41. No duplicity
Deng Shilang walked Yao Ling into the alley. As her back gradually disappeared from his sight, he put his hands in his pockets and walked in the opposite direction. After a few steps, he looked back and stopped, realizing that she had also turned her head to look at him.
She stood beneath the moon, sandwiched between two buildings, while behind him lay a street lined with restaurants and shops. On one side, the moon clung to the mountain, and on the other, a mirage of buildings and cityscapes. When night turned to day, there was no moon above the end of the alley, only the rumble of planes, like a typhoon passing through, leaving Hong Kong.
Deng Shilang hadn't looked at her like this for a long time. It was like he used to send her home. He smiled, took his hand out of his pocket, waved it, and let her in.
Yao Ling, who had been quiet, felt a surge of warmth at his familiar gesture. At that moment, they glanced back at each other, each with a shared urge to draw closer. She trotted over to him, tiptoed, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him once more beneath the glass light.
Deng Shilang lowered his head and subconsciously put his arms around her waist.
This time, she took the initiative, pressing her lips against his, sucking on the corner of his mouth. She nibbled lightly, making ambiguous slurping sounds, and thrust her tongue into his mouth, entwining it deeply. She either didn't kiss, or when she did, it was with such skill that it was hard to control and intensely engaging. She expertly shifted the angle, lips parting for a second until they were silky, then pressing against each other tightly, rubbing against each other, a smooth, sensual touch.
He was hard from her kiss, his lower body pressing against her, his hands on her lower back, hugging her tighter and tighter. His breathing was ragged as he began to press forward, kissing her until her tongue was sore. If this continued, he wouldn't need any sleep for forty-eight hours.
But they were both tired. She had started it first and ended it first, and he felt it was just right. He separated his face from hers, continued to hold her, and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, let me hold you for a little longer, and then I'll go back."
Yao Ling neither nodded nor shook her head, quietly resting in his arms, her ear pressed against his chest, close to his heart. She hadn't really felt it before, but now she could hear his heartbeat. Not being a doctor, she couldn't tell whether it was joy or sorrow, pain or pleasure. Anyway, his heartbeat was steady for a while, then occasionally accelerated.
After hugging for about ten minutes, Yao Ling separated from him and walked towards the door.
Deng Shilang made sure she was completely inside before turning onto the street and hailing a taxi back to his apartment. He closed his eyes and rested for five minutes in the car when his phone suddenly chimed. He opened the screen and entered the password, only to remember it was Chen Li'er's birthday.
He leaned against the car window, went to the settings, and changed the password to one he used regularly. He needed to declutter, take away the things he had left at Chen Li'er's apartment, and return the things she had left at his apartment to their original owners.
The very next day, Deng Shilang went to work and appeared under Liang Litong's nose.
Liang Litang wasn't surprised at all. Firstly, Deng Shilang's department was very busy, and secondly, Deng Shilang was able to separate work from personal matters, adjusting his state and focusing on work. However, he was startled in the early morning when he received multiple messages from Chen Lier. She scolded him for his previous deception and failure to take care of his cousin, saying that he was secretly protecting her and was in cahoots with them.
"Wow, we are now in the same boat." Liang Litang caught Deng Shilang in the tea room and expressed his displeasure.
Deng Shilang glanced at him, then pressed the coffee machine and smiled, "Aren't you?"
Coffee fell into the company paper cup. Suddenly, there was a message on WhatsApp.
Deng Shilang opened it and saw it was a message from Chen Li'er. She asked him to pack her things after work and bring them to her apartment. She also asked him to clear out his belongings and return both of their apartment keys.
Liang Litang happened to see this and complained, "You said that it was fine if you broke up peacefully, but you cheated on me, which is really too much. Then we, the HKU alumni, will all say that you are a terrible person."
Deng Shilang couldn't argue. "I did cheat. It's a fact. Whatever they say," he replied with two words. She read it, typed it, and deleted it. He didn't see it. Seeing that the coffee was full, he took it away.
Liang Litang sighed and asked, "So how are you and Rosalie doing? Are you back to square one?"
Deng Shilang held his coffee, recalling Yao Ling's words and her proactive kiss. "Maybe she still has feelings for me. I don't know if I'm being too sentimental. She used to say that to me often."
Liang Litang curled his lips and stabbed another knife, "You have come to this day, die with it."
Deng Shilang glanced at him, patted his shoulder to indicate that he had received the message and there was no need to reiterate it, then left the tea room and continued working.
At 7 p.m., Deng Shilang returned to his apartment and packed Chen Li'er's perfume and clothes, which fit neatly into a cardboard box. He then drove to her apartment, returned the box and keys, and received all his belongings.
Chen Lier knew that his departure would mean the end of their relationship, and she still broke down. With the door closed, she sat on the sofa and cried, distraught. She picked up her phone and cried while calling, not knowing who to call.
Deng Shilang frowned when he heard the crying sound when he went out, but the person who came to his mind was Yao Ling. He did not turn back, but walked towards the elevator holding the cardboard box.
It was already late when they returned to the apartment. Lu An asked him if he wanted to go to the bar. He said he was very tired recently and would not go for the time being. But he saw Liang Litang was going in the group.
Deng Shilang put his belongings away when he received a call from Jiang Si. He had a hunch that she had learned about their breakup from Chen Li'er and was calling him to accuse him of cheating.
As expected, the moment he answered the phone, he heard them telling him to coax Chen Li'er into doing something immoral, scolding him for being unbecoming and uneducated. This went on for an hour, with everyone from Jiang Si to Deng Yonglian being lectured profusely, and he listened intently to every word.
After hanging up, Deng Shilang tapped iMessage and searched for Yao Ling's phone number. He walked to the balcony, leaned over the railing, and looked out over the Central nightscape, waiting for her to answer.
Yao Ling was checking personal emails on her laptop when she heard the incoming call. She was stunned when she saw the number, then she swiped green and put the phone to her ear.
"What are you doing?" Deng Shilang asked.
"Checking emails." Yao Ling stopped what she was doing, remained silent for a second, and asked, "What about you?"
"I was just scolded by my family." Deng Shilang said lightly.
She sighed, "You've grown so big."
"If you do something wrong, you must learn from it." He thought about the education Deng Yonglian had given him after graduating from high school. "I was put in solitary confinement when I didn't come home overnight. I even secretly jumped out the window to see you off at the airport."
Yao Ling forgot to breathe after hearing this. She curled her fingers and responded, "That's not like you at all. You'd jump out the window."
Deng Shilang smiled faintly, didn't say anything else, and got to the point, "I just went to Gigi's house to get something back." In fact, he called to tell her what happened today.
"So." Yao Ling waited for him to respond.
"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that it will be completely gone."
"You decide."
Deng Shilang hummed, feeling anxious about her calm tone, and suddenly said, "I hope I'm not being too sentimental."
Yao Ling thought about how she had cried last night, clutching her phone and saying, "I'm not saying one thing and thinking another." She added, "It hurts."
Deng Shilang felt a pang in his heart when he heard this, but he was content, "You finally told me what was in your heart."
Yao Ling didn't respond. Everything she'd said since their breakup after graduation was true, but she'd kept much of it to herself. He didn't need to know those reserved words back then; she could just keep them to herself, letting time wash them away. Unexpectedly, they'd run into each other again, and the past was brought up again, vividly, and he'd hear those long-held words.
He told her to continue and hung up the phone. They both went about their own business.
At that time, Liang Litang was at the bar when he saw Chen Li'er getting drunk. He wanted to call Deng Shilang, but he held back. After all, they had broken up, and if Deng Shilang came again, it would be difficult to resolve the matter.
He sat down beside her and saw the bottle of wine on the table with wide eyes. "So many twists, blow it."
Chen Li'er didn't want to drink so much. She shouldn't have fallen to the point of getting drunk for a man. It was he who was wrong first. She was the one who dumped him. But when she thought of Deng Shilang's back, she saw that he didn't even show any mercy when she cried. She kicked the bar in annoyance.
"Calm down, this marble is very expensive." Liang Litang pulled out her chair. She suddenly staggered.
Chen Li'er didn't understand. She grabbed her hair and blew it up again, tears welling up in her eyes. "Hayden isn't here today."
Liang Litang looked towards the bartending area, holding his forehead, unable to bear watching. "If he treats you like this, don't have any more illusions. Wake up, you're a talented woman from the University of Hong Kong, the top student in the art school. There's no need to humiliate yourself for him."
Chen Li'er was drunk, not so gentle and charming, and became very mean, "Shut up."
Liang Litang begged for mercy and opened the wine for her, "Take your time, take your time."
Chen Li'er saw that he wasn't addicted, unlike Deng Shilang, who would hold her and stop her, not letting her drink. If she wanted to drink, he would pour it out. In short, he wouldn't let her drink. She'd been constantly browsing Facebook these past two days to find out what makes a man cheat. It was either because he was cheap or because she lacked sex appeal. She turned to Liang Litang and asked, "What's the mentality behind a cheating man?"
"Excitement, secret love, and inability to control the lower body."
Sometimes she felt very independent, and sometimes she wondered, "Maybe he doesn't have feelings for me."
He was extremely frustrated. "I really can't understand you. You have so much capital, both in terms of money and men. Your professional abilities are renowned throughout Hong Kong, and celebrities are lining up to work with you. You can have any man you want, and yet you're now obsessed with your cheating ex and doubting yourself. I have to scold you too."
"Those involved are often confused." When Chen Li'er was a student, she also thought those who drank for love were foolish. Now she realizes that even if one's head is filled with knowledge, life will always encounter something that makes one unreasonable. At this moment, she admires Yao Ling and sincerely says, "If I were Hayden, I wouldn't be able to resist getting close to Yao Ling either."
"I'm envious again." Liang Litang held his chin and watched her every move to prevent her from falling.
"You and her actually have a chance."
"You are crazy." His expression changed drastically.
"You forgot, your finance..." Chen Li'er shrugged, "This way I don't have to think so much."
Liang Litang knew which pair she was talking about and shook his head. It was totally different. He saw her staggering and immediately got off the table to support her. But she covered her hair and tried to vomit, which frightened him so much that his jaw dropped. "Miss, don't vomit on my shoes."
Chen Li'er dry-heaved, but nothing came out. She stood up and looked at the man before her, suddenly remembering her good friend's advice on enjoying life while it lasts. Since Deng Shilang had cheated on her, she could have a one-night stand, preferably with his best friend. She didn't believe she had no sex appeal. After all, in Hong Kong, even in Central, anything could happen.
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