That night, I had a detailed discussion with Yang Congrong about the cooperation, and it was already 9 o’clock when we ended our meeting. However, I was still excited because with Yang Congrong joining this “artistic path,” there were infinite possibilities. Perhaps when this route is truly formed on the tourism map, it would be far more magnificent and vast than what I had planned at that moment!
After seeing Yang Congrong and Jian Boyu off, Jian Wei and I stood side by side in the parking lot in front of the hotel. I smoked a cigarette while she gazed at the clusters of buildings across the street…
After a long while, I finally said to her, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back and rest.”
“It’s only nine o’clock… Are you really willing to confine yourself in that small room at this time?”
“Actually, my heart is still surging…”
“Yeah, I can already see the future shining version of you!”
“Now it’s too early to say such things.”
“I don’t think it’s early at all. You’re a typical example of accumulating much and bursting forth later; success is only natural for you.”
Jian Wei’s words made me feel ashamed. In reality, I couldn’t really say that my life had been about accumulating much and bursting forth later. I was very clear about how I had wasted those years in depression. Thus, feeling ashamed, I became silent…
“Let’s go sit by the moat. The river surface, rippling in the wind, better matches your surging mood right now.”
I didn’t refuse Jian Wei because whenever there was a turning point in my life, I liked to go sit by the moat. It seemed to have already become part of my life, accompanying me through disappointment and soothing the wounds that should or shouldn’t have come.
…
By the moat, the river rippled with the wind. Jian Wei and I stood by the railing, facing the wind and leaning forward, looking at the river surface, neither of us eager to break the silence…
Gradually, the wind became lighter, and the river calmed down accordingly. Finally, Jian Wei spoke to me beside her, “Zhaoyang, if I want to invest in this artistic path project, would you be willing?”
I lit a cigarette with the Dupont lighter Mei Cai had given me and asked, “Why do you want to invest?”
“I have a deep affection for this project and long to participate in building this artistic path. I think my life will thus become brilliant… ” She spoke softly after a long silence, “My life has withered for a long time!”
I didn’t immediately give Jian Wei a definite answer but said, “Investing isn’t a small matter. Let’s talk about it another time.”
Jian Wei looked at me, and after a long while, she said disappointedly, “Yeah, how could you possibly lack funds? Moreover, having Mei Cai invest in this project and accompany you to build this artistic path would be more meaningful for you!”
I didn’t respond with words, and only after finishing my cigarette did I change the subject and ask, “Why did you have to be so hard on your dad just now? Actually, since your advertising company was established, you’ve also relied a lot on his resources for your development. Isn’t that a bit unfair to him?”
Jian Wei gave a bitter smile and said, “Hehe… There’s no fairness between us. One day, I will replace him and build the advertising company that is second to none in the Yangtze River Delta region… Not long from now, the headquarters of Simay Advertising will move to Shanghai, and that’s when the real competition between him and me will begin.”
At that moment, the wind, which had stopped for a while, blew again, and the river surface rippled once more. After a long hesitation, I finally voiced a deep doubt that had long been buried in my heart, “Are you still unable to let go… about him opposing our relationship back then?”
Jian Wei suddenly became assertive, her eyes full of complex emotions, and she replied with a tone full of pressure, “Don’t ask me questions that are related to the past and how things have changed!”
Actually, I still wanted to ask her why she had broken up with me back then, but upon hearing the words “the past and how things have changed,” I instantly lost all my desire for answers. I simply took out another cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I didn’t say another word until I left.
…
Back at the old house, I put down my briefcase and gently opened the door to Mei Cai’s room. She was leaning over her desk, dealing with a pile of documents. Hearing me, she turned around and asked, “Why did you come back so late?”
I sat down on Mei Cai’s bed and replied, “I talked with Yang Congrong for quite a while during dinner… Oh, did you eat anything?”
“I had some fruit.”
“Let me cook you some late-night snack. What would you like to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re afraid of gaining weight, right?… It’s okay, I’ll cook you some low-calorie porridge. It’s already so late, and you’re still working. How can you not eat anything?”
Without giving Mei Cai a chance to refuse, I hurried to the kitchen. Moments later, I brought a bowl of purple sweet potato porridge into her room and sat down on her bed again, watching her eat.
While eating, Mei Cai asked me, “What did you talk about with Yang Congrong today?”
Actually, Mei Cai rarely cared about my career, so I was quite surprised and told her about the cooperation I had reached with Yang Congrong.
She put down her bowl, smiled and said, “That’s great! I hope your cooperation will be successful…”
I responded with a smile, but she turned around again and continued approving the remaining documents. For some unknown reason, my heart felt a bit of disappointment because of this action of hers. She still didn’t ask me about the meaning behind building this “artistic path,” and the blessing she gave me seemed more like a polite gesture. So, Weiran was right after all. In her heart, Zhuomei meant everything. Even on this day, which was significant enough to be recorded in my life, she was still busy for Zhuomei. It seemed that we had never formed that sense of shared glory and disgrace. Yet, despite lacking deep communication from the soul, I was still infatuated with her… But why I was so infatuated, was truly a mystery to me!
…
That night, I didn’t stay in Mei Cai’s room for too long. I just helped her clean up the dishes after she had eaten and then returned to my own room. Then, as was my habit, I lay on the bed and smoked a cigarette, and as was my habit, I thought again of Leyao who was far away in Beijing. I didn’t know whether she had already gone to bed.
My thoughts continued to wander, and I thought again of those days when I was confused about money. It seemed that she was always by my side during those times, keeping me from getting discouraged and making me believe that one day I would finally leave behind that miserable life.
Now, I have done it, but we have completely lost contact… Thinking carefully, all the things that have already happened and are about to happen seem to have been destined.
At this moment, I really wanted to know, if my life has already been arranged by fate, in the future, will I still cross paths with that woman who had accompanied me for a long time when I was at my lowest point in life?
If there is a crossroads, what would cause it?… It seems there really isn’t much left that could bring us together again!
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