34. You are childish
In his early years, Liang Litong was very conspicuous in Mong Kok, a place where both elegance and vulgarity coexisted. He could sense who was being disagreed with today and who was being avoided tomorrow. Now that he is engaged in securities trading, he keeps an eye on all directions and ears in the market, and he also makes similar observations in interpersonal relationships.
Liang Litang realized that one of them didn't want to listen, and the other was avoiding him. It seemed that they couldn't even be friends, and finally returned to the old routine of completely breaking up with their exes. He was very tactful and went downstairs and said to Deng Shilang, "I'm alone now. Give me a seat and I'll drive you."
"I've already got a taxi." Deng Shilang opened the door and got in. The taxi started, the neon lights cast through the rear window slicing back and forth across his body. He leaned forward and said, "Master, to Hengfeng."
Liang Litang heard him tell the driver the address and sighed in frustration, then chatted with him for a while. Deng Shilang said the car had just been towed away and would only take a day or two to repair. He mentioned Steven and MK, but not Rosalie.
Liang Litang had a principle: analyze the stock market, but not interpersonal relationships unless absolutely necessary. While evaluating the former was necessary to ensure risk control and investment appeal, overanalyzing the latter would diminish the dynamics of the relationship. Therefore, he focused solely on the superficial appearance of two people avoiding each other, rather than analyzing the underlying reasons.
He'd already mastered the art of it. By day, he'd work on equity products in Central, building structures and analyzing data. At night, he'd return to Tsim Sha Tsui to be a service-oriented frienddealer, minding his own business. He didn't ask any questions. After chatting with Deng Shilang, he hung up, left the B&B, parked his car, and headed home.
The next morning, at nine o'clock, Deng Shilang took the subway to work on time. He ran into Liang Litang at the building. At lunch at K11, he received an invitation to his 80th birthday. It wasn't framed in vibrant red, but rather, it had a single character for "longevity" etched into the huanghuali wood. Given the occasion, he felt the need to prepare a gift.
Deng Shilang, holding not one but two letters, asked, "Do you want my parents to go, or do you want Gigi and I to go together?"
"Of course it's you two. My grandma likes young people. The more lively the better."
Deng Shilang understood and warned in advance: "I'm just worried that Gigi isn't familiar with it."
Liang Litang's expression was so surprised that he almost made a face. "How is that possible? She has such strong social skills."
This reaction was so exaggerated that Deng Shilang laughed. Since the invitation was so strong, he agreed and contacted Chen Li'er to ask her what she thought. It happened to be lunchtime, so she quickly agreed and asked him to thank her for the invitation.
Lunch is very simple and can be prepared in 20 minutes. After lunch, there is still time for the two of us to go shopping at K11.
As they got on the escalator, they moved to the right, one in front, one behind. Liang Litang took a sip of the iced Americano he'd taken away, then suddenly remembered that his parents should have delivered the invitations to their relatives. He turned and said, "I don't know how far you and Rosalie have fallen out, but I can only inform you in advance that she will definitely come on your birthday. After all, she's my cousin."
"I've thought of that." Deng Shilang knew it would be difficult to avoid Liang Litang as long as he was around. He put one hand in his pocket, waving his work ID on his chest, and said in the same tone, "You're actually a big problem. Your presence implicates my relationship with her."
Liang Litang laughed, thinking he was saying he was the one who caused Chen Li'er to misunderstand. He stopped laughing and explained, "I helped you pick up Gigi a while ago, and I realized she had a grudge against me. She kept asking me how you two acted around me. Honestly, Rosalie gave me the impression she really hated you, and you were just being friends with her, so I told her exactly how I saw you two."
Deng Shilang then realized why Chen Li'er hadn't checked his phone the previous time. It was because she had believed Liang Litang's words. Liang Litang's words were half true and half false. The true part was that Yao Ling hated him, and he was just being polite to maintain their friendship. The false part was that their relationship was not as ordinary as they said, and they had done it many times behind each other's backs.
At the beginning, Liang Litang's words were more sincere than Zhenzhu's, but now they were completely discounted. As they exited the escalator, Deng Shilang patted him on the shoulder and said, "I owe you."
"I think I owe you and Gigi." Liang Litang didn't take his words to heart.
While shopping, they happened to buy a birthday gift on this floor. After the hour, they returned to the company from K11 to continue their afternoon work.
Yao Ling also received the invitation around lunchtime. She hadn't met Liang Litang's grandmother much, but she was told she lived in Yuen Long, and the invitation mentioned a birthday banquet to be held in Tsim Sha Tsui. She and Chen Yu bought gifts at a nearby mall, then ate and shopped until 7 p.m. before returning home.
As soon as she entered the room, she received a WhatsApp message from Pierre. He didn't mean to have sex with her, but to convey a message that he was going to Hong Kong to attend a French literature recommendation meeting and would find time to meet her.
Yao Ling was a bit surprised, not because he was flying from Milan to Hong Kong, but because the timing of his arrival was a coincidence: it happened to be Liang Litang's grandmother's birthday that day, and he would land on the way to the birthday party. She replied a few words, asking him to get ready and meet again.
On the day of the birthday banquet, Yao Ling expected to socialize with many strangers, but she didn't expect Liang Litang and his relatives of the same generation to invite all their closest friends, so she was relegated to the friends' table. This table was filled with people of the same generation and age, unlike the table where her parents were assigned. Fortunately, Liang Litang was considerate and switched seats, sitting next to Yao Ling.
There were two empty seats across from them, but Yao Ling wasn't interested. She sipped her Pu'er tea and listened to Liang Litang's whispers amid the clamor. Liang Litang had waited until now to tell her who was coming across the table. Because of the noise, she couldn't hear clearly. She looked up and saw a couple walking arm in arm into the hall. They brought gifts to the birthday boy and then headed towards their table.
Yao Ling saw who was coming, paused, and understood what the whisper was about.
After Deng Shilang greeted Liang Litang, he pulled out a chair for Chen Lier and asked her to sit down. He sat next to Chen Lier and handed her the car keys, which she put into her bracelet bag.
Yao Ling lowered her teacup and noticed their actions. His car had been repaired, and he was wearing a mid-range watch, while her bracelet and bag were from a niche Spanish brand. The two of them were very much in sync.
Chen Lier sat down, smoothed her hair, and noticed Yao Ling's gaze. She greeted, "Hello again, Yao Ling." She smiled sweetly, "I like your brooch."
Yao Ling smiled faintly and returned the greeting: "Thank you, you look very good today."
Deng Shilang glanced at her casually when he heard this. She was wearing a small dress jacket, a white tube dress underneath, and a very small dragonfly brooch. For a moment, he didn't look at her again.
The table was full, and everyone took turns introducing themselves. Liang Litang was right on target. Chen Li'er had excellent social skills, and when asked about her work and life, she spoke freely and confidently. Deng Shilang, on the other hand, also engaged in conversation when asked about other topics, appearing relaxed in every way.
The lights dimmed, a birthday video played in the hall, followed by a speech, and then everyone started eating.
Yao Ling and Deng Shilang sat diagonally across from each other, and their eyes would occasionally meet. Sometimes I could also hear their conversations, such as him asking Chen Li'er to eat more, as she hadn't even eaten salad in the studio before.
Liang Litang served Yao Ling a variety of delicacies, including abalone, seafood noodles, crab, and lobster. She ate everything and quickly felt full, putting down her chopsticks and drinking a cup of tea to digest the food.
"By the way, the specialty you gave me is delicious. Both the taste and the appearance are quite traditional." Liang Litang mentioned this to Yao Ling.
Yao Ling picked out the ones she liked the most. After dinner, she held her chin up and talked with her face only facing him. "Have you finished eating?"
Liang Litang nodded: "I've finished eating, but I shared some with my colleagues."
At this point in the banquet, Chen Li'er, observing everything, felt Liang Litang's words carried considerable weight. Yao Ling was a quiet person, speaking only to Liang Litang, while Deng Shilang never spoke a word to her from beginning to end. Without seeing her in person, Chen Li'er had been wary and prone to overthinking. However, upon meeting her in person, she felt more at ease and considered becoming her friend.
In reality, Yao Ling had never harbored any hostility. She was her own person, and others were their own. If she had any dissatisfaction, it was directed at Deng Shilang.
She had been socializing here as usual. At the end of the banquet, people were walking around the hall. She went to the bathroom and saw that her lipstick had been smeared from the meal. She hadn't touched it up, so she washed her hands and let the water drip off.
The bathroom leads to the hall through a corridor.
Deng Shilang took Chen Li'er's hand in the corridor and asked her to take out her car keys. Chen Li'er followed him for a few brisk steps, then suddenly stopped, her bracelet and bag swinging so much that Deng Shilang, who was still walking, turned around to look at her. Chen Li'er didn't take out the car keys immediately, but beckoned him with her finger and pointed to her mouth.
Yao Ling was startled as she emerged from the bathroom, coat in hand. She was taken aback when she saw Deng Shilang grabbing the back of Chen Li'er's head and kissing her. She noticed how protective he was of her, his hand moving from the back of her head to her chin, a feeling of both extreme tenderness and control. He was becoming increasingly absorbed, their tacit understanding remarkable.
As Deng Shilang kissed, he noticed Yao Ling and met her gaze. She had taken off her coat, revealing a tube dress with bare shoulders. Their eyes met, and she suddenly sneered. Previously, it had been the genuine affection of a couple, but now it was clearly deliberate. He was making it clear to her that there was no problem with their relationship, warning her not only to quit while she was ahead but also to hold back. She did hold back, leaning against the wall, watching how long they could kiss.
After a few minutes, Deng Shilang let go of Chen Li'er and took her out of the corridor without even looking at the people behind him.
Yao Ling put on her coat and returned to the living room to see Deng Shilang and Chen Li'er saying goodbye to everyone at the dining table.
Chen Lier noticed Yao Ling, took Deng Shilang's arm, and said hello to her: "We're leaving first. See you next time."
Yao Ling looked at them and said, "See you next time."
The two left, and a few minutes later, Liang Litang also went to the underground garage to pick up his car. Before taking the elevator, Yao Ling asked him to give her his phone, saying that her phone was out of battery and she needed to make a call. She took his phone, which had been password-protected, and as soon as she opened the screen, she looked for Deng Shilang's number.
Deng Shilang had just left the garage and pulled out his phone. The screen flashed with a familiar note. He held Chen Li'er with one arm while answering the call with the other. The next moment, Liang Litang emerged from the elevator. He wasn't on the phone at all. He pointed at the receiver to indicate he had a call, then stepped aside.
"Which one?"
"You are very childish." Yao Ling was waiting for the elevator.
Deng Shilang chuckled, knowing that even if she had no feelings for him, she couldn't accept the blow to her self-esteem, and hung up.
Yao Ling hated being hung up on first, so she didn't call again and deleted the call log. She called him childish, and even more upset that she had become childish herself at that moment.
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