As I walked on the street for some time, my face became frozen numb and a faint pain came from my forehead.
Stopping, I was about to flag a taxi home but ended up noticing a black car that had been slowly following me for an uncertain amount of time.
When I stopped walking, the car also stopped.
The door then opened and a man exited. It was He Li.
I smiled bitterly, it seemed that the saying that those who break up would eventually meet again was true.
In the past, when I missed him, we would not meet for a long time. Now, I had already met him twice in a day. Life was really not going as I intended.
Both of us stood on the street that winter night, watching each other.
Suddenly, I felt that the winter this year was exceptionally cold.
“Get in the car,” He Li said.
I turned him down, “It’s already very late, I’m heading back.”
“Going back?” He Li sneered, “Are you going back to Meng SiQi or Lu QingFan’s place?”
I held onto the painkillers in my pocket tightly. He really spared no effort in hurting me.
“Tonight I’ll stay at Meng SiQi’s place,” I replied as if nothing happened. “Tomorrow night I may be at Lu QingFan’s place.”
He Li’s face turned ugly. He strode towards me and grabbed me before jamming me into the car and slamming the door.
He then entered the car and said, “Pei JiYu, I had mistakenly looked down on you in the past.”
I didn’t speak and turned to look at the night view outside the car.
The window reflected a miserable and colorless face. It was so shocking that it took me a while to realize that it was mine.
How could that be my face?
After a long time, I finally got my voice back and said, “I want to get out.”
“Do you expect me to let you leave and seduce other men?”
My hands trembled slightly. He can don’t love me, but he should not insult me like this.
I tried to keep my voice steady. “He Li, we have already broken up so you have no right to interfere in my life.”
When he heard that, he abruptly braked and the car skidded to a stop.
Since we were close to the red light district, the lights were dim. He Li turned his head to look at me under the faint lights. “I told you before that if you dare to leave me, I will kill you.”
I laughed. After those four long years, you’ve already gradually killed Pei JiYu.
Giving him just a glance, I said nothing, and simply opened the door to get out.
He also got off and chased after me. “If you return to my side now, I will forgive you.”
Standing there, I felt inexplicably sad, but my face still showed a smile. “Is that so?”
But I won’t forgive you.
“What Meng SiQi and Lu QingFan can give you, I also can.”
Oh, he thought that I was bargaining with him.
In his eyes, Pei JiYu was someone labeled for sale. As long as someone was willing to pay for it, anyone could buy me at any time.
That’s what he always thought of me.
However, people are not commodities that one can play with and dispose of at will after paying for them. People require others to treat them with a sincere heart, otherwise, anyone’s heart would also gradually turn cold.
The pain made it hard for me to breathe.
And I was unable to speak any longer.
At this time, a voice called me from afar, “Pei!”
I looked back and saw a person running up to me with a pleasantly surprised face. He was someone very familiar, Leo.
Why do people always get reunited when it was already too late?
He approached me, stopped, and stared at me for a long time. “Pei, it’s really you.”
It’s me, of course, it’s me. Who else could it be if not me?
“I’ve been looking for you.” He came to grab my arm but I shook off his hold.
With Leo’s sudden appearance, He Li then asked, “Pei JiYu, who is this?”
Leo inclined his head, finally realizing that there was someone else around. He also asked, “Who is he?”
This was totally like an eight o’clock drama TV series with the protagonist suffering from an incurable disease as he meets his old lovers one by one. At this moment, a tragic dogblood drama could be staged here and I would not hesitate to spit out blood in response to such a scene <sup>1</sup> The author is saying that this scene is absurd and an exaggerated cliche. .
It’s just a pity that there was no one in the audience to weep tears for me.
Besides, the pain in my body almost drowned out my thoughts and I only managed to keep a clear mind after exhausting all my strength.
There seemed to be infinite fatigue in my heart and I didn’t want to continue this farce anymore. When I recovered a little bit of clarity, I made a decision.
“He’s just someone I used to know,” I said to Leo. “Let’s go.”
With hardly any choice, I would have to choose the one that was more favorable.
He Li’s face became very ugly but I no longer had the energy to care.
As someone drowning in the boundless ocean, I was surrounded by huge waves everywhere and could only try my best to help myself. If I become soft-hearted, it would only result in a bad end for me.
“Pei JiYu, don’t regret it,” He Li said behind me.
Regret, feeling regretful only comes in the future, and Pei Jiyu had none to speak of.
I got into Leo’s car and finally took a moment to take the painkillers. At this time, my clothes were almost completely soaked with sweat.
I gave out Meng SiQi’s address. “Please send me here,” I said.
He asked, “Why are you hiding from me?”
As my head began to ache, I could only avoid answering and instead asked him, “What should I address you as? Leo or Qiao Lang?”
He hesitated and said, “It appears that you are unwilling to forgive me for what happened four years ago.”
“I don’t want to talk about the past.”
I then looked out of the window and discovered that the scenery was unfamiliar. I finally realized that this was not the way back.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Back to the Qiao house.”
I turned my head to look at him, but Qiao Lang’s face was at ease as if everything was normal. This made me feel a sudden sense of powerlessness and I finally stopped arguing with him.
Pei JiYu was no more than a piece of meat on the chopping board, meant to be trampled on and bullied at will.
After taking me back to the Qiao’s house, Qiao Lang said, “Pei, what happened that year was due to some difficulties that I faced.”
Difficulties, difficulties, everyone has their own difficulties. Who could suffer more difficulties than Pei JiYu when he could only be at peace when no one was around.
How unfair.
I waved my hands. “If there’s any difficulties, you can tell me tomorrow. Where’s the guest room? What I need now is not difficulties, but rest.”
He opened his mouth to speak before hesitating and saying at last, “Ok, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
There would always be tomorrow, so let me sleep tonight. Reuniting with people from the past had made me utterly fatigued both mentally and physically.
Initially, I wanted to make a phone call to Meng SiQi, but I was so tired that I got knocked-out the moment I got in bed.
I didn’t want to wake up again.
However, in the middle of the night, I did wake up in pain, covered with sweat on my back and forehead. When I wiped a handful of sweat off my forehead, I brushed across the swelling I had on my forehead and hissed.
I proceeded to head downstairs to grab a glass of water. The moon was bright, so there was no need to switch on the lights. I felt my way into the kitchen, pulled out a glass, and poured myself some water.
It was here that I heard the sound of a door opening followed by footsteps. Surprised, I wondered who it could be at one o’clock in the morning.
All of a sudden, the lights were on.
I turned my head, and saw a pale and tired face. The man’s brows and eyes were also similar to those of Qiao Lang, but his seemed dull as if he had over indulged in alcohol.
Smelling of wine, the man leaned against the door, half squinting. “Oh, who are you?”
He enunciated clearly, seemingly sober.
“Your brother’s guest,” I replied.
He exaggeratedly responded, “Qiao Lang has not entertained any guests in the Qiao’s house for hundreds of years!”
“It’s a rare encounter that happens once in a hundred years. How lucky that you were able to meet me.”
He laughed. “Ok then, will this guest pour me a glass of water?”
He came over and I handed him the water that I had not yet drunk. He proceeded to drink it in one gulp.
“I’m Qiao Yi,” he introduced himself.
I was right, he was Qiao Lang’s brother and the husband of Chen ErXin’s cousin.
“Pei JiYu.”
As if he was kind enough to advise me, Qiao Yi continued to say, “Whatever your relationship is with Qiao Lang, I advise you to leave early in the morning.”
“Thanks for the reminder, but I have nothing to do with him.”
Even if there was, it’s just a past relationship.
“That would be great.” Raising his eyebrows, he didn’t seem to believe me.
I took out another glass and poured out some water again.
“I’m going back. Good night.”
“Qiao Lang is a demon who destroys everything,” Qiao Yi suddenly said as I passed by him.
I stopped, turned to look at him, and asked, “If he is a devil, then are you an angel?”
I had no favorable feeling towards Qiao Yi and could be said to be wary of him.
He remained stupefied and it was not until I had turned around and left the kitchen that I heard him chuckle behind me and say, “That’s right, no one is an angel.”
1
The author is saying that this scene is absurd and an exaggerated cliche.