Chapter 9

I remained silent while Dixon kept staring at me, waiting for an answer.

I rushed to hop off the bus as soon as it stopped at the next station. I was relieved to see that he didn't come along. I took a taxi back to where I had been to pick up my car and drove myself back home.

The extravagant villa was looking extremely empty. I sat on the sofa, unable to concentrate on anything else apart from what Dixon had said. "I still owe her a wedding."

To be honest, Dixon indeed owed Gwen a wedding.

Three years ago, Gwen had given up on Dixon as much as he had given up on her.

Even if she had refused the three million and insisted on staying at Wu City right by Dixon's side, he would have broken up with her.

It seemed that there was no right and wrong in their case.

He should have given her a grand wedding three years ago.

I had just taken her place and it was time to restore everything to how it was.

While I was lost in thought, Summer Jacobs called.

She was a friend of mine, and God knew that I didn't have many friends. She was running a cat-themed tea house in Wu City. The whole place felt warm and relaxing with cats roaming around leisurely. However, the business was never good. It wouldn't be able to sustain itself without my financial support.

I held the phone close and said, "Hey, what's up?"

She sounded very excited. "You remember the music hall next to our tea house? There's a piano concert tonight. I heard that the musician is a real artist coming back from the U.S. Don't you enjoy piano a lot? Come over. Let's go there tonight."

"I only liked the piano because Dixon played it."

The bank card I had left on the table caught my attention. Come to think of it, it had been a huge waste of time and energy to try to "buy" love from random passers-by on the street. Everyone had treated me like I was crazy. Also, I was unlucky enough to have bumped into Dixon while I was acting like such a wreck.

I didn't have anything I wanted to do with the money anymore, so I thought I might as well just give it to Summer. After all, the tea house could use some funds.

I made up my mind and said, "I'll be there in an hour."

I tidied up the room so that it would be ready for me to come back to looking nice and neat. I removed my makeup and put on a new look. After all, I didn't have much time left to be pretty.

Finally, I changed into a blue knee-length coat and took a taxi to the tea house. It was still snowing outside. I took a deep breath and exhaled fully, making a small cloud of fog in the air. I was ready to act high-spirited and that was how I entered the tea house.

Summer immediately put down her teacup and approached me. She hugged me tight as if we hadn't seen each other for years, then asked with a smile, "How are you these days? Why haven't you come around for a tea?"

I lied, telling her I had been busy with work.

She let go of me without suspecting anything. "Sit here for a while. I'll get someone to make you a nice cup of tea. There're still some things I've got to handle. Wait for me here."

I settled down in a nice, quiet seat with a white kitten on my lap. I stared at the cars and pedestrians on the street, all looking exuberant.

Suddenly, a slender figure caught my attention.

It was the figure of a proud and lonely man.

For some unknown reason, I was stunned. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks.

I stared greedily at that figure. For an instant, I felt that I was that young girl following the man I had been dreaming about. The figure resembled him too much, stirring up all kinds of memories.

I stood up abruptly. The kitten was startled and ran away. I dashed out and searched around eagerly on the street, but the man was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared into the crowd as if he had never even existed.

Summer followed me out in a rush and saw me crying my heart out. She was bewildered and asked me with deep concern, "Carol, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"It was him..."

"It was such a strong feeling that I know I must have been right."

The figure overlapped with that man who had lived in my memory and my dreams.

"Could that have been Dixon?!"

"Could it have been him?"

No one else had made me feel that way apart from Dixon.

Who else could it have been if I was mistaken?

It occurred to me that Cici had mentioned a concert earlier...

"Is it going to be in this music hall?"

"Does that mean Dixon is here right now?"

I wiped my tears and turned to look at Summer. I was surprised to find her crying as well. I asked, "Summer, why are you tearing?"

"Carol, why do you always look so sad?"

She held me in her arms and kept sobbing. "I've seen you cry so many times. I don't even know why. You already married the man you love three years ago."

She was referring to Dixon.

I hadn't gotten the chance to tell her about my divorce yet.

I closed my eyes and forced a smile on my face. "Maybe the snow was too cold for my eyes."

We went back to the tea house. I found the little white kitten that had been scared away and hugged it gently in my arms. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Meow." The kitten gently rubbed its head on my arm, looking sweet and cute. I was finally able to smile genuinely. "Good kitty."

I stayed at the tea house until it was night. Unfortunately, Summer was held up by other things and couldn't accompany me to the concert.

She gave me the tickets and rushed off to attend to some urgent matters.

I left the bank card next to her laptop and went to the music hall next door by myself.

The music hall was already crowded. I managed to find my seat after some struggle. The young couple seated next to me were whispering to each other, looking sweet and very much in love.

I heard the girl say, "When are you going to marry me?"

The boy replied, "When we grow up."

I turned to check on them discreetly. They looked like they were about 15.

It was said that love at that age meant everything in the world and would remain unforgettable for the rest of one's life. It was exactly the story of my friend, Summer.

She had fallen in love with someone at that age. That guy had nothing to offer her, not a home nor any money. However, she had been deeply in love and had sacrificed a lot to be with him.

She hadn't minded it at all. She had told me many times that he had loved her more than anything in the world. She had known for sure that no one else could have done better than him in loving her.

Her words echoed in my mind even today. "He may seem... a little devious, but if you get to know him, you'll see that he has a pure soul. I totally get his vulnerability and sensitivity. I can tell he has great self-esteem. Moreover, he's willing to do anything for love. Carol, he's no less great a man than your Dixon. He's a strong-willed man with well-cherished pride."

She had turned out to be absolutely right. That guy had had nothing to offer except his own life, and he had been willing to sacrifice himself for Summer whenever it was needed.

He had saved her from a car crash.

He had passed away and Summer had felt empty ever since.

She had never dated anyone else since then.

I sat there as the concert went smoothly, slowly getting bored.

Just as I was about to leave, a melody I had long dreamed of started on the stage.

With tears flooding my eyes, I turned sharply to look at the performer sitting in front of the piano.

I saw a pair of slender and beautiful hands dancing over the piano keys.

"Street Where Wind Resides..."

"Does he still remember?"

The man playing the song looked extremely gentle, his fingers bringing the melody to life and turning the tune into a refreshing breeze of spring.

His figure overlapped with that of the man hidden deep in my memory.

The song ended too soon. I hastily went to search for him backstage but he was nowhere to be found.

An unspeakable fear took over me. I was so afraid that he would be gone forever. I was afraid that he would be married to someone else the very next day.

I wanted to meet with him and let him know who I was.

I searched all over the backstage to no avail and left the music hall in disappointment.

The sky became even darker and the snow even heavier.

I took my time to wander the street with roadside lamps shedding light on the snow beneath my feet. Suddenly, I noticed a slender figure standing ahead.

I stood still and raised my head little by little, as if hesitant to look at him in the face.

I held my breath as I looked up. He was wearing a navy blue knee-length coat with a black turtleneck sweater. A beige scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. It was the exact same outfit I had seen the other afternoon.

It had been him after all. The person I had seen on the busy street...

I pressed my lips together and wanted to ask him why he had chosen to play Street Where Wind Resides. However, before I could utter a word, he smiled at me and said, "Young lady, you're following me again..."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but bite my lips hard until there was the taste of blood.

"Young lady..."

"Does that mean he remembers me now?"

With tears in my eyes, I gathered all my strength and said in a broken voice, "Dixon Gregg."