Chapter 5 — Left Behind in the Rain

"It is you, a man selfish to the very marrow of your bones, who wields tenderness like a blade to pierce my heart," I said, my voice cold and detached.

"Do not come looking for me again; your presence feels filthy."

08

I completely ignored Bui Chinh as he froze in place. After paying for my items, I picked up the wallpaper and left. The following days were spent meticulously decorating my own bakery, tucked away in a small alley on Pingjiang Road. Life gradually returned to a state of quiet stability. One afternoon, a month later, I was carrying a bag of trash to the end of the alley when I was startled to find Bui Chinh's Maybach parked at the end of the stone-paved path. Bui Chinh, dressed in a suit that looked hopelessly out of place in this humble setting, stood by the car holding a small box of osmanthus cakes he had bought nearby, waiting for me. Upon seeing me, he rushed forward to explain.

"Diem Diem, I have purchased the tea house across the street. I swear I will not disturb you; I only want to be able to catch a glimpse of you every day."

I looked at the heavy dark circles under his eyes, my tone remaining utterly calm.

"The mundane atmosphere here does not suit a Chief Executive Officer like you. Go back."

Bui Chinh's eyes turned bloodshot, his voice thick and hoarse as he spoke.

"Without you, I simply cannot sleep."

I glanced over at the visible wrinkles on his shirt collar and the mismatched tie he was wearing. I remembered the past, how every morning I had acted as his unpaid nanny, waking up early to iron all his clothes, even sorting his socks by color. I felt a cold smile form in my heart. He was not experiencing deep, soulful longing; he simply could not adapt to the loss of a caretaker who tended to his every need and provided emotional support on demand. Seeing my lack of reaction, Bui Chinh took a step forward, abjectly apologizing for his past emotional neglect.

"I am sorry. I was too arrogant before. I should not have used Lam Ha to provoke you..."

I acted as if I had not heard a word, walked directly past him, and entered the shop. Right before his eyes, I pulled down the metal rolling shutter. For the next two weeks, Bui Chinh seemed to have transformed into a different person. Every day, he punctually hung the breakfast I liked outside my door. On rainy days, he would quietly follow me from half a meter away, holding an umbrella over my head. In the early mornings, he even picked up a broom to help me sweep the fallen leaves from the shop's entrance. From beginning to end, I treated him as if he were nothing more than empty air. I threw his breakfast into the trash can right in front of him. On rainy days, I would rather walk in the rain than take a single step under his umbrella. One evening, a sudden downpour began. While moving a heavy sack of flour, I twisted my ankle. A friendly supplier who saw me limping kindly helped me walk all the way to my shop door. I smiled to thank him and handed him a bottle of water. This scene was witnessed by Bui Chinh, who was standing under the eaves, soaked through by the rain. He rushed over as if he had lost his mind, pointing at the young man and interrogating me.

"Who is that man?!"

I did not even glance at him. I took out my key, opened the door, and threw a cold sentence back at him.

"That has nothing to do with you."

I pushed the door to go inside, but Bui Chinh suddenly reached out, gripping the door frame tightly to keep me from closing it. His psychological defenses shattered at that moment. Abandoning any sense of dignity, he slid down to his knees in the muddy puddle, weeping as he begged.

"Diem Diem, will you just tell me the two of you are nothing but ordinary friends? I beg you, stop tormenting me like this..."

I looked down at Bui Chinh kneeling in the mud and suddenly began to laugh. I leaned down, using the very words he once loved to say to me, and returned them to him exactly as they were.

"Bui Chinh, if you are determined to make yourself miserable, there is nothing I can do about it."

Bui Chinh stiffened instantly, his face turning as white as a sheet of paper.

09

Bui Chinh scrambled forward, half of his body wedged in the doorway, stammering apologies.

"Diem Diem, I am sorry. I was wrong. From now on, your rules are the only rules. As long as you are willing to acknowledge me, I am willing to kneel and ask for your forgiveness every single day."

I felt only nausea at this belated display of submissiveness. I stared at him coldly.

"Bui Chinh, act like an adult and maintain some shred of dignity."

Having said that, I pried his fingers one by one from the door frame, slammed the door shut without a hint of mercy, and locked it. Two hours later, the rain outside grew heavier. I opened the door to clear the pooled water from the threshold, only to discover that Bui Chinh had not left. Drenched in the downpour, he had developed a high fever, his face deathly pale as he sat slumped on the cold stone floor. Seeing me open the door, he reached out with a trembling hand to grasp the hem of my dress, pleading weakly.

"Diem Diem, my head hurts so much..."

I stared at him with an expressionless face as I picked up my bucket, stepping directly over his limp, outstretched arm. I was as heartless as he had been years ago, when he complained that my cat's illness was ruining the mood and adamantly refused to transfer the deposit for its emergency surgery. The next morning, when I lifted the rolling shutter, I found a thick, worn diary wedged into the gap of the door.