The fleeting moments of separation hurt me, amidst the noise, I enjoy the ballet alone.
"Do you like Yiyi?" Qian Jianjun looked at Qiu Nian with burning eyes, caring like an older brother. "Don't deny it, I know everything. Is there any progress?"
"I, I, well, I don't know if she hates me. It's been a long time, and there's been no progress at all. We haven't even talked about personal matters. There's no intimate contact."
"Xiao Nian, you're so good at work, why are you so passive when it comes to girls? You should create more opportunities to be with her."
"Yes, I go to the store every day."
"It's not like we're following each other every day like now. We need to have common experiences and topics to develop feelings. For example, eating, watching movies, and nowadays, script-killing and escape room games." Qian Jianjun helped with ideas.
"There are these too, but they're not very effective. Later, she stopped going..."
Thinking of this, the honest Qiu Nian added in a low voice: "Besides, if you don't go, Yiyi will definitely not go either."
Xue Jiuyue looked at the sunny boy in front of her. His large eyes, beneath thick eyebrows, were now drooping, only his long eyelashes fluttering, revealing his inner bewilderment. His fair skin had become pinkish due to shyness, making his already slightly chubby face look adorable, like a doll. An inexplicable pity washed over her, transforming into a gentle encouragement, "Be bold, I'll support you!"
"Thank you, Sister Yue, thank you!"
A warm current of confidence instantly filled Qiu Nian with energy and hope...
Mei Rugu's hope withered with the ticking of the seconds, the door to happiness slowly closing. All the dialogues she had rehearsed faded and shrank in the waiting, finally igniting into a ball of flame, consuming all the oxygen around her and bringing on waves of suffocation.
Another instance of "burning out the candle and shedding tears"? Mei Rugu felt like a joke.
Just as the door was about to close completely, it opened. The familiar sound of footsteps and the door opening, with a long-lost feeling of happiness, flowed into two lines of clear tears.
Mei Rugu quickly turned her back, and when she looked back again, she was already as cold and arrogant as a plum blossom. She only asked, "You're back?" The voice was still trembling, like a faint fragrance floating in the air.
Qian Jianjun's heartstrings resonated with it. He saw the candlesticks and red wine in the restaurant not far away, and first answered in a low voice, "I'm back." Then the instinct of survival drove him to quickly check what day it was today and whether he had forgotten anything.
So the two people who knew each other best, in the most familiar place, became as awkward as a boy and girl meeting for the first time, each speculating about the other and hesitating about themselves.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Qian Jianjun took a cautious step forward.
All the rehearsed actions were undone by the politeness in these light words. Mei Rugu quickly adjusted herself, "It's okay, I'm glad you're back. Change your clothes and get ready for dinner."
"I, oh, okay." Qian Jianjun, still confused, was as stiff as a puppet.
The romance of each of them carrying their own thoughts is always bitter, and the moon outside the window is bright, dull and dim behind the thin clouds.
Unsure of what day it was, Qian Jianjun didn't dare raise his glass. Mei Rugu, however, lifted her goblet, shaking it with her thoughts, until a splash of wine stained her face in the flickering candlelight. Then, with difficulty, she uttered, "That day..."
"The past is gone, why bother talking about it? Come on, let's do it." Qian Jianjun suddenly realized.
The red wine lingers, carrying with it a lingering feeling, leaving behind a full-bodied mouthfeel and a rich aftertaste. There's a sense of unspoken clarity, yet also a sense of regret at its abrupt end, perhaps even a hint of speculation about what's been left unsaid.
So Mei Rugu changed her angle and extended an olive branch, "I was very busy recently. Now that it's finally over, I should be able to breathe a sigh of relief."
"You should have rested a long time ago. Why make it so hard on yourself? Let's have a toast and celebrate!"
The slightly uncomfortable tone and slight disappointment were tempered by the wine, condensing into a hint of sourness that was blended into the rich fruity aroma before fading away. Mei Rugu refilled both glasses and emphasized, "Come on, let's have another drink so we can both rest!"
"Okay, let's do it!"
Qian Jianjun was still immersed in Mei Rugu's unfinished apology. He drank the whole thing in one gulp and then began to tell some interesting stories to accompany his wine.
The atmosphere gradually brightened, but even a whole bottle of red wine couldn't bring back the two missed flights, and Mei Rugu ultimately didn't try to bring it up again. Because as she toasted, the sweetness of the red wine and the past years soothed the slightest sense of loss that she no longer cared about.
Qian Jianjun was half drunk and slightly tipsy, and the long-awaited pleasure made him completely relaxed.
"You should rest now. I have some tickets for the Paris Theatre Ballet. Shall we go together tomorrow night?"
If they couldn't travel abroad, going to a show together would be a good option. Mei Rugutuo blushed and nodded in agreement in the dim light.
That nod of affection stirred the air, shimmered the candlelight, and emptied the years of conflicting glances between the elderly couple. Qian Jianjun felt lost, a dream, a first encounter, a desire to keep drinking...
Perhaps a woman's emotions vanish with tears, so women who don't cry are often more rational than men. So, Qian Jianjun, already drunk and snoring, probably didn't even catch Mei Rugu's whispered words, "Let's have a baby."
The coolness of the night dispelled the heavy drunkenness. Mei sat alone on the balcony as usual. Although she was not in the mood to "hold a red candle and admire the fading flowers", the aftertaste of the sweetness just now was as lingering as the moonlight.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew up, bringing a cloud to cover the moon and casting sparse shadows horizontally, which aroused a doubt that was almost missed.
“Who will he go to the ballet with if I don’t take tomorrow off?”
"He didn't know I'd have the day off tomorrow, but the tickets were already ready. Was he well-prepared or was it just a coincidence?"
"Or is it just a coincidence that I'm going tomorrow?"
…
Once Pandora's box is opened, it's impossible to stop. The endless stream of thoughts filled the night, making it so noisy that Mei Rugu could only drowsy and half asleep.
Whether she sleeps or not, she will get up when it is time to get up. This is Mei Rugu's habit.
After washing up, I went to the cloakroom and found that Qian Jianjun's formal suit had been ironed and hung outside.
"Sister Feng?" Mei Rugu softly called Sister Feng over to inquire about the situation. "When did Old Qian ask you to prepare clothes?"
"Boss Mei, it was around yesterday afternoon when Assistant Gu sent me a message asking me to prepare Boss Qian's formal attire. He said Boss Qian would be back to pick it up and it would be used today."
"Oh, okay, go ahead and do your work." Mei Rugu's doubts grew even heavier, heavier than the thick fog outside the window.
Qian Jianjun was still drunk during breakfast.
Congee, side dishes, soy milk, and fried dough sticks—homely, light meals. And with my beloved by my side, this morning feels warm and not lonely. This is the true taste of happiness—light as water, sweet as honey, mellow as wine.
A phone rang at an inopportune time.
"I'm sorry..." Qian Jianjun took out his mobile phone apologetically, only to find that his phone was not the culprit.
"Sorry, it's mine." Mei Rugu took out her cell phone.
"Hello. Um, uh, Xiao Jian, what? You all pulled an all-nighter? Did you solve the problem? Are you planning on flying to Qiuting? Wait a minute, you two can rest for a while, I'll be right over."
After Mei Rugu finished the call, she felt a bit awkward facing Qian Jianjun again. Despite her misgivings, she couldn't bear to disrupt the atmosphere they'd cultivated with such effort. Without her usual decisiveness, she bit her lip and spoke hesitantly, "I, well, there's an emergency at the institute. Xiao Jian and the others worked all night and still can't resolve it. We might have to fly to Qiuting. I..."
"Go ahead. There will always be emergencies. Try to resolve the problem as soon as possible. If you can handle it, I will pick you up to see the show in the evening." Qian Jianjun couldn't bear to break up such a beautiful dream and appeared very magnanimous.
But after Mei Rugu left, his magnanimous and considerate smile transformed into heart-wrenching loneliness in the empty room, sobering Qian Jianjun from a drunken night.
"It would be better not to see each other, how can love be compared to indifference? The music has ended, the wine has just begun to sober up, the moon is low in the deep courtyard, and the people are quiet." The unexpected joy from last night to now has now shattered into a bubble, as this half-sentence describes, it would be better if it had never happened. The same parting, different sorrows, across the millennia, has been recited by Qian Jianjun into a long song of sorrow, tormented by the helpless sadness.
Maybe we can watch a show together in the evening. Although this is very slim based on past practices, this glimmer of hope still stubbornly flutters in the wind and rain and has not been extinguished.
Even the most tenacious flame couldn't overcome the despair of reality. Although Qian Jianjun had been able to accept it calmly, and although Mei Rugu had politely apologized, the phone call at noon still made Qian Jianjun feel as if his heart was being pressed against an icy blade, slowly pushing...
The Paris Theatre Ballet performed at a newly built theater in Xialin City. Xue Jiuyue and her group had VIP tickets on the second floor of the theater, likely a family package. They had a small suite with several sofas and a coffee table set with drinks and fresh fruit. The balcony, facing the stage, was spacious and furnished with several comfortable single sofas. While there was ample space, there was no coffee table, presumably as a reminder to guests to maintain proper etiquette while enjoying the performance, as a sign of respect for the performers.
Ten minutes before the show started, Xue Jiuyue and the others sat quietly on the balcony. Xue Jiuyue naturally sat in the middle, with Lin Yiyi and Qiu Nian on his left, and Zhou Ying and Ke Yike on his right.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Yiyi asked lightly, startling Qiu Nian so much that he trembled.
"I, I, Jun brother, over there..."
Xue Jiuyue looked over when she heard that, and sure enough, Qian Jianjun was on the balcony next door. Although not right next to him, he was only about two or three meters away.
Qian Jianjun happened to look over, and the two exchanged a smile and a nod. Unlike the harmonious little group here, Qian Jianjun sat alone in the spacious stands, forming a sharp contrast with the bustling background in the distance.
Perhaps in the eyes of others, Qian Jianjun is the object of everyone's envy. He enjoys the best view, the most comfortable environment, the most peaceful time, and can be free without caring about his surroundings... But Xue Jiuyue felt a wave of sympathy in her heart, because when they looked at each other just now, she deeply felt Qian Jianjun's loneliness.
When their eyes first met, Xue Jiuyue saw on Qian Jianjun's face the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and his eyes, already bright as stars, grew even rounder and brighter. His entire features relaxed, revealing a genuine joy. But then, as if reminded of his own solitude, Qian Jianjun's brows raised slightly, then drooped slightly. Though a smile remained, it was only a forced effort. His gaze dimmed, his cold eyes wrinkled like moonlight by the wind.
"Ask him to come and watch the show together?" Xue Jiuyue was a little hesitant.
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