The carriage was quiet, like a lake before rain. Only the faint hum of the tracks broke the stillness.
Then, without warning, the calm rippled.
The seat in front of Lan was suddenly empty, as if a raindrop had fallen onto the lake's surface.
She froze, then lifted her head in panic. Her eyes darted, restless, searching for Jie. The scenery outside slipped past quickly, yet his familiar figure was nowhere. Her chest felt struck by something unseen. She rose abruptly, moving down the aisle as though the answer might appear if she only looked fast enough.
Her phone vibrated.
A short message appeared on the screen—
"I left first…"
Lan stared, her fingers trembling as she dialed his number. The tone rang again and again, but no one answered.
"How could this be…" she whispered, like the first thread of rain breaking the silence of a lake.
Di watched from beside her, powerless. He reached out as if to steady her, but his hand faltered. Instead, he pulled out his own phone, dialing Jie's number again and again. Each time, the same cold tone filled the air.
The rain inside their hearts grew heavier.
After the panic, silence pressed down on them both. The scenery outside remained unchanged, yet they felt abandoned, like two travelers left behind on a journey that was supposed to belong to three.
"Didn't he say… we'd travel together?" Lan murmured, her voice faint, almost swallowed by the rumble of the train. It sounded fragile, like a quiet sob muffled by rain.
Di lowered his gaze. His chest was heavy, as though weighted by water, sinking deeper and deeper.
Time passed without measure. At last, the announcement came—the destination had arrived.
Together, they rose. Their movements felt mechanical, as though pulled by invisible strings. Luggage in hand, they stepped toward the exit.
The platform air was cool and sharp, carrying a hint of distance. Di tried to steady the thoughts surging in him, but Lan stopped suddenly ahead of him. She turned, her face half-hidden, and a tear slid down.
It fell slowly, like the first true drop of a storm, carving a fragile line through the air.
"Di… you'll stay with me until the end, won't you?" Her voice sounded calm, but beneath it, everything was fractured.
Di didn't answer.
His luggage slipped from his hand, landing with a dull thud. In the next breath, he pulled Lan into his arms.
At that moment, it felt as if the world had finally opened to rain—silent, unrelenting, drowning them in a grief too quiet to name.
Two souls, bound by different forms, yet sharing the same ache. The only cruel truth left between them was the difference of gender.