Volume Two: Shadows of the Past Chapter Thirty-Nine: What Does Love Look Like?

“Damn, who is this person? Their singing is incredible!”
“No idea, the lighting’s too dim to see clearly.”
“Looks like they’re wearing a mask. Hey, check out the girl playing guitar. They’re definitely trying not to be recognized.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard this song before. Is it their original?”
“Doesn’t the voice sound a bit familiar to you?”
“Familiar how?”
“The voice—the guy singing.”
“No way...”

After Chen Jing began singing, a few patrons in the bar started whispering among themselves, but most were completely immersed in his voice.

“…
Unbelievable, the dream shatters in an instant.
Why was I so foolish back then, still determined to marry him?
…”

Perched behind the drum kit, Chen Jing’s hands never ceased striking the drums as he poured his soul into this timeless song from another life, “The Rain Keeps Falling.” To him, this song perfectly embodied the raw emotions of Wang Menglan’s ordeal.

As the song reached its climax, Chen Jing’s gaze met the lone figure below the stage. Thinking of Menglan’s suffering, his heart ached so deeply it felt hard to breathe. He could only express his feelings through his voice:

“It’s only when love runs deep that resentment grows.
Let it go, no matter if you can or can’t bear it.
That’s a cliff with no turning back ever since.
…”

His hoarse, sorrowful voice echoed through the venue, wrenching the hearts of everyone present. At that moment, all who listened longed to understand what pain had driven him to sing such a heartbreaking song.

On stage with him, Ling Ruohan was startled by the raw emotion in Chen Jing’s voice. Hearing such genuine expression, she knew he had truly infused his feelings into the performance. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to suppress the faint pain stirring within. No matter what, the song had to continue.

Everyone was captivated by Chen Jing’s singing; no one noticed that tears were streaming down Wang Menglan’s face in the audience. This time, she was truly crying.

Biting her lip tightly to stifle her sobs, she looked toward the figure behind the drums. Though she couldn’t see clearly, she could feel that Chen Jing was surely looking at her in return. In that moment, she realized there was finally someone in this world who understood her pain.

No one else in the crowd grasped the deeper meaning behind Chen Jing’s song, yet that didn’t stop them from being moved by his voice.

The song continued, Chen Jing still pouring out his heartfelt words to Wang Menglan:

“…
Why was I so foolish back then, still determined to marry him?
…
Don’t struggle for him anymore.
Don’t let him pull you back and forth.
From now on, no matter whom he loves,
Is he happy? Let it be—Ha—”

With a final, soul-rending cry, Chen Jing brought the song to a perfect close.

It was already past ten o’clock, the bar packed with patrons at its busiest hour. Yet no one remained seated; all stood, waving their arms and cheering wildly for the shadowy figure on stage.

As Chen Jing’s voice fell silent, Wang Menglan could no longer hold back. Covering her mouth, she turned and hurried toward the restroom.

“Thank you, thank you everyone,” Chen Jing said, bowing to the audience. When he saw Wang Menglan rush off toward the restroom, anxiety gnawed at him. He hurried over to Ling Ruohan, took off his headset, and handed it to her. “Menglan seems upset. I’m going to check on her. You handle things here.”

Ling Ruohan nodded. “Go ahead. Comfort Menglan. I’ll manage here.”

Without hesitation, Chen Jing turned and left. He wasn’t worried about Ling Ruohan managing the stage. With her status as a diva and several concerts under her belt, she was well-versed in handling such situations. This little scene was nothing to her.

At the restroom, Chen Jing saw A Zhe standing vigilantly outside the women’s door. Approaching, Chen Jing called out, “Brother Zhe.”

A Zhe, worried about what was happening inside, turned when he heard his name and saw Chen Jing approaching.

He hesitated briefly, then said, “Sister Lan is inside. No one else. You should go in and comfort her.”

Chen Jing nodded and entered without delay.

Inside, he found Wang Menglan crouched by the sink, her head buried in her arms, body curled up tightly.

He quietly called, “Sister Lan.”

At the sound of Chen Jing’s voice, Wang Menglan trembled all over. After a long moment, she slowly raised her head.

“Ah Jing… sobbing…”

Just seeing him, tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes once more.

It was the first time Chen Jing had seen Wang Menglan cry. Her tear-streaked face broke his heart.

He knelt beside her, took out a tissue, and gently wiped away her tears. Softly, he reassured her, “Sister Menglan, it’s okay. No matter what happens, I’m here for you.”

Wang Menglan couldn’t hold back. She threw herself into Chen Jing’s arms, burying her face against him and weeping bitterly.

Chen Jing staggered back slightly from the impact. To prevent her from collapsing to the floor, he wrapped his arms around her, letting her lean against him. One hand gently patted her back as he spoke soothingly, “Cry all you want. Once it’s out, it will be easier.”

He knew she had been bottling up her pain for too long. A good release would do her good.

After a while, Wang Menglan’s sobs subsided. She looked up at Chen Jing, sadness etched across her face, and asked, “Ah Jing, do you think I was foolish? After Zhang Tianzhi left me, I foolishly thought it was because I couldn’t bear children anymore. Even when I found out he left me for another woman, I refused to face that truth. I always believed he was Yuxuan’s father and didn’t want to ruin our relationship. Do you think I’m hopelessly stupid?”

Chen Jing considered carefully. He decided to be honest so she could completely see the truth.

“Sister Menglan, you know Zhang Tianzhi well. People like him never go back for what they’ve thrown away—unless that thing becomes useful to them again. As for Yuxuan, she’s never needed a father. The most important person in her life—the one she can’t live without—is her mother. That’s you.”

Wang Menglan was stunned by Chen Jing’s words. She looked at him slowly and asked, “You mean… Yuxuan’s most important person… is me?”

“Of course. After all these years, Yuxuan has grown up healthy without that useless father. But without you, it’s hard to imagine who she’d be.”

Wang Menglan was speechless.

They sat in silence for a long time. Then Wang Menglan gently slipped out of Chen Jing’s embrace, wiped her tears away, and smiled. “I understand now. Thank you, Ah Jing.”

Seeing her smile again, Chen Jing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled lightly. “So forget Zhang Tianzhi. Sister Menglan, you and Yuxuan can live well without him. Yuxuan has you as her mother, and that’s enough.”

Wang Menglan nodded and added, “Not just the two of us. We also have you, Ah Jing.” Then, realizing how that sounded, she clarified, “I mean, besides me, Yuxuan also needs you as a brother.”

“Uh…” Chen Jing was momentarily taken aback but quickly reassured her, “Of course. I will definitely stay by your side.”

“Thank you, Ah Jing,” Wang Menglan said warmly, her gaze gentle and sincere, unaware of the flicker of distraction in Chen Jing’s eyes.

When they left the restroom together, A Zhe was no longer standing guard outside. He must have heard the noises inside and, knowing they were fine, left before they came out.

Chen Jing recalled how, when he first arrived, A Zhe stood anxiously outside, worried but hesitant to enter. He asked Wang Menglan, “Sister Menglan, who exactly is Brother Zhe?”

She thought for a moment before replying, “A Zhe? He’s someone who’s worked with my father for a long time. He used to be a security guard for our family, just like Zhang Tianzhi. After my father’s accident, Zhang Tianzhi took over the company. A Zhe could have stayed with Zhang Tianzhi and had a bright future, but after Zhang Tianzhi divorced me, A Zhe came back to be my driver. Later, when I opened this bar, he became the head of security here.”

After hesitating, she added, “A Zhe is a good man. I’ve asked why he does so much for my family. He always says it’s to repay the kindness my family showed him when he needed shelter. But I think he’s already repaid that debt long ago. Even if I told him to leave, he wouldn’t go.”

Hearing this, Chen Jing understood—it must be another tangled story. But this one felt more touching than tragic.

Of course, Wang Menglan sensed A Zhe’s feelings for her, but such feelings are often one-sided—just like her past feelings for Zhang Tianzhi, and A Zhe’s feelings for her all along, were simply unrequited.

They walked back toward the bar and saw Ling Ruohan and Yan Xiaoxi performing together, electrifying the crowd. Yan Xiaoxi was singing, while Ling Ruohan played guitar, reluctant to sing for fear of being recognized.

On the way back, Wang Menglan initially insisted on driving herself home, but both Chen Jing and Ling Ruohan firmly opposed the idea, worried about her state. They decided Chen Jing would drive both of them back.

Since Ling Ruohan’s place was closer to the bar, Chen Jing planned to drop her off first, then take Wang Menglan home.

(Homage to Zhang Yu’s “The Rain Keeps Falling”)