Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 78: Loving You in His Place

On this late autumn night, I chose to go along with Renee's plan. We drove home together, picked up the guitar, and then went to a square by the lake. This square would be bustling with people in the summer, but it was already late autumn, and after dusk, very few people came here for entertainment.

Renee and I sat cross-legged on the lawn, the street lamps casting a gentle light on us. The wind seemed to have become gentle too, filtered by the light.

I tried the guitar and asked Renee, "Now it's time for you to tell me what song you want me to play. Name it, I'll try my best to satisfy you."

"Just play whatever you like."

I thought about it for a while and finally chose a song by the band Hao Meimei called 'Winter'. The reason I chose this song to warm up the mood was because I really like the lyrics.

"A little colder, a snowy winter, that year I passed your door, the street where we strolled together; a little more distant, the hazy season of youth, your laughter frozen in the wind, like snowflakes drowning my eyes; how many years have passed, flowers falling, people scattered, parting ways, I want to ask, inside the white clouds, if there are raindrops from your yearning; the moon sets, crows caw, frost covers the sky, the sea has changed, fields have become mulberry trees, spring goes, autumn comes again and again, can you still miss the old me..."

I ended the song in a long note of self-indulgence, and Renee applauded with a smile and approval. I smiled back, and as I usually do after singing, I lit a cigarette and handed the guitar to Renee. "Do you play?" I asked. "I feel you can!"

Renee handed me her hand to look at. She had manicured nails.

"You mean you can play, but it's inconvenient?" I asked.

"I studied a little when I was bored while studying abroad," Renee nodded.

"Your temperament makes me think you're more suited to playing the piano, while a woman with CC's temperament would be good at playing the guitar."

"You've got a pretty clear idea of the division of women's temperaments."

I laughed as I exhaled the smoke from my cigarette. "The only joy left in my life is studying women... Sigh! Otherwise, how could I get through the changes of the seasons over and over again!"

Renee smiled, as if she were agreeing with me, while I stubbed out my cigarette and lay on my back on the lawn, looking at the stars. I felt a little drowsy from the autumn breeze, but it might not have anything to do with the wind. It might just be that the night was too quiet.

The faint fragrance from Renee drifted into my nostrils on the breeze. I felt at ease and comfortable, and gradually closed my eyes, falling asleep.

After a long time, Renee next to me finally nudged me and said, "Lucas, can you sing 'Love's Aphorism' for me again?"

I sat up and looked at her, remembering that not long ago I had played this song in her car, but she had cried. I realized that there must be a story in this song that she would find hard to forget.

I was afraid that she would cry again, so I asked, "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Renee nodded firmly.

"Okay, but after I'm done singing, you have to tell me your story with this song. Last time..."

Renee interrupted me and said, "Just sing."

I didn't get a definite answer from Renee, but I didn't mind. As long as she was willing to listen at the moment, I would sing to her. I let things take their course and let the autumn night continue to be simple.

I once again strummed the guitar and sang the song that represents great love in the lowest voice.

Just as I sang the line, "Love is something no one can understand, love is an eternal melody, love is the process of tears falling from laughter, love was once me and it was you..." Renee's tears had already fallen, and her face was filled with grief from the bottom of her heart.

I didn't stop singing because of this, and I knew that Renee definitely didn't want me to stop, because this song contained her memories, and to interrupt them would be cruel to her at this moment.

I slowly finished singing this song with a slow rhythm, and Renee was already crying like a tearful person. In my memory, she was a strong woman who never cried easily, but this song touched the softest place in her heart.

The quiet night, the blowing wind, and the crying woman made me, a man, feel compassion. I gently embraced Renee next to me, stroked her hair, and wiped away the tears from her crying.

Renee did not struggle. She leaned against my chest for a long time, choking up and saying to me, "You know...this was Dad's favorite song when he was alive...When I was 15 years old, he took me to see Tayu Lo's concert in Nanjing. It was very noisy and chaotic that day but when he sang this song, the whole crowd fell silent. My father whispered to me, "I will always love you, and you are the person I love most in my life. But...he didn't keep his promise. He's a liar...but I really miss him...he must be so lonely in the world!"

Renee was already sobbing uncontrollably. She clung to me tightly, like a girl who lacks a sense of security. At that moment, I finally understood why she hated it when people broke promises. Because her father, Clark, had not kept his promise to always love her. But life is so unpredictable. A great promise of love was destroyed in a car accident. But I believe that if there is really another world, Clark will definitely keep his promise to always love his daughter Renee.

A gust of wind blew me off guard. I didn't know how to comfort her, and it took me a long time to say in a low voice, "Don't cry...soon, there will definitely be a man who will love you and protect you in place of your father, and his love will last longer and longer, without end."

Renee did not respond to my comfort, but leaned closer to me. I couldn't help but look into the distance and ask myself: is there really a river of happiness in this world? If there is, at this moment I would like to take this woman's hand and jump into this river, even if I am exhausted, I will hold her hand and swim to the end of the river.

...

The night grew deeper, and the breeze swept past us in the moonlight. Renee finally left my body. She brushed her hair, which was damp with her tears, and looked into the darkness, unlit by street lamps. Her expression was no longer weak. After a long time, she turned to me and said, "Lucas, I hope you will go back to Suzhou, but I won't force you. If you can't find a suitable job in Xuzhou and think that Suzhou is a better place for your development, come find me and I will help you arrange it."

I put my guitar away in its case and asked, half-jokingly, "If I go back to Suzhou, will you let me have the room?"

Renee was taken aback for a moment, and then said, 'If you want to go back, you can have it."

I smiled, put my guitar on my back, and said softly to Renee, 'Let's go, I'll take you back to the hotel... By the way, do you really need to stay in Xuzhou for a few more days? I can take you to some of the attractions in Xuzhou."

"No, I've said what I needed to say, and I've done what I needed to do. You can choose the rest for yourself. I'll be back in Suzhou tomorrow morning."

I wasn't surprised by Renee's hasty departure. After all, a company as large as Jumei needs her to manage it. Even if she was only in Xuzhou for a day and a half, it was already long enough for her, who has a million things to do every day. I just hope that when she goes back, she can quickly resolve the conflicts of interest within Jumei, so that she will have a lot less worry and be a lot more at ease!

As I walked with Renee towards the car, I said to her, "What time are you leaving tomorrow morning? I'll see you off."

"7 o'clock. But you don't need to see me off. I'll drive myself, it's very convenient."

"You came to Xuzhou to see me, so I'll see you off."

"Suit yourself."

I nodded, and the night seemed to deepen as we walked and talked.