Stephanie did not say goodbye.
Her single “bye-bye” expressed all her heartfelt wishes.
If it were not for Charlie wade, she would not have become a singer. Although she had great talent in this area, she could not say she loved it.
Her core motivation was to find Charlie wade. After accidentally meeting him, she had already begun to think about retiring.
At this moment on the stage, colourful ribbons fluttered down from the sky, mixing with the falling snowflakes in a beauty that was breathtaking.
Yet Stephanie merely waved to the audience below, bowed, and then stood at the entrance of the lift, quickly disappearing from the stage.
As the colourful ribbons gradually fell, people realised that Stephanie’s figure was no longer on the stage.
At that moment, all the lights in the venue came on, and the speakers broadcast the staff’s announcement: “Tonight’s performance ends here. Please exit in an orderly manner, avoid crowding, and take your rubbish with you when leaving. Thank you for your cooperation!”
Few fans moved. Instead, they cried in groups in their seats.
Those Hong Kong and Taiwan singers often held farewell concerts announcing their retirement from the music industry. Although everyone knew they would make a comeback in a few years, fans would still cry their eyes out at the farewell concerts.
Stephanie was different from them. Everyone knew that once she retired, she would definitely not come back.
Claire Wilson could not help but shed two lines of hot tears. Her heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife, because she knew that after this performance, the final countdown time with Charlie wade had decreased by another three hours.
Charlie wade, being obtuse, thought her tears were for Stephanie, so he gently comforted her: “Come on, wife, don’t be sad. Life is full of comings and goings. It’s the same with friends and family, and with chasing stars.”
Claire Wilson wiped away her tears, nodded gently, then stood up and said: “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
“Okay.” Charlie wade agreed, took her hand, and left the venue with her.
The hotel was not far from the venue. The two walked back in the heavy snow, and when they returned to the room, it was nearly eleven o’clock at night.
Claire Wilson found the hotel staff and asked them to deliver the cake she had ordered to the room. She said to Charlie wade: “Good thing we made it back in time to celebrate your birthday in the room.”
Charlie wade smiled slightly and returned to the room with her.
The staff soon delivered the cake, along with two bottles of fine red wine.
The cake Claire Wilson had ordered was a pure white heart shape, without any fancy decorations or particularly tacky blessings. There was only one phrase: “Love of My Life”
Translated into Chinese, the most appropriate term would be: “Lifelong Beloved.”
Charlie wade knew that this line of English must have been requested by Claire Wilson from the cake shop. At this moment, his heart was filled with emotion.
Although their marriage was arranged, after these years of hardships, it seemed they had finally developed true feelings.
Charlie wade deliberately asked her: “Wife, what does this line mean?”
Claire Wilson looked at him, a bit shyly asking: “Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to?”
Charlie wade laughed: “I understand, but I still want to hear you say it.”
Claire Wilson smiled and deliberately said: “This line is the name of a song.”
With that, she opened her phone, searched in the music app, and soon soft music played, with a melodious and lingering voice coming from the phone speaker.
“Love of my life, you’ve hurt me. Lifelong beloved, you hurt me.
You’ve broken my heart and now you leave me. You broke my heart and left me.
Love of my life can’t you see. Lifelong beloved, can’t you see?
Bring it back, bring it back. Bring love back, bring love back.
Don’t take it away from me, because you don’t know. Don’t take it away from me, because you don’t know,
What it means to me. What it means to me…”
“You will remember when this is blown over. You will remember when all this calms down.
And everything’s all by the way. And everything develops as desired.
When I grow older. When I grow older.
I will be there at your side to remind you. I will be there by your side to remind you.
How I still love you. How I still love you…”
The lyrics of this song were calm yet poignant, perfectly fitting Claire Wilson’s current inner feelings, and also the words she most wanted to say to Charlie wade.
Yet Charlie wade, although he understood every lyric of the song, did not think there was any deeper meaning in it.
Besides, his mind was a bit dazed, because he remembered that when he was little, his mother often listened to this song, but he was too young then and did not remember it clearly.
So, he asked with some surprise: “Wife, what’s this song called? It sounds particularly familiar!”
Claire Wilson pointed to the English letters on the cake and said: “That’s the song title.”
Charlie wade asked again: “Who sings it?”
Claire Wilson said: “A British band called Queen.”
“Queen…” Charlie wade suddenly realised: “I know, the band that sings We Will Rock You?”
“Yes.” Claire Wilson nodded and asked him: “Have you heard this song before?”
“Yes.” Charlie wade said truthfully: “I heard it when I was very young, but I didn’t know the name then, and I haven’t heard it since.”
Claire Wilson smiled: “This song is very nice, but it’s old, probably more than fifty years old.”
