Chapter Seventy-Seven: Let Us Be Friends

Zhang Jiaxin and I exchanged a glance, then turned simultaneously to the lady boss. Was this story not yet over?

The lady boss lowered her head in sorrow, sighing softly. After a moment, her voice trembled as she continued, “I thought my whole life would be spent in ordinary companionship with him, but fate brought another man into my life—one who consumed my thoughts day and night, a man I fell in love with at first sight…”

I frowned slightly, as if something in her words touched a wound buried deep in my heart.

“Sometimes people are fickle like that. You think you love someone, but your heart turns to another who seems better. That was the foolish woman I used to be. After meeting that man, I found the one I’d lived with so dull, only knowing how to tend to daily chores, never bringing a trace of romance into our lives… As time went on, I grew weary, and at the slightest provocation, I’d pick a fight, making scenes over trivial matters,” she said with a bitter smile. “I was so naive then, thinking I was just doing what a young woman in pursuit of ideal love should do, never realizing what my actions and words truly meant.”

“Although he sometimes seemed awkward, he was the person who understood me best in this world. He saw through my thoughts, sensed my change of heart from his daily observations. I persisted stubbornly, and though he treated me as well as ever, even better, continually forgiving me, I never gave him a chance. In the end, I forced him to ask for a divorce… Deep down, I knew he was letting me go, giving me an exit. No matter how unreasonable or incomprehensible I became, he would never give up on me.” She looked at me and shook her head. “The rest is simple. I finally got the divorce I wanted, then married that other man in a whirlwind, foolishly believing I was happy.”

Zhang Jiaxin’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You… you just left him like that? Are you happy now? How is he doing?”

“In the end, I learned that the man I gave up my family for, left my past for, was nothing more than a playboy, toying with my feelings until he tired of me and discarded me.”

For reasons unknown, hearing this brought a sense of satisfaction to my heart. I felt that a woman so fickle was undeserving of love. Fate is ultimately fair to everyone—no matter how hard you pursue, what you gain may be nothing but a lie, while the beauty you miss is gone forever.

“I began to regret, weeping like a child, cursing my fate. But who would care for me then? A woman twice divorced, with nothing to her name—who would cherish me, who would comfort me with a simple ‘Don’t cry, darling’?” As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “With a heart full of guilt, I stood outside the little shop late at night, but had no face to see him. I only wanted to observe his life, hear his voice again, know how he was living now.”

“As I wiped away my tears and prepared to leave, the shop door suddenly opened. To my astonishment, after years apart, I saw again the man who had once shared my pillow, the one who had dressed me in a white wedding gown and placed a diamond ring on my finger. He was thinner, more mature—the most immediate impression I had was that he had lost some of his youthful spirit, but gained the steadiness and charm of a grown man.” The lady boss seemed lost in memory. “He too was surprised to see me, but not as shocked as I was. After a brief silence, he smiled and greeted me. I replied dumbly, and he warmly invited me into the place I once knew well—my former home. Inside, everything had changed so much. The most painful sight was that he now had a wife and child. His wife was beautiful, the child adorable, and in his eyes I saw the shadow of happiness.”

“Did you see him again after that night?” I asked, thinking for a moment.

“Yes. Returning to the room I rented, I hadn’t expected the pain to be so intense, as if my heart had been torn into countless pieces, as if I had lost the most important thing in my life. These feelings were things I never experienced, not even after breaking up with that other man. In tears, I finally understood my own heart—I loved him. But at that moment, I was no longer worthy to utter that sacred word… Time passed, and the torment became unbearable. Every day my mind replayed moments we shared, from strolling the streets to loving and marrying… I decided I would pursue him, I would reclaim the love that once belonged to me!”

“And then? Did you succeed?” Zhang Jiaxin instinctively grabbed my hand, and I could feel her trembling. I didn’t brush her hand away, letting her hold on, as she seemed deeply concerned about the story’s outcome.

“And then, under my relentless pursuit, he finally agreed to meet me one summer night for a proper talk. I knew this conversation would be like a trial—the outcome would determine my happiness for the rest of my life. I was nervous and excited, because only I knew how deeply he loved me, and I had confidence!” The lady boss looked at the anxious Zhang Jiaxin. “Our meeting was sudden and natural. I told him my feelings, said I loved him, couldn’t forget him, and hoped he would give me another chance—I would be the one who loved him most in the world. He looked at me seriously, then smiled and gently touched my tear-stained face, saying, ‘I love you too, more than anyone, and I always will… but I am married now. Do you understand what that means?’”

“I said I didn’t understand, that marriage could be undone. For the sake of true love, why couldn’t we do it? He smiled and said, ‘For a man, the most important thing is responsibility. Anything can be betrayed, but not the trust of those who believe in you. Love is merely the most beautiful painting in my memory, but it is no longer my entire world.’” The lady boss laughed, “Don’t know why, but hearing those words, I finally understood the meaning of love, felt as if I’d grown up in those few brief sentences. Just as he once told me, ‘You are a rose—though unattainable, you remain beautiful.’”

At this, both Zhang Jiaxin and I fell silent. I lowered my head, my mind filled with the story, while she turned her head away, lost in thought.

“My story is finished. Though simple, I hope it gives you two young people some insight—don’t take a wrong step and regret every step after.” The lady boss stood, stretched, and returned to the counter, smiling at me. “Thank you for listening to this old woman ramble on. These two ice creams are on the house—come again soon.”

“You’re not old at all!” Zhang Jiaxin muttered, looking at the ice cream on the table but not touching it.

I lingered in my seat, not wanting to leave. I knew her story wasn’t truly over. Presumably, after that final farewell, she opened this little shop called “Unique Season,” to remember the beauty, youth, passion, bleakness, and loss of her past—a cycle of emotions like the four seasons. True love is like a unique season, making one joyful in the winter’s chill, hopeful in autumn’s decay, happy in times of adversity, and longing after loss.

Perhaps she is still waiting, hoping he might return to her side. Yet that love can never again bind two people—it no longer demands, nor expects, leaving only faint memories and an unspoken understanding in the youthfulness of love. I don’t know how many rights and wrongs are contained in this story, only that one thing is certain: “You are a rose—though you do not belong to me, you are forever beautiful.”

“Let’s go…” I stood and headed out, Zhang Jiaxin following behind.

“By the way, what’s your name?” I asked, looking back at the lady boss who smiled as she watched us leave.

“My name is Rose,” she replied, waving and smiling.

I stared at her, sighed, nodded, and walked out of the ice cream shop.

She has never truly forgotten, nor could she ever forget, the man who loved her most in this world, could she? If possible, I truly wish all lovers could end up together, but that’s only a beautiful wish. If that man were to abandon his family for her, how would he be any different from who she once was? Cause and effect—ultimately, it leads only to endless regret.

“Yang Chen, let’s just be friends again,” Zhang Jiaxin said softly after a moment.

“Mm.”

“The kind where we start out as friends.”

“That’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Why are you so happy? We’re just friends. My girlfriend’s name is Luo Qing, she’s waiting for me to go home and cook dinner for her.”

“Right, we’re just friends. Go cook for your girlfriend, or you’ll be in trouble when you get home!” Zhang Jiaxin’s mood brightened, nodding and waving me off.

Choice is never easy—a thought, an action, may change not only your own life but also determine the fate of others. From Rose’s story, I learned to think carefully, to understand that caution isn’t just for oneself, but for everyone who shares our world.

Love is mysterious; a careless word may shatter it when you don’t understand, but when you do, even separation by death brings sweetness.