Following Lao Tie's arrangements, I took a private plane directly back to my hometown from the airport. I met Xu Xiaoting at the airport. She looked a little plumper and her skin was fairer after not seeing her for several months. She seemed in good spirits.
"Old classmate, you're looking well!" I said, shaking hands with Xu Xiaoting warmly.
"If you're happy, you'll be plump. Why not just say I've gotten fat?"
I chuckled, "You look good even if you're a bit plump."
"Such a smooth talker. Does your wife know?"
"Stop, stop, don't escalate this into a relationship crisis. Old classmate, let's talk business. Have you really met Chen Ling?"
"Yes, I have. I recognized her from her unforgettable gaze the first time I saw her. She deliberately avoided me after seeing me the second time."
"Why did you go to the drug rehabilitation center?"
"Qingzi asked me to deliver some money to a friend of his, as he couldn't show his face. So I went. I only went once. It happened yesterday, I was having dinner with some classmates, and they said Tie Zhishan was looking for Chen Ling. But Chen Ling disappeared after dropping out of school back then. I had met Chen Ling, so I contacted Tie Zhishan. Unexpectedly, he was already on his way to the airport. After we spoke, he hung up and called me back shortly after, telling me not to tell anyone about this and to wait for you at the airport. What's going on? I thought hard and remembered you and Chen Ling were quite close back then. You're not trying to find your first love behind your wife's back, are you?"
Hearing Xu Xiaoting's words, I gave an awkward, wry smile. "Where did you get that idea? I just want to help her!"
"You just finished helping me with my affairs, and now you want to help Chen Ling. You don't want anything in return, do you? Have you become a Bodhisattva after getting rich?"
I looked at Xu Xiaoting speechlessly. Xu Xiaoting also realized she had said too much and chuckled to herself. "Okay, okay, I won't pry into your business. Let's go to the drug rehabilitation center now. But I must warn you, if you're going to play the Bodhisattva, I'm willing to help. But if you're trying to relive your youth or engage in an extramarital affair, I'll be the first one to scold you on your wife's behalf."
"Sister, please spare me. Don't ask too many questions about this. Just help me."
...
As Xu Xiaoting drove, she reminisced with me about those difficult times back then. Back then, the powerful Li Qing colluded with a man named Brother Hu. Zhuzi wasn't the mastermind, he was just in charge of the beatings, and later involved in murder.
Back then, Xu Xiaoting was still somewhat conscious when she was stuffed into a sack. At the scene, she saw a familiar pair of eyes. Like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, she remembered the girl was called Chen Ling. She yelled for Chen Ling to save her, but it seemed the girl was in no position to help herself.
Later, Xu Xiaoting saw that same gaze again at the drug rehabilitation center. She wanted to ask about the other person's situation. After all, they were both in dire straits. But Chen Ling avoided her. She asked again and again, but there was no one named Chen Ling at the drug rehabilitation center.
...
The Chen Ling at the drug rehabilitation center wasn't her real name. Her name was Zhou Nianchen. When I saw her, she was wearing a mask, but I recognized her at first glance. Yes, she was Chen Ling. Chen Ling had a unique brow bone and her eyes always carried the aura of a resentful beauty. If Xu Xiaoting hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten this characteristic of Chen Ling.
Seeing us, Zhou Nianchen also heard me call out the name Chen Ling. After a moment of silence, she said, "I'm not Chen Ling, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Xu Xiaoting exclaimed loudly, "If you're not Chen Ling, take off your mask and let us see."
Zhou Nianchen smiled helplessly, but still removed her mask in front of us. If I hadn't seen her masked face at first glance, I wouldn't have believed the person in front of me was Chen Ling. In terms of appearance, Zhou Nianchen wasn't beautiful, a far cry from Chen Ling's clear and spirited demeanor back then.
Seeing Zhou Nianchen's appearance, Xu Xiaoting was stunned for a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we mistook you for someone else."
"Chen Ling, ah, no, Zhou Nianchen, can we talk?"
I said earnestly, then looked into Zhou Nianchen's eyes, begging for her consent through our gaze. Zhou Nianchen thought for a moment and sighed, "Alright, time is short, let's talk for a bit."
We went to a conference room, just the three of us. I even sent Xu Xiaoting away to get me a cup of coffee. Leaving the two of us alone, I said to Zhou Nianchen, "I'm sorry, Ms. Zhou. Because you looked very similar to my good friend when you were wearing a mask, my classmate mistook you. It's like this, I've been looking for Chen Ling recently, and I've found her."
"You found her?"
"Yes, we met in Beijing. She's become a major drug lord."
Hearing this, Zhou Nianchen frowned and pondered. I watched her. From Zhou Nianchen's current appearance, she was likely figuring out how to explain this to me.
But when I saw Zhou Nianchen's eyes, I knew she was the real Chen Ling. As for the Chen Ling I met, I couldn't say she was a stranger, but not exactly familiar either. Most of the time, my feeling about that Chen Ling was that she was a weak person. Even though she did some unacceptable things later, I still forgave her from the perspective of a weak person.
Now, it seemed my mistake was with Chen Ling herself. Chen Ling was a scheme, a scheme I hadn't seen through.
"Chen Ling told me that after being manipulated by Jiang Keyang in Beijing, she ran back to her hometown, only to be captured by Brother Hu. Later, she had a miscarriage and was admitted to a private hospital, which is how she escaped Brother Hu's control. Eventually, she got her revenge and became a drug lord."
Hearing this, Zhou Nianchen blinked and said earnestly, "I knew a girl named Chen Ling at the drug rehabilitation center, but she's not the same as what you've described."
"Can you tell me about it?"
...
The Chen Ling that Zhou Nianchen spoke of met a habitual thief. Later, she learned that the man was an informant, so she deliberately took drugs and used her body as bait to help the man catch the female drug lord Liu Zhaodi.
However, Chen Ling did not receive any commendation for catching the drug trafficker. Instead, due to some personal grudges, she was imprisoned for theft. At that time, the crackdown was very strict, and opening a safe could result in a ten-year prison sentence.
It was at this time that someone stepped forward, spreading rumors about the dean of students' crimes, turning Chen Ling into a social hero. Due to widespread public support, Chen Ling's sentence was commuted.
Chen Ling guessed that the man had saved her, so she went to Beijing, only to accidentally run into the man getting married. So, she met him privately, but the man claimed to love her and pursued her repeatedly. Considering her future, Chen Ling seized the opportunity and became the man's mistress.
...
Hearing this, I interrupted with confusion, "This is different from the story I know?"
"It's different. She didn't overhear that man talking with his cronies in the supermarket. She had her own agenda. She didn't care about any damn love; she only cared about her future. Didn't she even drug the man to help him solve the case, all for her future? The Chen Ling you met, however, seems like her life has been artistically embellished. She's so tragic, I feel sympathetic just hearing about it."
"Are you saying I was deceived?"
"Yes, it's like this. Chen Ling wasn't as pitiful as you think. It's true that Chen Ling's aunt's actions were a huge blow to her, but think about it, after going through such terrible things, would Chen Ling still care about an aunt? So, she started getting involved in society, working and stealing at the same time. Sometimes she would work in a store and steal from it, a case of inside job theft. Most importantly, Chen Ling was very smart and wasn't discovered. Until one day, a man found her and sought cooperation."
"'Steal the wind but not the moon, steal the rain but not the snow'?"
"Do you think a thief would have such romantic sentiments? What's portrayed in movies is different from real life. Chen Ling collaborated with that man, and they gradually developed a cohabiting relationship. There were two reasons: first, Chen Ling was beautiful, and the man was willing to get into her bed. Second, living together, there were bound to be inconveniences. Breaking that barrier made life more convenient."
...
The man continuously promised Chen Ling a bright future to bring down Liu Zhaodi, helping her build a positive outlook in her mind. This is everything that happened when they lived together, not the warm little home created by artistic embellishment.
"What happened later?" I asked.
"What later? The man just used her, then took the credit for himself."
"Didn't Jiang Keyang save you?"
I asked eagerly, but seeing Zhou Nianchen's eyes, I quickly corrected myself, "Did Jiang Keyang not go to save Chen Ling?"
"I don't know if the Jiang Keyang you're referring to is the same person I'm talking about. Chen Ling only used pronouns like 'that man' when she told me."
"Didn't that man save Chen Ling?"
"No! Chen Ling only found out later. She discovered that the man had no intention of reporting her contributions from back then, and only wanted her to willingly be his mistress. Chen Ling wasn't interested in being a mistress; she chose to leave that man and return to her hometown."
"Who saved Chen Ling? And why did Chen Ling get involved with Brother Hu again?"
"The one who saved Chen Ling was also a thief..."