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.”

relief. “I can relax now. Auntie Lan’s

herself for a long time, and Lingye

the end, Siqi drooled and drifted off while talking in her

“Daddy, I want KFC…”

“We’ll have KFC tomorrow.”

see

to answer the girl and to

…

sleepless night for

the law on setting off fireworks was lenient. There were still people

her daddy’s chest. No amount of

was wide awake and alert,

emotion, so intense

…

away in Florence, it was a

two days, but since it was New Year’s Eve, he wanted to see how the Italians spend the

the hotel on her own in the

her decision when she arrived on the

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

street was packed with people and cars, and

isolated in the midst of the

effort to escape the crowd. She distanced herself from the bustle and

outside the phone booth for

tempted to give Lingye

wanted to risk it all and tell him where she was and how much she missed

the matter was, she

and dialed the number that was etched on

from her

before she could hear

would be able to wish Lingye a

once it was connected. In translation, there was restricted access to

as

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

to her

…

New Year’s Eve, she watched the gala with her parents in the living room before her

Hades Jiang was her mentor. She would pass her internship with flying colors by getting on Hades Jiang’s