Chapter 24 Part IV Physical and mental exhaustion-4

Suzy and I stayed outside the bar for a while longer.People began to leave in twos and threes, some with trophies in their hands, telling each other at what price they got it.Someone passed us with the little paper shredder and bottles of lavender bee jelly, a girl lugging a pulley box full of clothes, and others with the paper on the cover. Invitations printed with sparkling pizza... I was standing outside and started to feel a little cold when there were voices calling for us from the other side of the stairs. "Hi," Taxin yelled, "it's the last one. Come and see, shall we?"

"Come on," Suzie said, pinching out the cigarette in her hand. "Got to see what's going on with this last lot. What's that?" "I don't know," I said as we climbed the stairs. "Probably a fencing mask." We go inside.Seeing this last lot still shakes my heart.Casper held up my Denny and George scarf.That's my beloved Denny and George scarf.The bright blue background and soft velvet exude a layer of light blue elegance and nobility, dotted with iridescent crystal beads. I stood aside and stared at the scarf, my throat felt tight, and the scene when I bought this scarf came back vividly before my eyes.I wanted to buy it so much.Luke lent me £20 on the sidelines.I excused that I bought it for my aunt.

Every time I put the scarf on, Luke looks at me approvingly. My vision was a little blurry, and I blinked hard, trying to control my emotions. "Bex... don't sell this scarf," Susie said, and she also looked at the scarf with a sad expression on her face, "Just keep one, just this one." "Lot 126," said Casper, "is a beautiful velvet scarf." "Bex, tell them you've changed your mind!" "I haven't changed my mind," I said, still looking straight ahead. "There's no point in keeping it now." "Who will be the first to bid on this high-end scarf from Denny and George?"

"Denny and George!" cried the girl in pink, craning her neck and looking forward.She already had a pile of clothes beside her, and I don't know how she got them home afterwards. "I love Denny and George! £30!" "There's an offer of £30," Casper yelled.He looked around, but the people in the house were leaving one after another, and they were queuing up to get the items he had photographed.There were also people buying a drink at the bar, and the few people still sitting in the chairs were whispering to each other. "Anyone else bid on this Denny and George scarf?"

"Yes!" someone yelled from behind the house, and I saw a girl in a dark dress, who held up her hand. "I got a phone call and asked for £35." "Forty pounds," the girl in pink called out at once. "Fifty pounds," cried the dark-clad girl. "Fifty pounds?" said the girl in pink, who turned to look at the back row. "Who paid? Mickey Sloan?" "The bidder wishes to remain anonymous," the girl in dark clothes said after a pause.Her eyes met mine, and at that moment my heart seemed to stop beating. "I'm sure it's Mickey," said the girl, looking back. "Well, she can't beat me. Sixty pounds."

"Sixty pounds?" said the man next to her, looking a little surprised at the pile of clothes at the girl's feet. "£60 for a scarf?" "It's a Denny and George scarf, idiot!" said the girl in pink, raising her glass and taking a swig. "At least £200 in the shop. £70! Oh, no, no. It's not my turn yet, is it?" The girl in the dark dress was talking quietly to the person on the other end of the phone.Then she looked up at Casper. "100 pounds." "100 pounds?" The girl in pink turned and looked at the back row again. "it is true?"

"Someone offered £100," Casper said calmly. "This Denny and George scarf is now being offered at £100. Anyone else bid more?" "£120," yelled the girl in pink.After a moment of silence, the girl in dark clothes was speaking quietly into the microphone again.Then, looking up, she called out, "£150." There was a commotion in the room, and the people chatting at the bar turned their eyes back to the auction table. "£150," Casper said. "Lot 126, a Denny and George scarf, is asking £150." "That's more than I paid for it!" I whispered to Suzie.

"The price is from a telephone bidder, £150. Ladies and gentlemen, £150!" The room fell silent, and there was tension in the air—suddenly, I realized that my fingernails were digging deep into the flesh of my palm. "Two hundred pounds," the girl in pink shouted desperately, causing a gasp of exclamation from the room. "To your client, Miss Mickey Sloan, who dare not reveal her name, I will pay whatever price she offers." Everyone turned their heads, looked at the girl in dark clothes, who was talking into the microphone, and then nodded again. "My client has given up," she said, lifting her face.I felt an inexplicable disappointment, but a smile on my face concealed the inner frustration.

"Two hundred pounds!" I said to Suzie. "That's a good deal!" "Once...twice...deal," Casper yelled, tapping his mallet on the table. "The lady in pink bought it." People applauded enthusiastically, and Casper greeted the surrounding crowd with a smile on his face.He picked up the scarf and was about to hand it to Fanny when I stepped forward and stopped him. "Wait a minute," I said, "I'd like to hand it to her myself if I can." I took the scarf from Casper, held it gently in my hand, and paused, feeling the delicate and soft touch of its familiar tulle fabric.I can still smell the scent of the perfume I used.I feel Luke gently wrap it around my neck.

Girl wearing a Denny and George scarf. Immediately, I took a deep breath, walked off the platform, and walked up to the girl in pink.I smiled and handed her the scarf. "Use it well," I said, "it's special." "Oh, I know," she said quietly, "I know it's special." We looked at each other, and I thought she knew exactly what I meant.At this time, she turned around and held up the scarf, showing the arrogance of winning the auction. "Mickey, to hell!" I turned and walked slowly back to the platform, where Casper was sitting in a chair on the platform, looking very tired.

"Nice shot," I said, sitting down next to him. "Thank you so much. You did a great job!" "It's nothing," Casper said, "I like taking pictures of this kind of household items. It's really different from the situation of taking pictures of early German porcelain." He pointed to the notepad in his hand again. "I don't think the result of the auction was bad." "That's great!" said Suzie, who also came and sat aside, handing Casper another beer. "Honestly, Bex, you can pay all your debts now." She sighed approvingly. "Look, it totally shows that you're not doing anything wrong. Shopping is an investment. I mean, like, how much did you make on that Denny and George scarf?" "Hmm..." I closed my eyes and calculated in my heart. "About... 60%?" "60% return! Less than a year! See? It's better than buying shit stocks!" She took out a cigarette and lit it with a lighter. "Look, I'm also considering putting my belongings up for auction." "Oh, you have nothing," I said to her, "you cleared it all." "Well, yes." Suzie's face fell, "God, how could I just clean it up like that?" I put my elbows on the armrest and closed my eyes.Suddenly, for no apparent reason, I felt extremely tired. "So you're leaving tomorrow," Casper said, taking a sip of his beer. "Yes, tomorrow," I said along with him, opening my eyes to the ceiling.Tomorrow I'm leaving the UK and flying to the US to start my new life there.Leave it all behind and start a new life in a new place.For some reason, it seemed to me that this was not true. "It's not a red-eye flight in the early morning?" He said, looking at his watch again. "No, thank you." I was on a five o'clock flight. "That's good," Casper nodded, "There's plenty of time in the day to get ready." "Oh, yes." I sat up straight and said, and glanced at Susie again, Susie smiled at me, "There is enough time to finish the remaining chores at hand." "Becky! Glad you changed your mind!" Zelda yelled as soon as she saw me.I got up from the sofa in the reception room and smiled at her. "Everybody was so happy to know you were coming! What made you change your mind?" "Oh, I don't know either," I said cheerfully, "it's... what is it?" "Okay, I'll take you to the dressing room now...we're still the same mess as before. So, we moved your show a little earlier..." "That's all right," I said, "the sooner the better." "I gotta say, you look fine," Zelda said, looking me up and down, slightly disappointed. "Have you lost weight?" "I think, lighten up a little bit." "Yeah... that's stressful," she said smartly. "Stress is an invisible killer. We have a show next week talking about it. Come on!" she yelled, hugging me into the dressing room . "This is Becky..." "Zelda, we know Becky," Crowe said.Chloe has been my makeup artist since I first made "Good Morning Coffee."She made a face at me in the vanity mirror, and I tried my best not to laugh. "Oh, yes, you do! I'm sorry, Becky, I've been treating you as a guest just now! Chloe, don't make Becky too beautiful today. We don't want her to look too good. Bright and happy, eh?" she said, lowering her voice again. "Use waterproof mascara. In fact, waterproof everything. See you later!" Zelda ran out in a hurry, and Crowe cast a contemptuous glance at her back. "Hmph," she said, "I'll make up for you so that you look radiant, extra bright, and extra happy." "Thanks, Chloe," I said, giving her a small smile, and sat down in my chair. "Oh, don't tell me what waterproof mascara you think you should use," she continued, wrapping a bib around my chest and shoulders. "Not at all," I said firmly, "I can't even think about forcing me with a gun." "Then they're really going to put a gun on you," said a girl at the other end of the dressing room, and we both couldn't help laughing. “All I can say is, I hope they pay you a good price for this show,” Khloe said, as she began to put foundation on my face. "Yes," I said, "they're paying a decent price. But that's not what I'm here for." Half an hour later, I was sitting in the lounge when Claire Edwards came in.She's wearing a dark green suit that doesn't match her skin tone and hairstyle at all - is this just my perception or is someone trying to make her look pale on purpose? She would definitely look very pale in the light of the photography . It was Ke Luo's intention, I thought so, and I secretly smiled in my heart. "Hi," Claire said to me, looking uncomfortable seeing me, "hello, Becky." "Hi, Claire," I said. "Long time no see." "Yes. Um." She clasped her hands together and twisted into a ball. "I'm sorry to hear the bad news about you." "Thanks," I said nonchalantly, "that really lives up to the saying 'bad things travel a long way,' doesn't it, Claire?" Claire blushed and looked away, and I felt a little guilty about my slightly harsh words.It wasn't her fault that I was fired after all. "Honestly, I'm glad you took the job," I said softly. "I think you've done a great job." "Okay!" Zelda rushed into the room like a gust of wind. "It's all set. It's about to start, Becky." We walked out of the break room, and she put a hand on my arm. "I know, this is a very difficult thing for you. We are prepared and will wait patiently for you to enter... Besides, if you really can't hold on, just cry, no matter what... No need Worry." "Thanks, Zelda," I said, nodding earnestly. "I'll keep that in mind." We went to the camera set, and Rory and Emma were there, sitting on the couch.I glanced as I walked past the camera monitors, and saw that the picture of me in New York was playing on the monitor screen, but the camera lens was zoomed in to make it very large, and it was covered in red. The caption on the screen read "Baby The Secret of the Base Tragedy". "Hi, Becky," Emma said to me once I sat down, patting the back of my hand sympathetically. "Are you okay? Would you like a tissue?" "Well... no thanks," I said in a low voice, "but, you see, it might work later." "It's pretty gutsy of you to do this show," Rory said, looking at the notepad in his hand and adding, "You and your parents are having a hard time, is there anything like that?" "Count down, five," Zelda called from the edge of the field, "Four..." "Welcome back to the show," Emma said with a stern face to the camera. "Next, we'd like to introduce you to a very special guest. Many viewers are very excited about Becky, a former financial consultant on our show." The matter of Miss Bloomwood is very concerned. Of course, judging from the situation reported by the "Daily World", Becky herself is still far from financial security." The photo of me shopping came back on the surveillance screen, followed by a series of tabloid headlines on the incident, with "Hey Spenders" playing in the background. "Well, Becky," said Emma as the music faded away, "we would like to begin by saying that we offer you our heartfelt concern and sympathy for the plight you are in. At the same time, we would like to ask our new Claire Edwards, a financial expert at , talks about what you could have done to prevent this tragedy from happening. Now, to give our viewers a little more clarity on your situation...can you tell us exactly what you owe now? How much?" "I am very happy to have this opportunity, Emma," I said, taking a deep breath. "At the moment, the amount of my debt is..." I paused, and I could feel the tension in the whole studio, as if Waiting for a blockbuster to land. "zero". "Zero?" Emma looked at Rory, as if wanting to prove to him that she heard correctly. "zero?" "Mr. John Gavin, my Overdraft Credit Manager, will be pleased to assure you that at 9.30am this year, I have paid my debts in full. I have paid every single amount owed." A small smile crept into my face as I remembered the look on John Gavin's face when I handed him the huge roll of cash.How I wish to see him contort his face, scream, and look like he has a nervous breakdown.But to be fair, when he counted a few thousand pounds, he started to smile, and got his colleagues in the bank to gather around to watch.At the end, he shook my hand very sincerely - saying that he now understands why Mr. Derek Smeez treated me in the first place. I wondered what old Smeez would say now? "So, you see, I'm not in any trouble at all," I added, "in fact, I'm better off than I've ever been." "Yeah," Emma said, "I see." There was a worried look in her eyes—I thought Barry must be yelling something at her through the headset. "But even if you're temporarily out of debt, your life is in a mess," she said, leaning forward, in a sympathetic tone, "and you're out of a job...friends are avoiding you... ..." "On the contrary, I am not unemployed. I am flying to the United States this afternoon to pursue a new career there. This is a bit of a gamble for me... Of course it will be a challenge, but I sincerely I thought I would have a good time working and living there. My friends..." My voice was a little choked, and I took a deep breath, "My friends helped me through this. It was me My friends are firmly supporting me." Oh my God, I can't believe it.Speaking of this, tears welled up in his eyes.I blinked hard continuously to keep the tears from streaming down.Meanwhile, I looked at Emma with a big smile on my face. "So, honestly, my experience wasn't a failure. Yes, I was in debt; yes, I was fired. But I tried to fix it." I turned my face to the camera. "I would like to say to the audience friends who have disrupted their life arrangements like me... You can also get through this. Get up and sell your extra clothes and find a job again. It's okay Started over, like I am now!" The studio was silent.Suddenly, there is applause from behind a camera.I looked over in amazement - and saw Dave, the cameraman, smiling at me, silently mouthing "Good job!"Garren, the stage manager, also joined in... and someone else... At this time, the whole studio applauded, only Emma and Rory looked at each other--and Zelda, who was desperately Speak into the microphone near your mouth. "Okay!" Emma said, raising her voice to drown out the applause. "Well... let's take a break for a while--join our show later, and continue to pay attention to our topic today: Becky's... tragedy... um..." She hesitated, listening to the sound coming from the earphones. coming voice. "... Or rather, Becky's... um, victory... um..." The music played during the intermission came from the speakers, and she looked at the guidance room in confusion, "He has to make up his mind quickly!" "Goodbye," I said, standing up, "I have to go." "Go?" said Emma. "You can't go yet!" "Yes, I'm leaving now." I reached out to take off the miniature microphone I was wearing, and Eddie, the sound engineer, rushed up to help me take it off. "Well said," he whispered to me as he pulled the tiny microphone off my shirt, "don't care what they fart," he told me, smiling. "Let Barry go berserk up there." "Hi, Becky!" Zelda said in a panic, poking her head in. "Where are you going?" "I've said what I have to say. Now I have to catch my flight." "But you can't leave now, the show isn't over yet!" "But my show is over." I said and reached for my bag. "But the live call is full!" Zelda said, and she hurried towards me. "The switchboards are jammed! People calling in say..." She looked at me like she'd never seen me before, "I mean, we didn't expect that. Who would have thought..." "I have to go, Zelda." "Wait! Becky!" Zelda yelled out of nowhere as I approached the studio door. "We—Barry and I—we had an exchange just now. We were wondering if you would..." "Zelda," I interrupted her softly, "it's too late. I have to go." It was almost 3 o'clock when I arrived at Heathrow.At lunchtime, I went to a pub with Suzie, Taxin, and my parents as a farewell party for me, and I was still warm when I arrived at the airport.If I tell the truth, I still have a little attachment in my heart, and I really want to cry out loudly, run back and throw myself into their arms.But at the same time, I have never been so confident, full of confidence in my future. In the center of the airport terminal, there is a promotional newsstand, which provides various newspapers for free.I picked up a copy of the Financial Times as I walked past the kiosk.This is just because I used to read this newspaper often.Besides, having the Financial Times under your arm increases your chances of getting a cabin upgrade when you board the plane.I folded the newspaper and tucked it neatly under my arm, but inadvertently read a headline in the newspaper, and a word in the headline made me stop suddenly. Braden tries to turn the tide and save the company.Page 27. With slightly trembling fingers, I opened the newspaper, turned to page 27, and read this report: Mr. Luke Brydon, a financial public relations entrepreneur, suffered heavy losses recently, and several generals under his command betrayed one after another, but he still tried to turn the tide, retain investors, and keep his flagship unsinkable.It is said that the morale of this enterprising public relations company is low and people are panicking. It seems that there is a panic that today does not know what will happen tomorrow.At a crisis response meeting today, Mr Brendan will try to persuade his supporters to approve his bold restructuring plan.The plan is said to involve... I read through the article, gazing at Luke's picture in the newspaper.He was as confident as ever in the photo - but I remembered Michael saying that Luke was thrown to the ground.His Empire State Building came crashing down around him, just as mine came crashing down.And it is very likely that his mother will not call to comfort him and tell him not to worry about it. In that instant, there was a feeling of pity for Luke.I almost want to call him right away and tell him things will work out.But what's the point of doing that.He's busy with his life - and I'm busy with mine.I lazily folded the newspaper again, and walked firmly to the ticket gate. "Is there any luggage to check?" The lady at the ticket desk said to me with a smile. "No," I replied, "I didn't have any luggage. Just a suitcase." I casually revealed the Financial Times. "Is there any opportunity to upgrade the cabin level?" "I'm sorry, not today," said the ticket-checking lady sympathetically, "but I'll arrange for you at the emergency exit. There's no front seat there, and you won't touch your legs. Please put your suitcase on the scale." "OK." I bent down to get my suitcase to put on the scales when there was a shout behind me. "etc!" I was taken aback suddenly, as if I had fallen to the ground from a height of 20 feet.I turned around and, unbelievably, it was him. It's Luke.He was striding across the waiting room towards the ticket gate.He was well dressed, as usual, but pale and haggard.There were deep shadows under his eyes, as if he had been drinking coffee to stay up late lately. "Where the hell are you going?" He came up to me and asked, "You're going to Washington?" "What are you doing here?" I asked him back with a slightly trembling voice, "Aren't you holding some kind of crisis countermeasure meeting with investors?" "Yes. But then Mel came running in to serve tea and said to me she saw you on TV this morning." "You just ran out of the meeting?" I looked at him, "What's the matter, you ran out before the meeting was over?" "She told me you were leaving England." His eyes were fixed on me. "Is it true?" "Yes," I said, gripping my little suitcase even tighter. "Yes, I'm leaving England." "Go away like this? Don't even say a word to me?" "Yes, that's it," I said, slamming my suitcase on the scale belt. "It's like you didn't even call me when you got back to England." My voice was full of resentment, and Luke blinked. "Becky--" "A seat by the window or by the aisle?" the ticket inspector asked interrupting him. "By the window, thank you." "Becky--" The phone in his pocket screamed harshly, and he pressed the ringer impatiently, "Becky...I want to talk to you." "Now you want to talk to me?" I said, with a look of disbelief on my face. "Wow. Perfect timing. Just as I'm checking in for the plane." I slap the FT with the back of my hand. "So what about this crisis meeting?" "Let it wait." "Can the future of your company wait like this?" I raised my eyebrows and asked, "Isn't that a little... not very responsible, Luke?" "If it weren't for you, my company wouldn't have a hell of a future," he yelled, almost angrily, and I couldn't help but feel a jolt. "Michael told me about you. How you found out Alicia was up to no good. How you saved the company by warning him." He shook his head. "I've been kept in the dark. God, if it weren't for you, Becky..." "He shouldn't have told you," I whispered angrily. "I told him not to tell you. And he said yes." "Ah, but he told me! Now..." Luke paused. "Now, I don't know what to say." He was much calmer than before. "Sentences like 'thank you' don't express what I mean at all." We both stared at each other silently for a while. "You don't have to say anything," I said at last, turning my face away. "I did it because I didn't like Alicia. No other reason." "Then... I'll put you in row 32," the check-in lady said cheerfully, "Boarding starts at 4:30." She glanced at my passport again, and the expression on her face changed. "Hi! You're the special guest on 'Good Morning Coffee,' aren't you?" "I used to be," I said with a polite smile. "Well, yes," she said with a puzzled look on her face.She handed me back her passport and boarding pass, and her eyes fell to the FT again, pausing on Luke's picture.She looked up at Luke, then down at the photograph in the newspaper. "Wait a minute. Are you the one in the picture in the newspaper?" she said, pointing to the picture in the newspaper. "I used to be," Luke said after a moment of hesitation. "Come on, Becky, at least let me buy you a drink." We sat at a small table and ordered two glasses of French Pernod wine.I saw the light on Luke's phone blink every five or six seconds to indicate someone was calling his phone, but he didn't even look at it. "I wanted to call you," he said, looking into the glass in his hand. "I think about calling you almost every day. But I know that if I call you and say I only have What will you think in ten minutes. You said that I don't have time to seriously consider our relationship, which shocked me a lot." He took a big sip of his wine. "Believe me, I've been so busy lately that I can't even spare ten minutes. You have no idea how busy I've been these days." "Michael told me," I said. "I want to call you after the business at hand has stopped." "So you chose today." I couldn't help but smile slightly, "Wait until the day when all your investors fly over to meet you?" "Of course it's not the time. I know what you're thinking," he said with a resigned smile on his face, "but how would I know you were planning to leave the UK? Michael didn't tell me anything, he bastard." He frowned Frowning, "I can't just let you go just sitting in the company." He aimlessly moved the wine glass back and forth on the table, as if looking for something.I looked at him anxiously. "You're right," he said abruptly. "I was crazy, trying to get the New York company out. It was kind of... crazy, I couldn't see anything. God, everything turned out to be Messed up, huh? You...we...and the company..." "Okay, Luke," I said awkwardly, "it's not all your fault. Some things are still my fault, and I messed up for you." Luke shook his head, and I didn't go on, he drank After drinking the wine in the glass, he looked at me frankly. "There's something I need to let you know, Becky. Think about it, how did the Daily World know about your finances?" I looked at him in surprise. "It's...it's the lady from the tax department of the city government. She found my place, and when Susie wasn't looking, she secretly..." He shook his head, and my words gradually fell silent. "It's Alicia's fault." For a moment, I was too stunned to speak. "Is it Alicia?" I asked, regaining my composure, "how did you...why did she..." "When we searched her office we found your bank statement on her desk. And some letters and stuff. God knows how she got it." He let out a deep breath. "This morning, I finally found out from an acquaintance in the "Daily World" that she is the source of information that the newspaper said. They used the information provided by her and then chased you hard." I stared blankly at him, feeling chills all over my body.I remembered the scene of going to his company office that day.I brought the Conran store bag with letters addressed to me.Alicia stood by Mel's desk, watching like a cat watching a mouse. I know I'm always missing things.Oh my gosh, how could I be so stupid? "She's a drunkard," Luke said. "She did it to discredit me and the company, and to distract me from what she was doing behind the scenes. The paper won't confirm it, but I dare say , she's the 'insider' who brought out all the bad things I call it," he paused, and then said, "Becky, the problem is that I got it all wrong. My New York plan didn't run aground because of you. "He looked at me sincerely. "Instead, it's me who messed up your life." I sat in my seat blankly, speechless.It was as if someone had slowly lifted some weight from me.I don't know what to think, what to say. "I'm really sorry," Luke was saying, "for putting you through so much..." "No." I took a deep breath. "It's not your fault, Luke. It's not even Alicia's fault. It could be that she gave the paper all this material. I mean, if I hadn't fallen into a financial quagmire myself, if I hadn't been possessed If they're on a shopping spree in New York, they won't have anything to write about, will they?" I rubbed my face with my hands. "It's terrible, it's shameful. But, strange to say, it's a good thing for me that the story got in the papers, at least it made me understand something about myself." I picked up the wine glass on the table and found that the glass was already empty, so I put the glass down again. "Would you like another glass?" Luke asked. "No, no, thank you." Neither of us spoke again.In the distance, passengers are warned on the radio that passengers of flight BA2340 to San Francisco should board at gate 29. "I know Michael offered you a job," Luke said.He pointed to my suitcase. "I think this means that you have accepted his job." He stopped and didn't say any more. I looked at him, trembling slightly, but didn't say anything. "Becky--don't go to Washington. Stay and do it for me." "For you?" I said in surprise. "Stay here and work for Brandon." "are you crazy?" He brushed his hair back with his hands -- and for a moment his face looked childish and vulnerable again, like a weary traveler who really needs a good rest.