Belated Romance (Mu Tongrui)

Xu Kun pursed his lips and asked, “Boss, if I may say so… aren’t you afraid that the world will stand against you and vilify you even after you bring Mrs. Fu back because of your relationship with her?”

“So what if the world disapproves of us? I don’t need anybody’s approval to be with Tongrui. Besides, I have never gone against the world, so I might as well experience it once.”

Despite Lingye speaking in a nonchalant tone, Xu Kun could tell that Lingye was serious and resolute.

Xu Kun grinned and looked at the brilliance exploding in the sky before uttering, “You’re the man, Boss. You’re in a league of your own.”

“Buttering up to your boss gets you nowhere. I won’t give you a raise.”

Xu Kun smiled. “I don’t mind a slightly bigger year-end bonus though.”

Curling his lips, Lingye narrowed his eyes and took a few more puffs from the cigarette between his fingers.

Lingye put out the cigarette and threw it on the lawn when Siqi ran over. He bent over to pick Siqi up.

He said to Xu Kun, “You should head back and get some rest.”

Lingye carried Siqi into the house as Xu Kun watched his back and said, “Happy New Year, Boss.”

…

That night, Siqi shared a bed with Lingye.

It was one in the morning by the time they got ready for bed.

Siqi looked at the time on the phone and blinked. She drew close to Lingye and whispered, “Happy New Year, Daddy.”

With warmth filling Lingye’s empty and hollow heart, Lingye lowered his head to kiss her on the forehead. He said, “Wishing you a happy new year too, Sweetheart.”

Lingye’s mind flew back to the three years when Tongrui was not in the picture. This was how he and Siqi always spent their New Year and New Year’s Eve, so there was no loneliness or sadness. Now that he got used to having her around, and she suddenly faded out from his world and life, Lingye had a hard time shaking off the emptiness and loneliness.

The little girl snuggled up against him and asked, “Do you miss Mu, Daddy?”

“Yeah,” Lingye faintly replied. There was no telling whether he was paying attention.

Siqi added, “I miss Mu too.”

“Yeah.” The reply was barely audible.

Siqi then asked, “Will Mu come home, Daddy?”

Lingye paused at first before firmly looking into Siqi’s eyes. He answered, “She will, and soon.”

in relief. “I can relax now. Auntie

long time, and Lingye

Siqi drooled and drifted off while talking

“Daddy, I want KFC…”

“We’ll have KFC tomorrow.”

to see Mu

daughter a pat and talked as if to answer the girl and to convince himself, “I will find Mu

…

was a sleepless

setting off fireworks was lenient.

against her daddy’s chest. No amount of noise

and alert, thinking about

intense emotion, so intense that they eclipsed

…

it was a little over nine o’clock

but since it was New Year’s Eve, he

was reason enough for her to leave the hotel on her own in the

regretted her decision when

Italians would party hard on New Year’s Eve, perhaps even more grandly than in

packed with people and cars, and Tongrui was

she felt isolated in the midst of the

to escape the crowd. She distanced herself from the bustle and people, only to notice a red phone booth under

stood outside the phone booth for a

to give Lingye a call right

wanted to risk it all and tell him where she was

the matter was, she did

the number

not from her nerves, but

long before she could hear

wish

translation, there was restricted access to the number she had dialed, and

chimed as the clock

the busy tone as she looked up at the fireworks display. She murmured under her breath, “Happy New Year,

her sweetheart

…

For New Year’s Eve, she watched the gala with her parents

hesitated whether to send Xinghe a new year greeting since Hades Jiang was her mentor. She would