wall.

I don't know how long I was unconscious, maybe half an hour, maybe just a few seconds. It was the ringing of my cell phone that awoke me. I struggled to my feet and answered the call.

"You're ten minutes late." There was no trace of emotion in the voice.

"It's almost there, really," I pleaded.

"Last ten minutes." He hung up the phone.

I tried to start the car, but it wouldn't start. White smoke billowed from the hood in the rain. I kicked the door, got out, and ran.

I was on what seemed to be a cliff by the river. I ran downhill until I soon reached the river's edge. Just as my cardiorespiratory stress was reaching its limit, the navigation system on my phone announced, "You have arrived at your destination."

Destination? I looked around. There was no one in sight, no vehicles, and no buildings. To my left were cliffs, and to my right lay the dark river. A tour boat was moored not far away.

As if it could monitor my location, my phone rang and the other party demanded, "Are you there yet?"

"arrive."

Suddenly there was a sharp whistle, which scared me so much that I trembled all over.

"It seems you have indeed arrived. Come on board."

Only then did I realize it was the tour boat honking its horn, confirming my location from the echoing call. The other party was clearly on that boat. But the problem was how to get on board. There was no dock nearby, no shuttle boats or anything like that.

"Why don't you just swim over? It's only a few dozen meters away. There's a ladder at the stern, you can just climb up from there." The other party said lightly.

"But what about the phone? It's been submerged in water and I can't make calls or follow your instructions."

"Just throw that thing on the shore. Don't worry, I'm on the boat. I'll talk to you in person when I get up. Oh, and remember to bring the 'Dawn Star' with you."

After hanging up, I shared my current satellite location information with my father. After a moment's thought, I added a voice message, "I'm sorry, her life is in danger. I can't just ignore her."

I took off my coat, left my phone on the shore, climbed over the railing and stepped into the river. After stumbling four or five meters, the water was already bottomless. I fought the current, paddling forward. Fortunately, the boat wasn't too far from the shore, and I finally managed to grab the handle of the ladder and struggled to climb up.

After reaching the deck, I carefully observed the surroundings. This was a typical Yangtze River cruise ship, with viewing platforms at the bow and stern, and a spacious observation cabin in the center.

"Tourists boarding the ship, please go to the observation cabin on the second floor. Guests boarding the ship, please go to the observation cabin on the second floor." The loudspeaker broadcast over and over again. At first glance, it sounded like a common tourist guide broadcast, but the voice was obviously that person's.

The second-floor observation deck wasn't hard to find; it was a straight path leading to the stairs, with signposts all along the way. I struggled up one level and, as soon as I stepped into the deck, the announcement changed. "Please stop and take a seat in the first row."

I sat down as instructed. In the faint moonlight, I could clearly see the entire cabin. There was no one else, only rows of empty seats. At the far end of the cabin was the cockpit. Through the glass, I could vaguely see someone sitting inside, holding a microphone.

"Thank you for your hard work. Let's trade here." His voice said on the radio.

"Where is Li Zitong?"

"Don't worry, just take out the things and I'll let her go."

"No," I said firmly, "Let me see her first."

The other party uttered a gasp, "How about this, we both make a concession? First, show me the thing and let me see if it's genuine, and then I'll let you see her."

I untied the bag tied to my arm, took out the crown, and placed it on the table in front of me.

"I can't see it this way because the seatback is blocking it. Put it on the carpet in the middle aisle."

I thought about it and decided it would be best to do as I was told. So I carefully placed the crown on the aisle at my feet, maintaining my bent posture.

"The light is too dim. I still can't see clearly."

"Stop nagging!" I finally couldn't bear it any longer. "I've been doing what you said all night. Let me see her!"

"Oh, how impatient. Okay, wait, let me change the channel."

After a burst of piercing electronic noise, Li Zitong's voice came, "There's a water leak here, can you hear it, bastard!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "It's me! Where are you?"

But the channel was cut off and the man's voice came again.

"She's right under your feet, in the lower cabin. Locked to the seat, you can't save her without the key. There's a flashlight hanging in the cabinet next to you. Open it and shine it on the crown. If it's not a fake, I'll let her go immediately."

There were indeed firefighting equipment and a flashlight in the storage cabinet, and the door was already open. I pulled out the flashlight and covered the front of it with my hand before turning it on.

But the instant I flipped the switch, I was still blind. My vision suddenly went pure white, as if I had stepped into an explosion. For over ten seconds, my pupils couldn't shrink, and tears kept flowing. I leaned back in my chair, waving my flashlight to prevent any sneak attacks.

After repeatedly rubbing his eye sockets, his vision finally returned to normal. There was no one in sight, and the crown beneath his feet had vanished, too. More accurately, it had vanished along with the entire carpet. He shone his flashlight towards the cab, only to find a mannequin.

I shone the flashlight towards the source of the bright light and discovered it was a fill light I'd seen on movie sets. It was such a simple trap, and I'd fallen for it twice in a row.

There was the sound of something heavy falling into the water. I rushed out of the observation cabin and saw in the distance a series of ripples moving towards the riverbank, with a clear figure at the end of the ripples.

With the crown in hand, there was no reason for that guy to stay on the ship. I hesitated for a second on whether to give chase, but decided to go to the bottom warehouse to rescue Li Zitong first.

Surprisingly, the bottom hold wasn't locked at all. The heavy door slid open with a little effort, and a tangy, musty smell washed over me. This cabin looked like a tourist cabin, but the conditions were noticeably worse. The seats were cramped, there was no TV on the wall, no portholes, and only a few green lifebuoys.

I called her name and a response came from the dark corner.

"I knew you would come," she replied.

I burst into tears of joy and rushed over to hug her. She didn't get up from her seat, but simply leaned her head on my shoulder, her right hand behind her back. Puzzled, I raised my flashlight and realized why: her right hand was handcuffed, the other end of the handcuff locked to the seat.

"I'll help you get it off." I pried it open with all my might, and then I realized the handcuffs were real, impossible to break with my bare hands. I tried to pull on the seat, but it wouldn't budge. Leaning over, I saw it was welded directly to the hull.

I heard the sound of sirens in the distance. Listening carefully, I realized it was more than one car, coming from the shore. I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's safe now."

"But I'm worried it's too late. Let's look down at the ground," said Li Zitong.

I looked down and was shocked. I had noticed some water when I entered the bottom tank, but I thought it was just liquefied moisture and didn't pay much attention to it. But now the water was up to my ankles and icy cold.

"Why is the boat leaking..." I muttered to myself, "Did he do it?"

"It must be him," she nodded. "He'll use the rescue operation to delay the police so he can escape."

Furious and anxious, I grabbed the handcuffs and twisted them. Li Zitong cried out in pain, and when I shone the flashlight on her wrists, I saw they were covered in bruises and scars.

I was heartbroken, but there was nothing I could do. I turned to look for tools to open the lock in the cabin, but there was nothing except a swimming ring and a fire extinguisher.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher and repeatedly smashed it against the connection between the handcuffs and the seat, causing sparks to fly and the fire extinguisher to collapse into a corner, but the handcuffs remained intact.

"If you hit it again, the fire extinguisher will explode." Li Zitong said, his voice surprisingly calm.

The river water had reached her waist, and I hugged her and choked with sobs.

"It's all my fault. I should have just called the police. How could I have thought that coming alone would be enough..."

"It's okay." She responded softly, "I don't blame you at all. On the contrary, I'm very happy. It's good to see you one last time."

I wiped my tears and gathered myself, "I'll go to the deck to call for help."

Red and blue police lights flashed on the shore. I called out for help, but the wind was blowing hard, and there was no response from the shore. The riverbank, stretching for several kilometers, was desolate, with not a single boat in sight. By the time the police arrived, the cruise ship would likely have already sunk.

Everything is over. There seems to be only one thing left to do.

After making the final decision, I felt relieved. Returning to the bottom warehouse, I felt that the river tide was not rising as fast as before.

"What's the situation?" Li Zitong asked.

I sat down next to her, chest down in the water. "We've spoken to the police, and the lifeboat is on the way. We just need to wait here."

"You know, you have a good habit of rubbing the tip of your nose when you lie."

I put down the hand that was rubbing my nose. "Is that so? But I can't help it. I'm a little tired. Can I sit with you for a while?"

"Stop joking!" Her voice suddenly became panicked. "You're not locked up, get out now!"

"Just a little while longer. This is a cruise ship, isn't it romantic? Close your eyes and imagine we're on our honeymoon, sailing to a foreign country."

"Romantic, you big-headed devil!" She kicked out from under the water, splashing water in our faces. "There's water everywhere."

"The environment is indeed a little disappointing, a bit damp. But I mind something else."

"Stop talking nonsense, it will be too late if you don't run away now!"

"It's too dark here," I touched her cheek with my fingertips, brushing away the wet hair that was stuck to her forehead, "I can't see your face clearly."

She turned her face away, dodging my hand. "Don't you realize what time it is? You still have the mind to be so slick."

"It seems a bit inappropriate. I might as well be honest." I took a deep breath. "Due to various objective reasons, I lost you and lived alone for many years. Personally, I don't like that lifestyle anyway."

"Stop talking nonsense..."

"I don't want to live in a world without you. A world without you is like chewed gum, a black and white painting, or a movie without a soundtrack. I can't stay in that kind of hell even for a single day."

She turned around, her eyes sparkling with stars.

"If we're going to die, let's die together." I declared resolutely.

After a long silence, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I regret it, I really regret it."

"Why?"

"I regret...I regret picking up that deposit slip. It would be so much better if I could just pretend I knew nothing and live a peaceful life."

"You are not wrong, it is that person who is wrong."

"Okay, let's stop spoiling the fun and chat. Remember when we watched movies together as kids? Before the new millennium, we watched a movie together. It was about the same shipwreck, and we were both planning to die together."

"I remember you didn't like that movie very much."

"Isn't it because of you? When you were watching the sketching scene, your eyes were too dirty and obscene."

"How is that possible?"

"You're about to die, and you're still stubborn?"

"Okay. I didn't understand anything at the time, but out of curiosity, I probably cared a little."

"Actually, I love that movie. While you were away, I watched it privately over and over again. I know the entire movie by heart, especially the scene where the hero and heroine are trying to survive after their ship hits an iceberg and sinks. The heroine originally wanted to die with him, but his last words gave her the courage to live."

"I remember that too," I responded bitterly.

"Excellent. Now you understand what I mean without me having to repeat it."

"That's just a line from a movie."

"But it's also the truth of life." She put her ear to my chest, as if searching for the sound of my heartbeat. "You know what? I've always wanted to look into your heart, but unfortunately, this ridiculous wish can't be fulfilled. But even if I haven't been there, I know very clearly that there lives another me, more vivid and beautiful than the real me. As long as your heart keeps beating, I will still be alive. So, you have to live on, even if you are alone."

"I can't do it. I can't leave you alone in the dark water to die." I cried out loudly.

"You can do it, for me." She put her forehead against mine, wet and cold. "I want you to remember me forever. When you are old and have many children and grandchildren, lying on your sickbed, you can still remember my name, my appearance, my body temperature, the touch of my lips, and how I lived."

"But……"

The water had already reached my neck and the tip of her nose.

"Carry my memories with you and live well."