I Heard You've Been Looking for Me Everywhere

Xu He heard that Quan Zhenzhen had been looking everywhere for her.

She knew the woman had been sitting in her contacts for days. She just hadn't responded.

Ten years ago, the two of them had been together.

Back then, Xu He was a freshman in college, and Quan Zhenzhen worked in promotions at a bar near campus. She wore a bulky bee mascot costume, with her curvy hips sticking out and her exposed limbs pale and long. She hooked an arm around Xu He's neck, plopped herself firmly onto her lap, and called out in a sweet voice, "Big sis, come have a couple of drinks."

If all she'd said was "Xu He is stupid, loaded, and easy to fool," Xu He wouldn't really have fallen out with her.

A bee never stays among just one patch of flowers. Even with a carefully tended private garden, she would still find a way to climb over the wall.

*

Ten years after their breakup, Xu He heard that Quan Zhenzhen was doing well. She had her own brand and sold clothes on livestream every night at eight.

Xu He hoped she was doing well, just not too well. Maybe it was some desire for revenge, or maybe it was simply that after ten years, Quan Zhenzhen had learned new tricks. Either way, Xu He still couldn't help adding things to her shopping cart.

On a night of pouring rain, as she heard Quan Zhenzhen sob softly beside her and played with her cool, silky hair, Xu He said, "You shouldn't be short on money now." She couldn't understand what Quan Zhenzhen wanted from her.

After they rolled around in bed, Quan Zhenzhen grinned and wrapped her arms around Xu He's neck. "I'm a masochist. I deserve to be scolded. Go ahead, be as harsh as you like."

A gentleman's revenge may wait ten years. Just as Quan Zhenzhen wanted, Xu He humiliated her in every way she could. A few times, she caught a fleeting glimpse of hurt in Quan Zhenzhen's eyes, but Xu He thought she must have imagined it.

Who could have guessed that before Xu He had had her fill and kicked her to the curb, Quan Zhenzhen would reenact a scene from a TV drama, leaping off a bridge like Yiping? Her long dress fluttered as her paper-thin figure spun through the air, then vanished into the raging floodwaters.

*

Before deciding to leave, Quan Zhenzhen looked back on her unruly life. She had wronged too many people, but Xu He was the only one she wanted to make amends to.

She had carefully prepared a grand farewell. In the few seconds as she fell, she thought viciously: This way, Xu He will never forget me.

#No harmful conduct is encouraged

#Melodramatic misunderstandings / rekindled romance / happy ending

#Imperfect characters / morally flawed

#"Mania" / "split personality"

Theme: Treat others sincerely. It benefits them, and benefits you even more.