Chapter Thirty-Nine: Thank you, friend.
The waiting hall of Haojiang International Airport is bright and spacious.
Cheng Yin sat by the window, watching the planes taking off and landing on the runway through the glass curtain wall.
Her boarding pass rested on her lap: Parrot Island, one-way.
There was no diamond necklace, no designer bag, just a few changes of clothes and a laptop.
My phone vibrated; it was a confirmation text from the company's HR: "Ms. Cheng, the person picking you up will be waiting for you at Exit A of Yingzhou Airport. The license plate number is Yue C·A8732."
Cheng Yin replied "Received" and locked her screen.
The boarding announcements began over the terminal's loudspeaker, and passengers began lining up. She stood up and took one last look around the city where she had lived for seven months.
The sky over Haojiang was a blindingly blue, and the clouds, like torn cotton wool, drifted to the horizon.
Not far away, Cici's red hair stood out in the crowd. She was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, and was being pulled by the arm by Lin Shirong; the two seemed to be arguing about something.
"Let go of me!" Cici shook off Lin Shirong's hand, her voice low. "She left alone, without anyone to see her off!"
Lin Shirong adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses: "Don't make things worse."
"Make trouble?" Cici sneered. "Brother Dong is a coward himself, and he won't let others..."
"Cici," Lin Shirong interrupted her, "Cheng Yin is not one of us."
Cici opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing. She looked in Cheng Yin's direction; the slender figure was quietly queuing to board the plane, her back straight like a young poplar tree, without turning back or lingering.
Cici's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out; it was a text message from Cheng Yin: "Thanks, friend."
The four simple words, without any emojis or unnecessary embellishments, are just as straightforward as Cheng Yin herself.
Cici's nose suddenly stung with tears. She remembered Cheng Yin, who calmly negotiated while locked in a cage at the factory in Siam; she remembered Cheng Yin who didn't get angry when Cici teased her at the party; she remembered Cheng Yin who quietly helped her organize her expense reports...
"Damn it!" Cici wiped her eyes. "Who wants to be her friend!"
Lin Shirong watched Cheng Yin's figure disappear through the boarding gate and murmured, "That's for the best."
He Jingwen's apartment was filled with smoke.
Li Yaodong leaned back on the sofa, the cigarette between his fingers burned to the end, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts. The whiskey on the coffee table was half empty, and the ice had melted at the bottom of the glass.
"Brother Dong, have some water." He Jingwen handed him a bottle of mineral water. "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet."
Li Yaodong didn't take the cigarette, but lit another one. The sunlight outside the window was perfect, shining on his dark circles and stubble, making him look particularly haggard.
He Jingwen's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen: "Cici sent a photo; Cheng Yin has boarded the plane."
Li Yaodong finally moved and reached out to take the phone.
She was dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, looking like a recent college graduate, so clean and out of place in the glamorous city of Haojiang.
"Hmm." Li Yaodong tossed his phone back onto the coffee table, his voice hoarse.
He Jingwen, in a fit of rage, ruffled his hair: "That's it? Dong-ge, are you even a man? If you like her, go after her!"
Li Yaodong sneered and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Chase what?"
"Accountant Cheng!" He Jingwen exclaimed like a cat with its fur standing on end, "You took a bullet for her, and she falsified accounts for you—isn't that love?"
"Love?" Lai Yiu-tung asked as if he'd heard a joke. "Do you know why she came to Macau?"
"Because of Xu Chen's debt..."
"Yes, the debt." Li Yaodong stubbed out his cigarette. "Now the debt is cleared, she's free." He poured himself a glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. "She deserves better." His voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
He Jingwen asked, puzzled, "What's better? Money? Status?" He shook his head. "Sister Cheng doesn't seem like the type to care about those things."
"Safety." He leaned his head back on the sofa, looking out the window at the bright sunshine and gentle breeze. "A peaceful life."
"But she made the choice herself!" He Jingwen said excitedly, "She chose to be with you!"
Li Yaodong's eyes suddenly sharpened: "She had no choice." He stood up and walked to the window. "From the moment Xu Chen's debts started, she had no choice."
"She'll be fine," he muttered to himself, "better than with me."
The sunlight outside the window was dazzling, and Li Yaodong squinted.
That wasn't love, gratitude, or loyalty; it was an illusion he bought for 870,000.
Li Yaodong took a big gulp of wine; the alcohol burned his throat, but it couldn't quench the dull pain in his chest.
Over the past five months, she has learned to smile, to hug, and even to give that awkward kiss... But now, everything is back to square one.
"She'll forget," He Jingwen tried to comfort her. "There are so many good men in Wushan..."
Li Yaodong's eyes instantly turned cold: "Shut up."
He Jingwen shrank back, not daring to mention it again.
The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the swallowing of alcohol. Outside the window, an airplane flew over the Haojiang Tower and disappeared into the clouds.
Parrot Island Airport is much smaller than Haojiang Airport, and the crowds are not as dense.
The person who picked me up at the airport was a young woman with a bright smile: "Hello, Director Cheng! I'm Xiao Lin from Vanke's administration department. I'll take you to your apartment."
As the car drove away from the airport, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from the suburbs to the city.
Parrot Island is quieter than Haojiang, with wide streets, shady trees, and no neon lights or noise from casinos.
"Director Cheng, the apartment is near the company, a ten-minute walk," Xiao Lin introduced enthusiastically. "There's a supermarket and restaurants downstairs, making life very convenient."
Cheng Yin nodded: "Thank you."
The apartment was better than I expected; it was a one-bedroom apartment with a simple decor, and a few potted plants on the balcony. Xiao Lin left the key and company documents before leaving, saying, "The HR department will pick you up at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to start your new job."
After the door closed, Cheng Yin stood in the center of the living room, looking around at this unfamiliar space.
Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting dappled patterns of light on the floor.
She put down her luggage and walked to the window. In the distance, she could see the sea, a vast expanse of azure, facing the Haojiang River across the water.
She put down her phone and began packing her luggage.
Clothes were hung in the closet, toiletries were placed in the bathroom, and the laptop was put on the small desk... In less than half an hour, everything was set up.
Cheng Yin sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the place that was about to become "home".
Clean, simple, no cousin, no aunt, no luxury goods, no scent of ambergris, and no sound of Li Yaodong's footsteps when he came home in the middle of the night.
Everything was so...normal.
The showerhead in the bathroom sprayed water steadily at just the right temperature. She dried herself off, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the bed.
As dusk settled outside the window, the lights of countless homes illuminated Yingzhou. She picked up her phone, hesitated for a long time, and then typed a text message: "Arrived in Yingzhou, all is well."
Recipient: Li Yaodong.
Before sending the message, Cheng Yin stared at the name for a long time. Her thumb hovered over the send button, but finally, she deleted the message and turned off her phone.
As night deepened, Cheng Yin tossed and turned in bed.
The apartment was too quiet; there was no sound of Li Yaodong breathing, no creaking of the mattress when he turned over, no clinking of glasses when he got up to drink water in the middle of the night...
This silence felt like an invisible pressure, squeezing her chest.
In a half-dream, half-awake state, Cheng Yin felt as if she had returned to Haojiang.
Li Yaodong stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking with his back to her. His silhouette was blurred and lonely in the swirling smoke. She wanted to call out to him, but no sound came out; she wanted to go to him, but she couldn't move.
Finally, Li Yaodong turned around, his eyes as gentle as the sea under the moonlight, and said, "Sleep well, Cheng Yin."
Cheng Yin suddenly opened her eyes; it was already dawn.
There was a damp patch on her pillow, she couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears. She sat up and looked at the sky gradually brightening outside the window. A new day had begun, and so had a new life.
Wash up, change clothes, put on makeup.
She has no diamond necklace, no designer suit, just an ordinary working woman preparing to start an ordinary job.
Cheng Yin's phone vibrated in her bag. She took it out; it was a text message from the company. She hesitated for a moment, then opened her call log. Li Yaodong's name lay quietly in her recent contacts list; their last call was four days ago.
Cheng Yin took a deep breath and pressed the delete key.
The name disappeared, as if it had never existed.
The doorbell rang; it was the company car coming to pick her up.
Cheng Yin took one last look at the small apartment; the sunlight shone on the bed sheets, making it warm and clean.
She closed the door and moved on to a new life.
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