To the Distant Mountains and Rivers

“She's cunning and sly, beautiful and vibrant. I love her.”

Substitute | Two powerful families in Beijing | Bittersweet

(The following is inspiration and a tentative outline, not the finished blurb. It will be revised later.)

She was wearing a black fur coat, sobbing uncontrollably on a Beijing street. Snow fell thickly that day, and there was hardly anyone around.

Passing cars occasionally slowed as they went by. After paying their respects with a glance, the drivers joined the stream of traffic again, hitting the gas.

He bought the last pack of cigarettes at the convenience store, and the shopkeeper gave him a coin in change.

He had barely stepped outside when he saw a young woman sitting in the snow, sobbing uncontrollably. A chipped porcelain bowl lay in front of her.

He casually tossed the coin into the bowl. The woman, tears and snot streaming down her face, looked up at him and pleaded, “Did Santa Claus send you? If not, why did I have to see you today? Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to see you?”

She was crying so hard she had lost all composure. The Border Collie beside her was bundled up like a tightly wrapped dumpling. In the cold wind, it stuck its tongue out at him from the warmth of her arms, trying to look endearing.

Just as the rumors said, his face was always cold. It was no different now. He shook his head at the girl, who was crying without a shred of composure. “I'm not Santa Claus, here to make your wish come true. I'm just some passerby in your life.”

But the girl shook her head. Her tears would not stop. She cried, shouted, and raved, “I miss you. I miss you so much. I really love you, but why won't you look at me?”

When she wouldn't let up, the man crouched in front of her and met her eyes. He used his sleeve to wipe away her tears and runny nose, bit by bit, then finally spoke, gentle yet helpless. “I'm not him. You've mistaken me for someone else.”

“No, I haven't mistaken you for anyone. You're the only you at C University, the brightest, the most aloof, and the one I'll always love most.”

He froze, seeming to want to light a cigarette, but she snatched away his lighter. She started crying again. “I love you, but you can't light a fire. If you do, you'll disappear in front of me again.”

He stared at her in stunned silence. So she thought she was dreaming.

She said, “After this, I'll never see you again. But I like you so much. You're so smart, and you were even so good at calculus, while now I can't understand any of those symbols.”

His expression turned cold in an instant. “Since we were classmates, I won't hold it against you for mistaking me for him. But take a good look and figure out who I am, and who it is you actually love!”

She covered her face and sobbed in anguish. His hand gripped her so tightly that it hurt. She gave in, admitting, “I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else. But please, could you not disappear? Could you stay by my side just a little longer?”

She thought that going along with what he said might let her hold on to this beautiful dream. But in an instant, he seemed to lose all strength, turning cold and distant again as he pulled his hand away.

“Classmate, I know you're not well. I'll pretend nothing happened today. I'll call your parents to come get you.”

He made the call. In the snow, she held her bowl, her hands bright red.

Screenshot saved at 20:53 on the evening of January 5, 2024.

Theme: Love.