Starlight Has No Past - Chapter 12 Part 2

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.

Starlight Has No Past

Chapter 12 Part 2

Cheng Su opened her mouth, trying to decide how to address her. Then she
discovered that the two of them were so detached that she couldn’t think of
another name to call her by.  She sighed and continued: “Qiaoqiao, your father
hasn’t been feeling well lately. Since you came back to Yang City, though you
don’t accept me as family, you should still go home to see your father. He’s
the one who brought you into this world and raised you.”

The glare of the city lights fell on Ye Qiao’s plain face through the glass wall
of the coffee shop, looking forlorn. Her voice was slightly cold: The fact that
we don’t get along is just between my dad and me. It has nothing to do with
you.” She took a look at the time: “Is there anything else?”

Cheng Su puckered her lips and remained silent.

Ye Qiao sniggered: “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” With a glance
at Cheng Su’s still flattened tummy, she had a hard time to control the urge to
shatter the facade. She couldn’t help but asking: “You pregnant?”

Cheng Su was briefly shocked, but her facial expression quickly changed to an
apologetic smile: “You know already? Your father and I are hoping to give you
a little sister.”

Ye Qiao was annoyed by how leisurely she spoke, as if the whole world would
move on as she had planned. Ye Qiao tried to calm the agitation in her mind
but having a hard time to control it. She snickered and repeated: “A little sister.”
There was no feeling in her voice, but her heart was twisted into a knot: “Do you
know what kind of person her father is?”

“Who do you think you married? A famous painter, a contemporary master, a
talented and wealthy middle aged man?” Ye Qiao paused as if she wanted to
deny all the facts from the bottom of her heart: “Do you know he’s a killer?
Cheng Su, you have married a killer. Your kid, just like me, will be born as the
daughter of a killer, always.”

Ye Qiao put the sunglasses back on and parted ways with Cheng Su on not
so friendly terms.

Once she got into a taxi, she pulled out a few pills and swallowed them with
some water. Finally, she quieted down and blew out a long breath just as Zhou
Tingsheng’s Wechat message arrived: “Are you here?”

She took look at the time, the movie was about to begin. She pondered for a
while then replied: “I was held up by something and will be late for the movie.
Maybe can you just go in first?”

-- -- “I’ll wait for you.”

When she arrived at the theatre, the movie had already been playing for
20 minutes.

Zhou Tingsheng gently rubbed the two tickets with his thumb: “Do you still
want to watch it?”

Ye Qiao took one of the tickets: “Sure.”

Zhou Tingsheng used one finger to hook her sunglasses and took it off. Her
expression wasn't as pleasant as when she was on the phone earlier. Her eyes
were somewhat gloomy; he realized that whatever held her up probably had
spoiled her mood as well.

Ye Qiao grabbed her glasses back: “I’ll take it off later. Do you want to be on the
headlines of some tabloid tomorrow?”

They sat down right in the middle of the theatre and attracted some attention.
Ye Qiao didn’t take her glasses off until after she sat down. She exchanged a look
with Zhou Tingsheng with a shallow and insincere smile.

The tempo of the movie was very slow which was Director Lai’s style. Each frame
was like a picture which had been painstakingly composed. It was the kind of movie
that lover’s would watch together even if it wasn’t a love story. There were many
couples leaning against each other in the theatre. Ye Qiao, however, was sitting
there staring at the movie screen but her eyes were unfocused. Zhou Tingsheng
was sure that she wasn’t doing her “research” at all. Ye Qiao was totally oblivious
of his gaze. She was still thinking of her conversation with Cheng Su in the coffee
shop.

-- --You have married a killer. Your kid, just like me, will be born as the daughter of
a killer.

She was surprised at herself that she would say something like that to Cheng Su.

She had decided to keep this secret till the day she died. Though she had convicted
him for his crime and would never forgive him nor feel any sympathy, she still wished
her father could have a happy family and a comfortable life.

Maybe the news of that unborn child was too much for her that the words suddenly
burst from her.

Occasionally, some people in the audience would exchange a few comments. The
movie had proceeded to the part where Ye Qiao had exposed her back. The hearing
and speech challenged girl that Ye Qiao portrait took her winter clothes off one after
another, showing the fragility of the human body in a bare background. Ye Qiao used
her slightly tremulous shoulders and stiff, alert bones to show a physical representation
of the word loneliness. Two young men who wore ear studs sat behind them. They
smiled wickedly as they tossed popcorn into their mouths: “This chick’s figure ain’t bad.”

Ye Qiao obviously heard him.

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.