One night of absurdity
Mind/Night Rain Green Pomelo
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Lin Tingyue felt that heartbreak was like having a lemon forced into your mouth—both sour and astringent.
It also carried an indescribable bitterness.
The burning sensation spread from the tip of her tongue all the way to her heart, causing her internal organs to spasm uncontrollably.
Especially when she secretly traveled thousands of miles, flying halfway around the world to salvage the relationship, only to witness him kissing another person on the street.
This bitterness and sorrow transformed into overwhelming embarrassment and despair.
The rain in Vichytand was sticky and humid, much like her current mood: damp, cold, and with nowhere to escape.
She dragged her suitcase and randomly chose a bar that looked noisy enough before going inside.
It was as if the deafening music could shatter all the chaotic images in her mind.
"Whisky, thank you."
She squeezed to the front of the bar, her voice hoarse without her even realizing it.
Alcohol may be the only antidote at this moment, even if it's just a temporary fix.
After a few drinks, the world began to spin and blur. The pain in my heart was somewhat numbed by the alcohol, replaced by an empty sense of bewilderment.
She leaned on the bar, her eyes glazed over the noisy crowd, and then, without warning, her gaze met a pair of eyes.
At the other end of the bar, a man sat alone.
The dim, hazy light fell on him, outlining his excessively handsome profile: a sharp, defined jawline, a high nose bridge, and slightly pursed thin lips.
He wore a simple black shirt with the cuffs casually rolled up, revealing a section of his well-defined forearm and an expensive watch.
Out of place with the noisy environment around him, he exuded a calm and cold aura, like a silent iceberg, attracting people to explore while also inspiring awe.
He seemed to notice her gaze, and his eyes shifted slightly as he looked over.
Those eyes were as deep as a cold pool, so dark that their emotions were impossible to discern, yet they possessed a strange allure.
Alcohol completely shattered the dam of reason.
As if possessed, Lin Tingyue picked up her wine glass and staggered over.
“Hey,” she heard her own voice, soft and bold with drunkenness, “Alone? How about buying me a drink?”
The man looked at her silently, without answering immediately.
His gaze lingered for a moment on her flushed cheeks and moist eyes, his eyes seemingly able to see through her heart and understand all her distress.
Just when Lin Tingyue thought she would be coldly rejected and her pitiful courage was about to dissipate, he actually nodded slightly to the bartender.
The bartender immediately and respectfully brought her a glass of whiskey, just like the one she was holding.
"Heartbroken?" he asked, his voice deep and resonant, like a cello plucked across the heartstrings, carrying a unique magnetism.
This one sentence precisely exposed Lin Tingyue's forced pretense.
Overwhelmed by grievances and sadness, she found an outlet and began to ramble on to this completely unfamiliar, handsome man, her words incoherent, a mix of Chinese and English, with tears welling up from time to time.
The man listened in silence most of the time, occasionally taking a sip of his drink, his unfathomable eyes always fixed on her.
She talked for an unknown amount of time, until her throat was hoarse, her tears had dried, and all that remained was dizziness.
"Alright, stop crying." He handed over a clean handkerchief, carrying the crisp scent of cedar.
Lin Tingyue took it in a daze and wiped her face haphazardly.
Later memories became fragmented and blurred.
All I remember is that the music was loud, his eyes were bright, and the cedar smelled wonderful when he was close.
Alcohol, mixed with the pain of heartbreak and a rebellious self-destructive attitude, led her to make the boldest and most absurd decision of her life.
The hangover headache left her feeling weak.
Lin Tingyue woke up in an extremely unfamiliar environment.
The first thing that catches the eye is the extremely luxurious ceiling, the mattress beneath you is unbelievably soft, and the velvet sheets feel smooth against your skin.
Then, she froze abruptly.
The even breathing around me, the faint scent of cedar in the air, and... clothes scattered all over the floor, including men's shirts and trousers.
The fragmented and explicit images from last night rushed into her mind, and with a bang, her face instantly turned bright red, then deathly pale.
She...she actually...with a complete stranger whose name she didn't even know...
It’s over!
She practically scrambled off the bed, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.
The clothes scattered on the floor were a reminder of her madness and loss of control last night.
She hurriedly picked up her clothes and put them on, every second feeling like torture, afraid of waking the man beside her.
His eyes darted frantically across the room, trying to find anything that could identify the other person, but he found nothing.
Only the expensive handmade suit draped over the sofa armrest silently revealed the owner's extraordinary wealth.
What to do? What to do?
A huge sense of panic and shame welled up inside me.
A one-night stand? Lin Tingyue actually did something like that?
And this happened in such a miserable state of complete heartbreak!
She just wanted to escape from here immediately and forget this absurd accident forever.
As if by some strange twist of fate, she touched her wallet.
Upon opening it, besides a few pounds and credit cards, there was only a stack of brand-new RMB.
She had taken that on purpose because she was worried it would be inconvenient for her to come, and she hadn't finished using it yet.
An utterly absurd thought popped into her chaotic mind.
compensate?
Yes, compensation! Leave the money, and we're even! That way, we won't owe him anything!
After that, let's go our separate ways and not look for each other!
With trembling hands, she pulled out the stack of red banknotes, not even bothering to count them exactly—about three thousand yuan—and carefully, even with a hint of reverence, placed them on the bedside table.
A thin stack of RMB banknotes, placed in this extremely luxurious room, looks incredibly out of place and ridiculous.
Her cheeks burned fiercely, and she dared not look at the person on the bed again. Like a frightened rabbit, she tiptoed out of the room as fast as she could and quietly closed the door behind her.
The thick carpet in the corridor absorbed all footsteps.
She ran all the way until she rushed into the elevator, went downstairs, rushed out of the hotel, and stood in the cold morning air of Vichytand before she dared to breathe heavily.
My heart was still pounding wildly, a mixture of hangover headache, shame after the absurdity, and an indescribable sense of relief.
it's over.
This unconventional and unexpected event has come to an end.
She glanced back at the towering luxury hotel, burying the man's face and those deep eyes deep in her memory, vowing never to think of him again.
-
Six months later.
North Beijing, the Lin family villa.
"Yueyue, you can't hide this time! I heard that the Chi family member is coming too. Do you know what that means? So many families would kill to get a connection with him!"
Lin's mother patiently helped her daughter choose a dress for the evening's blind date banquet.
Lin Tingyue sat listlessly in front of the dressing mirror, letting the stylist do her hair.
Six months is enough time for her to heal her heartbreak and become the bright and energetic Lin Tingyue again, but it definitely does not include accepting blind dates arranged by her family!
"Mom~ I already told you I have someone I like!" She used this universal excuse for the nth time.
"Come on! Who do you like? That Jiang Shaoyang? Don't mention that cheating bastard!"
Lin's mother glared at her, "Tonight is just a meeting, not an appointment for you to settle down immediately. I've heard that Mr. Chi is young and promising, but a bit cold-hearted... Just dress up nicely and make a good impression."
Lin Tingyue inwardly groaned, knowing there was no escaping it.
Fine, I'll just go through the motions and appease my parents.
It's no wonder that top-tier wealthy family leaders would be interested in someone as insignificant as her!
Perhaps the other person is even more averse to this kind of blind date than she is.
She had no idea where Lin Yaozong had gotten his connections, that a company of their caliber could even establish a relationship with the Chi family.
She changed into a well-fitting champagne-colored lace dress that accentuated her beautiful figure, and wore exquisite makeup to conceal her inner reluctance.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the city lights began to come on.
Inside the banquet hall of the private estate, the air was filled with the sounds of birdsong and the clinking of glasses.
Many prominent figures from northern Beijing came, clearly all curious about this mysterious head of the Chi family.
Lin Tingyue followed behind her parents listlessly, a standard social smile on her face, secretly hoping the banquet would end soon.
The introducer led them through the crowd to a relatively quiet rest area on one side of the banquet hall.
"Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin, Miss Lin, this is Mr. Chi Zhuo." The introducer introduced them enthusiastically. "Mr. Chi, this is Chairman Lin and his daughter, Miss Lin Tingyue."
Lin Tingyue maintained a polite smile, slightly raised her eyes, and looked at the man who had his back to them and was admiring the night view outside the window.
Upon hearing the sound, the man slowly turned around.
The well-tailored black suit accentuated his tall and imposing figure, giving him a cool and aloof demeanor and an undeniable aura of power.
When he turned around, his sharply defined, overly handsome face was fully exposed under the crystal chandelier.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Lin Tingyue's smile froze instantly, her blood seemed to stop flowing at that moment, and her hands and feet turned ice cold.
Those deep, dark eyes, now carrying an elusive quality, were fixed precisely on her face.
The eyes were just like those of the strange man in her memory of that hotel room in Vichytand one morning.
Completely overlapping!
The world was so quiet that only her own deafening heartbeat could be heard.
Boom!
It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her mind, shattering all her wishful thinking and pretense.
How could it be him?!
The introducer's voice seemed muffled and indistinct, as if seen through a veil of water.
She only saw Chi Zhuo, whose gaze lingered on her face for a full three seconds, his complex expression sending chills down her spine.
Then, he gave an extremely slow, almost imperceptible smile, as if confirming something.
Lin Tingyue's heart clenched suddenly, and she almost suffocated.
The next second, she heard her own dry voice, almost instinctively, rang out abruptly before he could speak, trying to grasp at the last straw:
"Hello Mr. Chi, I'm not... actually I'm not here for a blind date, I... I already have someone I like!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze.
Chi Zhuo's deep eyes flickered slightly. He took a small, deliberate step forward, and a powerful sense of oppression followed.
He looked at her like a hawk locking onto its prey, the enigmatic smile on his lips deepening slightly.
Then he spoke, his deep, magnetic voice striking her eardrums and her wildly beating heart:
"What a coincidence."
He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear him clearly. Each word seemed to be encased in ice shards, yet carried a hint of playful danger:
"Me too."
"..." Lin Tingyue froze instantly, as if all the blood in her body rushed to her head and then quickly receded, leaving behind an icy chill.
We're doomed.
Not only did she find a 419 (one-night stand) partner through blind dates, but also...
It seems she even threw him a wad of 3,000 yuan as "compensation."
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