车在大街小巷穿行，红灯绿灯，一盏接一盏地驶上郊区平坦的公路，路旁是支了大棚的草莓田，连着远处葱郁的荔枝林，到五月间，树上就全挂满了小小的红灯笼。再往前五百米，是一片住宅区，农民自家建的平房，白瓷砖墙，红的琉璃瓦。A城怕也只有这带有民居风格。过了民居，车便拐了弯，开往湖边，地产商沿湖建了很多新楼，全是独栋的。家逸在连着湖的一栋三层新楼前停了车。“下车吧！”一路上恬静的风景虽让来茴暂时抛去了不快，而家逸的行为又让她一头雾水，她不想说话，乖乖地下了车，跟在他后面进了大门。
这楼应该刚建成，地板上覆盖着一层厚厚的水泥灰，窗户也未装上。一楼的格局是一个大客厅，左侧是餐厅，靠里的是厨房和洗手间。客厅的走廊连向后门，外面应该是个小小的私家园，但现在只是一块空地。
“生日快乐！虽然礼物给得晚了！”家逸把一串钥匙放进她的掌心，清澈的眸子专注地凝视着她。来茴一怔，低头看着手上锃亮的新钥匙，问他：“什么意思？”“一个家，一个可以任你发挥的家，一个你累了可以休息的家，一个永远都有人为你开灯的家，一个爱你的人每天等你回来的家！”家逸浅笑，眼睛灿灿亮亮，十分地无邪。
“家逸！”来茴惊呼。
“来茴，原谅我的自私，我拿自己的愿望当你的生日礼物，这个愿望存在我心里好多年了，真希望你能收下！”他吸了吸鼻子，别开脸，又道：“别说不要，来茴，即使你心里不想要也收下，大不了你不来这里就是了，但千万别拒绝我！”他合拢她的手，确认她能握住钥匙才松了手，背过身去。
手握得紧，钥匙的齿戳着掌心的肉，刺痛使她回了神，又扫视了一遍房子，她想起他以前对她说的——等我们结婚了，不管多晚都要为对方留一盏灯！她那时是怎么回答的？好像是：嗯，如果你回家晚了，我会等到你回来再一起睡！
“家逸！”她颤声唤道。家逸只是背对着她，也不回答。来茴抓着他的手臂。“你听我说——”用力地转过他的身体，她突然松了手——他死咬着唇，眼睛红红的，狠狠地吸着鼻子，泪在眼里挣扎，就快要掉下来。她的心像被撕了道口子，疼得说不出话，也同他一样咬着唇，隐忍了泪。 The past is something you can never forget, like the splinters on chopsticks that you can’t get rid of. When you’re savoring what you think is a delicious meal, those splinters prick you from time to time. You think about throwing away the chopsticks, but you’re reluctant to give up the taste, so you pretend not to care and continue eating, bearing the pain. In this world, there’s everything, but nothing is perfect! There’s nothing that can completely satisfy you. “Jia Yi, I accept—just like that!” After years of going around in circles, he returned to her side, ready to give her a home. What reason did she have to refuse? “Lai Hui—” Jia Yi opened his red eyes as if to say something, but she covered his mouth. “If you’re willing to wait these few months, I’ll wait for you to come home every day for the rest of my life!” She said this, unsure herself, but she just wanted to say it, as if it could give her a sense of security, as if saying it made years of separation feel like a moment, as if by saying it, they were back to how they used to be, without Zhou Yuqian. But Zhou Yuqian—her heart suddenly felt empty. He wouldn’t love her! She lowered her eyelashes, and when she looked up again, her eyes were full of smiles. “Jia Yi, let’s go back!” After saying this, she turned around, but Jia Yi pulled her back just as he was about to embrace her in celebration, the necklace around her neck slipped out from under her clothes. In the flash of light, he grabbed it. “He Si?” Lai Hui quickly hid it back under her clothes, nodding with a lowered head. “Yes!” “It’s very beautiful, must be expensive!” He tried to laugh casually, not knowing how ugly his smile looked. “Let’s go!” He walked behind her, secretly wiping the sweat from his palms on his coat—the contract was about to end, she definitely wouldn’t be Zhou Yuqian! He repeated this to himself several times before smiling and opening the car door for her. Zhou Yuqian never thought he’d return here. The Chinese-style villa with its black-tiled white walls was something he bought three years ago. The walls around the courtyard were made of blue bricks, and inside, there were begonias planted, with a cluster of yellow bamboo in the corner, all arranged by his instructions. There was also a cherry tree; before his divorce, it never bore fruit. He wondered if this May would see it laden with bright, translucent cherries. As he opened the courtyard gate, he smiled with self-mockery. When divorcing, he didn’t hesitate to give this expensive villa to Li Yueqin. After so long, he hadn’t thought of the plants in the yard, yet now, returning by chance, he found himself caring about a cherry tree that might or might not bear fruit. It seemed he was truly getting old. Isn’t it only the elderly who fuss over trivial things? Li Yueqin had prepared fruits, coffee, and, of course, red wine. Zhou Yuqian loved red wine, especially the aged ones, where the quality of the grapes determined the taste. Thus, he had once scoured the world for the best vintages and built wine cellars in all his properties. Yet, this was just one of his meager pleasures, easy to let go. Like the fine wine in this villa, he readily gave both the house and the wine to Li Yueqin. What Li Yueqin most admired about him was his lack of taste; he didn’t collect famous paintings or antiques, nor did he aspire to an aristocratic lifestyle. He looked noble but was essentially an empty shell—no private jet, no thoroughbred horses, no operas, no personal butler, smoking cigarettes instead of expensive cigars. She had met many wealthy people and experienced various refined lifestyles, but marrying Zhou Yuqian shattered her dream of high society. After the divorce, she thought she could live well on her own, leveraging her past fame to make a comeback, perhaps even marrying an older, tasteful tycoon. However, reality was harsh. Her acting skills had regressed due to years of laziness, and she had a brief surge in popularity due to the media frenzy around her divorce from Zhou Yuqian. Once he fell silent, the media cooled off, new stars mocked her, directors called her an idiot, and her friends could only offer pity or helplessness. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuqian became a hot commodity in the entertainment industry, with starlets dreaming of marrying into wealth, and even noble ladies abandoning their reserve to invite him out. Only then did she realize what she had lost. But she also heard that Zhou Yuqian had politely declined all invitations, living even more conservatively than before their divorce. The media wanted to interview him, but after his secretary’s refusal, they tried their luck at various social events to no avail. It was at this moment that she thought of winning him back, and his agreement to meet further solidified her resolve. Zhou Yuqian only glanced at the entrance when he entered, then sat on the sofa without even taking the red wine she offered, cutting straight to the chase: “What help do you need?” Li Yueqin awkwardly retracted her hand, sat opposite him with elegance, took a sip of wine, and slowly said, “I heard Peter’s next movie is casting for the lead role!” Seeing Zhou Yuqian’s expression change, she quickly covered her mouth with a dry laugh, “Haha, I’m just asking, not that I want to play that role, but Peter is your good friend. After we got married, he stopped contacting me. You know, in the entertainment industry, connections matter. I hope you can act as a middleman to help us reconcile!” Zhou Yuqian internally scoffed. She had once ridiculed Peter for being rude at the dinner table, never expecting him to become an ace director years later. If not for Zhou Yuqian’s guilt-driven investment in Peter over the years, she would have been kicked out of the industry on her first day of comeback. Now, asking for reconciliation was just to put him in a difficult position. “If you need money, I can give it to you, but forget about targeting Peter. Even if he forgives you, he won’t cast you in his movie.” Li Yueqin cursed silently; of course, she knew what Zhou Yuqian was saying. This was just an excuse to get close to him, and if by chance, Peter forgave her, all the better. “I’m not asking for anything else, just his forgiveness. Can you arrange a dinner with him so I can apologize?” Zhou Yuqian wondered about the structure of her brain. She hadn’t thought of apologizing for years, but now, after the divorce and loss of power, she remembered to apologize. Who would believe her sincerity? Logically, she shouldn’t be this foolish. Suddenly, his gaze turned cold as he scrutinized her. Moments later, he stood up, “Don’t think you can manipulate people. The only help I can offer is money, as for the rest—” His phone rang, interrupting him. He answered, his stern expression softening, his tone completely different from the severity moments before.
“Um, I’ll be back in a bit… Just buy whatever you think is good… Oh, and don’t buy jellyfish shreds!… Alright, got it.” Zhou Yuqian pocketed his phone. “Your new friend?”
