The days that followed felt like a blur to Liang Zhi. Time, once a familiar companion, had now become an enemy. It moved too quickly when he wanted to linger in his memories, and too slowly when he wished for escape. Each day, he found himself waking up in the same room, facing the same loneliness, the same silence. Nothing had changed. Nothing could change.
The scent of Xia Lian's perfume still lingered in the corners of his apartment, especially around the living room, where they had spent countless evenings together, wrapped in warmth, laughter, and comfort. He would sit for hours, staring at the empty space beside him, imagining her presence there, as if time had frozen that moment for him.
But of course, it hadn't. Life had gone on, indifferent to his suffering.
Liang Zhi had tried to resume his normal routine. He forced himself to leave the apartment once a week, pushing his feet along the cracked pavement of the city streets. He would walk through the market district, passing the familiar vendors, and occasionally, he would stop at a coffee shop—the one they used to visit together every Sunday. He would sit in the corner, nursing his drink, his eyes always wandering to the door as if waiting for her to walk through it.
He knew it was foolish. But it was a small comfort, a fleeting illusion of a life that could have been.
On the fourth week after the accident, as autumn leaves began to paint the city in shades of amber and gold, Liang Zhi found himself walking once more to the park where he and Xia Lian had once shared their first kiss. It was the one place that still felt... real. The place where they had exchanged their promises to love each other forever. Where their future had seemed so certain.
But standing there now, the weight of absence pressed down on his chest. The park felt alien, empty, as if the joy that had once bloomed between them had withered and died along with her.
The breeze was colder today. The branches above rustled as they swayed in the wind, sending a few leaves to the ground like memories falling away. Liang Zhi felt a chill crawl down his spine. He hugged his jacket closer, his gaze falling on the bench where they had spent countless hours, talking about everything and nothing.
That was where he met her eyes for the last time. The last time they had laughed together, held hands, shared a dream of the future. But now, that future was gone. It had been ripped away from him in the blink of an eye.
He closed his eyes, feeling the sting of tears as they threatened to spill. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry anymore, that he would bury his pain deep within and not allow it to take hold of him. But today, the grief was too strong. It crashed over him like a wave, pulling him under with its force.
"Lian…" His voice was barely a whisper, but the word felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds on his chest.
He had spoken her name so many times in the past two years, but it never lost its bitterness, its edge of finality. He would never hear her voice again, never feel her warmth, never see that soft, understanding smile she always gave him when he was lost in his thoughts.
The park was almost empty, save for a few elderly couples and joggers. Liang Zhi stood there, rooted to the spot, his thoughts consumed by memories of Xia Lian.
But as he lingered there, something unusual caught his attention. There was a figure sitting at the very bench where he had spent so many afternoons with her. It wasn't the elderly man or the jogger passing by, but a young woman, her back turned toward him. Her dark hair cascaded in waves down her back, and her posture was delicate, almost fragile.
Liang Zhi couldn't explain why, but something about her silhouette felt... familiar. His heart raced involuntarily, and his legs moved forward before he could even think. Was it possible?
The closer he got, the more his pulse quickened. The woman's presence felt like a magnet, drawing him toward her. But he knew it was impossible. This was just his mind playing tricks on him. It had to be.
But as he drew near, the woman turned her head slightly, and the faintest glint of recognition flashed in his chest. She wasn't Xia Lian. He knew that much. But there was something in her eyes, something in the way she held herself that struck a chord deep within him.
It was then that the woman turned fully, meeting his gaze for the first time. Liang Zhi froze.
Her face was unfamiliar—no, it was different. But there was a strange, almost haunting resemblance. She looked at him with those eyes, those eyes that made his heart stumble in his chest, and the world around him seemed to blur. His breath caught in his throat.
Impossible.
For a moment, they stood there, neither one speaking. The woman didn't move, but her gaze softened, almost as if she recognized him too. It was a look of quiet understanding, one that made his heart ache in a way he couldn't explain. It was as if, deep in her soul, she knew the weight of his sorrow, the depth of his loss. It was as though she shared his grief.
"Excuse me…" The woman's voice broke the silence. It was soft, gentle, and as she spoke, Liang Zhi felt a rush of emotions flood over him. He felt as though he were hearing the voice of someone he had longed for, someone who had been lost to him.
"Yes?" he replied, his voice thick with uncertainty, his heart still racing.
"I—I'm sorry," she said, her eyes dropping to her hands in her lap. "I thought I saw someone I knew."
Liang Zhi blinked, his mind struggling to make sense of her words. Could it be? Could she possibly know him?
"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice quieter now. "I didn't mean to disturb you."
Liang Zhi opened his mouth to respond, but the words refused to come. His throat was tight, and his pulse thundered in his ears. It felt as though some invisible force was urging him to speak, to ask her questions that burned in his mind, but fear held him back. What if he was wrong? What if she was just someone passing by, and he was grasping at straws?
As he hesitated, the woman stood up and turned to leave, and that was when something strange happened. She paused, her hand resting on the back of the bench, as though she were listening to something. The faintest shift in the air seemed to follow her movement. Liang Zhi blinked, but when he looked again, the strange sensation had vanished.
"Goodbye," she said, her voice so soft that he barely heard it. But before she could take another step, she turned back to him with a small, almost sorrowful smile.
"Take care of yourself," she added quietly, her gaze lingering on him for a moment longer.
Liang Zhi felt the air around him grow thick with emotion. He stood frozen in place, watching as she walked away. He had so many questions, but the words were stuck in his throat.
Had he imagined it? Had he been seeing things?
He rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of the strange encounter. The sensation of familiarity, the connection he felt, wasn't something he could easily ignore. Was it possible that this woman was connected to Xia Lian in some way? Or was he simply lost in his grief, seeing ghosts of the past?
That night, as Liang Zhi lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts raced. The woman at the park, her eyes, her smile—something had felt so real, so familiar. It haunted him. There was no way it could just be a coincidence.
And as he drifted into a restless sleep, the last thought in his mind was one that would both comfort and torment him:
Could fate have brought her back?