Chapter 64: I Just Hope You Are Happy, Happier Than Everyone Else
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
2023 Ver.
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There must be a choice in your life that makes you regret it for the rest of your life. However, there is no regret medicine in this world. When you recall the past in your midnight dream, you can only sigh.
On the first day of the lunar calendar, Time Media displayed a huge advertisement. A woman in a white dress, her back to the camera, with her bare back and a beautiful face at a seventy-five-degree angle, looking elegant and sexy.
This is the series of advertisements for Aalanz cosmetics brand in the first quarter of the Lunar New Year. The spokesperson's name is written as Gu Xizhi. Because the brand itself has wide coverage and great promotion, the city's subways and buses are filled with advertisements. This visual environment, along with Gu Xizhi's "Fourteen-line Poems'' new album playing everywhere on the streets, confirms that she is currently quite popular.
On a warm sunny afternoon, Gu Xizhi was sitting on the balcony tending flowers. The ringtone of her mobile phone kept ringing indoors, but she showed no intention of answering it.
Liang Youyou, who was playing with the dog on the sofa, noticed that Gu Xizhi wasn't answering the calls. She checked the caller ID and approached her while holding the dog, saying, "The Great Magician is calling you. You're not answering, should I pick it up for you?"
Gu Xizhi didn't even raise her head and replied, "If you want to date him, go ahead."
"Oh, the Great Magician is using this trick," Liang Youyou looked at the phone, then tossed it aside and sat down next to her, holding the dog. "How old are you? Are you not planning to date?"
"How can I dare to date, if you haven't behaved yet?"
"Heh, your mouth has become slippery," Liang Youyou looked at her in surprise. "I've broken up again. Do you want to introduce some good candidates for me to behave?"
Gu Xizhi was even less interested and didn't bother to look at her, "Are there good people willing to be with you?"
"Gu Xizhi!" Liang Youyou glared at her.
Her phone, placed on her body, rang, and Gu Xizhi looked at the caller ID. She walked to the side to answer the call, ignoring Liang Youyou. "Hello, Yiqing?"
Liang Youyou held the dog and looked at her for a while, then followed her closely.
For several minutes on the phone, no matter where Gu Xizhi went, there were two panting creatures following her. The first moment she hung up the phone, Gu Xizhi turned to Liang Youyou, "Are you eavesdropping?"
"Just listen." Liang Youyou looked at her nonchalantly, "Speaking of which, you have never thought that Sister Bo have no connection to you, so why did she listen to Qu Xizhi to help you in the first place?"
Gu Xizhi immediately responded, "She didn't do it for money or fame."
Liang Youyou raised an eyebrow and looked at her, saying, "That's what I told you."
Gu Xizhi looked at her, snatched the dog from her arms, and walked towards the balcony.
Liang Youyou turned back and looked at her back and said, "You already knew she liked you, right?"
Gu Xizhi paused, then continued walking forward with the dog in her arms.
Liang Youyou sighed, "You're not responsible for her, you're not in a relationship, so what are you thinking?"
Gu Xizhi stopped, and turned slowly to look at her, "I will be responsible for her."
"Tch." Liang Youyou gave her a disdainful look, walked to the sofa, and sat down to play with her mobile phone.
Chatting is boring and games are boring.
After playing with her phone for a while, Liang Youyou looked up at Gu Xizhi who was feeding the dog. With a glimmer of light in her eyes, she walked to her and said, "Transfer something to your phone for me."
Gu Xizhi obviously had no time to pay attention to her, so she took out his cell phone, threw it at her, and smoothed the dog's fur.
Liang Youyou took the phone and went straight to the contacts. After finding the number she wanted, she sent a message to that number using her own phone. The message content was as follows:
My name is Liang Youyou, Xiao Jing has been feeling a little unwell recently, but she doesn’t want others to worry. Why don’t you come back and see her?
After sending the text message, she looked up and saw Gu Xizhi looking at her. She cleared her throat and raised her head, "What are you doing?"
"You don't look like you're doing a good deed," Gu Xizhi said frankly.
"Who said that?" Liang Youyou shook her phone. "I just found an interesting game." Gu Xizhi glanced at her phone and then, in a seemingly disinterested manner, turned to play with the dog.
Time passed quickly.
Valentine's Day brought a sweet atmosphere to the city, with couples holding bouquets of flowers seen frequently on the lively streets. Cars loaded with roses drove toward unknown destinations.
On February 14th, major merchants offered various discounts and promotions to attract consumers. Business at the entrance of all theaters is booming on this day.
Many movies were strategically scheduled for release during this period to maximize commercial profits, providing a wide variety of choices for moviegoers.
The sky was gloomy early in the morning. At four o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Xizhi bought a movie ticket in front of a movie theater and walked into the cinema. The couples around her seemed to be pixelated, and the pitch-black environment during the movie made her feel at ease.
She initially came to watch a movie just to pass the time, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good. The movie's leading actress was a newcomer who had gained immense popularity in recent years due to a historical drama. Her performance on the big screen showed promise for her future success.
After coming out of the movie, she realized that it was already raining heavily. Gu Xizhi bought an umbrella from the convenience store next to the movie theater. When she was about to pay, several people pointed at her through the convenience store window. Gu Xizhi, noticing that she had been recognized, immediately lowered her cap. However, this action seemed to excite the onlookers even more.
"That's Gu Xizhi!"
"Ah, hurry up and ask for an autograph!"
….
The conversation between the two people attracted the attention of the surrounding people. Gu Xizhi had no intention of avoiding it at first, but when she saw many people looking at her, she had to give up paying and walked out of the convenience store immediately.
There are countless audiences in the movie theater right now. Being discovered at such a moment would inevitably cause trouble. The first choice is of course to escape.
The escalator from the third floor to the first floor was already crowded enough, but upon hearing that a celebrity had appeared, people swarmed to the point where Gu Xizhi couldn't even move. Some people were noisily calling her name, others were begging for an autograph, and there were also onlookers outside the crowd who didn't know what was happening.
Because the crowd was so chaotic, Gu Xizhi couldn't move at all. It took a lot of effort for the security guards of the cinema to break through from the outside. At that time, Gu Xizhi signed a few autographs, but there was really no way to continue.
Among the onlookers, there were still sensible fans who spontaneously maintained order and allowed Gu Xizhi to leave first. After much effort, the security guards finally made their way to the center of the crowd and shouted and scared the crowd to clear a path for her.
The rain outside was so heavy when Gu Xizhi finally walked out of the cinema. She didn't care whether it was hail or rain and went straight into the rain to avoid the enthusiastic crowd.
There was still a considerable distance to the center of the road, and it was not practical to go back to her car. Gu Xizhi hurried forward without stopping, with a few enthusiastic fans chasing after her.
A car sped past in front of her, splashing a pool of muddy water. Gu Xizhi ignored her embarrassment and continued running towards the street to try to stop a cab.
Rain and fog enveloped the entire city, and the wide streets were washed exceptionally clean by the rain.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
A white sports car stopped slowly in front of Gu Xizhi and she was stunned for a moment. Just as she was curious about the purpose of the car, someone slowly rolled down the window.
There is a fragrant aroma in the car spreading into the rain.
Qu Xizhi sat in the driver's seat and looked at her quietly, her usual smile that would never fade away could not be found at this time.
"Get in the car." Her expression didn't change even as she spoke.
Gu Xizhi looked at her in surprise, as if frozen by accident.
The rain was still falling, and it seemed that the people chasing her had not given up. Gu Xizhi turned back to look at the blurry figures behind her, then looked up at Qu Xizhi. Without further hesitation, she pulled open the car door.
The door closed and the car sped through the rain.
Many people have a passionate love or disgust for rainy days for various reasons. Gu Xizhi dislikes rainy days very much. This is a temper brought out from her mother's womb. Perhaps, the more a person despises something, the more they would be retaliated against by that thing. In any case, Gu Xizhi had experienced getting caught in the rain and ending up disheveled more than once.
The rhythmic beat of the wipers swept across the car window, and inside the car, a piece of music played by the talented domestic violinist Shen Ya filled the air. The E minor tune was graceful and enchanting, almost making one forget the dismal weather outside.
The pouring rain shortened the visibility, so the car was extremely slow. Gu Xizhi sat quietly in the passenger seat and looked at the road ahead, without saying a word for a long time.
She didn't say where she was going, and the driver didn't ask, as if where she was going was a superfluous matter. As long as the car could drive, no one would care even if it was hell.
Finally, as if she felt that she should not be so indifferent to others' help, Gu Xizhi lowered her gaze and took the initiative to speak, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
A cold conversation.
Gu Xizhi raised her head and looked at the speeding scenery outside the window as if her heart was pressed by something heavy. She tried to calm down before saying, "Why are you here?"
"Passing by." The simplest answer.
Gu Xizhi looked at the dead branches damaged by rain outside the window and finally stopped talking.
Conversations between people are quite simple. You give someone a sentence, and they respond with a sentence, and you can continue to talk happily. But if you give someone a sentence and they only respond with a simple "Oh," there's no further point to the conversation.
The car drove slowly through the busy streets and crowds of people.
She lost count of how many intersections they crossed and how many traffic lights they saw. As they were about to enter the expressway, Qu Xizhi asked, "Where are you going?"
Gu Xizhi turned her gaze away from the window and replied, "The TV station."
"Doing a show?"
"Mm."
The car fell silent again.
Just like two lines drifting apart, two years of life without an intersection did not bring endless words, but countless silences.
The intersection was red, so Qu Xizhi stepped on the brakes and stopped the car steadily. Gu Xizhi glanced at her high heels, "You insist on wearing high heels no matter when."
"A woman should never be without high heels." She said casually.
"So resolute," Gu Xizhi said with a hint of a smile, seemingly trying to ease the dry atmosphere.
"I had a moment when I wanted to change," Qu Xizhi turned to look at her. "Then that thought died."
Gu Xizhi froze. She lowered her head to hide the expression on her face. She was silent for a moment before saying, "It's raining today, does your ankle hurt?"
"It hurts." Qu Xizhi turned on the accelerator and continued driving, her tone calm, "But I'm used to it."
Gu Xizhi looked up at her, "If it hurts, go to the hospital."
Qu Xizhi put her hands on the steering wheel and kept looking straight at the road ahead, "I thought you asked about this matter because you feel responsible."
"I..." Gu Xizhi seemed to have difficulty picking up the words.
Qu Xizhi glanced at her lightly, "It was just a joke."
Gu Xizhi lowered her head and stopped talking as if she was afraid of provoking a topic that she couldn't deal with again.
Qu Xizhi glanced at the rain stains on her clothes, then looked at the time on her watch, "When is the recording for your show?"
"Seven o'clock."
"There's still half an hour, go to my place and change clothes.
"No need. I'll wear the dress I have on for the show."
"You are a public figure. Is it honorable to walk into a TV station in such a mess?"
Gu Xizhi seemed to realize her situation and found that they were near Dongpu Road. She said, "No need, I..."
"You hate me so much that you want to resist such a simple thing?"
"I don't. I just..."
"So you want me to beg you?" She stopped the car on the side of the road and turned to look at her, "Okay, do you want me to kneel?"
"Qu Xizhi." Gu Xizhi immediately frowned.
"What's with that expression?" Qu Xizhi smiled, "It's just kneeling, it's not like I've never done it before."
Gu Xizhi seemed to be stung by some painful memory. She clenched her fingers and looked up at her, "Qu Xizhi, stop talking..."
"So impatient." Qu Xizhi indifferently curved her lips, "Is a woman with no self-respect quite cheap in your heart?"
"No, stop talking." Gu Xizhi suddenly appeared very uneasy, and her body began to tremble slightly.
Qu Xizhi observed her for a while, then turned her head and said, "Then come with me to change your clothes."
"I'm sorry." Gu Xizhi clenched her hands and turned her head, "I really just don't want to..."
"Oh, I forgot again," Qu Xizhi turned back to look at her calmly and suddenly smiled. "Your decisions are unchangeable. Even kneeling won't work."
"Qu Xizhi," Gu Xizhi seemed to be triggered once again, and her trembling lips showed signs of distress. "I'm sorry for what happened before. You can hit me, scold me, but I beg you not to bring that up again."
Qu Xizhi curled her lips, but her smile was bitter, "I thought I was the one who didn't want to bring it up, but it seems you dislike me even more."
"No, no," Gu Xizhi seemed to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown, shaking her head repeatedly. In her daze, the person before her now and the one who knelt in front of her under the scorching airport sun two years ago seemed to overlap. Her voice quivered, "I don't want this, I really don't want it like this..."
Qu Xizhi quietly watched her in pain and tears. Suddenly, she shifted her gaze and started the car, and this time, she didn't drive slowly in the rain but accelerated forward.
The world outside the car window was blurred by a curtain of rain, and the world inside the car was distorted by tears.
After an unknown amount of time, as if all the pain had been stretched into the rain curtain, Qu Xizhi finally parked the car on the roadside.
"You're here." An emotionless voice.
Tears dried on her cheeks, and Gu Xizhi numbly stared at the world outside the window, picked up her handbag, then put it back down.
"Qu Xizhi," she looked down at her own twisted hands, "I can't repay what I owe you, I just hope you can be happy."
"Thank you for your good wishes." Qu Xizhi said lightly, "I am very happy now."
Her clenched hands tightened a bit more. "That's good," she forced a smile and turned to bid farewell, "I'm leaving, goodbye."
"Wait."
Gu Xizhi's movement of opening the car door froze, and she turned to look at her.
Qu Xizhi turned her head and calmly said, "I don't want to see you again. At all."
Tears quickly welled up in her eyes, and Gu Xizhi lowered her gaze, gently nodded, and said, "I understand. I won't appear in front of you randomly anymore."
She pushed open the car door again, and this time, she didn't want to linger even for a second, just plunged into the rain.
The rain is getting heavier and heavier, with no sign of stopping. The winter rain is so cold and it seems like every drop just knocks right into her heart. Gu Xizhi stood in the rain, and suddenly this annoying thing seemed so endearing at this moment. At least, it could numb her.
Qu Xizhi, gentle and beautiful, she kept that in her heart.
She deserves to have the best love in this world.
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