Chapter 19: Better to Remember
Chapter 19: Better to Remember
TIM’s furious shout jolted JONCE into realizing something was seriously wrong with him. Only then did JONCE recall that, when she arrived, a woman who had been about to approach TIM quickly fled upon seeing her.
With a sour expression, JONCE stared at TIM and hurriedly pressed him, “Who was she, what was she?”
TIM ignored JONCE’s hysterical questioning, and instead coldly tossed her a single line, “Who she is has nothing to do with you. You only need to marry me as agreed and fulfill the demands of our families’ alliance.”
JONCE stood behind TIM, her face streaming with tears, powerless and desperate, “TIM, tell me, do you still love her?”
TIM walked past her, expressionless, refusing to respond to her superfluous questions. He had already set the terms with JONCE: he would marry her, granting her only a name, while his heart would always belong to Fan Xiaoyao.
For TIM, since he couldn’t give marriage to Fan Xiaoyao, he could only hide his heart away.
“There was a time when we had so much to say, anything could be spoken; my love came before yours, yet I kept it locked inside. Later, things changed between you two, and I didn’t want to talk anymore. After meeting and struggling, I still couldn’t let him go…”
As the song reached this verse, Fan Xiaoyao’s face was already wet with tears.
Ever since the drunken incident, Liang Zi had been extra cautious. From the moment Fan Xiaoyao walked in that afternoon until now, Liang Zi hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a moment, afraid something might happen to her, leaving him unable to explain to the Rong family.
“Better to remember than to meet, even if you don’t understand, why do you ignore my cold gaze? Don’t dwell on those things, whether lies or promises; the feeling of your embrace now feels like winter…”
“I can feel your happiness; meeting like this is best for us both. I can only pretend I don’t hear—don’t hear them say how good she is. I don’t want to ask, don’t want to be told; anyway, your world isn’t mine to control. If I don’t want to ask, don’t want to be told, I’ll leave my blessing on the street corner…”
Fan Xiaoyao sang every song she knew, until all ten wireless microphones in Feile KTV went dead, finally forcing her to take a break.
Liang Zi handed her a bottle of mineral water, “Xiaoyao, here, have some water first!”
Fan Xiaoyao looked at Liang Zi gratefully, “Brother Liang, thank you for taking me in!”
Liang Zi sipped his cola and shrugged, “No need to be polite with me!”
Fan Xiaoyao glanced at the row of microphones she’d drained, feeling apologetic, “Brother Liang, sorry. I sang your microphones dead, you probably lost a lot of business tonight.”
Liang Zi looked at the dejected Fan Xiaoyao across from him and tried to sound casual, “Girl, are you heartbroken? Why were all your songs tonight about heartbreak?”
Fan Xiaoyao was embarrassed at being seen through. “Did you notice?”
Liang Zi teased with a smile, “Your expression is so obvious, anyone could tell.”
Fan Xiaoyao patted her face, “Is it really that obvious?”
Liang Zi checked his watch, “It’s getting late, girl. Let me take you back to Youru’s place.”
Fan Xiaoyao glanced at her phone, feeling guilty, “Sorry, Brother Liang, I made you stay with me all night.”
As they stepped out of the private room, Fan Xiaoyao and Liang Zi bumped into TIM, who was on the phone with his head down.
Their eyes met midair. Fan Xiaoyao, feeling like an ostrich, hurriedly grabbed Liang Zi and walked out.
TIM watched Fan Xiaoyao walk away with another man, his back turned to him, and a nameless jealousy and anger tightened his fists.
Wu Yang came out of the room, spotting TIM’s gloomy face and feeling worried. “Mr. Zeng, you’re here. Everyone is waiting for you! The sales department employees put a lot of heart into this.”
TIM forced himself to hide his displeasure, telling Wu Yang, “Let’s go. Tonight, we won’t leave until we’re drunk!”
Inside the room, after drinking with each employee, TIM retreated to a corner, brooding over his drink.
His mind was filled with memories of Fan Xiaoyao.
“The Leonid meteor shower is coming. Quick, let’s make a wish!” That year was the century’s meteor shower. Like ordinary lovers, they sat early atop Fushan, the highest point in Kangcheng, and made their wishes under the stars.
“Wow, the snow is so heavy. I’ve never seen such beautiful snow in Kangcheng.” That was 2002, when Daolang’s songs were all the rage.
“Xiaoyao, I’m leaving. We… we’re breaking up.”
Sitting in Liang Zi’s car, Fan Xiaoyao’s mind was awash in memories of TIM, and she felt her eyes grow damp.
Liang Zi handed her a tissue, “Go ahead and cry! Was that man the one who upset you?”
Fan Xiaoyao covered her face and wept, unable to pretend any longer. She spoke in a jumble.
“What’s wrong with me? He wanted to break up—why am I not his fiancée? Why couldn’t the vows we once made withstand a ridiculous family alliance?
Why did he leave, only to reappear in my world? Why did he come back? Why did he stir up my feelings, then leave again?”
Seeing Fan Xiaoyao’s deepening sorrow, Liang Zi’s anger flared. He spun the steering wheel and drove back toward Feile KTV.
When Fan Xiaoyao realized what was happening, the car was already parked in front of Feile KTV again. She looked in alarm as Liang Zi, face grim, got out and marched straight toward TIM’s private room.
The staff saw their boss return with a dark expression and quickly scattered. Liang Zi kicked open the door and shouted at the people inside, “If you don’t want me to treat you like a football, get out of here! All of you, except him!”
Liang Zi pointed at TIM, ignoring Wu Yang’s attempt to mediate, and slapped TIM’s face repeatedly.
“You bastard! Xiaoyao is such a good girl, why did you treat her so cruelly? If you left, you should have stayed gone. Why come back? You toyed with her feelings, you bastard.”
Then, Liang Zi hauled the drunken TIM up, “Coward! Hiding here and drinking—what’s the point? If you’re a man, face Xiaoyao and make things clear!”
Fan Xiaoyao entered, seeing TIM in a sorry state. Her eyes were devoid of emotion, her heart empty as she stepped forward and pulled Liang Zi’s hand.
“Brother Liang, stop hitting him. It’s over between us. From now on, bridges are bridges, roads are roads. He’s himself, and I’m me. Let’s go, don’t waste your energy on him!”