Qi Feng reached out for the blanket and sighed faintly as he grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the bedside table next to him before lighting a stick up.
He took a deep breath, and amidst the smoke, there was a hint of melancholy in his hoarse voice as he asked, “Shasha, will you ever regret being with me if I lost everything?”
His gaze met her beautiful face as he said that.
However, Gu Lingsha was in a daze. She suddenly raised her head to look at him and for a while, she did not know what to say.
“How many years have we known each other, Feng?” she asked after pondering for a long time instead of answering his question.
Qi Feng exhaled and took a moment to think about it before replying, “It’s been more than 20 years.”
“Indeed, it’s been more than 20 years. Since years ago, I’ve already known your intentions, and now we’ve been together for almost ten years. After such a long time, we’ve gradually become part of each other’s lives, and you already know all my strengths and weaknesses. We had our fair share of arguments as well, so you’ve probably lost patience at some point, right?”
As Gu Lingsha said that, her beautiful eyes seemed a little sad. “Even after all that, I’ve never thought about leaving you, and I’ve never questioned or regretted my choice even though I was indeed very angry and disappointed. This is because I think you’re the only one I can be with in this life, and we still have Weiwei…”
Qi Feng’s sullen face eased a little. He suddenly chuckled when he looked at her beautiful face, and she was obviously confused. “Why are you laughing?”
Qi Feng then held the cigarette between his fingers closer to the ashtray next to him and flicked the ashes away. He smiled and said, “You know, since I was a child, my dream was to be a hero, and it seems to me that you’re the perfect woman for a hero.”
Gu Lingsha was taken aback by what Qi Feng said, and it took her a while to realize what he just said. Her face suddenly became warm as she looked at Qi Feng bashfully.
What Qi Feng did not tell her was that it was all in the past…
However, he realized that there was no need for him to say anything more since she was happy. “As long as you have no regrets. I also wish to give you and Weiwei a better life.”
“I know how hard you’re working, Ah Feng! I know it’s been difficult for you especially because of my father’s matters. Don’t worry. I’ll try my best to convince Father to support you in the upcoming shareholders’ meeting . As for Father himself…”
“There may be no shareholders’ meetings in the near future,” Qi Feng already cut her off before Gu Lingsha could even finish.
“Why not?” Gu Lingsha’s eyes widened in shock.
Qi Feng exhaled his cigarette smoke and sneered as he put out the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray beside him. He pulled the blanket off and slowly got out of the bed without giving her any explanation.
“Ah Feng!”
Seeing Qi Feng’s figure gradually disappearing outside the door, Gu Lingsha frowned and followed behind him.
Ding!
Bang!
Amidst the vivid bursts of fireworks, a cold night breeze crept in from the half-open window and the bead curtains gently swayed. There was the faint scent of wine lingering in the air while the beautiful melody from the piano was still playing.
Qi Lei had lost track of how many drinks he had, but he knew that Dongfang Liuyun had drunk just as much as him…
He was in a trance and his dark eyes were struggling to focus. He tried his best to stay awake and look at the woman who was elegantly pouring his drink opposite him, but his effort was in vain. He could feel himself losing consciousness. Soon, he blacked out…
Bang!
The glass in his hand fell over and half a glass of wine spilled as though it was declaring that Qi Lei had enough…
Dongfang Liuyun turned to look at him as she was still pouring herself some wine. Seeing him asleep on the table made her smile. Her eyes were still as bright as the stars, and she did not seem to be tipsy at all.
She raised his head and drank another glass before telling the Japanese women who were playing instruments outside in fluent Japanese, “All of you may leave now.”
The women responded and quickly left. The room was immediately quiet again.
Dongfang Liuyun gently leaned over to look at Qi Lei who was sound asleep.
She could not help but sigh. They were probably the only people here to pass time at this hour. When she saw this man fighting his silent battles alone, it reminded her of herself back then.
If loneliness could become something she enjoyed, maybe she would not have felt so sad. After all these years, she had gotten used to it.
“Loneliness is also simplicity. After all that you’ve been through, you should feel that there’s nothing wrong with being lonely because you live simply and that’s good enough,” Dongfang Liuyun said calmly after a long pause. She had another glass of wine before reaching out to her pocket and took out her phone which had been vibrating for a while. When she saw the name on the screen, she put her phone back and ignored the call.
She got up abruptly after putting her glass aside and took her black briefcase in one hand. Suddenly, she could hear the sound of bead curtains swaying. She turned over to look at Qi Lei who was still sleeping and thought for a while before she covered him in her red coat just as she was about to leave.
As soon as Dongfang Liuyun walked out of the room, the lobby manager who had been waiting outside greeted her, “Miss Dongfang!”
“Put it on my tab. Also, no one should know that I was here today, understand?” Dongfang Liuyun ordered him without slowing down her pace at all.
“Yes, I understand!” the lobby manager responded.
Her thin figure then disappeared in the corner ahead.
The manager finally pushed the door open and entered the room after much hesitation.
“Master Qi? Master Qi?”
Qi Lei felt someone shaking him violently just when he was in the middle of a deep slumber. He raised his head restlessly and saw Yang Sheng in front of him. He thought he was seeing things, so he tried to shut his eyes and shake his head before opening his eyes again. However, he still saw Yang Sheng in front of him and he immediately looked around.
“How come you’re here?”
He could not find Dongfang Liuyun!
“The lobby manager called. Why are you here on New Year’s Eve?” Yang Sheng asked worriedly. He had been watching the Spring Festival Gala with his family earlier when the lobby manager called and told him that Master Qi was drunk. Worried, he quickly rushed over.