I searched for him everywhere
The timeline goes back to half a month ago.
Late at night, on a deserted suburban road, a bus slowly pulled up. In the hazy yellow light, a girl in a wide-sleeved gown, a high ponytail, and slippers stepped out. She stood in front of the worn license plate, watching the bus depart. The endless road, the intermittent chirping of birds in the forest, the streetlights hanging high above, stretching into the distance, and the moon, frozen beyond the tower crane.
These scenes seemed to be still, but in fact time was flowing. A small, black, furry head popped out from the back of the girl's neck, looked around, and let out a soft moan.
"We're here, He'an, but where do we go next? I don't know the way." The girl pulled out a red string hanging from her neck, found a brightly lit area, and placed a black chess piece on the string in front of her right eye, closing her other eye. After staring at it for a moment, she said somewhat discouragedly, "Just go wherever you want. If you go the wrong way, just come back."
But how could she have gone the wrong way? She didn't have a precise destination, and she didn't like backtracking. She had a map hanging around her neck, but she had no idea where it came from, and why should she trust its directions?
It was early morning. The city streets were all lit, but there were few people. She walked into an unfamiliar street, but there she saw familiar words.
A small shop, its sign against an orange background, read "A Small Room of Peace" in white block script. In the lower right corner, a line of smaller characters read "Pet Hospital." A girl stood at the door, peering through the glass for a long time. She saw a doctor in a white coat busying around among a group of noisy little animals.
The summer night wasn't cold, but the girl felt embarrassed because her pockets were empty. She habitually looked up at the sky, feeling even more desolate.
At that moment, the door to the veterinary clinic opened. A doctor in a white coat, about forty years old, with gold-rimmed glasses and a handsome figure, clutched two black trash bags. He glanced at the girl standing at the door, then went to throw away the trash. Returning, he glanced at her again, walked to the door, and ascended a flight of steps. He paused, adjusted his glasses, which hadn't slipped off, and turned to the girl, asking, "Are you here to see a doctor for your pet?" Because the animal in the girl's arms wasn't something he recognized—it looked like a cat, but it wasn't one—he called it a "pet."
The girl subconsciously glanced around to make sure the other person was talking to her. She quickly answered, stuttering out her purpose, "Excuse me... um... I... I was just walking around here... He Ai was injured... um... My cat was injured, 'He Ai' is its name. Can you help... take a look? But I don't have any money."
"Come in first." The doctor opened the door, stood aside, and invited the girl in.
"Its name is quite interesting." Since the girl had said it was a cat, he decided to assume it was a cat. The doctor examined the kitten's injuries and found them to be fine. He applied some medicine, bandaged it, and he was done. It was a pure black cat with long mane, more like a lion. Its eyes shone slightly green, and occasionally, looking into its eyes could send a chill down your spine. Many people consider black cats unlucky.
"I named it that. Because it has a very gentle temperament, unlike the other one that shows its teeth and claws all the time, which is very scary." The girl was grateful for the doctor's help and tried her best to express her flattering attitude in her words.
"Is your mother okay?"
"What?" The girl didn't understand what the doctor said.
The doctor glanced at her, a smile hidden in his eyes as he lowered his head to care for the kitten's fur. "Do you have another cat like this at home?"
The girl didn't think there was anything wrong with the doctor's words and continued to talk happily, "It should be different. I haven't seen it before. But, doctor, how long will it take to heal?"
"A month." The doctor washed his hands and went off to work for a while before returning with two plates: one containing cat food and the other a sandwich. The little black cat sniffed and walked away, only to return a moment later for a couple of bites. The girl found a spacious doghouse and fell asleep, her bare feet kicking off her slippers.
The next day, the sun awoke her. The girl stood up, petted the kitten in her arms, and stared at the clock on the wall for a long time. She muttered something to herself before telling the kitten, "It's already nine o'clock."
She searched the store but didn't see the doctor. There were a few breakfast items on the table with a note next to them, saying that the items on the table were prepared for her, and there was also an envelope, which was a gift for her. There was some money in the envelope. She ate her breakfast, walked out the door, turned around and bowed deeply to the store before leaving. She didn't touch the money in the envelope. Being able to spend a peaceful night, have a full meal, and have He Ai treated for his injuries was already a great favor. The girl understood that she could not accept any other benefits. She would remember these favors and would definitely repay them when she had the chance in the future. "The Little Room of Peace of Mind" is a pet hospital. The doctor's surname is Lin, and his name is Houzai. He is actually much older than he looks, 58 years old. She will remember it.
Next, she would find a place, and someone there. In this complex city, there were words she couldn't recognize, and she couldn't tell the directions people spoke. She kept returning to familiar places and starting over. She found herself increasingly attached to familiar places. Even if she had only visited them once, it felt more reassuring than a place she had never set foot in. She couldn't help but blame herself, wondering why she had become like this.
Yingzhou Art Academy. The girl stood at the door, watching the people coming and going, afraid to miss anyone. Security came over and chased her away again and again.
"Young lady, why don't you go back and ask the person you're looking for what major and grade they're in before you come back?" the security guard kindly suggested. After all, such a search would probably take some time. There were more than one school gate, and she might not be aware of it. She wasn't a student, and she only said she was looking for someone named Hui Zifeng. She didn't know anything else. When asked what she was looking for, the girl became wary and stood a little further away from the security guard. The security guard, fearing that this girl might appear harmless but actually be a scorpion, left her alone.
Half a day had passed and the girl became a little anxious. She started stopping people and asking if they had seen Hui Zifeng.
"Hui Zifeng? I don't know him."
"Hui Zifeng? I know several Hui Zifengs. Which one are you looking for?" A classmate helped to make a video call to the person named Hui Zifeng, but the result was not satisfactory. He was not the one the girl was looking for.
"What on earth do you want to do with Hui Zifeng? Do you have his photo?" The security guard couldn't help himself and ran out to help her.
"Photo? No." The girl was stunned. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "I know what he looks like. Do you have paper and a pen? Brother, I can draw him with a pencil."
In just a few minutes, with just a few strokes, a handsome male portrait took shape. The security guard was overjoyed and said excitedly, "Why not draw it earlier? Hey, Song Shiwen, there's a female classmate here looking for someone from your hometown. Can you help her find him?"
The boy who was called walked back, looked the girl up and down, suppressed his smile, and took out his cell phone to make a call.
"Lao Hui, there's a beautiful girl looking for you at the west gate of the school. Come over quickly."
The girl hurriedly introduced herself, "My name is Lu Cangyue."
Song Shiwen hung up the phone, his mouth twisted. "Lu Cangyue? Lu as in sika deer? What hide? Zang as in hide-and-seek? Yue as in moon?" Seeing the girl nod, he felt proud for some reason and continued, "Hello, my name is Song Shiwen, Song for Song Dynasty, Shi for time, and Wen for text. Song Shiwen."
"What did Hui Zifeng say? Is he coming to see me?" The girl couldn't bear to interrupt Song Shiwen's self-introduction, but he kept talking, so she waited for him to take a breath and then hurriedly interrupted him.
"What do you want with him?" Song Shiwen shuddered, raised his hand, gently supported the girl's arm, and guided her to make way for the other students. "That guy is so cold and aloof. He doesn't care about anyone. All he does every day is think about is finding a song or painting. He's not in his right mind. So why are you looking for him?"
"I just want to make friends with him," the girl said.
Song Shiwen rolled his eyes, approached the girl, and whispered, "Classmate, there are many beautiful women out there, why bother to love just one? I'll take you to see it, and you'll know. Hui Zifeng only gets a high score for her face, but everything else is awful. Come on, I'll take you to see it."
He was completely rotten. The girl hesitated. After all, a completely rotten person shouldn't be approached at any time. Song Shiwen seemed quite enthusiastic, though he was a bit talkative. The girl liked him quite a bit. However, she realized that he wasn't really serious about taking her to find Hui Zifeng.
Song Shiwen had an electric car, and his name was Cangyue, who sat in the back seat.
"Can this kind of car carry people?" the girl doubted.
"No problem! Just avoid the traffic police!"
The two walked through the streets and alleys for a long time, and indeed they encountered a traffic policeman, and another police chase ensued. The girl was very worried, but Song Shiwen was extremely excited, even though he was finally caught and taken to the police station for a severe lecture.
When I came out of the police station, it was already dark.
"Don't be unhappy! Let's go eat first, and then go find him after dinner. I'll take you to eat something delicious. Hui Zifeng must be very busy at this time." Song Shiwen said.
"Why?"
"Because he's delivering food, making money, you know? Making money. That guy often delivers food. Sometimes he delivers other things too. He's obviously someone who has plenty of money, but I don't know what he's doing all the time."
"What?"
"Flirting... you know what I mean? It's just like that..." Song Shiwen winked at the girl, doing his best to imitate her. "Haha... just kidding, Hui Zifeng is so boring. He even coldly rejects a girl's affection. So, why are you looking for him? You might as well look for me."
Song Shiwen seemed to think the girl had some mental issues, which was why he had to explain each key word so many times. Of course, she knew what it meant to make money and what it meant to flirt. It was getting late, so it was not good to bother anyone. Dinner? She had to find dinner, but she didn't like the person next to her.
"I'm thirsty. Can you help me get some water?" said the girl.
"Of course! I'm going to buy some water." Song Shiwen stuffed his backpack into the girl's pocket. This was his trick, to prevent her from running away without saying a word. He looked around and found a store. After walking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Why don't you come with me?"
"What? Are you afraid that I'll run away?" The girl picked up Song Shiwen's things and said, "I'll wait for you here."
"Okay, wait for me here and don't run around!" He kept telling her like a child. He quickened his pace, and before he walked into the store, his eyes were still on the girl.
About half a minute later, Song Shiwen emerged from the store. Standing at the doorway, he stared blankly at the water in his hand, then looked up at the sky. He touched his shoulder and searched his trouser pocket for his electric bike keys. Finally, he caught a glimpse of the girl standing ten meters away, clutching his belongings. He recognized her because of the ugly monkey he had crafted on her backpack.
"Excuse me..." Song Shiwen approached the girl and spoke cautiously, "This seems to be my thing..." He was worried about making a mistake, so he double-checked and muttered to himself, "Did I lose it when? Why is it in your hands?"
"These are your things. You asked me to take care of them for you just now. Now, I'm returning them to you. Goodbye." The girl returned all the things in her arms to Song Shiwen, who was still confused, and said goodbye decisively.
"Do I know her?" Song Shiwen felt like he'd missed something important, but he couldn't remember what it was. Back in the dorm, he asked his friends, "Did I do anything today? Is anyone looking for Hui Zifeng?"
"Are you dreaming?" The friend who was playing games responded impatiently.
"Why did I ride my bike so far? Did I take the wrong medicine?" Song Shiwen fell into self-doubt, but after a good night's sleep, he forgot all these doubts.
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