Evelyn washed up in the bathroom. She walked out of the bedroom barefoot.
Alexander wasn't in the bedroom. She heard piano music drifting up from downstairs.
Evelyn walked down the circular staircase. She turned the corner and saw Alexander sitting at the piano. He played with complete focus, lost in the music.
Evelyn listened quietly. Her piano skills couldn't compare to his. She only knew a little bit about playing.
Alexander was a master. She had heard him play before. But it had never sounded as stunning as it did today.
Alexander stopped playing. He turned and saw Evelyn standing there. He didn't speak. He just looked at her quietly.
Evelyn came back to herself and smiled. "That sounded wonderful!"
"Which song do you like to listen to?" Alexander asked. He moved a seat and gestured for Evelyn to sit down.
"I used to love playing this one," Evelyn said. She walked over and sat beside him. She tried to play a piece from memory.
"Richard's Butterfly Lovers?" Alexander asked.
"Yes!" Evelyn answered happily. She turned her head to look at him. "But I've almost forgotten the score."
Alexander quickly found the sheet music. Then they played the song together, each using one hand.
Evelyn felt a rush of excitement. It was the first time she had ever played the piano like this.
Later, Evelyn would remember that day. She and Alexander had played "Butterfly Lovers" together. Back then, they were married but not in love.
They spent the lazy afternoon playing the piano. At dusk, they went for a walk by the sea.
Evelyn wore a thick down jacket. She was wrapped up like a dumpling.
Alexander was dressed the same as always. His dark coat seemed to be his favorite.
Evelyn couldn't help asking, "Aren't you cold?" She always thought Alexander was a cold person. At night, he would unconsciously hold her tight, as if he was freezing. Now he was only wearing three layers: a shirt, a sweater, and a cashmere coat.
Alexander turned to look at her. "No," he said softly.
"Oh," Evelyn replied. She said nothing more and walked slowly along the coastline.
The sunset painted the sea red. It softened the cold wind a little.
"Have you ever heard a saying?" Evelyn asked, turning to him.
"What saying?" Alexander asked.
"If I had an afterlife, I would want to be the sea," Evelyn said with a smile. "I would go to every corner of the world."
"Are you sure?" Alexander smiled. "Even the air can't reach some places."
Evelyn felt a headache coming on. She realized she and Alexander really couldn't chat. He had no sense of humor at all. He was too rational. He found counterexamples for everything she said. It was truly shocking.
"If there is an afterlife, what do you want to be?" Alexander asked Evelyn.
"I still want to be a human," Evelyn said after thinking for a long time.
"Why?"
"So I can eat all my favorite foods!" Evelyn replied happily.
"Eating," Alexander said with a smile.
"Don't you think being human is a great pleasure?" Evelyn turned her head to look at him.
Alexander nodded with a smile. He thought it was funny, but he couldn't argue with it.
"So sometimes, things don't need to be too complicated," Evelyn said seriously. "Just find one reason to support it."
"Like why I married you?" she said.
The next second, she realized what she had said. She turned to look at Alexander with an embarrassed smile.
"I married you for that ten million, right?"
"To be honest, don't be angry," Evelyn said with emotion. "At that time, I really had no way out. The company went bankrupt. The big deal was to start from scratch. But I couldn't watch my dad go to jail because he owed money to the bank."
"If you had to make a new choice, would you still be willing?"
"Yes," Evelyn replied with a smile. "Because if I made a new choice, wouldn't all the original problems still exist?"
Her family still had no money to turn things around. The company was still facing bankruptcy. Her father would still be arrested for debt. Nothing had changed.
"What if those problems didn't exist?" Alexander teased her.
"How could they not exist?"
"I would be willing to give your family ten million for free," Alexander said. "Then those problems wouldn't exist."
"But why would you give my family ten million for no reason?"
"Just to help you."
"But you didn't know me back then," Evelyn said. "How could you be willing to help me? What if the ten million was a loss?"
Alexander looked at Evelyn's serious face. She completely couldn't understand his behavior. He felt a mix of tears and laughter.
"Can't you just think of me as a kind-hearted person?"
"But there should be a reason for everything."
"Alright," Alexander said. "Even if I know you now, I'm willing to pay this money to help your family. Then you don't have to marry me. What would you choose?"
"Since I don't have to marry you, I don't have to choose," Evelyn said. She looked at him with a teasing expression.
Alexander touched his nose. For the first time, he realized he had been outsmarted by a young girl.
"Do you regret it?" Alexander asked again.
Evelyn shook her head. From the beginning, she knew why she married Alexander. Since she had accepted this reality from the start, how could she regret it?
Besides, Alexander was much better than she had imagined. She had nothing to complain about.
Except that he was gay.
But wasn't that the reason she agreed to marry him in the first place?
So what was there to complain about now?
Evelyn thought about why Alexander suddenly said these words to her. Maybe after the wedding, he wanted to live with his real partner. He wouldn't be able to accompany her like this anymore. He probably felt guilty.
Evelyn turned to Alexander and said seriously, "Actually, you don't have to worry about me. It doesn't matter to me. Just do what makes you happy. Whenever you need me in the future, I'll help you. Don't overthink it. Society is open now. Many things are acceptable. You'll feel normal about it later."
After saying that, she stood on her tiptoes and patted Alexander on the shoulder to cheer him up.
Alexander was stunned by Evelyn's words. He frowned and asked, "Evelyn, what are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter," Evelyn said. "I won't say anything. I'll keep your secret."
She ran forward with a smile.
Alexander watched her retreating figure. For a moment, he couldn't react.
Finally, he could only shake his head, torn between tears and laughter. It seemed there was a big generation gap between him and Evelyn. She often didn't understand what he said. Or it took her several beats to understand. And what she said was even more puzzling to him.
Although they were only eight years apart, they seemed to live in two different times.