Chapter 1-2
2
Qiao Ruo gently wiped away the tear stains on her face with a tissue, while gently inhaling and exhaling, pulling herself out of that almost uncontrollable feeling. When she went up the steps again and looked inside, He Yajun was no longer on the small stage or among the audience members.
She was about to run inside to find him when she hesitated.
Does he still remember her? If he does, then he definitely won't pay attention to her; if he has forgotten her, then when she finds him, she will have to tell him who she is, and even then, he still won't pay attention to her.
She knew that the rational and correct thing to do was to not bother him, turn around and walk away, as if nothing had happened.
But this man, who had lived unceremoniously in her heart for over a decade, was standing less than ten meters away from her. Every movement and every word he uttered felt so real, reminding her that she had never truly forgotten him. How could she just walk away like that? More importantly, in the vast sea of people, they had unexpectedly reunited on this small island far from their hometown. Such a small probability, yet she had stumbled upon it. Did this mean that fate was beginning to favor her, trying to give her a turning point?
Her mind raced, unable to calm down. The two figures embracing on stage a few minutes earlier, and the girl's joyful tone when mentioning He Yajun, resurfaced in her mind, all hinting at another possibility: they were a couple, or rather, they were already married. This thought sank her heart, and the despair she felt years ago when she learned he was going abroad to study swept over her again, making her breath quicken.
Leaving is not an option, nor is staying.
To her surprise, the young man who had been playing guitar on stage earlier had somehow left the stage and walked up to her.
She instinctively turned to leave, but he called out to her, "Hello."
She could only force herself to stay where she was: "Hello."
The man was also very tall with a good build, wearing a brownish jacket and loose jeans. He stepped down a step below where she was standing, a gentle smile on his face: "My sister always likes to brag to me about how well she sings. I used to think her singing was just average, nothing special. But seeing how engrossed you were just now, I have to admit, she wasn't exaggerating."
Qiao Ruo was speechless, realizing that he had probably seen her crying just now, and she was embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
She wasn't sure why he came over to greet her, but she could only guess that he was probably there to solicit customers. Considering that he and He Yajun were likely acquainted, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
She answered cautiously, "Yes, it sounds beautiful."
“Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person,” he said calmly. “My name is Hong Yantao, and I’m the owner of this bar. The girl singing on stage is my sister, her name is Hong Mengqi.”
Qiao Ruo could only earnestly introduce herself: "My name is Qiao Ruo. I'm not from here. I'm here on a trip."
Hong Yantao turned slightly to the side and pointed in the direction of the entrance: "If you don't mind, you can come in and sit down."
With things having developed to this point, Qiao Ruo found herself with no choice. Whether out of politeness or out of her own greed for He Yajun, she could not refuse the invitation.
"I don't drink alcohol, can I have juice instead?"
"Of course, I'm not the kind of boss who forces you to buy or sell. You can drink whatever you want, or you're welcome to just sit there and listen to my sister sing. All guests are welcome."
His kindness finally encouraged Qiao Ruo, and she followed his directions into the bar, sitting in another corner of the last row. Across a table, she could see the table where He Yajun had been sitting, but it was now empty.
Qiao Ruo wasn't so tactless as to not spend any money and just enjoy the singing for free. As soon as she sat down, she asked Hong Yantao for the wine list, but the complicated names of various wines looked completely unfamiliar and had nothing to do with her life. Fortunately, there were a few fruit juices listed in the lower right corner, which she could choose from.
"A glass of orange juice, please."
"You're welcome. Please wait a moment while I have the waiter prepare it for you," he said in a very friendly manner. "I promised my sister that I would provide live accompaniment for her next song, so I won't be able to serve you for the time being. If you need anything, you can just ask the waiter. It's quite chilly outside in this weather. If you feel cold, you can come inside the bar and sit down. It's heated inside."
After giving his instructions, he walked over to a boy wearing a checkered apron who was tidying up a table with empty wine glasses scattered around him. He said a few words to him, and the boy glanced at Qiao Ruo, nodded, and turned to walk into the bar.
By this time, Hong Mengqi had finished singing another song, and the applause from the audience was not as enthusiastic as before, appearing sparse. Two guests had already left, while the other guests seemed engrossed in chatting with their companions and did not seem to care much about what was happening on stage. The atmosphere was no longer as lively as it had been when He Yajun was about to go on stage.
Hong Yantao sat back in his original spot on the stage, tested the guitar a few times, exchanged a glance with Hong Mengqi, and then began to play.
Qiao Ruo listened absentmindedly until the waiter brought her orange juice and told her that the boss had given her a plate of snacks and asked her to enjoy them. Only then did she come back to her senses.
Not seeing He Yajun made her feel somewhat uneasy. She hadn't actually figured out how to face He Yajun later, but a voice inside her kept repeating: You can't leave, you must seize this rare opportunity.
She took a sip of juice, and the icy taste made her shiver, instantly making her feel much more awake.
She wasn't sure if there was any other way out besides the entrance at the top of the steps. But her intuition told her that He Yajun was still here.
Sure enough, just as she was about to take her second sip of juice, He Yajun came out from inside. He was wearing a slightly loose pullover sweater and dark trousers, with an overcoat of an indistinct color draped over his right arm.
He didn't sit down, and of course, he couldn't possibly notice her presence. His gaze swept over her without pause, then he turned and leaned against a table in the front row, facing the stage.
Qiao Ruo stared at his back, her heart pounding, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Her face felt like it was on fire, so hot it hurt. Her hands gripped the glass tightly, but the cool touch did nothing to ease her tension.
When the song ended, Qiao Ruo saw Hong Mengqi say thank you, pull Hong Yantao up, and the two bowed to the audience as a way of saying goodbye.
The brother and sister stepped off the stage and stood with He Yajun. Qiao Ruo couldn't see his face clearly, but from Hong Mengqi's bright smile and Hong Yantao's doting yet helpless expression when looking at his sister, she could deduce that He Yajun's expression must also be pleasant at this moment.
Hong Mengqi kept talking non-stop, and He Yajun nodded occasionally. After an unknown amount of time, he finally stood up straight, patted Hong Yantao on the shoulder, and then walked out.
Qiao Ruoteng stood up abruptly. Hong Yantao saw her and immediately walked towards her. Just as he was about to speak, she suddenly interrupted him: "I'm sorry, Mr. Hong, I have to go first because of an urgent matter." Her eyes passed over him and followed He Yajun's figure as it got further and further away. At the same time, she took out her phone to pay the bill. "I'll pay you."
Hong Yantao raised his eyebrows in surprise, then seemed to sense something, and his face immediately returned to calm: "No need, it's my treat."
Qiao Ruo quickly thanked her, not even noticing the thoughtful look Hong Mengqi gave her as she passed by. She nodded hastily as a greeting and hurried out.
It was already past ten o'clock, and there were far fewer people strolling on the road. Qiao Ruo spotted He Yajun at a glance. He was walking lazily toward the Piano Pier and then took the same path she had come from.
The tourists had dispersed, and the bustling atmosphere of the earlier visit had subsided. Most shops had closed for the night, and the streetlights cast a soft glow on him, making his figure appear inexplicably lonely and forlorn.
Qiao Ruo dared not get too close to him, and tried her best to keep up with his pace, walking behind him step by step.
He Yajun seemed unaware that she was being followed the whole way, and didn't even look back once.
Upon reaching the entrance of the alley where Qiao Ruo's guesthouse was located, He Yajun did not stop but continued walking forward until the road sign marking Yongchun Road appeared. She then paused briefly, turned left, and entered Yongchun Road.
Seeing his figure disappear, Qiao Ruo hurriedly quickened her pace and chased after him. She stopped abruptly at a turn.
He Yajun stood there motionless, arms crossed, looking at her with a half-smile.
Qiao Ruo panicked immediately, opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
"What are you doing following me?" He Yajun asked in a flat tone.
“I…I, no,” Qiao Ruo stammered incoherently, “I didn’t, I didn’t mean to.”
He Yajun raised an eyebrow, her voice still flat: "Miss, I don't care what your purpose is, but it's very late now, please leave."
“I…” Qiao Ruo forced herself to look up and look directly at his face. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have followed you. It’s undignified of me, but I didn’t mean any harm. I just wanted to say hello to you…”
He Yajun pursed his lips and smiled slightly: "I didn't expect to be so lucky today. Such a beautiful girl actually wanted to get to know me and even escorted me back to the hotel." It seemed that being approached by strange women happened every day, and he was already used to it. He continued very tolerantly, "If it were a little earlier, I would be happy to find a place to sit down and get to know you. But it's late, and I'm a little tired. I want to rest early. Goodbye."
"He Yajun." Qiao Ruo called out his name in a hurry when she saw him about to leave.
He Yajun paused, turned around, and looked her up and down thoughtfully.
Qiao Ruo smiled wryly: "Actually, this isn't the first time we've met. We're both from the same city, Ma Shi, and we even went to the same high school." She didn't give herself any chance to back down, straightened her back, and answered clearly, "Long time no see, He Yajun, I'm Qiao Ruo."
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