Don’t Turn from Summer - Chapter 65

Two weeks later, Mu HanXia had still not come to work. Naturally, there would be curious people that will gossip. Today, at noon, when the company had lunch, an employee, who was rather familiar with Lin MoChen, asked with a smile: ” President Lin, Why has Manager Mu continue to be on break? It wouldn’t be that you have hidden her away, right?”
Before, within the company, the relationship between Lin MoChen and Mu HanXia had only been truly known by a few confidants. As a result, this question, if one were to take it seriously, was rather bold. Everyone at the table secretly paid attention to see how this young boss would react.
Lin MoChen lifted his cup of tea and took a sip. The corner of his mouth exposed a smile: “It’s not that I want to hide her. She, herself, wants to rest .”
Without exception, everyone was shocked. No matter how he says it, he definitely admitted it. Afterward, the room filled with sounds of congratulations, and the female coworkers were envious and excited. Somebody said : “President Lin, then, next time, you and Manager Mu will have to treat us all to a meal. After all, we all are your witnesses.”
Lin MoChen replied: ” Sure, when she is done resting, I will bring her over to meet everyone.”
Everyone cheerfully agreed. What was originally a company meal began to have a joyous and lively atmosphere.
Sun Zhi, right in the middle of the excitement, lighted a cigarette. Standing by the door, he smiled while watching his boss. Watching him sit among everyone with a slight smile in between his eyebrows.
Sun Zhi is the closest to Lin MoChen in the company. He feels that, when compared to the Lin MoChen before the accident, there are some changes. Before, even though the boss’s character was cold and arrogant, after associating with him for some time, he would give people a sense of warmth. He would also joke around with the staff. In fact, there really wasn’t any arrogance. Instead, there was more of a type of reliance on ability, a sort of perseverance maybe.
However, now, after what happened, Sun Zhi felt that he, from head to toe, began to show a true coldness. Very calm, quieter than before. He became more reserved, making people even more unable to guess his inner thoughts.
Yet, once there is a matter involving Mu HanXia, this young boss seemingly once again has a real human interest. When talking about her, he would smile. Sometimes, during breaks, while working, Sun Zhi would see him take out his phone and give her a call. Furthermore, so long as he could reject the social event, he didn’t go to any of them anymore. Once he got off work, he would directly go to the hotel. To speak honestly, Sun Zhi now feels that his boss finally seems like a competent boyfriend.
Looking back at the events of that night, not only did the two people not break up, on the contrary, they began to live together. If that isn’t true love, then what is?
This evening, Lin MoChen and Sun Zhi had another important social event. After work, Lin MoChen had some matters to deal with, so Sun Zhi first went downstairs to wait. After pulling out a cigarette, he glimpsed a jewelry store not too far away and walked in.
He stood in front of the counter to choose something for a while when Lin MoChen also entered.
Lin MoChen: “What are you doing?”
Sun Zhi smiling replied: “I recalled that in a few days my tenth anniversary. I want to give my wife a present. President Lin, do you also want to pick out a gift for girlfriend?”
Lin MoChen did not reply.
He lowered his head and sweepingly glanced over the products in the counter. Very quickly, his gaze stopped on a ring. It was very thin and plain and made out of platinum gold with a small diamond. It had the most concise design. Unexplainably, it reminded him of her.
“Bring it out for me to take a look, ” he said.
The clerk took out the ring and passed it to him. He held it in his hand and silently examined it.
Sun Zhi upon seeing this walked over: “A ring eh? President Lin, you wouldn’t be planning to propose right?”
“It’s a bit early to propose.” replied Lin MoChen with a smile in his eyes, “The ring though is quite fitting. It’s okay to buy it in advance. ”
Sun Zhi suddenly felt that it was rather moving.
In the end, Sun Zhi bought a necklace while Lin MoChen bought the ring. Placing it in a simple black velvet box, he put it in his coat’s pocket.
——
When the twilight hung low, Mu HanXia followed the small brook below the hotel. Freely, without a destination, she walked. The sky was gray. The landscape was familiar. Yet, in her heart was an empty feeling.
Unconsciously, she unexpectedly walked to the Feng Cheng offices. Lifting her head, she looked at the familiar building. Lin MoChen these days was quite busy, making her a little nonplussed.
These days, her visa was still being handled.
They lived together.
In her heart welled up a soft feeling. Although small, it hurt her state of mind. She could only quietly repress it down.
“Han Xia?” Somebody called her. She turned around and saw a co-worker that she was familiar with. She smiled: “Have you gotten off work?”. Her co-worker rather curiously looked at her: “President Lin said that you wanted to rest a bit. Everybody thought that you wanted to become a full-time housewife. Why have you come to wait for President Lin to finish work? Too affectionate, la!”
Mu Han Xia blanked for a bit. She had not known that Lin MoChen had already made their relationship public.
She had not wanted him to do so.
“Oh… (expel breath), I was only walking a bit. ” She replied.
Her colleague said: “Ah, that’s right, President Lin is not at the company right now. He went to participate in one of the city’s chambers of commerce banquet, a very important banquet, government offices, Rong Yue ah, Ding Sheng ah, Xue Zhi , these top southwest region ranking corporations are all going. Lady Boss, you should go back to wait, ok. Boss is probably going to have to socialize today until very late.”
Mu HanXia smiled slightly and said “OK” and also chatted a bit with her co-worker before saying goodbye.
The sky started to turn dark.
Mu HanXia sat on the steps by the plaza. There weren’t many people here this evening, and she didn’t see those youthful skateboarders again. Cold and cheerless, a silence.
A thought suddenly appeared in her mind:
Both Feng Chen and Xue Zhi will go to the banquet tonight.
Will Lin MoChen meet Xue Ning?
What kind of atmosphere will be between the two?
…..
All of a sudden, Mu HanXia’s heart was distraught. The waters of her heart that had appeared tranquil for many days was hiding a torrent all along. With the blow of a wind, these strong currents would reveal themselves.
She sat for a long time silently before suddenly getting up and jogging to the side of the road. She then hailed a taxi.
“Mister, go to xx hotel,” she announced, informing the driver of the banquet’s address that she had heard from her co-worker today.
“Sure!” With one step, the taxi driver accelerated, bringing her through the brilliant colors of the city’s nightscape.
Not much time had passed before they were about to arrive. Distantly, the first-class, luxurious hotel came into view.
In the back seat, she suddenly started to talk: “Mister, turn around and go back , ok.”
“Eh? Are you not going now? ”
The inside of the car was quiet for several seconds before she finally said: ” I’m not going anymore.”
Mu HanXia got off the car in front of the hotel she was living in, but she didn’t immediately enter. Rather, she stood in the quiet, cold wind of the night for a moment and called Senior Fang* (Previous translator referred to him as Lao Fang )
“Hello, Senior Fang. Are you busy? En, I don’t have any other matters. I just wanted to tell you one thing. I will be leaving in a few days… sure. Before I leave, let’s eat a meal together. I’ll treat you ….. no, I must treat you. ” She lifted her head and looked at the deed and boundless night sky above her head, “yeah, I have thought through it now. I already understand it clearly now. That road in my heart, I won’t regret it, nor will I turn back. ”
“Bert’s condition has made a turn for the better. He could wake up? Very good. Okay, once I arrive in the United States, I will go visit him. ”
Senior Fang said something again to which she became silent for a moment before quietly replying: “I will be decisive.”
Hanging up the phone, she stood where she was and blanked for quite some time.
America, New York University, Bert …… these matters all felt very distant to her.
She thought about those lingering nights. The kisses he left before leaving the house in the early morning to go to work were etched into her forehead. Every time he noiselessly gave her a hug from her back ….. was engraved into her heart. They were all greedily obtained by her. She stood at a fork in the road. She knew perfectly well that going was fine and staying was also fine. Only remaining at her current location (probably referring to her indecision) is wrong. Yet, she just was not ready to take a step.
Furthermore, the many answers a person obtains in their life are all arrived to in an instant. Like how she just now completely lost her reason. Sitting to leave, Xue Ning and she were in the hotel’s taxi. Abruptly, she realized. Whether or not she became close with Xue Ning, whether or not she talked with her, whether or not she in the future puts on a show with another woman, or even if she intentionally throws a fit, it already doesn’t matter.
Because the seed of disappointment and resentment from jealousy had already been buried in her heart.
……
On multiple occasions, she had asked herself. During this short yet difficult life, where exactly should she go?
Now, she knows.
During the gaokao (college entrance exam) from many years ago, she was abandoned by fate. Her excellence fell to the lowest road in life. When she was in Jiang city, she was then abandoned by Meng Gang.
Afterward, in romance, there was a day when she was abandoned by Lin MoChen.
……
She can’t stop.
She must go.
She must head towards a distant life that is more open yet lonely.
Because, in this life, she is no longer willing to be abandoned by anyone else.
——
By the time Lin MoChen returned, it was already very late at night.
He gazed into the darkness of the quiet room and saw that the person on the bed was motionless. He very quietly changed his shoes at the entrance, and he turned on a weak lamp. Then, he took off his coat. Glancing at his pocket, he began carefully hanging his coat.
He took a shower before going to bed. The woman wrapped in blankets was peacefully lying down with her arms and legs stretched out. Lin MoChen smiled. These days, he had already become familiar with her sleeping habits. If she was asleep, she couldn’t help but change to a flat sleeping position.
If she was pretending to sleep, she would always lie on her side, holding her back while facing him who was returning at night.
Was it resistance or self-protection?
Lin MoChen lied on his side with his arm over her waist while holding her hand. With his chin lightly touching her long hair, he closed his eyes.
At some moment, Mu HanXia woke up. She seemingly had been woken by something, but her surroundings were peaceful. Nothing had appeared in her dreams either.
The room was still very dark with his clear breaths wrapped around her ears and his warm body. Mu HanXia slowly turned her head to look at him.
She could not see his face clearly and only saw the silhouette of his cheek.
Suddenly, a cold, lonely wind burst forth from the bottom of Mu HanXia’s heart. She moved aside the hand he had placed on her waist and got up with practically no noise. After changing clothes, she began packing her luggage.
Perhaps it was because the night was too deep as her heart was a bit chaotic. Her head was a bit blank, but there was also a seemingly incomparable clearness. Her suitcase was originally almost sorted out, requiring only a few basic necessities to be put in before it was ready. She stood at the entrance that was relatively far from the bed. Under the weak lighting, she took her towel and pajamas and squeezed them into the suitcase, thinking that she should not leave any trace of her existence…..
Her hand was suddenly grasped firmly by a hand that was extended behind her. Her whole body was covered in cold sweat when she saw the slender yet powerful male hand. His body was just behind hers. Then, the lights were turned on.
Every light in the room, switched on with a “pa pa pa” sound, quickly lighting up the room. Mu HanXia was a little bit unable to adapt to this sudden brightness and extended a hand to block her eyes. In the end, the other hand was also captured by him forcefully. Then he pulled her around. The two people stood facing each other.
At the moment Mu HanXia lifted her head, her eyes held tears. Silently, she looked at him.
He also stared back at her. His eyes were very deep, very still.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled : “What are you doing in the middle of the night? You can look for things tomorrow, return to the bed. ”
Mu HanXia does not utter a word, nor does she move.
His expression remained the same as he raised his hand around her shoulder. Mu HanXia wanted to break free. Who would have expected him to have anticipated her reaction. His arm abruptly tightened, keeping her in his embrace.
Mu HanXia’s tears all at once fell. Slowly she said: “Ling MoChen, I am not trying to find something. I have something to tell you. ”
There was no expression on his face.
Mu HanXia exhaled slowly, feeling a dull pain in her throat and stomach.
“It is 3 am right now. ” His eyes looked outside the window, “If you have something to say, say it tomorrow. I’ll take a break tomorrow. Originally, I had planned to take you to the suburbs to walk around. Let’s talk there.”
Mu HanXia suddenly was unable to say anything. She hears her small, hoarse voice say: “Sure, we will do it like this. ”
He raised his hand and turned off all the lights. The inside of the house abruptly became pitch-black. He firmly held her hand and walked back to the bed. Mu HanXia was cold all over and her knuckles were stiff. She lied back down onto the bed. He also lied down. Both people did not move.
After a while, she turned her body with her back to him. However, he, at nearly the same time, reached out his hand. With a bit of force, he pulled her into his embrace. One arm forcibly passed under her neck. The other hand clasped tightly to her waist. Mu HanXia couldn’t move at all. She could only allow him to imprison her in this posture, silently hugging her for the rest of the night.