Chapter 21
In the first few days after Per Sinian went on his business trip, Lin Xiaotang's world was still enveloped in that sweet pink bubble. She thought about how he earnestly said "Wait for me to come back," and about his occasional clumsy thoughtfulness. Her heart felt as sweet, warm, and full as the caramel macchiato in the shop.
However, this illusory sense of happiness was shattered on the evening of the fifth day by the sound of wind chimes ringing at closing time.
The shop was empty, and Lin Xiaotang was tallying up the final sales figures. The door opened, and a figure walked in. Lin Xiaotang looked up, habitually flashing a smile: "Sorry, we've already called..."
Her voice stopped abruptly.
Standing at the door was the same capable-looking woman who had argued fiercely with Bai Sinian outside the shop that afternoon. Now, the agitation and anger of that day were gone from her face; instead, a complex expression, a mixture of scrutiny, sympathy, and a hint of resolute determination, graced her features.
"Miss Lin, is that right?" The woman's voice was calm. "Can we talk?"
Lin Xiaotang's heart sank inexplicably, and the unease that Bai Sinian had vaguely brushed aside surged back into her heart. She put down what she was holding and nodded: "Please sit down. Is there something you need?"
The woman didn't sit down, but walked to the bar, looked directly at Lin Xiaotang, and got straight to the point: "Do you know Xu Jiahui?"
Xu Jiahui? Lin Xiaotang shook her head blankly: "I don't know her. Who is she?"
The woman didn't answer directly. Instead, she placed a rather large cardboard box that she had been carrying on the bar counter and pushed it in front of her. "My name is Xu Jiaxin," she said, looking into Lin Xiaotang's eyes, "Xu Jiahui is my older sister."
Lin Xiaotang looked down in confusion and subconsciously opened the cardboard box.
Inside was a box full of photos and some miscellaneous items.
Her gaze fell on the top photo, and her breath caught in her throat.
The photo shows a younger version of Persian. He's wearing an academic gown, smiling brightly, while the girl he's holding tightly in his arms, also wearing an academic gown, is smiling happily.
She has a face that is almost identical to Lin Xiaotang's.
Her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an icy hand, suddenly constricting. Her hands trembled as she picked up more photos. Group photos in the park, eye contact in the library, frolicking in the snow… In every photo, standing beside Persian was that girl with the bright smile, who seemed like her twin sister. They looked so in love, their eyes filled with an unbreakable, deep affection.
She then saw several carefully handwritten birthday cards. The familiar, strong handwriting belonged to Percy. Without exception, the date was May 20th every year.
To my beloved Jia Hui: May every day of yours shine like the stars, and may you always possess the sweetest smile. I love you, year after year. May you live long and prosper.
【Jiahui, another 520 has arrived. You are the unexpected sweetener in the bitterest coffee of my life. I will always love you.】
Happy birthday, Jia Hui. Marry me. Next year on this day, I hope we can cut our cake together.
The handwriting on the last greeting card was even somewhat hasty and hurried, as if it contained a great expectation.
“My sister and Bai Sinian were college classmates. They got together in their sophomore year and were considered the perfect couple by everyone.” Xu Jiaxin’s cold voice rang out from the side, like a file, scraping at Lin Xiaotang’s nerves. “They were planning to get married after they graduated with their master’s degrees, and the wedding date was already set. But it was at that time that my sister was diagnosed with leukemia.”
Lin Xiaotang's fingers froze on the scorching photos and greeting cards, her whole body turning ice cold.
“She held on for two years, but she still couldn’t make it. She passed away three years ago in the winter.” Xu Jiaxin’s voice trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “Bai Sinian… he almost collapsed. For the past three years, he’s lived like a walking corpse.”
At this moment, all the fragments were pieced together in a cruel yet clear way.
When I first met him, his eyes were filled with pain, struggle, and it was as if he were looking at someone else through her.
He repeatedly approached and then fled.
His incredible, humble joy when he heard her say "let's be friends" was palpable.
On May 20th, he insisted on buying her the strawberry cake that ultimately shattered on the floor.
He kept saying "I'm sorry" while he was drunk.
He looked at her with a bewildered yet focused expression when he saw that she could eat spicy food...
It turns out that all the special attention, all the tenderness, all the painful struggles... were not because of her, Lin Xiaotang.
It was simply because she had the exact same face as his deceased lover.
She was just a pitiful shadow, a substitute used to express grief, a fake he dared not even let her know the truth, a fake wrapped in lies.
An unprecedented feeling of utter deception and humiliation overwhelmed her like a torrent of icy water. Nausea, anger, sorrow, humiliation... a torrent of emotions ripped at her heart, leaving her almost unable to stand, her face ashen white.
Xu Jiaxin looked at her face, which had suddenly lost blood, and her trembling body. A trace of pity flashed in her eyes, but her tone remained calm: "I understood the moment I saw you. Why he appeared in your shop, why it was you... I'm telling you this for no other reason than to prevent you from being deceived by him again and living in someone else's shadow."
She paused, then added, "He promised my sister he would live a good life. But I never expected it to be like this."
Xu Jiaxin left.
Left alone, facing a box full of "another self" and evidence of that man's deep love, Lin Xiaotang's whole world collapsed, the fragments piercing her body.
Her phone kept vibrating beside her, the screen flashing the name "Bai Sinian," and messages popped up one after another. Those caring words that had once touched her heart now seemed incredibly ironic and disgusting.
She grabbed her phone, intending to smash it, but in the end, she could only let her hand fall limply. A huge amount of sadness and anger choked in her throat, preventing her from making a sound.
For the next two days, she was completely unable to work. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Xu Jiahui's happy smiling face in the photo and Bai Sinian's affectionate gaze. Everything in the shop, even the aroma of coffee, suffocated her. She had no choice but to hang up a "Temporarily Closed" sign, lock herself at home, and lick her bleeding wounds alone.
Anger, sadness, and self-doubt tormented her in turn.
On the morning of the fourth day, sunlight once again streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Looking at her haggard reflection in the mirror, her eyes red and swollen, a thought suddenly became clear:
She wasn't wrong.
Why? Why should she hide away and suffer because of a liar's cowardice and selfishness? Why should she let a ghost living in the past and a carefully planned deception destroy the life and career she has worked so hard to build?
The corner is hers, and so is her life!
A stubborn, indomitable spirit struggled to rise from the deepest part of her heart. She fiercely wiped away her tears, forced herself to wash her face, and put on light makeup to cover up her haggard appearance.
Then, she picked up her keys, went out of her house, and reopened the door to "Corner".
Sunlight streamed into the shop, swirling dust particles in the beams of light. She took a deep breath; the sweet, dreamlike atmosphere was gone, replaced by the reality she had to confront and confront.
She picked up a rag and began to scrub the bar counter vigorously, as if trying to erase all memories and traces of that man. Her movements were somewhat fierce due to the force, but her eyes regained their resolve.
Just then, the wind chimes on the shop door rang again.
Lin Xiaotang looked up and saw the receptionist of Bai Sinian Company standing awkwardly at the door, holding a cell phone that was on a call.
Lin Xiaotang's eyes instantly turned cold.
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