Evershining Stars, Everlasting Love



As soon as I got off work, I went to Qiang Mo's house and knocked on his door. It's my sister-in-law who came to open the door. She stood before me with disheveled hair and dispirited look.

I pushed her away and shouted harshly, "Qiang Mo, get out of there."

My sister-in-law stood behind me in fear. It might be the first time that she's ever seen a normally mild-mannered person like me get mad like that. She stood trembling behind me and was afraid that I might vent my anger on her also.

Qiang Mo opened the door from the room and walked out indifferently. Seeing me, he greeted me as usual, "You're back."

"Qiang Mo, what exactly do you mean? How many times have I told you not to gamble? But you don't listen to me. And you ask those scoundrels to my company." I looked at Qiang Mo angrily and said.

"There is nothing I can do?" Qiang Mo frowned and said shamelessly.

"You can do nothing, right?" I said. I walked to him and raised my hand to punch him with my fists. I felt sorry for my parents. Why had they given birth to such an unfilial son? I felt aggrieved for myself. Why I have such a brother?

Qiang Mo was beaten more than he could stand. He took my arm and pushed me away. Then I lost my footing and sat on the ground. After seeing that, my sister-in-law immediately stepped forward to help me. "Are you OK?" She asked concernedly in a low voice.

I gritted my teeth and shook my head. I looked at my sister-in-law and said in a hateful and angry tone, "Sister-in-law, it's nothing big that you don't care about him, but why you be his guarantor? It's a million yuan. Do you have any idea what a million yuan means to us?"

My sister-in-law didn't dare to answer. She lowered her head quietly and listened to my scolding. Her helpless tears fell on the ground, dissolving into a watery shadow.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

I knew I was a little grumpy at that moment. It had all happened and my scolding was of no use. What mattered was to figure out a way.

“Give me the property ownership certificate and I'll take the mortgage to get some money. Then think about how to get the rest of the money.” I said. I reached out my hand to get the property ownership certificate, but I didn't expect that he still stood there motionlessly.

I thought he didn't hear me and repeated. Qiang Mo frowned and said apologetically, "The house has already been mortgaged, or I would give the property ownership certificate to brother Bao today."

Qiang Mo's words, like a thunder in a sunny day, struck me and made me lost consciousness. I leaned feebly against the cold wall and stared at Qiang Mo in disbelief. If I had a dagger in my hand at that moment, I would stab him in the chest without hesitation. I scold Jerry scum every day, but I didn't expect that the biggest scum in the world is my own brother.

I froze and looked ahead with dull eyes. My emotion outburst suddenly and I shouted at Qiang Mo, “What should we do? Qiang Mo, you tell me, how can we pay back a million yuan?"

Qiang Mo suddenly knelt at me feet, pulling my clothes and shaking it with no dignity. "Nance, you ask Jerry to help me out for the last time." Qiang Mo said. His expression and movements reminded me of the day of my birthday. The same scene happened again, but this time I refused Qiang Mo coldly.

"Jerry and I have divorced and he doesn't owe me anything. I won't beg him with a thick skin. And I'm warning you, don't let our parents know your troubles. If anything bad happened to them, I will kill you." I said.

I wanted to leave, but Qiang Mo held on to me. Men do not easily shed tears. But he didn't be mean on tears. He set his eyes at flow.

I was painful when heard his cries.

I looked back and saw my sister-in-law's misty eyes. What's the matter with Mo family? Have Qiang Mo's gambling addiction become more and more during the past three years?

I couldn't tell whether it's Jerry's indulgence or Qiang Mo's depravity.

Where could I get a million yuan? My mind was in a mess and I didn't know what to do. Should I just watch Qiang Mo be tortured to death by usury?

I wanted him to die, but I was afraid that my parents would suffer the pain of losing their son. And my poor sister-in law has never had a good day in Mo family. She lived on tenterhooks every day with a wimpy man.

"Nance, just help him this time. He won't do that anymore." My sister-in-law couldn't just watch my brother beg me pitifully and said some good words for him.

"It's not that I don't help him. But I really have no money. I didn't get any money from Jerry. After renting the apartment for a year and buying the furniture, I had only a little money left for food." I looked at my sister-in-law and said honestly.

As soon as I said that, Qiang Mo stopped crying. He sat on the ground helplessly and stared on the floor desperately. My sister-in-law smiled decadently. Then she squat down and hit Qiang Mo in a gut-wrenching way.

Their home looks not like a home. My brother promised my sister-in-law a happy family, but it was ruined by gambling. I looked at them with a blank expression, but my heart was more frightened than theirs.

I promised the loan sharks that I would repay the money in three days. I pushed myself into the whirlpool.

I didn't know how I got out of Qiang Mo's house. I walked quietly all the way. The cold wind of late autumn mercilessly blew on my face. I tightened my lips not to let the bitter tears of life fall.

After I took the bus back to my apartment, I sat quietly on my bed. I curled up my legs and buried my head in my knees. I didn't know how to resolve the situation.

I finally realized how important money really is. No wonder Jerry's mother and Vince's grandmother repeatedly stress the importance of well-matched marriage. Whoever around me would fall on evil days.

Then my phone rang. I turned my face and saw Vince's name on the screen. I reached out to pick up the phone on the quilt and pressed the answer key.

"Hello!" I said.

"Did you quit your job?" Vince asked. The only thing on Vince's mind is my resignation and he would never know what had happened to me today.

"Not yet, but I will be fired soon." I smiled desolately and said. No company wants its employees to be associated with loan sharks, who make troubles every other day or so.

"What's wrong? You made a terrible mistake?" Vince joked on the phone.

I cried silently and was afraid he would hear. I covered my mouth and said, "Yes, I made a terrible mistake and the boss doesn't want people like me anymore."

"Then you just stay at home." Vince said. He seemed to be satisfied with my answer.

"Vince..." I whispered his name.

“What's the matter?" He said. He seemed to know something and asked concernedly.

"Nothing. I'm tired and want to sleep." I said calmly. After hearing he say "OK", I hung up the phone. I knew Vince want to talk to me, but I was afraid that I couldn't control my emotions if I talk much with him.

I didn't ask Vince for the money. I didn't know if there would be second time or more after I asked him for the first time, until he gets tired of me.

The root of evil lies in Qiang Mo's inability to stop gambling. If he knew I was with Vince, he would gamble even more unscrupulous. I couldn't let that happen.

Just when I could not eat or sleep because I worried about the one million debt, a phone call of Qi Ouyang settled all my worries.

She seemed to be watching me all the time. She seemed to know everything that's been going on with me lately. The only thing she didn't know is that I'm pregnant.

Qi Ouyang's long and white hand pushed a check across the coffee table. "Take it. I know a million yuan is your lifeline now." She said with her rose- like lips curling slightly.

I looked at the check in silence. Then I looked up and met her eyes, saying, "Just say what you want. I'm sure it's not that easy to get a million yuan. Do you want me to break up with Vince?"

I've guessed that the million yuan may be break-up fee, but I just asked again.

"You pay the loan sharks with this 1 million yuan. Then I will give you another 1 million yuan to make your life a little easier." Qi Ouyang looked at me haughtily with raised eyebrows and said.

"I can ask Vince for the money. What makes you think that I'll take your money?" I said confusedly. I didn't know from which point Qi Ouyang saw my weakness.

Qi Ouyang smiled and took a sip from her coffee. "As far as I know, when you divorced you ex-husband, you didn't ask him for money. If you are the woman who worships the golden calf, you would ask for a lot of money before divorce. But you didn't. That is, you don't want to bow to a man to get money. Am I right?" Qi Ouyang said slowly.

I said nothing, because she said something right.

"I believe Vince will give you the money if you ask him. But you're not sure if your brother will stop gambling. If your brother knows that you are Vince's woman, I believe your brother will keep blackmailing Yi family. Finally you will be the enemy of Vince or even Yi family."

Qi Ouyang put down her coffee cup and looked at me with a confident smile. "A woman of your rank will never be able to contest with me. I have a good figure, beauty and rich family. Only me, who is of Vince's class is his final choice. You must admit it." Qi Ouyang said.

My heart ached but I endured all the pain and smiled. I was speechless.

"Take it!" Qi Ouyang said. She seemed certain that I would accept her check. Indeed, I was forced to the point of cornering by Qiang Mo. There were only two ways in front of me: ask Vince for money, or take Qi Ouyang's money. Both of them are difficult for me. And each of them could change my life.

If I take Qi Ouyang's money, I will have to break up with Vince and the baby in my womb will lose its father. If I choose to borrow money form Vince, then I am truly shameless.

Without marriage, we're just living together. It's shameless to ask him for 1 million yuan before we declared we were in a relationship.

I smiled wryly. I am poor but arrogant. I didn't want to take money from either side.

Had it not been for Qiang Mo's troubles, I believe I would have had a very good life. I even wanted to let the loan sharks to remove one of Qiang Mo's leg to let him always remember the dangers of gambling. But I could not bear to see the look of pain of my parents and sister-in-law.

Then my phone rang. I was stunned for a while and then took a look. It's my sister-in-law who's calling and I answered.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I took the check on the table and said to Qi Ouyang, "I owe you a million yuan." Before Qi Ouyang knew it, I took the money and left.