My Husband's Lover (18)

I was very happy that we would be riding a carriage going home. I was still not a fan of walking. Liqin and Guowei were in the first carriage while Guoliang and I were in the other one.

Guowei told us that the carriage was sent because the emperor would be coming tonight. We had to be home to prepare for his majesty's arrival. I wanted to thank his majesty for coming because we had to take the carriage. Guowei and Guoliang were disappointed that we were not going to walk.

"Guoliang, I have another question."

"Go ahead."

"This is the story of another friend. Don't tell others about this one if you don't want to die. I'm really going to do it this time. When you wake up, you're already in heaven."

"I promise not to tell this another friend's story to other people."

"Just make sure you don't because I will really kill you." I cleared my throat. "She has a best friend who is a boy. Boy is in love with another boy. She supports him because she loves the two as a couple. But for the past few days, she feels something weird. She's happy when they're together. She doesn't like it when boy is with the other boy. She gets irritated when they do lovey-dovey things. Do you think she loves him?"

"So how long have you been feeling that way towards Liqin?"

I lightly spanked his left arm and said, "I said it's about a friend. A friend, a friend. When will you get that?"

Did Guoliang know something? It was understandable that Liqin found out about it right away because he knew and had spent many years together with Yanyu. But in Guoliang's case, he should not have any reason to suspect. Or was I just really obvious? I always used the my friend story. But this kind of a lame excuse would not have been popular during this time, right? I should be the first one using it.

"Forgive me. I always forget. Well, I think that she loves him."

"But she loves the other boy."

"How do you know that?"

"She tried to kill her best friend once because she was jealous. She even stole her best friend's boyfriend by marrying him after her best friend told her he liked him."

"Are you sure of what you are saying?"

"I guess so."

"Are you sure you did not miss anything?"

I thought about it. But there was no other reason for Yanyu to try to kill Liqin. There was only one way to find out - Yanyu's diary.

***

[as written in the diary]

Liqin gave me a flower today. He said it was what his father used to give to his mother when they were still alive. His father said that it was a sign of love. Liqin always wondered why his father loved his mother so much when she did not have attractive traits like other women. She was a nagger too. But Liqin never got to ask why.

When talking about love, people always think of a couple. But when I talk about it, I think of Liqin and me. Why was love for friends underestimated?

Liqin told me that the flower was the only remembrance of his parents. He was sad because the flower was grown only in his hometown. We had to stay in the capital because that was where we studied. I brought the flower to my mother and asked her to use it as a design for all my dresses.

While throwing out my old dresses which had no flower designs, I hummed a song. It was a song I composed.

When I was young, I met a boy who was crying. It was weird because I always heard men had to be strong and women had to be demure. But upon seeing the scene, I was reminded that men were humans too - capable of feeling pain. Just because he cried did not mean he was weak. He could cry and still be strong.

In an attempt to comfort him, I sang a song. I was amazed by myself because I did not know I had a talent for composing. The boy laughed and said that I would make a good comedian. But I was not trying to joke. I was seriously singing it.

I told Liqin about it and he asked me to sing. He laughed as well. He said that I was tone-deaf, the lyrics were all over the place, and the melody was weird.

And here I was thinking I had a talent for music.

[end of entry]

***

I closed the diary. Yanyu really did many things for Liqin. Why did they have to break apart? If only Yanyu had not fallen in love with Guowei, she would have been the best friend that readers cheered on.