Tianshui flows long (I)
The streets of Taipei in the late afternoon of Sunday were covered in dark clouds, and I’m a person who doesn’t like to carry an umbrella. When the rain started to fall in the northwest, I was going to have fun getting wet in the rain, barefoot and with my head tilted up, just like the old days. But it was Taipei City, where the pH of the rain was as low as 2.0, and I wasn’t near a dormitory to take a nice, hot shower after the rain.
So I ducked into the 7-Eleven down the road and flipped through the new magazines.
“It’s you.” A girl with cloaked hair tapped on the glass through the large floor-to-ceiling window. I looked up, a familiar face, but I couldn’t remember who she was at all. I smiled weakly and nodded my head as if to say hello, then desperately searched my mind for the woman’s name. Oh no, I can’t remember… “I guess you probably can’t remember who I am.” The woman walked in and smiled at me.
“Rainbow.” That smile is so profound, I’m sure every man who’s ever seen it is unlikely to forget it.
“Eh. It’s been a while.” Rainbow stared at the Playboy Chinese edition I was flipping through in my hands and smiled wistfully.
“Eh. It’s been a while.” I took the magazine I’d unpacked and went to the counter to check out and pay. “Bye.”
I said as I fled out the door.
“Wait!” A woman chased out from inside the 7-Eleven and said in the loudest voice possible to the man who had just escaped, “Stop right there! I won’t let you run away anymore! Stop right there!”
The people on the side of the road, and the clerk who had just taken my five hundred dollar bill, all watched with morbid curiosity at the drama that was beginning to unfold on the ride. It only took me a second to decide what to do.
“I’m telling you, don’t pester me. One, I don’t love you anymore, two, the baby in your belly isn’t mine, and three, don’t think I’ll admit it if you rely on me, I’m not stupid.” I yelled back at her with the same volume. Since there wasn’t anyone on the road that I knew, or knew me, what was the harm in having a street show?
“You…” It seems my reaction was more than she expected, and she was a bit overwhelmed. But she was no pushover, and then she disguised her devious eyes with a low cry, “You… that’s not what you said the other night.”
“You take all men’s promises in bed seriously, huh?” I said in a teasing tone.
“You…” she bit her lower lip, flicked her eyes to the left and right, and decided to cry. Terrible, her pretend crying was really quite decent.
“I…” Seeing that a sniveling passerby was on the verge of stepping forward, both she and I couldn’t help but laugh maniacally. The gentleman who looked like an office worker stopped dead in his tracks, completely confused by us. I took Rainbow’s hand and dragged her away from this ride at a quick pace. Just two people running and laughing at the same time broke through the rain and crossed the intersection with the red light on.
“Well? Will you do me the honor of having dinner with me?” Rainbow suggested to me while stopping at another ride.
“Can I say no? I don’t want to be mobbed to death by passersby.” Looking at the ever-changing traffic lights in the rain, I agreed to her invitation.
Tianshui flows long (II)
Dinner.
A familiar scene. A man and woman sitting face to face in the dim light, thinking about their own thoughts, but with so much to ask each other. Anyone who wants to open their mouths to ask, who also do not want to be the first to open their mouths. A meal, in the end of the meal on the cold drink, the two people only gradually break that kind of embarrassment.
“I didn’t realize you knew Hu.” Rainbow dropped the first ball. “And thank you for not breaking down the fact that we knew each other that day.”
“Whoa? Wow, you mean that time at the Kwang Wah Mall.” I hesitated a bit, but got the words out.
“It doesn’t really make a difference anymore, now that Hu knows anyway.”
“He knows?” Rainbow’s reaction was surprisingly aghast, “How can that be?”
I smiled silently. A bitter smile. Nothing was said.
“How did he know?” Rainbow asked without precaution, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was wrong and hurriedly changed her tone: “Forget it, it doesn’t make a difference anyway.”
“Whoa?”
“We broke up.” Rainbow was calm as if she were telling someone else’s family business.
“Whoa?” I laughed right out of my nostrils.
“What kind of attitude is that?” Rainbow snapped.
“Can you save your acting for someone else?” I sighed helplessly.
“Acting?” Rainbow froze, “You mean I’m acting for you? Why would I lie to you? What’s in it for me to lie to you?”
“Anyway, it’s a waste not to cheat.” I said slowly, “When a man has fooled a woman a lot, it’s easier to know when a woman is taking advantage of an innate advantage. I have to admit, I’m a silly man who doesn’t resist gentle traps very well, but I’m not an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old brat anymore. Enough said.”
“What did Hu tell you?” Rainbow gathered her chutzpah.
“He still loves you. Loves you deeply. He even got into a huge fight with me over you.” I said lightly, “From what I know of him, he wouldn’t have thrown such a huge tantrum over a woman from the past tense.”
“You…” said Rainbow, “Forget it, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. I was hoping to lie to you, and then indirectly to reassure Khun Luang. Because you are one of the most trustworthy friends I know of. After the incident with Xiao Hu, we had a cold war for a while, and then he refused to trust me anymore.
“I asked you out to dinner, actually, to ask you how Jianlong is doing?” Rainbow sighed.
“I thought you guys were still communicating.” I said.
“What can be done with correspondence? Both of us put on masks in our letters, and even though I still showed up for every meeting, I had begun to be unable to guess his mind or read his thoughts. He was… He was still as considerate as ever, but with a woman’s intuition, I knew that he wasn’t the same person he used to be. I can’t even tell if he’s doing well.” Rainbow finally removed her mask as well.
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s Hu who you love and are with now.” I didn’t want to pretend anymore, “Is your concern for Jianlong now out of sincerity, or guilt?”
“The blaze and the lighthouse. That’s what you said.” Rainbow couldn’t take my aggressiveness and threw back a comment I had made.
“I was wrong. I went to see Kenron at the end of June and I realized that I was completely wrong.” I close my eyes.
“I hadn’t thought that a man could be so desperate and yet refuse to give up hope.”
“You mean…” Rainbow’s murmured voice rang in my ears in the darkness.
“I mean, you failed a man who loved you so much that he’s still living in pain to this day.” I said hatefully, “Why do you think I was avoiding you in the first place? Because I didn’t want to see you. Caught between you, Hu, and Jianlong, I’ve had enough. All I want in this life is to escape from the middle of this story completely.
“Leave me alone.” I dropped a thousand dollar bill and practically fled the restaurant.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (III)
The rain stopped.
The rainy Taipei sky is still gray. There is no sunshine, and certainly no rainbow. In all my years of studying in Taipei, I have indeed never seen a rainbow appear in the sky either.
The woman, Rainbow, didn’t come out of the restaurant after me either. As I walked away, I thought I saw her lying on the restaurant table and crying. A woman’s tears. A weapon I had come to fear to the core. I didn’t look closely, nor did I dare. Just fled. Fleeing far away.
Because I have no way to judge who is right and who is wrong. Maybe there is no right or wrong, everyone is just a pawn in this soap opera, at the mercy of fate. I just want to know, what am I?
I keep asking: What am I?
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning, I ended up crawling up and turning on my computer, going through the Xiao Hu stories I had grabbed, and the shit I had written. Rainbow, Sunshine, Starburst… These stories, maybe they’re not stories, maybe they’re all true, maybe they’re all not true, and who knows? Even I’m not sure anymore.
All night in my mind, is a quarrel after asking Xiao Hu out to apologize, his uncomplaining, no regrets, for love at all costs look; is June when I saw Jianlong, the forced smile, but the vicissitudes of the haggard to heartbreaking; is that day rainbow lying on the dining room crying figure.
It was tempting to have a cigarette. It’s a strange urge for a guy who’s never touched a cigarette in his life.
“Ask the world what love is, and you’ll be told to live and die.” Years ago, when I was a simple freshman, I wrote a report on the appreciation of modern novels with this title and got a high score. Today, looking back, I can only laugh at the naivety of the year, but I can use such a rational attitude to comment on the right and wrong of the characters in the novel. If I were to rewrite this report today, I would not be able to write the same thing.
Because there is no right or wrong in love, only trade-offs, and the inability to part with them.
Today, I can think of Rainbow as a woman who is a womanizer, ignoring her tragic encounter before she was twenty years old; I can think of Xiaohu as a love thief who took advantage of his love, ignoring what he had paid and suffered for this love; I can think of Jianlong as a dull-witted man who can only take care of a woman, who can’t see the truth and only pays for it; and I am an asshole who only cares about the world and stirs up trouble all over the place. I’m the asshole who makes trouble all over the world.
But this does not do any good at all for reality.
By dawn, I still had no conclusions, conclusions about what I could do and what I should do. In the summer, the sun would show its face very, very early in the morning, and the heat and dryness of the whole day would start early.
This signaled the beginning of another day of irritation for me.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (IV)
Yang.
It was the same kind of weather when I went to see Jianlong that day. I hadn’t answered Jianlong’s letters since I realized that I was responsible for Xiao Hu’s broken leg. The point wasn’t whether it was his intention or not, but that he was to blame for the result. So am I. Hu hasn’t blamed me, which makes me feel even more guilty.
But when I saw Jianlong’s letter begging me to forgive him and go see him, why couldn’t I still say no?
I think I’ve been through the hurt of lost love a few times, and I’ve seen friends around me go through it a few times, but every time it happened, I didn’t fail to fall deeper into it, whether it was my own or someone else’s. The look on Jianlong’s face that day made my mood hit rock bottom as well. For me who would cry and laugh along with the people in the show while watching a movie, I’ve always been a Virgo who couldn’t stay out of it.
I didn’t ask if Jianlong was doing well because as soon as I saw the look in his eyes, I knew he wasn’t doing well at all.
“I’m sorry.” He said.
“Never mind.” I waved my hand, asking him not to mind anymore.
“I didn’t expect things to change like this either. A botched job? I guess I deserved it.”
“Ugh…” I sighed, “You and Rainbow…”
“I don’t know.” Jianlong had never looked so vulnerable in front of me, and tears dripped from his eyes all at once, “I guess it blew over. She still gives me letters, I still give her letters, she still comes to see me, but her heart isn’t there anymore. I’ve never understood her, her smile is so bright, so bright that I’ve never looked past it in years, but she’s made me, definitively, not feel her presence this time.
“Have you ever had such an experience? Someone you love dearly is right next to you, but it’s like your love touches an icy cold wall, it doesn’t penetrate, it doesn’t bounce back, it just disappears into the wall without a sound.
It’s like someone secretly erased it with an eraser and there’s no trace of it left.
“I can’t reach her at all anymore. Completely unable.” Kenron’s voice, agonized, trembled.
“I understand.” Why did I shed a tear along with it?
“There really isn’t a trace left. Why is it that even a relationship of so many years can change as soon as you say so, and end as soon as you are intervened? Can you tell me, what is this really for?
“I guess I never really got to know her when she was around me. And after she had already moved away, the events of the last few years kept coming back to me. I realized how much effort she had put into maintaining her outwardly bright smile. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner?
“It’s the first time I’ve ever regretted that I killed that bugger.”
“Don’t say it. You’re only deepening your own pain.” And my pain, my mind said silently. “If I don’t tell you all of it today, who else am I going to tell these words to? The pain? Who’s in pain now? If a love affair is so untestable, isn’t it better to break it off sooner rather than later? It’s better than breaking it off in a more brutal way one day in the future.
“I just can’t stop asking myself: were all those years of sacrifice worth it?” Jianlong, almost out of breath, slowly spat out the question that would never be answered.
I didn’t say anything, I just held Jianlong’s hand. We didn’t say anything else until the meeting time was over. There are times when men can be with each other without having to rely on words.
“Don’t do anything.” Kenron’s last words that day were sort of his request, “I owe you enough. Don’t do anything.”
And now that I’m thinking back to that day’s meeting, and yesterday’s dinner with Rainbow, I’m determined to break my promise to Kenron.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (V)
Windy.
After fooling around with Hu on the phone and making sure he was home alone, I rode my bike to Neihu that dark and windy night. I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t fall short, but I figured I’d need a lot more coincidence and luck if I was going to accomplish my goal. I meant to take a gamble. If I lost, I could also know when to stop.
I rang the electric bell. Although that key was still lying in my pocket, I didn’t want to use it unless I had to.
After waiting a bit, when I suspected that I had run out of luck, the door opened. Behind the door was a woman with red eyes.
“It’s you.” She said, “Come on in. I think it’s about time.”
I silently followed her as she approached the small, familiar apartment. She walks towards the corner of what should be called the kitchen, picks up a sealed can of coffee, and once she opens the can, the rich smell of coffee beans instantly fills the entire dooryard.
“Coffee?” She asked.
“Good.” I find a comfortable chair and sit down, watching her bustle in and out, “I thought you were going to ask for a beer.” I make a joke in an attempt to break the silence.
“And then let you take advantage of the situation again? I’m not giving you another chance.” Rainbow was carrying two coffee cups and handed one of them to me. She didn’t drink the coffee right away, just fiddled with the liquid in the cup with a tiny spoon.
“You’ve cost me a day’s pay today.”
“I skipped a day too.” I said quietly, “Who’s in the mood to get out of the house. I think that’s why you didn’t want to see Hu today.”
“So it was you who just took over his phone line.” Rainbow’s eyes looked at me from under her lowered brows, “I should have thought of that. Forget it, let’s not test each other like this, how about we get to the point? I found a reason to dismiss Hu, and you made sure he was at home, all for the sake of the two of us talking alone. Let’s not waste time, you’re here to ask me to break up with Hu, aren’t you?”
“You think so?” I bit my lower lip, “Maybe. I wouldn’t say that though.”
“You’ll beat around the bush, you’ll tell me about Jianlong’s situation, and maybe even add a few more points to make my heart weak, make my heart ache, and make my heart ache. You know I’m not an ungrateful woman, and I’ll involuntarily decide to give up Xiaohu and obediently return to Jianlong.” Rainbow finished her coffee in one gulp, no matter how hot it was.
“Why don’t you believe that I will definitely return to Kenron when he gets out of prison?”
“Because love is anyone’s guess.” Awesome woman, said everything I wanted to say, “Now that you know what I’m trying to do, you should have figured out how to take it too, right?”
“How do you think I’ll take it?” She asked me rhetorically.
“You’d say that you and Hu were just playing along, just accidentally playing a little into the game. You’re still in love with Jianlong, of course. You might reinforce that impression with your famous smile. And I’ll believe it, because there’s nothing else for me to do but to believe it one way or the other, and leave with my nose in the air.” I took a slow sip of my coffee, “But how does that help the truth? I’ve already planted a shadow in your mind, a shadow on me I’m not likely to shake off myself.”
“Ugh.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and was speechless with me.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (VI)
Deep Night.
It’s been a long time since I’ve talked so late and so openly with a woman. After a back and forth of offense and defense, we finally really took off our masks and opened up. I told her about my meeting with Jianlong, and she told me about her struggle between the two men. The truth is, she was no better off than I was.
“That’s just the way it is.” I said, “You should blame Kenron less, right? In fact, I only forgave him when I saw him at the end of June.”
“Grace. No one told me about this at all. Jianlong didn’t dare to talk about it, and Xiaohu was so vague that he refused to say more, so that I only knew that Jianlong had someone run over Xiaohu’s leg, and I didn’t even know these details. If I had been allowed to know that Jianlong had originally just wanted a fair fight and that the crash was all someone else’s doing, then I wouldn’t have gambled on going to Xiao Hu, digging him out of his sister’s house where he was hiding, and giving myself to him.” Rainbow sighed, “But now, I can’t help myself. That damned thing, Jianlong, why don’t you speak up for yourself.”
“He doesn’t feel good inside either.” I drank another cup of coffee, “Actually, you’ve overestimated me too. I’m not here to break up you and Xiao Hu, I’m just here to tell you this part of the story that I know. As I also said, Jianlong is my friend, and so is Xiao Hu, I won’t sway your choice.”
“So what are you doing here?” Rainbow was dumbfounded, “Don’t say you’re going to be a comic book narrator, always telling the main characters about the plot they don’t see.”
“Yeah, the kind that jumps out and opens a little window when it moves.” I laughed along.
“No, I just want you to keep up your acting skills and be nice to Kenron. Whether it’s genuine or not.”
“Whoa? You’re asking me to be his drug of choice?” Rainbow glared at me, “I’m a heroin who can’t quit.”
“If he’ll want to quit.” I ignored her skepticism and said one word at a time, “Yes, by being his heroin. I trust your acting skills, and I’m sure he won’t suspect a thing if you try to make him think you’ve come around.”
“You mean I’m not acting good enough right now.” Rainbow finished the last of her coffee and licked her upper lip, looking to me as if she wanted to go get a can of beer.
“Because you weren’t being attentive. You were punishing him, in the beginning, and then trying to brake the car slightly too late, by him seeing through you for the first time.” I helped her get a cold beer from the fridge and handed it to her, “It’s just one. I don’t want to get raped by a drunken you again.”
“Haha!” She teased me as she pulled back the pull-tab, “It’s okay to tell you since it’s been so long anyway. Nothing happened that night.”
“What?!” I almost even dropped my jaw, “What did you say? It’s impossible, I…”
“I stripped you of your clothes, and then I took off mine and lay down next to you. If you noticed, I was wrapped in a blanket. How could I have gotten drunk on a couple cans of beer? And certainly not stupid enough for you to see my body. To make the scene a little more realistic, I also swallowed a couple of birth control pills you bought while it was still early in the morning, causing me to be particularly irregular that month.” Rainbow said in a serious voice.
“What… what are you doing this for?” I had begun to stammer, and I was really completely dumbfounded by the biggest scam I had ever encountered in my life.
“This time, you’re more confident in my acting skills, aren’t you?” This woman, Rainbow, was truly an opponent that could not be underestimated.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (VII)
Dark of the Moon.
A shadow buried in the heart for a long time, since it is just a scam. I don’t know, I don’t have a little bit of anger in my heart, only a kind of relief like a weight off my shoulders. Even though I am a very good person at playing dumb, for things I don’t want to remember, I can hide myself to the point where I don’t even know.
I really don’t know what to say anymore about this awesome woman.
“Why?” I really wanted to know what Rainbow had designed this trap for.
“Even if I told you, would you believe me?” Rainbow said slyly, “I’m just trying to keep your hands full and out of my way.”
“Ugh, say what you will. I don’t know what to believe in you anymore anyway.” I suddenly felt very tired, in the middle of the battle of wits with this woman, not only did I not take advantage, but I was bluffed.
“It’s late at night, I should go.”
“I thought you hadn’t finished your sentence.” Rainbow was obviously a little surprised when I got up.
“It doesn’t make a difference anymore if you say it or not.” I got up and stood in front of the door, “Anyway, I’ve done what I wanted to do, with an extra thing attached that I wasn’t going to know.”
“You think you’ve erected a yoke in my heart? You’re naive.” Rainbow drops this behind me as I step out the door.
“Of course I didn’t.” I didn’t look back, I just walked straight toward the stairs, “Only you can.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked skeptically.
“Yes.” He said firmly, “One hand to win or lose.”
(End of Part 1)
Tian Shui Long Part II (viii)
Sweat and rain.
The detention center under the blazing sun was like a hell on fire. I had used up all the tissues that I had brought with me, but on my white skin, which had been indoors for too long, countless beads of sweat had collected, and could not be evaporated under the excessively high temperature. I stopped struggling unnecessarily and let the sweat penetrate my clothes.
Because in the midst of this conversation, all physical sensations can be ignored.
“That’s my meter .” Kenron was also sweating profusely, but he was so focused on talking to me that he didn’t care at all. “The reason I asked you to come here on a hot day like this is that I was hoping you could help me out and help me make this perhaps final move.”
“This…” I had simply frozen when I heard Jianlong’s plan .
“You were right in your letter, I no longer have a chance to win under these circumstances.” Jianlong’s eyes were no longer the haggard look he had seen a month ago, but a bravado of a strong man. “I’ve thought about it, thoroughly. There’s still a year left, and as it is, I’ll spend a year in prison in silent agony, and a year from now still haggard, still a loser, with nothing to show for it. If I do have to lose, I want to see GameOver, not an unexplained faded love.”
“You…” I was happy to see Jianlong finally come back to life from that self-loathing, but I honestly didn’t really agree with what he was doing.
“That’s what you said,” Kenron said, looking straight into my eyes, persistent, determined, and unable to give in. The Kenron I knew was back. “I was asked to figure out a way to climb out of this quagmire on my own, and I did it, but I need you to pull me through. It might be a bit of a push, since I know you’re still good friends with that little bugger named Hu; but thinking about it in another direction, it would be a good thing for him in case I lose. And who loses and who wins is not something I can control.”
“No, you misunderstand the reason for my hesitation.” I shook my head, “It’s you I’m worried about. If there was that eventuality, would you be willing to let all these years all lose their meaning and come to nothing?”
“If there is that eventuality,” said Kenron, with a little flash of hesitation in his eyes only at this point in the day.
But he quickly wiped it away and replaced it with his irreplaceable fortitude. “Then I will bless them. After all, Rainbow can have her happiness, and I am willing to make any sacrifice. Regardless of the past, present, or future, it is my unchanging promise.”
“Wait, I don’t want to say yes right now, but it’s not like I’m rejecting you either.” Honestly, that’s Kenron, there’s no way I would have made that decision if it were me. “Think about it, and write me again in three days to tell me if you really want to do this. If you still don’t change your mind by then, I’ll promise to go to the fire and give it my all.”
“It’s not necessary.” Kenron grasped the last few minutes before the end of the meeting and said hurriedly but with all certainty, “One has nothing to do in jail, just thinking. This is my final decision, you know, and there’s no way I’m going to change it once I’ve decided.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked skeptically.
“Yes.” He said firmly, “One hand to win or lose.”
“Good. I’ll do this favor.” Those were the last words he heard before the guards took him away.
The water in the sky flows long (ix)
Cloudy.
That day, Kenron finally decides to send his last love letter to Rainbow. It was more of a farewell letter to his wife than a love letter. When he sent it to Rainbow, he also sent his draft to me at the same time. Between the deletions and changes, I saw the last sacrifice a man can make for a woman’s happiness: sacrificing himself. Don’t ask me, it is impossible for me to make such a sacrifice.
Rainbow.
It rained late this afternoon, but the sun came right in, in the wrong direction, and I couldn’t see the rainbow.
Suddenly, I was startled to realize that I hadn’t seen a rainbow in a long time. What I do see is a woman named Rainbow, barely clad in rainbows. Don’t rush to deny it, because you already know what I know, and I know you already know.
Pretend any longer and it won’t look like it.
I’m very sorry. I’m also sorry that Mr. Hu… had his leg crushed by Mr. Cannon. You never mentioned it, but I know you knew and were angry. Because you loved him. Don’t deny it, and don’t try to pass it off with a smile on your face (Oh my god.) I really don’t want to write this letter when I think about your smile, but I tell myself I’ll never finish this letter unless I write it all at once). Living with you for so many years, don’t think I’ve been unable to see through your smile, that day in the rain, embracing you rushed out of the relatives’ home, you still smile when you are heartbroken about my millions, I know, hidden in your smile, is that you don’t let me worry about the precociousness. However, I have not told you, I just take your smile, as your happy look. Because I really like to see you smile, especially when you sincerely feel happy. If you don’t get tired of it, I mean to say “I love you” to you a thousand times, just to see your happy smile. For you, you know I can sacrifice everything.
Even at the expense of myself.
I think it’s time for me to walk away quietly. You love him, he loves you, and I’m stuck in the middle, with no chance of being anything but a burden on your heart. Gratitude is not love, and I don’t want your gratitude to me to deter you from pursuing happiness and keep you bent over me for the rest of your life. I don’t want to get your person, but not get your heart, this kind of taste in these months of correspondence, I can’t be clearer.
So I told myself: let you go.
That is to say, I have to break my promise to you, I not only do not mean to take care of you for the rest of your life, I have to dump you. If I didn’t know for sure that you love Mr. Hu and he also loves you deeply and also intends to give you happiness, I couldn’t have made such a decision.
Don’t answer the letter. If you really decide to go with him, you shouldn’t answer this letter. If we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends. No matter what difficulties you encounter, you can write to me. Anyway, I’ll be here for a year et3 and won’t leave.
Goodbye, my favorite.
Kinlung
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (X)
Amazing Thunder.
A few days later, I had expected to hear from Kenron. It never did. Things got busy and I didn’t bother to keep an eye out for it until the phone call that woke me up during my nap that afternoon.
“Hello, is Xiao Zhao there please?” I, who was used to napping all afternoon, didn’t hear who it was for a moment at this unfamiliar call.
“I am.” I said in a sleepy voice, “Which one?”
“Kenron.” The voice on the other end of the mic said.
“Whoa? Which Jianlong? The Jianlong that runs BBS?” My head was still stuck in that dream I just had.
“The Kenron from the jail.” The voice faded into my head and I recognized it! But how could Kenron call?
“You… Ryu, you called?” In a flash, my head immediately cleared.
“I’m going on parole. Getting out next week, so they asked me to call and explain a few things.” Kenron’s voice came through the microphone, “I’d like to ask you to help me move my stuff in Neihu.”
“What…” I still can’t figure it out, “What’s going on?”
“I didn’t have time to talk much on the phone, can you bring my things to the detention center next Saturday to pick me up and get me out?” Kenron said sharply, a voice next to him apparently urging him on, “I sent you a letter with a list of things in a time-limited letter, so please just bring those things for me. I’ll tell you the details next Saturday.”
“Good.” After I agreed, someone helped Kenron hang up the phone.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (XI)
Overfire.
It was still scorching hot outside the detention center late Saturday afternoon. There was a guy who looked to be a lawyer for thieves who had a fireplace ready and looked like he was waiting for someone to come out, too. I dropped the traveling bag with Kenron’s stuff at my feet and ducked into the shadow of the fence. The thieving lawyer even managed to fit into a suit, and I thought he was either in over his head or playing it cool.
I was regretting the thicker t-shirt I wore as Kenron walked out the big metal door. Before I could greet him, the thieving lawyer immediately set the stove on fire and asked Jianlong to step over it. I didn’t lean over, just stood quietly and watched. Jianlong crossed over a little reluctantly, while saying something out loud to the thief lawyer somehow.
After a while, the thieving lawyer scratched his nose and left first. Jianlong watched him go, spitting on the ground as he did so. I lifted my duffel bag and walked over to Kenron.
“Who is that thief lawyer?” I asked as I handed Kenron his duffel bag.
“My old man spends a lot of money to hire a dilettante.” Jianlong while rummaging through the things in the bag, “not busy catching up, first find a hotel, I take a good bath to get rid of the mold, and then find a restaurant to have a good meal. Dry! Prison food is worse than raising pigs after eating for a long time.”
“I knew you would.” I smiled, “Take my locomotive, there’s a nice motel up ahead, you go shower and I’ll order you a nice meal. What do you want to eat? Taiwanese food? Japanese food?”
“Burger fries.” Kenron looked over at me with a catchy look, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.
“Well well well, you remember that McDonald’s all-you-can-eat bet I owed you four years ago, don’t you?” I engine the car while dropping my duffel bag at my feet, “Sit up! Looks like you’re eating me up, I’m sure I’m going to break the bank on this pickup.”
“Cut it out.” Kenron punched me in the shoulder as he stepped onto the locomotive. “A McDonald’s meal for the future great doctor and wow. Who told you to make a hard bet that you couldn’t get into medical school with your JEE scores back in the day.”
“I don’t know.” I said with a bitter smile, “Using the previous year’s scores, I really didn’t have a medical department to study in the first place! Okay, okay, I’ll let you order until you’re full, that’s fine, right?”
“That’s more like it.” Outside, Kenron looked much more cheerful. “Let’s go, I’m hungry.”
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (XII)
Celestial Green.
It took a long time to find a McDonald’s in this strange little town. Jianlong, who had changed his clothes, and me, who had the same flat haircut, plundered the price list like a robbery. The little girl at the part-time job looked at the two of us ordering a five-person meal and thought we were starving.
“I don’t know anything about the law, but it seems like no one paroled that fast?” As I watched Kenron wolf down his food, I stuffed my mouth with French fries in one hand, “Are you the one who’s been keeping this from me? That’s not nice!”
“How could I hide it from you,” Kenron swallowed half his burger in one gulp and reached for a third Coke, “It’s not like my old man is throwing money at it. Si, can you get me two more Daikos?”
“Dunk the crickets!” I shook my head as I turned my head to loudly tempt the little girl at the cash register, “Two Daikos, miss, please.” There’s such a benefit to sitting near the counter, not only can you order from a distance during off-peak hours, but you have a beauty to bring it to you.”
“Thanks!” Jianlong casually waved his finished Coke cup around and started grabbing fries from me. “My old man came back from Canada on business and found out that his son was actually in jail, and fearing that he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up if his friends found out, he hired that acne lawyer you just saw and spent a lot of money to help me buy my way out of the joint.
“Actually, I filed for parole a long time ago, but I just didn’t know the dong to look out for, and I didn’t have the money to ask a lawyer, so I kept getting brushed back. The old man’s money was just right to spend again, and I heard he’s in Canada again with some big old courtroom neighbor, so they re-looked at my case and passed it in a heartbeat. Otherwise, if I knew I was going to get out, why would I play a game of radio with a rainbow? Rushed back to Neihu, of course.” Kenron finished grabbing the fries on the table with both hands and shoveled them into his mouth, ignoring my protests.
“Miss, can I get three more packs of large potatoes and a cup of medium black tea?” I shook my head, to the McDonald’s beauty who brought two cups of coke over, while pulling out money. Looking at her surprised eyes, I couldn’t help but blame Jianlong: “Look, people are shocked by your eating.
“Seriously, do you want to go back now? I can drive you back.” I asked worriedly.
“Ugh. Shouldn’t want it, or why else would I need you to bring it out for me?” Jianlong shook his head and buried himself in fixing another McSpice Fishburger. “I had regretted writing that last letter to Rainbow when I found out I could be paroled, and it was then that my confidence came back, thinking I wasn’t completely out of the woods anymore.
“But when I waited to calm down, I heard myself say ∶Let her go. The fact that she really didn’t write back is one of the reasons. I thought long and hard before I came to you to make sure I wasn’t just being mean. You don’t have to have love to have it. I know I may have to spend the next few years by myself, listening to my own breathing and sleeping alone. But I am willing . For the sake of Rainbow’s happiness, I am willing .” Jianlong lowered his head to eat his burger without looking up.
“You…” I knew I seemed to have said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject, “So, are you going back to Canada with your old man?”
“Are you kidding?” Kenron finished fixing another burger and grabbed another cup of Daiko and poured it, “I’m still on parole yeah! Have you ever seen a parolee get to leave the country? Have you been watching too many movies?”
“Wow, I forgot.” I rubbed my head and put on a face of innocence and ignorance, “So, what are your plans?”
“To the south for labor.” Kenron didn’t feel like drinking through a straw, and as soon as he lifted the lid and poured it into his mouth, “My parole officer, eh? That’s the right title, right? Anyway, he’s got a relative in south-central China who owns a factory and is looking for a young worker who’s willing to learn, and he’s talked to me and thinks I’d be a good fit. I think about it, the work is not too heavy, and the boss also intends to let me work while studying at the Air University or something, this opportunity is good, and it is arranged by the parole officer, so I agreed to do it.”
It’s also because the job is far away from both Taipei and Kaohsiung, I guess. I thought, but didn’t dare to speak up for fear of stirring up inappropriate conversation again. “Where in south-central China? It can’t be Chiayi, right? If it’s Chiayi, then I can come to you when I get home.” I was holding my freshly ordered iced tea in one hand and grabbing fries from Jianlong again.
“I haven’t forgotten you’re from Kagi, and don’t forget I’ve been to your house.” Jianlong, after all, had quick hands and grabbed a good portion of the fries in one go, “I don’t know yet either. I have an appointment with my parole officer tomorrow to go down to South Central with him, so I won’t know until then. By the way, I have nowhere to stay tonight, are you willing to take me in?”
“So what’s the problem?” I finally grabbed the last of the fries and it was really fun to watch Kenron choke, “You’re always welcome in my dorm. Roommates happen to not even be coming back tonight, so we can catch up tonight.”
“So what are you waiting for? Take out the trash, let’s go.” This stinky Jianlong, really went to talk to the beauty by the door, leaving me alone to clean up the table full of leftovers.
On the way back to the dorm, we went and hugged a dozen beers. Jianlong just looked like he was thirsty, and as soon as he got back to my dorm he didn’t even change his clothes before dragging me out to eat at the snack bar outside the school. The long bike ride was really a bit tiring, but I still accompanied him to eat the various snacks he hadn’t eaten in two years.
Finally, I dragged Jianlong back to my dorm room. While he sipped his beer and watched my big 29″ TV, I went inside to take a hot shower and wash off the wind and sand along the provincial highway. I had only just stepped out of the shower with my hair on top of my head when Jianlong had already opened a can of beer and was waiting for me.
“Ryu, one can is fine, I can’t drink too much.” As I grabbed a towel to wipe my hair from the pile of clothes on the living room couch, “By the way, last time I mentioned to you that I was writing your story as a novel, do you want to read it?” As I said that, I turned my computer on and the blue sky of Windows 95 floated and floated and floated on the screen.
“And that Hu novel, huh?” Kenron took his foot sores away from the TV and pulled a hanging wheel chair up next to the computer desk to sit, “Of course. I want to see what you guys write about me.”
The night crept into midnight as I moved the mouse to turn pages and Jianlong stared at the screen.
It got to the point where I simply taught Jianlong how to turn the pages, and collapsed into a fitful sleep myself. At some point, I heard a low sob and I opened my eyes to see Jianlong with a pair of red eyes. I was a little unsure of what to do and wanted to keep pretending to be asleep, but Kenron had noticed. Without hiding it, he just handed me the can of beer. I hesitated, but decided to drink my second beer of the night. Forget it, I’ll be fine tomorrow if I take a pill anyway.
“So this is the truth of the story,” said Kenron with a whimpering voice: “I finally realized it today.”
“Ryu…” I couldn’t speak, I just put my hand on his shoulder. Jianlong’s pretense, which had been tight all day, seemed to break down completely at this late hour of the night, and he, then, collapsed on my thin shoulder and cried. I, looking at his shaking shoulders, could not help but shed tears as well.
Two weeping men at midnight.
At some point, Kenron pushed my shoulder away and went to the bathroom. I heard the sound of water followed by a yell of pain as I just silently drank my no longer cold beer. When he was about to finish his drink, Kenron walked back into the living room wearing only a pair of underwear and continued to drink his beer.
“It’s hot and I have no clothes to change into, so I’m saving the last clean set for tomorrow. It’s okay to wear them like this, right?” Kenron said in a smooth voice.
“And say le, I usually dress like this around the house.” I said with a smirk. After the tears had washed out my eyes, my vision became a little too clear. “Finished with the novel? I’m turning it off.”
“Off it goes.” Kenron had returned to his self-control and was talking to me again. “How did you come up with the ridiculous name ‘Kenron’ for me? And did Rainbow really play you with fake rape?”
“And say le, I’m really embarrassed. Being tricked by a girl to such an extent, this is the first time in my life. I didn’t pick your name, it’s Xiao Hu’s masterpiece.” I explained to him, “Actually, all these articles were written while watching serials, a little bit every day.”
“What about the unfinished part? Aren’t you still writing this ‘Tian Shui Liu Chang’, and now that I’m out, how are you going to write it and how are you going to give me the ending?” Thanks to the fact that Jianlong is still the protagonist, he’s strutting around discussing this novel with me. I think only Jianlong can have this kind of vigor, to be able to stand up immediately after grieving.
“What kind of ending do you want?” I asked rhetorically.
“Let’s see.” Kenron gave a wry smile.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (XIV)
Daybreak.
As the sky brightened, Jianlong and I were still discussing him, and the rainbow. I was actually listening most of the time, and Jianlong had obviously got his head in the game, telling me about some of the things he had decided in his last few days of squatting.
“I will write to you when I get to the south and settle down. But I want you to keep out of it altogether, and to write to me and look for me all you want, but no matter how much Rainbow comes begging for you, I hope you won’t tell her where I am.” This was the conclusion he came to after much thought. “I’ve thought about it, and I’ve been waiting for her for over a week with no reply. It means she has gone off to pursue her happiness. Since I’ve decided not to burden her, it’s best I just go far away.
“I think you may have guessed the reason why I agreed to work in South Central, and would have agreed so readily.” Kenron spoke to me through the light of the sunrise.
“Eh.” I nodded silently, not saying anything.
“As for my old man, forget it, although he wants to see me once, he doesn’t want his friends in Taiwan to know that he has such a child. I don’t want to see him either. After so many years, the impression of him faded long ago. I don’t want to reinforce it.” Jianlong’s words changed to talk about his dad.
“I thought it was out of character for you to take a handout from him.” Puzzled, I said, “I’m not saying it’s bad for you to be on parole, I’m just saying that I find it a little surprising that you would let him set you up like that.”
“Two years in jail, man, it changes a lot.” Kenron picked up one of the empty easy-open bottles and crushed them one by one into a ball of aluminum. “I’d be willing to save me from the fire even if it was the devil. He owes me that anyway, and I don’t feel guilty about it at all. I’d be the one in over my head if I spent another year in jail for the sake of a whim.
Besides, that thieving lawyer is more or less useful.”
“What’s the use?” I reached for the trash can and dropped the aluminum block from the table into it.
“I want him to transfer the title to that condo in Neihu to Rainbow now.” Jianlong’s voice was a little off, “What do I need it for if I’m never going back in my life anyway? I want a fresh start, something to eat, something to live on, and a meager paycheck, just enough to get by. I want the thief’s lawyer to take care of it for me. For my old man’s sake, he wouldn’t dare not do it right.”
“Are you really going to give up everything?” I couldn’t help but grunt a little for him.
“Yes. I’m still young, and there are people who don’t care about my past, and mean to give me headway to eat, so what’s wrong with that?
It would be good for me, and for her, to take this opportunity to maybe forget all about the past.” Kenron didn’t think it was aggravating at all, and said calmly, “I’d love to get the college degree I missed out on four years ago.”
“Bless you, then.” I suddenly thought of something, went to my desk and grabbed a key, handing it to Kenron, “This is the key to the inner lake, I won’t be needing it. Do you want to keep it as a souvenir?”
“Eh.” As soon as Kenron took the key, he looked at the rainbow key ring on it and couldn’t help but be shocked. He flipped it around and looked at it, hesitating for a long time before suddenly holding it in one hand. “Alright, I’ll keep it, I always have to keep a little souvenir. Ah yes, did you bring out a picture of me and her together?”
“How could I have missed it?” I helped him rummage through his duffel bag and pulled out a picture frame. Looking at Jianlong’s expression as he examined the photo, I suddenly realized that he had already sublimated his love for Rainbow to another realm, a realm that I might never reach. This kind of air of not caring about the length of time, only remembering what I once had, was something I could not possibly have. I watched the sunlight of an early summer morning close in on him and felt that I would never have to write the end of this story again.
“Ah, what time is it? I have an appointment with my parole officer at eight o’clock at Taipei Station.” Jianlong snapped out of his sweet memories and hurriedly looked at the clock on the wall.
“It’s still early! It’s just under six.” I smiled, “Want some breakfast, I’m hungry.”
“Good.” Kenron gritted his teeth as if he was making a difficult decision, “But after breakfast, I want you to drive me somewhere.”
“No problem, where?”
“Inner Lake.”
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (XV)
Looking away.
I stopped the car outside my apartment in Neihu. Kenron was back in a familiar place and was obviously in quite an emotional state. I wondered if he wouldn’t be able to control himself. However, despite his excitement, his body didn’t move at all, and he just looked out the window of what should have been Rainbow’s room.
“She, I think, sleeps up there.” Kenron said softly.
“Â Â Â Should I go up to her?” I couldn’t help it, still wanting to take my last chance to right this story’s ending, at least in the way I felt was best.
“Don’t.” Kenron sighed, “Once I see her, I won’t be able to leave. Besides, it wouldn’t be good if anyone else was up there too.”
“Eh.” I thought of Hu. Perhaps he was embracing a rainbow as he slept, and I did, indeed, not want to see all the protagonists of the five stories, all rendezvous at the same time this early morning. “Leaving? It’s almost time to go to work, and I’m afraid I’ll be stuck in traffic.”
“Let’s go.” Kenron and I were on our way to the station, neither of us talking. He was thinking about his mind and I was thinking about mine.
When we got to the west third entrance of the train station, there was a middle-aged man in casual clothes, already waiting for us over there. When Jianlong saw him, he asked me to pull the car over. He introduced us to each other, “Xiaozhao, this is my parole officer, Mr. Ye; Mr. Ye, this is the friend I told you about who went to medical school.”
“Hello.” I extend my right hand to Mr. Ye and shake his hand. “Mr. Ye, Kenron is in your care.”
“Where. Jianlong is a good boy, he just got sidetracked for a moment. I believe my eye for people is not wrong.” Mr. Ye said in a calm voice, “We have to go catch the train south, so we won’t talk much. See you later.”
“See you later.” I turned to Jianlong, “Ryu, don’t forget to write to me. But don’t forget me as a friend, I won’t forgive you.”
“How dare I?” Jianlong smiled and said goodbye. “Take care of yourself, I’ll be relying on you to heal me when I get sick.”
“You take care too.” I waved to Jianlong until he and Mr. Ye disappeared into the crowded train station during business hours. My tears, for some reason, stayed indisputably. Some say that tears are God’s gift to mankind of the most precious water in the sky. It is only in times of sorrow or joy that mankind remembers this gift from God and lets it flow on for a long time.
Far away from the sky, I remember a song: the sky do not shed tears for me. But the more I did, the more tears I shed. Putting on my sunglasses, regardless of whether or not the tears were flowing, I suddenly wanted to go back to Xitou, back to the place where I first met Jianlong.
Wherever Jianlong is, I know that we will always be friends.
The Water of Heaven Runs Long (XVI)
Rainbow.
As I finished the fifteenth installment of this novel on my keyboard, I thought that this series would come to an end. Of course there was still one more that I didn’t know if Xiao Hu would be able to finish writing Xia Evening. But at that moment, the doorbell rang.
Another dead roommate forgetting his keys, I guess.
“I asked you, where’s Kenron?” At the door was a familiar girl, Rainbow. But with tears instead of the usual smile.
“How… how did you find this place?” I stammered.
“Cut the crap,” she nonchalantly barged right through the door and searched every room. After it became clear that there was no sign of Kenron, she nonchalantly pointed at my nose, “Say! Where is he! Where did you hide him?”
“Sit down.” I pulled a chair over and sat down right in front of her, “That attitude won’t solve anything.”
“Don’t digress,” she yelled at me nonchalantly, “I sent a letter to the guardhouse and it was returned saying he had been paroled, and when I came home to see it, all his things had been taken away again. I can’t believe he just left without saying goodbye! Said!
You must know where he is.”
“I don’t know.” I was telling the truth. It had been a week since I’d sent Kenron away, and Kenron had only called once to tell me that he was just starting to get busy settling down, and that he’d write me again when he had time. I forgot to ask him where he was for a moment on the phone.
“Don’t lie to me!” Rainbow lost all her reserve and grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me hard, “I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me.”
“Killing me doesn’t answer that,” I sighed, “If you cared about him so much, why didn’t you write back sooner? You know how disappointed he was when he couldn’t wait for your letter before he got out of prison. He’s gone south to start his life over. As for where, honestly, he hasn’t told me yet.”
“You lied to me!” Rainbow gasped and yelled, “You absolutely knew.”
“If you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do.” I said calmly. “You’re the one who decided to put an end to this relationship, make no mistake. Jianlong went quietly, but also to fulfill you and Hu.”
“You shut up!” Rainbow started searching my letter rack, and after she couldn’t find any suspicious letters, her tears flowed uncontrollably again. “Please, you must know. Please tell me.”
“You know Jianlong’s personality, no one can stop what he decides.” With a clear conscience, I blocked my way and lied, “He knew you’d come and ask me, so he simply didn’t tell me. So, I really don’t know.”
“Then…” Rainbow seemed to be convinced by my seriousness and said, “You’ve seen him, right? Is he okay?”
“It’s okay.” I said cruelly, “At least, he’s risen from the pain of his breakup and is ready to start his future with full force. Maybe it would be better for him to stay away from you.”
“You…” Rainbow’s tears were like a faucet that couldn’t be stopped, and she choked on her words: “You…”
“Go away. Bye.” I was really close to succumbing to a woman’s tears, but I promised Kenron that I could never get involved in this story again in my life. I opened the door and asked Rainbow to leave while I could still hold on to the last bit of sanity. “Ask the thieving lawyer, maybe he knows.”
“Thief lawyer?” Rainbow whimpered.
“The thieving lawyer who’s going to turn over the condo title to you.” I replied.
“You… how much do you know? Good! I’ll ask him.” Rainbow collected her tears and replaced them with a cold, yet determined expression. “I will find him. You wait. If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll make you die a horrible death.”
“Whatever.” I pushed her out the door, not that I really knew “right now” anyway. She pinged down the stairs with heavy steps, and I leaned against the back of the door, wondering if I’d done anything wrong. At the very least, I kept my promise and walked away from the story completely.
It’s over. I thought. Just let these hide in the deepest corners of my mind, and the encrypted archives of my hard drive.
The waters of heaven flow far and wide.
Tianshui flows long (afterword)
Reunion?
“Here’s the ticket for Sunday.” I pulled out a green train ticket, “Sit at the end of the ticket and he’ll meet you at the station exit.”
“I don’t understand.” She didn’t reach for the ticket, just sipped the coffee-colored liquid from the crystal glass.
“That’s what I mean.” My hand, which was holding the ticket, didn’t shrink back from it, “Even though I promised him I wouldn’t get involved in this anymore, I couldn’t bear to see him regret it for the rest of his life. A friend, sometimes it’s better to be a little nosy.”
“He’ll be there for me?” She looked a little perturbed, but still didn’t make a move.
“Yes.” I nodded, “He didn’t know it was you though. I told him I had a friend who wanted to stay at his place for the night, and he said that my friend was his friend, and he meant to pick up my friend at the station.”
“And you want me to be that friend,” her hand, already a little hesitant but still holding the glass of water, did not move. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I went down south to see him last week.” I put the ticket on the table between her and me. “He’s started working, he’s tanned more than ever, and his life seems to have a center of gravity. But I know there’s something missing from his life that keeps him from ever being happy. Even less happy than when he was in jail.
“What’s missing from his life, is you.” I looked her in the eyes and said it one word at a time.
“You should know who I love.” She suddenly got angry, “You, or him, think that will make me change? That’s so naive. You were the ones who teamed up to isolate me, to leave me hanging for weeks with a heart that wouldn’t go up and down, holding on to a deep sense of guilt when he got out of prison. And now, you think by using this trick, I’ll do what you want me to do?”
“Sunday night, Hu and I are both going to an internet party,” I ignored her words, “and he won’t notice you’re missing, at least not until Monday morning. And I’m also sure that if you want him not to notice, he won’t.”
“You’re so naive.” She threw the ticket in my face, “There’s no turning back for me. You tell Jianlong to go to hell! Tell him I love Xiao Hu, I love him to death. If you have any more tricks up your sleeve, do it now, or I’m leaving. The ticket, it’s better to return it early and get most of your money back.”
“This is Kenron’s diary.” I pulled a black leather diary out of my pouch and casually picked up the ticket and clipped it inside the diary. “Take it and read it. It’s all the diary entries he made after he went to prison, his moods, his blood and tears. Take it and read it. Maybe it won’t make you change your mind, but it’s your duty to know everything that went through his mind when he sacrificed two years of freedom for you, even sacrificed himself just to keep you out of trouble, just to make you happy.”
“You…” she looked at the black leather diary I pulled out and was a little frozen for a moment.
“This is your last chance.” I finish my drink, “He doesn’t live at the destination of this ticket, and in fact, I don’t think you’re going to find him, no matter how goddamned smart you are. You miss this one, you may never see him again in your life. And I, for one, am not going to create a second chance.”
“You…” she gritted her teeth, “Okay, I’ll take it. I’ll go. But the ending of this story will not change. You’d better get this straight, I’m not a doll to be played with by you.”
“There’s no need for me to manipulate. If you stop lying to yourself, you’ll know exactly what you want.” I picked up the bill and started to get up. “A fierce fire burns long enough to go out; a lighthouse, on the other hand, is there to keep watch for the rest of your life. Remember when I said that?
“I think you’ve known for a long time what choice you would make if both of them were standing in front of you at the same time.” I laughed and stood up, “It’s just that Jianlong doesn’t have confidence in himself and can’t stand to see you in a difficult position. Go see this fool! I’m sure it’s an opportunity you couldn’t possibly pass up.”
“Looks like you’re a real fucking chicken shit.” She just blandly said, “I really don’t know whether to beat you to death or thank you.”
“Tell me whether you want to beat me to death or thank me when you invite me for a wedding drink.” I laughed and left.
“I will.” Rainbow smiled back, and at that moment, she suddenly stopped being Rainbow. Perhaps, never again. “Whichever groom it is, I don’t think I’ll forget to extort a big red packet from you.”
“As soon as I start making money, this bonus will never be small.” I promise.