Even taking the elevator, I still felt it took quite a while to reach the top floor of this building. Leyao and I stood side by side in a relatively open area. Despite the railings surrounding us, my legs still felt weak—this building was just too high, so high that we could see most of Suzhou city.
Cold wind from above whistled past us. Leyao and I instinctively tightened our clothes. Thinking of her frail body, I worried she might catch a chill, so I hurriedly took off my jacket and put it around her shoulders.
Leyao didn’t accept my kindness. She took the jacket I had placed on her and put it back on me, saying, “It’s a bit cold, but I don’t plan to stay here for long. I can endure it.”
Still, I placed the jacket back on her and said, “Putting a jacket on you is just a gesture of concern, not some ulterior-motived act.”
Leyao finally didn’t refuse again. Looking down at the somewhat blurry city below, she said, “Then let’s make this brief… Actually, when I was little, I didn’t have the surname Le. I took my mother’s surname after graduating from middle school. So the public hardly knows who my father is. I haven’t been in touch with him for many years…” She paused slightly before continuing, “My father is a big shot in the real estate industry. But I really dislike him—he’s the typical rich businessman who abandoned his original wife after becoming successful. Do you know that my stepmother is more than 20 years younger than him and also works in the entertainment industry? Sometimes when I meet them, I feel like I’ve gained a sister instead of a stepmother… It makes me sick. Who would believe that that fox-like woman truly loved him!”
I looked at her in shock. If her father really was a big name in real estate, then paying off a large breach of contract fee for her wouldn’t be difficult at all. Maybe I had made a premature assumption. From the moment we met, she had never shown any signs of being the daughter of a wealthy businessman, acting only like a small-time model struggling at the bottom of society!
Finally, after recovering from my shock, I asked her, “Then who exactly is your father?”
“There are only a few big names in the real estate industry, and even fewer who married a celebrity. So who do you think it is?”
I quickly searched my mind and asked uncertainly, “Is your father surnamed Xiao…? And before middle school, your name should have been Xiaoyao, right?”
Leyao nodded, “Yes, perhaps bearing his surname better reflects who I really am… I’ve lived quite freely all these years, with no one controlling my life!”
I said somewhat sarcastically, “So you’re actually the daughter of Mr. Xiao. No wonder you’re so fearless about life… I was such a fool worrying about you, thinking you belonged in the entertainment industry all along!”
Leyao turned her back, avoiding the view of the glittering city below, and looked at my profile, saying, “Zhaoyang, according to the plot of novels, when a rich businessman’s daughter hides in the city and meets a penniless nobody, they always end up falling in love… Right?”
“Yeah, that’s the most clichéd plot in soap operas!”
“Exactly, but you didn’t follow the script. Right from the start, you just slept with me, nothing like a romantic drama… That’s why I ended up with such an awkward ending.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words before finally replying, “Life is life. Until the moment you face death, never say you’ve reached an ending!”
“For me, it’s already the ending. In my past life, you planted a seed in my heart, but I never bloomed or bore fruit for you. That was my debt to you… In this life, I came to you bearing the fruit, but you didn’t want it anymore. That’s your debt to me. So we’re even. If there’s a third life, and we meet again with no debts between us, do you think heaven will give us a better ending?”
Looking at her, I helplessly smiled and said, “How can I possibly answer that question? After all, in this materialistic world, no one really believes in past lives or future ones. These are all just your imagination, right?”
Suddenly, tears streamed down Leyao’s face. Sobbing, she raised her voice, “Zhaoyang, tell me… If I didn’t imagine those past and future lives, how could I ever get over your heartlessness? You’re just a complete bastard… Haha, but none of this matters anymore. I’m going back to Beijing… to get married.”
“If you’re returning to Beijing to marry, what about the girl? She just found a school in Suzhou. You’re not going to take her to Beijing again, are you?… Will your family accept that?”
“You’re more concerned about the girl’s future than about my marriage or who I’m marrying, right?”
I was stunned, a complex emotion rising in my heart. After a long pause, I replied, “I think getting married is a good thing for you, but for the girl, it might mean painful separation.”
Biting her lip, Leyao sighed softly before saying, “I’ll temporarily ask CC to take care of the girl. Once I settle down in Beijing, I’ll bring her there… No one has the right to stop me from taking her with me.”
I nodded. Suddenly, I really, really wanted to smoke, but there wasn’t a single cigarette in my pocket. The craving tortured me, making me feel almost physically pained, even my breathing became heavy. I quickly shifted my attention and asked Leyao, “Actually, when you went to Beijing last time, was that to meet your future husband?”
Leyao smiled through her tears, “Yes, it was someone my father found for me… A match in terms of family background! He thinks he found me what he considers a perfect husband, which is his way of making up for the past… Haha, it’s just compensation, after all. I think marrying like this is fine too. Being a wealthy housewife in the future is definitely better than struggling in the entertainment industry!”
I looked at her and smiled slightly…
“You’re smiling?… Are you really happy now? No one will bother you anymore, and no one will depend on you, a small-time nobody, to survive. Your money must be so precious, right? It really hurt you when I used a little of it. So you kept encouraging me to return to the entertainment industry or find me some micro-film jobs!… Was it really that bad? I only used 50,000 yuan of your money. That’s not even enough to support a mistress!”
A sudden sadness welled up in my heart, but I still kept a straight face and replied, “Can’t you find a more appropriate analogy? What mistress?!”
Leyao seemed to realize her slip of the tongue and didn’t continue with emotional words. Softening her tone, she said, “I’m leaving for Beijing soon to take engagement photos and discuss wedding details. It won’t take too long. So before I come back to Suzhou and give you the wedding invitation, I hope you can help CC take care of the girl… Okay?”
“Okay.”
Leyao handed me back the jacket I had given her, gazed at me for a long time and said, “About that micro-film project, I will definitely help you finish it, whether before or after my marriage…” She paused, then smiled again, “And your music caravan plan, try to get it going before I get pregnant. That way, I can still jump around with you…”
Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind—of her standing outside the hospital after having an abortion… At that moment, I was once again haunted by the question: Was that child I helped her abort actually mine?
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