Chapter Forty
After tossing and turning all night without any results, Qian Duoduo decided to exercise the next morning, hoping to forget her troubles by sweating profusely.
It was a Sunday morning in winter, and the gym's swimming pool was nearly empty. She plunged in and swam five or six laps before stopping. Looking up, she heard someone calling her.
"I knew you'd be here, you didn't even wait for me." It was Yiyi, wearing a new swimsuit with a cutout waist, she was a ball of white light as she walked over.
"You're late." They come to this place often; Qian Duoduo had made an appointment with her early in the morning.
The coach was sitting by the pool, originally leaning back lazily, but he straightened up when he saw Yiyi walk in. Qian Duoduo found it amusing and said, "Come on down."
Yiyi tested the water temperature with her toes and shivered. "It's so cold. I shouldn't have listened to you. It would have been so much better to do yoga."
"Just swim two laps, Your Majesty, you're such a nuisance." Qian Duoduo reached out to pull her.
Morning swimming invigorates the spirit. Qian Duoduo is a good swimmer and can easily swim five or six laps. Yiyi's so-called exercise is just for show; once she's in the water, she leisurely swims the breaststroke.
I was swimming and wanted to talk to Qian Duoduo, but when I looked up I realized something was wrong. Suddenly, I saw Qian Duoduo walk past me, splashing water. I didn't even have time to say hello before she was gone.
While floating on the water, Yi Yi watched as Qian Duoduo swam to the end and returned. As she brushed past him, she wanted to speak again, but unexpectedly, with a whoosh, he swam off in another direction.
The last time they passed by, Qian Duoduo was grabbed by Yiyi in the pool. "Duoduo, did something happen to you? Why are you swimming so fast without saying a word?"
Qian Duoduo stopped wading through the water, shook the water off her face, and rubbed her nose before speaking, "Yiyi, I'm afraid my blind date will also be a disaster."
"Huh? Didn't you say he was pretty reliable?" "He used to have a girlfriend." "Of course! Ye Mingshen is over thirty years old, aren't you afraid he's never had a girlfriend?"
"No," Qian Duoduo said irritably. "Yesterday, someone mistook me for his ex-girlfriend." "Mistook me for his ex-girlfriend?" Yiyi stopped wading and pulled her to the edge of the pool. As they splashed out of the water, Qian Duoduo caught a glimpse of the coach straightening up. Sigh, Qian Duoduo actually laughed when she shouldn't have. It was clear that the blow Ye Mingshen had dealt her wasn't big enough.
After leaving the gym, the two of them went to eat ice cream nearby. This is Qian Duoduo's bad habit. Every time after a big workout, she goes straight to the ice cream shop. Yiyi has laughed at her so many times. She only did a few minutes of exercise before stuffing herself with high-calorie food. Wasn't all that effort for nothing?
"Did you ask him?" Before eating, Yiyi sat down and continued the previous topic. "Yes, I did, and he admitted it himself."
"Is this man real or fake? He readily admits to something like this, what does he say?" "He does look somewhat like a lady when he's pretending to be, but as for the rest—let's not talk about it." Qian Duoduo imitated Ye Mingshen's words, which made Yiyi burst into laughter.
"How many dates have you two gone on? You sound like you're getting along really well."
"Huh?" Qian Duoduo's eyes widened. "This is what you call having a good relationship?"
"I'm not making this up. If a man can joke with you like this, it means he considers you one of his own, okay?"
"Are you kidding me? I'm looking for a man to spend my life with, not a lovestruck guy who reminisces about his glorious past with me all day long. What if he suddenly has a mental breakdown one day and wakes up in the middle of the night hugging me and shouting his ex-girlfriend's name? Wouldn't I be horrified?"
Yi Yi laughed, "Since he's willing to admit it, and so casually about it, it proves he didn't take it to heart at all. So what if we look alike? It's just a coincidence."
"Is it really that much of a coincidence? Besides, his old friend mistook me for someone else at a glance and called out my name from a distance. What if I run into his ex-girlfriend in the future and we stand face to face like mirror images? That would be terrifying."
"You're thinking too far ahead. It's not that easy to run into an ex-girlfriend. Have you ever run into your ex-boyfriend?"
"No." Qian Duoduo told the truth. It was strange, really. It was one thing for her to be the director in Singapore, since they were from different countries, but her two ex-boyfriends lived in the same city. Her first love's home was even near the company she worked for now, but she had never run into him even once since they broke up, not even by chance.
"Oh, right." Qian Duoduo clasped her hands together. "What's wrong?" "I keep running into this one person lately, and nothing good ever comes of it when I see him. Do you think it's just bad luck?"
How did the topic veer off course like this? It was obvious that Qian Duoduo's worries about Ye Mingshen were short-lived, so she readily followed up by asking, "Who is it?"
"Xu Fei!" Upon hearing that name again, Yi Yi immediately perked up. "Aren't you from the same company? You see each other every day, right?"
“Not at the company, I mean normally. Yesterday, Ye Mingshen and I went to see a movie. It was such a big place, and we still managed to run into him.”
"Really? Who did he go to the movies with?" "Alone."
“Alone—” Yiyi drawled, recalling the handsome young man who was once so radiant, her eyes brimming with tears, “So pitiful.”
"What's so pitiful about that kind of man?" Qian Duoduo said viciously.
"Uh—" It was rare to see Qian Duoduo so agitated. Was failing to get a promotion really that upsetting? Duoduo wasn't like this in my memory. Not knowing the details, Yiyi couldn't respond. Qian Duoduo, whose voice sounded fierce, sighed and then propped his head up, looking exhausted. "Yiyi, lately I've been thinking about whether I should find a chance to leave UVL."
"Why? You've been working there for so long, and you've already become a senior manager before you're even thirty. Even Steve praised you for being amazing."
"What's the use of a senior manager who's not even 30 yet? I still have a 26-year-old marketing director above me." Qian Duoduo could no longer be proud and looked dejected.
"Men and women are different, quitting your job is a big deal, are you serious?" Having never worked before, Yi Yi had no experience with this kind of topic, and her voice was clearly lacking in confidence. Men and women are different? Well said, that hits the nail on the head. Qian Duoduo sighed helplessly, "Yi Yi, I'm really tired, look at me now."
"Looks? You've always looked good. After all these years, you still need me to praise you? Duoduo, you can't be serious." Yiyi said with a grin.
“I’m serious.” Qian Duoduo emphasized, “The company is going through a lot right now. Rather than sitting and waiting for our demise, we might as well find a way out as soon as possible.”
"Okay, I'll support you no matter what, as long as you don't feel it's a pity."
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Yiyi's phone rang. She answered with a "hello," then her voice softened, "Yeah, I'm outside. What? Duoduo?"
Qian Duoduo mouthed on the other end of the line, "Steve?" Yiyi nodded, holding the phone. "He's back?" She'd heard Yiyi say this morning that he was in Shenzhen. Yiyi nodded again, looking a little apologetic.
"Then you should go back quickly." Qian Duoduo immediately put on a sincere expression and waved his hand.
Mr. Steve's business is huge; the group is applying for an IPO, with branches all over the country and at least seven or eight hundred employees, if not a thousand. So the place he's least likely to be in is his own home, and it's not easy for him to come back. Qian Duoduo can't be the bad guy and block the couple's wedding.
"The driver will be here in a while, no rush." Yiyi hung up the phone. "No rush? How long has it been since you last saw him? Why are you waiting for the driver? Why don't you rush back, dress up beautifully, and make your man's eyes light up, then pounce on him like a hungry tiger?"
"A hungry tiger pouncing on its prey?" Yi Yi laughed to death. "Forget it, we're an old married couple. Even if I were completely naked in front of him, he would just laugh it off."
"Huh? Don't you feel any sense of crisis?" "Hey, it's not just sex that sustains a marriage, there's a lot more to it than that." "Yeah, life is so long, it's so boring to be with the same person all the time. Let's be weekend couples, give each other some space."
"Duoduo, you have too many ideas about marriage. Last time you wanted business partners, and now you want to be weekend couples. Aren't you dizzy?"
"It's not contradictory to clarify the way you interact with your partners beforehand," Qian Duoduo stated professionally.
"Isn't this too avant-garde? Can any man handle it?"
"Ye Mingshen thinks so too, otherwise why would I go on dates with him again and again?" Qian Duoduo was troubled again when Ye Mingshen was mentioned, propping her head up and thinking hard, "If it weren't for this, would I be so annoyed?"
Yi Yi sat opposite her, frowning. Qian Duoduo had always been indifferent and detached in her relationships; Yi Yi was used to it. She hadn't expected her to treat marriage the same way, so strictly businesslike. "Duoduo, do you not like Ye Mingshen?"
"Like him? We've only been on three dates, how can we talk about liking or disliking each other? But I don't dislike him, I can accept him."
"Just accepting it is enough?" Yi Yi's eyes widened.
“In ancient times, there were arranged marriages. Didn’t people develop feelings for each other after marriage? My parents’ marriage was decided by the organization. It’s the same as a lifetime commitment.” Qian Duoduo’s reasoning was sound.
The phone rang again. The driver was already waiting outside. Yiyi couldn't stay any longer and hurriedly got up to leave. Before leaving, she hugged Qian Duoduo and said her last words, "Duoduo, it's still different. You'll see later."
It's left a lasting negative impact; now, every time Yiyi steps in front of her door, she has to carefully check whether it's her family's license plate.
The driver, of course, got out to open the door for her. Seeing his wife standing on the curb, tilting her head and looking somewhat hesitant, he found it a little amusing. The road was crowded, with a lot of bicycles and mopeds behind them. He hurriedly walked around the car to continue forward; blocking the lane was never a good idea. Yiyi waved for him to get in quickly and reached for the door handle. Her fingers had barely touched the handle when the door was pushed open from the inside. She was startled, and only after regaining her composure did she realize it was her husband, one hand on the door, the other to his ear, listening to a phone call. She had been feeling uneasy lately and hadn't seen him come home often, so after getting in, she couldn't help but lean on his shoulder affectionately, saying, "How could you be so kind, suddenly thinking of picking me up?"
But after being straightened, he frowned and said, "Stop messing around, I'm on a very important phone call."
Steve's real name was Niu Zhensheng. He was more than ten years older than her. When they first met, he was already thirty-five. Because he looked a bit older than his age, she thought he was at least forty.
He originally worked in management at a large factory in the mainland, but later resigned to start his own business. He caught the wave of land grabbing in Hainan, and because of his cautious nature, he withdrew in time and managed to get out unscathed. He even accumulated his first sum of initial capital, and his business went relatively smoothly afterward. He can be considered a very successful figure among the first generation of self-made real estate developers.
When he met Yiyi, she was still in high school. It was a very old bridge that had broken. It was raining heavily, and he was rushing to a bidding meeting. The driver was in a bit of a hurry, and when they crossed the Shuipingtang Pond, the sewage splashed far away. She was riding her bicycle and fell to the ground while trying to avoid it, tearing her clothes.
She was very young then, with bright red lips and a scraped calf, but she didn't care at all. She just pouted and looked at the torn part of her clothes.
He later sent his assistant to the bidding meeting that day, and personally took her home. The shantytown was densely packed, and in the rain, the eaves of thousands of houses hung low, with water dripping down.
She limped inside, pushing her bicycle, turning back to wave at him, disappearing as if swallowed whole. He ran over and pulled the knife out again, never letting go again. But in the first year of their marriage, she unexpectedly lost her child, and hasn't conceived again in the years since. As he grew older, his parents, who desperately wanted to see a third generation, gradually harbored resentment and even refused to see their daughter-in-law.
He was caught in the middle, caught between two difficult situations. Business was also troublesome. This industry has cycles. He had a close call with his last exit, but in the last two years, he gradually felt powerless. He spent more time in meetings with the finance department managers than with her, and he was more familiar with the project managers' complaints than with her coquettishness.
Lately, I don't know why I get so easily annoyed. Sometimes when I get home late at night, I suddenly don't want to go upstairs, and I turn around and ask the driver to drive away. Is this the legendary seven-year itch?
When he put down the phone, he saw that she was sitting very upright. When she saw him turn his head to the side, she seemed to be startled and tried to smile, but her eyes were a little evasive.
Feeling a pang of guilt, he reached out and patted the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, I haven't been treating you enough lately. Do you want to buy something? Do you have enough money?"
Actually, she was thinking about something else; her reaction was just because he suddenly interrupted her thoughts, which startled her slightly.
When she was a teenager, he looked at her with infatuation. Whatever she liked, she never had to buy it herself; if she showed even a hint of longing, someone would bring it to her nose.
But she never expected that time to last forever. She got what she wanted. Everything has a price, gains and losses. If everything went her way, she would have died young.
But after all these years, there's still affection even without love, and gratitude even without affection. Knowing he's been troubled lately, she immediately snapped out of her daze upon hearing his words of comfort. This time, she smiled broadly, clearly delighted. "Let's have dinner together tonight, and then go shopping. You can pay for everything and even carry my bag."
“I still need to make a few phone calls, and I have a meeting with the construction site manager here tonight—” He frowned and hesitated for a moment, then looked at his watch. “How about this, we go eat first, and then Wang Sheng will accompany you for a walk. Is an hour enough?”
Wang Sheng, his personal assistant, was sitting in the passenger seat. Upon hearing this, he turned around and called out "Madam," appearing ready to serve at any moment.
While eating, she watched the man across from her constantly talking on the phone. Yiyi lowered her head and stirred the delicate soup in her small bowl, suddenly finding it utterly tasteless. How could something so good taste bland? Had she eaten too much? Next time, she'd rather have porridge.
Chapter 41
That night, Yiyi couldn't sleep. After dinner, she went shopping as planned, with Wang Sheng walking behind her. He was very courteous, carrying her bag while she tried on clothes and swiping her card when she paid. Wang Sheng was good-looking and dressed impeccably in a suit. He nodded in approval at everything she picked up, and before she even came out of the fitting room, the sales assistant had already processed the payment—his efficiency was astonishing.
The young ladies all looked on with envy. One of them, a younger one, couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Your husband is so good to you, and he's so handsome too." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, and she was practically drooling over Wang Sheng, who was standing in front of the cashier in the distance.
She was both amused and exasperated after hearing this, but too lazy to explain. Eventually, she lost interest and simply went home. Wang Sheng dutifully escorted her to her doorstep. Aunt Zhang ran over to open the door, saw her tired face, took the things, and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Back in her room, she first put the shopping bags in the dressing room. The bedroom had a walk-in closet at the front. Years ago, when she first walked in, she was stunned by its enormous spaciousness. Exquisite shelves seemed to cover everything in front of her. Her husband laughed and added from behind, "Buy more, fill it up."
Back then, she was overjoyed, feeling like she was in heaven, and she flew into his arms like a bird. But now, all the shelves are full, and many of the things that make every woman's eyes light up and that she dreams of still have their pale tags hanging on them, scattered and half-hidden in unopened packaging, like countless washed-up actresses backstage who dress up every day but never get a chance to perform, coldly mocking her desolation.
What's the point of putting on a show? Like a flower blooming in the dark, unappreciated in a secluded valley, what's the use of even the most magnificent costume? She sneered, still carrying a huge gold shopping bag, which she casually tossed on the ground before turning and leaving. She let her hair down and went into the bathroom to shower. As the water sprayed down, Yiyi seemed to hear the phone ringing in the room, ringing for a while, then stopping.
Too lazy to bother, she continued, the creamy white foam spreading across her body with the bath sponge. Her phone rang again, but she remained unmoved, slowly tilting her head back under the water, eyes closed, maintaining the same position for a long time underwater. She stepped out of the shower, dripping wet, and the phone rang again as she dried herself. Standing in front of the mirror applying lotion, Yiyi finally saw a hint of surprise on her face. She knew her husband; Niu Zhensheng was a reliable person. If he was certain she was home, after two unsuccessful calls, he would have called Aunt Zhang next to find out what she was doing. Why would he keep calling, busier than when they were deeply in love? But so late, who else but him could be calling her so urgently?
She walked to the bed wrapped in a bath towel, freeing one hand to reach into her handbag for her phone. The music was playing non-stop, and she was getting a little impatient. As soon as she found her phone, she answered it and put it to her ear, "What's wrong? I was just taking a shower."
"Yiyi, it's me." The voice on the other end was very low, and it sounded very familiar. It was more than just familiar; it was unforgettable. The phone became hot to the touch, and her hand trembled so much that she almost dropped it.
After regaining her composure, she spoke again in a much colder tone, "What are you doing here? What is it?"
"Yiyi, I'm waiting for you at the usual place. Are you coming?" It was him. He was always a man of few words, sparing with his words. He spoke slowly, and the few words he spoke sounded difficult and long-winded.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
There was no sound in the background; he felt as if he were in a vast, empty place. The faint chirping of insects made the silence on the phone seem even more pronounced, and even the faint sound of breathing was amplified many times over.
The usual place? Forget it. Times change, and there's no place in this world that stays the same forever. He didn't speak, and neither did she. After a few seconds of silence, she flicked her finger and abruptly ended the call. She tossed the phone onto the bed, then bent down to pick it up and forcefully turned it off. The bedroom was too quiet. She sat on the bed and turned on the TV to let the noise fill the room. The TV was showing the same old soap opera; the female lead had just been dumped and was standing in the street, crying loudly.
Completely unmoved, she stared blankly, lost in thought. Fragments of the past swirled in her mind. She realized she'd been living a comfortable life for too long, which was why she'd been indulging in these strange, unfounded thoughts lately, and being troubled by inexplicable matters. The man she'd long given up on, the relationship that had ended—hadn't she envisioned a settled, peaceful, and prosperous life on her wedding day? She had chosen a man, and this man treated her well. What woman doesn't seek these things? It's just that some women squander their long youth, stumbling countless times in pursuit of illusory feelings before finally understanding this truth. The lucky ones achieve their desires after understanding; the unlucky ones are ruined by their own actions for life.
She was determined from the beginning and successfully completed her goal without wasting any time, so she is a lucky woman that everyone envies. Who wouldn't be jealous of her behind her back?
These words repeated themselves in her mind. The bedside lamp had a retro design with tinkling gold tassels along the edges. The milky white light shone through. Everything in sight was exquisite and comfortable, a life of luxury. She was a girl who had struggled out of that doghouse-like place. What was there to be unhappy about?
After thinking it over, she tried to laugh it off, but she couldn't. She felt a little ashamed of herself. In a fit of pique, she turned everything off, lay down, pulled the covers up, and put her elbows over her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep.
Niu Zhensheng returned very late. That evening, he met with several construction company bosses and site managers. They talked about how everyone had their own methods, the winds of change had shifted, and the cash flow was getting tighter and tighter. When they acquired the land, everyone was full of ambition, but a year had passed in the blink of an eye. The project that was once so glorious and everyone was vying to invest in had now become a useless piece of meat, or even worse than a useless piece of meat, and everyone was avoiding it.
When he got out of the car, the driver noticed he looked exhausted. He said, "Mr. Niu, you've had a long day," as he opened the door, but he just smiled and didn't reply. It was already two in the morning. The house was completely silent. Opening the door, he felt a strange emptiness. He had personally chosen and bought this house before his marriage. He used to find it spacious and comfortable, but lately it felt increasingly empty and lonely. Sometimes, when he came home alone, even though he knew someone was asleep, it just felt so lifeless. It would be so much better if there were children. If there were two or three children running around, it would be a completely different scene. This thought became incredibly strong. He walked quickly upstairs. Pushing open the bedroom door, he found the room dark and the bed silent. He assumed Yiyi was already asleep. He went into the bathroom to shower, glancing at his reflection in the mirror as he undressed.
The man, in his forties, had been constantly on the go for years and hadn't really looked at himself properly in ages. He realized he was truly getting old; his waist was flabby and lacked any definition. But this wasn't the time to think about that. He turned and went into the shower, quickly taking a long shower before getting into bed. His wife lay in the middle of the bed, seemingly used to being alone, her back to him, completely silent. He lay down and hugged her tightly from behind, then turned her over. In the darkness, she let out a soft "Eh," seemingly surprised, but very compliant, opening herself up without any resistance.
As he entered, he suddenly noticed her eyes were tightly closed, showing no sign of joy, not even bothering to feign it. A chill ran through him. From the first time he saw her, he had always perceived her as that slightly pouting little girl tugging at the hem of her frayed clothes, always looking up at him, clinging to him like a little bird, diligently playing her role. But now, the woman beneath him with her eyes closed was so unfamiliar. Was this his wife? Why didn't he recognize her? His desire vanished, and he suddenly lost interest, turning over and lying back down.