Chapter 111: Each Worn and Weary

Many people have pondered what exactly love is. What words can truly capture its essence? In truth, love is simple yet profoundly complex. It is both wondrous and painful, a blend of beauty and hurt, like a rose adorned with thorns. We chase love like moths drawn to a flame, but what we truly seek is the softness nestled deep within our hearts. We long for someone worthy of our wholehearted devotion—for whom we would laugh, weep, and journey through the trials of life together until old age.

A woman’s tears can fall with the slightest sorrow, and a man’s heart can shatter with the faintest touch. Love exhausts; hatred exhausts. Neither love nor hate leaves life flavorful. Don’t say you were wrong; don’t say I was right. Resentments and grievances hold no absolutes of right or wrong. Life is a riddle few can solve, and love is a wine that intoxicates all who drink it. Yan Xu’s song captures this truth in its melody. Few can truly decipher love’s mysteries. Amidst the tumult of the world, we each endure similar yet uniquely felt experiences.

Wang Yuqing gazed absently at the lovebirds in their cage. The pair of sparrows were gently grooming each other’s feathers, occasionally pressing their beaks together in tender affection.

“Xiao Lin, why?” Wang Yuqing murmured softly as she watched the blissful birds. After leaving the hospital the day before, she had returned home in a daze, only to run into her mother, Liu Mei. Her mother noticed the tear stains on her daughter’s face and her fragile spirit, immediately asking anxiously what had happened. Wang Yuqing forced a weak smile and said she had quarreled with a classmate, then retreated to her room without eating dinner.

“Qingqing, what’s really wrong? Won’t you tell me?” Liu Mei brought breakfast to Wang Yuqing’s room the next morning. Seeing her daughter lost in thought once again, she sighed and set the tray on the table beside her.

Wang Yuqing glanced at her mother, lips moving softly but no words emerging. She turned back to her “lovebirds,” unwilling to share her pain. She was a sensible child. She knew that if her mother learned the truth, she would confront Xiao Lin—her mother’s nature would never allow her to let the matter rest. So Wang Yuqing chose to bear the sorrow alone to protect Xiao Lin.

“My dear daughter, I know you’re growing up and have your secrets. If you don’t want to speak, I won’t press you. But Qingqing, I just want you to be happy. Seeing you like this breaks my heart. Life is full of troubles, piling one atop another, but we just have to face and solve them. Now, please eat your breakfast,” Liu Mei said softly.

Touched by her mother’s words, tears finally welled and spilled down Wang Yuqing’s cheeks. “Mom…” she sobbed, collapsing into Liu Mei’s embrace. Liu Mei stroked her daughter’s hair tenderly, unsure of what troubles lay hidden in her usually obedient child, but she knew better than to pry. Respecting her daughter’s boundaries was her strength.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lin lay alone in a sterile hospital room, staring at the empty white walls that seemed to separate him from the world. Since Wang Yuqing left, his heart had gone cold. He longed to cry out loud, but his tears had long since dried within.

“Waiting for the rain in the azure sky, and I am waiting for you…” The ringtone broke the silence. Xiao Lin stiffly answered the phone, only to see the caller ID: Ma Yunrou. A surge of resentment welled up inside him. He didn’t want to answer, but he couldn’t ignore it.

“Hello, what do you want?” he said coldly.

“Xiao Lin, where are you? I’ve been knocking at your door for a while.” Ma Yunrou’s sultry voice carried through.

“Oh, I’m not home. I’m in the hospital.”

“Why? What happened? Which hospital? I’ll come see you.”

“No need. It’s just a minor illness. I’ll be home soon. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”

Xiao Lin’s mood soured; he had no desire to talk further.

“Hey, hey…” Ma Yunrou clenched the phone after the call ended, frustration bubbling inside her. She couldn’t understand how, after just a few years, Xiao Lin could have completely forgotten her. Now he wouldn’t even say a word to her. She had even wanted to bring him food. In anger, she threw the items she held onto the floor.

“Xiao Lin, I was originally thinking of treating you well, but your attitude has made me angry. So don’t blame me for what I’m about to do. Your coldness must be because of your girlfriend. Hmph, I want to see what kind of girl could possibly mean more to you than me,” she sneered, pulling out her phone.

“Hello, Uncle Xiang? It’s me, Ma Yunrou.”

“Miss Ma, what can I do for you?” Uncle Xiang’s tone was neutral.

“I heard from the lady of the house that Xiao Lin has a girlfriend. Could you give me her information? I have something to discuss with her.”

“Why would you want to talk to her? Didn’t you say you and Xiao Lin are together? Have they not broken up?”

“They have broken up. I’m Xiao Lin’s girlfriend now. He told me so himself,” Ma Yunrou hurriedly explained, sensing the shift in Uncle Xiang’s tone.

“So what do you want to say?” Uncle Xiang pressed.

“Well, I want to learn about this girl. It might help with some arrangements the lady made,” Ma Yunrou said cautiously.

There was a pause on the other end. Uncle Xiang had only known Ma Yunrou for a few days but understood her well. He knew all about her recent schemes, even the details of how she had manipulated Xiao Lin while he was drunk. So he immediately realized her intentions toward Wang Yuqing. But as the steward to Young Master Gao, Uncle Xiang could not allow Ma Yunrou to harm Wang Yuqing.

“Miss Ma, you should focus on your own affairs and not pry. I can only tell you her name is Wang Yuqing. That’s all,” he said firmly before hanging up. Little did he know how much trouble this small slip would bring to Wang Yuqing.

“Wang Yuqing, Wang Yuqing… such a familiar name,” Ma Yunrou muttered after the call. Suddenly, she recalled that yesterday at the gathering, Xu Qing had mentioned a close friend named Wang Yuqing. Xiao Lin’s expression when he heard that name was different from usual. Could it be the same person? Ma Yunrou was clever and adept at seizing every opportunity, especially sensitive information.

To confirm her suspicion, she immediately called Xu Qing and, after some subtle questioning, extracted a bit of information.

“According to Xu Qing, Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing do have a history, but the details are scarce. Looks like I’ll have to get more accurate info from Xiao Lin himself,” Ma Yunrou mused.

Meanwhile, Wang Yuqing obediently finished her breakfast, not wanting to worry her mother, though her inner pain lingered. Liu Mei noticed her daughter’s continued unhappiness and, knowing she needed quiet, tidied the dishes and quietly left. Alone, Wang Yuqing instinctively touched the silver pen cap around her neck. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the delicate little object. Women are made of water; their tears flow more freely than men’s.

As she traced the pen cap, she suddenly noticed three faint characters engraved on it. She rubbed her blurred eyes and looked again—it was the name Ma Yunrou.

“Ma Yunrou.” A flash of insight struck Wang Yuqing. Feeling she had grasped something important, she quickly wiped her tears, rushed to her drawer, and pulled out a pink box containing her junior high graduation album. As mentioned before, the album was a large volume with each class’s graduation photos inside. After flipping through a couple of pages, she found Ma Yunrou in Class Two. Next to Ma Yunrou was a cute girl—none other than her first high school deskmate, Xu Qing. Wang Yuqing had a premonition: her breakup with Xiao Lin must have something to do with Ma Yunrou. Sometimes, one truly has to admire a woman’s sixth sense.

Wasting no time, Wang Yuqing called Xu Qing to ask a few questions.

“Hello, Xu Qing? It’s Yuqing,” she said.

“Oh, Yuqing! You still remember to call me after all this time? I thought you’d forgotten me once you found a handsome guy,” Xu Qing teased with a laugh. She often joked with Wang Yuqing like this.

“Xu Qing, I’m not joking around. I have something serious to ask.”

“All right, all right, go ahead. By the way, I asked a guy named Xiao Lin to look after you at school yesterday. Aren’t I noble?”

“What? You asked Xiao Lin? Xu Qing, is he the tall, handsome one with beautiful eyes, about 1.8 meters tall?”

“Yes. He was my junior high classmate and my white knight. He said he knows you too.”

“Xu Qing, how did you meet him yesterday?”

“We had a reunion of our old student council. Xiao Lin was there. Why?”

“Was there a girl named Ma Yunrou among you?” Wang Yuqing asked hesitantly.

“Wow, Yuqing, how did you know? Are you a genius?” Xu Qing exclaimed.

Indeed, Ma Yunrou was Xiao Lin’s ex-girlfriend. It seemed she was the cause after all. With Xu Qing’s confirmation, Wang Yuqing collapsed onto her bed, her mind echoing with one thought: Ma Yunrou has returned.