ill-fated relationship

Chapter 6

She silently handed me a tissue.

I silently took it and wiped away that tear.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

"Don't say that. We're friends, after all, because of the house purchase."

To avoid embarrassing myself, I made conversation by saying, "By the way, last night you saw me drunk on the street and actually dared to take me home. Weren't you afraid I'd take advantage of you while you were drunk?"

"I'm not afraid, you were so drunk you were weak in the knees and arms."

"But you're a single woman, escorting a complete stranger, though you know him, home..."

"I couldn't bear to see you drunk and lying on the street, and besides, I have your sister's phone number and address. So I thought, maybe if I do something kind, you'll be moved and give me a 25% discount on the house. Wouldn't I get a great deal?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

"You've finally smiled."

"Yes, I haven't laughed in a long time."

I enjoyed the meal very much. It was the first time since Jie'er's death that I finished the whole plate of rice. I felt that half of the gloom in my heart had disappeared, and I felt much more energetic.

After the meal, as if we still had much to say, I suggested we go to the hotel's coffee shop for a cup of hot tea, and she readily agreed.

The waiter brought us a pot of hot tea, and as she listened attentively, I don't know if it was out of gratitude or impulse, but I lit a cigarette and began to tell her the whole story.

The tea has gone cold, the cigarette has been extinguished, and my story is over.

I imagined her reaction would be one of shock, or even trembling, or at least she would be speechless and run away.

But Li Peijing did not.

No.

She just stared at me with pity, a tenderness as familiar and loving as an older sister would to me. She said, "Don't scare yourself. This is a psychological tactic. Shen Anting took advantage of your weaknesses. When she was alive, she manipulated you. Now that she's dead, she'll still ruin you."

---janeadam

Reply [19]: "You don't need to comfort me, it's useless."

“I’m not trying to comfort you, but I just can’t bear to see such a promising young man die a miserable life, his fate dominated by the shadow of a dead man.”

After we finished our tea, I escorted her back to her place and said sincerely, "Goodbye, Ms. Li, good night, and thank you for your comfort."

But she showed no intention of going inside.

I asked in surprise, "Why aren't you going in? Goodbye." I said goodnight again.

She blushed: "You just kept urging me to come inside, but you wouldn't let go..."

It was only then that I realized that I had unconsciously held her hand tightly on the way to her place. Ah, last night when I was drunk in the taxi, I must have held her hand tightly in my daze. That feeling of warmth and reliance amidst the overwhelming pain suddenly welled up in my heart.

"Oh! I...I...I'm...sorry..." I stammered, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Seeing her turn and go into the house with a smile instead of anger, I felt a mix of emotions, as if a sudden surge of joy had swept through my heart, and a glimmer of hope had begun to emerge.

For the next few days, I felt uneasy and kept thinking about when I would see Li Peijing again, but I didn't have the courage to ask her out.

If she hadn't taken the initiative to call, our relationship would probably have ended there.

And just like that, in a short month, she and I became a couple.

And so, under the flowers and the moon, their hearts were bound together.

I quit drinking and smoking, and transferred the money and time I used to drown my sorrows in alcohol to her. It was as if only when I was with her could I regain my joy. And it was truly only she who made my withered heart rekindle its life.

However, all this happy time did not last long.

The nightmare began on a fragrant and beautiful evening.

That night, after watching the movie at 9:30 pm and having a late-night snack, I drove her home as usual (Pei-ching and her sister Pei-fen had already moved into my old house; I had asked Gu-li to help her move, and she was doing well in her new place). After parking the car, I reluctantly accompanied her to her door.

That night, the moon was round and large. Walking in the still of the night, gazing at the sky, the moon seemed like a quiet heart in the vast night sky, full of bright emotion.

"Peijing, I love you." That night, I whispered softly in Peijing's ear. Perhaps it was because the moonlight was particularly bright that night, or perhaps it was because her open-necked purple silk dress was particularly charming, but when I saw her rounded neck and back exposed in the moonlight, they shone with a bluish-white glow. I couldn't help myself anymore, so I hugged her waist tightly and buried my face in her neck and back.

"No...no..." Pei-ching struggled, "So many people are watching, I'm so embarrassed!"

"Nonsense!" I laughed. "In the dead of night, there isn't a single ghost in sight!" Even in broad daylight, there are few pedestrians in this area, let alone at midnight.

"Huh?" Pei-ching blurted out instinctively. It wasn't really a question, but she kept exclaiming in surprise, "What's going on? I didn't even notice it just now. How did it suddenly become so lively? Aren't the vendor stalls in First Garden located on another street?"

"Pei-ching, what did you say?"

"I mean, what are we doing tonight? Why are there so many people on the street, even more than when it's usually full of vendors?"

I finally understood what the people around me were saying. I looked at the dark and quiet street, and suddenly, a deep chill swept over my whole body.

"Don't talk nonsense and scare me like this!" I said, half-asleep and half-frightened.

"What?" Pei-ching looked at me in surprise, then rubbed her eyes hard. "Didn't you see? A lot of people are watching us!"

But the streets were familiar, and even though I was looking around, there was no one there. Not even a night owl or a stray dog!

---janeadam

Reply [20]: "Pei Jing!"

My screams must have sounded even worse than crying. Instinctively, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently a few times.

"Huh!" She opened her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a trembling voice.

"Strange, there's nothing left again!"

"What's gone?"

"I clearly saw a huge crowd of people setting up stalls in front of me, how come they all suddenly disappeared?"

"It must be...you...you're seeing things..."

"I clearly saw it!"

"Or maybe...it's...your...hallucination..."

"A hallucination?" She bit her lower lip. "Perhaps."

"Okay, stop scaring yourself."

Oh! It was just a false alarm.

I didn't think much of it until three nights later, when a colleague from the accounting building, Xiao Wang, got married and held a banquet at a restaurant. I went to the banquet with Pei Jing.

During the banquet, a large group of colleagues from our accounting building naturally sat together at one table, engaging in lively conversation, playing drinking games, and urging each other to drink. The atmosphere was very lively. After ten o'clock, the last dessert was finally served, but everyone was still in high spirits. The groom, Xiao Wang, was already half-drunk and even dragged me, Xiao Chen, and others to play drinking games with him.

"Xiao Wang, please spare me! I can't hold my liquor anymore!" I cried out.

"No way, tonight is my special day, I'm not leaving until I'm drunk! If you're old friends, you have to drink with me until we're completely satisfied!" Xiao Wang's words were a little slurred.

"You can ask Xiao Chen and the others to keep you company. I really can't. I have to take my girlfriend home later. I can't be drunk!" I wasn't making excuses; it really was the case.

With my girlfriend in my mouth, my gaze instinctively shifted to Pei-ching's face, and upon seeing her, my heart couldn't help but clench.

Because Pei-Ching's face was ashen and she was covered in sweat.

The look of fear she displayed was an extremely ugly color, a reaction distorted by the shock of "fear," with a faint bluish glow on her face.

"Peijing!" I grabbed one of her arms and shook it twice.

"Huh?" she exclaimed softly.

"Pei-ching, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"...I...am scared..."

"What are you afraid of?"

"...For... a... long... five... minutes... I... suddenly... couldn't... see... or hear... anything... except... the... mess... of... cups... and... plates... all over... the table... I... couldn't... see... anyone... or hear... anyone's... voice..."

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest, unable to settle. I instinctively glanced around, and there they were, all looking at me and Pei-ching with smiles and surprise.

"Hahaha! His young lady gets drunk even from orange juice!" Xiao Wang burst into laughter at Pei Jing's words.

So everyone at the table laughed until they coughed.

"Pei-ching, you must be feeling dizzy to be like this." The more everyone laughed, the more embarrassed I became.

“No,” Pei-ching murmured to herself, “I don’t understand… why… the moment you touched me… I… saw you… but… it’s still… empty… there’s not a single person… have they all… left?”

Her words caused everyone at the table to burst into laughter.

---janeadam

Reply [21]: Ellie exclaimed: "Miss Li, aren't you in such a hurry? None of us have left yet, and you're already thinking about consummating the marriage?"

Yunyun also yelled, "Miss Li, is it really true that drinking orange juice can make you drunk? You've got it wrong, it's Xiao Wang getting married today!"

Even Xiao Wang sang in a lewd tone, "Miss Li, I, Xiao Wang, am the most generous. Tonight, I'll simply give up my new house..."

I wish I could find a hole to crawl into.

"Pei-ching! Stop fooling around, haven't you made a fool of yourself enough?"

"People? Where did these people come from?"

Pei Jing sat up abruptly, trembling, her voice and hands shaking: "Where are they? Where have they all gone?"

"You really can't see?"

"I really can't see or hear!"

At this point, I truly believe that something has gone wrong.

"Sorry everyone, my girlfriend is really not feeling well, we have to go now, bye!"

Without saying a word, I helped Pei-ching up and hurriedly left the bar.

Walking down the street, the cool breeze made her feel a little better, and her fear lessened somewhat.

"I...now...see...again..."