Chapter Sixty-One: Something Has Happened

At times like this, it seemed there was nothing better for me to do than to play dumb or pretend I hadn’t heard a thing. I leaned my body toward the car door, trying to put some distance between us, and said, “I… I just remembered I have something important to take care of tonight. If you don’t have anything else to do, could you take me home?”

Hua Jingjing’s eyes widened. “Trying to leave? I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet! You think you can walk away that easily?” I could only put on a bitter face and say, “Come on, Auntie, however you want to settle it, I’ll accept. But could you please hurry? I really do have something to do in a bit!”

She bit her lip, both angry and aggrieved. “Are you really so impatient to be with me? Are you meeting your girlfriend later?”

I remembered I’d promised Gu Ruoyan I’d call her tonight, so I replied, “No, I just have other things to handle. It has nothing to do with my girlfriend.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Hua Jingjing’s eyes darted slyly. “Fine. I’ll let you off tonight and take you home early. But… you have to agree to one condition. Otherwise—hmph!—I’ll throw you out here and let you walk home by yourself!”

My head began to ache again. I silently swore that if I ever came out to this godforsaken wilderness with Hua Jingjing again, I’d be the biggest fool alive.

Even without thinking too hard, I knew exactly what kind of condition Hua Jingjing was going to propose. No matter how many times I had to walk home, I would never fall for her tricks and agree to any of her demands.

So I shook my head. “No way! There’s nothing to discuss. I won’t agree to anything! If you won’t drive me home, I’ll just get out of the car. And from now on, we’re even. You don’t owe me anything, I don’t owe you anything. You walk your road; I’ll walk mine. We’ll have nothing more to do with each other!” Saying this, I opened the car door, ready to brave the cold wind and stage another tragic scene of being abandoned in the wilderness.

But this time, I didn’t make it. Hua Jingjing, flustered and exasperated, grabbed my arm and cried out in a mixture of anger, frustration, laughter, and resignation, “Wait! Fine, fine! You win, I give up! I’ll take you home, okay?”

She was both annoyed and amused, thinking to herself: If I’d known, I wouldn’t have confessed my feelings to him. Now he’s using it to threaten me! Tang Qian, you’re ruthless, you really are! Hmph! Let him have his way for now. Once he falls for me and can’t be without me, I’ll show him who’s in charge!

A dozen vicious little plans for tormenting me flashed through her mind, a few of them rather risqué. Just imagining it brought a blush to her cheeks, making her too embarrassed to even look at me.

Of course, I had no idea what Hua Jingjing was thinking. I hadn’t tried to threaten her by getting out of the car; I was just frustrated and desperate, speaking a bit too harshly. I hadn’t expected to hit her soft spot—she was actually worried I’d ignore her in the future, so she had no choice but to give in.

I pulled my foot back into the car. “You said it—you’re taking me home, no strings attached!”

“Fine, fine! No strings! I’m doing it voluntarily, okay?”

“Then can you let go of my arm?”

She’d been clutching my arm tightly, as if afraid I’d bolt again. She was a little reluctant to let go, fantasizing that, since it was late and deserted, maybe something romantic could happen between us. But hearing my words, she let go, embarrassed and disappointed.

She thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Tang Qian, I won’t impose any conditions. I just want to ask you for one thing, and it’s really simple and easy. I mean this sincerely—surely you can’t be so heartless as to refuse such a small request?”

I was on guard. I wouldn’t be fooled by her pitiful tone; with Hua Jingjing, I had to keep my wits about me at all times, lest I fall into another of her traps.

So I didn’t agree right away, just said, “What’s this easy request? Let’s hear it first.”

She said, “All I want is that from now on, you won’t deliberately avoid me. We can be like ordinary friends—call or meet up from time to time. I’ll never interfere in your life. I just want you to spare me a little time, so I’m not too bored or lonely. Is that okay?”

I hesitated. I understood what she meant. She didn’t want to lose touch with me after I quit, and this was the bare minimum she needed to keep her hopes alive. If I agreed, I knew I’d still have headaches and trouble in the future. But if I refused, I’d seem too petty and heartless, turning down even such an innocuous request—wasn’t that going too far?

If this had been a few days ago, when I had no fondness for Hua Jingjing at all, I would have refused without hesitation, cutting off all future complications. But after she’d tried to keep me from quitting last night, I realized how much she valued and trusted me—and even liked me. To say I didn’t feel a bit pleased or flattered would be a lie. I’m only human, after all, and I have my pride. Having it stroked made me happy, even smug, and that made me more sympathetic toward her. Though reason told me that with a clingy woman like Hua Jingjing, I should be firm and ruthless, when I saw her pitiful expression and those eyes full of unspoken words, I just couldn’t bring myself to say “no.”

After a long pause, I sighed and said, “Miss Hua, I won’t avoid you. But let me make it clear: nothing is ever going to happen between us. Don’t waste your time—it’s pointless.”

She smiled. “That’s all I wanted to hear. From now on, you can’t deliberately disappear on me. Don’t worry, I won’t make things hard for you. I’ll treat you just like an ordinary friend—I won’t pester you, okay?”

I was half convinced. “Really?”

She nodded vigorously. “Really!” Though in her heart, she added, “As if! If I don’t say this and put you at ease, how will I ever get the chance to make you fall for me? I, Hua Jingjing, have never failed before. No matter what it takes, I’ll win your heart. I’ll make you love me madly! Hmph! And when that day comes…”

After savoring her little fantasy, seeing she’d achieved her goal for now, she asked me cheerfully, “So, where to now? I’ll drive you.”

“Just take me home.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you had something to do tonight? Why are you going home? Were you lying to me?”

“I have things to do at home. Is that not allowed?”

“Fine, fine! No need to be so fierce, I was just asking.”

With that, Hua Jingjing turned the car around and sped toward the brightly lit city.

The Ferrari was fast—less than an hour later, we were downstairs at my place. I checked my watch. It was only 8:06 p.m. After getting out, I waved to Hua Jingjing and headed upstairs. She stuck her head out the window and called, “Tang Qian! When I call you, don’t you dare ignore me!”

“Got it!” I replied distractedly, already on my way up.

When I got home, Mom and Dad were both in the living room watching TV. My little sister was probably in her room doing homework. I greeted them, “Dad, Mom, I’m back,” and was about to head to my room.

Dad stopped me immediately. “Qian, wait a minute. Come here, I want to talk to you.”

I had no choice but to sit obediently across from him, ready to be lectured.

Sure enough, he picked up the remote and turned down the TV. Then he asked, “Lately, you’ve hardly been coming home at night, and you rarely call. You never used to be like this. Is there something you’re hiding from us?”

I sighed inwardly. “It’s not like I want to be out all night, but so much has happened lately, I just can’t keep up.”

But some things were too complicated to explain, and some were inconvenient to discuss right now. I still had a call to make. So I said, “Dad, don’t you know your own son? What could possibly happen to me? There are some things I need to tell you, but let’s talk tomorrow, okay? I have something to do tonight—I need to get to it.”

Saying that, I stood up. But Mom, always sensitive, suddenly asked, “Qian! Just tell me—are you seeing someone?” She looked at me with eager anticipation.

I broke out in a sweat, then, after a split second’s thought, decided to tell the truth. It would at least put my parents’ minds at ease. I nodded. “Yeah… you could say that. Anyway, I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.” With that, I strode into my room, just hearing Mom laugh and say to Dad behind me, “You hear that, old man? Your son’s got a girlfriend!”

Dad, surprisingly unruffled, replied calmly, “What’s so surprising about that? I already guessed.”

I closed the door and finally breathed a sigh of relief. I lit a cigarette, fished out my dead phone, found the charger, plugged it in, and powered up.

Finally, I dialed Gu Ruoyan’s number.

The phone rang for a long time, but nobody picked up. Strange—hadn’t we agreed she’d wait for my call tonight? I kept trying, and after five or six minutes and about ten attempts, someone finally answered. Gu Ruoyan’s voice came through, a little slurred: “Hello? Who is it?”

I could hear loud noises in the background, like a bar or dance club. I frowned. “Manager, it’s Tang Qian. Didn’t we agree I’d call you tonight? Where are you? It’s so noisy!”

She giggled. “Tang Qian? Come, come, I’m… at Austin Slow Bar. Come drink with me, haha…”

I was speechless. I sighed inwardly—had she really been living in a haze of drink and parties since her divorce? Poor woman, what a bitter heart she must have.

I said, “Manager, you have to take care of yourself. Are you drunk again? You’re only hurting yourself—he’s not worth it!”

Gu Ruoyan just laughed. Suddenly, I heard the sound of breaking glass and a startled cry. Then the line went dead with a sharp click.

I shouted into the phone, “Hello? Manager! What happened? Hello? Hello?”