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.”

relax now. Auntie Lan’s

long time, and Lingye would respond

Siqi drooled and drifted off while talking in

“Daddy, I want KFC…”

“We’ll have KFC tomorrow.”

see Mu

if to answer the girl and to convince himself, “I will find

…

sleepless

was in a villa compound instead of the city center, the law on setting off fireworks was lenient.

No amount of noise could wake the child once she

was wide awake and alert,

such intense emotion, so intense that they eclipsed

…

in Florence, it was a little over nine o’clock at

cooped up in the hotel room for two days, but since it

enough for her to leave the hotel on her

regretted her decision when she arrived

a bustle along the street. It never occurred to her that the Italians would party hard on New Year’s Eve,

people and cars, and Tongrui was nearly swept

in

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

outside the phone booth for

was tempted to give Lingye a

and tell him where she was and

truth of the matter was,

dialed the

heart was at her throat, not from her nerves,

would not be long before she could hear his

wish Lingye

the call once it was connected. In translation, there was restricted access

clock tower chimed as the clock

dejectedly held the handset and listened to the busy tone as she looked up at the

her sweetheart

…

watched the gala with her parents in the living room before her parents went

a new year greeting since Hades Jiang was her mentor. She would pass her