Chapter 24 See You Tonight
I heard later.
Bai Xiaofu took the child and the money Bian Yi gave her and left Shencheng.
Before she went, she sent Bian Yi a very long message.
Not an accusation, not lingering attachment.
Just a calm analysis of the gains and losses from the years she spent with him, and the question of future child support.
She was never really a naive sweetheart after all.
She knew what she wanted.
Bian Yi didn't stop her.
He gave her everything he had promised—except marriage.
That entanglement that had lasted for years.
Ended in this almost businesslike breakup, fading out without glory.
After I came back from South America, I went for a full physical exam.
The doctor looked at the report. "Ms. Liao, your physical condition is maintained extremely well. Every indicator is better than many younger people."
My phone buzzed.
A message from a newly acquainted male art history college student.
He invited me to an avant-garde futurist art exhibition that evening.
In the attached photo, his smile was brilliant, abstract and powerful paintings behind him.
These years, I seemed to have become the kind of person I once understood least—
People around me came and went. I enjoyed the company, but no longer handed over my heart easily.
Some people talked behind my back, saying I was no different from Bian Yi back then.
I only wanted to laugh when I heard it.
How could it be the same?
He was running from responsibility, numbing the emptiness inside with novelty. I, after thoroughly clearing out the past, was living the life I wanted with a clear head.
I didn't control anyone, didn't owe anyone. Goods paid for in full. Easy on both sides.
I had only just learned that a college student's energy and admiration could really lift a person's mood.
I looked at my phone.
I replied with three words: "See you tonight."