After dinner, Leyao and I strolled slowly back to the inn along a small path. She still wore those oversized sunglasses, concealing her identity as a celebrity on this restless night.
When we grew tired from walking, we sat beneath a willow tree by the Xitang River, gazing at the small bridges and flowing water illuminated by lights. Both of us fell into a daze—not because of the scenery, but more from the helplessness of escaping reality. At least, that’s how I felt.
I lit a cigarette and smoked quietly. As a gust of wind rushed past, I seemed to hear the heavy metal song “Goodnight, Beijing” in my ears. Then I felt as if I could hear the rumbling sound of a roller compactor on a rainy night, as described in the lyrics. Gradually, I felt exhausted and powerless… Finally, I closed my tired and dry eyes, wishing to forget this song and fall asleep peacefully by the gentle riverside of Xitang.
Suddenly, my back was heavily slapped. When I opened my eyes, Leyao had already taken off her sunglasses and was looking at me with an unhappy expression: “Are you pretending to be melancholy again? Not even saying a word to me!”
“Don’t mess around. I’m really tired!”
“If you’re tired, go to sleep. Why make such a big deal out of something so simple?”
This was already the second woman who accused me of being melodramatic, and I didn’t feel like denying it. Or rather, for my current self, being melodramatic was something trivial. After a while, I said to Leyao: “It’s mental exhaustion. Can sleep really solve that?”
“Yes, sleep and never wake up again!”
I nodded, took out another cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and didn’t want to say another word. Once again, the low, tearing sound of “Goodnight, Beijing” seemed to echo in my ears…
Finally, Leyao softened her tone and asked me: “Is it your relationship with Mi Cai that’s making you feel tired?”
I stared at Leyao for quite a while before shaking my head in denial.
Leyao smiled and said, “Do you really think no one can see through your disguise?… The truth is, the day you started dating a woman like Mi Cai, you should have been prepared. Her irresistible charm is a shadow you can never escape from… Sometimes I really wonder what kind of fate it takes to produce a woman so indifferent and unreasonably beautiful!”
“So then, do you think I’m lucky or unlucky?”
“What have you gained and what have you lost being with her? You know that best yourself!”
“I do know, which is why I’ve never thought about giving up.”
“No one is asking you to give up… But you two could have had a better life originally. What exactly have you been chasing that made you live such a tiring life now?”
I didn’t answer Leyao. I just took a deep puff from my cigarette, imagining in my heart what kind of life we would be living now if only Mi Cai was willing to break free from the shackles of Zhuo Mei.
As soon as this thought sprouted, I killed it immediately. How could I have such a negative thought at a time like this? I should help her protect Zhuo Mei, the only memory Mi Zhongxin left for her.
“Zhaoyang, do you still remember the small village where Wei Manwen used to stay?”
“How could I forget something that happened just a few months ago?”
“What if I told you I would willingly give up everything I have now, and live my entire life in isolation with the man I love in that village? Would you believe me?”
“You’re fantasizing again!”
“If you don’t believe me, forget it…”
Looking at her stubborn expression, I smiled and said, “There’s simply no place in this world completely isolated from the outside world… I even heard that they’re planning to build a road connecting that small village to the county town, to vigorously develop tourism!”
My words seemed to shatter Leyao’s fantasy, leaving her silent for a long time. But I was somewhat surprised, as in my memory, she had mentioned more than once her desire to live in that small village. This somewhat reflected her somewhat escapist mindset. But her escape wasn’t thorough, because she still longed for the company of a man she loved; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had this thought at all. So, she must be a woman who lives for men. Yet, up to now, she still didn’t have a relatively stable boyfriend. It seemed she was indeed full of contradictions.
Suddenly, Leyao glared at me murderously. Instinctively, I backed away, but it was too late. My arm had already been grabbed by her, and she bit down hard.
The pain was unbearable. I tried to push her away by pressing my hand against her face, but she didn’t budge. I cursed, “Are you using all the strength you had when you were breastfeeding?!”
Leyao didn’t respond at all, still biting me fiercely. So I pinched her face, hoping the pain would bring her back to her senses. If she kept biting me like this, the flesh on my arm would soon be chewed up! But Leyao seemed determined to go down together with me. Even though her face—the face she earned her living with—was being pinched by me, she still didn’t let go…
As if the bite wasn’t enough, her fingers, with sharp nails, pinched my thigh. Finally, I couldn’t bear it anymore and cried out, “Sister… What did I do to you to deserve this kind of merciless treatment… ow… ow, it really hurts like hell! If you don’t let go now, I’m really going to slap you!”
“What are you two doing?”
A voice, impossible to tell if it was angry or happy, suddenly sounded in my ears. Although Leyao hadn’t let go yet, my sense of pain suddenly disappeared. I knew that standing behind us at this moment was none other than Mi Cai. A cold sweat broke out on my back—not from pain, but from fear!
It seemed Leyao also regained her senses and finally let go, then turned her head to look at Mi Cai standing behind us, but she didn’t explain why she had bitten me at all.
Mi Cai’s expression grew colder. I sweated nervously, pointing at Leyao and saying, “She just went crazy out of nowhere…”
“Then continue being crazy together.”
After leaving these words, Mi Cai turned and walked away. I shouted at her back, “Why didn’t you call me first when you came? Was it supposed to be a surprise for me?…”
Mi Cai didn’t respond and had already walked far away. Leyao finally spoke, “What surprise? More like a shock!”
“All your fault, drama queen! You should quickly go explain to her, say that your hyperactivity disorder suddenly flared up again and you couldn’t help biting me half to death!”
“You deserved it. I won’t explain…”
I pointed at Leyao, speechless for a while, before finally saying, “You feel like you’re on your period if you don’t cause me trouble for a day, right? I’ll settle accounts with you later!”
Leyao stuck her neck out defiantly and said, “Why don’t you settle it now… Go ahead and kill me, just throw my body into the Xitang River!”
“You’re out of your mind!”
I shouted at Leyao and then sprinted toward where Mi Cai had gone, fearing I wouldn’t catch up with her!
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