Chapter 6: Let's just pretend I'm a stranger

  Is there another bridesmaid like Zheng Wei, when the bride walks down the red carpet with her father's arm during the wedding march, she stands behind the bride, her heart surging, her eyes moist. Is there a more beautiful bride than Ruan Ruan in this world? All the relatives and friends present praised the young and promising groom, but only Zheng Wei felt that he was too lucky, he had only seen six faces and yet married the best woman in the world.

  This was a simple wedding, with neither of the parties fond of extravagance, and they just had a simple dinner party for their relatives and friends. Ruan Ruan wore a white wedding dress, standing elegantly beside her smiling groom, who was not Zhao Shi Yong. She, who had endured hardship and toil in order to be with her loved one for even a brief moment, had always thought that she would cherish that love forever. Who could have imagined that things would turn out like this today? When she was in love, she thought that person was the only one for her whole life; but who knew that after waking up from the dream, she would be standing beside another man.

  Ruan Ruan sent an invitation to Zhao Shi Yong, but he didn't come. Six years of feelings lost to someone she had only met six times, fate has its own arrangements. But no matter what, as long as Ruan Ruan is happy, as long as Ruan Ruan is happy, everything is worth it. In Zheng Wei's heart, there was no one more deserving of the happiness in front of her than Ruan Ruan.

  Officiant: Miss Ruan Wan, are you willing to marry Mr. Wu Jiang as your husband, love him for all eternity, and accompany him...

  Ruan Ruan said, "I'm willing."

  As soon as her voice fell, a sob suddenly came from beside her, and everyone only noticed that the delicate bridesmaid was crying with tears streaming down her face. Zheng Wei was truly the most unsuccessful bridesmaid in the world, she couldn't hold back her tears on her good friend's wedding day. Only Ruan Ruan understood her, she looked at Zheng Wei, smiling brightly, as if using her smile to tell her that she would definitely be happy.

  When the newcomers toasted, Zheng Wei refilled his wine and followed behind the newcomers with the best man. The bridesmaid and best man were always another focus of attention outside the newcomers, especially when the elegant bride stood beside the sweet and lovely bridesmaid, if there was starlight that night, it would have lost its color. Facing the laughter and cheers of the crowd, Zheng Wei did not refuse anyone who came, even Ruan Ruan's share, she also helped to block it.

  In private, Ruan Ruan whispered in her ear, "Don't drink anymore, be careful."

  She just smiled, "I haven't been this happy for a long time. What day is today? I can get drunk, you can't."

  After a dozen or so tables, even though she had a good capacity for liquor, she couldn't help but feel slightly tipsy. The next table was the groom's friends, Wu Jiang introducing them one by one: "These are our colleagues from the general surgery department of our hospital, this is the editor-in-chief of XX Daily... and this is the deputy procurator of XX District People's Procuratorate..."

  As he introduced the tall, slender man, the man who had been half-turned away from them turned around, nodded in a smile at the bride, and then his gaze levelled off at someone behind her.

  "Right, his surname is Lin, called Lin..."

  Zheng Wei suddenly interrupted Wu Jiang's kind introduction and said, "Lin Jing, it's been seven years since we last met, how have you been?"

  Lin Jing smiled and raised her cup, "How are you, Little Fei Long?"

  "How are you, Little Flying Dragon? He was the first person in this world to call her that. When they were young, he would play hide-and-seek with her in the garden of the big courtyard. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to find him and would cry, so he never hid too well. As soon as she grabbed his sleeve and giggled, he would always say on purpose, 'How are you, Little Flying Dragon?'"

  If she were seventeen-year-old Zheng Wei, she would choose to forget everything at this moment and rush into Lin Jing's arms, crying out loud. However, she is twenty-five years old now, and he has been playing a game of hide-and-seek with her for seven years. This time, he hid too far away, and she once thought that she would never find him in this lifetime.

  "I'm fine," said 25-year-old Zheng Wei.

  "Do you know each other?" Wu Jiang was also shocked.

  Lin Jing laughed and said: "When she was one year old, I started holding her in my arms. Do you think we know each other?"

  Zheng Wei also half-jokingly said, "Yes, in the past we were so close that I thought when I grew up I could marry him."

  Good people heard the words and cheered, shouting that such a friendship was worth drinking a cup. Zheng Wei poured the wine without hesitation and held it up to Lin Jing's face. Lin Jing looked at her thoughtfully, shook his head with a smile, clinked glasses with Zheng Wei, and drank his own wine dry. Then he took over Zheng Wei's wine glass which had just touched her lips and drained it in one gulp in front of everyone.

  The surrounding area was filled with applause, and everyone laughed at Inspector Lin, who turned out to be a romantic at heart. They repeatedly asked how it was that the two had not seen each other for so long despite being face-to-face initially.

  Zheng Wei replied: "What can be accurate about things from childhood? After growing up, most of the former playmates went their separate ways."

  Her Lin Jing had gone without a word at the age of seventeen, perhaps his figure was forever hidden deep in her heart, but the man in front of her was a stranger.

  When the bride threw the bouquet, Zheng Wei stood alone in the corner, distracted. Ruan Ruan, who had been watching her, turned around and threw the bouquet, which flew straight towards Zheng Wei. As the bouquet approached, Zheng Wei finally came back to reality and instinctively tried to catch it, but was a step too slow, only managing to grab a pink petal. In an instant, the bouquet fell to the ground.

  Wu Jiang's workplace is in City G, Ruan Ruan married and followed her husband, she quit her job in City S to accompany him. This might be the best news Zheng Wei has ever heard. At the end of the wedding banquet, the guests who came to tease the newlyweds also left with a smile, it was already late at night when they went out. Ruan Ruan saw them off and said: "Lin Jian, why don't you send Weiwei back for me?"

  "No need to trouble you, no need to trouble you. It's easy to hail a taxi downstairs."

  Lin Jing chuckled and smiled, "Don't worry, leave it to me. Goodbye, congratulations on your new marriage!" She turned around and naturally took Zheng Wei's bag in her hand, "Let's go, my car is downstairs."

  All the way, Zheng Wei rolled down the car window, letting in a gust of wind that blew away the flush on her face. She kept looking out the window, the music from the radio was disjointed and fragmented.

  Lin Jing drove with a clear mind and arrived silently at the entrance of Zhongjian's compound, Zheng Wei had even forgotten to ask him how he knew she lived here.

  "I'll just get off at the door." Zheng Wei brushed her disheveled hair back. "Thanks so much for seeing me home."

  Lin Jing didn't respond to her politeness, "Which building do you live in? I'll send you downstairs."

  "No, never mind, I'll just go in."

  "Which building do you live in?"

  She inexplicably started getting angry, "I said no! Do you understand what it's like to be driven home by a man in the middle of the night and have people around me misunderstand?"

  Lin Jing put her hand on the steering wheel and said, "You're still mad at me after all."

  Zheng Wei turned her head to one side, pretending to look out the window. She didn't deny it because he was right. Even after all those nights, she thought she understood Lin Jing, and had forgiven him for leaving without a word. But when they finally reunited, there was still resentment in her heart. People are often not as detached as they imagine themselves to be. When Lin Jing left back then, he took away not only her vague first love but also the person she trusted and relied on most. She found herself shamefully blaming him for the desolation of losing love later on, even though she knew it wasn't his fault.

  "I've also been angry with myself, but at that time I couldn't think it through, so I just wanted to leave. Yes, maybe I shouldn't have, but who is a saint, and who hasn't had times when they want to escape? You know, I used to think my parents were the happiest couple, and even felt proud that my family could bring warmth to you, but it was all just an illusion."

  Zheng smiled, but his voice was choked with emotion. "You've been gone for seven years." For seven years, he hadn't sent her a single letter or made a phone call.

  "I thought you were happy."

  "I am happy, so you can continue to disappear."

  Lin Jing was silent for a long time, then said, "I've never liked doing meaningless things. After returning to the country, I called you, and since you're happy, I'll leave. Maybe I was wrong, but I won't be wrong again."

  When Zheng Wei opened the car door and left, she was decisive and resolute. She kept walking forward without hearing Lin Jing start the car, but refused to look back. By dawn, she felt unusually thirsty, got up to pour herself a glass of water, didn't turn on the light, took a sip of water, and stared blankly in the dim light from the street lamp outside the window. After putting down the cup, she turned on the room's main light and frantically rummaged through her belongings, regretting why she had hidden them so deeply.

  Wei was startled awake by the loud noise from next door and knocked on Zheng Wei's door, complaining: "Zheng Wei, what's wrong with you? Can't let people sleep?"

  Zheng Wei's movements continued, but he turned around and said, "The other day, He Yi suddenly sang a song for you in the middle of the night downstairs. What did I say?"

  Wei Shaoyi was suddenly speechless, and angrily returned to her room. After the entire room was in disarray, Zheng Wei finally found what she wanted in a leather suitcase she had brought from school.

  She opened the small, flat iron box and took out the diploma and degree certificate that were pressed on top. Two young, innocent smiling faces appeared before her, unchanged after seven long years. She held the slightly yellowed photo in her hand, gently wiping off the dust with her fingers. The young man in the photo had a bright smile and gentle eyes - this was her Lin Jing. She had to take another look at him now, because in that moment of distraction, she suddenly realized she couldn't remember what Lin Jing looked like before he was 22 years old. The man who had just sent her home had broad shoulders, sharp eyes, and a thoughtful smile. His chin and cheeks were clean-shaven, but still showed a hint of stubble. Despite his dignified and elegant appearance, she could no longer find the intimacy and affection they once shared. Did he see her as the same person she used to be? She couldn't wipe away the dust of time that had settled on their faces.

  Lin Jing's last sentence kept echoing in her mind, the more she thought about it, the more restless she became. It was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time. Was there something hidden behind his words, or was she misinterpreting again?

  Within two days, a phone call to her office vaguely confirmed her conjecture.

  "Hello, Zhongjian No. 2 Branch Manager's Office." The familiar opening phrase rolled off her tongue as she picked up the phone. A laugh that was both familiar and strange came from the other end of the line, causing her to glance around the office before lowering her voice. "How did you know my office phone number?" She asked, only to realize afterwards that it was a pointless question - his procuratorate and their Zhongjian No. 2 Branch were in the same district, and for public security organs and government departments, the contact numbers of any enterprise within their jurisdiction were readily available.

  "That day you left in a hurry and forgot to leave your phone number." Lin Jing's mood seemed not bad, her voice also carried a few parts of joy.

  "It's time for me to go to work." Zheng Wei didn't have as good of a mood as him.

  Lin Jing said, "Mm, work is quite serious. So I don't plan to disturb you now, let's talk about it after work, should I pick you up or meet at the restaurant?"

  Zheng Wei was startled and then laughed, "When did I ever say I'd have dinner with you?"

  His voice was gentle, "You always have to eat, right? Just keep me company. I've been busy with social events lately and haven't had a good meal in a long time. My stomach isn't feeling well either. Do you know if there's a light meal restaurant around here?"

  Zheng Wei's heart was about to soften, he used to have regular eating habits, and if there was anything slightly abnormal, he would feel stomach pain. But she still hardened her heart and said: "Stomachache, acid reflux, bloating, just find Stadine, I'm going to work overtime tonight..."

  "Overtime, huh?" He seemed to have expected her to say that and smiled, "Don't worry, work comes first. What time will you be done? I'll come pick you up. By the way, isn't your manager Zhou Qu now? We had dinner together when he was at Zhongjian's Market Department... why don't I wait for you while also paying him a visit?"

  "It's okay, I suddenly feel like the things on hand can be done tomorrow morning." Changing direction with the wind has always been Zheng Wei's strong suit.

  Lin Jing burst out laughing again, "Then you go to work properly, I'll wait for you at the corner of your road junction after I get off work. You can come out after you're busy, I have time tonight, it's okay to wait a while."

  Zheng Wei hung up the phone, secretly scolding herself for being incompetent. How could she have agreed to it so carelessly? Later, after some thought, she realized that it wasn't her fault for being incapable, but rather the enemy was too cunning, letting her fall into their trap without realizing it.

  Although she knew that Zhou Qu was unlikely to hear what she had just said, with the door in between, she still looked at it nervously, and the door was tightly closed. From the moment he returned from going out in the afternoon, Zhou Qu's face had been a bit off, and she had been by his side for three years, deeply understanding that at this time, he was absolutely a minefield that could not be touched. Not long ago, the director of the finance department had ignored her advice and knocked on the door to enter, but had come out with a gloomy face. Although she didn't know who had the ability to provoke Zhou Qu's thunderous anger, despite his good temper, the implicit meaning of his closed door was to refuse to be disturbed, and she didn't want to know the reason, unless it was absolutely necessary, the farther away from that door, the better.

  When Zheng Wei was about to leave work, she had already packed up her things in advance. Suddenly, she heard the sound of something fragile falling to the ground from inside the room, followed by a loud crash. Under such circumstances, she couldn't just ignore it and not ask anything, also worried that Zhou Qu would lock himself in there for an entire afternoon without knowing what had happened, so she knocked on the door, "Leader, is everything okay?"

  Inside was quiet. Zheng Wei became somewhat anxious and knocked on the door again, but seeing no response, she steeled herself and pushed it open to enter.

  The door opened, and Zhou Qu was slumped in his leather chair, the papers on the desk were scattered all over the place, and shards of glass from the cup were strewn across the floor. Zheng Wei silently cursed to herself, why did he have to throw things around when he was venting? And why did it have to be a cup that he threw? He had relieved himself, but now she was left to clean up the mess.

  "Boss, are you okay?" She called him "Manager Zhou" in front of others, but in private, she directly called him "leader", and he let her do so.

  Zhou Qu didn't have the energy to rub his temples, "Zheng Wei, help me pick up the files on the ground."

  She obediently followed orders, and while picking up the scattered papers, she inadvertently saw one of the most eye-catching ones. It was a printed anonymous report letter, with its spearhead pointing directly at Er Fen's former manager, who is now the manager of San Chan Company - Sheng Tong Construction Limited Liability Company, Feng De Sheng. Zheng Wei took a glance and immediately looked away, but she couldn't help taking another peek. Seeing that he didn't react, she knew it was tacitly approved, so she continued to clean up while flipping through the papers. Apart from the report letter, there were also financial files from Zhou Qu's side of Sheng Tong. Although Zheng Wei wasn't an expert in this area, after reading them, she was secretly shocked. For all large state-owned enterprises, San Chan companies are an awkward and contradictory existence. On one hand, they are created to break free from the rigid mechanisms of state-owned enterprises and to provide benefits for employees, resulting in nominal and systemic independence. In reality, however, they are dependent on and belong to state-owned enterprises. The issue of San Chan is sensitive at present, when the country is focusing on regulating state-owned assets. Any slight mistake can easily lead to big trouble, affecting the entire situation. However, it's clear that Feng De Sheng isn't a very cautious person. Many things are understood as implicit rules, but he doesn't even do well on the surface, with many loopholes and extreme arrogance.

  "Leader, this..." Zheng Wei placed the neatly organized documents on Zhou Qu's desk. She understood why Zhou Qu was furious and couldn't help but feel worried. She had no doubt that Zhou Qu was an upright person, but Sheng Tong, although nominally an independent legal entity, was in fact largely under the jurisdiction of Er Fen. Feng De Sheng himself was still a formal employee of Zhong Jian, enjoying middle-level treatment, and his actions would put Zhou Qu in a difficult position, making it hard for him to shake off the responsibility.

  Zhou Qu naturally understood Zheng Wei's meaning, and he sighed, "Old Feng is getting old, but still so uncooperative. However, I have to say that when I first joined Zhongjian, I was just a small technician on the construction site, and he helped me several times. Without him, I might not be where I am today. I remember his kindness deeply."

  "But..."

  "You go out, it's okay if you just know these things in your heart, I will handle them well."

  Zheng Wei and Lin Jing sat in a serene and elegant Japanese-style material shop, still weighed down by their worries. Why did the adult world have to be so ugly, unbearable, and helpless?

  "What's on your mind?" Lin Jing put her favorite tempura into her bowl.

  Zheng Wei used her chopsticks to stir the food in her bowl, and she thought it was better to get straight to the point. "Lin Jing, why did you come looking for me?"

  Lin Jing took a sip of clear wine and slowly put down her cup. "Wei Wei, what do you think I'm doing this for?"

  Zheng Wei smiled self-deprecatingly, "Is it that you want to say, now you're starting to regret leaving back then and wanting us to go back to the old days?"

  "Don't you want to?"

  "Lin Jing, if I'm not mistaken, you've been in the US for almost four years and back in China for three years. During this time, you had countless opportunities to easily find me, but in seven years, you haven't given me any news at all."

  She is still the same as before, speaking without learning to turn corners and smooth out edges.

  Lin Jing said, "I know you'd think that. Weiwei, actually I'm not as brave as you - many people are like me, far from having your courage. We're afraid of unsolvable troubles, afraid of putting in effort and getting no return, afraid of unpredictable things, and even more afraid of not getting what we care about. When I was in the US, I didn't have the confidence to forget what happened at home, didn't have the confidence to be with you like before; later when I came back, my dad passed away, and that's when I couldn't bear it anymore and called you, but your roommate said you'd gone out with your boyfriend. Actually, that call was made from a phone booth downstairs in your building - I watched you walk towards him, smiling so sweetly, and at that moment I thought, even if the person in front of you were me, I might not be able to make your smile happier than it was then. In this situation, what's the point of me bothering you, except for adding trouble? When leaving, one should think about such a result. If I treated you like my little sister, I could stay by your side without minding, but you're not my sister - either leave or get a result. I don't like unnecessary processes and futile heartache; if you're doing well, I should live my own life too. Maybe you think I'm selfish, but people will always choose to protect themselves to the greatest extent. I'm an ordinary person, Weiwei - I've seen too many people like me, which is why later on I realized how precious a one-of-a-kind Little Dragon is."

  Zheng Wei took a deep breath and said nonchalantly, "Maybe I should just be an ordinary smart person, what's the point of being a Little Flying Dragon anyway?"

  "You may not believe it, but even if I hadn't met you at that wedding banquet, I had already planned to get in touch with you."

  She smiled, "After all these years, you finally found out that I'm not as happy as you imagined, so you magnanimously came back to save me from my loneliness? Or have you now got a hundred percent guarantee of getting the result you want, and you're sure I'll be overjoyed and say, let's just forget about these seven years and go back to how things were before. You're wrong, Lin Jing, these seven years are etched in my memory, I've lived my own life, a life without you. I'm no longer your little dragonfly, I've fallen in love with someone else."

  "But you're not with him." Lin Jing said calmly.

  "Yes, he went to the US just like you, without even giving me a chance to wait for him. Now I'm a single woman who keeps failing at blind dates, but if I had to choose a man, I'd rather be like Ruan Ruan and marry a stranger I've only met six times than choose any of you guys. I can resign myself to spending my life with a strange man, but if that person is you, I won't accept it!"

  They didn't finish their meal after all. Zheng Wei hastily left the table halfway through, Lin Jing chased after her and sent her back to her residence.

  In the dead of night, Zheng Wei was half asleep and half awake when she received a text message from Lin Jing: Then just treat me like a stranger.

  She wept on her pillow