Chapter 58
Lu Baiyan stood in front of that alley once again.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the alleyway in gold, just like that twilight that changed everything. A year has passed, and it looks no different than usual, except for that small patch of color in the corner that can never be washed away, a reminder of what once happened.
He walked in slowly, each step heavy as if he were dragging a thousand-pound burden. The alley was deep, dimly lit, and there seemed to be a faint, lingering smell of blood in the air.
Here, he constructed countless "loops":
On the first "loop", he stopped Xu Nianlei, who was heading to the alley.
In the second "cycle," he called the police in advance and had Xu Jianguo arrested.
In the third "cycle," he taught her how to rebel.
The fourth, fifth, sixth...
In those fantasies, he saved her time and time again, watched her grow up, and accompanied her toward a bright future.
But the reality is, he couldn't save her even once.
He leaned against the cold wall, then slowly slid down to the floor. His phone vibrated in his pocket; it was a timed message he'd set himself.
Xu Nianlei: Today is the first day of school at F University. The weather in the south is great.
How ridiculous. He even devised such a meticulous plan to deceive himself.
The distant sounds of students leaving school filled the air, vibrant with youthful energy and life. But all of that was irrelevant to him now. His time was forever frozen at that dusk, frozen in the last glance the girl gave him.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered to the empty alley, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you..."
There was no response. There will never be a response.
He took out his phone, deleted all of "Xu Nianlei's" contact information, deleted the message records of those he had been talking to, and deleted the dream he had carefully woven.
The sun had completely set, plunging the alley into darkness. Lu Baiyan stood up and took one last look at the place that had changed his life.
There is no cycle, no rebirth, no second chance. All that remains is a young man's eternal regret and a girl's life frozen in time.
He turned and left, his steps heavy yet resolute. The fantasy was over; he had to learn to live in the real world—a world without Xu Nianlei.
The wind at the alley entrance blew up the fallen leaves on the ground, making them swirl as if bidding a final farewell.
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