The Stolen Lover

Untitled Episode 10

Xiao Qiao shot Nan Ge a glare. "You're just as unpredictable day and night. Tell me, what does my sister see in you? How long do you plan to string her along?"

"My relationship with your sister is perfectly innocent. There's never been anything requiring my responsibility. What do you mean 'stringing her along'? She's worn me down to the point of baldness, and I've never complained."

"Cut it out. I know exactly what's going on between you two. Who'd be thrilled to have you trying to undress them when you're drunk? Can you show some sincerity? That gorgeous little angel's been stuck with you, an old geezer, for over a year. You're dark as coal—what kind of deal is that? At least formally introduce her as your girlfriend wherever you go. That'd be a step forward. Pfft, anyone else would've ditched you ages ago."

Brother Nan covered his face with a groan. "Ugh, why does that girl spill everything? I was just drunk, that's all!"

"Spill the beans? Who's spilling? If she ever makes a mistake one day, who's the outsider here? As an elder, I'm giving you heartfelt advice. You should listen—it's for your own good, you understand?"

"Hey, why do you two sisters always act like elders? Let's not talk about that today. I came to ask about your old classmate, Li Xiaoyan."

Xiao Qiao froze. "So Feifei was asking me about Li Xiaoyan for you? That girl's gone mad! What, is she trying to set you two up?"

"No, no, no—you're jumping to conclusions. Li Xiaoyan's husband is that scholar we had Japanese food with last time. I gave them that terrible idea to separate, so I'm just trying to make amends. Nothing else."

"Oh, that scholar guy. I remembered him later—only saw him once at the wedding. He always waited in the car during our weekly girls' nights to pick up Xiaoyan, never showed his face. Why'd you go and mess with their marriage? No wonder Xiaoyan's been so quiet lately—turns out you were the one pulling the strings."

"Not at all. Let me explain everything," Nan Ge poured out the entire story to Xiao Qiao, including his analysis and speculations about Xiao Yan and the scholar, holding nothing back. "Anyway, that's the situation. Feifei helped me dig around and found out you two were old classmates. That's why I came to you for advice. Help me sort this out, will you?"

After hearing Brother Nan's explanation, Xiao Qiao's expression darkened. She lit a cigarette, leaned back in her chair, and with a slight sting in her nose, sighed deeply. "I told you this wouldn't end well, but you wouldn't listen. Her life is completely ruined now."

Seeing Xiao Qiao's emotional state, Nan Ge didn't press further. He waited silently for her to speak again.

Xiao Qiao sighed repeatedly, stubbed out her cigarette, and slid her chair forward.

"Xiao Yan grew up in the same residential compound as me. Her fiancé was our classmate. After graduation, they both went out to work. They did pretty well for a few years, and it looked like they were about to get married. Then one day, her fiancé was rushed straight from the set to the ER. Turned out he had f*****g late-stage stomach cancer that had spread all over his body. He didn't even make it three months. I was with Xiao Yan every day, terrified she'd kill herself. Several times, I literally dragged her back at the last moment. She's the kind of person who lives in a dream, unable to come down to earth. She'd already endured years of hardship with her fiancé, shedding layer after layer of skin, but her heart couldn't bear a single speck of dirt. She lived for love. Those years, they felt that with love, even plain rice tasted like the finest delicacies. Then he was gone, and Xiaoyan completely fell apart. That year, I barely did anything else but meticulously feed her medicine at the exact times. She was just..." Xiaoqiao's voice broke as tears spilled over.

Nan Ge listened intently, his gaze fixed on her. Xiao Qiao pulled out a tissue to wipe her eyes, quickly regaining her composure before continuing.

"Finally, she pulled through and got a job at a publishing house. After about half a year, she told me she was getting married. I asked who it was. She said he was a writer, a decent guy who treated her well. I asked her if she'd lost her mind. I knew her too well—how could she have moved on so quickly? This was just throwing caution to the wind. I pleaded with her, begged her, but she wouldn't listen. I even told her, 'Don't expect to just find someone to replace him. What's dead is dead. No matter how hard it is, you have to endure it. That's just fate.'"

Xiao Qiao took a sip of coffee, tasting a salty tang on her tongue. "She wouldn't listen. She's always been stubborn, her head full of nonsense. The more elusive something is, the tighter she clings to it. She never knows when to let go. And that's that. What else could I do? Just watch, see how long she can keep this up. Even though I get angry, every few days I still drag her out. I know she doesn't want to see us, but I don't care. I need to make sure she's still human. These past few years, she seems okay. I can tell how she's been getting by, but there's no point in poking at her anymore. I figured, since things are what they are, the bare minimum is just that she stays alive. I don't want to go through losing someone close again in my lifetime. Once was enough to haunt me forever."

Xiao Qiao couldn't help but sigh again. "Ah, I guess this is how it ends. Who knows if it's for better or worse. Why are you still trying to pair them up? Those two aren't even on the same wavelength. It's a damn miracle they've lasted this long. Right after they got married, I was scared out of my wits every day, afraid she'd stab her husband to death one night and then kill herself. For a while, I even thought about grabbing a handful of her pills and taking them myself."

Nan Ge stared into Xiao Qiao's eyes, listening intently to every word. It was clear she was sharp and perceptive—what she said couldn't be wrong.

Hearing this, Brother Nan finally grasped the meaning behind Xiaoyan’s reply. It seemed she’d never truly moved on—Xiu Cai was merely a projection of her unresolved emotions. It was too early to jump to conclusions. Brother Nan needed time to digest this, to reassemble the puzzle of Xiaoyan. He needed to think.

After laying it all out, Xiao Qiao exhaled deeply. Nan Ge understood—she never shared such things casually. Burying it inside for so long could wear away your heart. Xiao Qiao immediately called Xiao Yan, demanding, "Where are you?" Before the words faded, she commanded, "Come to my place tonight!" Then she hung up.

Seeing Xiaoqiao's emotional state, Nan Ge thought it best not to pry further. He simply said he understood, and they parted ways.

Nan Ge didn't head straight home. He took a detour through the back streets and strolled along the riverbank. The news hit him like a bolt from the blue. He'd once wondered if Xiao Yan had been harmed by some beast during her years on set, but the thought had flitted by quickly. Nan Ge couldn't bear to associate such filth with a good girl—the very notion was unbearable. Yet no matter how he tried, he couldn't reconcile Xiao Yan with such profound pain—pain so intense it felt unreal, almost too dramatic. He needed to reconstruct his image of her, and untangle the knot of her entanglement with the scholar.

Nan Ge sent Xiu Cai a message: "Before you two got married, Xiao Yan had a fiancé who died of cancer. Did she ever tell you about it, or give you any hints?"

After sending the message, Nan Ge walked along the riverbank, lost in thought. He fought to keep himself from drowning in Xiao Yan's past sorrow, but the pain kept seeping in—the cold hands, the rooftop wind, the salty taste of tears, the choked-back screams, the relentless cycle of fear. Flashes of sound, shadow, and light assaulted him as he walked, fending them off until he finally broke down, wandering aimlessly down the path into oblivion.

As night fell, streetlights flickered on one by one, gradually pushing the fear back into the shadows.

Xiaoqiao heard the knock and pushed the door open in a few strides. Xiaoyan stood at the threshold. Xiaoqiao glared at him, arms crossed over her chest. After a few seconds, she lowered them, sighed, and nodded for Xiaoyan to come in.

Xiao Yan said nothing, closed the door, changed his shoes, and sat down on the sofa.

Xiaoqiao returned from the kitchen with two cups of strong coffee, setting them before Xiaoyan as if preparing for an all-night conversation. Xiaoyan pushed his cup aside. "I can't stay long. I'll be heading back soon."

"Go back? Back where? Why don't you just stay here with me?"

Xiao Yan stared at the coffee cup on the table, his face expressionless. "All these years, you say your thing, I say mine. What's the point of coming here?" For a long time now, Xiao Yan had spoken to everyone like this—not exactly cold, nor warm, just indifferent, as if he had never known joy or sorrow.

Xiaoqiao moved closer to Xiaoyan. "You're the one leaving, and you're the one going back. You owe me an explanation."

Xiao Yan leaned back into the sofa, her eyes fixed straight ahead. "I don't understand it myself. How can I make you understand?"

Xiaoqiao pressed closer. "There must be some reason, right? Otherwise, the next time will be just as unclear. Can't you plan ahead for once? You're twenty-three now, young lady."

"We'll talk about the future when it comes. I didn't understand before, and I don't want to understand now."

"Then let's not talk about the future. Let's focus on the present. Move in with me for now. I won't feel at ease if you stay elsewhere."

"I've already rented a place. It's next to the publishing house—closer for commuting."

"Then what about... that person? What did you tell them?"

"Let's not talk about it now. Give it a year or two, and he'll leave on his own."

"How long do we have to drag this out? If you want to split, split. If you want to stay together, stay together. Just be clear with each other—why prolong it?"

"It's complicated. If it were simple, we wouldn't be here today."

"So now you realize it can't be explained? Didn't you know that back then? What's the point of all this? What's the point of putting yourself through this? Oh, by the way, I ran into your husband at a dinner the other day. Didn't recognize him at first. Turns out one of his friends owns a bar and sent people looking for you everywhere. I happen to be close with his girlfriend these past few years, so it just so happened I heard about it and came straight to me."

Xiao Yan's face finally showed some emotion. She looked at Xiao Qiao. "You told him everything?"

"You two are splitting up. When he asked about it, how could I not tell him? Something this big—should I find out from someone else? What were you thinking? Were you planning to post about your second marriage before telling me?"

"I'm not blaming you. But he has spoken with me several times now."

"Brother Nan?"

"I didn't know who it was, but it must have been him. Scholar sent me a message. The first time I saw it, I knew someone had coached him. It's been five years—I recognize his tone."

"So it was him. He came to see me this afternoon, but didn't mention the messages. He just kept analyzing why you married Scholar. What did he say? Oh, he said you didn't love Scholar—you loved a composite of the person in his books and Scholar himself. I never thought of it that way. Is that how you see it? You never want to talk about this stuff with me either."