Later, he truly became the boy Zhu Xinya had dated the longest before her death—a full year. Even after she jumped from a building and died, everyone still said he was her true love. His devotion to her was profound and unmatched by anyone.
...
About two months into their relationship, the fervor of their romance gradually began to fade. Although Zhu Xinya still deeply liked this reserved and handsome boy, she had indeed started to grow subtly weary of their plain, monotonous life. This weariness began with material needs.
Chen Zhaoci was poor. Even though his father worked at a municipal government office, he could hardly scrape together any money. He was also proud, insisting on paying for everything whenever they went out together. As a result, he could only take her to cheap little eateries, and they watched pirated movies in his dorm room. In the past, Zhu Xinya’s clothes, cosmetics, and new phones had all been provided by her boyfriends. At this point, she didn’t want to leave Chen Zhaoci either, so life became increasingly frustrating.
Zhu Xinya started borrowing money from her classmates. But they were all students, and at most, she could borrow five or eight hundred. Whenever her family sent her living expenses, she could barely repay the debts, only to borrow again soon after.
But it didn’t take long for people to stop lending her money. Yet she still owed over a thousand on a bag she had just bought with her credit card.
In a moment of desperation, she went to borrow money from an ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend still had feelings for her, speaking to her with excessive care and even a hint of mutual, unspoken ambiguity. Zhu Xinya was perfunctory with him, unwilling to betray Chen Zhaoci but also unable to sever ties and lose a potential source of income.
"I’m a bit tight on cash lately too," the ex-boyfriend said. "But I have a friend who runs a company and can lend you money. There’s some interest, but you only need to repay a small amount each week. The approval process is really easy—just show your student ID."
Before Zhu Xinya, it seemed a golden path had opened up.
At the time, she didn’t know that a black venomous snake was already slithering up her back, its tongue flickering.
...
At first, Chen Zhaoci was oblivious, only sensing that Zhu Xinya seemed happier than before, laughing more loudly and walking beside him on the street with a newfound pride. Gradually, however, he began to notice that behind that pride lay a certain loneliness. She had always been a carefree girl, fiery and passionate. But now she would sometimes space out or drift away in thought. It felt as if she was hiding something, creating a distance that made Chen Zhaoci uneasy.
During that period, he was busy with graduation and job hunting, with little time to dwell on it. But the boy’s heart was steadfast: graduate, find a good job, rent a decent place—build a simple but safe little nest for this impulsive, fiery girl.
Gradually, she started not answering his calls, and her replies to texts grew sparse. Even when he did manage to get through, her voice sounded weary, claiming she had been sleeping or watching a show before hurriedly hanging up after a few words.
He felt a vague unease but didn’t want to believe it. One drizzly weekend afternoon, he rushed to her dorm, only to be told by her roommate that she wasn’t there.
"Not here?" Chen Zhaoci asked. "Do you know where she went?"
A complex expression flashed across the roommate’s face—pity, disdain, hesitation.
The roommate replied, "I’m... not really sure. She didn’t come back last night. It seemed like... like someone picked her up in a car."Chen Zhaoci walked into the rain, forgetting to open the umbrella he held in his hand. Only when he was completely drenched did he turn back and notice several people watching him from the upper floors. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curved upward into a smile. Were they watching him for amusement? In truth, everyone knew.
Just like back in that so-called "home," he had tried hard, been cautious, and minimized his presence, hoping to live peacefully. But his father knew, that woman knew, the whole world knew. He was superfluous. No one wanted him.
It was like a carefully repaired thatched hut suddenly collapsing in the storm. Instead of returning to the apartment he had just rented, Chen Zhaoci went straight to the outskirts, walking into a deserted wilderness and slipping into a tunnel. He bought a pack of cigarettes and sat for a long time amid the damp, musty smell of dust.
He had always been meticulous and sharp-minded. Now, deliberately investigating, it didn’t take long for him to uncover the entire story from beginning to end.
"She’s used to a comfortable life. She couldn’t resist it for long after being with you."
"She took out a Campus Loan. I heard she owes a lot of money, probably hundreds of thousands with compound interest."
"We’re not friends anymore. You’d better tell her to pay back the money soon. She borrowed my ID card, saying it was for checking out books. Who knew she’d take out over twenty thousand in loans! Now debt collectors call me every day—my parents are going to kill me!"
"And me! She’s the class arts committee member and said she needed my ID for an event. She took out eight thousand! The teachers already know, and the school will deal with her! As soon as she returns, she’ll be expelled! Her parents have been notified. Harming others only harms herself in the end!"
"How did you end up with a woman like that? Hah... She actually settled for you? She used to date tall, rich, handsome guys, you know? Fine, I’ll give you some advice: once you see her for what she is, just walk away. The night before last, my buddy saw her going to a nightclub with someone. I heard... she’s pretty wild."
...
It was in the hotel above that nightclub where Chen Zhaoci and Zhu Xinya met for the last time.
Just three months ago, she had still been nestled in his arms, clinging to him and unwilling to let him go study.
Chen Zhaoci was highly methodical. After confirming the details, he used his own ID to book a room on the same floor as theirs, drawing no attention. To prevent any unexpected conflicts, he brought a baseball bat. Then he smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in his room, waiting until it was late enough for whatever was supposed to happen to have happened. He left his room and knocked on their door.
A man answered, shirtless with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Chen Zhaoci ignored him and strode inside. The man grabbed him from behind, shouting, "Hey, who are you?" Prepared, Chen Zhaoci dashed swiftly into the room.
The bed was a mess, and Zhu Xinya was in the midst of it, in a disgraceful state. Even though Chen Zhaoci had witnessed his father and that woman’s indiscretions since childhood, he was still stunned.
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and another man stepped out. Zhu Xinya turned her head, her face unfamiliar to Chen Zhaoci. Her expression was icy, as if carved into her cheekbones, yet her complexion was unnaturally flushed. The moment her eyes met Chen Zhaoci’s, all color drained from her face, and her lips began to tremble. She let out a sharp cry, trying to pull the covers over her shameful body.The two men hesitated for a moment, not immediately approaching.
Chen Zhaoci realized with surprise that he felt unusually calm, and the only words he wanted to say at that moment were: "Xinya, is this what you wanted?"
He turned and walked out, leaving the woman and her chaotic world far behind.
Even after descending the stairs, the night breeze brushing against his face seemed to evoke no sensation in him. He had taken only a few steps through the neon-lit world when a sudden, shattering roar erupted in his ears, followed by a dark shadow plummeting rapidly. Chen Zhaoci turned his head and saw Zhu Xinya lying on the ground, clad only in a thin white nightgown. Blood slowly seeped out from beneath her body. Her face appeared intact, her eyes wide open, revealing a hint of innocent naivety he had never seen in her before.
Screams erupted around them as people quickly gathered to watch. Chen Zhaoci glanced at her a few more times, then turned and walked away.
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