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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya was troubled by an inexplicable sense of guilt and an indescribable confusion. She glanced at the silent Qin Nannan beside her, then surveyed the chaotic scene around them. Her legs felt weak; if it weren't for the Taekwondo-level skills of Qin Nannan, she might have been buried under the rubble herself. Suddenly, she remembered that in her panic, she had lost track of her bag and the money inside it.
Thinking about the responsibility entrusted to her, Ziya felt even more distressed. Not only had she failed to handle the situation well, but it had also resulted in such a significant accident. She trembled uncontrollably, her legs still shaking. Although Qin Nannan was nearby, the feeling of fear lingered. In her self-reproach, she turned to a busy firefighter and said, "Could you help me check if my bag is up there or something?"
The busy firefighter shot her an irritated glance and replied, "If you want to check, go look yourself. We don't have time for that."
"What are you saying!" Yuan Ye exclaimed as he got out of Zhang, the Chief Editor's car. Someone had urgently reported the incident to Zhang, and Yuan Ye was particularly anxious. Upon hearing about it, he blamed himself for not taking better care of Ziya. He quickly contacted Liu Haoming, and together they rushed over. Zi Anqing remained in the car, her legs weak. With her husband's support, she got out and hurried to her daughter. Seeing that Ziya was unharmed brought her immense relief.
Yuan Ye immediately reprimanded the firefighter while Liu Haoming and Zi Anqing helped Ziya move outside. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, Ziya began to sob uncontrollably and, when her parents weren't looking, turned to run back toward the dormitory. Her heart felt as if it were being twisted by a blade, especially when she recalled Lao Ran's cold and resentful gaze, which filled her with shame.
"Ziya, be quiet. It's okay, just calm down," Zi Anqing said as she rushed over to embrace her daughter, crying out loud. The fear she had felt in the car made her feel as if she could die at any moment. Now that she saw her daughter was safe, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine; he protected me all the way. Nothing happened," Ziya said, confused about why Anqing was so anxious and holding her so tightly that it was hard to breathe. What weighed on her heart was guilt towards Lao Ran's family; tears brimmed in her eyes as she thought that if she had died instead, perhaps there would be fewer troubles.
Zi Anqing released her daughter in shock and asked with a trembling voice, "Who are you talking about? Who protected you?"
At that moment, Ziya had no desire to discuss anything else with Anqing. Her dazed gaze swept over to Qin Nannan in the distance as she silently stared at the wreckage. Due to the fright from earlier and her severe anemia condition, Ziya suddenly felt weak and collapsed onto the ground.
Doctors and nurses rushed over to give Ziya an injection. Lao Ran cast a cold glance at his now vacant home before silently turning away from everyone present. A woman watching this pitiful man found herself at a loss for words to comfort him. When firefighters called for family members to sign documents, the woman said to them, "What’s there to sign? Lao Ran and his wife are already divorced; just have Boss from News Agency sign off on it. Besides, they don’t have any relatives."
"This probably isn't right; how can this be?" Zhang, the Chief Editor protested urgently while waving his chubby hands nervously as beads of sweat formed on his bulbous nose.
"Find Lao Ran! Leaving it like this isn't a solution," Yuan Ye quickly reminded them.
"Has anyone seen Lao Ran? Please shout if you do," Zhang, the Chief Editor, asked loudly with his characteristic rough voice, suddenly calm. After a long silence without any response, he took out his phone and dialed Liu's number.
"Liu! Have you seen Lao Ran?"
Liu's voice came through the phone. "I haven't seen him. I left before you guys did, and I still don't see him now."
"Alright then, if you see him, let him know there's something urgent." After finishing his sentence, Zhang hung up. At this moment, Yuan Ye was already lost in thought about Ziya, feeling anxious and unsure about how she was doing.
Ziya was in a daze after receiving an injection. She was still recalling the moment when she followed Lao Ran's wife upstairs. Something felt off then, but her mind was muddled as if it had short-circuited. She clearly could have saved them... yet she watched helplessly as a tragedy unfolded right before her eyes. Three lives were lost; three living beings disappeared right in front of her.
"Ziya, sweetheart... Mommy knows you're hurting inside; please stop crying," Zi Anqing said for the umpteenth time, but she couldn't stop her daughter's tears. It was as if Ziya didn't recognize them anymore; her eyes were filled with a look of unfamiliarity. Liu Haoming stood by helplessly, burning one cigarette after another, crushing the stubs harshly against the ground.
Yuan Ye knew that Liu Haoming didn't want to see him at that moment, but his desire to see Ziya remained undeterred by Liu's gloomy expression.
"Ziya, how are you doing?" Yuan Ye reached out his hand to grasp his old friend's hand.
"Nothing much? You should just go back to your own business! Stay out of our family's affairs," Liu Haoming said with a slight lift of his brow, his words clearly filled with hostility.
"Alright, you two stay here; it's good that Ziya is okay. That's a blessing in itself. Let's not dwell on anything else," Zhang, the Chief Editor, intervened smoothly, easing the tense atmosphere. Both Yuan Ye and Liu Haoming were his old friends, and he didn't want to offend either side.
With differing thoughts in mind and under Liu Haoming's hostility, Yuan Ye cast a hurried glance at Ziya before getting into Zhang's car to head back to the News Agency. Zi Anqing supported her daughter as they walked towards their own car alongside Liu Haoming.
The car drove steadily down the road. Ziya rolled down the window, and a gust of cold wind lifted her bangs. Zi Anqing looked at her daughter with concern. Ziya pressed her lips tightly together, seemingly determined not to speak.
Ziya still wore a look of confusion, her mind a chaotic blur with no thoughts to grasp. The mere thought of Qin Nannan brought a warm feeling to her heart. She hadn’t said goodbye to him earlier; would he send her a text? With that thought, she turned on her phone to check. However, aside from a call before dinner at the restaurant, there were hardly any new messages or missed calls. Disappointment and sadness mingled in her mind as she shut off her phone and lightly closed her eyes, pretending to doze.
Zi Anqing watched her daughter lean wearily against the armchair and casually draped a piece of clothing from the back seat over Ziya's shoulders. Liu Haoming observed the two women through the rearview mirror, taking note of their every move. The car tires made a slight sound as they brushed against the ground, and a cool breeze wafted in as the dark night unfurled its black curtain over the city.
“Close the window; we don’t want Ziya catching a cold,” Liu Haoming said, his stern face softening with a hint of paternal concern.
Dusk gradually descended, and a gentle breeze blew in, making the city under the approaching night more enchanting than during the day. The orange streetlights were about to flicker on. Ziya’s mind, caught between dozing and wakefulness, fluctuated between clarity and confusion.
As the car drove over a speed bump, Ziya suddenly opened her eyes and glanced out the window. The city was now illuminated with bright lights. The bustling nightlife had officially begun, with colorful neon signs flashing enticingly. A shadow of someone inexplicably kept appearing in her mind—his rebellious demeanor firmly etched in Ziya's memory from high school. But why was she thinking of him out of nowhere?
Ziya felt a heavy knot in her heart. Based on her dreams, she wondered if this matter would come to pass… Yet she secretly resolved to unravel this mystery and put an end to this strange occurrence.
At that moment, Zi Anqing wrestled with an internal conflict about whether or not to be honest with her daughter Ziya regarding this matter, along with something entrusted to be passed on to Ziya.
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