I stood still for a long time before finally walking toward my car. I threw the bouquet of flowers onto the passenger seat and then closed my eyes, leaning back against the seat, feeling somewhat exhausted.
Suddenly, there was a sound of someone knocking on the car window. I opened my eyes and saw Fangyuan standing outside the car. I rolled down the window, and he smiled and asked me, “Are you waiting for Mi Zong?”
“She had something to take care of and left already. Are you free? Come have a few drinks with me.”
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood!”
Fangyuan said as he opened the car door. At that moment, he noticed the bouquet on the passenger seat and gave me a knowing look.
Fangyuan placed the bouquet onto the back seat and asked me, “Where do you want to go for drinks?”
I started the car and blurted out, “To a bar.”
This time, I didn’t go to “The Fifth Season.” Instead, I went to another bar where I had often come to drown my sorrows in recent years, and ordered a full table of beer.
After clinking glasses with me, Fangyuan asked, “Didn’t things go well between you and Mi Zong?”
I drank half a bottle in one go before stopping, then asked him, “Tell me the truth, do you think we’ll make it?”
Fangyuan was silent for a long time before shaking his head. He didn’t explain why he wasn’t optimistic, but in reality, no explanation was needed. If he had said he was optimistic, that would truly have been strange.
I closed my eyes and drank the rest of the bottle in a fit of frustration. Deep down, I already knew that Mi Cai and Weiran were just friends, but I still felt uneasy. Especially when I thought about Weiran having confessed to her before, I felt even more resentful. Besides, judging from Mitan’s attitude toward Weiran today, it was clear that he was the one favored by Mi Cai’s family. As for me, I was just the poor guy who had been driven out of the villa with a hundred yuan.
The cold beer kept flowing into my stomach, and once again I experienced that twisted sense of pleasure amidst my depression, temporarily forgetting all my troubles and unhappiness.
Fangyuan took the bottle from my hand and, with a serious expression, said to me, “Drink less, let’s have a chat.”
“What’s there to talk about?” I said, using my teeth to open another beer bottle and taking a big swig.
Fangyuan pressed the bottle down and said seriously, “You know, Zhuomei has recently undergone major personnel changes. Mi Zhongde’s daughter has been transferred to Suzhou and is now in charge of the daily operations of the entire mall.”
I was somewhat surprised and instinctively confirmed with Fangyuan, “Has Mi Zhongde’s daughter been transferred to Zhuo Mei in Suzhou?”
“Yes, it’s obviously meant to counteract Mi Zong’s influence… However, Mi Zong is also preparing to send Chen Jingming to the Shanghai headquarters to counter Mi Zhongde.”
“What difference can Chen Jingming make alone in the Shanghai headquarters?”
Fangyuan shook his head and said, “You’re underestimating Mi Zong. She still has quite a few loyal subordinates in the Shanghai headquarters, although these people rarely participate in the group’s management. Chen Jingming will be sent there to utilize the influence of these loyalists to get involved in the management of Shanghai Zhuomei, thus countering Mi Zhongde.”
I nodded without commenting further, but deep down, I still believed in Chen Jingming. I believed he would use his rich work experience to truly support Mi Cai.
After a brief silence, I picked up another beer bottle and started drinking again. At this moment, I seemed to rely heavily on the pleasure that came after indulgence, because it allowed me to temporarily forget the pain and oppression of reality.
“Zhaoyang, drink less…” Fangyuan kept reminding me tirelessly.
“Dude, you’re here to keep me company while I drink, not to stop me. It’s rare that I’m in the mood to drink, so don’t ruin the fun, okay?”
“I just sent a message to Mi Zong. She said she’ll come over soon.”
I looked at Fangyuan, feeling upset that he had messaged Mi Cai, but in the end, I said nothing because I wasn’t drunk enough to forget that he was doing this for my own good.
……
A short while later, two women walked through the entrance of the bar. Soon, under the flickering lights, I recognized them clearly—it was indeed Mi Cai and Mitan.
The two approached me and Fangyuan. Fangyuan formally addressed Mi Cai as “Mi Zong.”
Mi Cai smiled gratefully and said to him, “It’s not working hours, you can just call me by name. Thank you for keeping Zhaoyang company tonight.”
Fangyuan responded with a smile to Mi Cai and then greeted Mitan, calling her “Mi Director.”
Mitan nodded. She didn’t seem to dislike Fangyuan just because he was my friend. It seemed she wasn’t as arrogant as I had imagined, although it might also have something to do with Fangyuan’s very approachable and handsome face.
“Zhaoyang, I’ll drive you home. Give me your car keys,” Mi Cai said to me.
Before I could speak, Mitan cut in coldly, glaring at me and saying, “You’re drunk and still made my sister come here. Do you really think you’re someone special?”
I finally couldn’t hold back my anger and said, “Does putting me down make you grow a few pounds of meat on your chest, you bitch!”
Mitan immediately flared up and snapped, “I just don’t understand how my sister could have fallen for such a lowlife like you!”
“Zhaoyang, Mitan, this is a public place. Can you two please stop?” Mi Cai said, pulling Mitan behind her.
I knew I shouldn’t argue with a woman, so I lit a cigarette and tried my best to suppress my anger.
Suddenly, three men emerged from another corner of the bar. Their swaying figures suggested they had already drunk quite a bit. They approached Mi Cai and Mitan, speaking in a lewd manner: “From afar, these two chicks look fresh and pretty. Up close, they’re even more amazing… How about coming to sit with us, big brothers? We’ll make sure you have a great time!”
Fangyuan stood up and said to the three men, “These two ladies are our friends. Show some respect.”
“Who the hell are you? Do you even have the right to speak here?” One of the men, wearing a jacket with a crew cut, pointed at Fangyuan and said.
The anger I had been suppressing was instantly ignited. I grabbed a beer bottle from the table and smashed it directly onto the head of the man in the jacket, giving him a gash.
Immediately, the two friends of the jacketed man grabbed beer bottles and rushed at me aggressively. Instinctively, I protected Mi Cai behind me, but Mitan, who was beside Mi Cai, was left exposed. I dodged one of the beer bottles and kicked one of them down, but the remaining one raised the bottle and recklessly smashed it toward Mitan. I tried to pull her away, but it was already too late.
Bright red blood splattered from Fangyuan’s back of the head. At that critical moment, Fangyuan had embraced Mitan but exposed his own back completely, and the beer bottle had landed squarely on the back of his head.
At this point, the bar’s security finally arrived, pulling me, who was still holding the beer bottle, and the other two men apart.
Fangyuan collapsed onto Mitan, and Mitan had already turned deathly pale from fear. I panicked too because the blow Fangyuan had received was exactly on the most vulnerable part of the head—the back of it. I almost trembled as I shouted at Mi Cai, “Quick… call an ambulance!”
Although Mi Cai’s face was also pale, she remained calm and dialed the emergency number, then reported the address to the operator.
I finally realized that this unexpected disaster had happened because I had come to drink at the bar. In that moment, I felt like a fool, sitting helplessly on the ground, filled with guilt: if Fangyuan suffered any serious consequences, how could I ever face Yan Yan again!
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