Chapter 30: An Unexpected Opportunity

Moments later, Mi Cai dropped me off at Luo Ben’s place. Today, I would settle in this ten-square-meter attic.

I was still dizzy and headed straight for the bed, soon slipping into unconsciousness.

With my eyes half-closed, I saw Mi Cai busily moving around. She found an electric kettle, boiled some water, then went downstairs. Shortly afterward, she returned with milk powder and honey, preparing a cup of honey milk for me.

“Don’t sleep yet—drink this milk first.”

I didn’t feel like moving at all and mumbled, “Just leave it there for now. I’ll drink it later.”

“It’ll get cold if you leave it.”

I struggled to sit up from the bed. Mi Cai handed me the milk and sat on the chair opposite, watching me.

The milk was very hot, so I drank it slowly. Mi Cai urged me again, “Hurry up and drink it. After you finish, I’ll tidy things up and leave.”

“There’s nothing much to tidy. If you’re in a hurry, just go ahead.”

“I need to wash the cup and make you another cup of hot water to keep nearby in case you get thirsty later,” Mi Cai replied.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked while taking a big sip of milk, which scalded my throat so that I couldn’t swallow.

Mi Cai looked surprised and countered, “I just made you a cup of milk. Is that really being so nice?”

Indeed! Mi Cai had only done a small favor—making me a cup of milk. Yet why did it feel like she was being so kind to me?

After a while, I finally realized that I had been lonely for far too long. There hadn’t been a woman around me for ages. Every time I drank too much alcohol, I was alone—vomiting by myself, then vomiting again, until I couldn’t anymore, and then just sleeping it off. When had there ever been a woman who would prepare a cup of milk for me?

Finally finishing the glass of milk, Mi Cai washed the cup and poured me another glass of plain hot water. This time, she didn’t rush me. She placed it on the small table beside the bed and said, “Keep this here. Drink it when you’re thirsty.”

“Okay.”

Mi Cai picked up her handbag, preparing to leave, but suddenly remembered something and asked me, “Do you remember what you need to do tomorrow?”

“Go to work on time, of course,” I replied without hesitation.

“That’s not right.”

“Then what is it?”

“You think about it yourself. I’m leaving now,” said Mi Cai, heading outside, closing the door behind her, instantly disappearing from my sight, leaving me puzzled.

I lit a cigarette and sat on the bed, thinking hard but unable to recall what else I needed to do tomorrow besides going to work. Eventually, I stubbed out the cigarette, pulled the covers over my head, and fell asleep again. Since Mi Cai mentioned it was something for tomorrow, I’d think about it tomorrow…

The next morning, when I woke up, Luo Ben was still asleep. His job required him to live an inverted day-and-night schedule, and he had apparently returned close to dawn the previous night.

After a quick wash-up, I found a bowl of instant noodles in a box in the corner, prepared it for breakfast, and hurried downstairs to catch the company bus.

Luo Ben’s place was quite remote, and the bus swayed along the road. During this hour-long ride, I kept thinking about what Mi Cai had reminded me about the previous day.

Finally, with a clearer morning mind, I recalled that Mi Cai had helped me act out a little charade the previous night. Naturally, she wouldn’t have helped me without reason; there must have been some kind of mutual agreement between us. Thinking along this line, it suddenly dawned on me—I needed to buy some insecticide powder today and spread it in the bathroom for her.

Afraid I might forget, I set a reminder on my phone, feeling reassured only after doing so.

Upon arriving at the company, I hadn’t even had time to make myself a cup of tea when I was summoned by Chen Jingming, our planning department manager.

I went to Chen Jingming’s office. He seemed to be in a good mood and gestured for me to sit down.

“Manager, did I mess something up again? Why did you call me so early in the morning?” I instinctively asked. In the past two years, whenever Chen Jingming summoned me, it was almost always to criticize me.

Chen Jingming smiled and said, “Relax. This time, I have an important task for you.”

“What kind of task?”

“This time, Gucci is setting up a counter in our department store, officially marking Baoli Department Store’s entry into the top-tier retail category. The company wants to use this opportunity to launch a comprehensive marketing campaign, aiming to create a grand spectacle that will attract more international top brands to cooperate with us.”

“Manager, are you saying that I will be in charge of planning this event?” I asked in shock.

Chen Jingming nodded seriously and said, “Exactly. This is a rare opportunity for you. You know that competition in traditional retail is fierce, and in recent years we’ve been hit hard by online shopping, making our survival environment extremely harsh. Our survival depends on pursuing a high-end route and branding strategies. We must attract as many international top brands as possible to operate within Baoli Department Store, strengthening our brand advantage. Therefore, this event is a core expression of our company’s values, and the decision-makers above are paying close attention. I hope you can shoulder this important responsibility.”

“Manager, you know how much I weigh. You should really leave such a big task to Fang Yuan.”

“Zhao Yang, opportunities like this don’t come often. Fang Yuan’s promotion to deputy manager of the planning department is already a done deal because he has contributed enough to the company and the planning department, so no one can talk. What about you, Zhao Yang? If I want to promote you to head of the planning copywriting team, there might be some gossip, don’t you think?”

I naturally understood what Chen Jingming meant. He wanted to use this event as a legitimate opportunity to promote me to head of the planning copywriting team. For me, this was indeed a rare opportunity that came once every few years.

I remained silent for a while before finally asking, “When will preparations for this event begin?”

“As soon as Gucci signs the contract to move into our department store, we’ll start preparations. Oh, and Gucci plans to shoot the opening promotional poster on the 15th of this month. Please confirm with the model whether she’s available on that day. This is extremely important—don’t mess it up, understand?” Chen Jingming’s expression grew increasingly serious as he spoke.

“Understood. I’ll call her right away to confirm.”

Chen Jingming nodded and said, “Seize this opportunity well. It’s not something everyone gets to experience.”

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” I replied sincerely.

After leaving Chen Jingming’s office, I immediately called Leyao to inform her of the poster-shooting date. She confirmed her availability, and my heart, which had been hanging in anxiety, finally settled. I indeed needed to do something meaningful with my life, so I had to firmly grasp this opportunity!

This was the first time in over two years of complacency that I felt a strong desire to strive forward and hope for a qualitative change in my life.

…

After a busy day, it was already past seven o’clock when I finally came to my senses. The city streets were lit up with colorful lights, once again making the night vibrant and dazzling.

Sitting on the swaying bus, my mind was filled with thoughts about the upcoming marketing campaign. Chen Jingming was right—this opportunity was truly rare for me, and I couldn’t afford even the slightest carelessness.

After a while, as the bus continued its bumpy journey, I reached into my pocket to check the time on my phone, only to find that it had shut down due to a dead battery.

Looking up at the electronic clock on the bus, it was already 8:30 PM.

8:30 PM! Suddenly, I remembered that after work today, I had promised to buy insecticide powder for Mi Cai to help her deal with those annoying cockroaches!

This morning, I had even set a reminder on my phone specifically to avoid forgetting, but now my phone had run out of power at the worst possible moment. Such a coincidence was enough to ruin my reputation and make Mi Cai completely dislike me.