Waterbound Love - Chapter 45
Du Bai sat on the sofa, gently swirling the clear liquid in her wine glass. As she watched the news on TV, a slight smile curled at the corners of her mouth, and she downed her drink in one gulp.
Ordinarily, Du Bai would not bother with the news, but this time, with Ji Feiling as the main subject, how could she not watch? It felt like admiring a masterpiece crafted by her own ingenious hands, utterly satisfying.
A construction magnate? Now merely a prisoner. No doubt, he would spend his time in prison engulfed in endless remorse. His rapid downfall must have been greatly aided by Wei Wen.
Yet why didn’t the anticipated joy arrive after his downfall? The pain in her heart was like a bottomless black hole, impossible to fill.
After all, what had she really changed by doing all this? But knowing it changed nothing could not stop her actions; perhaps this was her way of seeking forgiveness for herself.
Du Bai changed into a simple outfit and headed to the Shen Corporation building.
“Ms. Du, Mr. Shen1 just left,” informed Shen Yan’s assistant, aware of Du Bai’s presence. “He’s probably near the parking lot by now.”
Du Bai nodded in thanks and stepped into the elevator, pressing the “-1” button. She took out her phone, but perhaps due to the poor signal in the underground parking, she couldn’t get through.
As the elevator doors opened, Du Bai thought maybe she shouldn’t have hoped that Shen Yan hadn’t left.
Leaning against her reclaimed Phaeton, Shen Yan was intimately kissing a petite girl. Du Bai just watched silently, fists clenched, lips tightly pressed, closing her eyes but unable to shake off the image of their deep affection.
A multitude of thoughts sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, wildly growing into a forest.
The October weather, how could it feel so chillingly sorrowful?
When she opened her eyes again, her vision was clear, free of any thoughts.
It seemed Shen Yan noticed Du Bai, pushing away the girl, and the three of them stood silently.
Du Bai stepped forward, each step suppressing the urge to flee, heavy with burden. She remembered the sea maiden she read about as a child; perhaps the mermaid had always endured the pain she felt now. A dance on the knife’s edge, beautiful yet sinister, often masking the dancer’s agony.
Shen Yan watched Du Bai approach, calm and composed. A flash of disappointment in her eyes quickly passed, followed by a bitter smile. By now, she probably meant nothing to her.
Shen Yan drove in silence, casting sidelong glances at Du Bai, who was focused on the scenery outside the passenger window. The car was enveloped in silence.
Du Bai couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of Shen Yan pulling her into the car and speeding away. When Du Bai had seen the bewildered figure of the girl in the rearview mirror, she felt inexplicably bemused, as if their roles had been reversed-it seemed as though they had been caught in an illicit affair.
“Drop me off at the next intersection. Go back and check on her. She might still be there,” Du Bai broke the silence. After all, one shouldn’t yearn for what isn’t theirs. Nothing would change, and nothing would be lost, right?
But does nothing really change? The sky, ever lofty, guards its brief moments, its eternity, yet it shifts through dawn, dusk, scorching days, and rainy ones. Its eternal demeanor, its changing adornments-are they not altering? Who can really be sure?
“She’s not important. Where do you want to go?” Shen Yan firmly asked Du Bai. She felt like two people colliding on ice-if no one embraces, their attempts to get closer would only push them further apart. She would never make the first move.
Du Bai silently observed ahead, “If you don’t keep your eyes on the road, we might as well head straight to our deaths.”
Shen Yan, realizing the danger, turned the steering wheel sharply to avoid a collision with the approaching vehicle.
Shen Yan gasped for air, “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Du Bai shrugged, “Saying it earlier wouldn’t have been as thrilling or fun, right?”
“My God, you’re insane,” Shen Yan pounded on the steering wheel.
“You’ve known that for a while, haven’t you?” Du Bai looked at Shen Yan with a smirk. “Take me to see Ji Xianglan.”
Reluctantly, Shen Yan turned the car around. They arrived at the hotel, where Shen Yan walked directly to the room Du Bai had reserved in advance.
“Did you prepare this?” Du Bai sat on the couch, eyeing Shen Yan.
“Knowing you wanted to watch the drama unfold, I had to find a quiet place,” Shen Yan responded, making a couple of phone calls.
Soon, a server wheeled in a dining cart, set the food on the table, and left quietly. Du Bai watched everything silently.
“Let’s eat something first,” Shen Yan stood up, reaching out her hand to help Du Bai up. Du Bai glanced at the hand in front of her-pale, slender, distinctly boned, momentarily lost in thought. “I’m not hungry. Just get me a glass of wine.”
Shen Yan looked at Du Bai with a complex expression and reluctantly poured her a glass of wine. Just then, the doorbell rang.
The person who entered was a scruffy bearded man, followed by Ji Xianglan. She retained her noble elegance despite her disheveled appearance; her beauty was unmistakable, yet her face bore the wrinkles that heavy makeup could not conceal.
“No wonder I caught a whiff of the worldly ways earlier-it must have been your arrival,” Du Bai remarked, with a touch of sarcasm.
Du Bai swirled her glass, coldly observing Ji Xianglan sitting across from her. Ji Xianglan’s situation was even more dramatic than Du Bai had anticipated; she had fallen for a young gigolo and gotten led into drug use. By the time Ji Feiling discovered her, the addiction had seeped deep into her bones. Perhaps due to growing up in a single-parent household, Ji Feiling was exceptionally devoted to his mother. He had wanted to peacefully support her until her old age, but he could never trace the source of the drugs. Combined with the impacts on his business, he had begun to neglect his mother. At first, Ji Xianglan thought her son was withholding the drugs from her, but later she realized that she could not get them no matter what, enduring the agony of withdrawal daily. After Ji Feiling fell from grace, he exchanged favors with a fellow addict for a meager amount of drugs and became hopelessly addicted to this routine.
It seems heroin truly is a powerful substance; in just a short span of a few weeks, it had tormented a person to this extent, yet still, they couldn’t quit.
Ji Xianglan lifted her murky eyes to look at Du Bai, her gaze burning with resentment. “It was you, Feiling said you ruined him, you wretch.”
With a loud “slap,” a forceful hand struck Ji Xianglan’s face, turning her already sallow face even more ghastly. The one who had slapped her was a reckless, burly man.
“Sorry, Mr. Shen, this loose-tongued woman offended your friend. I’ll teach her a lesson on your behalf,” the burly man said as he bowed and nodded to Shen Yan.
Shen Yan waved her hand dismissively, gently tapping her forehead. Du Bai knew that this gesture meant the offender would face even worse consequences. Unfortunately, there were some things she did not yet wish to delegate to others.
Du Bai threw a bag on the table, exposing the white powder inside. Both the burly man and Ji Xianglan greedily eyed the bag.
Du Bai smiled softly, delicately pinching the white powder and slowly mixing it into her drink until it remained clear.
“No, don’t,” Ji Xianglan lunged towards Du Bai, but the burly man hesitated due to Shen Yan’s presence, holding Ji Xianglan back from rushing forward.
Du Bai did not look at her, deliberately slowing her actions. “Do you know why you’ve ended up in such a state?” She paused, not expecting an answer, and continued, “You must remember Tinna. Your cruel words back then are the reason she’s still lying in the hospital. If I don’t act harshly, how can I do justice to her, or to the vile things you said?” Ji Xianglan, possibly suffering from withdrawal, convulsed violently and collapsed on the ground.
Du Bai clapped her hands lightly, stood up, and walked over to Ji Xianglan, looking down at her with disdain. “I don’t want to talk about the past, but now, seeing you willingly degraded by others, it seems you rather enjoy it. In my view, you’re nothing but a naturally lewd bitch.”
“Please, give it to me,” Ji Xianglan continued to twitch, her cloudy eyes pleading with Du Bai.
Du Bai stood up, frowned slightly, looked at the burly man beside her, and chuckled. She pulled a stack of money from her wallet and placed it on the table. Looking at Ji Xianglan, she said, “Haven’t you always exchanged pleasures with your body? How could I break such a habit? Here’s a live performance, and the items on the table are yours. Are you willing?”
Struggling slightly-since offstage she could still pretend nothing was amiss-bringing it into the open completely crushed her pride. Overwhelmed by a wave of agonizing discomfort, Ji Xianglan’s hesitation shattered. “Give it to me, I’m willing,” she gasped. The burly man lifted her from the floor and threw her onto the bed, his hands far from gentle.
Du Bai stood still, closed her eyes, and suddenly felt uncomfortable, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. “Let’s go,” she said softly, both to Shen Yan and to herself.
The closed door separated them into two different spaces. Du Bai walked straight ahead without looking back. “No need to bother with her anymore, let her fend for herself.” She knew Shen Yan would follow; whether Shen Yan listened was her own concern. At least she had spoken and let go.
Footnote:
- Shen(沈先生):Shen Yan is actually a woman, but due to the family’s need for a male successor, she has been required to present herself as a man since childhood. Therefore, those who are unaware of the truth regard her as a man.
