"The human trafficker refused to give up and tried to cheat the girl. It was then that I decided to walk away. After all, I’d already gotten used to the fact that no one in the world would believe me. However, that girl surprised me by yelling at the human trafficker with conviction a sentence that still reverberates in my head until now

  "Big brother says you’re a bad man, so you must be a bad man!

  "The girl in her agitation bit on the lollipop in her mouth. It shattered into pieces and dropped to the ground. She started crying, and the human trafficker hurried away because she was causing a scene. I have never comforted a girl before, and I have spoken less than ten sentences since I left the mental hospital. I was really helpless dealing with a weeping girl.

  "Running out of options, I used all the money I had on me to buy her two new lollipops. The girl finally stopped crying and broke into a smile. For some reason, her smile seemed to light up my dark and hazy world. The girl talked a lot, and while I tried to contribute to the conversation, I didn’t know how to. In the end, I only asked her what her name was. She said her name was Tingting, Song Tingting…… Tingting, Song Tingting, Tingting, Song Tingting, Tingting, Song Tingting……"

  That was probably the longest diary entry for Su Zhinian. He spent the whole night filling the page with "Tingting, Song Tingting". Song Qingchun stared at the three words, and her eyes started to redden.

  Truth be told, she had once been curious about the identity of this Tingting. She had believed that it was a real person once upon a time, but after she confirmed Su Zhinian had always loved her, she believed that Tingting was merely a character he had created to confuse her.

  She had a hard time remembering stuff from her childhood years. She only had several images in her mind. However, when she read that entry, everything gradually fell into place. It was then that she realized that the Tingting Su Zhinian had been crying for and could not forget was her all along.

  She really could not make the connection between the Tingting on Su Zhinian’s lips and the many names she had tried on when she was a child. She really did not expect that she would have run into Su Zhinian while she was using the name Tingting.

  "1996, November 5th, light snow. I’ve returned to Ming Jing alley. I stood there for four hours, but there was no sign of her."

  "1996, December 25th, Christmas. I bought two lollipops and purposely waited at Ming Jing alley for her to appear. I stood there in the freezing cold for the whole day, but she still didn’t show herself."

  "1997, March 8th, cloudy. Spring has arrived. I really cannot tell how many times I’ve been to Ming Jing alley, arriving with hope, leaving with disappointment."

  "2000, October 8th, sunny. Four years have passed in the blink of an eye. I’ve been looking for her, but there has been no progress. Whenever I feel low in spirit, I think about her."

  "2004, June 1st. Children’s Day. It has been eight years already. I’m entering high school, and she is probably in junior high. I still haven’t forgotten about her. I know I probably won’t see her again in my life, but I will continue to search for her, the only person who gave me light in the darkest period of my life."