Chapter 1.3

5.

When I opened the door, I quickly caught the amazement in Duan Yi’s eyes.

My vanity was satisfied, if only a little.

“Have you left?” I asked, pretending.

His eyes were still wide open, his eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Somehow, I suddenly thought of the butterfly effect.

We walked out together, arm in arm, and took a taxi to our destination.

Seeing the unfamiliar faces flashing by made me feel…so unfamiliar.

The dinner was nothing special, with no old lovers or dramatic conflicts, only the ubiquitous social niceties.

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R oyp wple vs pxkzkdt, oblvbla rszkvlzu, okzezu, sa kasdknyzzu…kv oyp yzz lypu qsa xl.

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R nswzed’v blzr cwv cwapv swv zywtbkdt.

Pwyd Zk zssjle yv xl okvb kdvlalpv, dsv xkppkdt ydu pwcvzl lmralppksd sd xu qynl. “Ebyv yal usw zywtbkdt yv?” bl ypjle.

“R’x fwpv zywtbkdt,” R pyke, aykpkdt yd lulcaso.

Ebld ol zlqv, vbl pwd bye fwpv plv. Ju vbl vkxl ol qkdkpble ekddla, vbl pju oyp nsxrzlvlzu eyaj. Mbl ekx ulzzso pvallvzktbvp olal easopu, yvvaynvkdt y qlo pxyzz xsvbp qzukdt wr yde esod.

The evening breeze was a bit chilly, and I wrapped my coat around myself to keep warm, reaching up to tidy my messy hair.

I felt a bit empty in my stomach, hungry and uncomfortable. I had come here today to mooch off of someone else’s meal, but to my disappointment, all the dishes were ones I didn’t like. Everyone around me was busy drinking, toasting, and reminiscing about the past. I didn’t want to be a bother and tried to stay inconspicuous, eating a few bites of food that seemed to take an eternity to finish.

I miscalculated, I really did.

Duan Yi didn’t ask me any stupid questions about how I felt about the gathering, probably because we both found it boring.

He had just had a bit to drink, and his cheeks were stained with a faint blush, colored by the dim orange light.

“They divorced when I was very young, and each remarried.”

He stared straight ahead, his eyes scattered with a few stars.

His sudden outburst broke the silence, but no one reacted unexpectedly. Everything was just right, falling into place naturally.

I knew before we got married that Duan Yi’s parents had divorced and remarried.

Nobody wanted to take him along, and he grew up in the midst of pushing and shoving, with everyone and everything urging him to be independent.

“Then I became homeless.”

His eye rims slowly turned red, and the black and white pupils were enveloped in a layer of glistening tears, hot and trembling in the soft light.

I’m not good at comforting people, so I can only listen quietly to him.

After a long time, he blurted out, “There’s no divorce with me.”

Duan Yi’s burning gaze fell straight into my eyes, and I probed the undercurrents inside. In the end, everything turned into calmness.

Without realizing it, my footsteps had slowed down, and I didn’t know how long it would take to walk back home on foot.

A faint growling sound came from my stomach, and my hunger grew stronger.

There was a subway entrance nearby, so I didn’t think too much about it and went in, took out my phone to figure out the route, and got on the train. Luckily, I missed the rush hour and there were seats available.

Duan Yi said he was feeling a little dizzy, so I let him lean on my shoulder and rest for a while.

Before long, a voice as sweet as candy rang out next to me, “Big sister~”

Oh my, who is he calling out to? It’s like he’s shouting into my ear. I turned my head and saw a young boy wearing a mask, with his big, watery eyes staring at me. I guessed he was no more than twenty years old.

“Sis~” He waved at me in a pleasing manner.

!

Although I am quite good-looking, the younger generation nowadays has such boldness!

Is he treating my shoulder, with sleeping Duan Yi on it, as air?!

Although this guy is sleeping.

I don’t understand. Maybe I’m really getting old.

“Sis~” he called again, “Have you used the special version of Taobao?”

“…”

I’ve already thought of a reason to refuse to give out my contact information, and this is it?

Just this?

How much did Taobao pay you?

I put on a cold face and said, “I haven’t used it.”

“Well, sis, why don’t you take a look at it? It’s this one, and it only takes a few minutes to download~”

“Sorry, my phone is out of battery.”

He pleaded, “Oh sister, you are clearly deceiving me~ Please, pretty please.”

I remained unperturbed, “I really have no battery left.”

He said a few more words, but seeing that I was immovable, his voice gradually faded away. He then stood up to find another kind-hearted person.

After taking a few steps, he looked back at me with lingering hope, but I remained motionless and stared straight ahead at the dark glass opposite me.

Meanwhile, Duan Yi quietly opened his eyes and looked at the young man. As if receiving a warning, the young man quickly turned and left. The scene was clear and distinct, and Duan Yi smiled as he closed his eyes again.

Oh, he wasn’t asleep after all?

6.

Back home, after taking a shower, I saw Duan Yi eating instant noodles in the room.

I wondered if he hadn’t eaten enough tonight?

But the braised flavor is really tasteless.

I still prefer spicy and sour.

I wore loose old-age pajamas and shorts, wrapped my wet hair with a towel, and shook the towel hard a few times but it wouldn’t fall off.

“Eat less instant noodles, it’s not good for your health.”

I kindly reminded him, but then realized that I was getting more and more like my mother who used to advise me not to eat spicy strips.

As I grow older, I need to pay attention to my health and maintain good living habits.

“Oh.”

He blinked foolishly, as if he was still drunk, and then buried his head to drink the soup.

From my years of experience with perfunctory responses, this “Oh” is equivalent to “I’ll still eat it next time.”

“Ding dong–“

The doorbell rang.

I put on my slippers and opened the door with a smile, “Thank you.”

Satisfied, I put my takeout on the table and opened it layer by layer with a sense of ceremony.

“What did you buy?”

I was very proud, “Barbecue.”

Duan Yi looked at me in confusion, then looked at the almost empty bowl of noodle soup in front of him, with a bewildered look in his eyes.

I calmly spread out the tablecloth provided by the restaurant, then carefully held a bamboo skewer and tore off the foil wrapper.

Thick red chili peppers covered the dish, decorated with green onions, emitting a fragrant aroma.

Duan Yi stared with wide eyes, tilting his head, his face showing “I don’t understand.”

Feeling embarrassed under his gaze, I reluctantly said, “Do you want some?”

“Okay.”

Even the teardrop mole in the corner of his eye came to life.

“… “

I split the skewer in half and gave him one, feeling the pain in my heart. I was like a little angel in this world, moved to tears by my own kindness.

While he was eating, he said, “Lin Fang works at a publishing house, you might run into each other in the future.”

“?”

I held a bamboo skewer, and asked in confusion, “Who is Lin Fang?”

“The guy who sat next to you tonight,” he patiently explained, “Didn’t you two have a great conversation?”

“Oh.” There was indeed such a person, but I had forgotten his name and appearance in an instant.

“I did it to save your face, you know?”

When you’re away from home, your spouse’s honor and disgrace are yours as well.

“Your work should be quite similar, right? Both deal with words.”

I suspected this person was trying to lead me on again. “Don’t you deal with words every day too?”

I admit, I was arguing for the sake of it.

He changed the topic unconcernedly. “Do you have a driver’s license?”

“No, I don’t want to take the test.”

Public transportation is so convenient.

“That might be a bit difficult,” he muttered to himself.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I was thinking that having a car at home might be more convenient for going out in the future, so there won’t be so many things to worry about.”

Like what? What does he mean?

I was a little confused, stayed silent for a few seconds, and said, “If you buy a car, you can be the driver.”

He struggled with the idea, his lips turning red from the spiciness. After a moment, he let go of his conflicted expression.

“Let’s stick to environmentally friendly transportation.”

As we spoke, there was almost nothing left of the barbecue on the table, and the bare bamboo skewers were abandoned on the side.

“Why did you marry me?” he turned his head and looked at me.

“Because I was lonely.”

After finishing the last skewer, I propped my head up with my left hand and absentmindedly poked at the foam insulated bag with the skewer in my right hand as I replied.

“Cross my heart, I’m telling the truth.”

While I enjoyed my solitude, I also made a habit of stepping out of my comfort zone.

He didn’t seem surprised at my answer; in fact, he was starting to get a sense of my personality after spending time with me recently.

I was frank about my feelings.

“Just having someone with me makes even the scariest horror movie bearable.”

He grinned, pleasantly surprised, “I give you that much security?”

“No, just any person will do.”

I didn’t spare any feelings with my response.

A dog would do, but I don’t have pets.

He kept up his fragmented smile until he couldn’t anymore, his facade breaking apart piece by piece. Before his true face was fully exposed, he lowered his head, hiding the complexity in his eyes.

There was a touch of melancholy in his voice.

“To be honest, I never really considered marriage before. Right up until the second before I met you, I was an advocate for not getting married.”

I knew what he was questioning but I continued speaking, “Your perspective on marriage is interesting. And, in the future, when we’re older, if I suddenly die, at least there will be someone to claim my body.”

I was definitely not good at consoling people.

As soon as I opened my mouth, I couldn’t stop myself from saying crazy things, and even I felt creepy after saying them.

“Do you believe me?”

He was referring to the fact that we got our marriage certificate on the day we met.

“No, I believe in my own judgment.” I didn’t care if he minded my shamelessness.

He laughed dumbly, rubbing his finger over his eyes and stretching his mouth to the widest arc.

“And now? Are you still a non-marriage advocate?”

I paused for a moment and said firmly, “Yes.”