Chapter 3: The Most Familiar Stranger
In the year when Tong Chen left without saying goodbye, I had imagined countless times the scene of our reunion, but none of them were the same as now, at least not on such a bustling road, and there wouldn't be so many cars flowing between us...
"Hey, what are you looking at? Want to go out and have some fun tonight, consider it a celebration? Hey, did you hear me talking? ...I'm talking to you... Ah! ...Where are you going? ...Be careful... Car!" When I saw this girl who looked like Tong Chen, my first reaction was to rush over.
……
I've been following this girl who looks like Tong Chen aimlessly for a while, and after about two blocks, I decided to go up and stop her. The feeling that she's Tong Chen is getting stronger in my head. Maybe she's not Tong Chen, but I know if I keep following her like this, I'll regret it.
"Miss, you dropped your money." I held her arm with one hand and clenched a 50-yuan note in the other.
"Sorry, this isn't my money." She gave me a charming smile and then simply flipped through her own purse before smiling at me again.
For this smile, I feel very familiar, but for the expression of this girl at this time, I am very confused. If she is Tong Chen, she should not be so calm when seeing me. When a person is excited, it's hard to keep calm, and that's my state right now. I decide to ask her directly...
"Tong Chen, is that you?"
"I think... maybe you've mistaken me for someone else, or maybe this is how you usually pursue girls. In that case, I'll just pretend you've mistaken me." Tong Chen still wore a smile that left me perplexed, as calm and collected as ever. Deep down, I actually hoped the girl in front of me would burst into tears or laughter at this moment, at least that would prove something...
"Sorry, you look a lot like my girlfriend. Really, I have her picture in my wallet." As I said that, I took out my wallet and handed it to her, with a large photo of me and Tong Chen strolling together inside.
"It's really similar, it's unbelievable, I don't know if you didn't tell me, I would have thought you two are twins. Looking at your anxious expression, did you guys have a fight?" When she saw the photo, her language revealed excitement and surprise. In my sophomore elective course, I once took psychology, in the only one class, I was drowsy and vaguely listened to the teacher introduce how to judge whether someone is deceiving you by observing their eyes, unfortunately, that day I just slept...
"No, it's me... I... I accidentally lost her..." I started to speak incoherently with a hint of despair.
After this girl, who looked like Tong Chen, expressed her interest and patience in listening to my story about Tong Chen and me, we found a cold drink shop nearby. Then she told me that her name was Ding Ning, and if I doubted it, she could show me her ID card. I smiled and shook my head, but actually, I was very afraid that she wasn't Tong Chen...
After listening to our story, Ding Ning asked me if I had found Tong Chen. Actually, over the past year, I have contacted everyone who might know her whereabouts, but there has been no news at all. Nobody knows where she went, and on the day she left me, she simultaneously submitted a resignation letter to the airline company, and then there was no more news...
After chatting with her about some other topics, I borrowed Ding Ning's phone and lied to her that my phone was out of battery, and there was something important that I needed to tell my friend. Ding Ning handed over the phone readily, I dialed a number, pretended to put it to my ear, at this time the phone in my pocket started vibrating, then I returned the phone to her and told her that my friend's phone was turned off...
Until I saw Ding Ning's back disappear into the crowd, I couldn't be sure if she was Tong Chen or not. Just looking at her serious expression as she listened to me talk made me think of Tong Chen. She always used to make me hold her and tell her stories like a little kid. That expression was surprisingly similar to Ding Ning's, making me involuntarily recall Xiao Ya Xuan's "Most Familiar Stranger".
