After I finished speaking, everyone immediately fell silent. After all, this was a huge sum of one million, and whether or not to lend it wasn’t a decision that could be made in an instant.
Xiang Chen didn’t express his opinion. Fang Yuan, who was always calm, said to me, “Zhaoyang, this is a sum of one million, equivalent to decades of income for a salaried worker. You must explain clearly the entire situation to us.”
Fang Yuan’s words gained consensus among everyone, so all eyes turned to me again.
I collected myself and finally told everyone everything. Immediately afterward, a heavy silence filled the air.
After a while, Fang Yuan lit a cigarette and said to me, “Zhaoyang, there are some words you probably don’t want to hear, but if I don’t say them, I’ll feel suffocated inside… You shouldn’t get involved in this matter, nor do you have the capability to handle it. If you listen to my advice, go back to Xuzhou, apologize to Xiao Yun, and continue living your life. I think it’s still not too late for you to turn back now. My intuition tells me that Li Xiaoyun will forgive you.”
I shook my head and replied, “It’s not just you who has advised me. I know even better than anyone else that I don’t have the capability to handle this, which is why I came to Xiang Chen. No matter what, I can’t just watch helplessly as she falls into the abyss.”
Fang Yuan’s tone was filled with anger as he said, “Zhaoyang, can’t you stop seeing yourself as a savior? Last time, for Mi Cai, you lost your job opportunity. Now again, for some inexplicable woman, you’ve abandoned your fiancée. Does that even make sense?”
My mood plummeted instantly. I pulled out a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and after calming myself for a while, I said, “I’ve weighed whether what I’m doing is worth it, because the cost is too high. But every time I think of this woman who longed for the entertainment industry, she repeatedly helped me without hesitation, even enduring humiliation for my sake when I needed help. I can’t just stand by and do nothing. Because in this world, no one else has ever been willing to sacrifice something they’ve dreamed of so dearly to support me, not even you, my closest friends.”
My heartfelt but clearly emotional words left Fang Yuan and the others in silence.
Finally, Yan Yan asked me, “Since you both were willing to sacrifice everything for each other, why didn’t you end up together? I really don’t understand, or have you already been together?”
I shook my head and replied to everyone looking at me, “We never got together and have chosen to remain friends. I’ve explained everything I needed to. Xiang Chen, can you just give me a clear answer?”
Xiang Chen looked troubled and said to me, “Recently, I invested heavily in setting up a liquor and tobacco specialty counter at Plaza Department Store. Right now, the funds I have available are very tight…”
I nodded and said, “If it’s inconvenient for you, then forget it.”
Xiang Chen apologized and said, “Zhaoyang, it’s not that I’m not helping you, but I really have difficulties too…” Then he turned to Jian Wei and asked, “Do you have any available funds? Maybe…”
Jian Wei didn’t expect Xiang Chen to suddenly ask her and hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and saying, “I can’t come up with that much money either.”
I smiled and said, “I understand since it’s such a large amount. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s eat, it’s on me tonight, and no one is allowed to argue with me.”
Yan Yan apologized to me and said, “Zhaoyang, I’m sorry, Fang Yuan and I can’t help much either!”
“It’s okay,” I still smiled. I understood her and Fang Yuan even better. I guessed Fang Yuan’s new car was probably bought on loan, so expecting them to come up with a million was impossible.
…
Finally, the dinner ended in a heavy atmosphere. I declined the others’ invitation to go to a KTV. First, I wasn’t in the mood, and second, I had arranged to meet Luo Ben and others at Leyao’s bar that evening. I wanted to check the bar’s business condition during operating hours.
After parting ways with everyone, I took a taxi directly to the commercial street where the bar was located. I got off at the street corner and walked the entire street, noticing that the shops currently operating on this street were not doing well.
However, when I searched online for bars and KTVs currently operating on this commercial street, I found that they were all chain businesses. I realized that these well-funded entertainment companies were trying to grab the market first, and they had sufficient capital to sustain such a long-term investment.
If Leyao had discussed with me again before opening the bar, I would certainly have helped her analyze it from a business perspective and convinced her to abandon the idea. But she didn’t even give me the opportunity to know, resulting in her current predicament.
Feeling frustrated, I lit a cigarette and realized once again that there is no such thing as “if” in this world. I still had to focus on reality and help the bar get out of its difficulties little by little, and more importantly, help Leyao out of her life’s predicament.
After stubbing out the cigarette, I walked into the bar. It was supposed to be the peak time for bar business, but there were very few people inside. Because of the lack of customers, the bar atmosphere was completely absent, making it more like a teahouse. This was exactly the vicious cycle of operation: without a consumer base, there was no atmosphere, and without atmosphere, there were even fewer customers. The few customers currently sitting inside might not like the lively atmosphere of a traditional bar, preferring this quiet bar atmosphere instead, but this unconventional consumer behavior was somewhat ironic, highlighting the bar’s current business condition.
At this moment, CC was singing on the small stage with her guitar. Leyao and Luo Ben were sitting in a corner, Luo Ben playing with his lighter, while Leyao’s gaze was somewhat unfocused, staring at the wooden carved screen across from her.
I approached them, patted Luo Ben’s shoulder, signaled him to make some space, and sat down beside him.
Luo Ben threw me a cigarette and asked with concern, “How did it go? Any progress with the money?”
Leyao snapped out of her daze and looked at me eagerly.
I lit the cigarette, took a heavy puff, and said with disappointment, “Not yet… However, I will keep trying.”
Luo Ben patted my shoulder, indicating that I shouldn’t put too much pressure on myself.
I nodded, then took another heavy puff of the cigarette. After Xiang Chen rejected me, I basically had no other options left, unless… unless I went to Mi Cai. But was I really ready to do that?
I found it hard to make a decision.
Amid endless frustration, my phone rang again. I picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.
Confused, I answered, “Hello, who is this?”
A familiar and stirring voice came from the other end, “Didn’t I call you before? Have you not saved my number?”
Faced with Jian Wei’s questioning tone, I felt somewhat flustered. About three months ago, Jian Wei had indeed called me and we had met once, but I hadn’t saved her number.
“I forgot to save it,” I finally replied.
Jian Wei was silent for a moment before saying, “Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”
“Any particular reason?” I asked, puzzled.
“Let’s talk in person.”
I was at a loss with Jian Wei’s assertiveness, as she never gave anyone a chance to refuse, but I still accepted her request and said, “Then shall we meet at the old place?”
“The moat?”
“Yeah.”
Jian Wei simply said “Okay” before hanging up, leaving me even more puzzled: what could she possibly want to meet me for?
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