The information you provided seems to be a chapter or excerpt from a novel, including detailed dialogue and narrative. Translating such content requires maintaining the tone, style, and emotional depth of the original text. Below is the complete English translation of the passage you provided, preserving the context and names as specified:
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Jian Wei’s words of explanation and comfort left me in silence for a while before I finally said, “I agree with what you’re saying. If we were truly strangers, and I could help you turn things around, I would be thrilled. But the truth is, there’s a past between us that we can’t avoid. And humans are ultimately creatures governed by emotion. Based on what I know now, I can’t help but care.”
“In the end, you still lack confidence in your talent. Otherwise, you wouldn’t care about any of this.”
“Talent? … Such a vague word. Is it even appropriate to use in this situation? … Can talent really represent everything?”
Jian Wei’s expression dimmed, but she still managed a smile as she said, “Yeah, the word ‘talent’ does feel too hollow… Back then, I used to imagine that after graduation, we could open an advertising agency together. With your talent and the resources my father had, I believed you could become famous in the advertising world. But…”
“But it was only you, Jian Wei, who truly recognized my talent—not your father. In this society, real resources are far more important than abstract talent. Once we faced the harsh reality, it was our dreams that shattered in the end.”
Jian Wei fell silent. Her silence hurt me deeply. In truth, this was the first time she had ever spoken to me about her past plans. But back then, we were too weak and inexperienced. Without her father’s support, we couldn’t have started a company. Even the advertising agency she now ran was built after three years of studying in the U.S., during which she built her own network and gathered the investment and savings needed to start it.
Jian Wei bit her lip hard, stubbornly holding back the tears that were about to fall, but her voice cracked as she said, “If my father had given us a chance back then, we wouldn’t have become… become the way we are now. I really hate it!”
Her words filled me with sorrow and pain. If only her father had given us that opportunity back then, I would have, out of deep love for Jian Wei, given up my pride and accepted it, working hard to make it work. Perhaps I really could have achieved something, and Jian Wei wouldn’t have had to leave for America. Now, we might already be married, even with children. Just thinking about it makes it seem so beautiful.
After a while, I finally asked Jian Wei, “Did you have another fight with Xiang Chen?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“People usually start reminiscing about the past when they’re unsatisfied with the present. And clearly, that’s what you are now.”
“I’ve never been satisfied.”
“And who really is? Learn to adapt to the present… Just like me, I don’t want to be stuck here either, but I can’t go anywhere else. I might as well turn my dissatisfaction into motivation for change. Maybe things will gradually get better in the future.”
Jian Wei nodded, “Zhaoyang, I’m glad you’ve matured. You’ll definitely keep getting better.”
I looked at Jian Wei without saying a word because I wasn’t sure if I had truly become mature. Perhaps in someone else’s eyes, I was still childish.
—
After leaving the guest room where Jian Wei was staying, I didn’t feel like resting. I wanted to go out for a walk to clear my head so I could think about how to renovate the inn in the next phase. Without exaggeration, I can say that although small, this inn carries the dream I rebuilt after it was shattered. I don’t want to leave another mark of failure in Xitang.
It was already ten at night, and the streets had become cold and quiet. In the stillness, I could see far into the distance—even a couple embracing and kissing at the head of the bridge. But I wasn’t envious. In Xitang, such scenes were too common, and after seeing so many, I had become numb to them.
I continued walking aimlessly forward. On the other side of the river, a figure was walking at the same pace as me. I turned my head and saw it was the beautiful woman who liked wearing red clothes, someone I hadn’t seen in a few days.
I called out to her, “Hey, still out for a walk this late?”
“You’re out too, aren’t you?”
I smiled and said, “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore!”
“Considering that you once sang a song for me.”
“You’re quite high-maintenance!”
We kept walking forward without stopping our conversation.
“If you think I’m so high-maintenance, why are you still talking to me?”
“Because besides you, there’s no one else around now.”
“So you really can’t keep your mouth shut.”
We continued walking on opposite sides of the river, and finally came upon a small bridge ahead. I crossed the bridge to her side, while she crossed it to the side I had just left. After switching places, we continued walking forward, still separated by the river.
After walking a bit further, I shouted to her again, “Which inn are you staying at now?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Of course it matters! I’ve just taken over an inn here and I’m short on business. Since you’re staying somewhere anyway, why not come stay at my place?”
“So you’re a pimp now!”
I was a bit speechless, and after a while I finally said, “I’m running a legitimate business. How can you say I’m a pimp!”
“What’s the name of your inn?”
“The Inn.”
“What name?”
“Just ‘The Inn’!”
“What a strange name, trying to sound mysterious!”
I smiled helplessly, “If you don’t want to stay, just say so. Why insult my inn?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to stay—it’s because I’m leaving Xitang tomorrow. What’s the point of staying now?”
“Oh, I see. Then I wish you a happy life after leaving Xitang.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Actually, I really hope Xitang can become a sacred place for healing broken hearts. When we leave here, we’ll be able to start new lives, and become new versions of ourselves.”
She nodded, waved goodbye to me, and then turned left into an alley at the upcoming intersection. Her figure soon melted into the night.
I let out a heavy breath, once again thinking of Mi Cai. Although I had spoken lightly, if I really left Xitang and one day met her again on a street corner, would I still be that supposedly ‘new’ version of myself?
—
After wandering around a bit longer, I returned to the inn, only to be surprised by a red Q7 parked in front of it. I walked closer and saw that it had a Suzhou license plate.
Mi Cai had finally arrived, following Ran.
Why did I use the word “finally”? Could it be that my subconscious also believed she would come?
Yes, she was definitely going to come. Because between us, there were still the two words “breakup” that hadn’t been spoken.
I smoked a cigarette before entering the inn. Emotionally shaken, I looked around but didn’t see Mi Cai. Tongzi, however, excitedly said to me, “Brother Yang, our inn has its second guest! She’s so beautiful—indescribably beautiful. She’s even more beautiful than Yue Yao… You know, since our inn easily attracts beauties, maybe we should change the name to ‘Beauty Inn’!”
Based on Tongzi’s description, I was certain that the second guest was Mi Cai. But her beauty made me feel even more down, because only I knew exactly how much pressure and pain her beauty and nobility had brought me…
“Where is she?”
“I’ve already arranged a room for her. Oh, she also asked about you and told me to notify her once you came back… Brother Yang, who exactly are you? Why do you know so many stunningly beautiful women?”
“You repeated ‘stunningly beautiful’ and ‘beautiful’—they mean the same thing.”
Tongzi chuckled and picked up the phone next to the computer, saying, “Since you’re back, I should call her room and let her know.”
“Wait.”
I said this and quickly stepped in front of Tongzi, pressing down on the hand that was holding the phone.
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