Chapter 1: Collision at the Street Corner

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Chapter 1 Collision at the Street Corner 1

“Don’t panic, don’t panic.”
“When the sun sets, there is still moonlight.”

In the bustling hall of the high-speed railway station, a crisp ringtone rang out from some unknown corner. Unable to find its source, it was soon drowned in the clamor of the crowd.

Bai Li fished out her phone. Seeing the name on the screen, her right eyelid twitched, but she couldn’t ignore the call.

After a brief inner struggle.

She took a deep breath, turned the call volume down to the lowest, and pressed the answer key, her voice soft: “Mom.”

A brief silence followed.

Her mother’s voice came, sharp with anger: “Bai Li, why didn’t you come home after the exam?”

Bai Li pressed her palm hard, her question slow and painful: “Did my sister come home?”

For a moment, her mother seemed to choke, not answering her question.

Bai Li struggled to breathe the thin air, but her lips gradually curved. “She’s been home for a while, hasn’t she? Mom, why did you only just notice I wasn’t home?”

Her retort seemed to infuriate her mother even more, though for some reason she didn’t dare to explode, only lowering her voice as she said:

“Fine, fine. So you’ve suffered a little and now you’re playing runaway? Do you think this makes you special? Even if you’re going through a rebellious phase and want some adult attention, isn’t there a limit? I hope you’ll be sensible, stop being so childish. It’s still early—come home now.”

Her mother’s rebuke seemed to drain all Bai Li’s energy.

Instinctively, she gripped her phone tighter, holding her breath.

Go home?

She thought of the devils living in that house.

She felt her jaw tremble; the words caught in her throat and wouldn’t come out.

For the first time in her life, she defied her mother.

Bai Li forced herself to hang up.

She didn’t want to go back!

All she wanted was to escape—run as far away as she could!

Glancing around, she saw travelers hauling their luggage everywhere in the ticket hall, the giant electronic screen constantly updating departure times.

Cold air from all sides wrapped around her, turning her anxiety into urgency.

Her destination was the Sichuan-Tibet region.

There, vast grasslands stretched to the horizon, winds swept the desolate wilds, fat cattle and sheep roamed everywhere, and the purest faith glowed in every heart.

It was said that once you set foot on that land, your numb and oppressed soul would be washed clean, finding peace and rebirth.

For someone with a hollow soul, that was the most alluring promise.

But when she tried to buy a ticket—

Bai Li hesitated.

Seeing the timetable, with hours still to go before departure, she suddenly felt bored and instinctively wanted to change her destination.

—Leave now!
—Get out of here!

The thought swirled in her mind, growing stronger. She truly didn’t want to stay another second.

So she switched to the next train about to depart, picked up her ID and luggage, passed security, and boarded.

...

The train pulled out of the station, slicing smoothly and swiftly through the rain and mist, racing toward another endless, unknown city.

Bai Li sat by the window, watching the cold, familiar city recede like a rewinding film, replaced by a surge of freedom and exhilaration.

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Suddenly she remembered something.

She pulled a simple sketchpad from her backpack, her fair fingers gripping a pencil. At last, a smile fitting her age appeared on her face.

For a second-year high school student, this was a rare holiday trip.

But Bai Li had no mind to admire the scenery outside. Instead, she focused on her lines, eager to capture the fleeting image in her mind.

On the sketch paper was a young man, about eighteen, wearing a black hoodie, the hood casually covering his forehead, sharp light and shadow outlining his jaw.

His features were striking, especially the slight upward curve at the corners of his eyes—a gentle, subtle smile.

At the corner, she signed a name.

—Fang Ye.

The protagonist from her very first completed comic series.

And the source of funding for this graduation trip.

Eight hours on the train felt endless.

Only when her back ached with stiffness did Bai Li finally look up. Night had fallen, as dark as splashed ink.

“Dear passengers, thank you for riding train 3389. We will soon arrive at Lingjiang City. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark. Lingjiang welcomes you and looks forward to seeing you again.”

As the gentle announcement sounded, she carefully packed away her sketchpad, straightened herself, and joined the throng to get off the train.

...

Lingjiang City was an ancient town by a vast lake.

The climate here was rainy, sultry, and humid.

When the wind swept through, the air carried the scent of lake water and green trees—enough to soothe the numb and hollow souls of every traveler.

The moment Bai Li stepped out of the station, she felt the city’s peculiar weather.

A muffled thunderclap, and then rain poured down in torrents, driven by a fierce wind, thick mist blurring everyone’s vision.

Bai Li had no umbrella.

In the rainy season, the downpour could last for a long time.

She stood helplessly, clutching her suitcase, pushed by the stranded crowd to the edge, her thin body bearing the brunt of wind and rain.

She watched the rising water, the stranded travelers, and the taxi stand a hundred meters away.

Suddenly, her impulsive change of destination felt like a bad idea.

Water pooled quickly on the ground, reflecting her bedraggled state.

As she debated whether to brave the rain to the taxi stand, she caught sight—at the corner of the street—of a boy both familiar and striking.

He walked through the rainy night, holding a black umbrella, slender white fingers pinching a cigarette. He didn’t smoke, just let it burn to a half-burnt stub.

!

Fang Ye?

Bai Li froze, her pupils reflexively widening.

If not for the crowd, she might have cried out.

He looked exactly like the hero from her comic.

—Fang Ye.

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably.

Rain spattered her, soaking her clothes with a chilling damp.

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It was enough to assure her she wasn’t dreaming.

Her heart pounding, Bai Li’s gaze involuntarily followed the youth, watching as he disappeared around the corner.

“Fang Ye…”

—Don’t go, don’t go!

Without thinking, she dashed into the rain, chasing after him.

She closed the gap, following him step by step.

She watched him enter a tavern, greet his friends, and take a seat.

He sat with his back to the light, head bent over his phone, posture relaxed and insolent, wearing the same oversized black hoodie, pale skin, dark hair. When he glanced sideways, the brim of his hood didn’t quite cover those delicate features.

His height, his looks, his hair, every detail matched the character she’d drawn—almost impossibly so, as if he’d stepped right out of her sketch.

Before she could process the bizarre scene—

The youth suddenly looked up.

—Their eyes met.

Perhaps the rain was too cold; she couldn’t help but shiver.

His gaze was direct and deep, drifting lightly over her face, lingering as if trying to place her.

Bai Li finally realized that staring so openly at a stranger was rude.

She was about to withdraw her gaze when—

He raised an eyebrow at her.

Then he stood, carefully stubbed out his cigarette, grabbed the black umbrella from the counter, and walked steadily toward her.

A moment later, the tavern door opened.

A draft of chill air swept out, and he stood before her, so close she could see the gentle coldness in his eyes and the faint scar behind his ear.

Neither spoke first.

Bai Li, shocked by the uncanny resemblance, was rooted to the spot, unable to utter a sound.

Rain whispered steadily in her ears.

It wasn’t until a gust of wind tangled her damp hair that the youth broke the silence, his tone lazy, his words slow.

“Do you know me?”

Caught off guard, Bai Li didn’t know how to answer.

Such an absurd, extreme coincidence belonged only in television dramas. In real life, it would make her look like a deranged stalker guilty of long-term infringement.

So she shook her head firmly. “No, I don’t.”

“I see.” He seemed unsurprised by her denial, saying nothing more as he opened the umbrella.

Just as Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he would leave—

He suddenly held out the umbrella to her.

His fair hand gripped the handle.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear, every word reaching her ears.

“Take it. The rain won’t stop any time soon.”

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(End of chapter)