Crocs suceurs de sang

Chapitre 12

Old Luo walked past, drooling, glancing at the food on the table out of the corner of his eye. What a feast today! Braised tilapia, stir-fried chicken with chili peppers, red mustard greens, and daylily and vermicelli soup.

At 9:30, the two of them finished showering and quickly crawled into bed. Even if they didn't do anything intimate, just cuddling like that was very comfortable.

"Can't sleep? What about you?" Ye You turned Xian Jing's body around so she could face him.

"What if I disappear one day?" Xianjing suddenly wanted to ask this question.

Many women in relationships like to ask this question.

"You're not allowed to disappear. If you really do, I'll write a book called 'Searching for Xianjing,' so when you buy the book, you'll know I'm looking for you." Ye You sat up and said seriously, "I really like you."

"What about your other girlfriends?" Xianjing sighed.

"Anyway, I really like you, and I don't want anything else."

"You think you can just say you don't want it and then say you don't? Is that the kind of person you are?"

Ye You asked, "What's wrong with you today? Is your period coming? Are you in a bad mood?"

"No, I'm serious. I'm too fragile; I can't handle setbacks. Being with you..."

Ye You was speaking when his phone rang. Xian Jing could clearly hear a woman's voice from beside him.

“Wright, guess where I am?” Xie Qiqi asked excitedly.

"I don't know." Ye You looked at Xian Jing's face, which gradually darkened.

"I'm at your door." Xie Qiqi hung up the phone, rang the doorbell, and Lao Luo opened the door. He knew Xie Qiqi; she was a very well-behaved and clever girl, sensible, and had lived here for a while before.

Xian Jing got up and dressed, then said to Ye You, "You go out and greet your guests first. It's not convenient for me to go out with you right now."

"Why?"

“I’m your cousin now.” Xianjing’s face was as cold as frozen meat.

Xie Qiqi said to Ye You, "Cousin, would you like to come with us?"

Xian Jing forced a smile, "I'm not going. Bars are too chaotic, I'm not used to them."

Xie Qiqi pulled Xianjing's hand, "Sister, come on, it'll be a lot of fun."

Ye You was speechless. Xie Qiqi was the girl who had been with him for two years. Even though they had broken up, she pretended to be nonchalant, but she was actually suffering inside. Ye You couldn't bear to refuse or hurt her with that ingratiating smile. Life can't always be perfect.

Bubble Dragon Bar. Every dancer was giving Ye You a flirtatious look, and a sexy cigarette girl sat on Ye You's lap, "Young Master Ye, why haven't you come for so long?"

Just as he pushed away the cigarette-smoking woman, a tall woman carrying a beer walked over, exuding the perfume of a foreigner. She looked Xie Qiqi up and down and said to Ye You, "What, are you only spoiling your Mikey now and really ignoring me?"

Xian Jing remained unmoved, simply watching a woman laboriously perform a pole dance, writhing like a seductive demon. Had Wu Bilian, back then, also willingly allowed herself to be fantasized about repeatedly by the audience? The music was loud, her mind was in turmoil, and Ye You pushed away one woman after another. Xian Jing got up and went to the restroom.

"I can tolerate him having other women, can you?" Xie Qiqi whispered in Xian Jing's ear. The bathroom was quiet. Xian Jing combed her hair in front of the mirror again and again.

“I know you’re not his cousin. You’re like me, he’s his woman, the woman he loves most right now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought you home,” Xie Qiqi continued. “Do you know how long it’s been since he’s gone out to play? He has his own world. You’re just a passerby. Don’t get your hopes up. He doesn’t belong to you, and he doesn’t belong to anyone.”

"Are you done talking?" Xianjing placed her hand under the tap, the cool water washing over the back of her hand. "Then I'm leaving."

Ye You pulled Xian Jing to dance, but Xian Jing gently let go of his hand, saying, "You guys go ahead, I'm perfectly fine drinking here."

Xie Qiqi quickly followed. At the bar, Xian Jing was drinking beer by herself, taking large gulps like a drowning person.

Bai Mingqing, where are you now? I'm thinking of you, do you know that... Xian Jing slumped on the bar counter, muttering to herself. The bar was noisy, and no one heard what Xian Jing was saying. She was in excruciating pain in her abdomen, as if someone was kicking her hard, or as if a thousand knives were churning inside. For a moment, she couldn't speak.

(24)

Ye You carried the drunk Xian Jing home. In her hazy state, Xian Jing vomited in the car. Xie Qiqi looked at her and asked, "How could you like this woman?"

"You've arrived, get out of the car." Ye You stopped at the entrance of Lily Garden. "I'll be very busy for a while."

Xie Qiqi opened the car door, her nose tingling with tears. "I couldn't hold back any longer, so I came to your house."

"Okay, go back to sleep now." Ye You couldn't bear to look into her eyes, at her attachment and reluctance.

Xianjing lay in the back seat, dizzy and dreaming. A skinned, pale person stared at her with bloodshot eyes, while the distant beach was deserted and desolate.

Ye You heard Xian Jing repeatedly calling someone's name, but it wasn't her own.

When unhappy with her current man, she always thinks of the good things about her past men. This applies to both Xianjing and other women.

In the middle of the night, Xian Jing found herself lying in bed in clean pajamas, with no one beside her. Ye You was smoking by the window, his back to her a stranger.

It was just a chance encounter, a fleeting romance, a momentary burst of passion. What right did he have to hope for forever? As Xie Qiqi said, he didn't belong to anyone. He was free and unrestrained, so young, while he himself slowly withered away, withering away on the day Bai Mingqing left. The final flicker of love gave people the illusion of happiness.

Xianjing's tears fell one after another, and soon the pillow was stained with tear stains.

"Are you awake?" Ye You turned to look at her. "Why are you crying? Are you missing your ex-boyfriend?"

Xianjing nodded.

Ye You threw away his cigarette butt, walked over, and hugged her tightly, without saying a word, until Xian Jing fell into a deep sleep...

My heart is made of glass; once broken, it can never be mended. Yet, I still want to love you with my broken heart.

The gentle morning sunlight woke Xian Jing. When she opened her eyes, Ye You was fast asleep on her chest like a child. It was always like this. At first, she was the one being held by him, but after waking up, the roles were reversed.

She smiled helplessly and nudged him, "We're going to the airport."

Ye You opened her eyes, kissed Xian Jing, and said, "Get up!"

Ye You made breakfast; the eggs were fried until they were as tough as turf, the coffee tasted good, but the bread was burnt. Xian Jing watched him busily working with satisfaction.

Looking at Xian Jing's unusually calm face, Ye You tentatively asked, "Have you decided to leave me today?"

"I don't want to restrict you, but I can't help but restrict you." Xianjing took a sip of coffee, forgetting to add sugar, so it was very bitter.

Ye You opened her mouth, as if to say something, but Xian Jing interrupted her, "We should set off."

Xian Jing closed her eyes and dozed off. Ye You naturally couldn't find a topic to talk about. The atmosphere was very subtle. The two of them had never been so silent before. Ye You kept secretly watching Xian Jing's expression. She was the same as usual, just not saying a word.

An Zhu and Shi Lei held hands, and Xian Jing suddenly felt a little envious of them; at least they belonged to each other.

Upon seeing Xian Jing and the other person approach, An Zhu smiled, though traces of tears from the previous night's weeping still lingered on her face. It turned out that true friends understood each other; you cried, so I cried too. A strange, unspoken connection.

"Shitou, we won't be able to see each other for the next two years. Take good care of yourself," Xianjing said, her nose tingling with tears.

As he was about to depart, Shi Lei could no longer hold back his tears. He embraced his beloved woman, choked out, "Wait for me to come back," and then turned and left, heading towards his unknown future.

An Zhu burst into tears, but Ye You grabbed her arm, preventing her from rushing inside.

We loved each other, but from then on we were separated by vast distances. Even if I know where you are, even if we meet again, I can no longer easily see your smiling face, touch your silhouette, laugh with you again, or have a little argument with you. You've gone far away, and from then on, longing is a dull knife, cutting at my heart that misses you day by day.

After dropping Anzhu off at home, looking at Ye You beside her, Xian Jing suddenly felt very tired, like an adult looking at their disobedient child. They could hit or scold the child, but they couldn't leave.

"Let's get married," Ye You suddenly said.

"What?" Xian Jing was staring blankly out the car window.

"Let's get married," Ye You repeated. "I thought about it all night, and this is the decision I've made."

"Say it again." Xianjing thought she had misheard.

"Let's get married. I'm not kidding you." Ye You hugged Xian Jing and kissed her trembling lips. "Say yes."

Xianjing felt a rush of blood to her head, completely at a loss, her mind in a state of panic. This panic continued until she reached the softly lit jewelry counter.

"Next month, I'll go back to your hometown with you to talk to your parents." Ye You put the ring on Xian Jing's finger. "Let's get engaged for now, and then we'll get married formally once your parents agree. What do you think?"

Xian Jing felt as if she were in a dream, even more dizzy than when she was drunk yesterday.

In the middle of the night, Ye You, who was fast asleep and drooling, was shaken awake. "Did you really mean it when you said you wanted to marry me during the day?"

Ye You struggled to open her eyes and nodded, "I'd be a pig if I lied to you."

Xian Jing lay flat, unable to sleep. After a while, Ye You's body clung to her again, as if chewing on something. Xian Jing smiled, a smile of anticipation filling the darkness with warmth.

(25)

When three people walk together, there's bound to be a third wheel.

Xie Qiqi looked at the ring on Xian Jing's hand and heard Ye You talk about the engagement. She felt a pang of indescribable sadness, but she just watched the people coming and going in the night.

It turns out that all of this was actually true.

"You're welcome to come to my house anytime," Xianjing said casually.

As Xie Qiqi was leaving, she gave Ye You a resentful look and said, "I have to go now. You guys enjoy your meal."

After Xian Jing waited until she was out of sight, she said to Ye You, "She likes you a lot, doesn't she?"

“That was true before,” Ye You recalled the past, “but I still think you’re more suitable for me.”

Xianjing smiled, a smile that remained impassive to herself. The man flaunted his advances, while the woman gloated over her concessions.

Back home, Ye You drove into the garage, and Xian Jing went in first. An old woman sat on the steps by the door, wearing a black padded jacket and white cloth shoes covered in dust; she looked very familiar. Xian Jing was startled, "What are you doing here?"

"Give me back that piece of meat." Wu Chuntao slowly turned her face, one hand grabbing haphazardly inside her clothes, the other sleeve empty. Looking at Xian Jing, her eyes had no eyeballs, only the whites.

Xianjing shouted, "Get out of here!"

Wu Chuntao slowly turned her face away, her back to Xian Jing, and stopped answering. It started to rain, and the wind ruffled Wu Chuntao's white hair.

Ye You walked over and put her arm around Xian Jing's waist. "What are you doing at the door instead of going in? Talking to yourself. Who are you telling to get lost?"

Wu Chuntao was humming a song on the steps, but no one knew what she was singing.

"Did you see anything?" Xian Jing leaned close to Ye You's body, feeling safe for a moment.

"I see you, silly, come inside quickly, it's raining." Ye You opened the door.

Xianjing rushed into the room, but couldn't find the peach wood pendant necklace that Tang Zhou had given her.

Ye You hugged Xian Jing from behind, "Go to sleep early. Aren't we going to your parents' place tomorrow? Don't fall asleep on the plane." Then he sniffed Xian Jing's head, like a puppy, "Wife, you need to wash your hair."

Xianjing pushed him away shyly. He turned on the tap, and the gentle water soaked Xianjing's hair, the soft foam releasing a pleasant fragrance.

She thought she should call Anzhu to discuss Wu Chuntao's matter, since Anzhu was the one who first agreed to Wu Bilian's promise.

Ye You was watching TV in the living room. The news reported that sulfuric acid rain had fallen in parts of the city. The older-looking female announcer, who even had a camellia pinned to her clothes, kept rambling on: "Sulfuric acid rain, known as 'aerial death,' devours trees, crops, and flowers..."

Ye You said towards the bathroom, "You need to use an umbrella when you go out tomorrow. It's going to rain sulfuric acid; it'll leave a hole in your skin every time it hits..."

As Xian Jing listened, a chill ran through her. "Change the channel, change the channel!" As she spoke, the water flowing from the tap suddenly turned scalding hot, her scalp instantly turning red. Before she could dodge, a tearing pain quickly spread throughout her body.

"Come quick, Ye You." Xian Jing painfully turned off the tap.

Hearing the commotion, Ye You rushed into the bathroom. Xian Jing's head was steaming, and a large area on the back of her neck was also burned, with the tender skin slightly curled up to reveal pink flesh.

"Call 120 quickly. Then go to the refrigerator and get some ice." Xianjing gritted her teeth and took a tube of toothpaste to apply to her neck.

Ye You was startled and frantically repeated the address on the phone. At the same time, she hurriedly opened the refrigerator.