Chapter 300
One day, Wang Jiazhi went out on the street and heard people shouting, "Wang Jiazhi!"
She was startled. It turned out to be Mrs. Liao's daughter. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. To her surprise, she still remembered her name.
As expected, Mrs. Yi called the next day and started a flurry of small talk, asking her when she came to Shanghai again, why she hadn't contacted her, where she was living now, and so on.
He had already told her that she could give the phone number to someone, but if she wanted to leave an address, she could leave another one. She didn't know the place and had never been there, but he said there must be someone there.
I have used that address many times. I use that address to reply to Xiaoshuang and respond to readers' letters, and the letters are always received on time.
That day, Mrs. Yi invited her to her house to play cards. Mrs. Ma, Mrs. Liang, Mrs. Liao, Mrs. Xiao, and Mrs. Liao's daughter all attended. It was quite a scene; it was obvious that everyone wanted to see how she was doing after not seeing her for almost two years.
They were probably also very surprised. A married woman, she actually left Hong Kong and became a mistress in Shanghai. Wouldn't her family cause a commotion and look for someone else? Mrs. Yi felt the same way. She had chosen her because she was an outsider who wouldn't stay in Shanghai long and wouldn't pose a threat. Seeing that Mr. Yi was really living with her, she was also hoping that her husband in Hong Kong would make a scene and force her to return home as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, it had been quiet and peaceful for almost two years.
The ladies were surprised to see her again. She had changed so much, even dressed differently. Her hair was straight and tied in a bun, and she wore light makeup. She looked even more beautiful and radiant than before. And considering Old Yi's condition, which was much gentler than before, they were even more furious.
To quote Pan Jinlian’s indignant words from “Jin Ping Mei”: They are all your wives, why?
Mrs. Ma, Mrs. Xiao, and Mrs. Liao felt humiliated that he would flatter a woman from a humble family. They had originally disliked Ms. Qiao, but now that they seemed to be doing so well, they felt that Ms. Qiao would be a better choice in their place.
Wang Jiazhi was also a little afraid. Everyone here, except Mrs. Yi, had given birth. Although she had fully recovered, she wondered if anyone would notice. But this concern was fleeting. She was quickly distracted by the depressing atmosphere surrounding her. These ladies were all so eager to see her today. They weren't here to play cards, they were here to denounce her.
They just chatted for a while at Yi's house, not playing cards, and she invited them out for dinner. Actually, it wasn't the guest who had to pay first, but everyone knew tacitly that she wasn't the guest at all, and since she'd monopolized their cake, she should have been the one to pay.
During the meal, they chatted about some trivial matters, and then Mrs. Liao was the first to speak: "People nowadays are really bad. They will do anything to curry favor with others, rushing to follow behind and inserting little actors and stars and so on. Back then, giving Old Liao one, he was only sixteen years old. Isn't that a sin?"
Mrs. Yi said, "These people are so wicked, and those girls are so disrespectful, taking this path at such a young age."
Mrs. Liao said, "I heard that someone wanted to give Mr. Yi a little actress, about eighteen years old, named Bai Yufang. Fortunately, Mr. Yi is not a fool."
Wang Jiazhi had anticipated a bloody storm before she arrived, and she had come intentionally to hear what they had said during her absence. Sure enough!
He came back early today. It was almost nine o'clock when she came back from there, and he was playing with the child.
She talked about what happened over there today, and after a while, she calmly asked, "Who is Bai Yufang?" Then she watched to see if his expression changed. Of course, even if he had something on his mind, he could remain calm.
He smiled and said, "After you leave, someone wants to give me an actor, also named Wang." Then he smiled and said nothing more.
"What!"
He put the child down, held her in his arms, and said, "After a while, I'll take you to the theater so you can see what she looks like."
He meant for her to see him to boost her confidence. But Wang Jiazhi didn't want to see him. She'd heard the young actor was only eighteen, so naturally, he wasn't crazy yet. Her heart ached.
"Who is Ms. Qiao?"
"Um?"
"Mrs. Yuan."
He smiled and said, "You met her, what did you think?"
"She's not my mistress, so how can I feel about that?" Then he said, "Mrs. Yi seems very satisfied with her."
Today, the ladies were particularly harmonious and united in facing the outsider, and this "outsider" was Wang Jiazhi.
He laughed and said, "What's the use of her being satisfied?"
She had changed her clothes at this time and threw herself into his arms.
He knew that she was just joking with her and was not really angry. She also knew that at least these two had nothing to do with him. If there was really something, those ladies would not say it in front of Mrs. Yi. As for whether there were other people, she didn't know. Wang Jiazhi never had any extravagant expectations for this relationship, and she didn't even have any demands. As long as he didn't want her to know, it would be fine. Of course she cared, and she would even be jealous of Mrs. Yi, just because she wanted him to be hers alone. But she knew that she had no qualifications. This was how her life had been, what else could she dare to ask for?
She believed he was truly sincere towards her. Even if he found someone new, as long as he wasn't truly sincere, it would just be like the past, a fleeting romance that would end once the novelty wore off, and it wouldn't affect her in any way. But she wondered, what if he ever met someone he liked more than her? What would she do then? She would undoubtedly lose him. She believed he wouldn't just throw her out like that out of responsibility. Maybe he'd give her some money to let her go, or maybe he'd continue to support her as he did now, but rarely visit her, or even never see her.
If that day really comes, she doesn't know how she will face it, but she is very firm about one thing: she will never pester him. She can't stop him from finding someone better than her.
Two days later, Mrs. Yi called again and asked her to play cards at her house. Wang Jiazhi had already guessed that Mrs. Yi must have been preparing the players for this card game. As expected, she was finally going to meet Mrs. Yuan in person.
Because she hadn't hooked up with Lao Yi, Mrs. Yuan felt a sense of defeat for the first time in her life. It's like that with so many things: when something is easy to get, you don't cherish it, and when it's out of reach, you yearn for it even more. Especially since Lao Yi, despite his appearance having improved considerably over the past few years, had become even more alluring, Mrs. Yuan was deeply resigned.
People said that he didn't know what was wrong with him. He fell in love with a little girl and took her as his second wife for the first time. He even lost his habit of being a playboy.
Mrs. Yuan, now Ms. Qiao, had long been eager to see what kind of powerful person this person was. Determined not to lose in terms of momentum, she had painstakingly prepared the day before. Wang Jiazhi had done the same the day before; she also wanted to see what kind of person this incredibly charming Mrs. Yuan, Ms. Qiao, was.
She had spent over an hour the day before choosing clothes and jewelry, and then pondered what hairstyle and makeup to wear the next day. When everything was ready, she was still wondering if she had forgotten anything. She turned around and saw him sitting on the bed playing with the child. She stared at him in silence for a moment, then pounced like a leopard.
"ah!"
The next day, it was clear that Ms. Qiao had put considerable effort into her attire. Her jewelry and clothing weren't overly formal, which would have seemed contrived and embarrassing, but this actually added to her effort, requiring greater attention to detail. Ms. Qiao wore a pale rose-red cheongsam with white wicker sashes, white buttons, and her hair styled in a lantern pattern. She accessorized with grape-shaped white diamond earrings and a matching necklace.
Wang Jiazhi couldn't help but sigh in her heart that she was truly a stunning beauty.
Mrs. Yi was worried that the show wasn't loud enough, so she invited Mrs. Ma over. Mrs. Ma was dressed in her usual attire; she had given up hope of regaining favor and had come to watch the show. Mrs. Yi was worried that with a second wife, an old love, and a potential new favorite at the poker table, she, the first wife, wouldn't be able to control them, so she called in Mrs. Liang. Mrs. Liang was stunned by the scene, wondering if Mrs. Yi was being too abrupt. If these women really started to make a scene, wouldn't it be a complete mess?
The previous two times, Wang Jiazhi had worn that modest white coat, always afraid of being looked down upon. Today, she had changed into the leopard-print battledore. After almost two years, the other wives were indignant when they saw her in that outfit again. Her aura was completely different, and Mrs. Yi was even more furious.
Although Ms. Qiao harbored a certain resentment towards Lao Yi, she and Lao Yi were not close, and her curiosity about Wang Jiazhi outweighed her jealousy. Wang Jiazhi wore the butterfly fabric dress he had given her. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, topped with a matching butterfly hairpin and a jasmine flower pompadour. She also wore white diamond butterfly earrings and a brooch. The most dazzling piece of jewelry was the pink diamond ring. Finally, she had the chance to wear it.
Ms. Qiao thought Lao Yi was so philandering. When she learned that Mrs. Ma was his former favorite concubine and saw how charming she was, she assumed he liked the seductive type, and wondered what kind of alluring Wang Jiazhi must be. But when she actually saw her in person, she was shocked. Wang Jiazhi's temperament was actually dignified and scholarly, like a female teacher, completely different from Mrs. Ma. Only then did Ms. Qiao realize that he actually liked this type of woman.
But no matter where these ladies focused their attention before, as soon as Wang Jiazhi put on the ring, the other three people's attention shifted to this huge diamond ring.
Although this ring held profound meaning, it would be a shame to leave such an expensive item lying around unworn. Wang Jiazhi sometimes wore it at home, to make sure it didn't go to waste. But who was she showing it to? She worried it would be too conspicuous if she wore it out shopping. Today, given the chance, she had to wear it.
The person who was most upset was of course Mrs. Yi. She was so angry that she thought that Mr. Yi actually bought such expensive jewelry for a woman outside.
Wang Jiazhi returned to the days of socializing and competing with the other ladies. The glaring daylight was still on during the day, and the ladies' jewelry shone brightly, blinding everyone. It felt like a dream. She thought back to that last day, a similar afternoon spent playing mahjong, and a few hours later, she was dead. Then, only she was missing from the world. Everyone else went about their lives as normal. The ladies played cards, went shopping, dined, and feuded with each other. He went to work as usual.
The ladies were talking about how Wang Jiazhi had treated them last time and how they wanted to return the favor. The first to return the favor was, of course, the host, Mrs. Yi, and they started discussing which restaurant to go to. Wang Jiazhi had treated them to that Cantonese restaurant. The food was a bit pricey, but she knew how to order. She had obviously been there before and was no longer the country bumpkin that even Shu Yu hadn't been to. Naturally, the ladies were unhappy.
In fact, compared to the past, she hadn't been to many restaurants outside. She only remembered that restaurant after he took her there once.
At the poker table, the wives were discussing a colleague of Mr. Liao's at the yamen. He had a bad relationship with the first wife and had lived in the small mansion for over twenty years. He never came home for holidays, and he always performed ancestral worship there. He had seven or eight children, and everyone treated the second wife as the first wife, leaving the first wife and their son alone and lonely. Now, terminally ill and on the verge of death, he had packed up his belongings and moved back in with the first wife. The second wife, fearing that all their efforts would be in vain, had repeatedly complained to him, so he had the gatekeeper block their way and not allow the second wife's concubine to enter the house.
Mrs. Ma said, "As for a man's heart, who can really understand it? It's been over twenty years, and he's had a ton of children, but he hasn't looked for another one. He's so heartless, that's all."
Mrs. Yi said, "He's not so heartless. There's still the child. He won't leave nothing behind. Or maybe this woman is too self-righteous and doesn't recognize her own status. She's used to being domineering and insists on suppressing the main wife. They say a woman's heart is as deep as the sea, and a man's mind is even more fickle than a woman's. She might be fine one moment and then change her face the next. Who knows? Don't take it too seriously."
Wang Jiazhi was so lost in thought about what happened at that time that she didn't hear clearly what they said.
Mrs. Yi was still talking to herself, but suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, Wang Jiazhi realized why the place had suddenly gone quiet. Something was wrong with the atmosphere. She collected her thoughts and felt the aura behind her.
It turned out that he was back. No wonder Mrs. Yi didn't dare to say anything more. This guy walked silently and was always elusive.
Ms. Qiao looked up and stole a glance at him. He remained calm and composed, but there was a bruise on his neck. She felt a surge of anger and glanced at Wang Jiazhi. She had looked so quiet and gentle, but she hadn't expected her to be so wild.
Wang Jiazhi deliberately bit it high, so no matter how high-necked the clothes he wore, it couldn’t cover it!
The women he'd played with in the past were all afraid of him, never daring to bite him like that. Wang Jiazhi had been a wildcat from the start, biting him in every way she could. Men weren't like women, they could just apply powder. Perhaps she was afraid a sharp bite on the neck would damage vital blood vessels, so she really wanted to experience the bloodthirstiness, so she bit the shoulder. He loved it, closing his eyes and letting her bite as much as she wanted, sucking the blood, leaving a bloody tooth mark, enjoying the thrill of the pain.
After she bit him, she looked dazed, her eyes blurred, her lips stained with bright red blood, and then she dazedly put her lips on his to kiss him, with the sweet and fishy taste of blood in her mouth.
"I want it too."
She also closed her eyes and enjoyed the painful pleasure.
Until her death, they both bore the lingering bite marks from each other. He felt heartbroken whenever he saw them, and the more he tried to get them to heal, the more they refused to fade. Later, as the wounds began to heal, he felt a pang of melancholy, wishing the marks would never fade, like her shadow always with her. He didn't know why, but even though the bites were deep, they weren't enough to leave scars, and yet they did, and they never faded until his death.
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