The caller’s name flashed on the black screen: Xu Zirong.
The image of that figure, clutching the railing for support, struggling to maintain balance, stumbling step by step, suddenly appeared before my eyes. Snowflakes landed on my fingertips, and the cold made my fingers unconsciously tremble twice.
I hadn’t visited Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong during this time, not because I didn’t care about their situation, but because I didn’t know how to face them. Especially when they were each suffering, and I stood there perfectly fine, my heart was filled with a sense of guilt.
Ultimately, it was Shen Jianqing who harmed Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong. If we hadn’t been so curious back then, if we hadn’t followed Shen Jianqing, if we hadn’t entered Shidi Miao Village, perhaps so many things wouldn’t have happened later.
But there are no “ifs” in this world.
I took a deep breath and swiped to answer the call.
The voice on the other end was steady, with less of the youthful frivolousness.
“Hello, Ah Ze?”
“It’s me,” I said softly. “Xu Zirong… is your body feeling better?”
“Much better, you don’t need to worry. Ah Ze, are you free today? I’ve already called Xiao Wen; let’s go out for a meal together.”
“You, you’re already well?” I remembered Shen Jianqing’s promise from that day, and a glimmer of hope rose in my heart. Could Xu Zirong have recovered?
The voice on the other end lightened. “You’ll know when you come and see. It’s that home-style restaurant by the school gate, you know that one!”
The home-style restaurant he mentioned was very famous, good quality, and affordable, with a nice environment; no Yan University student didn’t know about it. I hadn’t expected him to be out of the sanatorium. I nodded repeatedly and walked towards the school gate.
All the way, the light snow kept falling. I didn’t carry an umbrella, and my steps were light. The tiny snowflakes landed on my shoulders and head, quickly dampening my clothes. But I wasn’t concerned about my attire; I just wanted to get to our meeting place quickly, to see Xu Zirong as soon as possible.
It wasn’t yet dinnertime when I arrived. The proprietress was dozing off dimly in the restaurant, and a few scattered staff members sat together. As soon as I entered, a quick and enthusiastic waiter came over and deftly led me to a private room.
The private room wasn’t large, but it offered good privacy. When I entered, I saw Xu Zirong already sitting at the table, drinking tea. Wen Lingyu sat quietly beside Xu Zirong; they seemed to be talking about something.
Seeing me, Xu Zirong immediately broke into a smile. “Oh, I thought you’d be a bit late! Come, come, have some tea!” As he spoke, he stood up and poured me a cup of tea in a disposable paper cup.
Xu Zirong’s movements were fluid and seamless. The brown tea poured steadily from the kettle in his right hand into the paper cup in his left, not a single drop spilling. The anxiety that had been weighing on my heart finally seemed to settle.
Xu Zirong handed me the tea and said, “The doctor told me no alcohol and no smoking, so I can’t drink with you today!”
I took the tea, sat down, and said, “I don’t drink. Xu Zirong, are you… are you already recovered?”
“Recovered isn’t quite the word yet, but I’m getting better,” Xu Zirong said, without a trace of dejection on his face; instead, he looked somewhat relieved. “I had a brain scan a few days ago, and the doctor said the unexplained shadow on my cerebellum is shrinking. If this trend continues, I believe I’ll be able to recover very soon.”
As he spoke, Xu Zirong stood up and walked back and forth a few steps between Wen Lingyu and me, as if demonstrating his progress. “See, no need for a handrail, and no crutches either!”
I sighed with relief, genuinely exclaiming, “That’s wonderful! It’s great that you can recover.”
Xu Zirong said, “I might not fully recover to my previous level, but I’m lucky enough. I heard there were cases before where people got infected with parasites and then died.”
The current Xu Zirong had a more composed and introverted demeanor; the boisterous energy he once had while joking around with Qiu Lu was gone. Perhaps people grow after experiencing some hardship. The Xu Zirong who used to loudly exclaim, “Isn’t it better if I go and drink?” was gone forever.
I quickly asked again, “What about Qiu Lu? Has she gotten any better?”
Xu Zirong’s eyes dimmed for a moment, and he lowered them, saying, “Lulu’s condition is also improving.”
Wen Lingyu said in a soft voice, “Lulu’s head shadow is also shrinking, but her condition isn’t stable yet, so she can’t go out.”
I asked, “What does ‘condition isn’t stable’ mean?”
Xu Zirong explained, “The recovery isn’t going that fast. Right now, Lulu’s mind is still a bit muddled, she’s clear-headed at times, but occasionally slips back into her previous state. The doctor explained that it’s likely due to long-term oxygen deprivation in her head caused by the unknown shadow, leading to brain cell death.”
Qiu Lu’s situation was still not optimistic.
However, Xu Zirong continued, “But she already has moments of clarity, even manages to argue with me now and then. Maybe she’ll be better tomorrow, maybe not… but no matter what, I’ll keep waiting for her.”
His words didn’t make me feel much better. Shen Jianqing had promised to cure them, and I didn’t know if their current improvement was because the Gu insects in their bodies had been removed. But the damage was already done; even if it was compensated for, it was merely mending the fence after the sheep were lost.
“Don’t look so down, as if we’re dead!” Xu Zirong suddenly raised his voice and patted me on the back. “We’re all getting better! Even if I can’t return to my peak condition and can’t do track and field anymore, it doesn’t mean I’ll starve to death, right? I’m planning to pursue a master’s degree in sports theory; that’s pretty good, pretty good.”
It turned out Xu Zirong was comforting me.
The atmosphere in the room was too heavy, so Xu Zirong changed the subject. “We’re all in our senior year now. I hear neither of you is taking the postgraduate entrance exam. What are your plans after graduation? Maybe next year, when Lulu and I return to campus after our leave of absence, we can all get together again!”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, I don’t have any plans yet.”
Right now, my classmates are either studying for postgraduate exams or looking for jobs; everyone is busy rushing for their future. Only I, still feeling lost, don’t know where to go. In my current state, I know I’m not suited for postgraduate studies or academic research. As for work, I’m not ready for that either.
“It’s okay not to have plans yet; after all, big decisions like this need careful consideration,” Xu Zirong said, then turned to ask Wen Lingyu, “Xiao Wen, what about you?”
Wen Lingyu took a sip of tea and said, “I’ve already found a job, a middle school history teacher. I’ll start after graduation.”
Xu Zirong slapped the table. “Great! Middle school teacher is good! Where is it? Yancheng?”
Wen Lingyu paused, then looked up, meeting my gaze and Xu Zirong’s, her expression calm and firm. “Dongjiang.”
My breath hitched.
