Crocs suceurs de sang

Chapitre 16

"I...I'm thirsty, I want some ice water." Xian Jing was exhausted from crying and vaguely felt that Bai Mingqing no longer belonged to her. She called the front desk and asked them to send her a bottle of ice water.

Ye You quickly found the location indicated by her phone after getting off the plane: the Oriental Phoenix Hotel.

"Staying in such a cheap place?" Ye You scratched his head, puzzled. "They really know how to save money."

When I inquired about the room number, there was only one girl at the front desk. She politely said, "I'm sorry, sir, we must keep your information confidential."

Ye You took out money and pleaded, "She's my wife. I need to talk to her urgently, but I can't get through to her on her phone. My child is sick."

The money was a lot, about a month's salary, and the girl was tempted. "Don't say it was me who told you."

Room 508. The waiter, holding a glass of iced water, was about to knock on the door. Ye You stood behind him, holding a yellow rose meant as an apology.

"Who is it?" Xian Jing asked, wrapped in a bath towel, looking tired. Ye You was right that having sex during the day was bad for her health.

Bai Mingqing sat naked on the bed, smoking. Xian Jing's body, so familiar yet so alluring, still held a captivating allure. Xian Jing's tongue remained as nimble as ever, driving him to a frenzy, a cathartic release.

"The ice water has been delivered." The waiter looked at the handsome man behind him with surprise.

Looking through the peephole, he saw that the door was half open. He took the ice water and stood at the door with a mischievous grin, holding a yellow rose. "Wife, I love you."

The glass fell to the floor, the ice shattered, and the ice slid to the corner of the bed.

"Surprised? I knew you wouldn't expect this. This is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine." Ye You hugged Xian Jing and kissed her.

Bai Mingqing stubbed out his cigarette. "Who is it?"

(34)

Ye You's eyes hurt from looking at it.

"You are Bai Mingqing, right?" Ye You looked at the forty-two-year-old man on the bed, whose skin was a little loose. His eyes were slightly curved, and a malicious look was revealed behind his glasses.

"It's me." Bai Mingqing put on his pants, gray boxer briefs with two white buttons.

In this situation, Xianjing felt somewhat dizzy. No explanation was needed; even if she were, the feeling would remain the same.

Every day in the world, men betray women, and women betray men.

"Get dressed, I'll wait for you in the lobby." Ye You glanced at Xian Jing, then walked to the bedside and said to Bai Mingqing, "Because she always calls your name when she's drunk."

The door closed, and Xianjing collapsed to the ground. Glass shards cut her calf, and blood flowed down like a stream, but it didn't hurt. The ice had already melted.

Bai Mingqing picked her up in his arms. "Is he your husband?"

Xianjing's tears streamed down Bai Mingqing's shoulder. "I don't know how he got here. I didn't want this, I didn't want this, but I love you, you know that, Mingqing? I've never stopped thinking about you, that's all..."

"Okay, don't cry, go and talk to him properly." Bai Mingqing gently patted Xian Jing's back to comfort her.

"Speak properly?" Xian Jing looked up. "Do you want me to reconcile with him?"

Bai Mingqing looked at Xian Jing, sighed, and nodded, "He is, after all, your husband. What can I give you? I really don't want to get married right now."

"Oh, I see." Xianjing forced a smile. "I'll talk to him properly, don't worry."

After the two got dressed, Bai Mingqing remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "If there's really no other way, stay at my place for now. It's the room on the left-hand side of the 13th floor, Gate 7 of the Shuiyun Spring residential complex. You know my phone number."

"You can go downstairs now. I need to calm down. Thank you for your kindness." Xian Jing watched Bai Mingqing walk out of the room.

My dear, you still owe me a hug. You fled in panic, looking at me with infinite pity. I have no wings, even angels have fallen, in the instant after you left.

Ye You saw Bai Mingqing come downstairs. He carefully held onto the handrail, his back slightly hunched. If Xian Jing had found any other man, including a male prostitute, instead of Bai Mingqing, Ye You wouldn't be so angry. What's so good about this man? He must be incredibly skilled in bed, otherwise why would Xian Jing have come all this way? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He stood up and slammed his fist hard on the table, startling the receptionist.

"Actually, she still loves you." Bai Mingqing and Ye You brushed past each other. As dusk fell, a few streetlights lit up, while others remained off, perhaps out of fear of the cold. In any case, it wasn't snowing; it was impossible for snow to fall in this city, just as some people say there are no ghosts in this world.

Xianjing locked the door, but she didn't know who she loved, who she should love, who she was sorry to, or who she was worthy of. The blood from her cut calf had already clotted, proving that Xianjing's platelet count was normal.

"Let's go for a walk," Ye You said, looking at Xian Jing.

This was the only time we didn't hold hands during our walk; love is as fleeting as a lotus flower in a summer pond.

As they were about to cross the street, Ye You stopped. "I have to go now. I'll wait for you to come back and handle the formalities. I'll grant your request."

Xianjing's tears fell, and the wind blew them away, perhaps carrying dust. Across the street, someone's wallet was stolen, and Xianjing's heart was stolen.

"That's all, goodbye." After saying that, Ye You flicked the cigarette half a meter away with her thumb and middle finger.

Are you sure you don't want to be with me anymore?

"Yes." The cigarette butt half a meter away gradually went out.

Don't you like me anymore?

"Yes."

"oh."

Ye You looked at Xian Jing, hoping she would reject his decision, but she didn't. Not even an apology, but there was none, nor a pleading look, but there was none. The words were spoken, and there was no going back; his heart was broken, and it could not heal.

As Xian Jing crossed the street, Ye You seemed to be invisible. She simply stood on the other side of the road, staring blankly, not thinking about anything, for thinking would be useless anyway.

Even though they were separated by only one street, it felt like they were in a different world. Yet, they were actually separated by only one street.

The man standing across the street was gone; he was there five minutes ago, but not now. A chilling wind rose, cold to the bone. Leaves on the trees fell in a rush.

Our love ended just like that. It ended as soon as it was said to end; it stopped as soon as it was said to stop loving. A chance encounter, a chance falling in love, a chance transformation leading to heartbreak, a chance parting. All the memories flow like tears, blurring my sorrow. Your silent arrival was like a leaf blown by the wind, and your secret departure was like a sad black cat...

"Someone like you, I can't protect."

"Who said that? I think you're very well-behaved. I like you, really. I love your cooking; it tastes just like my mom's."

"I've lost my job."

I'll take care of you!

What if I disappear one day?

"Don't 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. I really like you."

...........

As Xianjing walked towards the hotel, she reminisced, recalling every day before today, and every day since she met Ye You. She got lost in her memories, and continued to reminisce while lost.

(35)

When Bai Mingqing was almost home, he felt that there was someone sitting in the back of the car. He looked in the rearview mirror but there was no one there. The car was very quiet, so quiet that he could clearly hear two people breathing.

The night was deep, and the breath was right next to my ear, faint but without warmth.

A hand rested on his shoulder, its skin dry and covered in lividity, blood trickling from between its fingers. Bai Mingqing didn't believe in ghosts or spirits; he thought it was a hallucination, something that must have clouded his judgment after what had just happened.

The hand gently patted Bai Mingqing's shoulder, confirming it wasn't a hallucination; the shoulder was a little sore from the pat.

Turning back again, I saw an old man's face with yellow, sharp teeth and a desolate, eerie smile. The old man was wearing a plaid scarf and a hat. He only had an upper body; his legs were not attached to his body but were scattered on the back seat. Along with his thighs were his very small, fragmented internal organs, scattered haphazardly.

Startled, he slammed on the brakes, but in his panic, he stepped on the accelerator instead, hurtling diagonally towards a large truck on the opposite side. As Bai Mingqing plummeted through the air, he thought of Xian Jing, who had woken him up on some unknown night and whispered gently in his ear, "Qingqing, I love you."

From that time on, Bai Mingqing ceased to exist in the world.

Xianjing had a nightmare. She dreamt of Wu Jianjun, the old man who wrote in the rain and then blew himself up with a homemade bomb, leaving no trace of his body. He was still writing, laughing as he wrote. The character for "misery" was written on the ground, and then it rose up and climbed onto Wu Jianjun's forehead. Wu Jianjun desperately bit his hand, biting through his palm, and the blood flowing from the hole in his palm was black.

The phone call woke me from my nightmare. Thank goodness, it was Anzhu. Anzhu's true colors are revealed in times of crisis.

"What are you doing? Ye You is back, why are you still in Shenzhen? Did you have a fight?" An Zhu suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

"We got divorced, and he found out I was with Bai." Xianjing recalled that nightmare, which wasn't scary; what was scary was the nightmare in reality.

"Don't worry, we'll talk properly when you get back. What are you planning to do now?" Anzhu held the phone between her shoulder and arm while opening the refrigerator to get a drink of water.

"I plan to go find Mingqing; I still can't forget him."

An Zhu sighed, "You should make your own choices. If you and Ye You get divorced, I don't want to help at Youjing Bar anymore. It's awkward."

Embarrassing? Xian Jing thought, what could be more embarrassing than her husband catching her and her lover having sex?

After hanging up the phone, I drew back the curtains. I thought it was morning, but it was actually noon. The sky was dark and it looked like it was going to rain, with thick, dark clouds.

Han Mei called again, asking about Xian Jing's recent life. Xian Jing said that she was fine and everything was normal.

Children who live away from their parents always report good news and hide their bad. Why burden their parents with their troubles for no reason? Even if they know, it's an unchangeable fact.

Bai Mingqing's phone was unreachable, so she had to go find him. Besides him, Xian Jing felt she had nothing; with him, even though she had nothing else, she had everything.

The person who opened the door was Bai Mingqing's ex-wife, wearing a black veil around her arm. Looking at Xian Jing, she said, "He's dead. A car accident last night. His body is at the hospital. Do you want to go see him?"

Xianjing stood motionless at the door.

"You'd better not go see it, it's too horrible." The woman closed the door and silently packed up Bai Mingqing's belongings. Her tears had dried, and she made phone calls to inform Bai Mingqing's relatives and friends one by one. The memorial service was to be lively, as Bai Mingqing liked lively gatherings.

Xianjing turned her head, muttering to herself, "It's my fault, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have met you, I'm sorry, I've ruined you..."

The divorce proceedings were completed quickly, and Xian Jing coldly stared at Ye You.

“I’ll give you half the money, and you can still live at home. Sign it,” Ye You said.

Lao Luo handed Xian Jing a pen.

"No need, I don't want anything, my heart is dead." Xian Jing walked to the door. "There's a wallet in the third drawer of the room, it's the one you gave me back then. Check it. Nothing should be missing."

Ye You's heart was clenching with pain. Why was this woman so cruel? Her eyes seemed to hold no trace of lingering affection. Did you really not love me anymore? If you did, why did you leave?

Before leaving, Xian Jing wanted to turn back and look at Ye You one last time, to look at this family. Why was this man so strong, without uttering a single word to stop her? "Don't you really love me anymore? If you do, why are you letting me go?"

She returned the ring on her ring finger to him before it even left a mark. Xianjing took her suitcase and headed towards Anzhu's house. Winter had come too early this year, and the cold was unbearable to recall.

Xianjing didn't know she was pregnant. Even if she did, she would still leave without a reason. No one knows what they should or shouldn't do. If everyone knew, whoever was hurt would be a fool.

(36)

"This is your salary. Is Xianjing doing well with you?" Ye You asked An Zhu. Xianjing Bar has already been transferred to someone else for a high price.

Anzhu took the envelope, looked at it, and saw that the amount was more than she had expected.

"Thank you. She's doing well now. Come visit me sometime." Anzhu still hoped the two could reconcile.

"No need, just tell me if you have any difficulties." Ye You got into the car. "I'll give you a ride."

When Ye You got off the bus, she looked around. Shi Lei's family lived in such a place, a dilapidated old house with several circled "demolish" characters that were particularly eye-catching.

My heart softened. Remembering that scene at the Shenzhen hotel, I rolled up the car window. So much time had passed, and Xianjing hadn't called once.

When Anzhu returned, Xianjing was staring blankly out the window.

“He’s gone,” Xianjing said. “He didn’t come up even though he knew I was upstairs. He really doesn’t love me anymore.”

Anzhu walked to the side and said, "Forget it, forget it. You're still young, you have a long life ahead of you."

Xianjing gave a tired smile. After all these days, she looked several years older, with some crow's feet appearing at the corners of her eyes.