Tired, I walked through the corridor on the second floor. When I passed Roben’s room, I heard the sound of the TV coming from inside. Thinking he was asleep, I took the spare key to his room and opened the door, intending to turn off the TV for him.
However, when I entered, I found Roben smoking and watching a recorded concert on TV.
Surprised, I asked, “Why are you still up? It’s already past three.”
Roben flicked the ash off his cigarette and replied in a flat tone, “Chronic insomnia.”
“Try to get some sleep,” I said, yawning, and turned to leave.
Roben called me back, “Stay and chat with me for a bit.”
“I’ll go wash my face first.”
…
After a quick wash-up, I lay down on a bed beside Roben, took a sip of calming tea, and asked, “What’s going on? You seem troubled.”
Roben nodded and lit another cigarette.
No one in this world understands Roben better than I do, so I kindly reminded him, “I think if you’ve already decided to be with CC, you shouldn’t think too much.”
Roben shook his head, “I never want to hurt CC, but some thoughts are carved into my bones. No matter how sharp the knife is, it can’t cut them out!”
I was silent for a while before asking, “Have you heard anything about that woman?”
“No. The only thing I’ve never dared to do in my life is to seek out any information about her.”
At this moment, I could sense that Roben was trapped in a self-created world, unable to move forward or backward, yet this emotional knot must eventually be untied.
After another silence, I finally said to him, “Why don’t you give me the information about this woman and let me find her for you. No matter what, you must resolve this issue because life still has to go on, right?”
Roben remained silent for a long time, his expression showing intense inner conflict.
“Just tell me. Once you untie this knot, you’ll feel better. It’s also a form of respect for CC!”
After a very long pause, Roben exhaled heavily and finally seemed to make up his mind. He said, “Wei Manwen, a 2009 graduate from the School of Education at Beijing Normal University.”
“Do you know her home address?”
“She moved after that; I’m not sure about her current address.”
“Do you have any mutual friends left?”
Roben shook his head, “All our mutual friends lost contact with me after I moved to Suzhou…” He paused briefly, then added, “For years, I’ve been like an ostrich burying my head in the sand, constantly telling myself that I can’t find her… If it were really that easy to find her, I would have done it myself long ago.”
I could understand Roben’s feelings. Sighing inwardly, I said, “Wei Manwen, a 2009 graduate from the School of Education at Beijing Normal University… I’ve got it. Just wait for my news.”
Roben nodded slightly, finally laying his head flat on the pillow, lying still. But I couldn’t be sure whether he had truly fallen asleep.
I turned off the light, resting my head on my arms, recalling the conversation between Roben and me back then. He told me that in order to let Wei Manwen find happiness, he had slept with a prostitute in front of her, just to completely shatter any hope she had for him. After that, Wei Manwen indeed left Roben and returned to Beijing.
It wasn’t a complicated story, but even now, thinking about it still feels heart-wrenching, because it contains such deep love and such cruel helplessness!
I’m curious about what happened afterward: After returning to Beijing, did Wei Manwen accept her parents’ arrangement and become a university teacher? Or was there another ending?
From my perspective, I don’t want any other ending. The best possible ending for this story should be: she returned to Beijing, became a university teacher, found a man she loved, and spent the rest of her life with him… That would be the most fitting resolution for Roben. Otherwise, his painful decision back then would have been meaningless.
The next day, the first thing I did after waking up was to send a message to Leyao, sharing all the information I had about Wei Manwen, asking her to locate this person in Beijing. I believe that with her current network of contacts, knowing the name and the university should make it not too difficult.
After having lunch with CC and Roben, they returned to Suzhou. Roben wouldn’t be coming back to Beijing for now because his work in Beijing was completed, and he needed to stay in Suzhou with CC to manage the music-themed restaurant “Empty City” and the bar “The Fifth Season.”
That’s probably better, considering for Roben, staying in Suzhou is definitely better than staying in Beijing.
…
In the afternoon, people from the renovation company came to our inn to start remodeling some of the guest rooms. Tongzi was in charge of supervision, while I took the “Perfect Travel Package Plan” I had prepared the night before and went to Ahfeng’s bar.
It was afternoon, and the bar hadn’t opened yet. I sat down with Ahfeng in a quiet environment and started chatting.
I handed him the proposal and said, “Take a look and see if this plan is feasible.”
Ahfeng curiously took it from me and started reading carefully. I sipped my beer and waited for his response.
About fifteen minutes later, Ahfeng finished reading. He didn’t immediately comment but asked me, “What’s the basis for this plan?”
“Customer needs… Last night, I browsed through all the major travel websites in China. Many tourists are quite wary of local businesses in Xitang.”
Ahfeng nodded in agreement, “Tourist attractions always have some businesses that like to overcharge customers. That’s unavoidable.”
“But all tourists hope to have a perfect travel experience in Xitang. That’s where the contradiction lies.”
Ahfeng thought for a moment and said, “If we can resolve this contradiction, we’ll have a unique business opportunity.”
I nodded, “Exactly. Customers themselves can’t solve this issue, which creates an opportunity for us business owners… My idea is to collaborate with some reputable local businesses in Xitang, combine their food, accommodation, and retail services into a package, and sell it as a unified product. This way, customers can pay once and enjoy a perfect trip to Xitang without any worries. Think about it: modern life is fast-paced, and people come to Xitang to relax and have fun. If we offer this one-stop service, wouldn’t it perfectly match their needs? They wouldn’t have to worry about finding a guesthouse or a bar, nor would they need to fear being scammed by unscrupulous vendors.”
“That makes sense… However, even if we collaborate with just a few businesses, we still can’t fully meet all the customers’ needs. For example, there are hundreds of snack vendors in Xitang, and customers would definitely want to experience as many as possible.”
“That’s easy to solve. If customers purchase our package, we can provide an additional tour guide service. The guides can be staff members from the participating businesses. This way, we save on labor costs, and these staff members are already familiar with Xitang. They can not only introduce the scenic spots but also offer scientific consumption advice, ensuring tourists don’t have to worry about being scammed and truly eliminating all their concerns.”
Ahfeng fell into thought. After a moment, he clapped his hands and said, “When I imagine myself as a tourist, I find this Perfect Travel Plan very appealing… Because it really is perfect, and it’s incredibly hassle-free!”
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