“Do you love him?”
“I’m not at that point yet. At least I haven’t tied a red string around my wrist for him.”
“That’s just a matter of time.”
“I really need him. He appeared when I was at my lowest. He’s my lifeline.”
“A lifelong partner shouldn’t just be a lifeline.”
“When you need a lifeline, it means everything. I won’t cultivate another man anymore. When you groom someone too well, there are only two outcomes: you lose him, or someone steals him away.”
Under Gao Hai Ming’s guidance, I had built ten fighter jet models. Each one was better than the last. It turns out being nurtured by someone is a kind of happiness.
I often asked myself, “Do I love Gao Hai Ming?”
He was my lifeline, but Xiao Jue was my everything.
Spring arrived. Meng Meng’s second album was even more successful than her first. She was now a superstar. The tabloids claimed she was dating a male singer.
“Is it true?” I asked her. She still wore the red string on her wrist, and today it was her turn to wear the military-style watch.
“I love Tie Han deeply. No one can compare to him.”
“Seeing that red string on your wrist reassures me. But now that you’re so famous, won’t he mind? He’s always been quite traditional.”
“He knows how much I love him. As long as there’s love, what problem can’t be solved? Even if I only have one hour of sleep, I’d rather spend it with him.”
“It’s nice to see someone who believes in love so much.”
“Don’t you have Gao Hai Ming?”
“He treats me very well,” I said.
“You should love him.”
I laughed. “There’s no ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t.’ A wound that cuts to the bone, even when it heals, will never be the same again.”
One day, I was having Japanese food with Gao Hai Ming in Causeway Bay.
“Next month, I have a work trip to Japan. Are you free? If you can come along, we could visit Le’er,” he said.
“I’ll see if I can get leave,” I replied.
At that moment, Xiao Jue, Cheng Die’en, and Xiao Jue’s three sisters walked in and sat at a nearby table.
They were laughing and chatting. His three snobbish sisters seemed to get along well with Cheng Die’en. I overheard them saying this meal was on Xiao Jue, who had just been promoted.
“Are you alright? You look pale,” Gao Hai Ming said.
“My ex-boyfriend is sitting over there,” I said.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” he asked.
I nodded.
Gao Hai Ming called for the bill.
Before leaving the restaurant, I changed my mind.
“I’ll introduce you to him,” I said, pulling Gao Hai Ming with me as we walked over to Xiao Jue.
Xiao Jue, his family, and Cheng Die’en all looked at us in surprise.
“What a coincidence, running into you here,” I said graciously to Xiao Jue.
“It’s been a long time,” he replied, standing up.
“Let me introduce you. This is Qu Xiao Jue, and this is Mr. Gao Hai Ming,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” Gao Hai Ming said, shaking Xiao Jue’s hand.
“Gao Hai Ming is the president of Le Tao Group and also your boss’s uncle,” I deliberately emphasized. (Le Tao Group was a major conglomerate in Hong Kong, known by everyone.)
As expected, Xiao Jue and Cheng Die’en looked visibly stunned.
“We’ll be going now,” I said to Gao Hai Ming.
With my head held high, I walked out of the restaurant.
I had used Gao Hai Ming to vent my frustration.
We went to another restaurant to have dinner instead.
“Why did you tell him about my background?” Gao Hai Ming asked me.
“What does it matter? Don’t you like it?”
He stayed silent.
“I can’t stand his three sisters,” I said. “I paid for his education. Without me, how could he have what he has today? And now, it’s that woman and his sisters who are reaping the rewards. He never even treated me to Japanese food, yet they were eating Kobe beef just now! Why should he have it all? Why should they?”
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