Chapter 4 — The Light Is Out

Every time I receive it, I sneeze and my eyes are red and swollen. I've said it many times, but he always forgets the next time. The bouquet of flowers Duong Nguyet brought today was also a lily. Coincidence? Or in Doan Gia Hua's world, all women should like fleur de lis, because Duong Nguyet does. I don't want to dig any deeper. The more I think about it, the more disgusting it becomes. Stand up and continue pasting the box. Flight ticket the day after tomorrow, to Shanghai. New city, new job, new life. Life without Doan Gia Hua. The night before leaving. I posted the news of the annulment to my friends circle.

"Announcement to friends: Doan Gia Hua and I have annulled our engagement and the wedding has been cancelled. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to everyone. Everything is fine, please don't worry."

After posting, pin it to the top. I then deleted each contact related to Doan Gia Hua. Doan Gia Hua himself, Doan's mother, Doan's father, his colleagues and friends. Delete all. Clean and comfortable. The phone very quickly began to vibrate. Close friend Lam Thanh called from Beijing:

"Oh my god Giang Nghien Hoa, are you serious??? We finally broke up??? I'm setting off firecrackers to celebrate!!!"

I laughed: "Have you always disliked him?"

“It's not just that I don't like it!” Lam Thanh's voice also cracked, "I've been putting up with him for a long time! Every time I see him leave at eleven o'clock, I get angry, what the hell is sleepwalking, I believe he's new!"

“… Why didn't you say anything before?”

"You won't listen! Love is blind!" Lam Thanh paused for a moment, his voice softened, "But it's good to wake up now. What are you going to do?"

“Going to Shanghai, I found a job.”

"Good! Go to Shanghai well! Stay away from that bastard man! Do you need me to pick you up? Shanghai is not far from Beijing..."

“No need, I can take care of it myself.”

"Okay, then remember to let me know when you get there. Giang Nghien Hoa, you deserve someone better."

Hang up the phone, I looked at the night outside the window. The city's neon lights turn on and off. Before, at this hour, I couldn't help but think: What is Doan Gia Hua doing now? Would you go somewhere else? What are they doing? Those thoughts were like worms gnawing at me. Even though I didn't know the truth at that time, the insecurity in my subconscious never disappeared. Now it's all over. I pulled the curtains and turned off all the lights. This time, the darkness no longer scared me. Because I know, I don't need to wait for anyone anymore.

3

When the plane landed in Shanghai, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. The sun is very beautiful, the air has the smell of early summer. I pulled my suitcase out of the airport and took a deep breath. New city. New beginning. The appointment went very smoothly. The atmosphere at the new company is very good, the colleagues are enthusiastic, and the editor-in-chief is a liberal Northern woman. The first day she took me out to eat hot pot.

"I've wanted to invite you back for a long time!" She raised her beer glass, "Giang Nghien Hoa, from now on, this place will be your stage."

I smiled and clinked my glass. Life fell into place faster than I thought. New apartment, new work rhythm, new social circle. Being busy makes me not have time to think about the past. Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, there will be a moment of panic. Out of habit, I looked towards the door, wanting to confirm whether the small night light was on or not. Then I remembered, that light was broken I turned it off. This is Shanghai. This place does not have Doan Gia Hua. Third week to Shanghai. That day I worked overtime very late, when I got home it was almost eleven o'clock. Going into the apartment complex, while looking for the key at the door of the building, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a person standing there under a streetlight. Tall figure, dark gray coat, straight standing posture. My movements stopped. Then the person turned around. Doan Gia Hua.