Les Interprètes Chapter 43

Translators: Tranzgeek

Chapter 43

　   Cheng Jia Yang

I told Xiao Hua, I was going to accompany the leaders to visit France.

She was sitting at the sofa, watching a video of her own program, as she carefully repaired her own nail. When she heard this she froze, and looked at me: “When do you leave?”

“Plane No. 15.”

I washed and came out. A sweet soup that she had made was on the table. She gave me the bowl: “Jia Yang, taste it, I learned how to make this soup from my mother.”

I took it and said “Thank you”. I drank a sip, the taste was really good.

Xiao Hua warmly hugged me from behind. Her body was soft and warm, with a light fragrance.

“Jia Yang, sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Her words made me really surprised.

“Around the 10th, I have to make the ma.n.u.script for the next week. I cannot accompany you to Paris.”

“Dimwit.” I put down the bowl and turned to face her, “I am going to work. Plus, you are also busy. What sorry?”

Her two hands hugged my stomach, her eyes full of softness: “But I feel, Paris, should be a place we both go to. It’s true, Jia Yang, we haven’t travelled together before.”

“There are always opportunities.”

She carefully looked at my face: “When I am together I feel very happy. Happiness sometimes lacks realism. I think, will there be a day when you will suddenly disappear from your side?”

“I don’t understand what you are saying.” I stood up, “I am going online now.”

I heard her laugh behind me, and I turned around to look at her: “What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing. You go online. I’m going to sleep.”

When she didn’t need to prepare for her show, Xiao Hua’s live was more

I modified some of my files, opened my mailbox. Inside were a lot of long term weather reports for the French city of Montpellier

Sunny, light western breeze, 14-19 degrees Celsius.

It was really good weather.

My heart felt good. Not after too long I would see Qiao Fei.

She did not hesitate to say that she would go to Paris to see me. Such generosity made one moved.

What was she like right now?

Would she remember my appearance?

      Qiao Fei

I gave the small dog to Rong Rong, and asked her to take care of it, along with many many instructions, until that Southern girl’s heart got annoyed. I felt I hadn’t even finished, and was still worried. I finally understood Zu Zu’s noisiness at the other end.

I sat on a high speed train. I accidentally sat in the wrong compartment that was way over air conditioned. Midway through my sleeping, I was so cold that I opened my eyes and changed to a warmer seat. Then, I couldn’t fall asleep again, and looked at the outside landscape, fully awake.

Some things, a small portion, a small portion emerge in one’s mind.

Cheng Jia Yang and I, had a chance encounter, we had travelled together, and fought. In the end. Finally, I had broken off this matter, and he kicked me to France. Now, I could see nothing of him.

Life was a mess. We were two confused insects.

In the morning, I came out anxiously and now I felt hungry. I took out my yogurt that I had brought. The old grannie across from me said: “Miss, give me one.”

I quietly looked at the person, of which I had no idea when she had sat across from me. She wore an old floral dress that had lost its pattern. Her long white hair was draped over her shoulders. Her face was like the color of the Mediterranean Sea, black and red, black and red, the symptoms of too much sun. Her face had a lot of wrinkles, an eagle hooked nose, like a witch. Her body gave off the scent of aged cheese. These types of people shouldn’t be messed with. I obediently gave her a box.

But she grasped my hand: “What are you looking at?”

“Miss you are so pretty.”

I considered myself pretty witty.

When she heard this she laughed, her face’s wrinkles softened: “When I was younger, I was a lover with Francois. Francois, do you know him?”

“Francois?”

“That’s what other people called him.”

“Haha, so fortunate.”

She still grasped my hand, and wouldn’t let go.

“Miss, eat some yogurt. It is peach flavored. Taste it, I love eating it.” I wanted to take back my hand.

“I’ll read your hand for you, Miss. Acquaintance is fate.”

“I have a Chinese hand. You usually look at foreigners’s lines. Don’t speak nonsense.”

“Why are you going to Paris?”

“To see a friend.”

“Don’t go.”

I froze there.

The grannie let go of my hand, and looked at me: “When you get to the stop, please return.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Then try it.”

She drank the yogurt and saw the compartment in front of her: “The ticket checkers have come, I must go.”

I was actually the most superst.i.tious person. In China, I would always beg Bo Bo to help me divine my life. As of now, I had met a French half deity and her words of bad luck made my heart uneasy.

I sighed, I would go. It was nothing more than seeing Cheng Jia Yang once. I wanted to thank him. I wanted to thank him for giving me the opportunity to study abroad. It wasn’t possible for us to have an even more complicated relations.h.i.+p. I was very clear about this. Since it was already like this, how could the situation become worse? But that was the case.

I reached Paris, it was the afternoon, and walked around the subway, going up Concorde square, when I finally reached Jia Yang’s hotel.

When I entered, I saw banners written in French and Chinese: Pa.s.sionately welcoming the People’s Republic of China’s Congressmen to visit.

Such a good style.

I didn’t know how I looked at that moment, but the moment I entered, I was blocked by a smiling lobby manager.

“Miss are you here to stay or find someone?”

“I am looking for someone.” I said.

“Then please come this way.”

The foreigner was still smiling, laughing as he said: “Here, we have many high standard VIPs. Safety is the most important. Please forgive us, we only need to give a notice.” On the other side he was hypocritical, “Ah, you can actually speak French, really a miracle.”

My heart was very uncomfortable. I didn’t need to check the room number. Jia Yang had told it to me already. Now I was going to find him. We had already said that he would wait for me. But I had to take into account the face (reputation) of others. I went with him, and when we got to the front desk, I was just about to speak, when I noticed there was another Chinese woman registering next to me.

The woman’s clothes were bright and flashy with a set of Louis Vitton clothing. She used fluent English to say: “h.e.l.lo, I am here to find Mr. Cheng from the Chinese representative group. Please inform him.”

I lowered my head, looking for something in my bag, watching her speak.

The manager at the front desk said: “Miss, Mr. Cheng is waiting for you.”

My hand flicked.

A server asked: “Miss, can I help you?”

At this moment I lifted my head, about to leave, when I saw a familiar face.

I looked at her. She looked at me.

This face, so beautiful and powerful, a face in high spirits. I saw it before. I remembered she smiled towards Jia Yang. I was very chaotic right now. Jia Yang was waiting for her? Then what about me?

When the woman saw me she laughed: “Chinese? Hi.”

Of course she wouldn’t recognize me. I said “Hi”. She left. She went to go wait for her Jia Yang.

My bag fell on the floor.

The lobby of the hotel, Tiannan Haibei’s rich stream, its spring waiters waited to usher in more people; only myself, alone.

Here in me, is the cold empty city.

　　Cheng Jia Yang

After my meeting I waited for Qiao Fei in the hotel.

My heart pressured as I waited for a long time, drawing into a sensitive string. Whatever sounds at the entrance plunged my heart into chaos.

The front desk called to say she had come. I went to the entrance to wait. The room door was knocked, and I opened it in an instant.

It felt like I was falling through ice.

Wen Xiao Hua laughed like a flower: “Jia Yang, I wanted to give you a  surprise, why are you here waiting for me?”