3. They are exes
The next morning, Yao Ling woke up and opened Instagram to see a red heart. Instagram was strange at times, constantly sending out notifications about people she might know. She hadn't thought much of it at first, but the profile picture and name were familiar. She clicked on it and saw a photo Deng Shilang had posted with her on their homepage.
This is Deng Shilang’s girlfriend. Her profile also lists the account of their studio.
Yao Ling prefers to focus on the work of her peers. This studio has a remarkable track record, having photographed affordable luxury goods in Milan and Paris, as well as major celebrities and models. Their work is unique, and their business connections are already very international.
In contrast, she is a freelancer in Milan. She is not signed to a photography studio and is not a famous photographer. Her work is enough to support herself.
Her high school classmates would be amazed at her transformation. In high school, she was obsessed with being at the top of her class, absolutely impeccable at everything, a perfectionist. But after years of hard work, she's become more relaxed. Some things are better left alone, leading her to apathy, a state of mind that can be described as abnormally cold.
Despite her indifference, Yao Ling still praised outstanding works and gave red hearts to a few she thought were good. Afterwards, she continued working and living a dull life, lacking any motivation to improve herself.
Today is Friday, and Yao Ling and Pierre went to Como after meeting.
Yao Ling's family lives in Como, but she moved to Milan for work and rented an apartment. Trains are as convenient and well-developed in Europe as subways. She bought a monthly pass and, in her free time, took the train around Lake Como to visit her parents. Winter often brings a cold fog. In the morning, the windowpanes are covered with water droplets. The mist surrounds the mountains, blending the sky and water. At noon, the high-altitude sun shines brightly, illuminating everything and providing a clear view.
But today her monthly pass expired, so she drove. The journey from Milan to Como took nearly an hour. She preferred the train because she wasn't used to driving at night with few street lights. With snowflakes flying in front of her, she had to be more careful.
Arriving at Como's home at 8 p.m., Yao Ling was greeted by the aroma of spaghetti bolognese as she entered. The table rituals were complete: she helped her mother lay the tablecloth and arrange the water glasses. Once everything was ready, they began to eat.
Chen Yu handed Yao Ling the olive oil and asked, "How was your week?"
"Still the same." Yao Ling poured the olive oil, stirred, and rolled the pasta with a fork.
"Busy?"
"not busy."
Shen Yu watched her take the first bite and said something: “Your aunt Qiuping has been busy since she opened the shop, so it’s not convenient for her to come to Italy to see us.”
Yao Shenhe nodded. "I talked to your mother and we want to go to Hong Kong for a few days. If you're not busy, you can come with us and go back to South City at the same time."
"How long?"
"One month. If you have urgent matters, fly back first."
Yao Ling didn't mind. "I haven't taken many jobs lately. I was planning to go play around for a week, but since you guys have plans, I can go to Hong Kong with you." She smiled and said, "We're all in vacation mode anyway."
"Then let's decide this." Shen Yu also smiled and continued eating.
Over the weekend, the family enjoyed fish at a lakeside restaurant, then went to the movies. Yao Ling drove back to Milan that night, booked their flights online, and then packed. She left a message for Pierre, saying she was going to Hong Kong for a while. Pierre replied with a tearful emoji, and they agreed to stay up all night the day before their flight. Yao Ling simply took off her clothes, pointed her phone at herself, and, without showing her face, casually took a photo of her upper body for him.
The day of departure arrived. Yao Ling's back was aching from sex with Pierre the night before, and early in the morning they had to check four suitcases and take a long-haul flight for over ten hours. Fortunately, landing was relatively easy, thanks to the help of acquaintances. Qiu Ping had her son meet them at the airport and drive them to Nathan Road, making the journey easier than expected.
Her work is flexible, allowing her to simply take her photography equipment and a computer and process some photos. She can temporarily skip Milan's fashion and commercial photography and instead focus on landscape or cultural photography based on her vacation schedule. Hong Kong boasts a wealth of landscape photography, and even when she's in Milan, she'll be captivated by the neon splendor of photos of her colleagues on Instagram.
The car stopped, and the family carried their luggage to the B&B, telling Qiuping's son to come join them once he was ready. They were temporarily staying on Nathan Road. Although they had relatives there, they didn't want to disturb others' homes, so they booked a B&B nearby for two weeks before crossing to the mainland.
Qiuping's son, Liang Litang, was the same age as Yao Ling, but they didn't see each other often, didn't talk much, and didn't know much about each other. They only heard about each other from relatives. He drove them here and then left. When it was time for dinner, they all gathered at the restaurant. Three people from Yao's family and three from Qiuping's family sat at the same table to eat and chat.
Yao Qiuping runs a Hong Kong tea restaurant and works from dawn to dusk, with little free time. Business has picked up recently, though it's a little slower than in previous years, but the income is still acceptable. Yao Shenhe discussed their situation in Italy, and the two families enjoyed a lively conversation.
"We're all old-fashioned. Look how quiet these two young people are," Yao Qiuping's husband joked, saying to Liang Litang, "Take Rosalie for a stroll around Victoria Harbour."
"Now?" Liang Litang couldn't believe it.
"Now, go for a ride."
Yao Ling didn't care. Seeing Liang Litang stand up, she also stood up, put on her coat, and went out with him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Liang Litang left the restaurant and kept looking down at his phone, feeling a little embarrassed. He said, "How about going to my friend's place?"
"I'm fine with either. I see you want to go out and have some fun anyway."
"Me? Actually, you give me a femme fatale vibe, and I'm afraid that a villain like me won't be able to satisfy you."
Yao Ling smiled in silence. She was a femme fatale. Pierre had once told her that word, French for a femme fatale. She couldn't reach him, so she said with a smile, "You're overthinking it. You're just pretending."
Liang Litang decided not to drive and took her to Central in a taxi. Instead of stopping in Lan Kwai Fong, they entered a modern high-rise building and went straight to the terrace. Yao Ling had a strange intuition as soon as she entered. She followed Liang Litang to the bar, and sure enough, she saw someone she knew.
"Hayden, long time no see." Liang Litang greeted.
Deng Shilang was surprised when he saw Yao Ling next to him, then asked Liang Litang, "What are we drinking this time? Is it the same as before?"
"You decide."
"Okay." Deng Shilang looked at Yao Ling and asked, "Where is this lady?"
Yao Ling sat down, "Long Island Iced Tea."
She looked closer and saw that Deng Shilang had matured considerably. He wore a casual black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, no longer looking like a school uniform. He looked tall and straight in any casual outfit. He was a skilled bartender and made Liang Litang a beautiful cocktail. Her Long Island iced tea looked like a regular lemonade.
"Why did you come back suddenly?" Deng Shilang asked.
Liang Litang suddenly realized, "You two know each other."
"High school classmate." Yao Ling replied.
"She is my ex." Deng Shilang said without any hesitation.
Liang Litang turned out to be the outsider. He whistled as if watching a show and said, "Golden boy and jade girl."
Yao Ling simply said, "These were all things that happened when we were eighteen or nineteen." They are now twenty-four years old.
Liang Litong chatted, "It's okay. I was 19 years old and a MK boy. I was very subcultural. I had two pierced ears on my left side and another on my right ear bone. I moved from Mong Kok to Tsim Sha Tsui and it became normal. The environment is really important."
Seeing him transformed into a businessman, Deng Shilang said, "I didn't expect you were like this before." He talked about himself with a relieved smile, "I was dumped like a fool when I was 19."
Liang Litang heard the hidden meaning in his words and joked to Yao Ling, "You still say you are not a femme fatale."
Yao Ling lowered his head to drink and ignored him.
Deng Shilang still said: "You didn't answer my question."
Yao Ling knew he was asking why she came back, so she replied, "To visit relatives."
"Visiting me and my family." Liang Litang added.
Deng Shilang understood, "You are relatives."
"That's right, the world is small, and back in Hong Kong it's even smaller. Don't just talk about Hong Kong, broaden your horizons. You'll have acquaintances in Canada, the United States, and other European countries." Liang Litang took a sip of his wine and then asked curiously, "How many years have you two not been in touch?"
"Five years." was Deng Shilang's reply.
"After graduating from high school in three years, you can continue your studies until year 2."
Yao Ling drank the entire time, her hair loose, tracing across her shoulder blades as she grasped the straw. She didn't bother to interrupt, as they returned to chatting about wine and work. She and Liang Litang each had three cocktails, and then stayed up until midnight. Deng Shilang, having taken over his shift, joined them, but he only had one drink and stopped. Liang Litang asked him why, and he said his girlfriend didn't like him drinking too much.
As a modern man with a keen sense of smell, Liang Litang understands the relationship between exes. He is a man of good taste, so after drinking the last glass of wine, he took the opportunity to say that he was leaving first and asked Deng Shilang to take Yao Ling back to her place.
The terrace was empty, and the modern building was shrouded in dark clouds. Deng Shilang took her to the underground parking lot. After driving out, he asked her to get in and asked, "Where?"
"Nathan Road."
Deng Shilang closed the windows, turned on the heater, and randomly played a song on the radio. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he suddenly asked, "Are you upset that I unfollowed you?"
"Your behavior of clicking and then canceling the follow button seems unnecessary and childish to me." Yao Ling looked at the scenery outside the window, the neon lights were casting long shadows.
"That means I'm unhappy." Deng Shilang exposed.
Yao Ling didn't beat around the bush. "If it were you, you would also feel like you were being fooled."
"You're 24 years old, and you're still stuck in this mood. You're childish." Deng Shilang said mercilessly.
Yao Ling hummed: "A little better than you."
"My girlfriend won't let me follow my ex."
Yao Ling understood. She'd watched her friends dating in middle school and noticed the excessive restrictions. Their dating partners couldn't use chat apps or social media with anyone of the opposite sex, and if anyone suspicious appeared, they'd delete them. Back in school, she'd understood, since they didn't need to communicate about work, but now she felt it was extreme and insecure. She understood his girlfriend's feelings and perspective. She wasn't just any other person; she had labels attached to her: first love, ex. If it were her, she'd have to read a bunch of Chizuko Ueno and Simone de Beauvoir, along with a bunch of maxims on personal freedom, to tame her possessiveness and control.
Five years had passed, and their social circle hadn't changed much. They kept the opposite sex out of the way, and checked phones when necessary. She was aloof, even in her fashion photography career. She couldn't understand the logic behind such behavior. She would never do that to her partner or her boyfriend. Perhaps it was because she wasn't deeply involved in the relationship, or perhaps she was pretending not to care. On the surface, she would never do what she considered to be foolish behavior, as if she had lost herself and was always revolving around others.
Yao Ling took the next step. She didn't want to upset the couple. "If you had told me before, I would have understood you."
Deng Shilang, on the other hand, didn't buy it and smiled beautifully, "Then what I said was wrong, you don't want me to unfollow you, you don't reply me."
"I don't like it when I proactively respond and the other person just turns around and leaves my response hanging. Don't take yourself too seriously. This has nothing to do with you."
"OK, your response was not respected. I'm sorry."
"Forget it." Yao Ling leaned back and rested with her head tilted, her eyes following the view out the window.
Deng Shilang felt familiar yet unfamiliar. She was still very strong-willed, but now possessed a unique aura. He had never seen her hair grow past her elbows. When she was in school, it had only reached her shoulders at most. Now, it had grown out, reminiscent of a woman in her twenties. She wore a tight, round-neck sweater and a Swarovski necklace. Turning her face to the side, her jawline was beautiful, with a cool, distant air.
Arriving on Nathan Road, Yao Ling unbuckled her seatbelt, but it suddenly got stuck. She'd had three cocktails and was exhausted. Deng Shilang saw this, unbuckled his own, and leaned over to help her. His hands passed over her waist, tracing the location where the belt was stuck. She could smell the scent of Giovanni, and she froze, her memory reeling back to their chance encounter in the hallway.
Yao Ling looked at him as he lowered his head, his short hair brushing the tip of her nose and cheek. She turned away and said quickly, "Alright, I can do it myself."
Deng Shilang stopped, looked up, and asked closely, "Are you scared by this?"
"Your perfume is very strong."
"You used to like it."
"Do you think you are a peacock with its tail spread out, radiating your charm everywhere? I've seen it a lot in Milan. You should be more restrained." Yao Ling said with a smile, hitting his self-esteem directly.
Deng Shilang just unbuckled her seatbelt, left her, and said calmly, "Get out of the car."
*
MK: Young people with MK culture, MK stands for Mong Kok culture, who dress in fancy ways.
FemmeFatale: French, also English, a femme fatale, a beautiful woman who brings disaster.
*
If you are interested, please leave a message. I have been lacking energy and blood for many years, so I really need a response when I try to have fun like this, otherwise it will be a waste of time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
