Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 39: Master of Life

On the small stage, Robben strummed his guitar, Violetta sang along to the rhythm of the music, and I drank my beer while my mind wandered.

After a while, I said to CC, "Violetta really has the makings of a first-tier actress!"

CC looked at me in puzzlement and asked, "Why is that?"

"Have you ever seen Mi Yang or Fan Bingbing sing well? Obviously, judging by her singing, Violetta is on her way to becoming a first-tier actress!"

CC smiled and said, "Lucas, you're really mean, making such a big detour to tease Violetta. She knows it'll make her mad!"

My curiosity piqued, I nudged Renee next to me and said, 'Go up there and have some fun later, I haven't heard your moving singing voice yet!"

"I only like to listen to other people sing,' Renee shook her head and refused.

I felt a bit bored, took a sip of beer, and then focused my attention back on Violetta singing.

After a short while, CC asked the waiter to bring the camera, got up from his seat, and chose a good position to record the images of Violetta and Robben on the small stage.

I said to CC, who had returned to his seat, "You really are biased. You didn't even take a picture of me when I was singing to record my majestic figure."

CC smiled and showed me the picture he had just taken, and said, "It's a good picture, maybe this will become a picture with special meaning!"

I nodded and looked at Violetta and Robben on the stage again. Maybe one day they will really become famous in the entertainment industry, then the photo of the two of them singing together before they became famous will naturally have special significance. But even if that day really comes, who knows that behind their fame, there have been countless difficult yesterdays and today.

It was a simple night, so simple that we just took turns singing on the small stage. Renee was even simpler, barely saying a word from beginning to end, just resting her chin and listening quietly. Perhaps everyone who comes to "Empty City" regards it as a beach where they can rest, simply listen to the music and simply enjoy the warmth of humanity.

I was supposed to pay for the dinner, but in the end Renee put 1,000 yuan into the box before I did, and I was very pleased with myself, showing off in front of everyone that my "girlfriend" is rich.

Everyone jokingly called me the "gigolo" who is supported by Renee.

In fact, there is no such thing as a rich man or a gigolo. It's just young people having fun together. Our youth is already running out, and the only thing that can make our last days of youth seem less lonely and heavy is laughter, because none of us wants to be the lonely one in our most beautiful years!

...

Leaving CC's restaurant, Renee said goodbye to everyone, and was the first to drive away, followed by Robben, while I had to take Violetta back to the hotel where she was staying.

On the way, Violetta, who hadn't been drinking, was driving, so I opened the window, lit a cigarette, and looked at the city under the night sky as usual.

I don't know when the sky started to drizzle, and the autumn wind felt a little cool.

Violetta suddenly changed lanes and turned the car around to go in the opposite direction. She said to me, "It's still early, and the hotel is so boring. Let's go sit by the moat."

"Okay," I said, and continued to immerse myself in the boundless night.

A moment later, we arrived at the riverside, sat next to each other on the lawn that had been slightly dampened by the light rain.

After sitting for a little while, I lay flat on my back on the lawn, letting the drizzle wet me, and my emotions completely emptied out in the cool autumn breeze.

Violetta also lay down next to me on her side, her hand resting on my chest, and whispered in my ear, "Lucas, in fact, Renee is not your girlfriend, is she?"

"I asked a little surprised, "Where did you see that?"

Violetta smiled and said, 'Women's intuition, I can see that she doesn't like you as a man."

Violetta's insight made me believe that women really are a feeling animal. I nodded and said, 'Well, she really isn't my girlfriend. It was just that time I met Brittany, and I didn't want Brittany to see that I was in a mess and that I was hot-headed, so I said that she was my girlfriend."

"Brittany is back?" Violetta's tone was full of surprise.

"Yeah!" I sighed, then lit another cigarette, took a long drag, rested my arm under my head, and looked pensively at the drizzling sky.

Violetta seemed a little cold, so she hugged me again, but she was silent. So, these two people who had experienced the ups and downs of life just huddled together on this rainy night, relying on each other for the little warmth they could find.

I don't know how long it took before Violetta asked softly in my ear, "Lucas, is there a place you long for?"

"Yes, it's a city."

"A city? Is it like CC's restaurant?"

"No, it's in the sky, a city in the sky, crystal clear, and inside lives a beautiful woman with long hair down to her shoulders."

Violetta thought for a moment and said, "Renee is a beautiful woman with long hair down to her shoulders."

"No, her long hair is slightly curly." After I denied it, I asked Violetta, "What about you? What place do you long for?"

"It's an island across the beach, but I don't know where it is. Then I met a man in the middle of the sea who was holding a sail. He took me to the island, and we've been living together ever since. Every day we watch the sunset on the island. By the way, he cooks dinner for me every evening, so there's smoke from the cooking on the island. We don't have to think about the fireworks in the world anymore!"

I smiled and said, "You're really something! You even thought of the plot of the story. It's quite beautiful, even more so than my city!"

Violetta didn't say anything else, and pressed her face against mine. After a long while, she said to me, "Lucas, don't think about Brittany anymore. Fight for your life. Let's not be the ones defeated by reality."

The cigarette in my hand had been drenched in rain, and I took a heavy drag. In addition to the smoke, there was also the fishy dampness of the rain, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I couldn't help but ask myself: can I really forget Brittany, work hard from now on, and become a master of life?

This time I gave myself an answer. Whether I can forget Brittany or not, I should work hard. I know that the opportunity I got at work this time was obtained at the expense of Violetta's great suffering.

After a long silence, I said to Violetta, "I should really start fighting hard. From today onwards, I will settle my life as soon as possible and become a master of life."

"Mmm." "Lucas, hold me tight, I'm a bit cold!"

The rain continued to fall, and a low-lying area finally had some puddles of water. The light and shadow of the street lamp were reflected on the puddles, as if they were refracting the 'Castle in the Sky' and the 'island across the beach'.

...