Sometimes, I couldn’t believe that a man could treat me so well. Perhaps men say things like “I’ll protect you forever” or “You never need to thank me” when they can’t have a woman. They deliberately wound themselves, but those wounds heal quickly, and they forget the promises they made.
“Xiao Jue, will you make me a promise?” I asked.
“What kind of promise?” he replied.
“I don’t know,” I said, leaning against him.
“Why is it always men making promises to women and not the other way around?” he asked.
“Because women are the creatures who love hearing promises most in this world. Will you make me one?”
“I will love you for seventy summers,” Xiao Jue said.
“Why summers?”
“Because it’s summer now.”
“Seventy summers—really?”
“Unless the world runs out of summers,” he said solemnly.
“Xiao Jue, you’ve changed. You didn’t use to say sweet things like this.”
“You asked me to say it,” he replied with an innocent look.
I hoped I was wrong, but I felt Xiao Jue was different from the man who left me three years ago. I wasn’t sure if this difference was because we hadn’t seen each other in so long and just needed time to adjust, or if it was something else entirely.
“Are you getting used to your job?” I asked.
“It’s not bad, but the people there seem pretty snobbish,” he replied.
“It’s natural when you’re dealing with numbers all day,” I comforted him.
“I also have to prepare for exams,” he said.
“Do you have enough money?” I asked.
He nodded.
I pulled $1,000 out of my wallet and handed it to him. “I have this for you.”
“No need,” he said.
“You’re not like me. You’re an accountant—you can’t look shabby. Are you planning to bring lunch boxes to work?”
“I’ll pay you back when I get my salary.”
“Are you still calculating things with me?”
“Don’t be upset with my sister. She—”
“I’m not,” I interrupted.
Finally, payday arrived. After repaying Meng Meng (likely a loan she had given me), sending money home to my father, and clearing my credit card balance, there was little left. Thankfully, that afternoon I got a call from Zhu Danni, a network marketing client who lived in Quarry Bay. She often referred other customers to me, but she was a difficult person to deal with. If not for the money, I wouldn’t want to interact with her. For example, that day, she called in the afternoon and wanted me to deliver products to her by evening.
“If you’re too busy, don’t worry about dinner with me,” Xiao Jue said.
“No, I’ll be free by 8:30,” I replied.
When I arrived, Zhu Danni was playing mahjong with three other women at a restaurant. She had lost a lot of money.
“Miss Zhu, your diamond ring is gorgeous,” I said, noticing a new diamond ring on her left ring finger.
“I just bought it today, and now I’m losing money,” she complained. “I really feel like eating pig blood and carrots. Do they have that here?”
The woman sitting across from her said, “Places like this don’t serve pig blood and carrots!”
“I think there’s a nearby stall that does. I’ll go get some,” I said.
“Oh, how kind of you!” Zhu Danni said.
“It’s no problem—I feel like eating some myself,” I replied.
I went to a nearby food stall and bought a large box of pig blood and carrots. On my way back, I ran into Xiao Jue.
“What are you holding?” he asked.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said hurriedly.
I rushed up to the restaurant but accidentally spilled some carrot juice on my skirt. Just my luck.
“Thank you,” Zhu Danni said.
“How’s this hand going?” I asked her.
“You left, and I started winning,” she said bluntly.
“It’s all my fault.”
“How much?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“I meant the skincare products.”
“Oh, here’s the invoice,” I said, handing it to her.
“Oh, my shoulders ache,” she said, rubbing her shoulders.
“Is it here?” I asked, massaging her shoulders lightly.
“Yes, that’s perfect,” she said.
I had only intended to give her a quick massage, but at this point, it felt rude to stop.
“Thank you,” she said, handing me the payment.
“I’ll be going now,” I said.
0 Comments