Chapter 65: An Unexpected Visitor

I walked along the banks of the Huangpu River, the breeze carrying the scent of the sea brushing against my face. Unbidden, memories of the classic television drama "The Bund" surfaced, evoking visions of the ten-mile foreign settlement in days past, the Pearl of the Orient, and the banks of the Huangpu, where forebears once fought with fervor against invading forces.

Years have passed, and with the shifting tides of time, countless people and events have vanished into the river of history, swept away by the relentless flow, leaving only the thousand-year-old river wind to stir the melancholy of those who live today.

How many renowned figures once stood in this wind, sighing at the world’s changes! I am but a humble, insignificant person—what cause have I for such emotion? Enough! Live for the present. Do not overthink, do not wallow in sentiment; do not invite needless troubles.

At that moment, my phone chimed with a message on WeChat—it was from Jin Yulian. She asked what I was doing. I sent her a photo of the Huangpu River and replied, "I'm taking a walk by the river. What about you?"

Jin Yulian responded with a shy emoji: "I'm thinking of you." My heart stirred, and I couldn't help but reply, "I'm thinking of you too. Why don't you come over tonight? I'll be waiting for you at the hotel."

Jin Yulian replied, "Don't get any wild ideas. I'll come to Hudou tomorrow to see you." I said, "Alright, we'll meet tomorrow. I'll send you the address then."

She said, "Rest well and don't wander around outside." I replied, "I know. Don't worry about me; I won't go off to romance anyone else." Jin Yulian responded, "Don't flatter yourself. What does it matter to me if you go romance someone else?"

I had wanted to mention that I'd run into her brother Jin Baoqiang and his girlfriend Fang Nana, and that I'd seen evidence of her being intimate with another man. But whenever I thought of that guy, I felt annoyed; besides, we'd had a conflict at a drinking party. So, after some consideration, I decided it was best not to bring it up. Better to avoid trouble, especially since he's always at odds with me—he deserves to be cheated on.

So I said, "If you're not jealous, then I really will go off and romance someone else!" Jin Yulian replied, "Go ahead! If you really do, it'll save me the trouble of worrying about you."

Just then, I saw a taxi passing by. I quickly hailed it and, after hopping in, messaged Jin Yulian: "After what you said, I won't go romance anyone else. I want you to always care about me, to never forget me."

Jin Yulian replied, "Stop being conceited. Get some rest! Tomorrow I'll bring the lawyer to sign the contract." I replied, "OK!"

A few dozen minutes later, I arrived at the hotel, jumped out of the cab, and entered my room. Closing the door behind me, I hurriedly showered and climbed into bed. Having not slept the previous night and worn out from travel, I quickly nodded off.

Around eight the next morning, I was startled awake by the sound of my phone ringing. It was Jin Yulian calling. She told me she was already on the road with the lawyer and asked me to send her the hotel address so they could find me when they arrived.

I sent her the address, exchanged a few brief words, and hung up. After a quick wash, I went out to buy breakfast, then called Sister Li to tell her my friend would be arriving today to sign the contract. Sister Li replied, "She and the legal department are preparing the contract materials. Let's go to the company this afternoon to sign."

After breakfast, I considered that Jin Yulian would need at least three hours to reach Hudou. With nothing to do, I opened WeChat to see if Ayun had blocked me. I couldn't resist sending a casual "Good morning" to test it. WeChat promptly displayed that I was no longer her friend.

I smiled wryly. I thought about how Ayun had only given me her contact yesterday, and yet after a single night, she'd blocked me. It really is as the lyrics say: Let it go! What use is it to think of her? She came and went in haste; in the end, it's all empty.

I wondered how Ironhead was doing, so I called him. Aunt Lin answered, telling me Ironhead was recovering quickly, and thanked me for my concern. We chatted briefly before ending the call.

I returned to the hotel room to wait for Jin Yulian's arrival, passing the time online. I logged into QQ and saw a message from "Sunny Boy": "Feng, I heard you're out! Time flies. I've graduated from college and I'm working in Hudou now. Let's meet up and chat sometime."

I mused that Zhao Yang had graduated and must have found a good job. We live in different worlds now; our knowledge gap is too wide. Even if we met, we'd have nothing to talk about. Maybe it was a sense of inferiority, but I decided not to reply. I'd just pretend I hadn't logged in or seen his message.

Next, I saw a message from "Dream Seeker" in my QQ: "What have you been busy with lately?"

I casually replied: "I've been feeling down these days. I fell for a girl, but after she found out I'd been to prison, she blocked me on WeChat."

Suddenly, another message popped up—it was from the mysterious "Rainbow After the Storm": "Friend, what's the greatest grievance you've suffered in your life?"

I replied: "For money, and for a woman I loved, I took the blame for her brother, carried the crime myself. That is my greatest grievance." Having sent that, I logged out.

Just then, I heard a knock at the door. I was startled—Jin Yulian shouldn't have arrived so soon. Who could it be?

I opened the door, and to my surprise, it was Mina. Seeing my astonished expression, Mina grinned and said, "What's wrong? Are you not happy to see me?"

I said, "A rare visitor—of course I'm happy. Is there something you need?"

Mina replied, "Do you not know what you've done?"

I shook my head. "I don't understand."

Mina said, "After breaking up with you last night, Ayun was very upset. Don't you want to comfort her?"

I said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't want to, but I am powerless."

Mina replied, "After last night's incident, regardless of whether the rumors are true, it will affect Ayun's reputation. If you and Ayun break up so abruptly, people will only become more suspicious."

I asked, "Mina, what are you getting at?"

Mina said, "It's simple. Come with me and apologize to Ayun. It's your only chance to reconcile with her."

I smiled bitterly. "Mina, to be honest, I do like Ayun. But the reality is, I'm not good enough for her. Going to apologize doesn’t seem to make much difference..."

Mina said, "I've known Ayun for years, and I've never seen her moved by any man. But she really has feelings for you. Take my advice—come with me and apologize."

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