Inconceivable

Chapter 26

“I’ll take care of you, Julie,” Scottie said sincerely.

“Thank you, but no!” Julie’s tone was firm. Too many life experiences had taught her never to depend on anyone, and even less to believe a man’s promises made during courtship. A look of weariness crossed her face as she thought about it. “I’ve understood this since I was 17, and the next step is…”

Scotty understood what Julie meant, but he clearly didn't want to change his plans. He stood there, sorting out his thoughts.

"Can we meet often?" Scotty looked at Julie, fidgeting nervously with the edge of his black hat.

Why? Because I remind you of her?

Julie sat in a dark corner of the room, the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains and outlining her slender figure. A close look at her expression revealed sadness and helplessness in her eyes. Her chest heaved uncontrollably; Julie's mind was a jumbled mess.

Scotty clearly didn't know what to say, after all, he had only met this woman that afternoon, and his request was indeed a bit excessive. But Scotty also felt such familiarity with her, and a strong sense of love filled his heart; this acquaintance itself was beyond the realm of normal reasoning.

“This is not a compliment.” Julie’s words contained too many complex emotions: love, resentment, hidden hope, and uncontrollable disappointment.

"Isn't there anything else?" Unfortunately, Scottie still couldn't hear the inner struggle Julie was hiding behind those cold, aloof words.

“No.” Scottie was unsure what the most appropriate answer would be at this moment.

“This is not a compliment either.” Julie hid herself in the darkness, and Scottie could not see the pain and anticipation on her face.

“I just want to be with you as often as possible.” Scottie was almost giving up. After all, connecting two different women was just wishful thinking on his part. Julie wasn’t Mei Ling, not the woman who also loved him. He gripped the brim of his hat tightly, his palms sweaty.

Julie didn't respond immediately; she hid in the shadows, savoring her grief alone. Instinct constantly reminded her that Scotty was merely looking for a substitute for Mei Ling, but the desire of her emotions gradually overwhelmed everything. Julie knew that there were some things she was powerless to resist.

Scottie gazed at Julie's silhouette; the light shielded her well, obscuring her expression. He prepared to put on his hat and take his leave, and just as he raised his hand, Julie spoke.

“I think… I don’t need to go to work tomorrow morning.” Julie stared into Scotty’s eyes from the shadows and sighed softly.

I'll make up some reasons.

This outcome surprised Scotty, and the excitement in his eyes was completely genuine. After a brief farewell, Scotty left satisfied.

Just like in the afternoon, Scotty couldn't imagine what Julie was feeling inside the closed door behind him.

nineteen

The sun was shining brightly.

Anyone who saw Scotty and Julie would hardly doubt that they weren't a couple. Except for Julie's occasional, cautious attempts to decipher Scotty's gaze, everything seemed so harmonious and natural.

(6)

Along the roadside, a vendor was selling flowers, and Scottie offered to buy one for Julie.

Scottie's cheerful mood clearly helped Julie gradually forget her inner pressure. She excitedly pointed to a blooming lily and told Scottie, "I like this!"

Scotty smiled as he admired the blush of joy on Julie's face and personally pinned the flower to her chest.

“Now let’s go buy clothes, it’s right across the street.” Scottie seemed to want to continue.

“Scottie, you don’t need to buy it.” Julie didn’t intend for Scottie to spend any money on her; being with Scottie was the happiest moment for her.

"I want to buy it." Scottie acted like a boy experiencing his first love, believing that doing anything for the woman he loved would bring him the greatest joy.

Julie smiled and nodded, clearly sharing the same sentiment as Scottie.

Scottie pulled Julie across the street.

twenty

Fendi fashion store.

Fendi is a famous clothing brand, mainly dealing in high-end suits and evening wear. San Francisco's socialites often choose their clothes as their first choice for formal wear and evening gowns. But Julie seemed a little awkward as soon as she entered. She carefully observed Scotty out of the corner of her eye, but didn't notice anything unusual.

When Scottie entered, he didn't pay attention to the new arrivals like typical customers. The clothes on the walls were practically invisible to him. He simply explained his intention to the sales assistant: he wanted to buy a gray suit.

The fitting models took turns showing different styles of gray suits to Scottie and Julie.

This is also one of the unique features of this famous store: customers don't need to try on every garment themselves; instead, professional mannequins showcase the styles they like. If a customer finds a style they like, it can be altered to their exact measurements. This unique approach caters to the needs of wealthy women who worry about messing up their hair or smudging their makeup while trying on clothes. Of course, this business model also demonstrates the owner's business acumen.

Julie's attention was entirely focused on Scotty, who seemed dissatisfied with all the suits; clearly, these were not what he needed.

“I just want a plain gray suit,” Scottie reiterated her request.

At this moment, Julie fully realized Scotty's purpose. She pointed randomly at the model closest to her and said hastily...

"I like this one!"

“No, that’s not right.” Scottie was completely unaware of Julie’s feelings.

“The man seems to know what he wants? Well, we’ll find it.” The sales assistant also noticed that Scottie was different from the usual customers, so she took all the fitting mannequins with her and went to help Scottie find the suit he needed.

Only Scottie and Julie remained in the entire store.

"Scottie, what are you doing?" Julie had to ask her question.

"I'll buy you clothes," Scottie said.

“But I like the second one she wore, and it’s prettier.” Julie still hadn’t given up on one last attempt; she hoped Scotty would end this mental torture as soon as possible.

“No, no,” Scottie rejected Julie’s suggestion without hesitation. “None of these clothes are right.”

Julie was silent for a moment, then gave her answer: "You're looking for the clothes she wore to give me; you want me to dress like..."

"She." Julie's eyes had never looked so sorrowful.

“Julie, I just want you to look good. I know what clothes look good on you.” Scottie knew very well that this was their biggest weakness, and he didn’t want to expose it directly, much less ruin Julie’s good mood.

But Julie couldn't agree to this; it was clearly playing with fire, and she was about to be the one burned to death. "No, I won't do it!" she shouted, refusing Scotty, and ran towards the store door alone.

“Julie, this shouldn’t make any difference to you. I just want you to…” Scotty didn’t finish his sentence. He looked at Julie silently, waiting for her to make her own decision.

“No, I don’t want clothes, I don’t want anything. I just want to get out of here.” Julie’s low voice was almost pleading.

“Julie, do this for me.” Scottie grabbed Julie’s arm, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

The shop assistant finally came out. This time, the mannequin was wearing the same dress Mei Ling usually wore, which was also the one in Julie's wardrobe.

Scottie's eyes gleamed. "Yes, that's it."

“I don’t like it.” Julie was completely confused; she couldn’t find a reason to refuse Scottie.

“We bought it.” Scotty was delighted; clearly, he had gotten off to a good start…

Julie paused, pondering how far Scotty's entire plan would ultimately go, hoping that there was still time to salvage the situation.

“We’d like to see evening gowns, short dresses, black, long sleeves, square necklines…” Scottie stated his next plan very clearly.

“Scottie?” Julie stared at Scottie for a full minute, knowing she couldn’t stop him.

...

By the time they went to the store next door to buy shoes, Julie had completely given up arguing and let Scotty do as he pleased. Of course, she did this partly because she couldn't stop Scotty, and partly because she didn't want to show her abnormal emotions too much before she had figured out an effective countermeasure.

Twenty-one

The Scottie family's living room.

Julie lay exhausted on her desk. Looking at Scotty not far away, she whispered, "Why are you..."

Doing this? What's the point?

Julie's sudden question made Scotty uneasy. He hesitated for a moment, then said in a tone that was uncertain even to himself:

I don't know, maybe it won't do any good.

Back home, Scotty's mind was also preoccupied with this question: What was he doing? Was he trying to find Mei Ling? That was clearly impossible; Mei Ling had died right before his eyes. But if he wasn't trying to find Mei Ling, then why was he doing this? Deeply conflicted, he walked to the window and looked out into the endless darkness.

“I hope you won’t bother me! I want to leave.” Julie’s face was very pale.

“I can’t, you know that.” Scottie turned around, walked to the desk, and leaned down to look at Julie.

Julie and Scottie stared at each other silently for a long time before Julie slowly said, "You don't want me to leave..."

After a slight pause, she continued, her voice very soft, "I don't want to leave either."

“Julie, let me tell you. These past few days have been the happiest days of my life in years.” Scottie longed to share his feelings with Julie.

To Scotty's surprise, these words didn't make Julie feel any better; instead, they hurt her even more. "I know. Because I remind you of her, and I'm not as good as her," Julie said, tears streaming down her face.

No, that's not how it is. He didn't intend to cause Julie so much pain, but how can he explain it? "No, Julie, it's also you, it's a part of you..." Scottie cupped Julie's face in his hands, gazing affectionately into those same pale blue eyes.

Julie met his gaze, her face etched with longing for love.

However, Scotty could not betray his feelings; he still could not forget Mei Ling's existence, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

This action deepened Julie's despair, and tears welled up in her eyes. "You won't even touch me..." Julie shook her head and said helplessly.

“No, I want to touch…” Scotty didn’t know how to explain, so he just sighed.

Julie stared at Scotty, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through his heart, and choked out, "You can't like me."

"Really? You like me the way I am? When we started, I was just the way I was, and we were happy together...and then it started with clothes...If you want me to wear something, I'll wear it, as long as you like me." Julie clearly made a huge decision to say those last words.

Scottie was also touched by Julie's words. He hugged her, hoping to offer her some comfort. Just as Julie was enjoying the warmth of Scottie's embrace, she suddenly heard Scottie exclaim in surprise, "Why is your hair this color?"

Sample?"

"No!" Julie couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, this shouldn't concern you at all," Scottie said, still using the same gentle yet irresistible words.

With tears in her eyes, Julie looked at Scotty with deep affection. This time, she didn't hesitate and asked, "If I change it, if I do as you say, will you love me?"

Scotty answered somewhat impatiently, "Yes." He took Julie's hand affectionately and...

Place it on your chest.

Julie breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll do as you say."

Twenty-two

Julie's room.

Scotty had been waiting for about three hours. Julie was in the salon, getting her hair dyed and styled like Mei Ling's. But he still couldn't be sure if he was doing the right thing. He had never been so nervous. For three and a half hours, he hadn't even sat down to rest, constantly pacing back and forth in the room. According to the beautician's prediction, Julie should be finished and on her way back, meaning she could appear at the door at any moment. Scotty felt his heart pounding in his chest. He tried to calm himself, to control his wildly excited nerves. Suddenly, a thought occupied his entire mind: how easy it would be if Julie were still different from Mei Ling. But what about happiness? If Julie still looked different from Mei Ling, could he still feel happiness from her?

Tense and anxious, every nerve in Scotty's body was stretched to the limit. He opened the door to the room, leaned against the door, and hoped that the fresh air could relieve his inner unease.

At the end of the corridor, there was no one. In the distance, the sound of light footsteps approached. Scotty felt his breath catch in his throat; only the increasingly clear footsteps remained in the entire space. Finally, Julie appeared.

Julie also seemed very nervous. The gray suit, the long blonde hair—Meiling was back. Her words from her final kiss with Scotty echoed clearly in her mind: "If you lose me, then you'll know me..."

"I love you, and I will continue to love you..." But did Scottie love her? The sting struck her heart again.

Under Scotty's watchful gaze, Julie entered the room. She leaned casually against the dressing table, using the act of combing her hair to mask her inner turmoil. Her hair was her last line of defense. Instead of following Scotty's advice to tie her hair up like Mei Ling, she let it fall loosely over her shoulders as she always did.

Scotty noticed this immediately, and said with some annoyance, "We should have done it further back, coiled it up."