One Life, One Incarnation, Beautiful Bones

20

Chapter 6.2 - Beauty is Offered, but Whose Soul is Given? (2)

When she was home, she moved a chair and set it in front of the floor to ceiling glass doors of the balcony.

From here, she had a view of an overpass not far away, where the cars on it moved like flowing water.

She sat there for a long time.

She suddenly wanted to completely piece together the memories of her past life, how she and Zhousheng Chen had met, how they had come to know and deeply understand one another, and how it had all ended. But what had been clear images in her mind when she was child was now like a montage.

Images juxtaposed and superimposed upon one another. Countless fragmented memories.

She could only remember those past segments, so unimaginably beautiful, where they were in each other's presence.

And she remembered that it must have been her who wronged him.

What was the ending of the story? Perhaps because it was too saddening, she truly had forgotten.

A stark white light suddenly lit up in that dark room. It was so late, yet he was calling.

With a rather fluttery heartbeat, she picked up her phone, and at the same time, felt an inexplicable worry. Normally, after he had escorted her home, he would not call again because they had already exchanged their good nights at the door.

She brought her mobile phone up against her cheek and answered it with a "hello."

Zhousheng Chen's voice was placid. "You have not gone to sleep yet?"

"Me?" Shi Yi was not sure the reason but since that kiss tonight, when she heard his voice, she felt somewhat flustered. "Mm-hmm. I'm sitting in the living room."

He was silent for a moment.

She did not know what he wanted to say, but in the end, he did not say anything.

He merely bid her good night.

Shi Yi softly uttered a "good night" to him as well.

After Zhousheng Chen had hung up the call, Uncle Lin, who was seated in the front seat, asked in a low voice, "Shall we go back now?" He nodded. Downstairs of the apartment building, the car slowly pulled out of the community compound and drove towards the overpass.

Earlier, he had been watching and saw that the lights had still not turned on in her room, which was not at all like her usual routine. Based on her normal habits, she would usually go to her room first, and then approximately ten minutes later, she would take a shower. Today, however, even after a long while, she did not do so. So long was it that he suddenly felt a little worried whether something may have happened.

And as for making that phone call, there was also another reason for it.

On such a special night, should he not say something to her?

What should he say? In the end, when the call was answered, he realized that he did not need to say another word.

He could hear, from within the phone, her breathing was consciously being curtailed and was extremely different from normal. Zhousheng Chen placed his elbow against the side of the window and, using his fingers against his face to support his head's weight, his gaze fell on the night scene outside.

After a little while, he could not constrain the corners of his lips from turning up in a slight smile.

Three days in advance, she went with him back to the old manor in Zhenjiang.