As Chen Jin and I locked eyes, the newly installed streetlights on the commercial street lit up one by one, like shooting stars strung together. Instantly, red and blue lights intertwined to fill the emptiness of the entire street, and the loneliest stone pavement and stream seemed to have changed their "personality," becoming lively and vibrant.
In that moment, I lit a cigarette and stared blankly at it, my mood shifting... a touch of melancholy, a hint of longing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what I longed for.
I finally spoke to Chen Jin and said, “I’m not reconciled… I can’t believe that a perfectly healthy person just disappeared like that… Before the accident, she came home with me once and met my parents… That day on the road, I felt an indescribable sense of peace and contentment. There was even a moment when I thought of a name for our child.”
Chen Jin looked at me and remained silent for a moment before replying, "I can understand you. After all, it was too sudden. No one could accept it... But you can't keep living in this pain and torturing yourself. You should move on."
I forced a smile: "...You know what?...You just said that the person behind the Cangshan Villa project is still Ye Zhi, and my heart skipped a beat...It's like...that feeling is hard to describe...I remembered the first time we met, we stood together on the highway viewing platform, she was stunningly beautiful...no exaggeration, truly stunningly beautiful...We were strangers then, so for me, that was the furthest we'd ever been on a psychological level, but just now, recalling it, I feel like we've never been so close...If it weren't for that encounter, none of what happened afterward would have occurred..."
I stopped halfway through my sentence, then looked at Chen Jin, my brain habitually short-circuiting.
Chen Jin waited patiently for a while, then asked again, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
I remained silent for a long time before replying, "Whether she is alive or dead, I want to know any news about her, even just the slightest bit."
Chen Jin sighed: "The outside world is so wonderful, but you always confine yourself to a cage. Don't you feel regretful?"
"I have no regrets, but I am in great pain..."
"Seriously, stop being so upset... Look at what we have now. We're not exactly rolling in money, but we're certainly living comfortably, right?... Why not try starting a new life?... Like finding a new girlfriend... No one will blame you, since you broke up before her accident... You have no obligation to hold yourself back because of her... You'll definitely have a new life eventually, it's just a matter of time... So why not sooner?"
"New girlfriend?"
"Yes...like Lu Jia..."
"You're talking nonsense, that's my ex-girlfriend."
"You two broke up almost a year ago. If you get back together, there will still be a sense of novelty. Since there is a sense of novelty, then it's like having a new girlfriend... Think about why you broke up in the first place."
"I don't want to bring this up."
Chen Jin clicked his tongue: "You seem affectionate, but you're also heartless! ...Why is it that after three years with Lu Jia, you won't even talk about her anymore? ...Yes, Ye Zhi's ending was a bit tragic, but that can't be used as a standard for judging the foundation of a relationship... You have to face up to Lu Jia's sacrifices for you; that was the best years of her youth."
Chen Jin described me as heartless, but I couldn't refute it, or rather, I wasn't in the mood to refute it... So, I chose to remain silent.
Chen Jin continued, "Back then, you and Lu Jia broke up because your financial foundation wasn't solid... But the situation is completely different now, isn't it?... Lu Jia is earning a high salary in the clothing company, and you're even better off. In the future, you'll definitely be a money-making machine... So what problems still exist between you two?"
I remained silent.
"Can you say something?... Fine, I'll ask you one last question: when you broke up with Lu Jia, was it because you stopped loving her, or were you forced by reality?"
"It's not that I didn't love you... I was in pain for a long time after the breakup."
"Now that you've made that clear, why can't you look up and look ahead?... Let me be honest with you, I've met all the women around you... I think Lu Jia is the most suitable for you... She's really good to you, especially when you were in Shanghai, we all saw it; for a native Shanghai girl to do this, it's really impressive!"
I stood up and said, "I've been sitting in the studio for half a day, and I'm getting a bit bored. I'm going out for a walk."
"Did you even hear what I just said?"
"I've only heard half of it. I'll think about the other half when it's quiet at night."
As I said this, I had already stepped outside the door. Chen Jin called out from behind me again, "Marry Lu Jia... If you want to change your current situation, this is your only way out... Even if you don't consider yourself, you should at least consider your parents..."
"I'll say the same to you."
Chen Jin muttered, "If I marry Lu Jia, wouldn't that be awful...? She's your ex-girlfriend!"
I turned around and glared at Chen Jin...
Chen Jin chuckled shamelessly, "Just kidding, just kidding... I know what you meant by the second half... I should settle down and put my parents at ease."
...
I only walked halfway down the road leading out of the commercial street when I stopped in front of Cao Xiaobei's inn, which was under renovation... I checked on the progress of the renovation.
To be honest, Cao Xiaobei was really willing to make sacrifices for Yang Sisi. Just because of the few words Yang Sisi said to him when she left, he hardened his heart and insisted on opening the inn in Jiulongju. For this, he sold his most beloved motorcycle, and that's how he got the money to upgrade and renovate.
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