After Fang Yuan left, only Jan Wei, Yan Yan and I remained in the lounge, along with the bank card holding 20 million yuan, which had replaced Fang Yuan as Yan Yan’s current worth. Yet, a decade of emotional attachment had vanished here.
Yan Yan seemed to have lost all awareness. She sat in her original seat, making no further sound—only occasionally glancing at her belly, her expression growing increasingly numb.
Jan Wei picked up the bank card from beside her and placed it into Yan Yan’s pocket, whispering, “It’s time to go… there’s still a long road ahead for you!”
Yan Yan finally lifted her head, her lips trembling as she said, “Jan Wei, how can I tell my parents about all this? I really don’t want them to know I’m such a foolish woman, and I don’t want them to be hurt either…”
Jan Wei shook her head gently and replied, “Nowadays, with such a high divorce rate, it’s almost become the norm. Society has become more tolerant, so how could your own parents not understand? Besides, you were always honest and sincere in your marriage with Fang Yuan—no one will blame you…”
Jan Wei’s words calmed Yan Yan slightly, but they stirred a heavy feeling within me. I couldn’t help but wonder why, as society progressed, the emotional bonds between men and women had become increasingly fragile and casual, culminating in this maternity and children’s hospital filled with women seeking abortions. The patients kept coming, one after another. I didn’t know whether they had made these decisions lightly or, like Yan Yan, were suffering deeply. But regardless of the reasons, the outcomes were largely the same—so many tiny lives extinguished amid the breakdowns of relationships. Of course, some of these decisions were made because the timing for parenthood simply hadn’t matured yet. But for society as a whole, this was a warning sign: our spiritual civilization was regressing, and a sense of responsibility was increasingly absent from our lives.
Jan Wei continued, “Don’t be foolish enough to return this 20 million to Fang Yuan. This is what you’ve earned with ten years of youth. Use part of this money to improve Uncle and Auntie’s living conditions—they deserve a little compensation to help ease their hearts.”
Yan Yan wept silently, replying, “They don’t need this kind of compensation. Their pensions are already sufficient to meet their material needs… What they truly hoped for was for Fang Yuan to be a responsible man, to see the child in my belly safely born and grow up calling them ‘grandparents’ one day!”
Jan Wei sighed, unable to offer further comfort. This sudden pain could only be soothed by Yan Yan herself over time. But from this point onward, our college romance, which had lasted until today, had come to an end, leaving behind a lingering sorrow that none of us could easily shake off.
We had all forgotten the joy and excitement at the beginning, mourning here before looking toward new beginnings. I had already taken one step ahead of Jan Wei and Yan Yan, meeting the right person and embarking on a new path—this seemed to be my good fortune! To keep this fortune going, I had grown reluctant to look back at the road I had walked and the people I had met along the way.
…
The wheels of fate continued to turn, indifferent to human will. Events unfolded without any unexpected twists, proceeding relentlessly along their predetermined path and shattering every last boundary. Thus, three days later, Yan Yan received the divorce agreement from Fang Yuan. Neither raised any objections, and both signed it. The next day, they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce procedures. From that moment on, they went their separate ways.
Three days after Yan Yan and Fang Yuan’s divorce, rumors spread within our circle that Fang Yuan was about to marry Mi Lan and would become the new general manager of Zhuomei, gaining full authority over its operations and becoming a true high-ranking figure. Zhuomei was undergoing a reshuffle, and Fang Yuan had become one of its shareholders. Moreover, he had Xiang Chen, a steadfast ally, backing him up. It was even rumored that the 20 million yuan he had given Yan Yan had come from Xiang Chen’s strong support. Naturally, this was only hearsay, and no one had verified it.
In the past week, I successfully completed the handover of my work at Lukou. I also sold the property and car left behind by Roben, which together fetched 1.28 million yuan. Out of this, I gave 1 million yuan to Mi Cai, and entrusted the remaining 280,000 yuan to Leyao to deliver to Roben’s parents. After completing all of this, my days in Suzhou had begun to dwindle, leaving me with little to do but wait for Mi Cai’s return from that small mountain village. According to our original plan, we were supposed to synchronize our schedules: when I finished my work handover, she would return. However, she stayed a few extra days. But it didn’t matter much—we still had a long life ahead together. If she chose to treat her time there as a form of spiritual cultivation, I was naturally willing to let her cultivate a little longer.
However, what weighed most heavily on my conscience was the fate of my former boss, Chen Jingming. He had left Zhuomei—or more accurately, had been purged by Fang Yuan. Although this was something I had anticipated, I still felt a deep pang when I actually heard the news. I couldn’t help but recall the years we had spent together at Baoli Department Store, how he had always looked after both Fang Yuan and me. But in the end, I had lost trust in him, and Fang Yuan had overpowered him, treating him as a major threat and eliminating him completely. He had nurtured both of us, yet we had betrayed him in different ways, ultimately turning him into a tragic figure who left the industry in silence and obscurity.
It was another evening. I had packed everything I needed to bring back to Xuzhou and was now left with nothing to do but boredom. I didn’t feel like going to a bar, so I slung the guitar I had gifted to Mi Cai over my back and headed to the square where Mi Cai and I often went to race cars and find joy. It was also a great place to practice music because there were always curious people wanting to hear what you were singing. With an audience, it never felt monotonous or dull.
Evenings were the busiest time at the square. Elderly people exercising, couples in love, and playing children gathered here, forming a vivid tapestry of society. Pigeons, pet dogs, and stray cats also waited here to be fed. The only thing missing was a performing singer—until my arrival added that final touch, making the square feel more like a real public square.
Just as I stood by the fountain, a group of children who still remembered me came running over. Some called me “big brother,” others “boss,” begging me to lend them the gas-powered racing car. But I hadn’t brought it with me today, so I told them to listen to my singing first. Whoever listened most attentively and clapped the loudest would get to play with the car the next evening.
The children lined up and sat around the fountain. Truthfully, none of them really wanted to listen, but for the chance to play with the racing car the next day, they started clapping even before I began, pretending to be very interested and trying hard not to laugh.
I closed my eyes, felt a gust of wind, and let a melody flow from my fingers across the strings. I recalled the song “Past Glories,” and so I sang “Past Glories.”
“The most beautiful moments in life are those days gone by,
Though we had nothing but happiness, wearing nothing but old clothes…
Now we’ve all changed,
Busy chasing livelihood every day,
But when we think of those past glories, your eyes still light up…
The most treasured memories in life are still those days gone by,
Friends raised their beer bottles,
Half a sausage still on the table,
We were the best of companions,
Sharing joy and sorrow together…”
Each verse, each nostalgic melody, struck my soul, revealing the past glories locked inside my heart. Compared to those days, had everything really changed so much?
Had Fang Yuan, who had sown so much chaos along the way, ever thought back to those days he shared with Yan Yan? Had he remembered the times we drank beer, ate peanuts, and talked about the girls around us?
I still remembered those moments: the sky we saw on the playground back then was truly blue. The senior girls and junior girls, wearing skirts and holding textbooks, were like a breeze of beauty, composing our past glories together with that blue sky.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage