Chapter Twenty-Seven

A ray of sunlight fell across Xian Xiaoya’s face, her eyelids growing hot under its glare. Only then did she open her eyes, realizing that her cheek was pressed against a pane of glass; the light shone directly on her, and she felt herself swaying gently, in motion. The beam was sometimes blocked by passing obstacles—it must be a car on the road, and she was seated inside it. Tall trees and buildings slid by outside her window, making the sunlight flicker. She remembered she’d fallen asleep on the back seat.

Where was she? Where were they going? Why was she in the car? What had happened before this? She couldn’t recall. A voice sounded beside her—

“Jie, wake up, we’re here.”

She rubbed her eyes and saw Xiao Hao sitting next to her.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“We’re going to see a house in the suburbs,” her younger brother Xiao Hao replied.

Suddenly, a voice from the front seat addressed her: “Still dazed from sleep, huh? I told you when you got in, pay attention to the way. You’ll have to find your way back by yourself later, and if you don’t remember the route, it’ll be a hassle.” The voice was familiar. In the driver’s rearview mirror, she saw it was Xian Shiqiang. So it was her father, concerned she’d get lost because she was dozing.

A sudden stabbing pain shot through Xian Xiaoya’s head, sharp as needles, but it faded almost at once.

“It’s all right. I’ll have time later—I can drive you both back,” came another voice.

Xian Xiaoya glanced at the front mirror; it was Miss Lin driving—or rather, Mrs. Lin. Why had she remembered her differently?

“Oh, that’s very kind of you, Mrs. Lin,” Xian Shiqiang said, relieved by her offer.

“It’s nothing, really—we’re neighbors, after all. I have to drive back that way anyway,” Mrs. Lin replied with a cheerful laugh as she drove.

“Thank you, Mrs. Lin,” Xiao Hao said politely. He seemed sharper than before, more aware of social niceties.

“Don’t mention it.” Mrs. Lin sounded genuinely warm. In Xian Xiaoya’s memory, she hadn’t been so friendly.

Xian Xiaoya felt dazed. She couldn’t remember what had happened before. What was wrong with her? It was as if something very important had slipped away, but try as she might, she couldn’t grasp it. She shook her head, a bit dizzy, not knowing why.

“What house are we looking at?” Xian Xiaoya whispered to Xiao Hao, wary of their father overhearing. She couldn’t recall what they were supposed to be doing.

Xiao Hao looked surprised, as if his sister had forgotten even today’s purpose. “To look at a house! The public rental housing Dad applied for is ready. We’re here to check it out—a government benefit. Not everyone can apply, but our family qualifies. Jie, you didn’t forget that too, did you?”

“I remember. I just dozed off—a slip of the tongue.”

“Oh, all right then.”

“Could you lower your voice? I can hear you.” She still feared their father’s scolding if he learned she’d forgotten something so important.

“They called us to see the house so soon—great! The rent’s really cheap, too. Isn’t that good, Jie?”

Was that so? She had no memory of it. Had their family applied for this? She couldn’t recall at all. “Yes, it’s wonderful. Really great.”

“What’s wrong with you today, Jie? You’re acting like you’ve lost your memory,” Xiao Hao said, his words clear and logical. His gaze was sharp—why had she never noticed this before? Xian Xiaoya felt a twinge of doubt, though she couldn’t say what was different.

After a while, the car pulled into a rather nice complex, with lovely landscaping and new buildings—at least a dozen surrounding them. Mrs. Lin dropped them off and drove to the parking lot.

Xian Shiqiang and Xiao Hao seemed delighted at the prospect of moving into a new home.

“Jie, let’s hurry in and see which unit we’ve been assigned.”

“All right,” Xian Xiaoya replied, still muddled.

The three entered the property management lobby, where a special department handled new tenants. They were allowed to view three different apartments and pick one. A staff member led them to the units. He looked vaguely familiar—who was he? Xian Xiaoya thought she’d seen him before. But he walked so fast she couldn’t get a good look, though her father and brother kept up easily.

Her head was spinning again. She couldn’t see the way clearly. Oddly, the guide didn’t take them to the elevator, but up the stairs. Why climb, when there should be a lift? They climbed to the first floor, then the second, then the third—higher and higher. The guide moved quickly, followed by her father and Xiao Hao. Xian Xiaoya called out, “Don’t go so fast, slow down.”

“Hurry up, or all the good units will be taken,” Xiao Hao replied. It made sense, but why was he suddenly so logical?

Come to think of it, did her father always have such stamina? It didn’t seem so before… what was it like before? She couldn’t remember. Her constant dizziness clouded everything.

She shook her head to clear it, but the fog remained. How many flights had they climbed? Why hadn’t they arrived yet? She looked down and saw the stairwell spiraled so far she couldn’t tell which floor she was on. Looking up, she realized the three ahead had disappeared. How had they moved so fast? She had to find them.

She climbed another flight, but still saw no one. Too tired to go on, she opened the fire escape door and stepped into the corridor.

Each floor had eight apartments. She walked to each door, wanting to look inside, but she had no key. Where had the others gone?

She didn’t care anymore and tried the doors one by one, but none opened. When she reached the seventh door, it swung open—

She poked her head in. The apartment was small, with two or three rooms. She walked to the innermost room, its door closed, when suddenly—a faint, muddled voice echoed in her ear—

“This way, open it, quick, open it! Come back!”

The voice was weak, but she could hear it, though it didn’t feel directed at her. Yet it wound around her, insistent.

Driven by curiosity and the urge from the voice, Xian Xiaoya reached for the innermost door, her hand inches from the handle when—

A hand landed on her shoulder from behind! Startled, she turned—it was the guide.

“What are you doing here? This isn’t the right floor. Come with me,” he said sternly, as if wronged.

Xian Xiaoya had no choice but to follow. He looked just like Jason, though she couldn’t remember who that was—only that he seemed familiar.

“Don’t wander off. Stay close. I have many families to show around, and yours has already taken up so much of my time—a real hassle,” he grumbled, and she trailed after him.

This time, they didn’t use the stairs; he led her to the elevator. Xian Xiaoya was annoyed—why hadn’t they used it earlier?

“So there is an elevator.”

“Floors one to thirteen are out—you have to reach the thirteenth before you can use the elevator.”

“Why’s that?”

“The elevator for the lower floors is broken today. You can only climb to thirteen and take another lift.”

“That won’t be permanent, will it?”

“Of course not. Just today.”

She relaxed a little. So it was only for today. Climbing had left Xian Xiaoya dizzier than ever; everything was a blur, she couldn’t even see which button he pressed. The elevator stopped quickly.

They stepped out; she had no idea which floor this was, only that she was following him, dazed.

He led her to one of the apartments. “You have three to choose from, each with different orientations. Your family is viewing the other two. You can look at this one first.”

“All right.” Xian Xiaoya nodded and went in.

“There’s a balcony—you can check it out,” he suggested. She walked over and looked down; it was dizzyingly high. What floor was this?

“What floor is this?” she wanted to ask.

“Look down—you’ll see,” he replied.

Suddenly, someone shoved her hard from behind. Her body lurched over the balcony railing, and hands lifted her legs from behind. She screamed, but couldn’t grip the rail; she was already falling!

A bloodcurdling shriek—and everything went black.

Once more, sunlight warmed her face. She felt her body swaying, moving through space… She was so tired, didn’t know how long she’d slept, but exhaustion clung to her. She opened her eyes, the glare piercing; she tried to see clearly, but the light forced her eyes shut. The heat, the sensation—she was in the car again. “Again?” Why did it feel like “again”? Suddenly, a voice sounded beside her—

“Jie, wake up, we’re here.”