Chapter Four: The Second Song

She caught Xia Mi as her knees buckled. One line remained in the chorus. At the far end of the corridor, Wen Yu appeared as his twenty-four-year-old self, drenched in seawater. “Don’t finish,” he said. “This time it takes me.” Xia Mi closed her mouth. Her voice continued through the auditorium speakers. The silver-haired woman sang the final note for her. Xia Mi woke on the lighthouse floor with Tang Li holding her. “Mi, you scared me to death.” Over Tang Li’s shoulder, Xia Mi looked at Wen Yu. He stood beside He Chen and asked with polite confusion, “Director He, who is this singer?” The red cord remained around Xia Mi’s wrist. But its knot had changed into the farewell knot only Wen Yu knew how to tie.