Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qin Zhiâai had already drank a cup of coffee, but Gu Yusheng hadnât arrived yet.
She took out her phone and gave Gu Yusheng a call. No one answered.
Qin Zhiâai frowned, thinking that maybe Gu Yusheng was driving and couldnât answer the call, so she put down her phone and ordered another cup of coffee.
To kill time during the long wait, Qin Zhiâai randomly took a magazine off the bookshelf in the cafe. Sitting on a sofa in corner, she thumbed through the magazine, feeling very bored.
Qin Zhiâai had even read the advertisements word for word, but Gu Yusheng still hadnât arrived.
Qin Zhiâai picked up her phone and took a glance at it to check the time. It was close to seven.
She had been waiting there for more than two hours. Why hadnât he come yet? Was he tied up with business, or...?
Thinking about it, Qin Zhiâai redialed Gu Yushengâs telephone number. As before, the phone rang until it finally turned into a busy tone, still unanswered.
Was she being stood up by him again?
Her great joy at going to Shanghai to see him was fading away little by little.
It was very noisy in the airport, but she seemed to be unable to hear any sound, just staring blankly at her phone.
Time passed from 7:05 to 7:15, then to 7:25, and finally to 7:35. Gu Yusheng still hadnât called her back or sent a message to her.
It was the third time that Qin Zhiâai had picked up her phone to call him. Still, no one answered.
She hung up, then dialed for the fourth time, the fifth time, the sixth time, and the seventh... She was like a possessed robot, repeatedly hanging up and redialing, having no idea how many times had she repeated this movement. She continued until there was a warning from her phone that its power was at less than twenty percent. She blinked, a little pale, taking out a portable power source from her bag. After charging her phone, she numbly stared at the screen for a moment and then gave Gu Yusheng another call.
The phone had rung several times, but no one answered. Just as Qin Zhiâai was about to hang up and give up completely, the ringing sound was broken and over the phone came a strange manâs voice. âHello.â
But itâs not Gu Yusheng? Qin Zhiâai frowned for several seconds, finally saying, âHello.â
After a pause, Qin Zhiâai asked, âExcuse me, who are you?â
âOh, Iâm from the Ministry of Public Security. Are you a loved one of this phoneâs owner?â The contact name in his phone was very intimateâlittle troublemakerâso it had to be his girlfriend or wife.
Qin Zhiâai became inexplicably panicked, hesitating for a while, then answered, âYes.â
âMiss, listen to me. The owner of this phone was washed away by the river while saving lives. Weâve sent people to look for him, but we havenât found him yet. Iâm afraid the situation isnât optimistic...â
Bang! Qin Zhiâaiâs phone suddenly dropped on the coffee table. The sound drew attention from the surrounding people, who then cast sidelong glances at her.
âHello? Miss, are you still listening? Miss? Miss?â
The man had been talking for quite a while over the phone before she began to blink stiffly. Finally, Qin Zhiâai came back to herself, her hands trembling. She picked up the phone and replied in a dry voice, âYes.â Then she asked worriedly, âWhere did the accident happen?â
âIt happened in A city, over the Qin River, close to the G30 exit.â As the man was telling her the location over the phone, Qin Zhiâai stood up quickly, took several hundred yuan out of her bag, and put the bills on the table. She rushed out of the cafe with her bag, heading for the taxi waiting area.