After getting up, Mi Cai and I had a meal at a fast-food restaurant outside the residential community. Then we sat on the rocking horses outside the convenience store, swaying back and forth while discussing our plans to return to Xuzhou for the New Year.
“Zhaoyang, let’s go shopping later and buy some gifts. This time we can’t show up empty-handed at your home again,” Mi Cai said.
Her rocking horse had stopped, so I inserted another coin for her before replying, “That’s unnecessary. My family doesn’t care much about such things.”
“No, you must go with me later,” Mi Cai insisted.
“Okay, okay, I will. Let’s go right away.”
Only then did she smile. A beam of midday sunlight fell on her jet-black hair, which fluttered gently in the breeze. I was momentarily mesmerized, thinking to myself: How wonderful it would be if this woman could become my wife someday!
Still lost in thought, I heard my phone ring. I took it out from my pocket. With the New Year approaching, I had been receiving many messages recently. This one was from CC.
“Zhaoyang, what are you doing?”
“Riding an electric rocking horse…”
CC replied with an emoji showing a sweating face: “You still have the mood to play around? I heard from Mi’er that you’re going to Xuzhou on New Year’s Day.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“What about Leyao? You’re not leaving her in Suzhou, are you?”
CC’s question touched a nerve, instantly ruining my playful mood. I got off the rocking horse, sat on a bench in front of the convenience store, lit a cigarette, and felt even more confused about how to resolve this dilemma.
After a while, I messaged CC back: “What should I do? Maybe you can give me some advice.”
CC seemed to be thinking about what advice to give me. After quite some time, she replied: “I’ll call Leyao later and see if she’s willing to go back to Beijing.”
“Great, let me know once you’ve talked to her.”
“Okay.”
…
Shortly afterward, Mi Cai drove us toward the mall. My mind was preoccupied with CC’s conversation with Leyao, so I barely spoke to Mi Cai during the ride.
“Zhaoyang, are you distracted?”
“No, not at all.”
Trying to show I was fine, I started to look at Mi Cai and finally fixed my gaze on her clothes. I asked, “Is this coat you’re wearing a new design from CHANEL this season?”
She smiled and asked, “Hmm, do you think it looks good?”
“It looks nice, yes…”
“Go on, say more.”
“I guess your daily expenses must be pretty high?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious, I guess. I’m a bit curious about your lifestyle.”
“Can I refuse to answer?”
Before I could respond, my phone rang again. I knew it was probably CC calling, likely after having spoken with Leyao.
I took out my phone and was quite surprised to see it was a call from Leyao.
I answered. Her voice sounded light and relaxed on the other end: “Zhaoyang, uh… I’m calling to let you know… I’m heading to Lijiang this afternoon.”
“What’s going on?”
“I suddenly wanted to go somewhere to relax.”
In reality, I already understood—she was going to Lijiang to give Mi Cai and me space. After a long pause, I asked, “Did CC say something to you?”
“No, it’s not related to CC. Even if she hadn’t called me, I had already decided to go to Lijiang. Anyway, I’ll need you to handle the New Year’s Eve event at the bar.”
“No problem. But… will you be going with someone?”
“Why must I have company? Don’t you think traveling alone is freer and allows you to better enjoy the sense of relaxation?”
I felt a lump in my chest, reluctant to imagine her spending the New Year alone in Lijiang’s ancient town. Although she kept pretending everything was fine, I knew that sitting alone in the ancient town at dusk on New Year’s Day would inevitably feel lonely and disheartening.
“Zhaoyang, I need to pack now. I’ll talk to you later!”
“Wait… why don’t you and I…”
She interrupted me with a laugh: “No need. Just stay with Mi Cai and have a good time… As a close friend, I genuinely hope you can find your own happiness. And I also sincerely hope that she will be the woman who brings you joy and happiness in the future… Well, I really need to start packing now… Wishing you and Mi Cai a happy New Year!”
“Thank you. You too.”
“Okay.”
The phone line went dead with a ‘beep,’ but that simple ‘Okay’ still left me unable to tell what she was really feeling at that moment. I could only wish her a pleasant trip to Lijiang.
…
After ending the call with Leyao, I couldn’t even recall what I had just been talking about with Mi Cai. Once again, I fell into silence.
A short while later, Mi Cai asked me, “Is Leyao going to Lijiang?”
“Yeah, she said she wants to relax… That’s good. The weather in Lijiang should be quite nice during the New Year.”
“But you must feel reluctant inside, right?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Zhaoyang.”
“Not really. It’s just Lijiang, not like she’s climbing mountains or diving into fire.”
Mi Cai didn’t respond further and turned her attention back to driving.
Shortly afterward, we arrived at the city center, but Mi Cai drove the car into the parking lot of Baoli Department Store.
I asked somewhat puzzledly, “Aren’t we going to your company’s Zhuomei Mall for shopping?”
“To Baoli,” Mi Cai said as she unfastened her seatbelt and grabbed her handbag before getting out of the car. I followed her out.
Soon, we entered Baoli Department Store with the bustling crowd. I felt a bit emotional. Since leaving Baoli, I had never returned. Yet it had been my workplace for several years, and I was familiar with every store’s location, even the exact floor and section.
While taking the elevator, Mi Cai finally spoke to me: “Zhaoyang, do you know why I chose to shop at Baoli?”
I shook my head.
“I believe you know every store here well, so we won’t waste time searching for what we want to buy.”
“But don’t you know the stores in Zhuomei well enough?”
“I only remember a few. I rarely interact with the merchants in the mall. But your job in planning is different.”
I nodded. She was right. During my years at Baoli, I had been communicating with merchants almost every day.
Then Mi Cai asked me, “Zhaoyang, do you have any emotional attachment to your previous job in mall planning?”
I didn’t answer immediately. Looking around, I actually did feel a sense of attachment. At least it had been a proper job. Finally, I nodded and said, “Yes, I often felt excited when I came up with a good planning idea.”
“Right, I’ve talked about you with Mr. Chen Jingming. He really appreciates your creativity, though he thinks you’re a bit undisciplined. Still, he believes you’re worth cultivating.”
I smiled and replied, “So that’s how Manager Chen evaluates me!”
“Yes… I remember you mentioned that you would consider other options once the bar becomes stable. I believe ‘The Fifth Season’ will soon be on track. Shouldn’t you start thinking about your future now?”
Only then did I realize why Mi Cai had insisted on coming to Baoli for shopping—it was to help me reconnect with my past.
Sure enough, she then said to me, “I hope you can come to Zhuomei in the future.”
“Hope for the future”—those four words suddenly felt strange. Leyao had just said something similar to me. Did both of these women have expectations for my future?
Leyao wished for me to find emotional fulfillment, while Mi Cai hoped for my career breakthrough.
After a moment of silence, I finally asked Mi Cai, “Why do you keep bringing up the idea of me working at Zhuomei?”
Mi Cai answered without hesitation, “Because of trust. You understand what that word means, don’t you?”
I naturally understood why Mi Cai trusted me, and I also knew how rare such trust was in the cutthroat business world. Still, I found it difficult to decide whether to work at Zhuomei, just as I found it hard to confess my feelings to her.
As we remained silent, a group of people approached us from the opposite direction. Leading the group was Yang Huaqing, the CEO of Baoli Department Store. I glanced at Mi Cai, curious whether the CEOs of Suzhou’s two most prestigious department stores knew each other. I nudged her and said, “See those people coming toward us? The one in front is Yang Huaqing, the general manager of Baoli Department Store.”
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