Xu Ya kept recounting his interactions with Xiao Yu, and Jia Yi could see his expression was one of complete devotion. He sighed softly, thinking that Xu Ya was in love, despite always claiming that Lai Yun was still first in his heart. But at some point, he had been deeply affected by the daily intimacy and closeness with Xiao Yu. “I’ll find her, and when I do, I’ll get to the bottom of this. Since she chose you back then, why did she still get involved with me if she didn’t like me?” His words made Jia Yi’s heart skip a beat, recalling his own breakup with Lai Yun; he had thought the same, thus missing out on her. In reality, it was just men’s pride, not wanting to look bad after being dumped, so they say harsh words out of bravado. His expression changed, and he solemnly warned Xu Ya, “If you truly love her, when you find her, ask nicely, don’t say hurtful things. Hurting her is just hurting yourself, isn’t it?” Xu Ya lowered his head, stopped speaking, and pressed his temples with his hand, covering his eyes. Jia Yi clearly saw Xu Ya’s mouth twitch in pain; he knew Xu Ya was upset to the point of tears, that hand was to cover his tears. “If you love her, don’t dwell on the past!” Saying this, he looked at the dozing Lai Yun, lowering his brows with a bitter smile. “Even though it stings to remember, even though you’d want to chop off your own head, you have to endure it. Think about which is more painful, the days without her by your side?”
He asked the stewardess for two blankets, gently covering Lai Yun and Zhang Lin. Lai Yun was woken by the noise, opened her eyes sleepily, saw it was Jia Yi, and turned her head back to sleep. If only the bad past could be erased with a single stroke, how wonderful that would be. He had once thought about escaping from those feelings, but when he saw her pained for another man, he realized that the bad past was only from his perspective; in her heart, those might be cherished memories. Jealousy was pointless; better to learn tolerance, to create new memories with profound, wide love, replacing those old, painful ones.
Lai Yun didn’t return to the house Zhou Yuqian bought for her, nor did she move into the villa Jia Yi gave her. Instead, she rented a fully furnished apartment in the city center, stocked up on daily necessities, and with Zhang Lin, tidied up every corner of the apartment, ready to settle down. She lay on the couch with a pillow, while Zhang Lin, having finished cleaning the last corner of the floor, took their slippers to the bathroom to rinse off the bottoms, then sat by the window to search for schools on the computer. “No need to look further, I’ve found a school for you, A City Art Academy, just prepare for the exams.” “But that school’s tuition is expensive, I want to find something cheaper!” “You’ll pay me back anyway, what’s there to be afraid of?” Lai Yun put on her slippers, grabbed her purse from the couch, and told her, “Play by yourself for a bit, I’m going for a walk!”
She had no destination, just wandered along the shop windows. Many stores were ones she used to frequent, and the managers still recognized her. Seeing her outside, they came out to greet her warmly. She managed a few perfunctory responses before escaping. Perhaps she wouldn’t shop there anymore, so when chatting with these managers, she felt a bit guilty, like a deposed noble still putting on airs. An early blooming cotton tree flower hung on a branch, she put her hands in her coat pockets, lazily dragging her steps, occasionally brushing past hurried pedestrians with purpose in their eyes — to street corners, bus stops, or office building entrances. She pulled out her phone and called Jia Yi: I need a job! After she spoke, she quickened her pace. Finally, she could have her own life, just like the hurried people on the street, carrying laptops or briefcases in and out of skyscrapers; wearing high heels, stepping on blue or gray carpets, clutching folders, rushing to meeting rooms; her life, like an opened blank document, ready to be filled with lovely data. She turned into a chain hair salon, which was surprisingly busy. After having her hair washed, the hairdresser asked what style she wanted while wiping her hair. “Cut off all the red!” she said. The hairdresser straightened her head, looking at her in the mirror, and asked, “Are you sure? Cutting off all the red will leave you with a short bob to your ears!” “Cut it!” With a neat, short haircut, she blended into the crowd again. Passing the parking lot, she paused in front of a black sedan, running her fingers through her still unfamiliar black hair. In the rear-view mirror, her hair shone as black as the car’s paint. She smiled with satisfaction. Far away on the roadside, a luxury car was parked, and the person inside watched through the tinted windows, through the bustling pedestrians, through the palm trees, at that slender figure — she had finally agreed to cut her hair. Zhou Yuqian suppressed the urge to embrace her since she came downstairs, suppressing his overwhelming desire, and followed her all the way. He knew she had rented a place, knew she wanted to start anew, but he hadn’t expected her to cut her hair. Her jet-black short hair had lost its former charm but gained a simple stubbornness. His heart was completely gone; in front of him was only the person he sincerely wanted to protect! He imagined what it would be like if they met by chance in a business setting one day. He smiled; she would definitely be proud, able to look him straight in the eye with her head held high. If he could turn that gaze into love, perhaps that would be more delightful than her simply returning to his side. “Let’s go to the company,” he instructed the driver.
Lai Hui finished checking her reflection in the mirror, turned around, and walked back. She still raised her chin nonchalantly, her eyes only casually scanning the street before focusing intently. The black Bentley had turned the corner onto another road; her eyes were twice as wide as usual, catching only the two tail lights. Was the person in the car him? She knew he had a Bentley; not many people in City A owned one, and he had only recently joined their ranks. A loud noise startled her from behind; she clutched her chest, her face turning pale, only to realize someone had forcefully closed a car door. She stepped aside to let the car pass, then looked back at the road, just another common sight. She touched her face, scolding herself for being paranoid — Bentleys might be rare, but it didn’t necessarily mean it was his! She put her hands back in her pockets and left the parking lot, aimlessly counting the palm trees with their bulging bellies. With each tree she counted, she remembered his stern face once, then her new haircut — oh, how she hoped he could see her now!
Lai Hui took over Cheng Lan’s job at MOIO, going through the same interview and written test process Cheng Lan had. With Xie Jiayi’s assistance, her final results were convincing. The new job wasn’t as easy as she had imagined, despite Xie Jiayi personally handling many matters to avoid troubling his assistant. However, due to her years out of work and lack of social interaction, Lai Hui still found it challenging. Fortunately, she had prepared herself mentally from the start. Although she occasionally felt discouraged, she could quickly bounce back to her best state. Her office was independent, right next to Xie Jiayi’s, in a space less than ten square meters, but with a floor-to-ceiling window. When overwhelmed by work, she could turn around to see the evening glow or floating clouds, and she would tell herself: Opportunities are hard to come by, I have no experience, and if it weren’t for connections, I might not even get an ordinary clerical job.
