Goodbye is for the sake of seeing each other again.
The following day, the group investigating Fei Li's interpersonal relationships discovered that Fei Li had visited a bar before his death, and it wasn't his first time there.
According to the surveillance footage, Fei Li was the last to arrive. The private room was large and not crowded. In addition to the two men from outside the community, there were two hostesses and Fei Li, making a total of five people.
There weren't many people, but the private room was filled with smoke, so thick and smoky that you could vaguely make out human figures.
Fei Li first poured wine for the two of them, and then toasted each of them. It was a little after 10:40 p.m., not a special time. He was probably being polite about being late.
There was no more surveillance footage after that. The bar said the surveillance system malfunctioned and didn't capture anything during the maintenance period.
Following the hotel owner's lead, the police then investigated the surveillance footage from the previous few days.
In the center of the bar's dance floor, Fei Li started dancing wildly after coming out of the restroom, twisting and turning his body.
He doesn't look like a student at all.
...
Then, the surveillance stopped again. The bar explained that the surveillance system had been malfunctioning for several days, and they had contacted maintenance personnel in advance, so the surveillance cameras would not capture much of the footage during those days.
After watching the surveillance footage, the entire group of police officers stood still without uttering a sound.
It's very strange.
Everyone can sense it, but no one knows where the problem lies.
This should be the last time Fei Li was recorded on surveillance footage; a few days later, Fei Li disappeared.
Li Rong said, "Send all the people in the video to the computer for analysis, then have someone draw their self-portraits and see if we can find out anything."
Sending the video to a computer for a simulation is essentially a computer reconstruction process to improve video clarity. Then, a self-portrait is drawn using some blurred movements and shapes. This requires not only superb artistic skills but also a thorough understanding of the human body.
Duan Ruiming was the one who watched the video most carefully, and thankfully, he breathed a slight sigh of relief after watching it.
Xu Li was not seen in the video.
Even if Xu Li worked at a bar, that was a matter for later. Duan Ruiming, who didn't know Xu Li well, thought that Xu Li probably wouldn't go to a bar.
Since Xu Li wasn't seen in the surveillance footage, it means we haven't found any clues yet.
Based on the current evidence, it is not sufficient to summon Xu Li.
As the group disbanded, Li Rong gave Duan Ruiming a meaningful look. The two exchanged a glance in mid-air before looking away without saying a word.
That evening, Jiang Li pulled Duan Ruiming aside and asked somewhat furtively, "Are you still in contact with Captain Xu's daughter?"
Duan Ruiming had already guessed the general idea, but he pretended not to know and asked, following Jiang Li's words, "What's wrong?"
"Officer Li asked me a question, but I didn't know what was going on. It seemed like they'd traced it back to Captain Xu, but I didn't know what they'd found out..."
"No, it's been a long time since we've been in touch."
That's true. It was always Duan Ruiming who sent messages and called Xu Li, and Xu Li never replied, so they couldn't be considered to have been in contact.
——
**
Xu Li finally got a good night's sleep, something she hadn't done in a long time.
The bed was empty, with only a simple pillow and blanket, yet it seemed to allow one to remain forever immersed in it.
But how could such a daydream possibly come true? She didn't know what it felt like. Watching time slip by, it wasn't like the college entrance exam, which brought tension, fear, or excitement, and made her rush forward with all her might. Instead, it was a faint sadness, a slow acceptance of the unacceptable.
It doesn't give you a quick result, but rather lets you know the pain little by little, and then deprives you of the right to resist. Of course, if it were really quick, Xu Li wouldn't be able to accept it either.
The word "farewell" is like a rusty knife, piercing the flesh; it hurts whether it's quick or slow.
Even if something has been said, it doesn't mean it will be accepted. Besides, Xu Li didn't say anything substantial.
The secret is still in my heart. Perhaps there will be a day when I can tell it out, but definitely not now, and I will not tell Zhou Junchang so openly.
This takes a lot of courage, and Xu Li has never been one to face challenges head-on; her first reaction to problems is to run away.
But regarding the matter of parting, because there was no way to escape it, Xu Li was only willing to say it at the very last moment: there would inevitably be a day when the two of them would separate, from the moment she met Fei Li's parents, from the moment Duan Ruiming found her, from the moment she arrived in Yangcheng...
Last night, Xu Li thought about all the things that happened between the two of them, and the memories came flooding back like a revolving lantern.
Xu Li had heard rumors about the revolving lantern, which said that when a person is about to die, frames of images will appear in their mind like a revolving lantern. These images are not things that were very memorable in your life, but rather very small things that you suddenly realize you remember.
Then she said, "I want to hear you sing."
This was the first time in a long time that Xu Li had made such a request to Zhou Junchang. Usually, she was playful and joking; no one was better at manipulating people than her.
What should we sing?
"What song did you sing in the private room last time? I'd like to hear you sing it again."
Last time in the private room, perhaps because of the microphone, Zhou Junchang's voice sounded more muffled.
This time, Xu Li listened quietly and noticed that the moment Zhou Junchang opened his mouth, the whole world fell silent. His voice was deep and gentle. Although it was cold at the moment, his voice was warm, like the summer night breeze, flowing through the ears and body, and quietly blowing into everyone's heart.
I'm writing you a letter on a winter night.
Don't forget the one you love.
Forget she once shone in your time.
No matter how far or near you are
All of these are lucky things
Having someone to miss means you won't be sad.
..."
After one part of the song was finished, Xu Li waited a long time for the next part to be heard.
"You're not going to sing anymore? Want to sing another one?"
Xu Li smiled and said, "Okay."
"What else would you like to hear?"
What do you want to sing?
Then, the words slowly flowed from his lips: "He said that no amount of beauty you are praised by others can compare to the first time he met you..."
Xu Li later learned that the song was called "Nanshan Nan" and was a folk song.
The lyrics don't explicitly express emotions, but they precisely resonate with people. So much so that every time Xu Li hears this song afterward, she remembers singing it to her while trying to hold back her tears.
Tears welled up in Zhou Jun's eyes. He didn't dare to look at Xu Li. Xu Li was also relieved that if the two of them looked at each other, Xu Li would also be unable to hold back her tears.
Even after the song ended, the melody seemed to linger, and the atmosphere it created lingered in the air.
She recalled the time when Zhou Junchang had just been discharged from the hospital, and he stood guard outside her door. At that time, Xu Li asked Zhou Junchang if he believed in her.
If we could go back to the time when the two first became acquainted, Xu Li could openly ask Zhou Junchang whether he believed in her, and at that time, Xu Li wouldn't care at all about Zhou Junchang's answer.
But now, Xu Li knows that whether Zhou Junchang believes her or not is very important to her, so when she asks Zhou Junchang if he believes her, she is actually very nervous. No one's answer has ever made her so nervous. She is no longer as natural and indifferent as she was at the beginning, and many things have changed.
If she had more time, Xu Li would have liked to pack up properly and leave quietly. But things happened so suddenly that the deadline for parting was approaching before anyone was ready.
Then there was the text message from Duan Ruiming, and Xu Li was even more at a loss. Everything was piling up at once, there was the matter of Tianguang Hall, she hadn't even met with Zhou Ji yet, and Zhou Junchang's injuries hadn't healed...
Xu Li didn't know if she could come back after leaving this time, or if she would have the courage to come back. She didn't know what she would face or what awaited her.
She had thought about this question countless times. Before coming to Yangcheng, Xu Li had already accepted many things, including that she would one day leave, or leave in an undignified way. She went to work as usual, always preparing for this day. But meeting Zhou Junchang disrupted everything. She began to become greedy, and even began to hope that she could really stay here forever. She began to feel nostalgic, and she also began to feel afraid—afraid of Duan Ruiming, afraid of the police, afraid of what happened to Fei Li…
Judging from Duan Ruiming's message, he really didn't have time left. Just as Duan Ruiming said, perhaps he could still have a chance if he went back. Perhaps he really couldn't run away anymore.
Looking at the luggage in the room, even though she was reluctant, Xu Li still had to make a decision.
This day will come eventually.
Leaving now is to leave room for the future. Perhaps Xu Li will have the courage to come back, or perhaps she won't. But that's all a long time from now. Xu Li just doesn't want to wait until she wants to come back but can't. The sadness at that time will definitely be no less than it is now.
So, goodbye is for the sake of seeing each other again.
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