After ending the call with Jian Wei, I felt a bit dazed. Luo Ben noticed my unusual state and nudged me, asking, “Whose call was that? You look so absent-minded after answering it!”
I snapped back to my senses and replied, “A friend. Give me your motorcycle key; I need to go out and take care of something.”
Luo Ben is a straightforward guy who didn’t ask any further questions. He took the motorcycle key from the pocket of his denim jacket and tossed it to me, also handing me a helmet from his side.
I took the key and the helmet, then waved goodbye to Leyao, Luo Ben, and CC, who was singing on stage, before rushing out of the bar.
On the way, I sped up Luo Ben’s modified racing motorcycle as fast as I could, and in just fifteen minutes, I arrived at the riverside. However, Jian Wei didn’t seem to have arrived yet.
The temperature was very low tonight, making the moon in the sky seem so cold. Perhaps I really shouldn’t have suggested meeting here. After all, Jian Wei is a delicate young lady who gets cold easily, unlike me, a rugged man who enjoys the freedom of the open fields.
I sat down first on the steps by the riverside, habitually lighting a cigarette, looking at the river surface illuminated by moonlight, waiting for Jian Wei to arrive.
After a while, I heard the sound of a car horn and stood up. Sure enough, it was Jian Wei driving her red Cadillac CTS. I waved at her, and she spotted me, then opened the car door and walked towards me.
I walked towards her as well, and we both stopped about a meter apart, gazing at each other.
Noticing she was dressed lightly, I suggested, “It’s pretty cold outside tonight. Why don’t we go sit in your car?”
“No need. I came to find you for just one thing, and it’ll be quick.”
“Oh.”
Jian Wei continued, “Let’s go sit on the steps by the river and talk.”
“Okay.”
After I replied, Jian Wei walked ahead of me towards the steps by the river and sat down on them. I sat down not too far from her.
“What did you need me for?”
Without any unnecessary words, Jian Wei directly took out a bank card from her bag and handed it to me, saying, “This card has 500,000 on it; it’s my savings over the years. My finances have been independent for a long time, and I haven’t asked my parents for money in ages, so this is all I could come up with. I hope it can help you!”
I looked at Jian Wei in shock. I never expected her to meet me for this reason. Yet, during dinner, when Xiang Chen asked her if she could lend me some money, she clearly said she couldn’t…
Could it be that Xiang Chen intentionally asked her? To avoid making Xiang Chen suspicious, she said she had no money, but now she secretly gave it to me.
Seeing that I hadn’t reacted for a while, Jian Wei extended the bank card towards me again, saying, “What, is it too little for you?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Before I could finish, Jian Wei interrupted me, “If that’s not what you meant, then take it.” She then placed the bank card on my lap.
I hurriedly pushed the bank card back into Jian Wei’s hands, saying, “Jian Wei, I really can’t take your money. It’s not appropriate, not appropriate at all!”
“What do you mean by appropriate or not? Take it if I give it to you.” Saying this, Jian Wei took my hand and placed the bank card back in my palm.
As a result, our hands were joined together. I felt as if struck by lightning; the softness and delicacy of her hand felt both familiar and unfamiliar…
The familiarity came from the countless times I had held these hands of hers, while the unfamiliarity stemmed from the fact that it had been three years since I last held her hand.
Grasping her hands tightly, I stared at Jian Wei, my emotions being violently torn between the deep love of the past and the strangeness of the present.
There seemed to be tears in Jian Wei’s eyes, but I couldn’t see clearly because we were facing away from the moonlight.
This must have been my illusion, definitely my illusion. Flustered, I let go of Jian Wei’s hand and said, “Sorry… I lost my composure.”
Jian Wei replied in a very calm tone, “It’s okay… Keep this card. The password is 101206.”
I wanted to refuse again, but Jian Wei had already stood up and said to me, “Zhaoyang, you’re still the same as before, always insisting on doing things your way and presumptuously guessing others’ intentions, but there’s no need for that. I’m lending you this money, and you absolutely don’t need to feel burdened because you will repay me in the future.”
“I’m afraid Xiang Chen won’t be happy about this,” I reminded Jian Wei.
“I know he won’t be happy, which is why I met with you alone.”
“But why would you do this?”
Facing this question, Jian Wei, who was always decisive and efficient, remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “I don’t know… Maybe because… We once loved each other deeply!”
Suddenly, a cold wind blew as if from the lake surface. Jian Wei turned her body with the gust and lightly walked up to the riverbank, while I held the bank card she left me, staring blankly until she got into her car and the vehicle carried her figure completely out of my sight.
…
Another gust of wind blew, making the moonlight on the river surface tremble uneasily. I didn’t leave, lying on the lawn and letting the wind cut across me.
I desperately tried to empty my mind, unwilling to recall the past between Jian Wei and me, but memories surged with each gust of wind. Suddenly, warmth came to the corners of my eyes, triggered by Jian Wei’s words, “Maybe because we once loved each other deeply.”
These words filled me with pain and helplessness. Indeed, we had loved each other deeply in the past, but when tracing the footsteps of time and reexamining this love, it now seemed so pale and powerless, which is why Jian Wei described that love with the word “once.”
I tightly gripped the bank card she left behind, once again experiencing the pain of wanting to hold on but being unable to.
…
I rode Luo Ben’s motorcycle like a madman, speeding all the way back to the bar in even less time than it took me to come. I returned the key and helmet to Luo Ben without saying anything, then directly asked the bartender for the strongest alcohol and started drinking it one glass after another in silence.
Leyao grabbed my glass, held me back, and asked with a choked voice, “Zhaoyang, what’s wrong with you?… Is it because my situation has put too much pressure on you?”
I pulled away from Leyao, took the glass back from her, and forced a smile as I said, “It’s not related to you. I just want to drink. I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, and drinking a bit might help me not to suffer from insomnia.”
“Just drink a little… Don’t get drunk!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t get drunk.”
As I spoke, CC came down from the performance stage and told me, “Mi Cai just called me a moment ago. She said she wants to come to Leyao’s bar for a visit.”
“Really? Haven’t you brought her here to play before?” I finally put down the glass and asked.
CC smiled and said, “I’ve invited her to come play before, but she’s always been busy. Maybe she finally has time tonight.”
I responded with a nod and didn’t speak further.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, CC said, “Zhaoyang, Mi Cai is the CEO of Zhuo Mei Shopping Center and also holds a master’s degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She must have valuable insights into business marketing. Why don’t we tell her about the bar’s operations later and ask for her advice? It might be helpful!”
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