Chapter 261: Are You Really Afraid of Him?

After drinking a cup of strong tea to refresh myself, I sent a message to Mi Cai, asking her to contact me once she had landed.

After sending the message, I really did stay awake and alert until 3 a.m., but Mi Cai didn’t reply within the time she had expected.

That was understandable, as such a long flight couldn’t be so precisely timed.

I leaned on the desk, staring at my phone, waiting for the notification sound. However, my consciousness gradually blurred and I fell asleep.

During this brief sleep, I dreamed of Jian Wei, but the dream was so chaotic. Each scene didn’t seem to be a complete event. I wandered among fragmented images, feeling exhausted. I realized I was dreaming and wanted to wake up, but my consciousness could no longer control my body, until the phone suddenly rang.

I sat upright with a sigh of relief, rubbed my hands over my face, and then picked up the phone. It was indeed from Mi Cai. She wrote, “I’ve arrived in New York. I hope you haven’t been waiting up for me?”

I immediately replied, “I’ve been waiting for your reply.”

“It’s already 3 a.m. there!”

“I just dozed off a bit while leaning on the desk.”

“Go to bed and rest properly. Staying up late is bad for your health.”

“Okay, you should also get some rest once you’ve checked into the hotel.”

“Good, good night.”

Our conversation ended there. I still didn’t mention those photos to her because I realized I might have been overly sensitive and shouldn’t have made a big deal out of it.

I shut down the computer, yawned, and then went back to my room. As I lay stiffly on the bed, I entered a night that wasn’t really a night.

……

The next day, I didn’t wake up until nearly noon. Without having lunch, I drove straight to Xitang, as I had many things to do today.

After returning to Xitang, the first thing I did was contact the landlord and settle the 70,000 yuan rent I owed. With the renewal contract signed, it meant that I would at least spend a year running this inn properly.

Then I discussed the operation of the inn with Tongzi. We both agreed that besides ourselves, the inn also needed an additional front desk cashier, since I didn’t spend much time at the inn, and Tongzi couldn’t handle the long working hours alone.

It was already late spring, the traditional off-season for tourism in Xitang had passed, and our business had slightly improved. Every day, a few pairs of tourists would check in. Although this was enough to maintain operations, it still fell far short of my expectations for the inn.

Therefore, after having a quick lunch, I went to the bar to find A Feng.

A Feng was rehearsing songs with his band, so I found a seat and sat down to wait while watching their rehearsal.

Shortly afterward, A Feng finished rehearsing, brought over two bottles of beer, sat down opposite me, and handed one of the bottles to me.

I took it from A Feng and asked, “How’s business been lately?”

“The usual, just enough to keep going.”

I smiled and said, “I saw that woman in red clothes again the other day.”

A Feng looked at me suspiciously, “You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“Definitely not messing with you. It’s absolutely true.”

A Feng said regretfully, “She didn’t come to our bar this time.”

“Who told you to play that poker game and ask her to share her story? She obviously didn’t want to talk, so she wouldn’t come back.”

A Feng nodded, “That makes sense.”

“Ahhh… One mistake and you lose forever. You’ve lost a generous female patron who would have tipped our band!”

A Feng replied seriously, “It’s not that I care about the tips she might give!”

“Then what do you care about?”

“I’m just curious about her as a person.”

“If she didn’t have a face that even fairies would envy, you’d be curious about her?”

A Feng shook his head.

“There you go. So your real motive is shallow.”

“Yeah, it is pretty shallow!”

I smiled, clinked my bottle with A Feng’s, and finally turned serious and asked, “How are you doing finding those merchants who will participate in the Perfect Travel Plan?”

“I’m still looking. But some merchants are cautious.”

“It’s normal for them to be cautious. After all, this plan hasn’t brought them any real income yet.”

“Exactly. People are after profit, and merchants even more so.”

I silently agreed with A Feng’s view of profit-seeking behavior. After a short pause, I turned serious again and said, “Try to get this done as soon as possible.”

“Is it urgent?”

“Yeah, have you heard of Easitravel.com?”

“It’s the largest self-guided travel website in China, but what does it have to do with our Perfect Travel Plan?”

I nodded and said, “A friend of mine knows Yang Congrong, the founder of the website. There might be an opportunity to feature a special advertisement on their site. If we can confirm the advertisement, we won’t have much time left, so we need to be prepared in advance.”

A Feng looked at me in disbelief and said, “Your friend knows Yang Congrong? He’s an extremely influential figure. There were reports saying Easitravel.com just secured a $20 million Series C investment this year. They’re definitely going to further solidify their position as the leader in the travel website industry.”

I nodded and confirmed again that my friend indeed knew Yang Congrong. I added, “But the possibility of featuring a special advertisement on Easitravel.com is still uncertain for now.”

A Feng nodded and said, “For small-time merchants like us, it’s almost impossible to get a special feature on Easitravel.com unless we’re willing to pay for it.”

“We definitely can’t afford that kind of expense, so I’m just saying there’s a possibility.”

“Alright, we’ll do our best, do our best!” A Feng said, raising his beer bottle toward me.

I clinked my bottle with his. While drinking, I was already thinking about how I would handle my upcoming meeting with Yang Congrong next week. If we really could feature a special advertisement on Easitravel.com, the traffic to the inn would definitely experience explosive growth, and the “Perfect Travel Plan” would gain its initial growth momentum, evolving into a mature business model with a unique system.

……

It was another busy night. I was lying back in my office chair resting when a QQ notification suddenly popped up.

I sat up straight, looked at the flashing icon, and saw it was from Jian Wei.

“Zhaoyang, we’re meeting with Uncle Yang Congrong in three days. How are you preparing?”

“Preparing all the time.”

“Okay, good luck. I still believe in you.”

“Thanks.”

After this friendly exchange between friends, Jian Wei sent another message: “Oh, my dad will be there too.”

I suddenly felt like a hedgehog: “What is he coming for?”

“Uncle Yang’s Easitravel.com has always collaborated with my dad’s advertising company. The main topic of discussion this time will be Easitravel.com’s strategic development plan, so naturally he will attend… But he doesn’t know that the person you’re meeting with is you. Are you really afraid of him?”

Suddenly, those unpleasant memories unwillingly surfaced again. If I had once feared him because of my relationship with Jian Wei, then what reason would I have to be afraid now, after so much time had passed?