Waterbound Love - Chapter 6
Ding dong, ding dong.
Wei Jia walked over to open the door, and upon seeing the man’s face through the peephole, she gasped. Knowing that Du Bai was in the living room, she lost the courage to open the door. Cold sweat seemed to seep from her forehead. No, she couldn’t let anyone destroy her happiness. Du Bai was hers; no one could ruin her happiness.
“Wei Jia, why aren’t you opening the door?” Du Bai asked, still sitting leisurely on the couch with the TV on, forming a stark contrast to Wei Jia’s anxiousness.
“Uh, it’s just the food delivery. Maybe they got the wrong address,” Wei Jia lied, feeling secretly thankful that Du Bai didn’t have the habit of answering the door.
Du Bai had given house keys to her, Shen Yan, and Tinna, while Wei Jia used a spare key. Wei Jia had been thrilled about this for a long time.
“Uh, let me go tell them and take out the trash while I’m at it.” Wei Jia said this as she opened the door and went out.
Du Bai smirked to herself. Hadn’t the trash been taken out just now? Looks like she’s finally making a move.
Wei Jia hurriedly pulled the man, who made her heart race, into the safety stairwell. The man let her drag him. “Why are you here?”
“I missed you. If you wouldn’t come to me, I had to come to you,” the man laughed playfully, with a mischievous smile that made it hard to tell if he was serious.
“Don’t just say nice things. Between us, it was just a transaction. Once it’s done, we owe each other nothing. Don’t act all sentimental,” Wei Jia said, sweating and reminding herself to stay calm. Had she been too naive back then? Agreeing so easily-had she made a mistake?
“Such a heartless woman you are.”
Why couldn’t she get rid of these memories she desperately wanted to forget? No, she wasn’t wrong. She just wasn’t cunning enough and trusted the wrong person to help with her plan, which led him to blackmail and manipulate her. She had given him money and her body; she wouldn’t let him steal her happiness. She would protect her happiness at all costs, even if it meant bloodshed.
“Have you cried enough? Are you done? You’re really ruining the mood.” Qian Fangyu lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall, looking down at the slumped Wei Jia with irritation.
Wei Jia wiped the tears from her face, stood up straight, and faced him with her back stiff. “What more do you want? Just say it. As long as we can cut ties, I’ll do anything.”
“100,000 yuan1.” Qian Fangyu blew a smoke ring, reluctantly stating his price. With money, women were easy to come by-he didn’t need to bother with one he had already played with.
“What? 100,000 yuan? You might as well rob a bank! You know my situation. I’m still a student; where am I supposed to get that kind of money?”
“I know your situation perfectly well. But that person inside who can afford to live in this place can’t be just anyone. Aren’t you her kept woman? Ask her for it.”
“I don’t have that much, and neither does she,” Wei Jia said through gritted teeth, burning with anger.
“Oh really? Then maybe I’ll just ask her myself and tell her how you scream in bed with other men,” Qian Fangyu whistled, leering at Wei Jia from head to toe.
“Fine, 100,000 yuan it is. I don’t have that kind of money right now; give me a week,” Wei Jia said. This was her weak spot. She sneered inwardly, thinking to herself that she couldn’t possibly scrape together 100,000 yuan from selling everything she owned. Even if she did, and gave it to him, more extortion would follow. Better to settle it once and for all. She decided to propose a time limit to make him think she was scrambling for money, lowering his guard.
“Too late. Now it’s 100,000 yuan plus another night with me,” Qian Fangyu said. Seeing Wei Jia agree, he surmised that the person inside was really important to her. Since someone had put him up to blackmailing her, it wouldn’t hurt to milk the opportunity for more.
“You… Don’t push your luck. It’s either 100,000 yuan, or we both go down together,” Wei Jia growled in a low voice, careful not to let it carry.
Qian Fangyu’s face darkened. He grabbed Wei Jia’s chin. “Bitch, listen up. I’m calling the shots here. Don’t put on any airs with me.” He shoved her away hard, his grip so firm it felt like he might crush her jawbone.
Wei Jia held back tears. “Fine, I agree. I’ll come to your place to give you the money. But in the meantime, you can’t bother me again.” You won’t get anything, she thought.
Seeing his objective achieved, Qian Fangyu didn’t prolong the confrontation. He exited through the safety door and took the elevator down.
Wei Jia collapsed on the ground, feeling utterly drained. Remembering that Du Bai was still waiting at home, she forced herself to fix her makeup and, using the wall for support, stood up.
Seeing Du Bai still in the living room watching TV, Wei Jia let out a small sigh of relief. Gazing at Du Bai’s relaxed back, she silently vowed that no one would come between them.
Sensing the gaze, Du Bai turned to look at Wei Jia. Just as she was about to say something, the phone in the living room rang.
Du Bai glanced at it and, still expressionless, said, “I’ll get the phone.” She walked into her study.
Du Bai had a certain level of cleanliness obsession; the study’s extension was exclusively hers. She would never use the phone in the living room.
“Hello?”
“It’s Shen Yan. What are you doing?”
Glancing at the study’s closed door, Du Bai said, “Uh, I’m packing. Tomorrow’s flight-Wei Jia said there’s too much stuff, so we need to prepare in advance. Is something wrong?” Du Bai tried to keep her voice cheerful and light.
“Sigh, forget it. I can’t explain over the phone. I’ll tell you when I get there. I’m a bit tied up right now.”
“Hmm, is it something urgent? It can wait until I get back, right?” Hearing Shen Yan’s anxious tone, Du Bai inexplicably smiled, adding a hint of mischief.
“No, it can’t wait. You and Wei Jia both must be there.”
After hanging up the phone, Du Bai sat down in a chair, lit a cigarette, and stared at her slightly upturned index finger, leaning back against the chair. Today would be interesting; she was looking forward to it.
On the sofa, Shen Yan and Du Bai sat facing each other-Du Bai watching TV, Shen Yan watching Du Bai. Neither of them had any intention of speaking. Meanwhile, Wei Jia paced nervously back and forth in the kitchen, feeling an inexplicable unease. Finally, she made up her mind to carry a tea tray into the living room, or perhaps it should be called a battlefield.
Shen Yan glanced at Wei Jia, giving a wicked smile. “Du Bai, since you like watching TV so much, I have a tape here that you might find interesting.” With that, she pulled out a videotape from the bag she had brought, holding it aloft as if someone’s fate depended on it.
Wei Jia had no idea what games Shen Yan was playing. Thinking it might have something to do with the tape, she reached out to take it. Just as she was about to touch it, Shen Yan dodged and lazily walked toward the VCR. Wei Jia awkwardly retracted her hand and turned to look at Du Bai, whose expression was unreadable.
Du Bai lightly touched her cheek, thoughtfully observing the scene unfolding before her.
Wei Jia glanced at the screen, and it was as if she had been struck by something. Her face turned pale, and she began to tremble. Stumbling forward on unsteady legs, she planted herself between the TV and Du Bai.
“No, don’t watch it, Du Bai. Please, don’t watch it.” She could block the screen but not the sound. Shen Yan watched her with amused interest, her innocent smile belying her actions as she turned up the volume on the remote. The recent conversation in the safety corridor replayed without any omissions, reverberating through the entire room. Wei Jia’s face went white, and she shivered uncontrollably as though plunged into an icy abyss. In a rage, she rushed to grab the remote from Shen Yan, her trembling fingers finally managing to turn off the audio and video after several attempts. But that wasn’t enough. She stumbled toward the TV, frantically ripped open the VCR, and, in her disordered panic, collapsed on the floor, crazily smashing the tape-as if destroying it would erase what had just happened.
Shen Yan glanced at Du Bai, who observed everything with cold detachment, her eyes not reflecting the anger Shen Yan had hoped to see.
Du Bai looked at Shen Yan and smiled a little, very lightly, the smile floating through the space as if it had never existed. Then she turned her gaze to the now-calm Wei Jia, whose tears flowed uncontrollably.
Du Bai remembered reading a psychological report once, which claimed that in states of extreme terror, people forget the instinct to cry. It seemed true, as evidenced today. Wei Jia didn’t intend to stop her tears; she understood that tears were a potent weapon for a woman. Women didn’t necessarily need to be strong, but they had to appear weak. Being Du Bai’s woman, if you weren’t naturally delicate, you had to feign delicacy.
Du Bai slowly stood up, took a few tissues, and walked over to Wei Jia, gently wiping her tears. It was slow but lacked tenderness. If both Wei Jia and Shen Yan were calmer, they might realize that Du Bai had never shown Wei Jia any real gentleness-true feelings are required for that. But Wei Jia couldn’t quite grasp Du Bai at this moment; there was a sense of distance and closeness mixed together.
“Tears from a woman are precious, you know.” Du Bai smiled, a smile reminiscent of a fleeting blooming flower under the moonlight, mysterious and captivating.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Du Bai. It’s not what you think. Please listen to me, okay? Please?” Wei Jia clung tightly to Du Bai’s arm, shaking it as if clutching the last straw. Du Bai looked down at the hand holding her, and no one noticed her slight frown.
“The videotape is very clear. I’m afraid your explanation will just be some feeble excuses,” Shen Yan interrupted with a cold laugh, annoyed by those hands on Du Bai.
“Shen Yan, interrupting isn’t very gentlemanly,” Du Bai glanced at Shen Yan with her almond-shaped eyes, slightly curling her lips, speaking calmly without a hint of blame. She then turned to Wei Jia, “You should know, I used to be most intolerant of deception and betrayal, right?”
Du Bai paused, maintaining the slight curve of her lips-a smile filled with bitterness and relief, so complex it was hard to discern. “Now, deception just needs to go unnoticed by me; betrayal? It doesn’t matter-I don’t care.”
Her earnest tone left Shen Yan frustrated, and Wei Jia shivering, “No, I don’t believe it. You’re angry with me, right? You like me, yes, you do like me.” Wei Jia looked at Du Bai with wide, hopeful eyes, as if the words were more for herself than for Du Bai.
Du Bai gently lifted Wei Jia’s face with her index finger. “Why are you so persistent, woman? It only makes me hurt you more to feel pleasure from your cries of pain. Actually, when you had that encounter with him, I suspected something was wrong from your behavior when I returned. You’re a woman, after all-selfish and strong, but unable to truly fortify your heart. Some things just can’t be accepted without leaving a trace.”
Watching Wei Jia’s trembling, pallid figure, as if she might faint at any moment, Du Bai thought to herself, perhaps the hurt she caused Tinna has been repaid. But should she continue? Maybe she shouldn’t, considering how long Wei Jia had been by her side.
“No, I don’t believe it. You’re taking revenge on me, you must be. Du Bai, please don’t do this. I love you so much; you can’t treat me this way.”
You can’t treat me this way.
You can’t treat me this way.
The cries overlapped with the inner screams, creating an intense pain, spreading from deep within Du Bai. This deliberate act combined with that past accidental hurt made Du Bai falter for a moment, her face showing an expression of pain. The air seemed to grow heavy, her chest felt compressed, suffocating her.
Now she was in paradise, while Du Bai was running toward darkness, moving further and further away. She closed her eyes. Enough. Stop here. Give her a chance, and give herself a chance too.
It was precisely Du Bai’s fleeting pain that gave Wei Jia a false sense of hope. Yes, she cared. Everything was because she was too angry. That comfort, however, felt more like a self-inflicted hypnosis born from jealousy and desire.
“Go away. I don’t want to see you anymore.” Du Bai stood up and walked weakly toward her room. She needed strength, the warmth of memories. But that source was gone, and she could only seek remnants in their shared space.
“Du Bai, there are still things I need to tell you,” Shen Yan reached out, trying to hold on to Du Bai as she faded away, but it was futile. Her hand lingered in the air before dropping. Watching Du Bai’s departing figure, Shen Yan had a feeling that she wasn’t heartbroken for Wei Jia. But she couldn’t be sure, as Du Bai hadn’t declared a complete end. Hoping too much could lead to delusions, so she had to resolve it thoroughly.
“No need to know. I’m very tired. Handle the rest yourself.” Du Bai leaned against the door frame, so hard that her knuckles turned pale. She then entered the room, using the door to shut herself off from everything.
Sliding down against the door, her heart couldn’t find the resolve, because that place still held memories of Wei Jia. Looking down, her tears shattered on the carpet, absorbed completely by the wool, just like certain emotions.
Shen Yan didn’t say anything more. After all, maintaining appearances kept everyone seemingly clean.
Footnote:
- Yuan(元): Yuan (yuán) is the basic unit of currency in China. The symbol for yuan is ¥, 1 yuan≈0.15 USD.
