Washington Opera (Three)

  Afterwards, in Du Kuiwei's memory, it was simply a nightmarish farce that made one laugh and cry.

  And no sooner had Li Jiahao's voice fallen than several electric baton security guards rushed over from all sides, surrounding her as if she were some kind of fugitive or a highly dangerous prisoner. The subsequent denunciation rally was enough to leave an indelible mark on her mind, forever unforgettable.

  The music in the private room stopped, and more than 20 people looked at Du Kuiwei with expressionless faces as she was escorted by security guards. She slowly told the truth about the alleged extortion incident under the threat of electric batons.

  When she finished speaking her last word, the room fell silent for half a minute. A fashionably dressed girl spoke up, "What's that? It was just a misunderstanding?"

  Then he stood up and said to his companion beside him, "I'm tired, let's go back."

  After she left, the others also left one after another. Xu Zimo was the last one, and before leaving, he patted Du Kuiwei's shoulder in a friendly manner and smiled at Li Jiahao, "You've gone too far, kid."

  Li Jiahao sat on the sofa with a gloomy face, his empty hand listlessly playing with the red wine glass. The private room was left with only him and Du Kuiwei, the big screen displaying a static "Thank you for your patronage". He let out a sigh, walked to Du Kuiwei's side, handed over the glass, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Want some? '95 Lafite, sweet and sour taste."

  Du Kewe said that at the time, she didn't understand the names of red wines. Moreover, Li Jiahao's casual tone made it sound like just a drink to her. Although she was furious and her liver was trembling, she also understood that Li Jiahao was just unintentionally mistaken, and it was her own fault for overthinking and assuming he recognized her when in fact he didn't. It turned out to be a complete misunderstanding.

  So her only way to vent was to eat and drink, that night, she didn't know how many glasses of red wine she drank. Later, Li Jiahao was afraid she would get drunk and called the waiter to bring a cake. In a daze, she seemed to hear Li Jiahao say with some regret, "A good birthday is being ruined like this." She doesn't remember what she said in response, probably something like "it's okay, isn't my company enough?" Then Li Jiahao laughed and said that from childhood to adulthood, except for his mother, no woman had ever dared to say such cheesy words.

  She remembered that Xu Xue often said the same thing to her, cheesy, because she always dragged out her voice calling him "gong gong", thinking it sounded better than "lao gong". She asked him to change her name in his phone to "po po" many times, until Xu Xue got annoyed and she finally admitted her mistake. Why did Xu Xue only call her by her name? She thought with a pretentious tone, whether on the phone or in person, he never gave her a special title.

  The cool liquor slid down her throat, and those questions kept echoing in her mind, heavily, pressing on her until she felt a splitting headache. Her consciousness gradually blurred, and all she felt was her arm relaxing, the glass slipping from her fingertips, making a crisp shattering sound.

  "Xu Xiu, have you ever loved me?" she said out of the blue.

  Then fell into a deep sleep.

  That night's dream was very long. She rarely dreams, and even if she does occasionally, she doesn't remember it when she wakes up. But this time was different from the usual clarity. When she woke up in a daze, the warm tranquility of the Jiangnan water town in her dream still lingered before her eyes, and she and Xu Xiang drifted on the rippling river surface, listening to the boatman's mountain song, with their fingers intertwined.

  He said, "Marry me."

  Du Ke only smiled foolishly, reluctant to wake up from the beauty in her dreams. However, the humid air of the water town that was originally on the tip of her nose gradually dissipated, replaced by a faint unfamiliar floral scent. She rubbed open her eyes, and the white crystal chandelier above the house was quietly smiling at her.

  What a luxurious hotel suite, with British-style marble carvings on the ceiling, soft and comfortable double bed, and warm sunlight pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

  However, her sweetly raised corners of her mouth suddenly turned into a downturned desire to cry.