Chapter 27: A Time of Crisis

Something happened to Ma Feila, no one thought that at that time, something like that would happen, Qiao Nianchao saw Ma Feila being raped by gangsters, at that moment, he had no anger, only despair.

When Maphila staggered in front of him and loosened the ropes that were tied to his hands and feet, he had no strength to stand up, and could only look at him in astonishment. Mafira's gaze met with him, and he also saw the despair in Mafila's gaze, and a trace of indifference that he was unfamiliar with.

Later, she stood up against the tree, her gaze over his head, numb and desolate. She walked forward step by step, through the guardrail of the street garden, across the road, and finally she ran wildly, until she ran to the gate of the compound, and he shouted something, and she did not stop, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Qiao Nianchao staggered after her, and he shouted: Fila, fila—the voice was difficult and old. He walked all the way to the downstairs of Mafila's house, and there was not a single light in the whole house, it was so quiet, as if it had been sleeping for thousands of years. He walked backwards, staring at a window in Mafila's house, how he wished there was a light suddenly shining behind it, but it never was. The whole building was dark, like the desperate black eyes of Mafila when they were about to break up.

That night, Qiao Nianchao didn't close his eyes all night, his eyes kept flashing in front of his eyes, what kind of eyes were they, these eyes disturbed him all night, and then there was the situation where the three gangsters dragged Mafila into the jungle, his heart was trembling, he was like falling into a bottomless canyon, endless, that night, he spent it in a state of weightlessness.

The next day was the day they would return to school, and for this day, Mafira had been planning for a long time. Originally, they said that they would return to school on the same day, and they had already bought the tickets two days before, and the seats of the two of them were connected.

It was dawn, Qiao Nianchao was ready to set off, the things had already been prepared, there was no need to prepare anymore, he walked out of the house with his things, and he went to look at the small building of the Ma Feila family, the door was quiet, I don't know why, at this time, he wanted to see Ma Feila, but he was afraid to see her. In this hesitation, he walked out of the compound step by step and came to the bus stop. Three cars leading to the railway station came in a row, but he didn't get on, and in hesitation, he wanted to see the figure of Mafira, but Mafila never appeared, and when the fourth car appeared again, he glanced at the watch on his wrist, and if he didn't leave, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to catch the train, and he could only get on the train.

On the platform of the station, he was almost the last to get on the train, he never saw the Mafira, he walked into the carriage, he didn't dare to look at his and the Mafila seat in advance, he didn't know if the Mafira came or didn't come, until he found the seat only to find that he and the Mafira seat had been empty. His heart was like a boulder pressed against it, heavy and sullen. Until the car drove away, there was no sign of Mafila. The seat in the Mafila kept being so empty, and a man tried to squeeze over to sit in the empty seat, but he stopped him, and he said, "Someone."

Then, after a stop of driving, he still did not see Mafila, and the seat was occupied by the new boarders. He didn't know what had happened to Mefila when he got home.

He appeared at the military academy, and later went to the cafeteria in the evening, and he was not able to find Mafila in the ranks of the communications team.

Finally, he came to the place where he and Ma Fila had been dating in the military academy, and he tried to see Ma Fila's figure, just like before, maybe at any time, Ma Fila would appear in front of him unexpectedly, smiling evilly and willfully. For three days, he still did not find a shadow of Mafila on campus. He himself was in a trance, absent-minded, unable to listen to anything, unable to do anything. As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw the desperate and empty eyes of Mafila. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Speaking from the heart, it seems that he has never loved Mafila before, but Mafila pesters him all day long, making him submit again and again. He was passive and helpless, but now, he was about to lose Mafila, and he realized that he was in love with her. How monotonous life is without Marfila. He was anxious to see her, but she was slow to appear in front of him.

He thought of the worst, that Mafila would not come to school, and from then on, disappeared from his sight. In that case, he'd take a leave of absence to go home and get things straight. There is also a possibility that Ma Feila couldn't think about it after the accident, and something bigger happened, such as suicide or running away, etc., and his heart sank again when he thought of this.

In the evening, he went to the post office to make a phone call to his home, and it was his father who answered the phone, and he was surprised to hear his voice.

The father said, "Is there something wrong with you?"

He said, "It's nothing, just tell my family that I've gone back to school and that everything is fine here."

My father said, "Well, why don't you just write a letter?"

In the end, he said: How are you at home?

He was surprised by his tone, he didn't greet his parents like this when he wrote letters before, first, his parents were not adaptable, and more importantly, his parents were healthy and his work was going well, so what was wrong?

The father said again, "Well, it's all good, something hasn't happened to your kid, has there?"

He hurriedly said: No, no.

After saying that, he put down the phone.

The purpose of his call was to inquire about the news of Mafila from home, and if something really happened to Mafila, the whole compound could not be unaware, and of course his father would also know, and if he called, his father might tell him. He listened to his father's voice, which was as normal as he thought, in the midst of which he thought that perhaps nothing had happened to Mefila.

After three more days of trepidation, he finally saw Mafila. It was after breakfast, and he was marching to the classroom to attend his class, and the cadets of the communications team approached him, and he saw Mafila in the familiar queue. Pale and sluggish, she looked ahead, but as if she had seen nothing, she followed the procession as she walked past her. At that moment, he almost screamed. He didn't listen to a word in the morning class, except that the military command instructor wrote a line on the blackboard: The Art of Commanding.

Then his mind was a mess, he was both excited and sad, and there was an indescribable feeling in his heart. It seems that Mefila is still here, and he will face her next, and she will see what he will say, what their relationship will be, and how they will continue. He didn't know, and he couldn't tell. Everything is chaotic.

In the evening, he finally found a chance to be alone with Mafila, he walked from the cafeteria to the dormitory, Mafila came up with his head down, and he stood there, waiting for Mafila to approach. When Mafila saw him, as if he had seen a snake crossing the road, he turned and went around a fork in the road.

He stood there, opening his mouth to stop her. He didn't understand why she had such an attitude towards him, and he stammered, and stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. The Maphila walked briskly at first, and then ran, just as it had done that night. His attitude towards her is really incomprehensible.

For the next few days, he could only look at Mafila from afar, and Mafila had no intention of seeing him. He went to her dormitory to look for her, and the door was opened by a chubby and white female soldier, who always said: Mafila is not there. Then looked at him very strangely. He had searched the classroom and the library, but there was no trace of Mafila at all. He went outside again, found almost every corner of the campus, and in the end, found no shadow of Mafira.

About half a month later, he finally had a chance to meet with Mafila alone. The time was after the morning exercise, Ma Feila carried the kettle to the dormitory, he quickly chased after him, and crossed in front of Ma Feila.

With nowhere else to go, Maphila stood there, but his eyes did not look at him, but looked away coldly.

He said, "Maphira, why are you avoiding me?" Just say anything.

She said: I don't want to say anything, you stay out of the way and let me pass, and the class will be in a while.

He said, "I'll be waiting for you in the library at night, I have something to say to you."

Before he could finish speaking, Mefila walked briskly past him. He watched as Mafila walked away. He didn't have a taste in his heart. The attitude of the Marphila towards him was a 180-degree turn, and he did not know what it all meant.

In the evening, when he came to the library, he did not see Mafila, and he did not see Mafila until the library was closed. He held the book in his hand, and while he waited, he opened a book, and he didn't read a word, and from time to time his eyes flashed everything that had happened after he and Ma Fela came to the military school. In the end, he sorted out one emotion, which was abandonment.

It seemed that he had no chance to face Mafira, in the queue, in the schoolyard, he could see Mafila's shadow, but whenever he approached her, she always fled far away. He was not willing to play this cat-and-mouse game with Marfila like this. He was going to find her and ask for clarification.

On a sunny autumn weekend, he broke into his dormitory in Mafira. Coincidentally, Ma Feila was alone in the dormitory, she was neatly dressed and leaning on the bed, her face was a little better than before, but still a little pale. Marfila saw him and turned his face against the wall.

He stood beside her bed, looked at the back of her head and said, "Mafila, you tell me clearly today, what's wrong with you?"

She didn't speak, and he saw her shoulders twitch and twitch.

And he said, "Why do you do this to me, Mephira?"

She finally spoke, and said in a choked voice: Qiao Nianchao, do you still need me to say this? Why are you pestering me all the time, the former Mafila is dead.

He listened to her words, and the blood in his body suddenly clotted. He understood that it all had to do with the events of that night. He didn't know what to say, and stood there dumbfounded.

She said again: Qiao Nianchao, you don't know me, I used to like you, but I don't deserve it now, there are so many girls, you go and like them.

Qiao Nianchao understood everything at that moment, he stood there for only a few minutes, as if it was as long as a century. He understood the reason and the idea of Mafila avoiding him, and she was in pain and hopeless.

The events of that night became a watershed moment in their relationship. Until now, Qiao Nianchao hadn't realized what the unexpected incident that night meant to them. He stood in front of her bed for a while, and then for a while, and finally left.

He really has to sort out the relationship with Ma Feila, the campus looks so lovely under the autumn sun, the cadets of the military academy are in twos and threes under the autumn sun, some are reading, some are talking and laughing together, everything seems so beautiful. Only his heart was heavy, he walked alone in this autumn sun, and he knew that if he continued to communicate with Mafila, then it meant that he would have to unite with Mafira in the future. Thinking of this, his mind froze, and the events of that night suddenly came across his eyes, and he couldn't think anymore, and Mafila struggled and cried out in a low voice, though her mouth was covered, and then there was the lewd laughter of the three gangsters, and the lewd language, and one of them said, "Hey, it's still a fucking virgin."

The other said: After doing so much, I really ran into a virgin, and I can earn it tonight.

One obscene word after another, piercing his eardrum one after another, and his whole body trembled. After the incident, what he feared most did not happen, and Mafila appeared in the school again, she was in pain and despair, after all, she was back again, and she had finally crossed this hurdle. Next, after the rinse of time, the wounds in her heart will gradually heal, others can't see it, only she knows all the wounds hidden in her heart, maybe she will fall in love, marry a strange man, and then live together......

Qiao Nianchao could only follow this line of thought, and the more he thought about it, the more his heart hurt, as if it was not Ma Feila who was hurt, but himself.

In those days, Qiao Nianchao lived like a year, he was undecided, and he understood that the reason why Ma Feila ignored him was not because she didn't love him, but because she didn't want to bring this pain to him. He really had to think about it, whether his relationship with Ma Feila was advancing or retreating, whether it was advancing or retreating, was in his own control. Qiao Nianchao is facing a new round of painful choices.