Chapter 2 — After the Storm, the Sky Is Blue for Thousands of Miles

02

The air in Sanya is sultry and humid, like a giant net hanging over your head. There weren't many people at Phoenix airport early in the morning, so I quickly pulled my suitcase out of the arrivals hall and immediately took a taxi.

“Uncle, go to the Hilton Hotel in Yalongwan.” My voice is a bit hoarse.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, said nothing, stepped on the accelerator and drove away. The car entered the coastal road, outside the window were swaying coconut trees and the deep blue sea. The scenery was beautiful, but I just felt dazzled. An hour later, the car stopped in front of the hotel lobby. The splendid building in the morning light looked unreal. I walked into the lobby, the cold wind blowing on my face made my confused mind a little more alert. I didn't go to the reception desk, but went straight to the elevator. The address Hua An gave was very clear - room 1808. The elevator went up, the numbers jumped one by one, each jump seemed to pound my heart. Exiting the elevator, underfoot is a thick carpet that absorbs all sounds. The long hallway was empty, the doors on both sides were tightly closed, like silent secrets. I found room 1808 and stood in front of the door. I could hear my heart beating, heavy and fast. I raised my hand to knock on the door, but my finger stopped in midair. What identity should I use to knock on this door? A betrayed wife? Or a friend comes to catch you cheating? Just as I was hesitating, a vague conversation came from inside the room, followed by the sound of the door opening from inside. My body immediately stiffened. A young girl wearing a hotel uniform pushed a food cart out of the room. When she saw me, she froze a bit, then politely smiled at me and pushed the cart away. She is tall, has big curly hair, and is truly "hot". I understood almost immediately. This is the "hot girl" in Hua An's mouth. My heart sank. Hua An did not lie. I took a deep breath, looked past the slightly open door, and looked inside. And then, I saw a scene that I will never forget for the rest of my life. The room is very large, it is a suite. On the sofa in the living room, Chu Du An was sitting there, wearing a white bathrobe, her hair was still wet, clearly having just taken a shower. And Hua An - my best friend - was also wearing an identical white bathrobe, standing behind Chu Du An, gently drying his hair with a towel. Her movements were extremely natural, extremely intimate, as if she had done them thousands and thousands of times. Sunlight streamed in from the large ground-level window, covering them with a layer of brilliant yellow light. That scene - beautiful as an oil painting, yet ironic as a sharp blade. I stood still, feeling like my whole body was drained of all strength. It turns out, the truth can be ten thousand times uglier than the worst imagination. There is no "hot girl", or more accurately - Hua An is that "hot girl". She called me crying while enjoying the world of two people in the hotel with my husband. The thief yelled at the village – very good actor. Hua An also saw me. The gentleness on her face instantly froze, turning into panic. The towel in his hand fell to the ground.

"On Chich? You... why did you come here?" Her voice trembled, as if she had seen a ghost.

Chu Du An also suddenly turned his head. As soon as he saw me, his expression immediately changed from shock. to panic. He jumped up, the straps of his robe falling open, revealing his strong chest.

"Chich Chich? I... I listen to your explanation!"

I looked at them – one was wearing a cloak, the other was also wearing a cloak. One person was frightened, one person was speechless. I suddenly burst out laughing. I didn't cry, nor did I make a scene, I just couldn't help but laugh. Laughter echoed in the large room, sounding chilling. Hua An was scared by my laughter, her face turned pale, she quickly ran to grab my arm.

"On Chich, listen to me, it's not what you think! It's me... it's me who discovered something unusual with Chu Du An, I was afraid you'd be tricked, that's why..."

She started crying again, her tears were like a broken string of pearls, her expression was even more expressive than on the phone. I pushed her hand away.

“Really?” I looked straight into her eyes, word by word, "You were afraid I'd be tricked, so you put on your own cloak and come act in a play with him?"

Chu Du An also rushed forward, trying to pull my hand, but I avoided him.

“Chich Chich, this is very complicated, I…”

“Complicated?” I interrupted, my eyes scanning from his wet hair, to his open robe, finally stopping at his bare feet, "How complicated is it? Is your cross-country meeting moving to Sanya, or is the subject of your report actually Hua En?"

My voice was very calm, so calm that it didn't sound like me. Hua An is still crying, crying bitterly, as if suffering a great injustice.

"It was me who was wrong, On Chich, I shouldn't have interfered in your business! I was just... I was just too worried about you! I saw him pulling and tugging with the hotel maid. I was so angry that I rushed in to argue with him, the result... the result was that he spilled wine on me, I had no choice so I had to change my robe..."

While crying and talking, the story became more and more complete. Chu Du An's face became increasingly unsightly. He looked at Hua An, his eyes filled with disbelief. I looked at Hua An, at that tearful face. I have been looking at this face for more than twenty years - the first time I feel so strange. I didn't pay attention to her performance, just walked over to the sofa, picked up the towel that fell on the ground, and brought it to my nose to smell it. On it was the familiar shampoo smell that Chu Du An often used - the smell of cedar. Exactly like the bottle at my house. I threw the towel on the table, making a dull "pop" sound.

"Hua An," I calmly opened my mouth, "give me three minutes, pack your things, leave this room, out of my sight."

03

My voice wasn't loud, but the living room immediately fell silent. Hua An's crying stopped, she looked at me with disbelief, tears still in her eyes.

“On Chich, you... you told me to go away?”

Chu Du An was also stunned, he opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he closed his mouth. He looked at me, his eyes were complicated - there was guilt, there was panic, there was also a bit of scrutiny that I couldn't understand. I didn't look at them, I walked to the ground-level window and pulled out the heavy curtain. Bright sunlight poured in, illuminating everything in the room, nothing could be hidden. The sound of ocean waves rang out clearly, wave by wave, like the sound of a drum.

“Chu Du An was having a meeting in the office – I saw it with my own eyes.”

I turned around, my eyes stopped on my face Hua An's pale face.

“You said you saw him in Sanya hugging a hot girl, the time was two in the morning.