At one in the afternoon on January 3, 2016, the sun was still nowhere to be seen, and heavy clouds filled the sky.
The temperature was even lower by the riverbank. The air he drew into his lungs seemed laden with frost, far more biting than the weather forecast had suggested.
Ji Li slipped both hands into his pockets, pulling his coat tighter as he gazed absently at the point where water met sky and said softly:
"In the end, he died in the elevator in Building E-2. His Yin Body erupted."
The story of a certain man had come to an end. Ji Li had invested little emotion in either its beginning or its conclusion, acting only as a storyteller.
The teller felt nothing, but the listener felt it all.
Tears were already streaming down Xue Tingtao's face. His eyes were red and swollen against his thin features as he leaned against the railing, choking on his sobs, unable to speak.
Ji Li's account, together with what he had witnessed during the manager mission, finally allowed him to piece together a complete picture of that man. His lost memories had not returned, yet they had found their way back into his mind in this form.
After a long while, he wiped the tears from his face and asked in a low voice:
"Did my brother... leave any last words?"
"No."
Facing the cold wind, Ji Li lit another cigarette. At last, he slowly turned around, looked at Xue Tingtao, and said:
"Everything he wanted to say, everything he wanted to do—he had already done it before he died."
Xue Tingtao froze at those words, then broke into anguished sobs.
"Manager, something serious has happened at the branch! The second floor suddenly collapsed, but for some reason, we can't