Chapter Sixteen: Finding the Pieces of Himself
1. The Space Between Memories
Lin Ge had always assumed that healing would feel like a clean break.
That one day, he would wake up, and the pain would be gone. That he would step into a new life without carrying the weight of the old one.
But that wasn't how it worked.
Moving forward didn't mean forgetting.
It meant learning how to hold the past without letting it consume the present.
It meant learning how to exist in the space between memories and reality—somewhere in between grief and hope, between loss and the quiet possibility of something new.
And as the days passed, he found himself filling that space with little moments that belonged to him alone.
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2. A Life Outside of Waiting
The invitation came unexpectedly.
A friend from college—someone Lin Ge hadn't spoken to in years—reached out with an offer.
[We're looking for a photographer for a project. Nothing major, just a small exhibition. Thought you might be interested?]
Lin Ge stared at the message for a long time.
Photography had always been a part of him—before Qiu Qian, before the accident, before everything fell apart.
But after losing her, he had stopped.
Because every time he picked up a camera, all he could see were the moments he had failed to capture.
The things he had lost.
But now…
Now he wondered if it was time to start again.
[Tell me more.]
He sent the message before he could change his mind.
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3. Returning to the Lens
The first time Lin Ge picked up his camera again, his hands felt uncertain.
Like he was holding something both familiar and foreign at the same time.
He stood in his apartment, staring through the viewfinder, hesitating before pressing the shutter.
Click.
The sound was soft, but it echoed in the quiet room.
He lowered the camera, looking at the photo.
It was nothing special—just a shot of his window, the city blurred in the background.
But it was his.
A moment he had captured for himself.
And for the first time in years, he felt something close to right.
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4. The Exhibition That Changed Everything
The project turned into more than just a simple favor.
It became a challenge. A reason to step outside. A reason to see the world again through a different lens.
Lin Ge spent weeks taking photos—of city streets and strangers, of fleeting moments and quiet spaces.
At first, he struggled.
But slowly, he remembered what it felt like to create something just for the sake of it.
And when the day of the exhibition arrived, he found himself standing in front of his own work, heart pounding in his chest.
He hadn't told anyone he would be showcasing his photos.
Hadn't expected anyone to be there for him.
But then—
"You actually did it," Yu Yan's voice came from behind him.
Lin Ge turned, surprised to see her standing there, studying his work with something close to admiration.
"I didn't think you'd come," he admitted.
Yu Yan raised an eyebrow. "You really think I'd miss this?"
Lin Ge exhaled, shaking his head. "I guess not."
She smiled, then nodded toward one of his photos. "This one's my favorite."
Lin Ge followed her gaze.
It was a shot he had taken by accident—a single figure walking away from the camera, their shadow stretching long behind them.
He hadn't realized, until this moment, how much it resembled the painting from the gallery.
The one he had stood in front of for so long.
The one that had made him realize he was finally looking forward, instead of back.
Something inside him settled.
Maybe he had been walking toward this moment all along.
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5. The Freedom of an Unwritten Future
By the end of the night, Lin Ge found himself outside, breathing in the cool night air.
He still didn't have all the answers.
He still didn't know exactly what the future would look like.
But maybe that was okay.
Maybe life wasn't about having everything figured out.
Maybe it was just about taking the next step, and then the next.
And as Lin Ge lifted his camera again, capturing the quiet glow of the city around him—
He realized he was finally ready to see where the road would take him next.
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