Chapter 318: You Should Have Confidence in Me

I picked up the uneaten dinner from Jian Wei and followed her to the riverside. As we approached her car, both of us stopped. She asked me, “Do you want me to drive you back to the city? It’s hard to catch a taxi around here.”

I looked at the scratched area on her car and replied, “I’m afraid I can’t ride in your bumper car.”

Jian Wei glanced at the car as well and said, “I had a little scrape with a taxi driver a few days ago.”

“Are you okay?”

Jian Wei replied nonchalantly, “It was just a minor scratch. I didn’t even bother arguing with him. I just let him drive away.”

“In the future, if you’re too tired from work, don’t drive yourself. Hire a driver or take a taxi!”

My concern only earned impatience from Jian Wei, who asked, “Are you coming or not? I haven’t even had dinner yet!”

“Then go ahead and eat. I can walk back by myself. It’ll be a nice stroll.”

“Fine by me,” Jian Wei said, opening her car door. Just as she was about to get in, she turned around and took the nutritious meal from my hands. Then she slammed the door shut and drove off quickly into the city lights, leaving behind a breathtaking silhouette. Indeed, she had always been breathtaking to me. So how could she worry about me picking up girls in bars? Thinking about it, I’ve always been pretty faithful.

…

Back at the old apartment, Zhou Zhaokun was still awake, watching a TV drama on the sofa. It was a replay of Leyao’s palace drama shown in the midnight slot on a certain TV station.

I threw the key onto the coffee table, poured myself a glass of water, and asked Zhou Zhaokun, “Still awake?”

Zhou Zhaokun nodded and said, “Her acting is pretty good. She’s clearly better than the others.”

I glanced at the TV where Leyao was crying dramatically and also remarked, “Yes, she expresses emotions very well.”

“So she must have had many profound emotional experiences?”

I hesitated, as I wasn’t really sure about this. It seemed that since we met, she had never really been in a proper romantic relationship. As for before we met, I knew even less. But she must have had a very deep emotional experience, which was why Luo Ben and I saw her in such a pitiful state at the bar back then.

I shook my head and told Zhou Zhaokun, “I’m not sure about that. If you’re really interested, you can talk to her about it yourself.” I added after a moment’s thought, “Provided she’s willing to talk to you.”

Zhou Zhaokun smiled without saying anything further and turned his attention back to the ongoing TV drama. I couldn’t stand the tearful scenes of palace drama anymore and was about to go to bed, when Zhou Zhaokun suddenly called me back: “Zhaoyang, wait a minute. I have something to talk to you about.”

I asked in confusion, “What is it?”

Zhou Zhaokun immediately turned off the TV and looked at me seriously, saying, “I want to talk to you about the artistic path you’re considering.”

I sat back on the sofa, took out a cigarette from my pocket, threw one to Zhou Zhaokun, lit one for myself, and asked, “Are you interested in this idea?”

“Mm, although it sounds somewhat like a castle in the air.”

“Yes, so at this stage, I only consider this artistic path as an idea, not a project… In fact, when I initially proposed building this artistic path, it was more to trick Leyao into transferring her bar to me.”

My frankness made Zhou Zhaokun smile. After a slight silence, he said to me, “What if I were willing to invest in your idea? … Do you have the confidence to create this grand and unprecedented artistic path for us people with artistic aspirations?”

I was instantly stunned, and Zhou Zhaokun gave me an inquiring look.

I examined myself and finally said to Zhou Zhaokun, “This idea is still very vague, and I haven’t prepared myself mentally enough…”

“You’re very honest!”

I took a deep puff of my cigarette and said to Zhou Zhaokun, “Expanding on a large scale requires unimaginable resources and connections. I think one must have a correct assessment of their current capabilities when in business… But I’m quite confident about launching a small-scale campaign.”

“A small-scale campaign, for example?”

“First, own a literary-themed restaurant, bar, and inn each. After operating them, establish a profitable system, then start expanding to surrounding cities. That would be the best time to seek financing, which would be a responsible move for both myself and the investors.”

Zhou Zhaokun nodded, smiled helplessly, and said, “So you’re declining my investment request?”

I smiled back at him and said, “The future is long. This shouldn’t be considered a refusal, right?”

Zhou Zhaokun nodded again, looked around the room, and finally changed the subject, asking me, “Is this room yours? Although it’s a bit simple, it looks quite charming.”

I had never thought this room was charming, so I also looked around. I noticed that the walls were now decorated with many seashells, probably added by Mi Cai before she went to America. I hadn’t paid much attention to them before, but upon closer inspection, they were quite charming. So I told Zhou Zhaokun, “This room belongs to my girlfriend, and the decoration was designed by her.”

Zhou Zhaokun said in realization, “I almost forgot you have a girlfriend. Judging from her taste, she must be a very successful woman. No wonder you turned down my investment. It must be more meaningful to build this artistic path together with your partner.”

“You’re kidding. Although she is somewhat successful, she can’t compare to people like you in the mining industry. Besides, our careers are independent of each other.”

Zhou Zhaokun looked very puzzled and said, “Why should your careers be independent? It’s also good for two people to do something meaningful together, like creating the artistic path you envisioned.”

“She’s really too busy. You wouldn’t understand. Her company is very important to her…”

I stopped halfway through my sentence because there was really nothing more to discuss. Although I deeply wanted to build that artistic path with Mi Cai, it could only exist in my imagination. Unless… unless Mi Cai completely left Zhuo Mei, but was that possible? Obviously not!

…

After finishing the conversation with Zhou Zhaokun, I returned to Mi Cai’s room and lay flat on her bed, enjoying its spaciousness. However, looking at all the things she had left behind in the room, I couldn’t help missing her. I thought a lot, and finally my thoughts lingered on her struggle with Mi Zhongde for the management rights of Zhuo Mei.

Suppose she ended up losing, how would she deal with it? … And what would become of our relationship?

I racked my brain for a long time but couldn’t come up with a definite answer. However, one thing I was certain of was that I must push my career to a higher level. Even if Mi Cai lost all her material wealth in the future, I could still provide her with an upper-class life, so she wouldn’t suffer the disappointment of moving from luxury to frugality.

Perhaps Leyao was right. I indeed valued my male pride too much. Some things should have been discussed with Mi Cai, such as borrowing the 1.5 million to take over Leyao’s bar. After all, only when my career becomes successful can I truly provide a final insurance for Mi Cai’s life in the business world.

However, knowing these truths, why couldn’t I bring myself to ask Mi Cai for the money? … Thinking about it, I didn’t have absolute confidence in our relationship. I was holding back, fearing that if we broke up in the future, I would owe her too much and be unable to repay it.

Suddenly, I gave myself a slap… A love that always thinks about leaving room and a way out for oneself, can it still be called love? … Even if it is love, it’s a selfish love, an impure love. It’s really disgusting that I always seek the crystalline and transparent city in the sky, while my heart still retains many worldly impurities.

Therefore, Leyao, who saw through it more clearly than me, strongly suggested that I ask Mi Cai to borrow that 1.5 million. This 1.5 million is not just a simple monetary unit; it represents a kind of integration between me and Mi Cai, as well as my determination not to leave myself any way out!

Understanding all this, I finally picked up my phone, put aside all my burdens, and sent a message to Mi Cai: “I want to borrow some money from you.”

Moments later, Mi Cai replied: “I’ve repeatedly confirmed the number, and it’s really you… But, did I read it correctly?”

“Yes, it’s really me, Zhaoyang, who wants to borrow some money from you.”

After waiting for a while, Mi Cai directly called me, asking with concern, “Have you encountered any difficulties?”

“I want to take over Leyao’s bar, but I don’t have enough funds, so I thought of borrowing from you.”

Mi Cai was silent for a long time without giving a response, not knowing whether she was upset about my asking for money or about my intention to take over Leyao’s bar.

Finally, Mi Cai said to me, “You’ve changed…”

I felt a bit nervous and didn’t respond to Mi Cai immediately.

She continued, “But I like this version of you… I think we can share and face things together!”

“So are you willing to lend it to me?”

Mi Cai’s voice was soft, carrying a subtle hint of happiness, “You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Why wouldn’t I?”

I felt an indescribable sense of gratitude and reassurance in my heart. After a long time, I said to her, “… I really hope we can live a carefree life together for the rest of our lives… If one day, I mean if… you lose Zhuo Mei in your competition with Mi Zhongde, please don’t be too upset, because I will still be by your side, and I will have worked hard to prepare another life of happiness for you.”

Mi Cai replied firmly, “I won’t lose. I will not lose Zhuo Mei. Zhaoyang, you need to have faith in me, okay?”

I didn’t know how to respond for a long time, just looking out the window, only to realize how deep the night had become…