After fully taking over the “Fifth Season Bar” and CC’s “Empty City Music Restaurant,” I made some modifications based on the previous setup. However, whether to continue with the business model that CC had always maintained became a dilemma I had been thinking about for days.
Thus, on this afternoon, I went to meet CC, who was about to travel to Nepal, hoping to hear her opinion. We arranged to meet at this restaurant, which now belonged to me.
After CC sat down, she smiled and asked me, “Zhaoyang, it’s always been me treating you to beer. It’s your turn to treat me today, right?”
I signaled the waiter to bring CC a glass of draft beer, which she drank half of in one go, just as straightforward as before. It seemed that her relationship with Luoben hadn’t left much of a shadow on her, but whether this was just an appearance or genuine, I couldn’t tell.
After she finished the entire glass of draft beer, I took a cigarette from her pack and lit it for her, then said, “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s mainly about the future operation of this restaurant. I want to hear your opinion on whether we should continue with the current model where customers pay voluntarily.”
CC thought for a moment and asked, “Doesn’t the current business model conflict with your future development plans?”
“Yeah, after all, the existing business model can’t be widely implemented, while my development plan involves setting up music restaurants in major tourist cities.”
“I know you especially want to preserve the trust between people that this restaurant has always upheld, and you’re worried that once it changes, I won’t be able to accept it. Actually, since I decided to hand over the restaurant to you, I don’t want to get involved anymore. You make the decision, and I’ll support you no matter what!”
CC’s response made me even more reluctant to change the qualities that this restaurant had always upheld. I was already leaning towards continuing with the current model.
After a brief silence, I asked CC, “When are you planning to leave for Nepal?”
“In three days.”
“Aren’t you waiting for Mi Cai to return? She’ll be back in five days.”
“I don’t know if she’ll come back early. I’ve already booked my tickets. Anyway, she won’t be going to the U.S. this time. We can meet again after I come back from Nepal.”
I nodded, then had the waiter bring us two more glasses of draft beer. She was about to leave, and I wanted to chat with her a bit longer.
CC leaned closer to me, smiling as she asked, “Zhaoyang, when I come back from Nepal, will you and Mi Er have any good news for me?”
“Do you mean our wedding news?”
“Exactly!”
Looking at CC’s delighted expression, I felt a deep sense of sadness. Who knows whether it will be wedding news or the bad news of the end of our love that I’ll give her on that day… but I still nodded to her, as I really didn’t want to let her worry about my issues with Mi Cai while she was still suffering from her own heartbreak. So I gave her a promise that might not come true for now.
After finishing another glass of draft beer, CC asked me, “Zhaoyang, have Luoben and Wei Manwen gone to Xitang?”
“Yeah. Luoben is preparing to focus on creating music for a televised original music competition hosted by a certain satellite TV station in a month. After he finishes the competition, Wei Manwen might look for an education-related job in Suzhou.”
“That’s great… By the way, I heard that this original music competition has changed its rules. Can songwriters just submit their songs and invite other professional singers or people in the industry to perform them?”
“Yeah, after all, not every songwriter has a good voice to perfectly perform their own songs. I think this is a progress, more humane and entertaining!”
CC said half-jokingly, half-seriously, “Do you think Luoben might invite me to perform for him?”
“He probably won’t, and are you still willing to put yourself through this kind of torment again? After all, you two are now…”
But CC interrupted me, replying, “No one understands the soul of his songs better than me, and no one can perform each of his songs more perfectly than I can.”
I didn’t deny what CC was saying at all, but I really didn’t want to see her endlessly devoting herself to Luoben anymore, because the pain behind her devotion was something she had to endure silently. Finally, I said to her, “Why put yourself through all this?”
CC looked at me for a long time before replying, “Some women are born to live for giving. Whether they have love or not isn’t the most important thing to them. There’s such a woman around you too, you just haven’t noticed.”
Instinctively, I asked, “Are you talking about Leyao?”
CC shook her head and said, “Not necessarily!”
I pressed on, “Then who is it?”
CC, however, refused to say anything else. She put out the lady’s cigarette she hadn’t finished in the ashtray, looked at her watch, and then said goodbye, saying she had some personal matters to attend to. I watched her retreating back, feeling nothing but pity for my dear friend and wondering who she was referring to. The women related to me were only a few.
CC opened the restaurant door, and just before walking out, she turned back to me and said, “Zhaoyang, be good with Mi Cai. I’m waiting for your wedding news!”
I was momentarily stunned, then nodded to her. With a smile of blessing, she walked into the quiet little alley in front of the restaurant under the glow of the setting sun, completely disappearing from my sight.
…
Time quickly moved forward five days. Today was the day Mi Cai returned home, and it was also the third day officially entering summer. Yet my heart was in turmoil, burning with eagerness to see Mi Cai after our long separation, but at the same time, I dreaded seeing her caught in the painful choice I had given her. To be precise, it was the choice given by Weiran, but that didn’t matter anymore. Regardless of who had given her the choice, she would inevitably suffer from making it.
With these complicated emotions, I arrived at Pudong Airport in Shanghai and waited at the passenger exit for Mi Cai. Unexpectedly, I found that Weiran had arrived before me, and he noticed me at the same time. He then walked over to my side.
There was nothing much for us to say to each other, so we remained silent. After a while, he finally spoke, “Have you made up your mind?”
“There’s nothing to think about. I’ve already told you, I don’t have the right to choose. Mi Cai’s decision is the most important, and I will respect any choice she makes. So you should go talk to her, not keep focusing on me like a fly!”
Weiran clenched his fists tightly, but I ignored him and turned to look at the exit, because Mi Cai’s flight had already arrived on schedule. Soon, I would be able to see her.
Two minutes later, I saw her pushing a luggage cart. She was wearing sunglasses and a white long dress, looking extremely beautiful. She immediately drew many people’s attention, with some even speculating that she might be a celebrity. Some even took out their phones to capture her image through the lens.
Weiran and I walked towards her at the same time. Weiran opened his arms first, and she happily let go of the luggage cart and accepted his welcoming hug, saying joyfully, “I didn’t expect you to come. I remember you told me you were going to attend the opening ceremony of ZH’s branch company in Shenzhen today.”
“There’s nothing more important than welcoming you back home. But you really picked a day, it coincides with the opening of ZH’s branch company!”
“I just wanted to come back earlier.” Mi Cai said and then looked at me, who had been left aside.
I smiled at her, and she was about to leave Weiran’s hug, but Weiran suddenly hugged her tighter. Although she was still wearing sunglasses, her expression was clearly full of surprise. She pushed Weiran slightly and asked, “Abner, what’s wrong with you?”
Weiran loosened his hug on Mi Cai with a gloomy expression, then smiled again and said, “I just wanted to hold you tighter to see if you’ve lost weight.”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “I probably have lost a little.” Then she came to my side and took off her sunglasses, tightly holding my hand.
Weiran forced a smile again and said, “Betsy, I’ve already prepared a welcome-back party for you in Suzhou. You should come with me later.”
Mi Cai looked a bit hesitant and said, “I’m a bit tired. I plan to rest well tonight.”
Weiran continued, “This party, I’ve invited all the business elites in Suzhou, the leaders of the Commerce Bureau, and the board members of Zhuo Mei. How can the main guest be missing?”
Mi Cai looked at me again, as if seeking my opinion.
Of course, I didn’t want her to attend Weiran’s party, but I couldn’t let her refuse the face of these business elites and the leaders of the Commerce Bureau. I still forced a smile and said, “Go. They’re all friends and leaders in the same circle. It’s not good to say no.”
Mi Cai finally nodded to Weiran and then turned to me and said, “Zhaoyang, why don’t you come to the party with me tonight?”
I smiled and shook my head, “You go ahead.”
Mi Cai was slightly disappointed but still gave me a smile. She leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I know you don’t like such occasions, so I won’t force you. But when you get home, remember to prepare dinner and wait for me to come back and eat together, okay?”
“Of course, no problem!”
Mi Cai linked her arm with mine and walked out of the airport, even forgetting her own luggage. I turned back to help her get her luggage, only to find that Weiran, who had been gloomy all along, was already pushing her luggage cart behind us.
The three of us arrived at the parking lot outside the airport. Mi Cai’s car, which I had been using, and Weiran’s Ferrari 458 were parked only three cars apart. Weiran put Mi Cai’s luggage into his car, while Mi Cai had already gotten into her own car. She rolled down the window to tell Weiran to call her when she got to Suzhou, then called me to get into the car quickly, completely ignoring Weiran’s feelings. Perhaps in her heart, she only thought that Weiran had completely gotten over his feelings for her, but the reality was quite the opposite… She was ultimately simple-hearted when it came to emotions, so she misjudged Weiran’s unwilling and persistent feelings for her at this moment.
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