Chen Hede stood in front of the tombstone, his fingertips almost touching the photo embedded in the cold stone surface.
In the photo, Hu Moli is smiling, her eyebrows and eyes curving into crescents, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth seem to hold the light of the Paramount stage back then.
But to Chen Hede, that smile was like a fine needle, pricking his heart again and again, making his throat tight, his eyes burning, and an indescribable sorrow suddenly surged up from the soles of his feet, instantly spreading throughout his body.
He finally understood what Hu Moli had said that day.
Only now do I belatedly realize that the subtle glint in her eyes when she asked the question concealed such deep affection.
It turns out that the person she "could not have" was himself.
This realization was like a red-hot branding iron, searing his heart.
He remembered how, when others gossiped that she was trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into wealth, he had tacitly accepted the slander for the sake of so-called "respectability," letting the mud be slung at her, and not even bothering to offer a word of defense.
At that time, he only thought of her as someone from the world of romance, that playing along was instinctive, and that tenderness and affection were just tactics.
He never imagined that a woman who was so adept at navigating the glitz and glamour of the city would offer him her purest and most genuine heart.
And he pushed it away with his own hands.
Chen Hede stared at the smile on the tombstone, his Adam's apple bobbing heavily.
If he hadn't brought Paramount under his wing, and hadn't used the phrase "follow me from now on" to keep her by his side, Hu Moli would still be that beautiful woman standing under the spotlight, whose every word would draw cheers from the audience, a star adored by everyone in Xinhai City, instead of an unknown woman under Chen Hede's command, and certainly wouldn't have... ended up like this.
The wind whipped up the dust from the ground, swirling it past my feet, as if silently sighing for someone.
Chen Hede raised his hand and pressed his brow, his fingers revealing a belated and heavy regret.
Perhaps without Chen Hede, Hu Moli would not have died.
But who can say for sure?
Fate is like an invisible hand, pushing everyone forward, leaving you no time to stop.
By the time you realize it, everything will be too late to get it back.
Chen Hede bowed deeply before Hu Moli's tombstone and said sadly, "I'm sorry, Hu Moli."
Xinghua said, "Master, Sister Jasmine said that she would only die for two people in her life, one is Miss, and the other is you. So, you don't need to apologize, or Sister Jasmine will be unhappy."
Chen Hede was slightly stunned. A gust of wind blew by, stirring the stray hairs on Chen Hede's forehead. He raised his hand, and the wind blew through his fingers, as if a pair of soft hands were gently caressing him.
That feeling brought an indescribable bitterness to Chen Hede's heart.
He couldn't respond while Hu Moli was alive, and he still can't respond now.
The gust of wind seemed to have read Chen Hede's mind, circling around him once before disappearing completely.
Chen Dehua reached out to grab it, but grasped nothing.
Hu Moli is gone.
A thought popped into Chen Hede's mind: he felt that Hu Moli had really disappeared.
Xinghua held back her tears and said, "Master, let's go back."
Chen Hede was somewhat dazed. "Okay."
On the way back, the car glided silently in the night, the cabin so quiet that the faint hum of the engine could be heard.
Chen Hede's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, split by the headlights. He didn't utter a single word the entire way from the cemetery to the city.
Xinghua tried to speak several times, but was silenced by the oppressive aura emanating from him. In the end, she simply watched the street scene flash by outside the window in silence.
His mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't make sense of it at all.
The smile on Hu Moli's tombstone always lingers in my mind's eye; the grievances and tenderness hidden in that smile wash over me like waves.
There were also images of Cheng Muyun and Xu Zhuohua snuggling together.
He once thought he had a foolproof plan.
He always felt that Xu Zhuohua shouldn't have followed Cheng Muyun; once she hit a wall, she would naturally turn back.
But only today, seeing Xu Zhuohua protecting Cheng Muyun, did he belatedly realize that the net he had painstakingly woven was utterly vulnerable in the face of unbreakable affection.
"It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage."
This old saying suddenly popped into his head, like a thorn pricking his temples and making them throb.
Looking back now, what he did these past few days was nothing short of breaking up a loving couple. Those schemes he considered "methods" would probably have been seen as heinous crimes by others.
But that wasn't his original intention at all.
He just... just felt that Cheng Muyun was too dangerous, and that such a pure and innocent girl deserved a more secure future.
How did things get to this point?
The car slowly came to a stop under the old locust tree at the entrance of Xinghua's courtyard. Xinghua softly said, "Take care, sir," opened the door and got out of the car. Before leaving, she looked back at him, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Chen Hede didn't move. He sat in the driver's seat and looked at the mottled wooden door for a while before suddenly pushing the door open and getting out of the car.
The night breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, carrying a chill.
He took out his cigarette case, shook out a cigarette, lit it, and the flickering crimson flame reflected his tightly furrowed brows.
He knows this alleyway well.
When I used to drop Hu Moli off, I would always stop at that corner ahead.
As evening falls, the wonton stalls at the alley entrance are set up, with dim light bulbs hanging from bamboo poles, and the steaming white vapor from the pots carrying the aroma of meat wafting over.
Hu Moli would always say, "Mr. Chen, please try it. Chef Zhang's wonton filling is exceptionally good." At that time, he was always preoccupied with trivial matters. He would agree with "okay" but his mind was on unfinished accounts and upcoming dinners. Often, while she ate in small bites, he would finish a cigarette and urge her, "Let's go. It's not safe to be late."
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