Crossed the Line This Second · Chat

The rain had been falling for a long time. When Murong Qingyi walked out of the iron gates, the musty odor of the prison still lingered on his shoulders. The man who had come to pick him up stood by the car, holding an old overcoat belonging to his father. He didn't ask whose idea this was; he simply took it and draped it over himself. The coat was too large, the collar hanging loosely, as if he hadn't yet had time to fit himself back into the dimensions of this world. The grand opening ceremony for the Huo family's cinema was lavish, the crystal chandeliers so bright they made it hard to keep one's eyes open. Murong Qingyi sat in the second row, paying no attention to what was playing on the screen until the projector clicked with a snap and the picture changed. The faces of Huo Minxian and a stranger appeared on the screen, and the entire auditorium fell silent for a moment before erupting into chaos. People were screaming, others were laughing. As Huo Minxian stood up, her chair tipped over onto the floor. She pointed in his direction and said something, but he couldn't hear it clearly, nor did he care to. When the crowd dispersed, he picked up a flattened gentian flower from the gap between the seats. He stood there holding that flower for a long time. The rain still hadn't stopped, fine as needles. He looked up toward the street corner just in time to see a woman in a slate-blue qipao rounding the bend, her back disappearing behind the curtain of rain. His foot took half a step forward, then stopped. It wasn't until later that he learned the Huo family had sent people to cause a scene at the Murong estate that night, claiming his fiancée had committed suicide by drinking poison and demanding an explanation from him. In front of a room full of people, Cheng Jinzhi raised her hand and slapped him across the face. The sound was loud, but Murong Qingyi merely tilted his head slightly, as if he had just taken an inconsequential pat.