Chapter 7
After that day, I never saw James again.
A few days later, our department went out together.
Halfway through the meal, I felt a bit stuffy, so I stepped out alone for some fresh air.
To my surprise, I overheard people discussing me in the hallway.
“Anyone can see it these years–Shi–ge only has eyes for Ava.”
“Who would’ve thought? I always believed he and Yvonne were the perfect match.”
Someone sighed regretfully: “Yeah, that Ava–not only comes from a humble background, but she’s always so standoffish and no fun when she’s with us. Only Shi–ge would like someone like her.”
Inside the room, they continued gossiping.
I’d heard these comments many times before.
This time, they didn’t cause even a ripple in my heart.
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But the next second, a pair of hands covered my ears, then pulled me behind him before kicking open the private room door.
I stared blankly at the man’s silhouette. He stood against the light, his expression unclear.
“Whether we’re compatible or not, how is that any of your business?”
After speaking, he glanced at me, grasped my wrist, and said: “Wait for me outside.”
I hadn’t been waiting outside for long when James emerged.
I asked him: “What are you doing here?”
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He looked at me, his eyes filled with emotions I couldn’t quite read, and said: “Just passing by.”
I responded with an “Oh,” not calling him out on the obvious lie -coincidences like that don’t just happen.
He sighed, looked at me, and suddenly asked: “During those three years, did you face a lot of hardship?”
I paused, then shook my head.
It wasn’t really hardship. In the past, we would sit together watching movies and chat about trivial things.
But thinking about it now, all of that seemed like a lifetime ago.
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At this moment, our relationship could be described in two words: estranged.
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It wasn’t long before I heard that James had fallen out with the people from that private room.
The incident caused quite a stir. Everyone in their circle was talking about how James had lost his temper over a woman this time–he truly cared about her.
This woman was his ex–wife.
A few days later, I ran into Yvonne.
This time, she recognized me.
She extended her hand to shake mine and said, “I’ve looked at your wedding photos many times. I should have recognized you when we met last time.”
I was a bit surprised.
She smiled with a hint of wistfulness and said, “Honestly, I envy you.”
I didn’t quite understand.
She looked at me, her gaze momentarily distant before she finally spoke:
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awes
“Before he got married, everyone thought he liked me. They believed I was the kind of girl who should be standing beside him–we seemed so perfect together. That Christmas, I confessed to him in front of many people, suggesting we should try being together. He agreed without much hesitation and was indeed very good to me. But before long, I realized that no matter how well he treated me, it wasn’t love. He didn’t love me at all. He never took the initiative to hold my hand. and didn’t like me getting too close to him.”
This was quite different from what I’d heard before.
Yvonne looked directly at me and continued:
“So, in a fit of anger, I broke up with him. I yelled at him, saying someone like him would never know what love is. You know what happened next–I married someone else out of spite. After my divorce, I was in a car accident. When he found out, he came without saying a word. I thought he had finally understood. But after I returned, I realized it was just guilt.”
I glanced at the wedding ring on her finger and asked,
She raised her hand, her face radiant, and said:
“So you..
“Don’t worry, I’m not acting out of spite with anyone this time. But I still want to apologize to you. Adding you on WhatsApp and sending those things–that was my selfish mischief.”
I listened in a daze until Yvonne glanced behind me and asked:
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“I found the courage to start over. What about you? What do you think about James?”
I turned around and saw the man standing not far away.
He was looking at me, his expression somewhat anxious, as if afraid our relationship might deteriorate further.
I suddenly remembered that snowy night two years ago–the person I saw standing by the window was almost certainly the man before
me now.
He walked toward me, instinctively explaining, “I happened to be here for a meeting. When I heard you were here, I came over.”
I recalled many memories with James.
I remembered our first meeting, when I sat nervously in front of him. He smiled, his features handsome, and said, “Remember when you accidentally spilled lemon water all over me? Hello, Ava. We meet again.”
I also remembered that rainy night when he told me we should just live our lives together.
The next day, he bought me a huge diamond ring and planned a belated honeymoon trip with me.
Later, when I asked for a divorce, he sat on the sofa and told me, “Take your time thinking about it. I have all the time in the
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world.”
Indeed, nothing in this world is ever simply black or white.
As he said, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about our relationship so easily.
Whether we’re a good match or not–that’s not for others to decide.
I smiled, tears in my eyes, and said, “James, you like me, don’t you?”
James’s Side Story: Different Under the Bright Moon
After James and Yvonne broke up, he felt an enormous sense of relief.
All along, he had thought “love” wasn’t such a big deal. He couldn’t understand why people would lose sleep over it, crying and laughing.
But when he actually tried being with Yvonne, he had only one thought: it felt awkward.
Later, when he heard Yvonne had gotten married, he was troubled for a long time–both for her and for himself.
He felt Yvonne’s actions were wrong, but also felt he had let down a good woman’s feelings.
Perhaps from the beginning, he should never have been with
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her.
To be honest, during that period, he was quite distressed.
Until he met Ava. She was different from any girl he had met before -stubborn and incredibly serious about everything she did.
After he mentioned the shirt stained with lemon water, the next time they met, she had bought several similar styles. Looking at him a bit embarrassed, she said, “I couldn’t quite remember what that shirt looked like, so I bought several. What do you think?”
In that moment, James smiled.
How strange–every time he saw her, he wanted to smile.
He thought then that if the person he dated or even married was this girl in front of him, it might not be such a bad thing.
Later, everything developed as he had imagined. They should have had a long future together.
Until the news of Yvonne’s car accident reached him.
The accident wasn’t serious, but because of his lingering guilt, he went to see her, forgetting that Ava was waiting for him.
For many years afterward, this became his biggest regret.
But at the time, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. He returned
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to w
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home as usual, saw Ava, and wanted to explain, but she no longer wanted to listen.
She asked for a divorce, saying she was tired of it all.
Hearing those words, his heart felt like it was being torn apart.
How could she be tired of it?
Since she left, he had secretly gone to find her many times. A thick stack of round–trip tickets had piled up on his desk.
He wasn’t a foolish man, but in this matter, he had been incredibly stupid.
In the spring of the second year after she left, Yvonne got married and confessed to him that she had added Ava on
WhatsApp.
It was then that James suddenly understood–it wasn’t that she was tired of their relationship; she had completely given up on him.
There are no secrets that can be kept forever. Neglecting her was his mistake.
For countless nights, he had wanted to rush to her and explain everything properly.
But he always lacked that bit of courage.
Surprising, isn’t it? He had always thought himself capable of
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Chapter 7
anything, but in the end, he turned out to be a coward.
But the good thing was, there were still many days ahead. He could take his time.
