19. You don’t care
With nothing to do on Sunday, Yao Ling woke up to a message from her parents saying they had already left the house.
They went for a stroll in Kennedy Town at 8 o'clock in the morning. He posted a few photos of the tram and Lu Ban Temple in the group and shared everything he ate with her. Meal A was pineapple bun and red bean ice, and Meal B was chicken and cheese diced pork with silk stocking milk tea. The latest photo was of the love knots they bought. She read them all at once and picked a few to like.
Within two minutes, Chen Yu received an audio call, saying that they had returned to Nathan Road and asked her to come downstairs to have lunch together.
Yao Ling was used to their high efficiency. In Como, she would wake up by nine at the latest, plan her outings carefully, and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner on time. Without the barbecued pork buns and steamed buns bought by Ya Chao, she would always spread Nutella on bread. In Milan, she was different. She could eat oatmeal and peaches all day, and had no plans for travel.
Yao Ling washed up, changed in front of the mirror, and suddenly remembered that her body was still wet from the night before. She guessed that Deng Shilang had a morning erection, and it was stronger than usual. She had to go downstairs for a run to calm it down.
After she finished packing, she received a DM from Liang Litang. After reading it, she found out that their families were going to have Thai food together. She grabbed her phone and went out, followed the address to the mall, and went into the restaurant to meet everyone.
Yao Ling sat next to Liang Litang. He enthusiastically placed a piece of garlic-spicy water spinach in her bowl and asked, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Aunt just said you lost your bag last night. Have you found it yet?"
"I found it. Whoever sent me back to the B&B brought it back to me." Yao Ling replied.
"Hayden, that's fine. I was most worried that your ID was in there. It would be very troublesome if it was lost." Liang Litang immediately understood and expressed his relief.
Yao Ling didn't respond. Just as she poured herself a glass of water, she heard Aunt Qiuping say, "You two didn't have much in common when you were kids, but now you're so familiar with each other."
Liang Litang turned around and said, "We have common topics, so it's easy to get to know each other, and she has also dealt with my friend before."
"Please take good care of me in the remaining days. We are all family."
Chen Yu smiled softly. Her daughter wouldn't be lonely visiting Hong Kong again; at least she'd have company. She reached for her chopsticks and scooped up some chicken curry, feeling relieved. "It seems like it was a good idea to bring Lingling back to Hong Kong this time. She'd been planning a trip to Spain or Greece, and we dragged her along. Now she's made friends, which is great. She doesn't have to blame us for taking up her vacation time."
"I'm afraid Atang will introduce him to some bad friends." Qiuping said in disbelief.
Liang Litang surrendered and said bluntly: "You also know that Deng Shilang, a graduate of the University of Hong Kong, works in the HKEX Listing Department. He is such a good talent, how could there be any problem?"
After hearing this, Shen Yu fixed his eyes on them and asked, "Who is it?"
Yao Ling noticed her mother's doubts, paused, and answered herself, "Deng Shilang."
Shen Yu was surprised. It was indeed him. She remembered this boy and exchanged glances with Yao Shenhe. Qiu Ping and her husband were confused.
Liang Litang noticed their reaction and asked, "Do you know each other?"
"I've met him once." Yao Shenhe said.
Liang Litang opened his eyes wide and sent a confirmation signal to Yao Ling. Yao Ling was very calm and explained to him: "After graduating from high school, he met my parents."
"So inseparable."
Seeing Yao Ling eating and drinking, Shen Yu said, "That's not the case. They've broken up. We met by chance at the Hong Kong airport, and Ling Ling told us that this was her first love."
"So it wasn't my aunt and uncle who broke us up, right?" Liang Litang asked with a smile.
After Shen Yu recalled, he shook his head and said, "We are not old-fashioned. The decision made by these young people has nothing to do with us."
Yao Ling simply agreed, and the topic ended there. They started talking about other things, had a meal, and then strolled around the mall before heading back.
The southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula is usually bathed in blue skies and white clouds, and this day was no exception. Leaving the mall, crossing the street to Chungking Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Road, the road was wide on both sides, the scorching sun shifting to the left of pedestrians. Yao Ling's occupational ailment of lighting had struck, and she used her phone to capture the blazing sun. Pedestrians' heads were pressed together, one behind the other, with a central gap splitting the light.
Liang Litang accidentally saw the photo and clapped his hands, "You are worthy of being a photographer. Even a casual photo can be so artistic. Drop me and post it on Instagram."
Yao Ling smiled and said, "I'll give it to you directly. No signature or money required."
"Don't worry, I'll circle you."
The two of them exchanged photos outside the Chungking Mansions entrance, the aroma of Indian curry and lemongrass wafting in. Qiu Ping and her husband went back to the tea restaurant to work, while Chen Yu dragged Yao Shenhe inside for a stroll. It's said that their first date in the 1990s was to see Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express.
After Yao Ling and Liang Litang shared the photos, they tagged each other on Instagram and then walked around Chungking Mansions. When Liang Litang came out, he opened his phone and saw many people commenting on the photos.
Deng Shilang had been invited by Lu An to spend the entire afternoon at the winery. That evening, as usual, he returned to Hengfeng for dinner. Lu An got a ride home, got in the car in the parking lot, and was playing with his phone when he saw Liang Litang's Instagram story. He clicked on the listed account and was taken directly to Yao Ling's profile.
Deng Shilang had just started the engine and was about to leave his parking space when he glanced in the rearview mirror. Suddenly, a car approached. He stopped to let it pass, let go of the steering wheel, and turned to see Yao Ling on the screen. He hadn't checked her Instagram for a long time since the lockdown; the latest he saw were photos of Hong Kong scenery and a personal photo.
"Your friend and Liang Litang's is so pretty and has a great job. And then there's Milan Fashion Week," Lu An sighed. "But like you, she doesn't post much on Instagram."
"I'm too lazy in this area." Deng Shilang laughed. He knew Yao Ling was aloof.
The car started moving, and he drove straight ahead, looking at the road, from Tsuen Wan to Diamond Hill, dropped off Lu An, and then went back to Hengfeng alone for dinner.
After dinner, Deng Shilang did not stay overnight at Hengfeng, but went straight to find Chen Li'er. Chen Li'er asked him to buy a condom. He went to Qizi and picked up a box of his usual condoms. He paid the bill, and two people stood behind him.
"Hayden, you're here." Liang Litang saw the box, "I thought you were staying at Hengfeng tonight."
"I'll come out after dinner." Deng Shilang said to him.
Yao Ling was thirsty, so she grabbed a bottle of water and stood behind Deng Shilang, noticing the box. Deng Shilang paid the bill, picked up the box, and turned around to see Yao Ling.
They exchanged a glance, needing no words, but that one glance, a tacit understanding, unwavering. After a night of silence, they remained clueless. He assumed she was drunk, and she let him go, sperm-brained. They both cut their losses before things spiraled out of control. Although they had crossed a line, they now agreed not to do it again.
"I'm leaving first." Deng Shilang retracted his gaze, patted Liang Litang's shoulder with the hand holding the box, and then nodded to Yao Ling, meaning goodbye.
Yao Ling did not respond, but glanced at his back as he left.
Liang Litang paid for Yao Ling, sent her to the downstairs of the B&B, and then returned to his apartment.
On weekdays, the blinds leaked sound, far more intense than the light. During her vacation, weekdays were no different to Yao Ling; she spent the entire week like this. She noticed her parents, rarely traveling, were instead watching TV in the living room. This continued for two days until Wednesday afternoon, when they suddenly burst into life, full of energy and dressed up to go out.
Yao Ling didn't follow them, but went downstairs alone to buy some fashion magazines. She happened to read an article in the newspaper about the successful reception. Then, Liang Litang sent her a WhatsApp message.
【LLT】：Rosalie, the company gave me a gift that is more suitable for you. Guess what it is.
【RosalieYL】：I don’t know.
【LLT】: It's related to your work. I need to get an OT and ask Hayden to give it to you, otherwise I will forget.
Yao Ling quickly realized the gift was a camera, either a Polaroid or a film camera. When she got another message from Liang Litang and went downstairs, Deng Shilang held up a box for her, and she immediately recognized it as a Fuji QuickSnap disposable film camera.
"Thank you." Yao Ling took it. She thanked him awkwardly after not seeing him for a few days.
“No need.”
Coincidentally, Shen Yu and Yao Shenhe returned. They recognized Deng Shilang and were a little surprised to see him talking to Yao Ling. Shen Yu hurried over and greeted him in a friendly manner, "Shilang, do you remember Auntie? Long time no see, you look even more handsome."
When Deng Shilang saw someone, he politely said, "Hello."
"Come up and sit down. I'll make you some Italian fruit tea." Shen Yu invited warmly.
Yao Ling interjected, "He doesn't drink."
Deng Shilang wanted to refuse, but seeing how amiable they were, he said, "It's all right."
In the end, the four of them went to the guesthouse. It was Deng Shilang's first time there, and Yao Ling's parents made tea and went to the kitchen to peel fruit, leaving only the two of them in the living room.
"What are you doing here?" Yao Ling asked.
Deng Shilang replied, "Drink tea."
Seeing that his teacup was very clean, Yao Ling put a slice of lemon in it, opened the cookie jar, and took out a cookie. "Make this. This is a snack for the guests."
"No thanks." He waved his hand. In the past five years, she has developed a completely different set of living habits.
Yao Ling said "oh" and let him do it. She didn't drink the fruit tea, but directly soaked the cookies in his teacup, moistened a corner, and put the other corner in her mouth.
Chen Yu brought out the fruit, and the three of them chatted about their recent situation and drank tea. Yao Ling sat beside them, ignoring them and flipping through a fashion magazine.
"So you went to the University of Hong Kong after graduation." Chen Yu asked Deng Shilang.
"Well, Yao Ling never told me what she was doing afterwards."
Shen Yu was speechless. Yao Ling was still flipping through a magazine and casually said, "Study, work, date, and have sex."
After hearing this, Shen Yu smiled awkwardly and ate a piece of apple elegantly.
Deng Shilang commented, "It's very general."
"You don't care." Yao Ling covered the magazine.
He chuckled, "It's the same thing. How can I care if we've lost contact?"
Yao Shenhe coughed, cleared his throat, and asked, "So what kind of project are you working on at HKEX now?"
“It’s mainly about reviewing listings and sometimes following transactions.”
Yao Ling propped up her head and looked at him, "Bartender."
Deng Shilang could not deny it, "Entertainment."
"It's a pretty hand." She rarely gave compliments, even if her tone was very light. "And it smells good."
Deng Shilang had no idea what she was talking about. He suddenly remembered what he had done to her a few days ago, when she had orgasmed under his touch, and the last words reminded him of their high school romance. It was getting late, and he didn't plan to stay long. He had a cup of tea, said his goodbyes, and went downstairs.
Chen Yu asked Yao Ling to take him down. Yao Ling made a polite gesture in front of her mother, picked up her phone and followed him down. The elevator didn't arrive that quickly. The B&B was on the fourth floor, so they could go down by stairs.
When they reached the second floor, Deng Shilang turned around and said to Yao Ling, "No need to send me off, go upstairs."
Yao Ling didn't refuse, she turned her back on him and went straight upstairs. He put one hand in his pocket and continued walking down.
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