Unspoken Words

Joaquin could not help but think of that old student archive. The faded photograph of the Filipino student standing beside a younger Lianhua, the single word written beneath it "Gone." It wasn't just an innocent past event. There was something hidden beneath those pages, something unsaid.

That night, he hardly slept. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing with possibilities. Had the student left on bad terms? Was there an accident? And why did Lianhua act so cold toward him? Was it because of what had happened before?

The tension felt over breakfast was more intense on the next day when Wei Zhang silently read over his newspaper and Mei Zhang served the tea over to everyone, though Lianhua sat facing Joaquin as she went on pushing around the food with a fork as not to touch the food herself.

Joaquin was taking a leap of faith. "Mr. Zhang, are there other Filipino students who went to Henan University?"

Wei Zhang folded his newspaper slowly. He laid it down beside his plate. Their sharp eyes crossed. Joaquin couldn't read his face. "Why?"

He did not even blink for a second. "I stumbled upon an old archive at the university. There was a picture of a Filipino student a few years back. I was just curious."

Mei Zhang and Lianhua looked at each other. The air in the room grew colder.

Wei Zhang finally said, "He was a bright student. But he left."

Joaquin narrowed his eyes. "Left?"

"Yes," Lianhua said abruptly, her voice sharper than usual. "And you should focus on your own studies instead of digging up the past."

Her tone was final, but it only seemed to escalate Joaquin's curiosity further. He wasn't about to drop it. There were far too many questions left unanswered.

Classes that day seemed longer than usual. Joaquin found it harder to focus since his mind kept circling back to the mystery of the past Filipino student. He needed answers, and he had a feeling that Lianhua knew more than she was letting on.

After his last class, he spotted Lianhua walking toward the library. He followed her, determined to finally confront her.

"Lianhua!"

She stopped but didn't turn around. "What?"

She turned and walked off, and he followed her until he caught up to her in the empty hall. "I know you know what happened to that student. Why won't you tell me?"

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. "Because it's none of your business."

"It is my business if I'm walking in his footsteps," Joaquin said. "Was he your friend?"

Lianhua's eyes flickered with something pain, maybe regret but disappeared in an instant. "Just drop it, Joaquin."

She turned to leave, would have walked off if he hadn't caught her wrist gently. "Lianhua, please. If something bad happened, I deserve to know."

For a moment it seemed she'd push him away again. Instead, she breathed out and turned away. "Fine. I'll meet you at the west garden bridge at 8 tonight. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Then she took off, walking away, and left Joaquin with a lot more questions than he started with.

That night, Joaquin was at the bridge as she had instructed him to be. The west garden was silent, but the gentle flow of the stream beneath the bridge was the only thing that filled the air with sound. Cold night air swirled around him, but his anticipation was what kept him warm.

Minutes later, Lianhua arrived, her expression unreadable. "You really don't give up, do you?"

He smiled a little. "Not when it comes to the truth."

She leaned on the wooden railing of the bridge, looking down at the water. "His name was Adrian Mendoza. He was a Filipino student who came here three years ago, just like you."

Joaquin listened carefully, sensing the weight in her words.

"At first, everything was fine. He was smart, friendly, and people liked him. But then…". Lianhua paused. "He got involved with someone he wasn't supposed to.

Joaquin's heart pounded. "You mean….?"

Lianhua nodded. "Yes. Me."

A shock went through Joaquin. "You and Adrian. you were together?"

"We were close," she admitted. "But my father didn't approve. He warned Adrian to stay away from me. But Adrian was stubborn. He didn't listen."

Joaquin already knew where this was headed, and a sinking feeling settled in his chest. "What happened to him?"

Lianhua's eyes grew dark. "One day, he just vanished. He left a note saying he was going back to the Philippines, but something about it never felt right. He wouldn't have just left like that."

Joaquin's breath hitched. "You think something happened to him?"

Lianhua did not respond. She clutched the railing tighter. "I don't know. But I do know that ever since then, my father has made it clear that no foreigner will ever be good enough for me."

The words needed to speak for themselves. Joaquin was not just a student at Henan University. He was entering the same perilous road that Adrian had once treaded.

And if he wasn't careful, he might end up just like him.

Joaquin didn't sleep that night. He couldn't. His mind was spinning with everything Lianhua had told him.

The next morning, he decided to do more digging. If Adrian had truly vanished, there had to be some kind of record something the university wasn't telling him.

After class, he went to the administration office at the university. "Excuse me," he said to the clerk behind the desk. "I want to request records of a former student Adrian Mendoza."

The clerk arched an eyebrow. "That information isn't usually given out."

Joaquin thought on his feet. "I am doing a research project on the international student experiences here. That would really help."

The clerk let out a deep sigh before typing on the computer. "Adrian Mendoza… enrolled three years ago… left the university before completing his program. No further details available."

Joaquin frowned. "That's it? There's nothing about why he left? No disciplinary records? No complaints?"

"No. Just that he left voluntarily."

Something wasn't right. If Adrian was really gone for good, he would have probably left traces about it. On the other hand, there is this thing with him seemingly disappeared.

Joaquin went home from the office with even more questions than when he had begun.

He had to walk back to the Zhang residence that night, and no matter how much he tried to shake off the feeling, he could not; someone was tailing him. He glanced back over his shoulder, but there was no one on the street.

Still, he knew deep down.

He wasn't alone.

And if he kept on searching for the truth, he might just end up in the same danger Adrian Mendoza faced three years ago.