She also raised her head, staring blankly at me. Her long hair was scattered over her shoulders, extremely disheveled, and not even dry, with a hint of shampoo scent. She was wearing a set of home clothes, slippers on her feet, and no socks. Behind her, not far away from the roadside, her car was parked with hazard lights flashing. It was clear that she had rushed out of her house in a great hurry. And after recognizing me, her eyes became extremely strange, filled with vigilance, shock, and even a few threads of fear. Under the faint light, her face also looked pale.

  Completely different from when Im with you during the day, so obedient and lovely. Its as if shes become a completely different person.

  What happened to her in just one night?

  Why did a girl come here alone at midnight?

  But before I could even open my mouth, Tan Jiao had already spoken up: "You... why are you here?" His voice actually trembled slightly.

  I looked down at her: "And you, why are you here?"

  She bit her lip and looked into my eyes at a very close distance, saying: "I have an appointment."

  "Who did you make an appointment with?"

  "Does this have anything to do with you?"

  Its like this again, faintly cool, with a bit of stubborn thorn, pricking me slightly awake. I raised my head to look at those birds that had long since flown who-knows-where, and smiled, saying: "Nothing to do with me."

  With a slightly more relaxed expression, she said, "Since its no big deal, would you mind stepping aside? I still have something to attend to."

  I didnt move, with both hands pressed against the wall on either side of her body, and asked again: "Who did you make a date with?"

  A flicker of surprise and anger flashed in her eyes, but it was a look that dared to be angry but not dare to move. For some reason, this appearance made my heart feel soft and gentle.

  "She said in a low and angry tone: You still havent told me why youre here at this time?!"

  I calmed down a bit. Looking into her clear eyes, I started thinking to myself whether or not to tell her the reason. That almost absurd reason was just because I saw a group of water birds that shouldnt be here.

  After all, she was also on that ship at that time.

  She still hasnt recognized me until now.

  I lowered my head and said, "Tan Jiao, I..." Perhaps we were too close, my chin almost touched the tip of her nose. She also sensed it and slightly tilted her head away, but we still leaned against each other. On this deserted riverbank path in the dead of night, I was nestled beside her, our eyes locked on each others, about to reveal our respective secrets.

  I didnt get to finish what I was saying.

  Because someone else has come.

  Uninvited guest.

  The sound of rapid footsteps came, and Tan Jiao and I both looked up at the same time. When we saw that person, we were both stunned.

  There are no houses or buildings in this area, the nearest residential area is hundreds of meters away. There is only a quiet construction site, sparse trees and a few streetlights here, the whole road is dark and quiet.

  That man came running from the direction of the residential area.

  A very dirty and strange man with a small child on his shoulders.

  His hair was very long and messy, like seaweed that had been knotted. His face was so dirty that his features were indistinguishable, but his eyes shone brightly with an excited light. He wore a crumpled jacket that was also too dirty to discern its color. On his feet were a pair of tattered sneakers with holes in them. He looked like a vagrant who wasnt quite right in the head.

  The child, about five or six years old, seemed to be asleep. He was wearing clean pajamas, and his white and tender feet were bare, looking very cute.

  He ran across the street and saw us.

  He smiled, revealing yellow-black teeth. It was a smile that made people feel very uncomfortable, because he seemed to be smiling happily and bitterly at the same time. He ran extremely fast, his feet were so light that they almost didnt touch the ground, and in an instant, he ran into the darkness.

  Tan Jiao grabbed my arm and said, "What the hell is this?"

  I heard distant shouting coming from the direction of the residential area.

  "Stay still, dont move." I shook off her hand and chased after him.