Chapter 4 — Left Behind in the Rain

"Young lady, are you in some kind of trouble? Do you need any help?"

I took the tissue, wiped the mud and rain from my face with a heavy hand, and turned to look at the middle-aged woman. For the first time in days, I offered a sincere, gentle smile.

"Thank you, ma'am, but I don't need any help."

I leaned back against the seat, watching the scenery blur past the window. My mind was clearer than it had ever been. I did not need the crumbs of pity that Bui Chinh tossed my way, nor did I intend to continue wasting my life being drained by a best friend who spoke of love while constantly sucking me dry. Four hours later, I arrived in Suzhou. I bought a new SIM card. Along a canal alley on Pingjiang Road, I rented a ground-floor shop with a small courtyard. For the next week, I worked methodically, settling in and preparing. My days were spent handling paperwork, my nights spent perfecting recipes. A week later, due to the bureaucracy involved in transferring my housing provident fund between provinces, I was forced to reinsert my old SIM card into my phone.

The moment the device powered on, it shook violently. Over a hundred missed calls and a flood of messages covered the screen, causing the aging phone to freeze for a full five minutes. I stared at the names--Bui Chinh and Lam Ha--cluttering the screen, and calmly restarted the device. As soon as it regained its composure, a call from Lam Ha came through. I had intended to block her, but my finger slipped, and I accidentally tapped the answer button. Her shrill, affected voice immediately poured through the speaker.

"Well, well, the runaway has finally decided to answer her phone, has she?"

I remained silent. Lam Ha continued, her voice dripping with triumph.

"Tong Diem, you might feel refreshed after running away, but do you have any idea how insane Bui Chinh has been this week? He canceled every important meeting and spent every day raging at the office, filling the entire building with an unbearable tension. Are you satisfied now?"

I was standing in a hardware market in Suzhou, selecting wallpaper. Hearing her words, I merely glanced at the color palette in my hand, my tone devoid of emotion.

"Him losing his mind--what does that have to do with me? Do you want me to call a mental asylum for both of you?"

Lam Ha choked on her words for a second, then raised her voice, eager to show off.

"Stop pretending! I had a stomach ache last night, and Bui Chinh stayed by my side the entire time. He told me himself that I am still the only person he truly cannot let go of."

Seeing that I did not respond, Lam Ha began to retaliate.

"Actually, leaving you in the deep mountains that day was just because Bui Chinh was afraid you would come to bother me. He was just playing a role. Who knew you would pretend to be a victim and report it to the police, hoping to extort his assets?"

I looked at the invoice being printed at the counter and cut through her incessant rambling.

"Lam Ha, are you done with your fabrications?"

"What is that supposed to mean!"

Lam Ha shrieked, her composure completely shattered.

"Tong Diem, don't act so high and mighty! Let me tell you, I am the one in Bui Chinh's heart!"

I took my receipt and turned around, ready to leave the market. As I lifted my head, I froze. Standing at the exit of the hardware market was a man.

He was wearing a rumpled suit, his face covered in dark stubble, his eyes bloodshot and raw, looking for all the world like a homeless vagrant. It was Bui Chinh. His gaze was locked onto mine, his hands clenching something tightly. I let out a soft laugh into the phone, looked at Bui Chinh not far away, and spoke to Lam Ha on the other end.

"If you love picking up trash so much, then consider this man my gift to you today. I wish you both a hundred years of happiness; lock yourselves away together and stop coming out to harm others."

I deliberately turned the speakerphone to its maximum volume. Bui Chinh heard every word clearly. His expression shifted instantly; he lunged forward, grabbed my phone, and shouted into it.

"Lam Ha! Who gave you permission to make this call! Get lost!"

A sharp, terrified intake of breath came from the other side. Lam Ha was so frightened she hung up immediately. Bui Chinh turned to face me. His large frame trembled slightly, and his voice took on a pathetic, unfamiliar quality.

"Diem Diem, I tracked all your spending records and checked every single store until I finally found you here..."

He hurriedly raised his hands, swearing.

"Lam Ha and I are innocent! I never went to see her last night; I have been looking for you this entire time!"

I stepped back, widening the distance between us. Bui Chinh frantically pulled a document from his briefcase and shoved it toward me. It was the deed transfer for the dessert shop. Lam Ha's name had been completely crossed out.

"I've removed her name," he pleaded, his pride crumbling. "As long as you come back with me, I am willing to transfer all the shops under my name to you. Anything you want, I will give you."

I watched his desperate display of trying to use money to regain control, feeling only a profound sense of exhaustion. I reached out and pushed the agreement aside.

"Bui Chinh, you still don't understand."

I walked past him toward the register, not looking back as I laid the truth bare.

"What disgusted me was never about what Lam Ha took."

"Then why?" he asked, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trailing behind me.