Chapter 75: The Message of Departure

Seeing Anyan like this, I knew that whatever he meant by Sister Shi leaving could not possibly be simple. I hurriedly typed, "What is going on?"

"Actually, Youqin and I originally didn't plan to return to Yichun this year. We were supposed to visit some other cities first," Anyan said, calming his emotions slightly before continuing. "But just recently, about half a month ago, I received a call from Sister Shi. At the time, I didn't think much of it, just assuming it was her usual habitual caring."

I listened in silence, calculating the timeline in my head. Half a month ago—about two weeks back. Sister Shi had also looked me up on a Friday around that time, yet I hadn't noticed anything unusual about her then.

"On the phone, Sister Shi essentially asked me to come back for a short visit soon, saying she had some important matters to tell me. I wasn't very concerned at the time, so I asked her to just explain it over the phone and said I'd come back whenever I had time." Anyan's voice dropped so low that it became a bit muffled, but I didn't make a sound, trying with all my might to catch every single word he uttered about Sister Shi.

"When Sister Shi heard what I said, she just smiled and replied, 'If you're busy, never mind then,' and then she hung up... Even back then, I sensed a slightly different tone in that conversation, but it honestly didn't cross my mind that anything was wrong. Plus, we were on the road at the time, so I just let the matter go." Anyan clutched at his hair in mild frustration and went on. "It was only later, during a moment of leisure, that I accidentally remembered this and called Sister Shi back. But no one answered. I tried calling her at other times afterward, but it always went unanswered."

"When did you call her?" My fingers trembled involuntarily as I typed. The blood in my veins felt as though it had frozen. I remembered how Sister Shi had texted me back home, mentioning that Anyan might pass through Yichun in a few days and telling me to come back and meet him...

Those fragmented memories concerning Sister Zhao slowly surfaced in my mind, gradually piecing themselves together.

"Let me think... The night before last weekend." Anyan raised his head and locked eyes with me, as if trying to glean some information from my expression.

After a moment of hesitation, I typed my reply: "I met with Sister Shiyu a couple of days ago. We even had dinner together."

"Really? Is Sister Shiyu... is she okay? Was there anything unusual about her?" Overcome with excitement, Anyan sprang straight to his feet. The sorrow vanished from his eyes, replaced entirely by a surge of eager anticipation.

I didn't answer him right away. Instead, I racked my brain, recalling what Sister Shiyu had done and said at the dinner table that night, searching for any subtle clues I might have missed.

Seeing me sit motionless in my chair, Anyan anxiously paced back and forth around the table, while I desperately tried to reconstruct the scene of that meal and review her every action.

That day, she had been as elegant and beautiful as ever, resembling the most benevolent woman in the world, radiating the purest kindness and a warmth that put everyone around her at ease.

I struck my head hard with my fist, then slumped over the table to concentrate on recalling our somewhat hazy conversation... If there was any problem at all, it was that Sister Shiyu's attitude toward me that day had been a bit abnormal. When Yang Xiaoyu mentioned my return to the beverage shop, Sister Shiyu's emotions hadn't fluctuated at all. But... how could that possibly count as a clue?

Suddenly, I sprang up from my chair, rushed into the back kitchen of the beverage shop, and hauled Yang Xiaoyu out from where she was mixing drinks. I hurriedly typed on my phone and showed it to her: "During our dinner last time, did Sister Shi do anything unusual?"

Yang Xiaoyu tilted her head, looked at our somewhat bizarre atmosphere, thought for a moment, and said, "Unusual... nothing unusual."

"Did I overthink it then..." I lowered my head, wondering if we were simply being paranoid.

"I don't really remember her other words or actions, but that line Gentle Sister said—'Keep the memories of the present in your heart'—or something along those lines, I remember that pretty clearly." Yang Xiaoyu looked at the restless Anyan, then glanced at my own nervous state, before slowly speaking after a moment.

Hearing Yang Xiaoyu's words, my memory was instantly ignited. That's right. Sister Shiyu had indeed said that at the dinner table. Perhaps those words in themselves meant nothing, but later, when we checked out and walked out the door, Sister Shiyu had pulled me aside and said a few words to me alone...

"Do you think a person must have pursuits while living in this world?"

"Not before, but the way you put it, it seems I suddenly have a goal..."

"Do I have to buy you a hat as well?"

The words Sister Shiyu had once spoken to me slowly floated up in my mind. I stood there, frozen and dazed, as a realization seemed to dawn on me... Sister Shiyu had lied to me when she said Anyan was passing through Yichun. She had already called Anyan beforehand; she was the one who had summoned Yezi back. Her purpose in texting me hadn't been to get me to return to Yichun, because at that time, she had no idea I was already home. Sister Shi had something to tell both of us...

The sense of unease in my heart grew increasingly intense. I picked up my phone and dialed Sister Shiyu's number. Just as Anyan had said, it went unanswered...

Yang Xiaoyu seemed to sense something as well and asked softly, "Gentle Sister... what's wrong with her?"

I hung up the phone and typed directly for Anyan to see: "How did you know Sister Shiyu was leaving in the next couple of days?"

Anyan took out his phone, unlocked it, opened the text message interface, and placed it right in front of me. "It's all right here."

I read the text message Sister Shi had sent to Anyan, and the more I read, the more terrified I became.

"Yezi, sometimes people can actually live very freely. You can pursue things, and you can wait for things. I actually envy you and Chenzi very much; you're both working hard every day and experiencing so much... I don't know if you can make it back in time. But thinking about it carefully, some things just slowly fade away and get let go of, don't they? I never understood before what the point of living is when you already know the ending. People are just like machines, working endlessly. Is there really any point in continuing such a numb existence day after day? I can't believe I'm actually saying so many strange things... Perhaps it's because I won't have the chance to say anything to the two of you anymore. Originally, I wanted to be like before, the three of us eating barbecue, drinking beer, listening to you two chat about those ethereal feelings, and venting the pressures life brings you. I actually feel a bit reluctant to part..."

Flipping further down, separated by a ten-minute interval, there was another message from Sister Shiyu.

"A person's life is like a vinyl record; no matter how beautiful the process, it eventually plays to the end. You might preserve those unforgettable sounds, but you can't keep the days spent listening to that record... I'm leaving in a couple of days. This departure might be for a very, very long time, or it might be a final farewell. Think of me sometimes, okay? I didn't tell Chenzi about this. Originally, I planned to call both of you, just like old times... But after thinking it over and over, I gave up. Because I was afraid the one who wouldn't be able to let go in the end would be myself... Promise me, don't tell Chenzi, okay? If one day... he finds out that I've left, bid him farewell on my behalf... Promise me, both of you must be happy... I won't say any more... Finally... Farewell, little brother... Shiyu, who will love you forever."

What does this mean? I raised my head and looked blankly at the three silent people in front of me... What the hell is this message supposed to mean?

Speak. Someone say something... Clutching Anyan's phone, I looked tremblingly at the three of them, each lost in their own thoughts.

Sister Shiyu, what is this saying? I... I don't understand... What is written here? I don't understand...

I picked up the phone and dialed Sister Shiyu's number once more, but it still went unanswered.

Standing up, I pushed the door open and bolted outside. What on earth is the meaning of this? Sister Shiyu, where are you right now? I don't care about whatever damn reason this is; I need you to tell me to my face...

I ran aimlessly through the falling snow and biting wind. My mind was filled with Sister Shiyu's beautiful image. Sister, doing this isn't right. It's really not right... You... you can't just leave like this. I won't allow it. There's no way I'll allow it.

My phone rang. My spirits jolted, and with trembling hands, I immediately answered it, only to be disappointed as I pressed the connect button.

"Yang Chen, where are you?" Youqin's voice came through. "We're going to Shiyu's place. If you're coming too, keep the line connected. If not, hang up."

I kept the call connected and ran desperately back toward the shop. My mind had been so completely clouded that I had even forgotten this most basic thing. Maybe Sister Shiyu was still at home right now.

Running back to the entrance of the shop, Youqin gestured to me. They had already hailed a taxi. I immediately got into the car, and the group headed straight downstairs to Sister Shiyu's apartment.

We pounded heavily on the front door, but after a long while, there was not a single sound from inside. I slumped onto the ground in despair, not knowing what to do.

"Let's go to Fenghua Bar," Youqin said before heading downstairs, while Anyan and Yang Xiaoyu helped me up and led me down as well.

Looking at the locked doors of the bar, we found ourselves with nowhere else to go. Anyan paced back and forth in anxiety, while I sat directly on the steps outside the bar entrance, staring blankly at the street.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. I remembered that when I first met Luo Qing, she had once mentioned that she had the phone number of the owner of Fenghua Bar.

I fished out my phone and dialed Luo Qing's number without a second thought, but the only response I got was that her phone was turned off.

What should I do?

Right. The gold card. The gold card Luo Qing had given to Yang Xiaoyu.

I hurriedly typed to Yang Xiaoyu: "Call Luo Qing."

Yang Xiaoyu nodded, took the Dihao VIP gold card out of her wallet, and dialed the number printed on it.

As I waited anxiously, Yang Xiaoyu blinked at me to signal that the call had gone through. Immediately afterward, she switched the phone to speaker mode and asked, "Hello, is this Dihao KTV? I'm looking for Luo Qing."

We waited nearly five minutes on the line before Luo Qing's familiar voice finally came through the phone. Hearing her voice somehow managed to suppress a certain degree of my rising panic.

"Hello, who is this?" Luo Qing's voice piped up through the phone. Hearing her, she continued, "What's wrong, Yang Xiaoyu? Where is Yang Chen?" Her voice suddenly grew a bit louder. "Where are you guys? I'm heading over right now."