Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Strange Fate
“Where are you heading? Let me give you a ride.” Lin Shuo had overheard her saying ‘okay’ into the phone, and before she could issue a dismissal, he tactfully offered a way out for them both.
She dared not refuse his kindness, and he was true to his word, driving her to her destination. Just before getting out of the car, she asked, “And you? Where are you going?” The moment the words left her lips, she realized the impropriety and hastily clarified, “I’m not trying to pry into your affairs, please don’t misunderstand.”
He didn’t take it as anything more than it was, engaging the handbrake as he replied, “I’ve canceled my social engagements anyway, so I might as well go home and rest.”
She climbed out of the car, bending forward earnestly to say, “Thank you, goodbye.” Her intended ‘Take care on the road’ was still lingering on her tongue, but he had already vanished swiftly into the sea of traffic.
The shopping mall was teeming with people, the dazzling array of goods enough to bewilder anyone. Xiao Xiao stood naively at the entrance waiting; her client had called to say the traffic was bad and she might be delayed. Xiao Xiao’s legs grew stiff from waiting, so she decided to venture in first, hoping to save some time for when her client arrived.
After nearly an hour of wandering, there was still no sign of the client, but instead, a torrential rainstorm swept in, fierce and sudden as ever.
Women are naturally fond of shopping. Some say that in childhood, a girl should be innocent; in youth, lively; in middle age, dignified; in old age, gracious—a lifelong loveliness. Yet this is an assertion lacking premise: respect is given first to attire, then to the person. Without a pleasing appearance, what right does one have to attract others’ attention to their temperament? No matter how charming one’s character, without beauty to make an impression, all else is but idle talk.
The same holds true for love. She’d once read a line: who would dare claim that love at first sight has nothing to do with appearance? In this fast-paced society, even matchmaking values efficiency. Many men cannot fathom why women invest so much time and money in their appearance; in truth, women do this not only to please men, but more importantly, to please themselves. Only when I love myself can I love you. Xiao Xiao truly enjoyed the process of styling and shopping with her client; women always rediscover the neglected self there, the more beautiful, more confident self.
“Hello, Miss Ni, I’m very sorry, but my boss just called me back to work overtime. I really apologize.”
Upon receiving her client’s call, Xiao Xiao could only be understanding. Ironically, she had been summoned for overtime, and now the person who called her in was facing the same awkward predicament.
Passing by a shop window, she noticed the season’s theme was campus style: a white shirt paired with a British plaid skirt and a backpack, as if one could instantly be transported back to seventeen or eighteen. She suddenly felt nostalgic; those years were so pure, so lovely. The hem of the school shirt always had to be tucked into trousers, the bow on her ponytail perfectly aligned, canvas shoes spotless, and when mailing a letter, she never forgot to write ‘thank you, postal worker’ on the back of the envelope. But now, who still writes letters? Even phones can send emails, yet she couldn’t bear to throw away that old love letter, nor forget the fluttering thrill of secretly reading it.
“Reminiscing about your eighteen-year-old self?”
Hearing Xi Mintang’s voice, Xiao Xiao was a little surprised. She turned to find him also gazing into the shop window, and felt a surge of playful teasing, so she quoted a line from ‘Farewell My Concubine’: “Luckily my master never shaved my head.”
“Shopping alone?”
“No, I was meeting a client, but unfortunately, I was stood up.”
Xi Mintang’s face brightened. “Me too.” Perhaps out of some tacit understanding, he eyed her suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you’ve had car trouble again?”
Xiao Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. “The car’s fine, just didn’t drive it out.” Up until now, she’d met Xi Mintang five times, and three of those encounters somehow involved a car. Truly, a strange sort of fate.
Lonely Moments, Chapter Thirty-Eight: Strange Fate—Update Complete!