59. Moonlight
The street in front of the restaurant where Feng Simiao and I had dinner is very nice.
One end leads to the embassy district, lined with lush plane trees. Heading north, past charming restaurants and cafes, you'll reach the Liangma River, often called Chaoyang District's "Seine." In summer, the river is bustling with swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, and anglers, all enjoying their leisurely pace. In winter, winter swimmers are a common sight, while the more daring take to the ice skating.
On the other side of the road, the bustling South Village district is dotted with lecherous old men, posing for candid photos of pretty girls. At the intersection, the clothing store where intimate fitting room videos were leaked years ago has become the trendy Gentle Monster, selling sunglasses for 2,000 yuan a pair. Further south, the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Institute's cluster of bungalows houses a number of charming little restaurants.
Vivian resolved to walk home. Though the weather was still cold, a stroll in the crisp air was the perfect form of dynamic meditation for clearing her mind. But that night, her mind struggled to calm down, unable to stop thinking about that summer night breeze. Back then, Feng Simiao and Lin Yang had been a flawless template for life, while she was lost in her own unspoken thoughts.
Now, she could no longer recall her own bitter feelings, and only felt sad for Feng Simiao.
The phone was on, she was strolling home, and he was running.
"Or we can talk after you finish running? I'm gasping for breath." His breathing seemed to be right beside her, making her ears and heart itchy.
"No, no, it's only one kilometer away. It's quick. Don't hang up."
There was only one kilometer in front of him, but she was thousands of kilometers away. She could only thank modern technology for allowing her to hear his clear footsteps and rhythmic breathing through the headphones, perfectly restored, as if he was right within reach.
Just... a little bit pornographic.
Even though she was surrounded by the endless cold air, her cheeks gradually warmed up. "Okay, I'll stroll and you run slowly. No need to rush, it's okay to run a marathon."
After a few minutes, he slowly stopped and asked: "Why are you in a bad mood?"
"It's a bit sad to see Lian Simiao encountering such a thing."
I feel sorry for her, but I don't even have the right to. After all, there are so many troubles in life, and being able to suffer only for love is already an extraordinary luxury.
But still sad.
Urban girls who grew up on Yi Shu's novels always like to quote the famous saying: I want a lot of love, but if not, a lot of money would also be good.
It sounds like the truth of the world.
But...this is so arrogant.
Because most people don't have much love or much money.
Feng Simiao was different. She had a lot of love and a lot of money. But even so, she couldn't escape the trap that women often fall into in the name of love.
It’s not that Lin Yang’s love for Feng Simiao is fake, nor that Lin Yang set a trap for her to fall into. Maybe this is just a small matter. Lin Yang is one in a million very well-behaved rich second-generation. After all, those who are not well-behaved are probably at the Hai Tian Sheng Yan, or they are changing internet celebrities as high-end companions on a weekly basis.
But true love cannot give Feng Simiao immunity from harm.
As for the outcome? Ultimately, it would likely be just Lin Yang bowing his head before his father-in-law and promising never to do it again. At this point, it would be pointless to argue that Feng Simiao's family was more powerful than Lin Yang's. It was precisely because of families like this that they had to weigh the pros and cons and maintain stability.
Romantic love might actually be a hoax. Because the fairy tales girls have read since childhood only tell of princes and princesses living happily ever after.
No one has ever taught girls what to do if their prince cheats on them.
"I'm not speaking for Lin Yang, but...it's not surprising that something like this happened."
Vivian was furious and couldn't help but sarcastically say, "In this kind of situation, it really is boys helping boys."
"I'm not saying he was right. I'm just saying it's a common occurrence for a playboy like him."
"Isn't Si Miao the eldest daughter? But Si Miao has always been wholeheartedly devoted and never puts others in her eyes." Vivian was still feeling sorry for her friend. "Or cheating during pregnancy? Can't she control herself? This is such a bad plot that even the 1818 Golden Eye would think it was bad."
Even putting aside his wealth, Feng Simiao's appearance was superior to Lin Yang's. The reason why Lin Yang was able to succeed among so many suitors was simply because of his honesty and devotion, a rare quality among men.
I didn't expect this to be unreliable either.
"Of course Si Miao has the confidence not to forgive. But she is the person involved, and the situation is so complicated. If she wants to forgive, no one can persuade her to break up."
"Forget it, forget it. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Men are trash."
At this time, a message from Feng Simiao popped up on the screen, "Don't tell anyone what I told you today."
His tone was relaxed. He probably figured it out.
Or regret exposing yourself too much to her.
Vivian wasn't sure what she was thinking, so she replied immediately, "Don't worry, take good care of yourself. I'll come back to Beijing to see the baby next time."
An idea suddenly occurred to her, and she opened her Moments. Feng Simiao and Lin Yang had just posted intimate and harmonious photos of themselves with their dog, with the text saying something like "Looking forward to the fourth member of the family."
It's like an essay with the same topic.
This was a habit they both followed. They'd share the same meal or vacation, always posting to their social media posts within minutes of each other. In the past, Vivian had never given it much thought. They were always a perfect match, a pairing of lovers, envied by others.
But what can we believe in now, even though God tells us that love is patient and kind, that love does not envy, that love does not boast, that it is not arrogant, and that it does not do shameful things.
Be tolerant of all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things.
She turned off the phone screen and realized that the call was still connected. After she said "Man, rubbish", there was silence on the other end for a while.
By this time, she had already walked downstairs to her building and said in advance: "The signal in the elevator is not good. If it is cut off, it is cut off. I am just complaining. I have said what I want to say."
"Well, don't hang up. Once you get in, go to the window first."
"what?"
As expected, there was no signal as soon as she entered the elevator of the old building. There was silence on both ends of the phone. She changed her shoes in the entrance hall and walked into the living room with clattering feet. There were two windows facing south and west respectively. She had not drawn the curtains when she went out. The ground was now covered with silver, as bright as moonlight. She could see the outline of the room clearly without turning on the lights.
She simply didn't turn on the light.
"You know what? It's rare to see a cloudless sky here today. The moonlight is beautiful."
"Where are you?"
"By the seaside."
"Hmm~ The last time I watched the moon at the beach was the last time," Nonsense Literature blurted out. The last time she watched the moon at the beach, it hadn't been a happy one. Moonlight shone across the sea like silver, but she felt empty inside, with nowhere to turn. She'd been allergic to that kind of romance ever since. Listening to the waves, watching fireworks, saying "I love you" at the end of the world, that sort of thing.
"Don't you feel that when you see such beautiful moonlight, your heart will feel empty?"
She almost taunted him out of habit, "Why are you still doing this whole 'moonlight is beautiful tonight' thing?" But for some reason, her heart suddenly softened and she couldn't say anything so harsh.
She took off her headphones, turned on the speakerphone on her phone, and actually walked to the window.
A full moon hung in the sky, its majestic beauty, its brightness chilling. The moon, open and honest, is more honest than a human. Looking down from the window, the moonlight casts a shadow on the trees along the road, like falling snow.
It was spring now and the snow had stopped, but this moonlit night made it hard for her not to think of that long weekend with snowflakes falling that seemed to never end.
She said softly, "Okay, I'll listen to you and look at the moon again."
He was silent for a long time.
"Why aren't you talking? Were you angry just now?" she couldn't help but ask.
"No. Why should you be unhappy about other people's affairs? That's stupid. Let's not argue anymore. If we have to argue, we should do it in person." His voice seemed very close, yet very far away.
"Why?"
"We quarreled at the head of the bed and made up at the foot of the bed. There's no point in quarreling."
“…You little pervert.”
This joke, made earlier, sent both of them reeling. If they weren't thousands of kilometers apart, it would have been another beautiful dream.
It was a pity that the meeting with Feng Simiao tonight was like a huge rock, weighing heavily on her heart, making it impossible for her to be completely happy.
Even though she had never naively believed in love, even though she had always felt her heart was older than her body, she had never doubted the love between Feng Simiao and Lin Yang. They had always been the best model of life and love she had ever seen. Not long after that grand wedding that seemed like a dream, she discovered that the back of the dream was also so unbearable.
Although this pain was as light as a straw, it was enough to overwhelm the few illusions she had left.
About faith, hope and love.
Because of this, she unromantly said something she shouldn't have said at that moment: "The moonlight is beautiful. So long-distance relationships don't work."
"I don't understand."
"If we're together, we can watch the moon from the same window. Whether we're happy or sad, there's no need to talk. A hug or just holding hands is enough. After all, humans haven't evolved to the point where we're only in love with our thoughts. Otherwise, it's better to talk to AI. After all, it never gets annoying or angry, and it just tries its best to please you."
He ignored her dejected words and continued, "Have you noticed that this is literally the same as sharing the beauty of the moonlight from afar?"
"What?"
"Right now, you and me."
She was both amused and confused: "Do you just understand what this sentence means? Your elementary school Chinese was taught by a physical education teacher, right?"
"Teacher Fang, please teach me."
Lin Xi probably wrote "The Moon at That Time" because he was familiar with Su Shi. It doesn't matter whose heart the moon at that time represented, the result is the same.
Sharing the beauty of the moon from afar was a thing of a thousand years ago, but what Lin Xi wrote is the voice of modern people.
"Of course I know what it means. But I've never seen the moon with someone thousands of kilometers away, so it's hard to realize that this poem is talking about this moment," he replied.
When she was a young girl, she only heard the four words "never" when she heard this sentence, and immediately equated "never" with "you are the only one".
Not anymore. But a line of poetry, five words, still tiptoed into her heart like a cat.
She didn't say anything else, but just asked softly: "Next time we meet, can you bring me something?"
"Of course. What do you want?"
"One of your things. I'll tell you what it is after I think about it carefully."
He readily agreed. Perhaps he was so pleased with the coincidence of the mood of this line of poetry with tonight that he didn't think about what Su Shi had written before.
Write about what they can't do.
I wish you long life.
I wish you long life.
///
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