Ever since I saw Yin Tianyu here that night, I've seen my little Haomai chugging along this road every few days. I've also learned to first check if Yin Tianyu's car is in the yard to determine his presence, and then decide on a safe distance between myself and Haoyushe. Seeing his car's rear end from afar instantly feels like being infused with pure inner strength, and my eyes light up. No matter what, for me, as long as Yin Tianyu still appears at Haoyushe, our connection remains. But today, it seems I'm really out of luck; from a distance, I see the yard is completely empty. This trip was a waste. I suddenly feel incredibly sad. I parked my car by the roadside and plopped down on the grass.
Who betrayed the company? Shan Jie? That guy has a weak will, but he possesses a rare loyalty to his beliefs among adults (if Shan Jie knew I was praising him like this, he definitely wouldn't agree). It can't be Shan Jie. FIONA? A typical post-80s generation, she can't even explain what the September 18 Incident was about, lacking a sense of responsibility and accountability, but she has absolutely no skill in concealing her true intentions. If it were her, we would have seen through her centuries ago and cremated her. Could it really be Liu Yiming? My head is a complete mess, the more I try to stir it, the more confused I get.
I wonder what Yin Tianyu is doing now? I've come twice already and haven't seen him. He's a restless person; is this his current period of being single? I wonder what kind of woman is filling in for him? She certainly wouldn't be as bad to him as I was, right? Thinking about this, my heart feels like it's been pierced by an awl, a sharp pain. His father only raised a little finger and I've fought tooth and nail here, and my final fate might be losing everything. Was all this worthwhile? Am I really, as Xia Mengmeng said—sick? For the first time, I felt like I was standing in mid-air, seeing myself as a donkey constantly walking on a road, and the destination would take two years and three months by plane; by then, I might have already died of exhaustion halfway there.
"Or perhaps trying to give up isn't such a sad thing?" A small voice inside me tempted me.
The distant barking of dogs gave me a sense of being in another world. Haoyushe was right there, where Yin Tianyu had personally opened a beautiful fairytale world for me, but now I could never go back, and perhaps never again! My heart was gripped so tightly by this despairing thought that I almost fainted.
No, I can't give up! I've tried leaving halfway before, but that almost turned me into the coldest woman in the world, leaving nothing but barren land for miles around. Perhaps for some, simply waiting is enough, but for me now, even waiting for a hundred years would only make me a waiting stone. Life is only vibrant when there's the struggle. This time, even if I lose everything, I will die on the battlefield.
In a daze, I saw my silver coins embracing Yin Tianyu on a distant hillside, both of them smiling seductively at me. I jumped up, put on my helmet, started the engine, and gazed at Hao and She with deep affection, secretly vowing through gritted teeth: "The money is mine, and so are they!"
Part Two, Chapter Twenty-Eight
As the saying goes, there's always a way out. Just when I was trying to communicate with a rural credit cooperative to obtain loan support, Shan Jie brought me some good news: a foreign company was very interested in our project and wanted to invest in the company in exchange for shares.
"See you! Right away!" I hung up the phone and excitedly spun around the room three times.
This was a Japanese company, and the representative we met with was for the Asian region. The entire negotiation process went exceptionally smoothly. They unconditionally agreed to all our conditions: no involvement in administration, no oversight of daily operations, and no change to the company's development direction. Their only request was to send a financial manager, which was also perfectly reasonable. Their investment was more than double ours, giving them a 45% stake in the company, while we retained a little over 50%. This was undoubtedly a mutually beneficial partnership.
All the senior managers gathered in the conference room for three days to debate, and by Thursday afternoon all the details were finally settled. I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, but at the same time it felt like something was weighing on my back. It was a strange feeling.
I received a call from A-Lian in the afternoon, saying that she had gone to Guangzhou on a business trip.
“Great! You can stay at my place tonight. That way, you can save on your business trip allowance. I’ll cook for you tonight.” I was overjoyed.
But Ah Lian on the other end of the phone was completely different from her usual cheerful self, humming and mumbling without any agreement or response.
"What happened?" I asked alertly.
"It's nothing, but I called him first, and he happened to be in Guangzhou too, so we agreed to have dinner together."
Him? Hehehe, of course I know that 'him' is Cheng Jinghui, and I can't help but feel happy for A-Lian: "What? He finally talked to you?"
"No, it was just a regular meal, but it's the first time he's ever offered to treat me to a meal." A-Lian's happiness was undeniable. Only a woman secretly in love could recount so many of these countless "firsts" so intimately.
"Then you go have dinner with 'him', and we'll make another appointment for tomorrow."
"But I'm leaving tomorrow, why don't you come with me tonight?"
"No way! Although my brain has been used for over twenty years and its seal has always been good, it hasn't gotten wet yet! Miss, you two are on a date, what kind of stopper would I be if I went and sat in the middle? Besides, you two are being all lovey-dovey there, I can't stand watching you, I'll go crazy and hit someone."
"I really want you to come with me. I'm so nervous I'm shaking. Please, please? Otherwise, you can forget about getting the salted fish my mom helped you dry!"
Just imagining the fragrant salted fish that Ah Lian's mother was drying, sizzling and releasing oil amidst a pile of half-fat and half-lean pork, made my tongue feel like it had grown a hundred hands, and my mouth watered uncontrollably. Besides, I was genuinely a little curious about Cheng Jinghui's love life, with his sculpted face, so in the end, I agreed to attend Ah Lian's first date. Hey, what a mess!
Since this was supposed to be a fairly formal date, I did my best to groom myself before leaving the office. Of course, "doing my best" basically just meant combing my hair and dusting off my shoes. But man proposes, God disposes. Halfway there, a sudden downpour soaked me to the bone before I could even put on a raincoat. By the time I arrived at the Italian restaurant in Wuyang New Town, dripping wet, I was already more than twenty minutes late.
This is a small, second-floor shop facing the street, not very spacious. I've heard that the Italian food here is incredibly authentic and delicious, and you have to make a reservation a day in advance, otherwise the shop won't do business with you. This shows that Cheng Jinghui is extremely serious about A-Lian, which puts my mind at ease. With a man like Cheng Jinghui showing such dedication, barring any major unforeseen circumstances, A-Lian's happy life as a young mistress is just around the corner.
I immediately spotted A-Lian sitting side-by-side with a man, back to back, by the window. I excitedly jogged over and patted her on the shoulder. A-Lian froze when she saw me: "Why are you so wet? You'll catch a cold!"
"It's nothing, I'm often like this. Getting a little rained on while riding a motorcycle is no big deal." As I said this, I smiled and turned to greet Cheng Jinghui, but just that one glance made me freeze like a statue, as if caught by Medusa. The person opposite me, equally stunned and frozen in his seat, was actually Yin Tianyu!
I don't know how I sat down; my mind was a complete mess. I knew Ah Lian was talking, but I couldn't hear a word she said. I didn't know where to look, but I knew I couldn't look across at her. So I didn't know what Yin Tianyu's expression was like, but I desperately wanted to see him. It had been so long since I'd seen him this close. I wanted to see if his crooked, mischievous smile was still the same as in my dreams. But I didn't even have the strength to glance up. A deep regret welled up inside me for dressing so casually today. If I'd known I'd see him, I should at least have worn that white dress… but now I was soaking wet and covered in mud.
Wait a minute, I suddenly snapped out of my euphoria at the chance encounter with Yin Tianyu. How did Cheng Jinghui become Yin Tianyu? Is Yin Tianyu the male lead? Or is he just here to have dinner with the main characters like me? It can't be that coincidental, can it? Impossible, even in a novel, things don't happen that conveniently! As I realized the gravity of the situation, I glanced up at A-Lian, but that last shred of hope was shattered in that one look: A-Lian's nonchalant expression as she stared at Yin Tianyu screamed "love at first sight!" I realized with despair that I was the one who had made a mistake from the start! A-Lian's "he" was actually Yin Tianyu!
I finally realized what a mess I'd gotten myself into, and I immediately became incredibly uncomfortable. A-Lian quickly noticed my unease and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell from being in the rain?"
"Maybe. I didn't feel it just now, but now I feel cold all over. I think I'll go first, you guys take your time eating." I've never realized how uncomfortable it is to have half-wet clothes sticking to my body.
"Let me give you a ride." Yin Tianyu, who had been sitting there silently, suddenly spoke, his words ringing out and echoing in my ears for half a minute before completely disappearing. My mind started to go blank again, and I couldn't think straight. I subconsciously wanted to nod, but then I heard A-Lian say, "Yes, let us give you a ride. I'm worried about you riding your motorcycle back like this."
I can pat my poor 32A chest and say that innocent Ah Lian was 100% genuinely trying to give me a ride out of kindness. But at this moment, that kindness feels more like a dull, heavy knife pulling at my heart. Especially the word "we" makes me realize how terrible a mistake it was for me to be in this little restaurant today. If I were to actually let Yin Tianyu give me a ride now, I would be even more unforgivable.
It took a lot of effort for me to force a calm smile onto my face. "No need, the rain has stopped outside." Afraid that the despair in my eyes would betray my sadness, I kept my head down and stared at the table.
No one said another word. Feeling a little lost, I picked up my backpack, unnecessarily adjusted the straps, and muttered, "I'm leaving," before walking out the door.
Even though I knew they had their backs to the door and couldn't possibly see me leaving, I still used all my strength to keep my backs perfectly straight.
I hopped on my motorcycle, forty, fifty, sixty… I kept pumping the gas, weaving in and out of traffic, but I couldn't recapture the thrill of my usual speed. His words, "I'll give you a ride," flashed through my mind, a small ray of hope rising in my previously icy heart. He still cared, didn't he? But Yin Tianyu's silence as he left, a silence that could extinguish any illusions, brought me back to my senses. The silence was probably because, to him, I was nothing anymore, and not even worth a word. I wondered if he looked at A-Lian the way Willson looked at May? Was my love for him already over? Was he just someone who gave me a piece of clothing in a past life? But why was my love for him only just beginning? My love always arrives incongruously late; that's probably why I'm always the one who ends up paying the price for love. That familiar, heart-wrenching feeling suddenly returned. I suddenly had an intense urge for a car to run me over in an instant. The pain only lasts a fraction of a second, but it would be like formatting a hard drive full of junk files—everything would disappear completely. But perhaps it was the time of year, all the nice cars were out eating; all I saw were Altos and minivans like Liulings, not even a Mazda 6. I've never driven a nice car in my life, so I guess I can't die without even hitting a 200,000 yuan car, right? No wonder people say when you're down on your luck, even your farts hit your heels.
I drove along the road until the gas gauge dropped to the red warning line before finally returning home, utterly bored. But to my surprise, I found Ah Lian sitting on the steps waiting for me at my doorstep.
Part Two, Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Why are you here?" I wasn't prepared at all, and I don't know if Ah Lian sensed the hostility in my tone.
“I’ve been waiting for you for four hours, and you forgot to bring the salted fish.” Ah Lian held up the things in her hand.
I couldn't help but feel ashamed of my own petty thoughts.
I hurriedly opened the door and made tea for A-Lian, but she stopped me: "Sit down, I actually have something I want to tell you."