The setup of the scene proceeded in an orderly fashion under my direction. In merely two hours, a temporary event venue was erected, and I began conducting the final safety checks.
About 15 minutes later, A Feng and his band returned to the inn after promoting the event. Seeing the completed temporary event space, A Feng praised me, saying, “The pedestrian pathways are appropriately sized—neither too large nor too small. The layout is very reasonable, and the decorations are stylish. You must have plenty of experience organizing events.”
“I used to work in the planning department of a department store. These experiences were accumulated during my work, and today they finally came in handy.”
A Feng nodded in agreement, “I believe Zhou Zhaokun will like this.”
“I hope so… By the way, do you know any school-age children in the neighborhood who come from difficult family backgrounds?”
A Feng thought for a moment and replied, “Actually, there is one. The boy’s father is disabled, and his mother has mild mental retardation. They live a very tough life.”
This reminded me of Wei Xiao, far away in Suzhou. I felt a bit sad and wondered how he had been lately. I decided that when Mi Cai returned from America next month, we must make time to visit him and his grandfather.
“Zhaoyang, what are you thinking about?”
I snapped out of my thoughts and said to A Feng, “Go bring the child here now. Tonight, let’s help him out.”
A Feng was very enthusiastic about such a charitable activity and immediately agreed.
After A Feng left, I went to the inn’s front desk and asked the receptionist how many rooms were still available tonight. She told me there were 28 rooms left. I selected six of the better-located rooms and told her not to rent them out—they would be used tonight.
The receptionist seemed to have already received instructions from Zhou Zhaokun and cooperated willingly, immediately handing me six room keys.
…
The strong wind we had anticipated had not yet arrived, but the night had already grown dark. At my signal, the lights at the scene were turned on one by one. A Feng and his band began testing their musical equipment, while the whole lamb roasting on the charcoal grill gradually turned golden, its fragrant aroma carried farther and farther by the gentle breeze.
The flickering lights, the crackling bonfire, the melodious music, and the delicious aroma attracted passing tourists, who walked curiously into the courtyard and then, captivated by the atmosphere we had carefully created, were reluctant to leave.
The sky grew darker, and more and more tourists gathered at the scene, more than we had expected. I took a microphone from A Feng, maintained order, and then addressed the crowd, “Good evening, everyone. First of all, welcome to this impromptu bonfire party themed ‘The Wind Made Us Want to Dance.’ Tonight, many excellent food vendors from Xitang have gathered here in this small square, aiming to provide you with a feast for both your taste buds and your soul.”
The tourists below began whispering among themselves, seemingly confused about what I was trying to convey.
I decided to get straight to the point, asking, “Have you all seen the delicious food and drinks in front of you?”
The tourists responded, “Wait, are we allowed to taste them for free tonight?”
Due to the tight time constraints, there had been no opportunity to set specific event content or procedures, so everything had to be improvised on the spot. I spontaneously replied to those asking if they could taste the food for free, “Sure, you can taste for free! But…”
A chorus of “boos” immediately erupted from the crowd below.
Unfazed, I smiled and continued, “But you have to come onstage and sing to entertain everyone. If everyone applauds for you, I’ll give you a free tasting voucher—eat until you’re full, even until you’re sick of it. How about that?”
Instantly, some people in the crowd started cheering. A fashionably dressed beauty, confident in her singing ability, quickly snatched the microphone from my hand and began belting out a song. Others who had not managed to seize the first opportunity still maintained a strong desire to perform, eagerly waiting for the next round, though many more simply paid to enjoy the food.
Regardless of the tourists’ various motivations, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became incredibly lively, with more and more new visitors pouring in.
Standing to one side watching with A Feng, while Zhou Zhaokun stood on the other side, A Feng glanced at him and said to me with some concern, “Zhaoyang, I admit you’re an expert at organizing events, but this kind of lively atmosphere doesn’t seem very artistic. I’m afraid Zhou Zhaokun might not like it.”
Instinctively, I looked eastward, “What’s the rush? Haven’t we still got that gust of wind to wait for?”
A Feng followed my gaze eastward and smiled, “You’re already getting into the artistic mood now!”
I was indulging in self-satisfaction from A Feng’s affirmation when suddenly I felt an excruciating pain in my waist. Turning around, I saw Leyao standing there wearing sunglasses and a mask, speaking to me with a tone of “hatred,” “Zhaoyang, how can you have the nerve? You’ve gone ahead and organized a big group of people to party wildly, leaving me alone at the inn like I was in solitary confinement!”
I broke free from Leyao’s grasp and, amidst the noisy crowd, whispered in her ear, “This is a place for a bunch of people to gorge themselves and drink, and you can’t even take off your mask. Why should I invite you? Just watching without being able to eat would only torture you!”
Leyao didn’t waste words with me and immediately removed her mask, saying, “Is this okay now?”
“Dare you take off your sunglasses too!”
Leyao pinched my waist again, “Are you ever going to stop?”
I broke free from her once more, my expression serious, “Don’t fool around. I’ve got important things to do!”
Leyao let out a dissatisfied “Hmph” and scanned the scene before saying, “If I hadn’t noticed all the tourists heading this way, I wouldn’t even have known you were holding an event here!… Tell me, weren’t you not planning to cooperate with them? How come you’re using their venue for an event now?”
Leyao’s words didn’t confront me directly but instead sparked my suspicion. Instinctively leaning closer to her, I asked, “Zhou Zhaokun suddenly accepted my proposal today and gave me this opportunity—could it possibly have anything to do with you?”
“What are you talking about?”
Leyao’s acting skills were too good. Unable to detect any signs of deception from her expressions or body language, I turned to A Feng beside me and asked, “Did she come to your bar yesterday?”
A Feng nodded affirmatively and then added, “But you’re probably overthinking it. Although she did come to my bar yesterday, Zhou Zhaokun wasn’t there!”
Slightly reassured, I continued, “Then do you know what time she left the bar last night?”
“About 11 o’clock.”
I immediately called Tongzi and asked him to check the surveillance footage to confirm what time Leyao had returned last night. The response came back: 11:10 PM. Finally, I felt completely relieved, as Leyao clearly had no opportunity to meet with Zhou Zhaokun.
My series of actions finally made Leyao realize what was going on. She immediately took off her sunglasses and glared at me, saying, “Zhaoyang, are you out of your mind?”
Although Leyao scolded me, I didn’t respond, because even if she did scold me, it was worth it. I didn’t want her to sacrifice anything else for me—I already owed her far too much!
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