After leaving the small village, Leyao flew directly from Guilin to Beijing to continue her acting career, while CC and I flew to Shanghai. From there, I returned to Xitang and CC went back to Suzhou. Before parting ways, we seized the opportunity for a brief conversation.
As we hugged, I asked her, “What are your plans after returning to Suzhou?”
“To run the Empty City restaurant well, and continue living my single life. It’s that simple.”
“I think you should take some time to relax.”
CC smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me. Tell me, what are your plans for the future?”
“To focus on my career, and wait for Mi Cai to return from overseas. If she’s willing to marry me, we’ll probably get married soon.”
“I really envy you and Mi Cai for having such mutual feelings. So, for my envy, you two should cherish this hard-earned love.”
“Yes, for Yebeni, we should also stay together.”
CC released me and then glared, saying, “Don’t call me by my name. Talk properly.”
“Actually, your name really sounds nice. From now on, don’t go by CC anymore. Every time I hear it, I think of that car model from Volkswagen, especially since Mi Cai also bought that model!”
CC ignored my joke, hugged me again, and then hailed a taxi. Watching her leave, I felt a deep sense of sympathy and inner conflict. I truly hoped that Luo Ben could return to her and continue this relationship, but that would also mean Luo Ben would completely lose We Manwen, the woman he deeply loved.
At that moment, I felt more profoundly the cruelty of a love triangle, because someone will inevitably get hurt. I hoped even more that I wouldn’t get caught up in such emotional entanglements in the future, and could just move forward smoothly. It would truly be wonderful to walk this path without obstacles. To spend this life with Mi Cai would be all I could ever hope for emotionally.
…
By late afternoon, I finally returned to Xitang. As soon as I entered the inn, I sensed a surge of popularity. The balcony, which used to be quiet and deserted, was now filled with tourists enjoying the carefully prepared afternoon tea.
After putting down my luggage, I, as the owner of the inn, personally gave them several fruit platters and conducted a brief survey, asking about their experiences with the “Perfect Travel Package.” The tourists all said the businesses involved in the plan were excellent, providing them with a wonderful travel experience, and that the “Perfect Travel Plan” was worth their word-of-mouth promotion.
Hearing such positive feedback from customers made me even more glad that I had strictly selected the participating businesses at the beginning, fully ensuring the quality after the plan’s execution. I believe that if this level of quality can be maintained long-term, our inn and the participating businesses will have a steady stream of customers even during the off-season in Xitang tourism. Next year, as this plan continues to mature and our preparations become more thorough, it will not only bring us more income but also provide sufficient experience and financial momentum for me to expand beyond Xitang.
As night gradually fell over Xitang, I took a break to have dinner. Then, on the balcony surrounded by the fragrance of tea, I played guitar and sang for the tourists. Amidst waves of applause, a Lamborghini Bat pulled up under the willow tree outside the inn.
This was the only Lamborghini Bat in Xitang, so the person inside must be Zhou Zhaokun. I put down my guitar, stood by the railing, and greeted him, “Mr. Zhou, haven’t returned to Shanxi yet?”
Zhou Zhaokun took off his sunglasses, smiled at me, and said, “Before heading back to Shanxi, I’d like to have a drink with you. Do you have time?”
“Now?”
“Drinking doesn’t require choosing a specific day. If you’re free, now is fine.”
I liked Zhou Zhaokun’s straightforwardness and immediately agreed. After apologizing to the tourists, I went downstairs and opened the car door, taking the passenger seat. It was my first time ever riding in such a top-tier supercar, and I couldn’t help but look around curiously.
Zhou Zhaokun smiled at me and asked, “How about it? Want to give it a try?”
“If it’s convenient, of course I’d love to.”
Zhou Zhaokun immediately removed his seatbelt, got out of the car, and handed me the driver’s seat, taking the passenger seat himself.
I wiped the sweat from my palms, sat down in the driver’s seat, started the engine, and suppressed my desire for speed, slowly driving out of the crowded area. Once we left Xitang, we entered a wide, sparsely trafficked stretch of road without speed cameras.
The moment my foot lightly pressed the accelerator, the car’s speed immediately surged, quickly reaching 200 km/h, yet the car showed no signs of strain. This was the powerful performance of a top-tier sports car. I became increasingly excited and pressed the accelerator a bit harder, thinking that once I hit 280 km/h, I’d stop this reckless behavior. At least then I’d have something to brag about during casual chats with others.
The speed continued to rise rapidly when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I reluctantly let off the accelerator, and after slowing down to 80 km/h, I took the phone out of my pocket and answered the call without checking the number, asking, “Hello, who is this?”
From the other end of the line came Fang Yuan’s voice: “Zhaoyang, where are you? I’ve been trying to call you all day, but your phone kept being switched off.”
“I kept it off the whole day because I was on a flight. What’s up?”
Fang Yuan hesitated slightly before saying, “…Something might be wrong with Zhuo Mei!”
My heart tightened, and after a long pause, I asked, “What exactly happened?”
“Are you available to come to Suzhou now? Let’s talk in person.”
Given the seriousness of the matter, I replied without hesitation, “I’ll head over right away. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Alright, meet me at Seaview Café downstairs from Zhuo Mei.”
After hanging up, I told Zhou Zhaokun, “Mr. Zhou, I have an urgent matter to attend to in Suzhou now. Let’s reschedule our drink for another time.”
“We’re already heading toward Suzhou. I have nothing else to do, so I’ll come along. We can still have that drink after you finish your business.”
I thanked Zhou Zhaokun, put my phone away, and slammed the accelerator. The car roared forward, speeding toward Suzhou.
…
Within less than an hour, I drove into downtown Suzhou, quickly circling around to the Zhuo Mei building. After handing the car back to Zhou Zhaokun, I hurriedly ran toward “Seaview Café.”
As I walked through the door, a waiter approached and asked, “Are you Mr. Zhaoyang?”
I nodded and looked around, but couldn’t spot Fang Yuan in the main hall.
The waiter gestured for me to follow and said, “Mr. Fang is waiting for you in a private room. Please come this way.”
I nodded again and followed the waiter toward the private room Fang Yuan had reserved, becoming even more aware of the seriousness of the situation. Otherwise, Fang Yuan wouldn’t have chosen a private room to meet me in secrecy.
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