Sitting alone at the hotel lobby, Cin Heung did not check into any room. She looked at the glittering crystal chandeliers blankly, while the sounds of violin played in the background. She already couldn’t tell what time it was.
Ironically, the music playing in the lobby was “Frey’s Elegy in C minor.” This was the final sonata that Stirling would always perform and was also Cin Heung’s favorite.
How cruel and ironic. Her heart was flogged by the music and she couldn’t do anything about it. She could not resist or defend against it. She knew that she would never hear Stirling play again.
Sitting on a sofa, she had a depressed and sad look on her face. Her eyes had lost their sparkle while strands of her hair swayed in front of her face. Her eyelids were already so heavy that she couldn’t help look droopy.
After a long time, the door boy came and asked her, “Are you okay, miss?”
Roused by his question, Cin Heung lifted her head and looked around. The door boy in front of her kindly asked again, “Miss, can I help you?”
Realizing that she was still in the lobby, Cin Heung looked out and saw that the sky was already bright.
Oh, my gosh! I sat in the lobby all night…
Cin Heung said to the door boy, “I’m sorry, I have to go.” After saying that, she pulled on her luggage and went out.
Cin Heung needed to meet Yi Po. She hurried to Flushing and quickly arrived at a cafe. Unfortunately, there was a closed sign hanging on the door.
Looking into the dark shop, Cin Heung was frustrated and didn’t know what to do. She took out her phone but then saw that it had run out of battery.
She laughed foolishly, which attracted strange looks from the people passing by.
“You deserve this! You deserve the punishment!”
Cin Heung sat in front of the window glass hugging her knees. After a night’s wandering, she looked like a fleeing child, waiting for her family. She looked extremely pitiful but there were no tears on her face.
The passersby walked past her and didn’t care about her at all. After who knew how many people had passed by her, a homeless old woman who was pushing her broken shopping cart stopped in front of Cin Heung.
The old woman exclaimed, “The damn stock market is going to collapse! The world is going to be consumed by these predators! The American government is breaking up so many South American families!”
Not in the mood to listen to her ramble, Cin Heung lowered her head and looked on the ground. However, the old woman kept muttering like a tape recorder.
The old woman continued, “They took everything, but they can’t take some things away from me!” She patted her chest at where her heart was and said, “Here I have what is precious to me.”
Cin Heung took a glance at her with a strange look.
The old woman then said in a sad voice, “I still have the person I love the most in my heart! You can never take him away! You won’t have him! Not until the end of the world!”
Feeling sad, Cin Heung felt pity for the old woman.
“Boy! Don’t take my things!” The old woman exclaimed like a crazy person and ran away.
In the blink of an eye, the old woman had disappeared from Cin Heung’s sight. She, however, still sat there foolishly.
Sitting in front of the shop, Cin Heung did not eat or drink and simply waited. It was already dusk and she was still sitting there motionlessly.
Suddenly, someone called out, “Cin Heung!”
It was a familiar voice that she had been waiting for all day. As soon as Cin Heung saw that it was Yi Po, she immediately rushed to him, hugged him tightly, and kissed him passionately.
Yi Po awkwardly helped Cin Heung up and asked, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!” Looking at her helplessly, Yi Po continued, “Come in…”
Cin Heung sat on the sofa and immediately felt a great sense of tiredness. She didn’t allow herself to sleep because she had so many things she wanted to tell Yi Po.
Yi Po brought a cup of coffee and a piece of “Heung Po” over. He then sat quietly in front of Cin Heung without saying a word.
Sipping her coffee, Cin Heung stayed silent and thought about how she should bring up the subject.
“You’re moving out of New Jersey?” He asked.
Cin Heung was slightly surprised and nodded her head.
“You could stay in my place… for the time being.”
Cin Heung didn’t say anything.
“You can move out after you find a place.”
After that, there was another long period of silence.
Breaking the silence, Yi Po suddenly said, “I heard about what happened last night.”
As though a nerve was touched, Cin Heung took glances at Yi Po.
He knows.
Lacking thecourage to look into Yi Po’s eyes, Cin Heung only fixed her gaze at the piece of “Heung Po.”
“I don’t believe all the things that Emma said… But… You aren’t like that right?”
She clenched her lips and stayed silent.
Having a bad feeling, Yi Po’s face immediately became stiff. He comforted himself a little and said, “This… It’s just curiosity.” He let out a dry laugh and said, “You’ll get better, right? Cin Heung.”
Playing with her shirt, Cin Heung turned and looked out the window. After a while, she said sadly, “Tonight, I will go see her for the last time.”
“Your feelings for her are illusions. Don’t go,” he said in surprise.
“Be it real or fake, I need to go tonight.” Cin Heung looked at Yi Po with a sad face and begged him.
“Cin Heung, don’t trouble yourself with unrealistic things. Stay with me tonight,” Yi Po requested earnestly.
“No! I must go now! I’ll talk to you later!” Cin Heung got up and ran for the door.
Yi Po immediately ran to lock the door and put the key in his pocket. “Don’t be stubborn, I won’t let you go!”
“Yi Po... Please… This will be the last time, I promise you!” Cin Heung was so anxious that her eyes turned bloodshot.
“No!” Yi Po said with determination.
Cin Heung stood there and didn’t say a word. The two faced each other, and did not speak any more. As time passed by, Cin Heung got more and more anxious. Unable to control her anxious feelings anymore, she made up her mind, walked up to Yi Po and said, “I’m sorry!”
At the speed of light, she placed her hands on his arm, pulled it quickly, and twisted his arm behind his back, immobilizing him. “Cin… Ah… What are you doing?”
She reached out and took the key from his pocket. With great pain, Cin Heung said, “I need to go.” She then pushed Yi Po away and ran to the door to unlock it.
Yi Po yelled out, “Fine! Don’t come back if you go!”
Cin Heung stopped after hearing that. After a long time, she turned back slowly with her teary face and pleaded, “Yi Po, please forgive me.” Then she ran out of the shop and found a cab to go to the theater.
As the traffic was bad, it seemed that time was going against Cin Heung’s will. When she finally got to the theater, the performance was already over and all the audience had left; there wasn’t even anyone at the backstage. Cin Heung was at a loss and was reluctant to leave.
Coming out from the backdoor, William went over to Cin Heung and greeted her. He then handed her a letter which Stirling had written to her.
Cin Heung opened the delicate envelope and found a letter filled with neat words in there.
Dear Cin Heung,
Tonight is my last performance and I couldn’t bear it. After the curtains were raised, you weren’t in the crowd, unfortunately. Feeling disappointed, I couldn’t finish my performance perfectly.
In the final Sonata, my violin even fell to the ground. Shocked, I only stared at my broken violin. My brain paused and out of nowhere only your appearance appeared in my head. I was really a fool. One day, I wanted out but the next day I wanted you back.
Your absence tonight woke me up and made me realize that I can’t pester you anymore. Only my body responded honestly to my stupidity. I’m really stupid. I’ve held onto you for my own desire!
After the performance, I will take a night flight immediately and leave. We shouldn’t say goodbye or make any more excuses. Don’t make it difficult, don’t mess this up. No tears no crying! No! No! No!
Let’s not think about each other anymore.
Love,
Stirling
Cin Heung stepped onto the empty stage with a scratch in the middle of the floor. She sat down in front of where the scratch was and felt the scratch with her hands. She cried bitterly with her hands on her head.
Without even thinking, she ran out from the back door to track down Stirling. She came out from the back door into the streets. She kept murmuring, “Stirling, Stirling…”, but there was no one that matched that description. Leaning against a wall, she looked left and right, hoping for a miracle. Unfortunately, the miracle did not happen.
Cin Heung walked slowly in the street, while her mind were filled with these thoughts:
The streetlights here are the same, but they seem so unfamiliar.
The night light that I’m used to is not the same anymore.
It seems especially dark tonight.
Did the street lights go out?
It’s cold… but I’m numb to it already.
What does sadness feel like?
Is this the end of the road for me?
The dark night… I’m ready to give in,
The dark night... Why do I always follow you?
Sadness... I can’t feel you anymore.
Yet you still pull me deep into the abyss.
My tears… My regrets echoes in my mind.
The echos whisper to me:
‘You’re lost, and you can’t get out.’
I made a mistake. I chose to be selfish.
After tonight, I won’t find love again.
After tonight, I won’t see the future..
After tonight, I lost my direction.
The day is no longer bright, and the night would always follow me.”
Cin Heung did not know how far she had gone. The images she saw were all floating, and there seemed to be stars floating in front of her eyes. Obsessed, she kept following it. Because her ears were ringing again, she was unable to hear any sounds. Countless stars approached her quickly, so she laughed and stretched out her arms to embrace it.
People on the street yelled to Cin Heung not to walk into the roads, but she had already lost her mind. Standing in the road, Cin Heung held her hands up aimlessly. A car that was driving toward her suddenly squealed as the driver slammed the breaks. The passersby all screamed, while some even covered their eyes. Out of nowhere, two pairs of big hands pulled Cin Heung back onto the pedestrian walkway.
The passersby came up to them curiously and saw that two men were holding onto Cin Heung. They were William and Tim.
They looked at Cin Heung and then glanced at each other.
“What happened to her?”
Her eyelids were slightly open and her mouth began to murmur something. Her body was burning like a stove and she said with a weak voice, “I’m not even comparable to the old lady that collects trash…”
“Let’s bring her back to the theater and call a doctor!” Tim said.656Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdiQ5T2l51
