Chapter 86 She was furious and laughed bitterly, "I'm still a... I could divorce you at any time."
The sky was a hazy gray, and the afternoon autumn wind made the shadows of the bushes sway from side to side.
Amidst the lively laughter, Zhu Liushuang kept her eyes fixed on the stone path beneath her feet, proceeding step by step. A tingling sensation came from her palm; it was her phone, which she had ignored, ringing incessantly.
"Boss Zhu, the phone is ringing, aren't you going to answer it?"
Who would call her at this moment? She twirled her hand, the screen now facing her stiff face.
The words "He Ming is calling" made her dizzy. Soon, Zhu Liushuang's heart began to pound, and her blood rushed through her veins. Before answering the phone, she hastily tore off her suit jacket and stuffed it into Yue Lin's arms.
"Dr. Yue, I need to take this call. You can go ahead."
She walked briskly with small, quick steps in her low-heeled leather shoes toward a sheltered corner, and answered the call a second before her phone stopped vibrating.
“Hey, senior,” she said, leaning against the pillar.
"The electric scooter is parked, you..." The person on the other end of the phone changed the subject, asking, "Is filming finished?"
A rhythmic "click-click" sound came from the receiver. Zhu Liushuang said, "Yeah, it's over. Is Senior driving now?"
"Just arrived at the underground parking garage." The man's voice was deep. "Should I come up and wait for you?"
Of course she wanted him to come up.
Zhu Liushuang looked up, about to say "need," when she caught a glimpse of Yue Lin's figure not far away, and a strange sense of guilt crept into her heart.
She feigned an awkward cough to cover up her embarrassment, and mumbled, "No need, just send me your location, senior. I'll change my clothes and come over soon."
"Okay, no rush."
After hanging up the phone, she stood there stunned.
Why is she feeling guilty? Could it be that she's afraid He Ming will misunderstand her relationship with Yue Lin?
A hint of self-mockery flashed across Zhu Liushuang's eyes, and she chuckled at the sudden thought. The harsh reality was staring her in the face; she probably couldn't stir even the slightest ripple in He Ming's heart at the moment.
Laughter filled the lounge.
Zhu Liushuang came out of the dressing room after changing her clothes and saw the other bridesmaids sitting together discussing something.
"Hey, I think this group photo looks good."
"The other one is also good... I'm going to use that one to post on my WeChat Moments."
"Brother Liu said he booked a movie theater on the top floor for us, complete with karaoke and board games. Let's go play there after he and Tingting finish taking photos..."
"Liu Shuang, are you leaving?" The sharp-eyed A-Yun turned around and asked her.
The room was heated, and compared to the others dressed in light dresses, Zhu Liushuang looked rather dull in her dark down jacket. She smiled shyly and said, "Well, something came up at home, I have to go back."
"Are you in a hurry? I haven't given you your bridesmaid bag yet... Why don't you wait for Qianqian to come up before you leave?"
"It's alright... I already told Sister Zhuang beforehand. She'll take the gift bag to work on Monday." Eager to get home, Zhu Liushuang quickened her pace. "Have fun, everyone."
After saying her last polite words, she gently closed the door. She opened WeChat on her phone and followed the location sent by He Ming downstairs.
As luck would have it, just as I reached the entrance of the underground parking garage, I bumped right into Yue Lin, who was walking towards me.
"Boss Zhu, what are you doing here?"
"Dr. Yue?"
"I'm going to get something from the car." Yue Lin suddenly realized and asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Mm." Zhu Liushuang nodded.
"You're walking so fast, are you going... to see your sweetheart?" the man asked, squinting his eyes and half-jokingly.
Her lowered eyes lifted again, and after thinking for a moment, Zhu Liushuang answered solemnly, "Yes!"
Yue Lin's expression changed several times before he said quietly, "I really guessed right."
"Dr. Yue, have a great time!" She waved and left without looking back. Perhaps certain that He Ming was waiting for her ahead, her steps unconsciously became lighter.
There were few people coming in and out of the hotel in the afternoon, and the only sound in the huge parking garage was her footsteps.
"Pat-pat-pat—" Zhu Liushuang followed the navigation prompts and walked forward. After about ten meters, she caught a glimpse of a person standing in an empty parking space in Section B.
"Senior—" she called out to him.
The man looked up in response, his gaze fixed directly on her.
Zhu Liushuang picked up her feet and jogged towards He Ming. She stopped, panting, when she reached the man.
The man's gaze swept across her face and then landed on her low-heeled leather shoes.
"There's still time."
"Hmm, I see the sky outside is getting cloudy, let's hurry up and get there." She didn't understand the deeper meaning in his words, and went to the other side of the car on her own, opened the passenger door and got in.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. After hitching a ride with He Ming several times, Zhu Liushuang is now able to shamelessly occupy the passenger seat.
The driver's side door closed, and the man, while fastening his seatbelt, continued what he hadn't finished saying earlier: "Did you go for a follow-up check-up on the ankle you sprained during the last team building trip?"
Why did he suddenly ask about this? Zhu Liushuang blinked in confusion and said, "I've already checked."
Amid the roar of the engine, she heard He Ming say to her, "Although you've recovered, you still need to be extra careful and avoid getting injured again within a year."
The turn signal came on, the car swerved around a corner, and then drove uphill out of the underground parking garage. The scenery outside the window flashed by, and Zhu Liushuang, unaware of what was going on, pondered He Ming's instructions.
His tone was serious and earnest just now, exactly the same as when his mother, Gu Chunling, talked about her.
A strange, sweet feeling welled up inside Zhu Liushuang, and she became restless. She thought to herself: Is this person... showing concern for her indirectly? It's so subtle!
"Okay, thank you for your concern, senior. I'll be careful." She secretly rejoiced, glancing at He Ming every now and then.
Having gotten up early in the morning and spent most of the day helping the bride, Zhu Liushuang was almost completely exhausted. Now, sitting in the quiet and stable carriage, drowsiness kept creeping in.
As her consciousness began to fade, she mumbled to He Ming, "Senior, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."
As she closed her sleepy eyes, her long, calm breaths stirred the mind of another person in the carriage.
The car slowly came to a stop in front of the pedestrian crossing. The man, who had been looking ahead, turned his head and his gaze fell on her peaceful sleeping face, lost in thought.
"Beep beep—" The car behind honked twice, and He Ming gripped the steering wheel more tightly amidst the impatient honking. He stepped on the gas, and the car sped towards Nanshan Cemetery.
————
Zhu Liushuang slept soundly the whole way.
In the endless darkness, she vaguely heard someone calling her name. In her daze, she raised her arm, trying to grab the hand that had landed on her shoulder.
The darkness faded, and blinding white light streamed in through the window. Still not adjusted to the light, she closed her eyes again. But the sudden warmth in her hands made her realize—she had done something.
Her eyes snapped open, her mouth slightly agape, and all she could see were two intertwined hands.
Her five fingers were gripping He Ming's hand in a ferocious manner, and the force was so great that her index fingernail scratched a mark on his pale skin.
"cough--"
Before anyone could explain, Zhu Liushuang abruptly pulled her hand back: "Senior... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Compared to her helplessness, the man appeared calm and composed. He glanced at her impassively, then turned to the back seat to retrieve the bouquet for the memorial service.
The car door opened, and a rush of cold air blew into the car, waking her sluggish mind.
"Liu Shuang, let's go," He Ming reminded her from outside the window.
Zhu Liushuang quickly jumped out of the car and followed behind him.
The cemetery is located on the eastern slope of Nanshan Mountain, adjacent to Bibo Lake. At this time of year, the bamboo in the mountains remains lush and upright. When the wind blows, the vast bamboo sea plays a "rustling" melody, melodious and sorrowful.
Ahead lies the main area of the cemetery, where countless tombstones are neatly arranged. Beneath this vast expanse of land lie the eternal resting places of countless departed souls.
Zhu Liushuang suddenly remembered her father. Zhu Xiangdong's ashes were not buried in the cemetery, but in a plot of land in their hometown.
Unlike urban areas, rural wastelands are not managed by designated personnel, so the surrounding vegetation grows exceptionally fast. Every time she and her mother visit her father, they first take a sickle to cut away the branches and weeds in front of his grave.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice He Ming suddenly stop, and her low-heeled shoes almost crushed his shiny heels.
Moving my gaze downwards, I saw two stone tablets, one new and one old, standing very close together.
He Ming bent down and placed a bouquet of blue and pink flowers in front of the faded inscription on the tombstone. His fingers gently traced the words "loving mother," and he murmured, "Mom, I've come to see you."
Just from his hunched back, she could feel the sorrow surrounding him. Zhu Liushuang stared silently at the tuft of hair sticking up at the back of his neck.
“This is Liu Shuang…” he suddenly spoke, making room for her.
Under He Ming's gaze, Zhu Liushuang stepped forward. Her fingers, which had been twisting the hem of her clothes, loosened, and she slowly squatted down to stand beside him.
The woman in the photo had a smiling face and a beautiful, gentle demeanor. He Ming's almond-shaped eyes were strikingly similar to hers, yet their temperaments were completely different.
Because he hadn't explained their relationship to his mother, Zhu Liushuang was unsure how to address the woman in the photo. After thinking it over, she softly called out, "Aunt Xie."
The mountains are quiet, with only the sound of the wind being the loudest.
Pointing to the flowers in front of the grave, she asked, "Are these Auntie's favorite flowers?"
He Ming nodded, his voice hoarse as he spoke: "Yes, the pheasant symbolizes freedom."
Pale petals adorned the dewy green branches, resembling graceful swallows in flight. Zhu Liushuang straightened the crooked bouquet, smiling as she said, "Auntie must be so happy. After all these years, you still remember her favorite flowers."
As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief from her small bag and began to wipe the dust off the stone tablet, bit by bit. He Ming's head drooped, his eyes hidden beneath his eyelashes, trembling slightly.
She wiped the cold tombstone back and forth many times before daring to turn her head to look at the person beside her: "It's so good that Dr. Xie's grave is right next to Auntie's, so it can be considered a family reunion."
He Ming moved a foot to the side and placed a bunch of white ping-pong chrysanthemums in front of Xie Jingzhi's grave, gazing wistfully into the distance: "Grandma's grave is down there. Grandma liked water, so she chose the spot closest to the lake."
He casually recounted some stories about his family to her, a few words that revealed a great deal of bitterness.
The sky grew darker, and crows circled in the forest. After a series of mournful cries, He Ming suddenly stood up.
“Go back…” He regained his usual indifference, a complex light flashing in his eyes as he looked at her.
The road down the mountain was easier than the road up. It only took the two of them more than ten minutes to walk back to the car from the cemetery.
As her clothes brushed against the car door and the car engine started, Zhu Liushuang was fastening her seatbelt.
"Liu Shuang, there's something I want to talk to you about." He Ming stared straight ahead, his fingertips stroking the leather cover on the steering wheel.
Zhu Liushuang looked up: "What is it?" For some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy.
“If… if you have someone you like,” the wheels crunched over the gravel. His throat bobbed, and his voice sent a chill down her spine, “we can get a divorce anytime.”
The annoying loom was working in her ears again, its clanging and clattering making it impossible for her to think. Something fell to the ground, shards scattering in all directions. Zhu Liushuang turned her head sharply, looking at him in disbelief.
He remained unmoved, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
She quickly realized her lapse in composure, but fortunately He Ming's attention was not on her.
Forcing a smile to hide her astonishment, Zhu Liushuang turned to look out the window. He had just taken her to the cemetery; how could things have changed so drastically in the blink of an eye?
“Senior,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm, “I’m a person who values contracts… My decision back then wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. You felt that with Dr. Xie gone, I was no longer of any use, so…”
The brakes came suddenly, and she noticed the person next to her looking at her, so she straightened her back and gave him an arrogant profile.
"No, you've misunderstood..." The man awkwardly opened his mouth, trying to explain, "I will do what I promised you."
"That's good." Zhu Liushuang deliberately leaned her head against the window and said softly, "I thought that when my senior agreed to get a marriage certificate with me, he must have thought it through carefully..."
Changing the subject, she sighed and said, "People who fall into the sea barely manage to grab onto a piece of driftwood; how can they possibly have the extra strength to search for another? Besides, you're the best candidate I can find right now..."
She spoke slowly and deliberately about who the best candidate was, but the listener unconsciously frowned.
"Okay, I understand." He Ming restarted the car and said knowingly.
Zhu Liushuang softened her tone, abandoning her confrontational stance: "I heard before that you were going to be stationed in another city for a long time, so I didn't think about how we should get along in the future. Now that you're back... there will definitely be many things that will trouble you. If others ask about our relationship..."
She stopped short of the crucial point, waiting for his reply.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend," He Ming said calmly.
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Author's note: Shuangshuang's inner monologue: I'm so angry!
Senior's inner monologue: It's a bit of a pity, but I can't let such a good girl down...
[Shrug][Shrug] After all, none of us have a God's-eye view.
I was supposed to update at 11:30, but I ended up writing past midnight, sob sob sob.
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