Cosmic Dust Is Not as Precious as You — Chapter 1. Cosmic Dust. Part 9

 As soon as we stepped inside, I saw Aunt He standing on the stage, singing. She wore a vibrant red dress, her hair styled in elegant waves, and her raspy voice crooned softly:

On a rainy night like this,

The street lights dim,

Even the starlight fades.

What kind of rendezvous are you rushing to?

I didn’t mean to say these things,

It’s just that I still have feelings for you.

Thought that all flaws could be mended with love,

Yet beyond loving you, I have nothing else to offer.

Words from the heart come out so direct,

Perhaps it’s the night that emboldens without fear.

With me, are you still missing anything?

Even the wildest heart knows when to say no.

What unresolved knots bind you so tightly

That you can’t break free from all of this?

It’s just that you were born on the street of temptation,

Born into the depths of a midnight descent.

The wildness in your blood, blurring the lines

Between the real and the imagined…

This is Li Zong Sheng’s “The Street of Temptation.”

I heard Aunt He sing this song nearly every time I visited the bar. Once, I asked her why she loved it so much, but she only smiled and didn’t answer.

Chen Qiao Luo never mentioned his father, as if the man had never existed in his world.

I didn’t pry into his life, just as he never asked about my family.

The bartender, Xiao Hei, walked over with a cheerful smile and said, “Ah Luo and Yun Hao, you’re here! Same as usual—fruit juice?”

“No, no fruit juice,” I quickly replied. “I’ll have alcohol today. Xiao Hei, bring me one of every kind of drink.”

Startled, Xiao Hei turned to Chen Qiao Luo for confirmation. To his surprise, Chen simply said, “Go ahead, let her be. She’s in a bad mood today—let her do what she wants.”

“Alright, I’ll get it ready,” Xiao Hei said with a nod.

I went to the restroom, and when I returned, the table was already filled with a colorful array of drinks. Xiao Hei stood by, introducing them one by one: “This is a Bloody Mary, this is a Deep-Sea Bomb, and that’s a Long Island Iced Tea.”

I drank one glass after another, trying to drown the heat rising in my chest and the turmoil in my heart.

At some point, I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, I was being carried on Chen Qiao Luo’s back.

The streets were empty by then, the bright summer moon hanging high in the sky, casting its silvery glow like frost on the ground.

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but my throat felt raw, as if it had been scorched, and no sound came out.

Sensing I was awake, Chen turned his head to look at me.

“What’s wrong? Regretting it now?” he said with a light chuckle.

I wanted to retort, but my voice failed me. Resigned, I let him tease me. For all his sharp tongue, Chen Qiao Luo was a good friend—at least he hadn’t left me behind at the bar.

I slid off his back and walked beside him in silence. The moonlight was gentle, and neither of us spoke again.

When we reached my doorstep, Chen turned to me and said seriously, “Zhu Yun Hao, Gu Yu isn’t right for you. But you have to believe this: somewhere in the world, there’s someone who loves you. Even if he hasn’t appeared yet, one day he’ll be by your side.”

The conviction in his eyes left me momentarily stunned.

He smiled at me, then turned and walked away.

I stood there, watching his figure disappear into the moonlight, still lost in the words he’d left me with.

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