Chapter Thirty-Three: Meizi’s Call

“Can we not break up?” I tried to hold onto Lele. “I know I was wrong…”

Lele seemed unmoved by my apology. She just shook her head forcefully, unwilling to say a single word. It was just past seven, but the sky was already bright. We walked out of the hotel one after the other, like two strangers who had never met.

“I…” Standing at the intersection where we were to part, Lele seemed about to speak, but hesitated.

“Lele, promise me—no matter what happens in the future, live happily every day, will you?” I fought to hold back the pain tearing through my heart, hooked out my pinky, and made a promise gesture before her.

Lele hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she held out her pinky, bit her lip, and nodded slightly. “You too, Beizi Pig.”

In the drizzling rain, our pinkies linked tightly together. From that moment on, one road, one person…

The rain showed no sign of stopping. We had no umbrella. But it didn’t matter to me anymore; in that instant, the whole world disappeared before my eyes. The road stretched endlessly—I had no idea where its end would be.

“I don’t love you anymore! Isn’t that reason enough?” Lele’s voice still echoed around me, cold and resolute.

Don’t love me anymore? Lele, do you really not love me anymore? But last night, I clearly saw longing in your eyes. Who can tell me why? I looked up at the sky, searching for the answer…

At a 24-hour supermarket, I bought a few cans of beer and wandered aimlessly down the streets, carrying them with me. I don’t know how long I walked before the scenery suddenly became familiar. Without realizing it, I had arrived at the bank where our story began. I climbed the steps and sat down in a corner sheltered from the rain.

“Beizi Pig, have a drink with me… Today… I got dumped.” Drinking, half in a daze, I seemed to see Lele from two years ago, sitting by my side, comforting me.

Lele, you lied to me back then! You weren’t heartbroken at all—I was your first love…

“Xiao Bei, why not come to my place? No one’s home tonight.”

“Beizi Pig, just keep me company, will you? No one’s home, and I’m afraid of the dark…”

…

The places remain, the people have changed. Everything feels like it happened just yesterday, so close I can still catch a whiff of that faint green apple scent; yet it also feels like it’s been gone for a thousand years, so far away I can’t grasp a single trace of it.

As I drank, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

“Damn Bei, you don’t have to drink so much just because you broke up!” At some point, Haozi appeared before me, holding an umbrella.

I ignored Haozi, wiped away the tears from my eyes, and continued to pour beer into my mouth. Haozi saw the three or four empty cans scattered beside me and quickly snatched the beer from my hand. “Hey, stop drinking! Does alcohol help anything?”

“Go away! Leave me alone…” I staggered forward, reaching out to grab the can back.

“Li Xiaobei! Calm down, will you!” Without another word, Haozi gave me a hard push. I lost my balance and tumbled onto the steps.

That shove finally snapped me out of it. “What are you doing here?” Rubbing my aching backside, I asked absently.

“Well, Lele called me just now. She said you two broke up and asked me to come to the bank and keep you company, so here I am…” Haozi bent down, moved the empty cans aside, and sat next to me.

“She?” I looked at Haozi in disbelief. But just as I turned my head, I caught sight, out of the corner of my eye, of a familiar figure hiding at a nearby corner.

“Lele?” I jumped up and hurried over, but the figure had already vanished without a trace.

Was it just a drunken hallucination? No! That was definitely Lele! Deflated, I slumped back onto the steps.

“Piggy Bei…” Haozi was just about to comfort me when my phone suddenly rang. Seeing I didn’t react, he nudged me. “Hey, your phone.”

I smiled at Haozi, then reached into my pocket and silenced the ringer.

Haozi looked at me in surprise. “Aren’t you going to check who it is?”

“I’m not in the mood.” I shook my head and answered coolly.

But whoever it was didn’t give up easily. In two minutes, they called seven or eight times in a row. Left with no choice, I pulled out my phone. It was Meizi. I quickly motioned to Haozi to keep quiet and answered, “Hello, Meizi? What’s up?”

To my surprise, it wasn’t Meizi at all, but her best friend Lili.

“Li Xiaobei, I have something to ask you!” There was a lot of noise in the background, and I could faintly hear loud music—Lili must have been calling from a karaoke bar.

“Uh, go ahead, I’m listening.” I glanced at Haozi and continued.

“I just want to ask you one thing—do you like Meizi or not?” Lili’s tone was dead serious, with no hint of a joke.

“Huh?” The sudden question left me speechless.

“Well? If you like her, just say it. If you don’t, then say you don’t. Does it really take that long to decide?” Before I could respond, someone grabbed the phone from Lili, and Meizi’s voice came through, “Xiao Bei, Lili’s drunk, she’s just talking nonsense! Don’t take it seriously!” Then came the busy tone—Meizi had hung up.

I put away my phone and looked at Haozi. Suddenly, I burst out laughing.

“Damn Bei, are you okay? You’re crying one minute and laughing the next!” Haozi was completely bewildered. He reached out to feel my forehead, muttering, “Don’t tell me you’ve got a fever from being out in the rain?”

I swatted his hand away. “Get lost, Haozi. Do you know what? Meizi… Meizi likes me…” Even though I kept laughing, I felt as if my face was twisted in sorrow.

At last, I couldn’t laugh anymore.

“Xiao Bei, don’t be like this…” Haozi waved his phone in front of me. “It’s almost eight-thirty, the bank will open soon. You’d better go home.”

Mom was on the night shift and would be home soon. If she found out I hadn’t come home all night, I’d be in serious trouble! Thinking of this, I could only nod weakly and let Haozi help me to my feet.

At that moment, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped.

(August 15, 2010—Chapter revision complete)