Chapter 20

TRANSLATOR – ANNIE

Wei Luoxian said with a smile, “Then you just wait and see.” Then she took a piece of wowotou from the plate and gave it to her small daughter. Yuan Yuan held the wowotou, as if she had gotten a new toy, and looked around. After a long time, she took a small bite: “Wowo is not yummy, uncle is yummy.”

Lei Yuzheng stretched out her hand and tapped her little nose: “It’s uncle eats wowo, not uncle is yummy.”

He stayed at home for two days, spending time with his mother, teasing his little niece, and layering the chrysanthemum planted by his mother. Fortunately, Shao Kaixuan did not really let him go on a blind date. The filiality of her children made his mother gradually happy before he finally returned to Shanghai.

He took an early flight. It was only after he was on the plane that he found that Jiang Fanlu was in the seat beside him. She was obviously also a little surprised. She smiled: “Long time no see.”

He nodded, as if to say hello.

Because he was a common passenger on this route, the flight attendants knew his habits, and delivered the newspaper of the day without even asking. He thanked them and perused the news. Suddenly, he heard Jiang Fanlu say: “I’m sorry, I don’t know Miss Du was your friend.”

He replied briefly: “She is not my friend.”

She gave a “Oh”, smiled and said, “I thought she was your girlfriend.”

He had no expression: “If you have anything to say, just say it. It’s not necessary to beat around the bush.”

“I’m just curious. I don’t mean anything else.” Jiang Fanlu said nonchalantly, “After all, Miss Du has a very good relationship with my uncle, maybe she will be my elder in the future.”

He was indifferent. He turned the newspaper over a page: “You were not such a person before. You have changed a lot.”

Jiang Fanlu smiled: “It’s rare that you still remember the way I was before.”

He finally raised his head and glanced at her, “Last time I introduced Du Xiaosu to you and your husband was not the meaning that you thought.” He said mildly, “I have broken up with you for many years. Whether you marry or not or who you marry has nothing to do with me. But don’t provoke Du Xiaosu, understand?”

“You misunderstand.” Jiang Fanlu’s expression was already very reluctant, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t know Miss Du…”

His tone was unquestionable. He interrupted her: “I said, don’t provoke her.”

Jiang Fanlu finally laughed: “I used to think you were hard-hearted, but I didn’t expect that you could still be soft.”

“She is Zhenrong’s girlfriend.” He said lightly, “Since she is from our Lei family, whoever wants to make it difficult for her must first come and ask me.”

Jiang Fanlu finally stopped talking.

After getting off the plane, as usual, the driver and secretary came to pick him up. There were so many business affairs and he was so busy that he had no time to take care of anything else. In the evening, he had to socialize. The person who invited him had a favor to ask of him, so the dinner was at a well-known new club, and in addition to friends in the business field, the man invited several beauties from film school to accompany him. Drunk beauties were usually a good spice for business talks and the man and his friends’ sociability was hard to refuse. Lei Yuzheng had to be on his toes to deal with it. After finally escaping, he went to the bathroom.

As he came out to wash his hands, suddenly two people came in. He didn’t care. Suddenly one of them said: “I think Shangguan is going to drink too much today.”

“Because us brothers are all getting back at him. How could he not be drunk?”

Not a lot of people were surnamed Shangguan. Lei Yuzheng looked up in the mirror and felt that the person speaking was a bit familiar. Maybe he had seen him several times in the entertainment scene. But the man’s face was flushed with alcohol, and he didn’t even notice him, focused on speaking “By the way, what is the origin of the girl surnamed Du brought by Shangguan today?”

“Oh, don’t you know? She’s Shangguan’s new girlfriend. Didn’t she say she just moved. It must be Shangguan who bought her a new house.”

“That’s new! Which woman can follow him for ten days to half a month and even get a house? Isn’t this just like keeping a mistress in a fancy abode? The spring night is too short…”

The two laughed. Lei Yuzheng took down the towel handed by the waiter, threw some bills as a tip, and turned around and left the bathroom.

The wind was very cold at night. Unable to fight over the other people, she drank a little red wine. At this moment, she finally felt a little drunk. Du Xiaosu leaned her head on the car window glass and listened to the gentle wind passing by her ears.

Shangguan chattered in displeasure as he drove: “It’s harder to ask you to come out for a meal than to ascend to the heavens. The orange crabs made in this restaurant are so delicious. You weren’t wronged by coming out this time, right? That said, your house is finally decorated. You must invite me to a meal. As for what to eat…why don’t we go to an island to eat seafood…”

Du Xiaosu finally got back some energy: “Why do you pull me to eat all the time?”

“Who let you shut yourself at home all the time. You’ll get bored and sick.” He still had that manner of speaking, “I am doing this for Lei Er. His little sister-in-law is my little sister-in-law. Besides, you are so young, and you should come out more. Playing is better than staying alone at home.”

When she heard Lei Yuzheng’s name suddenly, she still felt it jarring to the ears. The kiss that night gave her a kind of turmoil. She had tried her best to forget it and pretend as though nothing had happened. He said he was drunk and then quickly left. This let her release a breath of relief and allowed her to avoid awkwardness. Now hearing Shangguan mention him, she still felt a little uncomfortable.

They arrived downstairs where she lived in Yipin Mingcheng. She got out of the car and was stopped by him: “Hey, I will pick you up tomorrow night and invite you to dinner.”

“I might have to work overtime tomorrow.”

“You’re in the middle of your youth. What are you working overtime for?”

“I’m tired.”

“Okay, okay, go to bed soon.” Shangguan smiled, his mouth full of white teeth, “Remember to dream about me!”

Sometimes he liked to talk nonsense, maybe because he was used to attracting bees and provoking butterflies. He did this to everyone. This man has the most potential to be a Casanova. She dragged her steps upstairs. The house was decorated only the day before yesterday. Today, she spent all day clearing up, buying furniture and appliances. Shangguan dragged her out to eat with the excuse of it being a housewarming treat.

She found the key to open the door, but just as she turned the door lock, suddenly a hand was pressed on the doorknob. She raised her head in astonishment. It was that tall figure and familiar profile. The voice-activated lights in the corridor silently went out, and his whole person was instantly caged in the darkness, so close, yet so untouchable… She just looked at him in a daze. She murmured: “You’re back…” Before the voice fell, her whole body shook. This was not Shao Zhenrong, Shao Zhenrong would never come back. Even though she had worked so hard to find the house, even though this was the home he and she had dreamed of, he would not come back again. So she looked at him in a daze, and at such a similar figure, not at all noticing his rising hostility.

He just sneered: “You even have the face to mention Zhenrong?”

She looked at him in surprise. He had drunk alcohol, and he had drunk a lot. She could smell the alcohol from such a distance. He was drunk last time, she knew it, but today he was drunk again. Why did he show up here? As if seeing through her thoughts, he only said: “Give me the key to this house.”

She didn’t know what she had done wrong again, she just asked instinctively: “Why?”

“Why? You still have the face to ask why?” He pushed her hard in disgust, and she almost staggered back into the room. The light from the corridor outside came in. The living room was still scattered with newly bought furniture. Seeing him like that, she involuntarily stepped back a few steps and almost tripped on the sofa. He approached step by step, still saying, “Give me the key to this house.”

“I won’t give it.” She didn’t have room to retreat. Her waist was against the arm of the sofa. She raised her face stubbornly: “This is my house with Zhenrong.”

The impatience in his chest surged fiercely, and he gritted his teeth: “Don’t mention Zhenrong! You are not worthy!” He didn’t know why his tone was so fierce, almost with the hatred of shattering everything, “You’ve latched onto Shangguan. Okay, then hand over the keys. From now on, you can do whatever you like, just don’t use Zhenrong to cover your shameful actions.”

Although his words were so harsh, she was just temporarily speechless: “Shangguan, he was only just sending me back. I didn’t do anything with him. What right do you have to ask for the key?”

“Really? You dare to do it but not admit it? Why are you so cheap? You can’t live without a man? Didn’t you spend all your time acting like your love for Zhenrong is like life and death but in the blink of an eye, you’re flirting with others, yet you still have the face to return to this house. ……” He smiled contemptuously, “Zhentong was really blind, to have taken fancy with you?”

She was finally pushed into a corner by him and she said: “Don’t use Zhenrong to accuse me, I didn’t do anything to have to apologize to Zhenrong for! I love Zhenrong, I won’t be with anyone else. Don’t even think about taking the key away.”

Every word seemed to be like a sharp sword piercing into his heart. He was unable to suppress the raging anger and raging resentment. It wasn’t the key, it wasn’t the house. Even he didn’t know what it was. He just felt disgust and hatred, he wanted to rip apart this person in front of him. Only when she died immediately would it all become better. He reached out his hands to grasp around her neck. She struggled hard, trying to hide the key in her hand behind her. Her quick breaths blew into his face. He suppressed the deep disgust in his heart, and said word by word: “I don’t care who you sleep with, but from now on, don’t even think about using Zhenrong as a cover.”

She was so angry that there were tears in her eyes: “I haven’t done anything I have to make up for for Zhenrong…”

He sneered, “You’re going to cry again, aren’t you? But you’ve used this too much. It’s not going to work anymore. You acted in front of me again and again, until I even believed you. Du Xiaosu, don’t talk about Zhenrong again. You’re really…cheap!”

His ten fingers choked her such that she couldn’t breathe. The strong alcohol in his breath brushed her face. She heard his knuckles rattling, he must really want to strangle her. To put her to death without even asking for the situation or distinguishing right from wrong, her grievances accumulated for a long time finally broke out. If Zhenrong was still there… if Zhenrong knew, how could she be insulted and accused by anyone in this way? He freed up a hand to snap her arm, but she clutched the key tightly, struggling with tears, “So what if I’m cheap? I didn’t sleep with Shangguan! I only slept with you! Don’t you hate me because of this? Isn’t it because of this that you despise me? Then why did you kiss me? When you were drunk, why did you kiss me?”

Her words were like a needle, pricking through the most untouchable abscess in his heart, flowing out shocking purulen blood. All the anger seemed to gush out from the temples, and his blood vessels throbbed. He pushed her back against the sofa. Her forehead just happened to hit the armrest, causing her world to spin. For a while, she struggled as she tried to get to her feet, but he already took the key away.

She rushed to grab the key, but was pushed hard by him and fell back onto the sofa. Her lips trembled – he knew what she was going to say, he knew whose name she would say again. He savagely and hatefully blocked her mouth to prevent her from making any more noises, abruptly prying her lips open, as if trying to plug all the hatred back.

She was like a little beast, sobbing desperately, but unable to make a full sound. He didn’t know what he was doing. He just wanted to shatter the person under him into powder, and then turn her bones into ashes. Only when she was no longer in this world could he be at peace, and only when she died immediately could he be at peace…It hurt like so…It turned it that it hurt like so…it turned out that it hurt like so when she bit him like this.  The smell of blood seeped between his teeth, but he just didn’t let go. Her hands scratched him wildly, trying to resist, but in vain. The thin clothes couldn’t stop his vicious tearing. She only felt that she was being torn apart by him. Strings of tears slipped down from the corners of her eyes, but she couldn’t make a sound.

There was no sound, no light, and the room was dark. She was still whimpering as she panted, but she couldn’t repel him. After such a long time, he found that he still remembered every bit of her beauty from before, and then greedily wanted to relive it. He was like a small boat caught in a turbulent current, stumbling and bumping against the rock, even if he would break into pieces with not even a wooden splint remaining…Time seemed to be like a stormy river, wrapping everything in it. There was no gain, no loss, just possession…The irritability in his heart was finally contained by the repeated gentleness. He almost contentedly wanted to sigh, but greedily sought out more…

That was the most beautiful starlight in the world, shattering at the end of absentminded-ness, there was no more confused direction. At the moment when he was the most out of control, he almost had a dizzy illusion, as if his whole person was thrown into an unknown world, taking away all his power and perception, leaving only an empty loss.