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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, I received a call from Zhou Jie.
"Yiru, you're getting married tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
"Not really."
My tone was cold, revealing no emotion.
Zhou Jie seemed unfazed, letting out a low chuckle.
"I've been busy lately and haven't had time to be with you. I'll surprise you at the wedding."
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't rested properly for days.
"Okay."
I replied and hung up the phone, then took a taxi to the cemetery.
The cemetery was quiet in the early morning. I visited my parents' graves first, then went to my grandmother's.
I poured out a cup of her favorite Bamboo Leaf Green tea at her tombstone.
"Grandma, I'm here. Let's share a cup of your favorite Bamboo Leaf Green."
I smiled to myself as I looked at the black-and-white photo of her on the gravestone.
"You always said you didn't take good pictures, but that's not true at all. You were beautiful when you were young, with a great figure and countless suitors. It's a pity none of them could match my grandfather's ability to bring you home."
"If you were still alive, you'd definitely be holding my hand and listening to me cry."
"If I were in pain, you'd be there to rub it away."
I squatted down by the gravestone and stared at it for a long time.
It wasn't until my legs went numb that I stood up and brushed off my pants.
"Grandma, I don't need your blessings for Zhou Jie anymore; he's a jerk and hasn't taken care of me well. I'll see you later."
I whispered before turning to leave.
I bought a large amount of cat food and then went to meet a cat.
Perhaps sensing that I was about to leave, this usually aloof cat, who rarely showed affection towards humans, rubbed against my pant leg.
"Wow, you can be affectionate too? Aren't you usually too proud to even glance at me?"
"In the future, you're probably not going to see me again; this cat food should last you for a while."
The cat had been adopted before, but I heard it ran away and became a stray again.
"You little cat, you really love your freedom. Just be careful not to get caught again," I said, taking a drag from my cigarette as I looked down at the small creature. It was still so tiny, and its fur wasn't very appealing; I truly wondered if it would survive out here.
"You really don’t know how lucky you are. You had such a good owner, yet you chose to be a wild cat," I remarked, squatting down to rub its head. The kitten nuzzled my palm comfortably.
"Alright, once you're done eating, it's time for me to go." I straightened up, and the kitten glanced at me before scampering away.
I watched its diminishing figure and took another puff of my cigarette. "I hope you can stay free forever."
---
"Liu Yiru?"
I turned to see my old classmate, Huang Yi, looking at me with surprise.
"It really is you! I thought it looked like you but wasn’t sure. You actually remember me?"
"Of course, old classmate! How could I forget?" I replied, genuinely pleased to see him.
Huang Yi was my classmate from back in the day; everyone could tell he liked me, though he never said anything about it. After graduating high school, I started hanging out with Zhou Jie more and lost touch with him.
"I'm back to grab a few things," I smiled.
"It’s been so long! You've changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize you," he said.
"Have I changed that much?" I touched my short hair.
To climb up in life, I've changed so much that sometimes I feel like a stranger to myself.
"Not really; it’s just a different hairstyle," Huang Yi replied sincerely with a warm smile. "You looked great with short hair back then too."
His smile was comforting, unlike the insincere grins of Zhou Jie’s friends who always laughed but never meant it.
"See you next time, Liu Yiru."
Before leaving, Huang Yi waved at me.
"See you next time," I nodded.
Even though I said that, part of me hoped we wouldn’t meet again; after all, even I felt a bit out of place with how I looked now.
---
I didn’t have much left; I had already packed up before leaving home.
I set aside all the things that Zhou Jie had given me. With our friendship gone, what meaning did the gifts hold? Not even a suitcase was filled; the remaining items could just be burned. When a person dies, their old belongings are likely to be burned alongside them. It doesn't matter whether it's done early or late.
As darkness fell, I dragged my suitcase away from that house. I heard that Zhou Jie stayed at the hotel for the wedding that night and sent me a message in the middle of the night. "Get some rest, see you tomorrow." "In the end, I still married you."
I didn't reply. I was already sitting in the airport waiting area, accompanied by Tian Li. I saw the last video sent by Zhang Jiahui. In the footage, Zhou Jie appeared in a corner, planting trees and writing wish bottles with her. "It's the last day; I really can't bear to part with it." "Being with him is truly happiness."
The comments below the video all claimed that they were true love and urged me not to be the third party, saying that Zhou Jie had finally made a correct choice. I exited the video and walked toward the boarding gate with Tian Li.
I didn't look back; there was nothing behind me worth returning to. My first half of life had already been ruined, and for the remaining moments of my life, I wanted to live for myself.
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