A Tattoo That Can't Be Removed - Chapter 4

I felt that Wei Yan was becoming even more cautious around me.

Removing a tattoo is more painful than getting one. The laser burned into his skin bit by bit, and after the first session, there was still a faint trace left.

A layer of fine scabs formed on his skin, more conspicuous than before.

I knew something was quietly changing between us, though neither of us mentioned it, we both understood.

He came home less often, and his phone was never within my reach again.

I didn’t know what he was up to, but I knew I was gradually losing him.

He was being taken away by someone.

The increasing tenderness and indulgence he showed me, I feared it stemmed from a feeling-guilt.

That day, Wei Yan came home very late.

He carried with him the chill unique to late autumn, looking weary, his brows furrowed, but they relaxed the moment he saw me.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

He came over, casually draping the blanket from the sofa over my exposed feet, and touched my forehead.

His hand was actually cool, and I found myself craving that temperature, pressing my forehead against it.

“Wei Yan,” I called his name, so softly I could barely hear myself.

“Who is that woman who follows you home every night?”

If I hadn’t whimsically decided to take up gardening, I might not have seen from the balcony that every night, a red McLaren followed Wei Yan’s car.

Nor would I have witnessed that woman practically throwing herself at Wei Yan every time she got out of the car.

He was silent for a moment, then removed his hand from my forehead.

“If I said I can’t shake her off, would you believe me?”

I clutched the blanket tightly in my hands and looked up into his eyes.

“She’s… your ex-girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

His response was crisp and straightforward.

“Do you still like her?”

“I hate her.”

Hate… huh.

How deep must the scars run, how unforgettable must she be, for Wei Yan to utter the word “hate.”

I bit my lip and stared at him. Yes, that’s how I am-petty, bad-tempered, whatever you want to call it. I admit, at that moment, I was consumed with jealousy for the woman he “hates.”

I stood up and returned to the bedroom without a word.

The door slammed shut loudly. It was the first time I had ever lost my temper with Wei Yan.

Resentment, grievance, anger-all these emotions mixed together as I buried my head in the pillow and suddenly started to cry.

How could I compare to his ex-girlfriend? I wasn’t his first love, yet I had given him all my youth.

Why did his ex-girlfriend smile at me that day? Because she was confident.

Because she knew she had left an indelible mark on him, one he couldn’t forget.

Wei Yan knocked on the door, but I didn’t respond. After a while, my phone buzzed a few times.

It was a message from him on WeChat¹, telling me to cover up and not catch a cold.

I turned off the phone and tossed it aside. It had started raining again, as if the rainy season would never end.

I had a dream where I was clinging to the edge of a cliff, and Wei Yan wanted to turn back to save me, but his ex-girlfriend pulled him away.

Footnote:

1. 1. WeChat(微信):WeChat is a multi-functional social media and messaging app developed in China.