Jiang Shuyue said dejectedly, "You're right. I did have feelings for him, but the obsession isn't as strong now. I know it will be hard to let go of him, after all, it's been on my mind for a long time."
"I've thought of many ways to get close to him, I even applied to be a flight attendant. I thought about it for three days and three nights and finally gave up. I can't give up my most beloved fashion design. I can't exchange my lifelong passion for an unknown outcome. So from today onwards, I've completely let go. But I still want to tell you that the person in his heart might be you. I can't be sure if it's you now. I learned from Wang Ziliang that he has had many girlfriends in the past few years and has a constant stream of women around him. I don't know how much obsession he still has with you."
Hearing her cousin's words, Jiang Shuya didn't take Lin Moxiao's words about having feelings for her to heart. After all, that was in the past. At this moment, she felt sorry for her cousin. "So it turns out that you've kept him buried in your heart for so long. No wonder you always refused when your aunt urged you to go on blind dates and find a boyfriend. It's just a pity that you've misplaced your affections. Don't be so foolish anymore. You're not the same person you used to be now."
"I'm afraid I've forgotten what I used to be like," Jiang Shuyue chuckled.
Jiang Shuya looked at her entire outfit: "Look at your clothes now, very ladylike, mature, without a trace of vitality, completely lacking the personality and free spirit you used to have. Your former frankness is nowhere to be seen now, and you smile much less. I still prefer you as you used to be."
"Don't become what others want you to be. You are you. Don't change for anyone. Be the person you like. As for men, if one doesn't work out, move on to the next. There are plenty of fish in the sea."
Jiang Shuyue stared at her for a while: "So the biggest difference between us is that you are better at letting go, not dwelling on things, and not hiding them."
Jiang Shuya: "I'm not as carefree as you say. These two years of marriage have brought me more unhappiness and it's not worth it. So now I need to make money so that I can leave happily."
"Fortunately, you are lucky to be able to do the career you want, while I can only live at the bottom of society, like a small vendor, shuttling around here and making a little money."
Jiang Shuyue sighed: "If you hadn't gotten that illness, you would have taken the college entrance exam as promised, and maybe you would have become Xiaoming's novelist. I remember you said that was your dream."
Jiang Shuya smiled without saying a word, and took a sip of the drink in front of her.
The two chatted for a short while, then strolled around for a bit, and agreed on a time and place for their next meeting.
On my way home that evening, as I passed the small supermarket at the intersection of Qiaolu Road, I suddenly saw Huang Tao chatting with Boss Tan at the supermarket entrance.
Jiang Shuya's heart tightened when she saw Huang Tao. Huang Tao was dressed in a black leather jacket, with black sunglasses on his bald head, his hands in his pockets, a cigarette in his mouth, and a large gold chain around his neck. He looked like a big boss, just like the local old ghost.
Upon seeing Jiang Shuya, he showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and walked over with a beaming smile to greet her: "Sister-in-law, it's been years since we last met, and you're still as beautiful as ever! Is my cousin coming back for the New Year? I'd like to ask him to have a couple of drinks." As he spoke, his eyes kept sizing up Jiang Shuya.
“Ask him, he doesn’t know.” Jiang Shuya walked forward with a brisk pace, ignoring Sun Qi who was coming towards her.
"Sister-in-law, you're back." Sun Qi noticed her anxious expression.
Jiang Shuya nodded without looking at him. Compared to her usual demeanor, she seemed flustered. Sun Qi looked at her back with curiosity, then saw Huang Tao standing on the bridge, somewhat puzzled.
After returning home and washing up, Jiang Shuya didn't see Huang Guohua come back for a long time. She called him, but no one answered. Feeling uneasy, she sat in the living room, feeling inexplicably nervous. She went to the front yard and locked the door from the inside, then went to the back yard to check the bolts and locks again. She didn't go upstairs to sleep until late at night. She saw a text message from Sun Qi that she had sent several days ago: "Sister-in-law, I passed the interview. I'll be an assistant in Chen Lin's department."
Jiang Shuya replied with an "okay" and then turned off the light to go to sleep.
In the early hours of the morning, Jiang Shuya couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Thinking about the scene she saw with Huang Tao when she returned, she felt uneasy and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, I suddenly heard the faint sound of a lock being opened downstairs. Upon closer listening, it wasn't the old man's usual nimble unlocking sound, but rather the sound of something gently stirring in the lock cylinder. The movement was very light, and the door was gently pushed open. Footsteps came from downstairs. If it were the old man returning, he wouldn't come upstairs; he would go straight to sleep in the downstairs bedroom. Since the downstairs door could be opened even though it was locked from the inside, it couldn't be the old man. He didn't have that ability. Usually, when I returned in the middle of the night, I would only hear him knocking on the downstairs door.
Her tense thoughts slowly returned, and footsteps gradually came from the stairs. Although the bedroom door was locked from the inside, Jiang Shuya knew that this wouldn't be a problem for him. She quickly put on her clothes and shoes, propped the bedside table against the door, and her heart started racing. She frantically picked up her phone, wanting to make a call, but she didn't know who to call.
First she called the old man, but he didn't answer. Frustrated, sweat beaded on her forehead and face. Then she thought of her grandfather. No, it was too late. He couldn't ride a bike; he could only walk. It was too late. Nervously, she swiped her phone repeatedly, seeing a reply from a few hours earlier. She thought of Sun Qi; his house was a few doors down, the closest one. She dialed his number. Seconds ticked by, and suddenly the air seemed to freeze, deathly silent. Footsteps stopped outside the door. The next second, she heard a wire being inserted into the lock of the bedroom door, turning repeatedly. Sun Qi's phone went unanswered. The person outside, choosing this time, must have assumed it was deep sleep.
She dialed the number again, stubbornly seizing this last chance, but after a moment, there was still no response from Sun Qi.
She took a deep breath in despair, turned around, opened the window, climbed up, and wanted to jump off the building. Fortunately, the old man had built a bungalow in the front yard beforehand. The self-built houses in the farmhouse were very tall. Even if she jumped over temporarily, she would still be more than ten meters above the ground, which was equivalent to being in another dangerous area. At this moment, the door of the room was opened, and she heard the sound of it being pushed. She stood on the bungalow outside the door, looking down at the ground. It was very high above the ground, and her legs began to go weak. If she jumped down like this, she would be seriously injured even if she didn't die.
She pressed herself against the wall, her face drenched in cold sweat. In the pitch-black night, only the sound of the biting wind could be heard. A figure had appeared inside the room. The blankets on the bed were still warm. The person crawled under the covers but found nothing. After searching the room, he saw that the curtains were drawn and a head was sticking out of the window. In the moonlight, the person had a lewd look on their face as they saw Jiang Shuya pressed against the wall. She was trembling with tension, staring at him with wide eyes. The person was indeed Huang Tao.
The bungalows outside are very spacious, offering an unobstructed view from anywhere you stand.
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