Half Blue, Half Gray

I lowered my head and silently walked back. Scene after scene from the past appeared before my eyes: the happy times with Lili, our chance encounter on the train, the stingy company boss, the hotel where I rented a room for the first time, my arguing parents, the fight on the school basketball court, Zhang Xiaoce's long hair, the number on my salary card, Chen Yuanyuan's hair clip, the university teacher who made my skin crawl, the buddies from the art studio, the beautiful young woman next door, the girl I caught a glimpse of on the bus, and so on... They flashed before me like shots from a movie, overlapping one after another. As I thought about them, all at once, it felt as though I had let everything go. My whole body felt light, as if I had come to understand something anew. I smiled at the strangers coming toward me. I guessed she would turn around to look at me now, just as I always secretly turned to look at her. But this time, I never looked back.