Rebirth 05: From Coal Mine Owner to Mobile Phone Tycoon

The rain outside the window kept falling, pounding against the glass as if trying to soak the whole world.

Lu Yuan leaned against the headboard, holding Wang Fei in his arms. Strands of her hair clung to her cheeks, a few sticking to the corners of her mouth, which he gently brushed away. She didn't move, but simply looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tiny, flickering lights, like rain-dampened stars or the embers of a burnt-out ember, glowing and fading.

He was looking at her too.

The two stared at each other, neither speaking. The room was quiet, save for the sound of rain and their own uneven breathing. Their breaths mingled, indistinguishable as to whose was heavier or hotter.

Wang Fei looked away first. She lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on his Adam's apple, on his collarbone, on his chest—an inch, two inches, three inches. With each step downwards, Lu Yuan felt his heart beat faster. He couldn't help but swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Wang Fei saw it.

She suddenly smiled, a very soft smile, the corners of her mouth curving only slightly, but the light in her eyes suddenly shone brightly, almost blindingly so.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Yuan asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Look at you," she said, her voice hoarse, as if something had crushed and then pieced back together, carrying an indescribable softness.

Lu Yuan didn't reply, but simply pulled her closer to him. She leaned even closer, pressing her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump—it was incredibly fast, like a drumbeat.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she said quietly.

"Um."

Why?

Lu Yuan looked down at her, only seeing the top of her dark hair and a small section of her earlobe peeking out from between the strands, white with a faint pink tinge. He suddenly wanted to kiss that spot.

He did kiss her.

Wang Fei trembled; her ears were her most ticklish spot. She tried to pull away, but he held her even tighter. His lips pressed against her earlobe, gently, again and again, like a feather brushing against it. Her breathing became erratic, her body went limp, as soft as water, entirely supported by his arms.

That sound

Ethereal, pristine, like a mountain stream, or a song drifting from a distant land. But the stream was turbulent, the song shattered, broken into countless fragments, each carrying a scalding heat, falling upon Lu Yuan's heart.

He remembered that she had said her voice was a gift from God.

She wasn't singing at that moment, but her voice was more beautiful than any song.

Lu Yuan turned her around so she was facing him. Her face was flushed, her lips were swollen from biting them, and there were two pools of water in her eyes that made one's heart tremble.

He couldn't help but lower his head. One, two, three—each beat was like a drumbeat of life, striking his heart.

Wang Fei's breathing became erratic.

A long, drawn-out sound came from her throat, a sound that lingered and rose, reaching a high point before slowly falling back down, forming a soft ripple.

The rain outside intensified, pounding against the glass as if trying to wash the whole world clean. Occasionally, lightning flashed across the night sky.

Wang Fei opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears, strikingly bright. She wanted to say something, her lips moved, but she only exhaled a breath and pressed herself against his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

She didn't answer, but simply pulled him closer.

A long time passed—or perhaps only a short while—before that ethereal voice suddenly rang out again amidst the sound of rain, higher than before, as if it had been lifted to the clouds by something and then gently lowered down.

There seems to be some noise next door.

But nobody cared.

Wang Fei gripped his arm tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh. She was trembling all over, from the inside out, from the very marrow of her bones, trembling like a leaf in the wind, trembling like a stranded fish.

Lu Yuan looked down at her.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes wet and stuck together. Her lips were slightly parted, she was breathing heavily, and her chest was heaving. Her face was flushed red, even the tips of her ears were red.

He just stared at it for a long time.

Then he lowered his head and touched her eyelids with his lips, touched the tip of her nose, and finally touched the corner of her lips.

"Sister Fei," he called softly.

She didn't respond, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly into a shallow arc.

After a while, she opened her eyes. The tears in her eyes hadn't completely faded; they were bright and soft, like the moon after the rain.

"You little rascal," she said, her voice incredibly soft, husky, and sweet.

Lu Yuan laughed and pulled her into his arms again: "Who told you to use all your energy on singing?"

She looked up at him, but there was a smile in her eyes.

"Your voice," Lu Yuan said, looking at her seriously, "is deadly when paired with that...that kind of emotion."

Wang Fei was stunned for a moment.

She remembered someone saying something similar many years ago. They said she could make people cry the moment she opened her mouth, that she could sing her way to their souls. But that was when she was singing. Just now, she wasn't singing, she was just…

Her face flushed even more.

"But it's yours now." She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled and soft, "It's only for you to sing."

Lu Yuan didn't speak.

He simply held her tighter, so tight that he could feel her heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, gradually merging with his own heartbeat.

The rain is still falling outside the window.

The water gurgled and gurgled, as if it would never stop.

But this little house is as warm as another world.

Wang Fei nestled in his arms, her fingers idly drawing circles on his chest. She didn't know what she was drawing; she was just gently tracing names, like a child's boredom.

Lu Yuan took her hand and kissed it.

She looked up at him, the smile still lingering in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I miss you," she said, then paused and added, "Why is missing you so mean?"

What's wrong with me?

"You're bad in every way." She said, laughing first. "This is only the second time I've met you. I thought you were a decent person, but who knew..."

"Who knows what?"

She didn't answer, but simply buried her face further into his chest.

Lu Yuan held her quietly, his eyes smiling.

You seem to have some misunderstanding about what "upright" means. I'm a coal mine owner, you know. Being too upright in this industry will get you exploited to the bone.

After a long while, Wang Fei suddenly spoke again: "Lu Yuan."

"Um?"

"Why do you think people change?"

He looked down at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I used to think that this was how my life would be." Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, "After I semi-retired, I wouldn't sing if I didn't want to, living a free and easy life, as plain as water, but..."

She paused, looked up at him, her eyes bright: "But after meeting you, I suddenly felt that the world had color again."

Lu Yuan looked at her, his heart softening completely.

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

It was very light and soft, like a feather falling on the water.

Wang Fei closed her eyes and smiled.

The sound of rain outside seemed to have lessened, changing from a roar to a gentle patter, softly tapping on the window, as if providing accompaniment for the night.

The two lay there quietly, neither speaking nor moving. Only their breathing, soft and shallow, mingled together, indistinguishable from one another.

After a long time, Wang Fei moved again, shifting to a more comfortable position in his arms.

"Lu Yuan."

"Um?"

"In the future..." she paused, "If I can't sing anymore, will you still hold me like this?"

Lu Yuan didn't answer, but simply hugged her tighter.

It was so tight she could feel the vibrations in his chest, so tight she could hear his heartbeat.

"If you can't sing anymore, I'll hold you," he said, his voice low and deep. "If you want to hear me sing, I'll sing for you. Even though I'm not a good singer, I'll try my best."

Wang Fei burst out laughing.

Lu Yuan laughed too: "Then just listen to it."

"I won't settle." She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled. "I want you to learn well and sing it for me."

"Okay," he said. "You teach me."

"it is good."

The rain is still falling outside the window, gently and softly.

The room was warm and cozy. The two of them held each other, talking about trivial things, their conversation flowing casually. Occasionally he would kiss the top of her head, and occasionally she would nuzzle against his chest. Time seemed to stand still, yet it also seemed to flow by incredibly fast.

Later, Wang Fei got sleepy, her eyelids started to droop, and her speech became slurred.

Lu Yuan gently patted her back, as if coaxing a child.

"Go to sleep," he said.

She made a soft "hmm" sound and snuggled even closer into his arms.

The sound of rain outside the window gradually faded away, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Lu Yuan suddenly felt that his life had been worthwhile.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her lips.

It was very, very light, as if afraid of disturbing a dream.

"Goodnight, Fei-jie," he said.

She didn't respond, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly into a shallow arc.

The rain outside the window stopped sometime ago.

Moonlight peeked through the clouds, filtering through the gaps in the curtains and casting a small patch of silvery white light on the ground.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and hugged the person in his arms even tighter.

The night is still long.

But that's okay, they have plenty of time.