Lai Hui didn’t return to the house Zhou Yuqian bought for her, nor did she move into the villa Jia Yi gifted her. Instead, she rented a fully furnished apartment in the city, bought a bunch of daily necessities, and together with Zhang Lin, cleaned the place from top to bottom, ready to settle down. She lay on the couch with a pillow, while Zhang Lin finished wiping the last corner of the floor, cleaned their slippers in the bathroom, and then sat by the window to search for schools on the computer. “No need to look, I’ve found a school for you, A City Art Academy. Just prepare for the entrance exam.” “But the tuition there is expensive, I want to find something cheaper!” “You’ll pay me back anyway, what’s there to be afraid of?” Lai Hui slipped into her slippers, picked up her handbag from the couch, and told Zhang Lin, “You play by yourself for a bit, I’m going out for a walk!”
She wandered aimlessly, passing by familiar shops where the managers still recognized her. They greeted her from afar when they saw her outside, but she could only manage a few perfunctory responses before escaping far away. Perhaps she would never shop there again, so when chatting with these managers, she felt a bit guilty, like a once favored concubine now acting haughty.
An early hibiscus flower hung on the branch; she tucked her hands into her coat pockets, lazily dragging her steps, brushing past hurried pedestrians — all with a purpose, heading somewhere specific, be it a street corner, a bus stop, or an office building entrance. She pulled out her phone to call Jia Yi: “I need a job!” After saying this, she quickened her pace, finally, she could have her own life, like those rushing through the streets with laptops or briefcases, entering and exiting skyscrapers; wearing high heels, stepping on blue or grey carpets, clutching folders, rushing to meetings; her life, like an opened blank document, ready to fill with lovely data. She walked into a chain hair salon where business was unusually good. After washing her hair, the stylist asked what kind of haircut she wanted. “Cut all the red out!” she said. The stylist, turning her head to face the mirror, asked, “Are you sure? Cutting all the red will leave you with short hair to your ears!” “Cut it!” With a neat short haircut, she blended back into the crowd. Passing a parking lot, she stopped in front of a black sedan, adjusting her hair in the side mirror, her hair now as shiny as the car’s paint. She smiled in satisfaction.
Far off by the road, a luxury car was parked. The person inside, through the tinted windows, past running pedestrians, and through the palm trees, watched that slender figure — she finally cut her hair. Zhou Yuqian suppressed the urge to embrace her since she left the building, restraining his overwhelming desire, following her. He knew she rented a place, knew she wanted to start anew, but he didn’t expect her to cut her hair. The once charming long hair was gone, replaced by a simple, stubborn charm. His old self had vanished; before him was someone he genuinely wanted to protect. He imagined the day they might meet in business, what kind of scene it would be? He smiled; she would be proud, able to look him straight in the eye. If he could turn that gaze into love, perhaps it would be more delightful than her simply returning to his side. “To the company!” he instructed the driver.
Lai Hui, after checking her reflection, turned back, still casually lifting her face, her eyes scanning the street casually, then focusing. The black Bentley had turned onto another road; her eyes widened, catching only the taillights. Was it him in the car? She knew he owned a Bentley, and there were few in A City. He had only recently joined that exclusive club. A loud bang behind her startled her; she clutched her chest, her face pale, turning to see someone had slammed a car door forcefully. Stepping aside to let the car pass, she looked back at the road, just another common car. She touched her face, scolding herself for being overly nervous; Bentleys might be rare, but not necessarily his. She tucked her hands back into her pockets, left the parking lot, and began counting the pregnant-looking palm trees, each tree a reminder of his stern face, then of her new haircut — oh, how she hoped he could see her now! As the plane took off, the flight attendant reminded everyone to turn off their phones and fasten their seat belts. Lai Yun was still in a daze, knowing that in two hours, she would be back in City A, the place she had sworn never to return to. Over the years, she had accumulated many things in Nanling, but she left without taking anything with them. Now, going back, she didn’t want to; was it fate? Was fate determined not to let them part, or was she playing hide and seek with him, and now that he wasn’t looking for her, she decided to show up and admit defeat? No, it wasn’t like that; she was going back to City A to escape from certain things, not for him, definitely not for him! She abruptly turned her head towards the window, staring at the vast expanse of clouds, closed her eyes, and her mind was enveloped in darkness, trying to hide her absurd thoughts with that blackness.
It was Zhang Lin’s first time on a plane, and she was extremely excited, looking around curiously. Just a day ago, her dim life seemed to have been lit up like a torch. She was learning to sing with heart and working diligently, aiming to ignite more torches, to become someone with grace and charm like Lai Yun. Planning this, she glanced at Jia Yi and Xu Ya, who were conversing on the other side of the aisle, and then at Lai Yun, who was dozing off. She thought, I mustn’t embarrass myself like an ignorant fool. So, she also closed her eyes, slightly leaning towards Lai Yun but not actually touching her — mustn’t disturb her. She smiled faintly and fell asleep.
Jia Yi folded his newspaper and tucked it into the seat pocket, leaned back comfortably, crossed his legs, and said to Xu Ya, “I thought you weren’t going back!” Xu Ya furrowed his brows, slightly raised his head, and with a “swish” pulled down the sun visor. “I’m just going back to find an answer, something I must find!” Jia Yi was taken aback; Xu Ya had always avoided mentioning Xiao Yu, so why bring it up now? “How are you two doing?” “I haven’t seen her in three months!” Xu Ya rubbed his nose, then gave a wry smile, “I can’t find her anywhere. I didn’t say much, just commented that she had gained some weight, and she didn’t speak to me for two days, then she disappeared. She’s really hard to please!” Jia Yi thought, Xiao Yu can’t stand people being tactless or life being mundane and unromantic. Given Xu Ya’s conditions, it was inevitable that Xiao Yu would leave after being pampered, but he couldn’t say that out loud, so he simply agreed, “Yeah, she can be quite stubborn!”
“It’s not just a bit!” Xu Ya was furious, gripping the armrest and almost breaking it, blood rushing to his nose, making it red like a pickled buckwheat head. “All she thinks about are those fantasies, listening to her talk about them day in and day out, I was already tired of it, but I had to pretend to be interested. Nowadays, who gets brainwashed by these prince and princess, true love ideals like me? Not to mention, because I was afraid I’d forget the plot of her novels, I’d get goosebumps just reading through her manuscripts over and over, just to avoid disappointing her if she asked me about them. Once she’s disappointed, she gets down, then she stops writing for days —”
