Aki Apricot Juvenile - Chapter 10
Sometimes, loving someone can be a kind of sin. Sometimes, even hating them is the greatest act of mercy. Love doesn’t need too many reasons.
There are always those few fixed traits my heart is small, so small it can only hold you. My eyes are small too, so small they can only see you. My memory doesn’t hold much anymore, but the only thing left in it seems to be you and us.
I know that no matter how time passes, you’ll always end up with him.
I know that after all these years, you still think about him.
I know that no matter what I say or do now, you’ll go your own way.
But still, I want to spoil you. I want to let you be free. Because you are the dearest person to me in this world.
So go love him.
I’ll bear the consequences. You just carry the happiness.
Meng Li
The story keeps twisting and turning. In the end, you’ll probably blame me.
But I know if I do nothing now, you’ll only blame me more later.
—Qiu Xingyou
Whether you’re an angel or a devil, I’ll love you all the same.
If, after death, you’re destined for hell, I’ll follow you there.
After all, according to the Christian faith, we’re both going there anyway as long as we can stay together, that’s enough.
—Jiang Ji
When Meng Li finally returned, it was already May.
The weather was dry, and early in the morning, he called Qiu Xingyou out for coffee.
That day, Meng Li wore a plaid shirt, neat tailored shorts, and a dark fedora. Qiu Xingyou, as usual, dressed simply white blouse, black pants, white sneakers. She looked fresh, composed, and effortlessly charming.
“Have you been doing well with him lately?” Meng Li asked, taking a slow sip of coffee, his tone calm, his gaze faintly distant.
“Not bad. But, brother, where have you been these past few days?” Qiu Xingyou’s eyes followed his lazy, almost detached expression.
“I went to Japan,” Meng Li said, setting his cup down and fixing his gaze on her, a rare sharpness in his tone.
“I’m planning to go again soon might be gone for a while this time. I called you out today to say goodbye. Take care of yourself, all right? Don’t say anything else. My head’s a mess right now.”
He drained his cup and stood. “I’m leaving. Remember to think of me.”
He handed Qiu Xingyou a card before walking away, saying it was something a friend in Japan had returned to him.
After he left, Qiu Xingyou sat alone, staring at the card, puzzled.
“What friend of mine owes him money?” she muttered. “If they wanted to repay me, they could’ve just said so! When was I ever polite about taking what’s mine?”
In recent days, Jiang Ji and Qiu Xingyou had been spending most of their time at home, cherishing their quiet days together.
Still, Jiang Ji occasionally took freelance jobs for extra income. He always joked that he was living the typical life of a washed-up celebrity but that wasn’t really true.
He had starred in several Hollywood films, and though his fame had cooled, he still had a loyal, refined fanbase fans who never pried into his private life, who simply adored his music, his devastatingly handsome face, and his graceful screen presence.
That afternoon, Jiang Ji and Qiu Xingyou returned to the old family home. They lounged on the backyard swing, gently rocking beneath the towering ginkgo trees that Qiu Xingyou’s family had planted generations ago.
“Xingyou, have you ever heard the story of May?” Jiang Ji asked suddenly. “It’s a legend about the goddess of Athens.”
“You silly thing, you tell me this story every May,” Qiu Xingyou chuckled softly. “How could I ever forget?”
“Xingyou… if I’m not around someday, promise me something, okay?”
“You won’t disappear.”
“Promise me,” he said quietly. “You’ll get married, have children a beautiful wife, a wonderful family. I want your life to be happy and full.”
“To have a happy life and a peaceful family,” Jiang Ji whispered, pressing a light, trembling kiss against her lips, “having you is enough.”
That kiss was gentle as a dragonfly’s touch.
but beneath it lingered the taste of sorrow.