Although Ruben’s pain was so vividly presented before me and Leyao, we were powerless to help, only sharing his suffering with empathy, repeatedly looking back, hoping for a miracle to offer Ruben final comfort.
Ruben sat on the floor leaning against a pillar, hugging his head with both hands. He seemed to be sobbing, or perhaps speaking softly. Gradually, we began to understand—he was humming the song “Hotel California.” He could only release his sorrow and despair this way. However, whether there truly exists a “Hotel California” in this world that can soothe one’s soul, none of us knew.
The boarding announcement had already been made, cruelly reminding us of the reality we faced. I had to remind Ruben that it was time to leave.
I patted his shoulder gently and whispered, “Let everything end here… Look forward, it’s time for your new life to begin!”
Ruben ran both hands heavily across his face, turned his head once more, expressionless, gazing toward the boarding gate. Finally, he asked me, “Zhaoyang, does a place like the Hotel California really exist in this world?”
Facing this harsh reality, I too was no longer certain. I shook my head and replied, “I don’t know… but I know there’s a highway in America called Route 66. When the pain becomes unbearable, just walk along it. They say it can ease some of the pain because the road is so long—so long that you forget why you’re walking on it and what you’re chasing. In the end, all you remember are the canyons and deserts along the way…”
Ruben closed his eyes, tilted his head slightly upward, and without another word, walked like a soulless body toward the boarding gate. He didn’t look back. He simply placed the guitar he was carrying on the ground and walked through the gate… We had no idea why he left the guitar behind.
Leyao and I picked up the guitar and looked at each other.
“Why did he leave this guitar behind?”
I gazed in the direction where Ruben had finally disappeared for a long while before replying, “Maybe he wants us to give this guitar to Weimanwen.”
“Why not CC?”
I shook my head, “I’m not sure about his intentions. Let’s keep it for now. Perhaps after he arrives in America, he’ll explain why he left the guitar behind.”
…
The plane had already taken off, and with it, everything concerning Ruben came to an end here. However, the sadness and thoughts it left me with were persistent, causing me to stand at the airport for a long time… Leyao, too, wore a complex expression, but her gaze did not follow the direction in which Ruben had left. Instead, she stared into the distant horizon beyond the airport.
Suddenly, she pushed me, speaking urgently, “Zhaoyang, look quickly, doesn’t that woman look like Teacher Wei!!”
I snapped back to reality and looked in the direction Leyao pointed. Indeed, I saw a woman, but only her back was visible. However, her posture and smooth straight hair looked exactly like Weimanwen’s. My heart began to churn. Ignoring the surrounding noise, I shouted loudly, “Teacher Wei… Teacher Wei!”
The figure resembling Weimanwen did not turn around. She had already hailed a taxi and was driving in the opposite direction from us. How could I give up so easily! I grabbed Leyao beside me and rushed toward where I had parked my car, determined to chase that taxi and confirm whether that back figure was indeed Weimanwen.
I got into the car, not even having time to fasten the seatbelt, sharply turned the steering wheel to avoid the cars on both sides. Once the road cleared, I floored the accelerator, chasing the taxi’s direction…
But when I reached the intersection, I still couldn’t find the blue taxi. I didn’t know which direction to continue pursuing at the crossroads. Eventually, I pulled over to the roadside, sinking into deep regret.
I rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and finally asked Leyao beside me, “Can you be sure it was Teacher Wei?”
Leyao shook her head, also wearing a face of regret, “Not sure. I only saw a very vague side profile, but her posture really looked like Teacher Wei!”
I nodded. Teacher Wei, Weimanwen, was a woman with unique charm and grace. However, in this vast world, there were no shortages of people who resembled her. Perhaps we were mistaken, but regardless of whether it was her or not, we had no way of verifying it anymore!
After a long silence, Leyao finally asked me, “If that woman was indeed Teacher Wei, why did she come but didn’t meet Ruben?”
“I don’t know… Maybe she’s trapped in a castle, but the owner of the castle doesn’t allow her to lean out and let her soul wander!”
My words plunged Leyao into confusion. She asked, “You mean Teacher Wei left Ruben because of some hidden reason?”
“Turn around and look at me, you actress, are you reading too many scripts?… Betrayal is betrayal. What hidden reason could there be? The castle I mentioned is just a metaphor for a love built on betrayal, this filthy love has trapped her tainted soul!”
Leyao laughed even more disdainfully, “You really have a clear stance. No wonder you’re Ruben’s brother… Talking about Teacher Wei like she’s so dirty, isn’t Ruben himself just as dirty?”
“He is dirty too… We’re all dirty… Because we have too many thoughts about love. These thoughts are like mud, making us all dirty. I don’t really believe in eternal love anymore. After all, human nature is ever-changing. You can love someone today and hate them tomorrow!”
“Then why don’t you go hate Mi Cai tomorrow…”
I was once again overwhelmed by her logic, “Why would I hate her?”
“Then don’t talk about how you can love someone today and hate them tomorrow…”
I exhaled the smoke heavily from my mouth, then turned on the car radio, refusing to continue talking with Leyao. Because I couldn’t imagine a day when I would hate Mi Cai, or she would hate me, nor did I want to turn our current happiness into a nightmare that would wake us up in fear.
But Leyao pushed me again and said, “You just said that behind human nature is ever-changing, right? Then why can’t Wei’s betrayal be a helpless compromise hidden behind human nature?… To be honest, my intuition always tells me that her leaving Ruben wasn’t that simple. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to the airport to see him off like this. She had clearly said before that she definitely wouldn’t come!”
I glanced at her and said, “First of all, can you be sure that woman was really Teacher Wei?… Secondly, I suggest you can write a script based on your clichéd logic and act as Teacher Wei with a hidden story. It would definitely become a hit!”
Leyao gave me a look, “Am I prettier than Teacher Wei?… Obviously, I’m so beautiful that I can’t play such an unattractive Teacher Wei!”
“I really don’t see where you’re prettier than Teacher Wei!”
Leyao stretched her long legs onto the car’s center console and said, “At least my legs are prettier than hers!!”
I helplessly smiled again, exhaled the smoke from my mouth once more, temporarily forgetting about Ruben and Weimanwen’s emotional entanglement… Then I thought again about the always heart-stopping Zhuo Mei, and I wonder if this time the Red Dress Group could smoothly become its investor!
Certainly yes, and it must be yes, because it concerns Mi Cai’s future, and her future is also my future!
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