The first ti I t Tang Wan was in Nightshade. At that mont, she was being forced by a greasy, plump man. In Nightshade, I had seen such situations many tis before. It always ca down to money and sex, whether consensual or a last-minute regret.
I glanced nonchalantly at the two people tugging at each other in the corridor, instantly grasping the gist of the situation.
Looking at the woman struggling desperately in the man’s arms, I smirked cynically. If she decided to sell herself, why regret it midway and humiliate herself?
I’m not a good person and rarely ddle in such matters. Even if she escaped to and knelt at my feet to beg, I still wouldn’t think of helping her. If I helped every pitiful person I t, I would never have ti for anything else.
However, in the next instant when she looked up and her clear yet stubborn eyes caught my attention, I changed my mind.
Her eyes looked just like Lin Yixun’s, and the way she looked at was exactly how Lin Yixun had looked when she asked for an advance on her salary—desperate, yet with a glimr of hope. My numb heart began to ache faintly again.
I understood very well that for this woman in front of , I was her last hope. Back then, I had refused Lin Yixun’s request in a mont’s decision, pushing her towards Leng Yixiu. This ti, I decided not to stand by idly.
So, I helped her, rescuing her from that aggressive man.
Facing her gratitude, my heart remained calm because I wasn’t rescuing her, but the lost past—though that distant past could never be retrieved.
Several months later, that woman appeared before again.
"My na is Tang Wan. I’m a newcor. I hope Mr. Ouyang can guide ."
Unlike that night, her face radiated bright cheerfulness and she no longer looked disheveled, as if she was a different person. I usually have a poor mory for won, but I rembered this Tang Wan sowhat.
Her looks were of the pure and innocent type, which was currently favored by the audience. Because of this, she received good resources right after her debut and beca my work partner in a television drama.
For the sake of promoting the drama, so level of publicity is necessary, and the best way to stir publicity is through the lead actors’ romance rumors.
This has beco an unspoken rule in show business, never failing to attract attention because many viewers wish the on-screen couples were also couples in real life.
Ouyang Hao, however, always disdains such thods to boost a work’s visibility. Yet, when Tang Wan’s manager suggested creating so rumors between Tang Wan and to increase her profile, I didn’t refuse, even though I loathed such tactics. The reason seed absurd—simply because Tang Wan bore so resemblance to Lin Yixun.
I must be crazy, helping Tang Wan solely because she resembled Lin Yixun sowhat.
Quickly, rumors about and Tang Wan hit the front page headlines. In this information age, no one can escape information bombardnt. I expected Lin Yixun must have seen our rumors too.
I intended to have that rumor retracted, but with the phone in hand, I never made the call. Lin Yixun had once told to forget her and find soone who loved and whom I loved. Letting her see the rumor might be a good thing, so she could be at peace and not feel guilty towards anymore.
Still, Tang Wan wasn’t her. Even knowing there was no possibility, I couldn’t help but think of her—or our past. Each ti I woke from dreams in the middle of the night, a part of my heart would ache faintly.
Tang Wan got pregnant, but the child wasn’t mine. I didn’t know who the father was and never asked. After all, I was just her rumored boyfriend, and I didn’t want to know her private matters.
"Can you do a favor?" one day, Tang Wan approached .
"What favor?" I looked at her indifferently.
"Accompany to the hospital for a prenatal check-up."
"I’m not the child’s father, so I don’t have that obligation. Besides, if the paparazzi catch wind of it, I probably won’t have peace for days."
"You don’t have to worry about the paparazzi. Shengde has excellent confidentiality; they won’t get pictures easily."
Shengde?
"Alright, I’ll go with you. But you have to tell the real reason you want to accompany you."
"Mr. Ouyang should already know my reason."
She was right. I more or less understood a woman’s thoughts. Especially since Tang Wan had been getting close to the second young master of the Mu Family lately.
"Aren’t you afraid the child’s father will be provoked and do sothing rash?"
Tang Wan gave a bitter smile. "He won’t. He cares too much about his image."
Tang Wan wanted to accompany her to the hospital to provoke her baby’s father, using as a catalyst.
Actually, I dislike getting involved in others’ business. But hearing "Shengde," I agreed without thinking.
Deep down, I hoped maybe I could et Lin Yixun there.
I know she’s pregnant, and she’s been having her check-ups at Shengde Hospital. I wanted to try my luck, even if it was just to see her from afar.
And, as fate would have it, my luck was indeed good this ti. By so amazing coincidence, I encountered her at the entrance of the obstetrics departnt.
We hadn’t seen each other for months. Maybe it was because of her pregnancy, but her body had beco more voluptuous, and she looked healthier.
I gazed at her face greedily, but I had to force myself to look away, finally letting my eyes fall on her slightly rounded belly.
When my gaze touched her slightly rounded belly, even though I had known she was pregnant for a while, my heart still twisted painfully. Now, she was Leng Yixiu’s woman, the mother of his child, while she and I had long drifted apart.
Luckily, I was wearing sunglasses, hiding all my emotions behind them, so she couldn’t see the pain in my eyes.
Seeing , her body stiffened, but she said nothing. When she turned to leave, I called out to her and then casually smiled, "So you’re here too. Long ti no see."
Though it hadn’t been that long, it felt like centuries had passed.
At first, I just wanted to greet her, to ask how she was doing, but when I saw the redness in her eyes, it broke my heart.
After a long silence, I finally heard her difficult response, "Yes, long ti no see."
Hearing her familiar voice, I felt a deep sense of desolation. We had loved each other so much, but all that was left now was a simple ’long ti no see.’ Even sadder, this ’long ti’ was forced by . If I hadn’t called out to her earlier, all my affection would have turned into a re intersection, and we would have forgotten each other in this vast world.
We both tried our hardest to maintain a façade of normalcy, pretending to be at peace with our lives, to reassure each other.
But can we really be at peace?
"Are you here for a check-up?" I opened my mouth to ask.
She nodded but couldn’t say another word.
I had always known she was stubborn, that once she set her mind on soone or sothing, she couldn’t let go. She still hadn’t moved past the past, yet she forced herself to accept reality, making her situation even more pitiful.
The atmosphere grew stifling. I had a thousand things I wanted to say to her, but in the end, I realized I couldn’t say a single one. So words would only add to our mutual pain, so it was better to bury them in my heart.
After a long while, I heard her voice again, "Why... are you at Shengde?"
"? I’m also..." For so reason, I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Lin Yixun had once told to find soone I loved and who loved , then get married and have children. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I was accompanying another woman for a check-up.
Just as I found myself in a dilemma, Tang Wan stepped in and saved .
She ca to my side, naturally wrapping her arm around mine, and whispered, "The doctor said the baby is very healthy."
Quite a few people knew about my past with Lin Yixun. Tang Wan must have known sothing about it too. She was clever; with just a look, she could tell my predicant and knew what to do to help . I went along with her, playing my part in this act.
I lowered my gaze to her, pretended to hold her affectionately, and said with a smile, "That’s good."
I knew that by saying this, Lin Yixun would think the child in Tang Wan’s belly was mine, but I had to grit my teeth and continue the act.
After a brief conversation, she left. Her back was still as fragile as ever, and she walked unsteadily, making my heart ache. I wanted to rush up to her and be her support. But when I saw Leng Yixiu take off his jacket, drape it over her shoulders, and then hold her in his arms, I ca back to reality.
I stood there alone, laughing bitterly at myself. Ouyang Hao, Ouyang Hao, she’s no longer your Lin Yixun.
"If you love her so much, why haven’t you fought for her?" Tang Wan stood beside , asking in a low voice.
I smiled bitterly, "How do you know I haven’t fought for her?"
I had fought with everything I had, yet nothing changed in the end. That was the most despairing part.
"But as a woman, I can tell she still loves you. What we did just now hurt her heart."
My throat felt choked. I opened my mouth with difficulty, "I know."
But I had no choice but to do it. Only by making Lin Yixun think I was doing well would she completely give up on and be willing to move forward.
I couldn’t let go of her, but I hoped she could let go of . Only by leaving everything behind would she be less pained, and I could hold onto our mories by myself.
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