The boy stared at me with wide eyes and after a while, he said, “You want her to unblock me? Yang Ge, did I hear that right?”
I smiled and replied, “I know her.”
The boy looked at me as if I had told a joke, his face twisting in disbelief. “Haha… You know her! Who would believe that! She’s a celebrity, a rising star!”
“Do you think I’m joking too?”
“This is just arrogant bullsh*t!”
I sighed, “Then there’s nothing more to say. Even if you hate me to death, it won’t change anything.”
The boy made a motion as if he were going to strangle me, then sighed deeply and chugged the rest of his beer in one go—truly hating me with a passion.
…
After leaving the bar, it was just past nine in the evening. Tongzi and I walked side by side along the stone path, cloaked in the night.
Halfway through our walk, I wanted to sit by the Xitang River for a while since I had nothing else to do back home. But Tongzi was eager to return to watch Leyao’s show. Thus, we parted ways temporarily, unable to agree on what to do next.
I wandered alone by the Xitang River until I found a quiet spot where I finally stopped and sat down on the stone steps by the riverside.
Instinctively, I reached into my pocket, only to find that the one and only pack of cigarettes I had was already gone. Without cigarettes, my boredom intensified, so I began playing with my lighter while staring blankly at the rippling river.
I felt dazed, no longer expecting to see the reflection of that city in the waters of Xitang River, because I understood: I still couldn’t restore that city—I remained as lost as I was before I came here.
A breeze blew in, bringing with it the sound of approaching footsteps. Instinctively, I wanted to turn around, but before I could, a pair of hands covered my eyes from behind.
She pretended to speak in a childish voice, “Zhao Yang, guess who I am!”
A whiff of Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle perfume entered my nose. Among the women I knew, only she loved this fragrance.
“Let go, stop fooling around.”
“Did you figure out who I am?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy filming?”
She finally removed her hands from my eyes and walked around to face me, squatting down in front of me and asking, “How did you know it was me?”
“Your perfume gave you away.”
“You’re amazing, almost like a dog’s nose.”
“Watch your mouth!”
Leyao ignored my complaint and sat down closely beside me.
Still puzzled, I asked her, “Did you finish filming?”
“I finished all the scenes I needed to film this week yesterday,” she paused slightly before softly adding, “I wanted to come see you.”
“It’s quite a long way, is it worth it?”
“What are friends for? Nothing is too far or not worth it!”
“You should focus more on your work. You’re now a celebrated big star!”
Leyao took off her sunglasses and mask, smiling at me, “In front of you, I’m just Leyao.”
Her words moved me, but I didn’t know how to respond to the emotional moment, so I chose silence.
“Zhao Yang, I feel quite lucky. Arriving in Xitang in the afternoon and meeting you in the evening!”
“If you had met me the moment you arrived in the afternoon, then you could call yourself lucky. After all, Xitang is not that big.”
Leyao slapped me playfully, then, just like in the past, linked her arm with mine and said, “Why do you always oppose me?”
“Because troublemakers like to oppose others!”
“You even admit you’re a troublemaker!… Do you know how many people were so worried about your sudden disappearance that they couldn’t eat or sleep properly?”
I didn’t believe anyone would worry about me, so I joked with Leyao, “Are you one of them?”
She shook her head, “No, because I’m the only one who knows where you went… Actually, the one who worried the most was Mi Cai!”
“Her?”
“Yes, her… If I told you that she flew to Beijing to find me yesterday, would you believe me?”
I shook my head.
“She really did, looking so tired and worn out!”
Still doubtful, I asked, “Why would she come looking for you?”
“Because CC told her that after leaving Suzhou, you didn’t return to Xuzhou, so you must have borrowed money. And the only people you would borrow money from are Fang Yuan, Luo Ben, CC, and me. After eliminating the other three, there was only me left.”
“But I might not have told you where I went either.”
“Haven’t you heard the saying ‘desperate people try desperate measures’?… For Mi Cai, I was her last hope! Fortunately, she came to the right person—I knew you were in Xitang.”
“Then did you tell her?”
“No, I think where you are should not be relayed to her through me, because that would hurt her deeply… So, I came to Xitang myself and told you about her coming to find me, so you can decide for yourself whether to contact her or not.”
“You speak as if it’s all true!”
“Because it is true! If you don’t believe me, I can swear on it!”
I stared hard at Leyao, trying to find any sign of deception on her face, but found none. She didn’t seem to have any motive to lie either, so my heart, full of doubt, began to waver slightly.
Leyao waved her hand in front of my face, “Zhao Yang, why are you staring at me like that?”
I finally shifted my gaze. Even though I believed Leyao, I still felt like this was a dream—how could Mi Cai fly all the way to Beijing just because I had disappeared without a word!
Leyao nudged me again, pulling me out of my silence, “Tell me, what happened between you two?”
“We broke up.”
“Who ended it?”
I was momentarily stunned, then replied, “Neither of us officially broke up, but we really are broken up!”
Leyao widened her eyes at me and asked, “Could it be that you’re just imagining it’s over?”
My heart sank. Yet the image of her pushing me away decisively and getting into Wei Ran’s car flashed through my mind again, so I immediately shook my head at Leyao and said, “It’s definitely not my imagination. Some things others may not understand, but she and I do. It really happened… I think our short, pathetic love has been torn apart by the absurd reality!”
Leyao didn’t press further, but smiled at me and said, “I’ve told you everything I needed to pass on. What to do next is your decision… However, tonight belongs to me. This is my first time in Xitang, so you have to properly accompany me for a walk.”
“Alright… let’s walk.”
Leyao stood up before me and pulled me up from the ground, asking, “Which way shall we walk?”
“West. There’s a convenience store over there. I need to buy a pack of cigarettes first.”
…
After buying the cigarettes and once again exhaling the familiar smoke, the calm I had maintained throughout the day suddenly shattered. An unexpected impulse surged, threatening to break through my self-erected emotional barrier. I felt a strong urge to send Mi Cai a message, to tell her: I’m still okay!
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