Ye Zhengchen was lying on the bed reading a newspaper. Hearing the sound, he glanced at me before returning to the newspaper.
I remembered I hadn’t bought a newspaper in a long time. The newspaper in his hand was the one used to wrap things a few days ago, mostly filled with advertisements, and he was reading it with concentration.
I climbed onto the bed with a resolute heart and fragmented breath—my own bed.
I lifted the quilt, revealing the emerald green and blue-and-white patterned bedsheet. I lay down, rested my head on the pillow, and remained motionless, waiting.
Today, I resolved to stay still, no matter what he did.
Ye Zhengchen put down the newspaper and lowered his eyes to look at me, his breathing becoming rapid. The blue-and-white bedsheet crumpled in my palm. I tried to breathe but still couldn’t catch my breath. He reached out, and my entire body tensed as he pulled the quilt over me.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
I stared at the ceiling in disbelief. Before closing the door, he said, “I want you, not for ‘one last time.'”
A scalding drop fell on the pillow.
In my memory, Yin Zhongtian was impeccable in a suit, with neatly combed hair and polished shoes. But the Yin Zhongtian before me left my heart aching. He had lost weight; his jawbone protruded, hair tangled and messy, appearing unwashed for days. Without an outer jacket, his white shirt with two missing buttons looked fragile in the autumn wind.
Ye Zhengchen stood beside him in the crisp military uniform I had ironed that morning. Ironic, sharply ironic.
“Zhongtian!” I called, waving from across the street.
“Xiao Bing.” Yin Zhongtian, excited, ran over, disregarding the traffic lights. Crossing the crowded street, he stood before me and forcefully embraced me.
I had so many things I wanted to say, but I couldn’t utter a single word.
Yin Zhongtian’s soft lips covered mine, and all I felt was cold.
Ye Zhengchen stood across the street, his figure appearing and disappearing among the passing cars. In the misty haze, I clearly saw him, completely rigid, his fists clenched, knuckles visible. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore.
