Chapter 572 The lucky flame is still burning, reflecting the ripples in the woman's eyes.
She didn't answer immediately, but just looked at Gu Feng quietly, her gaze seeming to pierce through more than a decade of time, landing on his somewhat weathered face.
The water of the moat gently lapped against the bank, the evening breeze lifted the hem of a woman's skirt, and the only sounds in the air were the faint crackling of a lighter and the rapid, anxious beating of Gu Feng's heart.
The evening breeze, carrying the dampness of the river, circled between the two of them.
After a long while, Luo Liang finally spoke slowly, her voice colder than the night, yet with a barely perceptible hoarseness: "Long time no see, A-Feng."
These five words were like a thunderbolt, making Gu Feng's heart almost leap out of his chest, and instantly sobering him up considerably.
He straightened up abruptly, hurriedly stuffing the cigarette back into the pack, his fingertips trembling. He scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly: "I don't usually smoke."
Fearing Luo Liang might misunderstand, he quickly added, "I only drink this much when I'm socializing, because... because the order is too important."
Luo Liang simply nodded and didn't respond to his words.
Instead, she took out a pack of slender women's cigarettes from her handbag, pulled one out and held it between her fingers with an elegant and skillful movement.
The lighter clicked again, the flame reflecting off her long eyelashes, and smoke rings slowly escaped her lips, dissipating into the night.
This scene left Gu Feng completely stunned.
The gentle, soft-spoken young lady I remember has now become a cold and beautiful woman who smokes cigarettes.
Her features were still exquisite, but the gentleness in her eyes was covered by a layer of frost, and even the way she held the cigarette between her fingers exuded a distant and unapproachable aura.
"Did no one stop you on your way here?" Luo Liang suddenly asked, his cigarette butt flashing in the night.
Gu Feng shook his head blankly: "Stop me? No... This riverbank is quite secluded, there's no one else here but you."
As he spoke, he glanced back at the empty riverbank, where the streetlights cast lonely shadows on the ground.
"Okay." Luo Liang responded indifferently and then said nothing more. He simply leaned against the stone railing and smoked, his gaze returning to the shimmering moat, lost in thought.
Her profile flickered in and out of the smoke, her emotions deeply hidden.
Unable to suppress his questions, Gu Feng tentatively asked, "A Liang, why are you here alone so late?"
"Just got back from abroad." Luo Liang's answer was concise and clear. The cigarette between her fingers had burned to the end. She casually flicked the cigarette butt away, and the sparks drew an arc in the night before falling into the river.
“I see…” Gu Feng’s gaze fell on the suitcase at her feet, and he asked again, “By the way, where’s Aya? She always said she wanted to be a big star when she was little, why didn’t she apply to Caizhou Film Academy? I’ve never seen her in the entertainment industry. And what’s Lei doing now?”
Upon hearing the names "Aya" and "Luo Tianlei," Luo Liang's face remained expressionless, but her hand on the stone railing clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Her breathing quickened noticeably, her chest rising and falling slightly. After a long while, she spoke slowly, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Xiaoya passed away due to illness, and Luo Tianlei... has also left us."
Passed away? Gone?
Gu Feng's expression froze instantly. He opened his mouth, but all the words of comfort he had prepared stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
It's only been a little over a decade, how come we're now separated by death, and everything has changed?
He stood there stunned for several seconds, then took out a cigarette, lit it with the lighter in Luo Liang's hand, and took a deep drag. The smoke went straight into his lungs, and he coughed violently, tears streaming down his face, his vision blurring.
The two remained silent, smoking one cigarette after another, until a small pile of cigarette butts accumulated at their feet.
The water of the moat gently lapped against the banks, as if sighing for the passing of time.
"Tell me about yourself," Luo Liang broke the silence first. "I heard you talking nonsense while you were drunk. You have two kids at home and you're a father now."
Gu Feng didn't go into the details of the situation, but simply nodded slightly, his voice somewhat heavy: "Yes, I was asked to do it."
Luo Liang didn't press further, but changed the subject instead: "Does your current job require drinking and socializing?"
Gu Feng sniffed the strong smell of alcohol on himself, his cheeks flushed, and his voice was full of embarrassment: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
"Can you drive?" Luo Liang suddenly asked.
"Yes... I have a driver's license, and I often drive for business." Gu Feng was a little confused.
Luo Liang nodded, took out a set of car keys from her bag, and waved them in front of him. The car logo on the keys gleamed under the streetlights: "Quit your job and be my driver from now on."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the parking lot, her voice drifting on the evening breeze: "I'll take you home first today, and later... tell me about you and the child. Compared to you, I don't deserve to be a mother at all."
"Mother... Mother?" Gu Feng was suddenly stunned. He sobered up completely and felt dizzy. He felt empty inside, as if he had suddenly lost something extremely important.
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