Another World
Two months after Jian Jing's death, she was posthumously honored as a martyr.
Ji Feng brought the relevant documents and visited Jian's parents. Compared to when he last saw them at the hospital, they had aged noticeably, their movements becoming slow and mechanical.
"I apologize for taking so long to visit you both," he said. At moments like these, words were particularly difficult, so Ji Feng avoided empty phrases about grief.
After a brief pause, he continued, "Miss Jian shared some words with me before she passed, asking me to relay them to you both."
Jian's mother finally showed a reaction, asking eagerly, "What did Jing Jing say?"
"She said," Ji Feng carefully chose his words, "to please forgive her, and not to worry about her, as she has simply returned to another world."
He tried to recreate Jian Jing's tone as he repeated her words: "There, she's a famous writer, earning good money each year, living well, and loved by many people.
"She lives in a Western-style house, has a German Shepherd named Knight, and sometimes encounters murder cases, but she always catches the culprits. She has many suitors, and maybe she'll choose one as her boyfriend..."
Before he could finish, Jian's mother's tears were already streaming down her face uncontrollably. When he finished speaking, she broke down completely: "If only we had known... if only we hadn't stopped her before..."
She seemed to have found an outlet for her emotions and continued, "Our Jing Jing, she always loved these things since she was little. When 'Special Case Squad 6' was on TV, she would watch it endlessly. Even when we sent her to bed, she would sneak back and hide behind the door to watch."
Children grow up quickly, but mothers always remember how they were when they were young, every detail vivid in their minds.
"In middle school, she wrote stories all day. Her teacher said she had good writing skills, but writing novels wasn't the same as writing essays. She could barely get 50 points out of 60 on her high school entrance exam compositions, and they asked us to talk to her. We didn't want our child to become some writer, like those young girls in the newspapers publishing books and making headlines at such a young age. We just wanted her to study well and go to college, that was enough. Later she became more sensible and stopped mentioning it. I thought she had forgotten about it..."
Jian's mother's eyes reddened again.
"When it was time to apply for university, she argued with us, saying she wanted to study criminal psychology, or at least law, but we couldn't bear it. Being a police officer -- Officer, you're a police officer, you know how hard this job is. And lawyers, though they make good money, we asked around, they're worked to death. We never wanted her to make big money, just to have a stable job."
She sighed and said to her husband, "If only we had listened to what she wanted."
Jian's father, who had been silent until now, finally spoke: "What did she know? For a girl, being a teacher is the best option. Stable work, good benefits."
Jian's mother: "Yes, and then your daughter died getting hit by a car while trying to catch a murderer."
As soon as the words left her mouth, they both fell silent, locked in a standoff.
Ji Feng guessed they had been having this conflict for some time. Sighing internally, he asked, "Would you like to hear my thoughts?"
Jian's mother wiped away her tears: "Please, let me get you some water."
She brought him a cup of hot water, looking expectant: "Did Jing Jing tell you anything else?"
"Miss Jian was the bravest and smartest young woman I've ever met," Ji Feng said. "She found the killer even before the police did, which is remarkable."
Jian's father suddenly looked up, his neck stiff: "Who wanted her to be remarkable?"
"According to our interrogations, Miss Jian had already faced danger twice before," Ji Feng continued steadily. "The first time, Wang Tan tried to kill her, but she escaped. The second time, Zhang Feng returned to the scene, planning to silence her along with Wang Tan, but Miss Jian cleverly avoided it."
Jian's father persisted: "Then why..."
"Because she didn't want the killer to escape," Ji Feng said sincerely. "She could have stayed safe, but she chose to pursue them -- though it may sound cruel, I believe Miss Jian knew exactly what she was choosing. That's extremely rare."
"Extremely rare," he repeated, softening his tone. "She knew you might not understand her choice, which is why she only asked for your forgiveness."
Jian's mother's tears began flowing again.
"But I think you should be proud of her," Ji Feng handed over the martyr documents, emphasizing, "She deserves your pride."
--
Another sleepless night.
The Jian couple lay in bed, both aware the other was awake, but neither spoke. They maintained a relationship of both hostility and dependence, silently supporting each other.
After an unknown time, bright moonlight flooded the room, making the ceiling snow-white.
"If only... if only Jing Jing..." Jian's mother said hoarsely, her voice dry, "If she really went somewhere else, if we could just see her once..."
Jian's father remained silent, but two tears quietly seeped from his tightly closed eyes.
The room fell quiet again.
This time, whether due to sleeping pills or sheer exhaustion, they finally fell into dreams.
In their dream, they joined a senior citizens' tour group.
--
On the tour bus, Jian's mother looked around, thinking how long it had been since she'd dreamed, wondering if she might dream of her daughter today. This was what she hoped for most every night before sleep.
But the bus was full of elderly people, with a tour guide introducing scenic spots.
Her husband sat beside her, looking around just as she did, showing the same disappointed expression.
The couple fell silent.
The bus entered a parking lot, and the tour guide raised a small flag, asking everyone to disembark.
The Jian couple followed the crowd off the bus.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the mountain ahead is Wishing Mountain. At the summit, there's a Buddha statue carved four hundred years ago. Legend says if you can climb to the top before sunset and sincerely offer incense, Buddha will hear your wishes," the tour guide, well-versed in handling senior groups, eloquently shared various obviously fabricated stories.
But the elderly listeners were captivated, already discussing what wishes they would make.
An elderly lady said, "I haven't heard from my daughter-in-law in ages, I must pray properly."
An old man worried, "I don't know when my son will quit gambling. Buddha bless us."
"Children have their own fate, why worry about them?" Some more easy-going couples took photos with their cameras. "We should pray for our health, not burden our children."
The socializing ability of the elderly was remarkable, and soon someone asked the Jian couple: "What about you?"
The couple said: "We want to see our daughter again."
This was clearly a sad story, and the others smiled sympathetically saying "it will work," without asking further.
The mountain wasn't tall or steep, manageable even for the elderly.
As the Jian couple slowly climbed, suddenly a dog darted past them.
Then they heard a familiar voice: "Knight!"
The couple froze, turning their heads simultaneously. There was a glowing girl, her skin fair and luminous, her hair dyed a light gray with gentle curls, like a Disney princess surrounded by an unreal halo.
She wore denim shorts and a t-shirt, with a baseball cap, catching up slowly.
"Run that fast again, and I'll beat you up," she tightened the leash, "Come back."
The well-built dog whimpered twice and quickly returned.
"I'm sorry, did my dog frighten you?" Jian Jing apologized to the elderly couple, then paused. The couple looked ordinary, but somehow their features strongly resembled her parents.
The couple stood speechless, staring at her as if shocked.
She smiled apologetically and turned around: "Xiao Bai, hurry up!"
"Coming, coming!" Jiang BaiYan, fully equipped with mask, sunglasses, and hat, called out, "Jing Jing, wait for me, slow down."
Jian Jing: "Even the dog is faster than you."
He complained: "Of course it's faster with four legs."
Knight: "Woof!"
Jian Jing laughed heartily and extended her hand: "Alright, I'll help you up."
Jiang BaiYan quickly grabbed her fingers.
Jian Jing, relaxed in her manner, really did pull him along as they walked up. Knight was overjoyed, immediately forgetting the earlier threat, bouncing along behind them, eager to race his owner to the summit.
The Jian couple watched, their eyes reddening simultaneously.
They immediately set off as well, struggling to climb toward the summit.
This journey took more than three hours.
It was past noon when they reached the mountaintop. The couple sat in the KFC restaurant, eating burgers while catching their breath, all while keeping an eye out for their daughter.
Where was Jian Jing? Had she already gone back down? If only they had said more to her earlier.
The couple sat there with regret, hope, and anxiety, finding it difficult to swallow their food.
At that moment, a couple at the next table started talking about her.
"Hey, didn't they say there was a celebrity here earlier?"
"Not a celebrity, but a famous writer," said the fashionable middle-aged woman. "I know her - Jian Jing. Her books are quite popular. Oh, and I saw on social media that she just signed a contract with Americans."
The husband was surprised: "Really?"
"Of course it's true. They say her new book is exceptional, and foreign companies want to adapt it into a TV series," the wife said. "She's beautiful too. Oh, I'd love to get her autograph. Our daughter would be thrilled for a week."
The husband was intrigued: "Where is she? Let's go see."
"I heard some girls in the bathroom say she's near the back mountain," the wife replied. "Let's go look after we finish eating."
Upon hearing this, Jian's parents could no longer eat. They hurriedly got up and left.
The back mountain was quite far, with fewer tourists around.
Unfamiliar with the path, they wandered onto a secluded trail.
Then, unfortunately, they encountered someone running towards them.
When he saw the couple, his eyes flashed with malice, as if he might pounce like a rabid dog.
--But that was only momentary.
The next instant, he howled in pain and fell to the ground.
Their daughter walked over, placing her foot on his back: "Why are you running? Did I say you could run?"
She turned and complained, "You're so slow."
The familiar police officer came over, still catching his breath: "The cable car broke down, so we had to climb up. Could you cut us some slack?"
An older officer, even more out of breath, added: "That's right, Ms. Jian. The mountain looks gentle, but it's quite a climb."
Jian Jing burst out laughing: "Well, you shouldn't waste the trip. Before going down, you should at least pray at the temple."
"Good point, since we're already here," Officer Gao said. "Ms. Jian, have you made any wishes? I heard it's especially effective for finding love."
"That won't do. My admirers could line up from here to France," she winked. "Any more would drive me crazy."
Old Gao: "Hehe."
Jian's parents exchanged bewildered looks.
"Oh, there you are! We should head back," the tour guide came looking for them. "The cable car's fixed, and many people are waiting to go down. Our senior group gets priority."
The couple, not wanting to cause trouble and somewhat relieved to see their daughter doing well, reluctantly went along.
But just after they left, Jian Jing received a phone call.
After a brief conversation, she said, "Take your time. I need to head back first."
"What's the matter?"
"Some people from America are here to discuss the script for 'The Witch Hunt Game'," she said with frustration. "Looks like I'll be working overtime again."
"The Witch Hunt Game" was her new work this year, a murder mystery involving witchcraft. Remarkably, it was released simultaneously domestically and internationally, gaining traction overseas.
Before long, the book had made it onto The New York Times bestseller list, catching the attention of an American production company interested in buying the rights for a TV adaptation.
"Got to go," she waved, bouncing away like a nimble deer into the lush forest.
At the cable car station.
Just as Jian's parents were about to enter, they heard: "Excuse me, may I join you?"
The couple froze, quickly lowering their heads to hide their tears: "Of course."
Jian Jing entered and recognized them: "It's you."
The couple looked at each other, smiled at her, and tentatively asked: "We heard you're a writer?"
"Yes," finding the elderly couple oddly familiar, she smiled and asked, "Have you heard of me?"
The couple nodded vaguely and asked: "That man from earlier..."
"Oh, he was a fugitive hiding on the mountain disguised as staff. I spotted him," she said casually. "Did he frighten you?"
"That's- that's too dangerous," Jian's father couldn't help saying. "Your parents would worry."
She smiled: "This? It's nothing. I can handle it, no big deal."
But Jian's mother asked: "Where's that young man who was hiking with you earlier?"
"He had to leave early for something."
"Is he your boyfriend?" Jian's mother asked eagerly.
Jian Jing couldn't help but smile: "Not exactly."
Jian's mother showed visible disappointment.
"Young women should settle down," Jian's father repeated the old advice. "Find someone to rely on."
Jian Jing just smiled.
Jian's mother gave her husband a reproachful look. He fell silent.
The Wishing Mountain wasn't tall; the cable car ride down took only three minutes, passing in an instant.
When the car stopped and the doors opened, Jian Jing nodded to them: "I need to go now. Goodbye."
The couple held hands, watching her reluctantly: "Take care on your way."
"I will, please don't worry." Jian Jing hopped out nimbly, walking toward a business car parked by the road. "Mu Cheng."
Another man came out and opened the car door for her: "They're rushing us, we need to hurry."
"How annoying," she said. "Why did they come without notice?"
Kang Mu Cheng: "The screenwriter was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wants to complete the script before he dies."
Jian Jing gasped: "Is that necessary?"
"An artist's dedication," he said. "Let's accommodate him for the sake of the work."
She sighed and nodded.
The car turned around ahead and drove back through the main gate.
The couple kept watching, unwilling to look away.
Jian Jing watched for a moment, then suddenly lowered the window and waved to them: "Goodbye."
The couple, fighting back tears, slowly raised their hands and waved back to her.
The sunset was endless, like a beautiful dream coming to an end.
*
The End
