Two Men Who Never Let Her Down

1

Got the admission information. Paisley finally made up her mind and chose a university in Chengdu with the highest chance of success when applying. Dylan also chose Chengdu. She was afraid of not ending up in the same city as Dylan.

Paisley and Dylan have known each other since childhood. She has had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. However, she also knows that with Dylan’s handsome and playful nature, a long-distance relationship with him would be doomed. So, she would rather choose a lower-ranking university in her application to be with Dylan.

One evening, their families gathered for a meal. While the adults were engrossed in their lively conversation, Paisley and Dylan sneaked out with Daniel. Dylan suggested a graduation trip, and they decided on Beijing, a place not too far from them but where they had never been.

Daniel pushed up his glasses and pointed to his nose, saying, “I’ve been a third wheel for you two for three years. Now you want me to join your graduation trip? Moreover, to Beijing? I’ll be living there for four more years. No way!”

Daniel and Dylan were born just minutes apart, but their personalities were completely different. Dylan was carefree, and without a special talent, he probably wouldn’t even get into college. On the other hand, Daniel, a scholarly and cultured student, had confidently applied to a university in Beijing and had already received his acceptance letter.

Paisley was ecstatic, “Go ahead, you’ve been covering for us for three years. Consider this our gratitude! Later, when you come to Chengdu, we’ll treat you well and repay your great kindness!”

The three of them had grown up together, and Paisley treated Daniel like a real brother, speaking to him without any reservations.

2

Unfortunately, this trip never happened.

On the hottest day, Daniel and Dylan went for a swim in the river. Dylan never resurfaced. According to Daniel, Dylan’s leg cramped while swimming, and Daniel couldn’t pull him up in time when he called for help.

Paisley rushed to the hospital with her parents, her mind buzzing but strangely clear. She couldn’t help but hope that, in case something happened, it wasn’t Daniel, as they looked so much alike.

In the dim hallway leading to the morgue, Paisley saw Daniel. His eyes were swollen from crying, and his face had two bloody scratches. His glasses were missing. Paisley stared at him for more than ten seconds, feeling something inside her collapsing.

Paisley’s parents helped with the arrangements for Dylan’s affairs, and both families were in a chaotic state for a few days.

With a burning sensation in her chest, Paisley couldn’t even cry. It felt like a large stone pressing on her chest, suffocating her.

As the chaos subsided, Paisley finally came to her senses. Trivial matters with Dylan replayed like a movie in her mind. Her eyes were like a faucet she forgot to turn off.

She forced herself to shift her focus, but every glance revealed reminders of Dylan. Wind chimes he made for her, basketballs he used to play with daily under the table, graffiti in her books — all Dylan’s traces. Even when her dad watched the news, she thought of Dylan never having been to Beijing.

Dylan was everywhere, and sorrow flowed like a river. When her parents were around, she pretended everything was fine, but she knew she was on the verge of losing her sanity.

One evening, she went for a walk and inexplicably ended up by the river. Sitting for a while, she took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the water. Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder, and Paisley instinctively jerked, losing her balance and falling into the river.

“Give me your hand, quickly!”

Luckily, the water was shallow near the bank, and Daniel effortlessly pulled Paisley out. “Are you crazy? Why would you grab me like that!” Paisley, both angry and scared, shivered.

“I thought you…” Daniel’s eyes reddened.

Paisley gave him a disdainful look, turned, and walked away. After walking quite a distance, she looked back. Daniel had his back to her, crying, shoulders shaking as he tried to control himself.

Paisley’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace.

3

Despite taking a hot shower as soon as Paisley got home, she still developed a high fever and had to spend a few days in the hospital, feeling dizzy.

Daniel had brought back both Paisley and Dylan’s acceptance letters. When Daniel delivered the letters, he also brought a small box, left it, and departed.

On top of the box was Dylan’s acceptance letter. Beneath it were some trinkets Dylan liked, his diary, and a collection of weekly essays required by their strict Chinese teacher. Dylan, being lazy, mostly copied others, and his own entries were often just a sentence or two, quite comical.

As Paisley flipped through the contents, tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks. This box became Paisley’s solace. Whenever she felt like it, she would go through its contents. One day, while flipping through, she unexpectedly found a few sheets tucked inside the diary. Opening them, she discovered a breakup letter Dylan had written to her.

Paisley’s body tensed up. In the letter, Dylan said he couldn’t face her and admitted that he had always been interested in Violet, a fellow art student. He chose the university in Chengdu because of her, and he had regarded Paisley as a sister, and so on.

Unable to bear reading further, Paisley couldn’t ignore the fact that Violet and Dylan had been quite close for some time. They even had a physical altercation over it.

Fate played its hand, and Dylan probably never imagined that this letter, meant for Paisley but never delivered, would reach her hands in this way.

The next day, Paisley inquired with classmates and confirmed that Violet and Dylan had indeed enrolled in the same university and chosen the same major.

Paisley’s boundless sorrow mixed with anger and resentment. Given her temperament, she wouldn’t easily forgive Dylan and Violet. But now, with Dylan gone, all she could do was sigh.

Before the start of the school year, Paisley took Dylan’s photo and visited Beijing, exploring all the famous landmarks.

After the school year began, she carried Dylan’s acceptance letter and walked around their university, hoping to fulfill his wishes, even if he no longer cared for her.

4

Paisley’s university years were quite tumultuous. When Dylan passed away, she felt like her life had come to an end. Since the age of three, she had been running after Dylan. Losing him felt like a massive piece of her being forcibly carved away.

However, during her university years, having witnessed many youthful romances come to an abrupt end and considering the letters Dylan had written, her pain and hatred weren’t as acute. Life turned out to be easier than she had imagined.

Sometimes, she would even force a bitter smile while reading Dylan’s letter. She never expected her relationship with Dylan to end like this, and she wasn’t sure whether to hate him or thank him.

In her senior year, Daniel and some classmates visited Chengdu. Paisley had mentally prepared herself, but the moment she saw Daniel, the long-healed wound reopened, and fresh blood poured out.

She managed to invite Daniel to have the famous dry pot dish on the campus square. Drinking a bit of beer, she observed Daniel, who had matured and become more humorous, resembling Dylan even more. If only Dylan were still around, she would be willing to accept it, even if he didn’t love her.

Normally, Paisley had a good tolerance for alcohol, but that day, she didn’t drink much before blacking out.

The next morning, she woke up in a hotel room, and Daniel sat by the bed, playing with his phone. She tried to recall and only remembered crying in Daniel’s arms.

Seeing her awake, Daniel quickly brought over the congee he had bought. She silently ate, unsure of what to say. Later, the two parted ways — Paisley returned to school, and Daniel returned to Beijing.

As Daniel took a few steps away, he called back, “Paisley, take care!”

Paisley turned around, “You too!”

5

After graduating, Paisley returned to her hometown and joined a government organization, leading a quiet and uneventful life. When others mentioned Dylan, and she no longer felt a twinge of heartache, she decided to start dating.

Her new boyfriend wasn’t as handsome as Dylan or as interesting, but he was considerate and easygoing. A year later, as she was preparing for her wedding, Daniel returned. According to her parents, Daniel came back to sell a house; he had settled down in Beijing and wanted to bring his parents to live there. His parents were happy to leave their sorrowful hometown.

Dylan’s parents invited Paisley’s family for a meal at the best dumpling restaurant in their small town. There was a local custom that before a girl got married, close relatives would treat her to a special meal, and it had to include dumplings.

During the dinner, Dylan’s mom gave Paisley a gold bracelet, saying, “Originally, it should have been our family marrying Paisley, but unexpectedly, it has turned into treating her to a special meal. Ah, it’s our good fortune!” As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

It turned out they knew everything.

Paisley felt uneasy. Over the years, Dylan’s parents had aged significantly, and the white hair on their heads couldn’t conceal the passage of time.

As the parents continued to reminisce endlessly, Paisley discreetly slipped away, and Daniel followed.

They glanced at each other, and Daniel smiled, “We’re leaving this time, and there won’t be many chances to come back. Let’s take a walk together!”

Paisley remained silent, following Daniel. They unconsciously walked to the riverside. This river, now developed as a local tourist attraction, was bustling with people strolling along its banks.

Daniel found a bench, and they sat down. They talked more today than they ever had before, ranging from U.S. presidents to celebrities, and from celebrities to property prices.

After exhaustively covering all they could talk about, they suddenly fell into silence. Paisley knew that there were certain topics that could no longer be avoided.

6

It was Paisley who spoke first, “Daniel, the breakup letter from Dylan, you wrote it, didn’t you?” Daniel hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Initially, Paisley genuinely believed that the breakup letter was written by Dylan. After all, Daniel’s ability to imitate Dylan’s handwriting was remarkable. However, when Daniel came to Chengdu to see her, and Paisley, under the influence of alcohol, cried in his arms, he patted her back and said, “He treated you like that, why can’t you let go?”

This raised suspicions for Paisley. If Daniel spoke like that, it meant he knew this secret when he gave her Dylan’s diary. In other words, Daniel might have intentionally orchestrated this.

Upon careful reexamination of the breakup letter, Paisley noticed the flaws. Handwriting, no matter how well imitated, could always be discerned if one paid enough attention. Moreover, the tone of speech, despite Daniel’s humorous demeanor, was different from Dylan’s upon closer scrutiny.

Initially, Paisley was too deeply entangled in her emotions to consider the possibility of deception.

Later, she visited Violet to confirm that Dylan had never been romantically involved with her. With Dylan gone, there was no reason for Violet to lie.

Paisley fully understood, but she chose not to contact Daniel again.

In her childhood, Paisley had always envied Dylan for having a twin brother — how miraculous it was for two people to look exactly the same. However, after Dylan’s passing, she realized that Daniel’s existence was a torment for her. Even though he had feelings for her, Paisley couldn’t accept him.

7

Daniel sighed, lit a cigarette, and said, “Paisley, indeed, I wrote that letter. When I went to Chengdu, it was specifically to find you. As for why I did it…”

Daniel couldn’t continue and took a deep drag of the cigarette.

“I did it to atone,” Daniel uttered these words with immense difficulty.

It turned out that initially, Daniel lied. On that day, it wasn’t Dylan but Daniel who had a leg cramp. Dylan got into trouble trying to save Daniel, but Daniel didn’t dare to admit it; he was afraid his parents and Paisley would blame him!

On the night Paisley went to the riverside, Daniel had been following her all along, thinking she might attempt suicide, which frightened him.

So, he came up with this idea — imitating Dylan’s handwriting, he wrote that letter and placed it in Dylan’s diary. He knew that only pain and resentment could make Paisley let go faster.

For those years, he had been striving to look like Dylan, all with the hope of standing by Paisley’s side one day, replacing Dylan.

However, it wasn’t until Chengdu that he realized he brought pain, not happiness, to Paisley. That’s when he knew he was wrong.

Paisley, shocked by the truth, couldn’t find words to respond.

Daniel smiled bitterly and hoarsely said, “I know you won’t forgive me. I’m not saying all this for your forgiveness. I just don’t want to wake up from nightmares and question myself over and over, asking why it wasn’t me who died!”

Paisley didn’t reply, but she opened her arms to Daniel. They couldn’t change the unpredictability of fate, but these two young men who accompanied her throughout her youth never let her down. That was enough.

Let the memories of their youthful sweetness and pain slowly fade in the old times. After all, Paisley and Daniel were no longer reckless kids. Apart from the unforgettable pain, they also carried heavy responsibilities. Only by letting go could they find a smoother path forward.