Chapter Seventeen: Lingering Memories
Zhou Yi struggled to open his eyes and forced a smile at the man before him. The phrase "jumped into the river" took him a moment to process; it seemed he wasn’t the one who had done so of his own accord.
“I’m fine, I didn’t jump in. My car malfunctioned. Thank you for saving me, sir!”
The middle-aged man’s face bore a sincere, almost shy smile. Realizing Zhou Yi wasn’t trying to end his life, he quickly waved his hand, packed up his fishing rod, and glanced at the bank, where the sound of an approaching ambulance could be heard.
“As long as you’re okay, there’s no need for thanks. Someone just called the police and dialed 120. You look intact, but you should still get checked at the hospital, just to be sure. By the way, what’s your name?”
“My name is Zhou Yi.”
The man nodded, saying nothing more as the ambulance arrived. Several medical staff hurried toward Zhou Yi.
Seeing these people in white, Zhou Yi felt momentarily dazed. It was as if he, too, had once been one of them, riding ambulances through the city—though the vehicles seemed somehow different.
The medical staff wasted no time with his confusion, immediately checking his vital signs.
Zhou Yi raised his hand with difficulty.
“I’m alright, just exhausted. Maybe I don’t need to go to the hospital?”
A doctor cut him off with a wave.
“Don’t talk. Get him to the hospital quickly. Drowning sometimes seems fine at first, but we worry about lung infections. Get him checked to be safe. Bring the stretcher!”
Zhou Yi was lifted onto the stretcher by those around him. He tried to sit up, but the middle-aged man who had just rescued him patted his shoulder reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got experience with this. You’re just afraid the firefighters will come, pull up your car, and nobody will take care of it, right? Don’t worry—once they retrieve it, a tow truck will handle it. Your license plate will let them find your contact info. You’ll just have to pay later.”
Before Zhou Yi could say more, the stretcher was carried away, and the ambulance sped off toward the hospital.
Wearing an oxygen mask, Zhou Yi felt drained, his eyes closing as he recalled what had happened.
He was just a small-time programmer, working tirelessly every day. He didn’t develop software for any major company, but eked out a living with minor apps, caught up in an endless cycle of busyness and boredom.
But after finishing overtime, on his way home to rest, he’d received a call from his girlfriend’s father. His girlfriend had been in a car accident and hadn’t survived. The shock left Zhou Yi completely lost; his car crashed into the guardrail and plunged into the river.
The memory gave him pause.
He opened his eyes wide. Though his mind was still muddled, flashes from a doctor’s perspective, foreign faces, and scenes of resuscitation flickered through his thoughts. He set them aside for now, reaching for his pocket.
He searched left and right until he finally grasped his phone. Just as he was about to raise it, the doctor beside him pressed down on his arm.
“What are you trying to do? Want to contact your family?”
Zhou Yi shook his head, then nodded, pulling aside his oxygen mask.
“My girlfriend had a car accident. I want to know where she is. Take me to the hospital she’s at, if possible.”
Seeing Zhou Yi’s dripping phone, the doctor sighed, immediately understanding why Zhou Yi had fallen from the bridge—clearly, the accident had affected him deeply and led to the crash.
“Here, use my phone. You can call and ask.”
Zhou Yi nodded.
He took the doctor’s phone and dialed his girlfriend’s number. It rang for a long time, but no one answered. Refusing to give up, Zhou Yi tried several more times, each with the same result. He was stunned; it was definitely the same number that had called him earlier—why was there no answer now?
The doctor, still quite young, saw Zhou Yi’s bewildered expression and hurried over.
“What’s your girlfriend’s name? I can check the records and maybe find something.”
Zhou Yi immediately turned toward him.
“Her name is Luo Meizhu. She’s twenty-eight, same age as me.”
The doctor took the phone, dialed another number, and asked a few questions.
“The patient’s name is Luo Meizhu. Do you know which hospital she was sent to after the accident this morning…? Found it… Oh, thank you!”
He hung up and looked at Zhou Yi.
“She’s at First Hospital in ZJ City…”
“Can you take me there?”
The doctor nodded, relayed the address to the driver, and the ambulance sped toward ZJ City First Hospital.
The stretcher was pushed out.
Just a slight movement made Zhou Yi dizzy, and the fragments of memory in his mind increased—busy emergency rooms, cramped prison cells, a falling basement, a red dress, a speeding pickup truck.
These fragments wouldn’t stop, but Zhou Yi dared not dwell on them; they were beyond his comprehension.
He was just an ordinary man, born and raised in this city. The most rebellious thing he’d ever done was watch adult films late at night and spend time alone—how could he have such memories?
It must be from watching too many dramas, confusing reality with fiction. When he opened his eyes, he had already been pushed into the emergency room. The ambulance doctor spoke to the ER staff and then left.
Zhou Yi sat up.
A young nurse tried to stop him, but Zhou Yi waved her off.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
He staggered into the hospital. The nurse saw he was in no real danger and didn’t follow; the ER was busy with critical cases, and Zhou Yi was simply overlooked.
He pulled out his phone.
He shook off the water as best he could. Though the phone was advertised as waterproof, he hadn’t dared turn it on until now, given how much water it looked to have taken. After a few shakes, it seemed dry enough, so Zhou Yi pressed the power button.
After several seconds, it did boot up. He quickly searched through his call records, finding an answered call at 7:33, labeled “Azhu.”
Holding the phone, staring at the name Azhu, Zhou Yi didn’t dial.
Azhu?
Was there someone else called Azhu?
The name triggered a sharp pain in his chest. He pressed his hand against his heart, leaning against the wall in the corridor.
Azhu—his girlfriend!
A gentle smile appeared in his mind: a woman holding his arm, calling his name excitedly.
“Zhou Yi, how about I accompany you to study in America?”
Zhou Yi felt he might lose his mind. Was this a split personality? A woman he’d never seen before was also called Azhu, her smiling face haunting him. These weren’t his memories—he was certain.
His girlfriend Azhu wasn’t so beautiful, merely a sweet, southern woman.
After calming himself, Zhou Yi grabbed the arm of a nearby nurse.
“Miss Nurse, may I ask where the bodies of those who passed away this morning in the ER are taken?”
The nurse looked up at Zhou Yi. She didn’t shout despite his grip—she knew those grieving for loved ones were heavy-hearted. She nodded and pointed toward a passageway.
“See that corridor? Follow the yellow line all the way, then turn left at the end. Exit the building, and you’ll see a row of houses on the north side—no windows, just stainless steel doors. Hard to miss.”
Zhou Yi nodded and headed in that direction without another word.
Another nurse in a blue cardigan bumped into the one who’d given directions.
“Hey, what are you spacing out for? Careful—the head nurse will yell at you!”
The first nurse shook her head, tilting her chin toward Zhou Yi’s retreating figure.
“He asked for directions to the morgue. Looks really down.”
The nurse in blue glanced over, brows furrowing slightly.
“His outfit looks familiar somehow.”
The first nurse leaned closer, blinking.
“You know him?”
“No, but someone else asked me for the way to the morgue recently. That person rushed off in a panic—I caught a glimpse of their back, and it looked just like him! Never mind, must be exhaustion from the night shift. Let’s hurry up!”