When I strongly suggested setting up CC and Xia Fanye, Mi Cai stopped walking and said seriously, “I also think it’s good for them to be together, but don’t be too deliberate in pushing them together because their respective pasts are too profound. Pushing too hard will make them feel repulsed.”
Looking at her with a puzzled expression, I said, “You seem to know a lot about this!”
“Recently, I read a few books about emotions.”
“Lend them to me then.”
“If you’re willing to read, of course there’s no problem.”
I didn’t speak again, just kept looking at her. The world under the umbrella was so small that I could even feel her warm breath. Her breath had always fascinated me, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her waist. We hadn’t kissed for a long time, and I recalled how we had once been imprisoned by the absurdities of love.
I wanted a deep kiss, but the moment my tongue touched hers, I felt bitterness again. I was sure she felt the same because we had both drunk that bitter coffee called “West of the Old City,” and the bitter taste still lingered in our mouths.
That night, I threw away not only Luo Ben’s umbrella but also hers, both times for the same reason—because they restricted my freedom of movement. Without the umbrellas to shelter us, the raindrops fell gently onto our faces. We kissed again, tasting the bitterness of the rain. It was no wonder, considering how poor the air quality had been lately, and the rainwater naturally tasted no better. But soon I ignored these sensations, held her waist even tighter, and my senses were filled only with softness. My desire flared up in that moment, and I pressed her against the already worn wall behind her. I slid my hand under her top along her smooth, flawless abdomen, indulging in that silky sensation…
The flame of desire burned fiercely amidst the falling rain!
Two pedestrians entered this dim alley, looking at us with strange expressions. Mi Cai removed my hand from under her top and leaned on my shoulder. I was panting, meeting the pedestrians’ odd gazes, but my mind was blank, only hoping they would leave quickly. However, they walked slower and slower.
Mi Cai pulled me toward the exit of the alley, not even bothering to retrieve the discarded umbrella. I said, “Don’t go, once we leave this alley and enter the brightly lit area, how can I keep touching you?”
“Do something meaningful!”
“To me, this is meaningful…”
Before I could finish speaking, Mi Cai had already pulled me out of the alley. The lights suddenly illuminated everything. Even though it was late at night, cars were still driving past on the road opposite us. The neon lights flickering from the tall buildings ahead seemed to display the hazy charm of this city that never sleeps. However, my desire had already faded amidst the running and panting. Then, we looked at each other and laughed. It had been a long time since we last kissed passionately like this or ran freely like this, so this thorough rain suddenly felt less like a torment and more like a blessing. It allowed us to enjoy a taste of youthful recklessness at the tail end of our youth, and I really liked the fact that she wasn’t the CEO Mi of Zhuomei anymore… If we were in her office, even if it were completely enclosed, I wouldn’t dare to slip my hand under her top… Perhaps this identity was a kind of taboo in our love, preventing us from igniting the sparks of love for so long… I even wished she could shed all her glory and just be my wife, Zhaoyang. Unfortunately… this was ultimately unrealistic!
…
We walked back to that old house in the rain, facing the moment of parting. Yes, I wouldn’t stay in the old house because I was already very satisfied with this night. A single physical pleasure wasn’t as meaningful as a slow and steady stream. Perhaps she also hoped to give herself to me on our wedding day, as she had once told me. After experiencing so much, what else could I possibly desire?
Nothing. The only thing I wanted was a slow and steady stream!
Looking at the two rocking horses under the eaves, I suggested to Mi Cai, “Want to ride one?”
“Sure, but I want to ride one with you.”
“Okay, you can sit on my lap…”
Mi Cai looked at the small rocking horse and asked, “Won’t it be overloaded?”
“How much do you weigh?”
“About 48 kilograms. How about you?”
“I weigh 70 kilograms. This rocking horse can hold up to 100 kilograms. It should be fine even if we exceed the weight limit by dozens of jin. Let’s try it…”
Mi Cai nodded. I sat on the rocking horse first and then opened my arms to indicate she should join me. Mi Cai got on with me and sat on my lap. The cramped space left no distance between us, as if we had become one. I hurriedly took out a coin from my pocket, handed it to Mi Cai, and asked her to insert it.
Mi Cai took it from me and inserted it into the rocking horse. The music started, the rocking horse vibrated twice, and then the music stopped. We immediately realized that our weight had caused the problem—we had broken one of the two rocking horses.
Mi Cai turned around and looked at me with an embarrassed expression. I complained, “It’s all your fault! You insisted on sitting together. Now look what happened—the rocking horse collapsed because of you. What are we going to play with now?”
Mi Cai looked remorseful after hearing my words. After a while, she said, “There’s still another one.”
“Look at you! Are you planning to go all the way and break the other one too? This time, I definitely won’t be your accomplice anymore. It feels like we’re a small gang or something!”
Mi Cai got off the rocking horse and looked at me helplessly. I also got off and squatted down to inspect it, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
“Zhaoyang, what should we do now?”
“Be fugitives.”
“Where to run?”
“You go back to your place, and I’ll go back to mine… Hurry up! Fugitives need to act like fugitives. Can we just stand here like fools waiting to be caught?”
“How can you have so little sense of public responsibility! If you break something, you must compensate for it. That’s a principle even kindergarten kids understand!”
“You broke it, not me. I mean, I’ve sat on it many times before and it’s always been fine. The moment you sat on it, it broke. What kind of energy does it take to create such destruction? This was a good horse!”
“You have no sense of responsibility… We’re a team.”
“Correction: We’re a gang… We’ve already committed a crime!”
Suddenly, Mi Cai turned fierce, grabbed my wallet from my pocket, and said, “Even if I broke it, you’re the one who should pay, since you’re my boyfriend.” She pulled out all the cash inside and slipped the money through the door crack into the convenience store, finally sighing in relief. I, however, felt secretly happy because of her words. In this rainy night, after we got back together, she seemed closer to life and love. Was it really because she had read those emotional magazines, or had she realized what kind of her I liked the most… Yes, I liked her just like this—vivid and a bit soft!
…
After parting, I returned to my apartment. Perhaps because I had drunk too much coffee, or perhaps because the night had been too eventful, I was too excited to fall asleep. After taking a hot shower, I lay on the bed, thinking while drinking plain water.
I deeply understood: perhaps today’s reunion was just the beginning of another life. Although Mi Cai spoke lightly about it, there must be many unresolved issues between her and Weiran. How would our reunion worsen these unresolved matters? I couldn’t be sure… As for Weiran, he continued to disgust me, because he never learned to let go, which caused so many twists and turns between Mi Cai and me. Sometimes, I really couldn’t understand: didn’t he really know that helping someone else find happiness could also be a form of happiness for oneself?
Lighting a cigarette, I took a deep puff, and then thought again: perhaps I was too idealistic, because the world is diverse and it’s impossible to expect everyone to be like CC, who regarded helping others as happiness. More people are always dominated by their endless desire to possess, which causes so much tragedy and pain.
But I wasn’t too afraid of the difficulties in the future. At worst, I could return to the days when I had nothing, start over again, or even go back to Xuzhou to live the simplest life. As long as she was with me, I could accept any kind of life. I just hoped she felt the same.
…
I finally dozed off near morning and didn’t wake up until 11 a.m. Then I went to the company with a somewhat listless spirit. After opening the office door, I found Jian Wei sitting in my office, flipping through my recent work notebook.
I closed the office door and asked, “How come you’re here?”
“I want to discuss a project with you.”
“What project?”
“There’s a medium-sized scenic area in the surrounding county that’s up for sale. I suggest we acquire the scenic area in the name of Lukou and then renovate it. I think this is an opportunity for Lukou to break through and begin diversified operations… What do you think?”
I immediately rejected it, “I don’t want to work on any projects other than the artistic path right now. This company isn’t mature yet, and such explosive expansion carries a lot of risk.”
“With me and Uncle Yang supporting you, what are you afraid of? Besides, even though the company is new, every employee is an elite in the industry. They have the ability to manage such rapid expansion. You should have confidence in the company, and also in me and Uncle Yang.”
“May I ask, is acquiring that scenic area also Mr. Yang’s idea?”
Jian Wei was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “We can go to inspect the scenic area first. Whether to acquire and operate it ourselves can be discussed later. Okay?”
For some reason, my mind suddenly thought of that simple, almost non-existent coffee shop “West of the Old City.” I clearly knew this was what I wanted, an essential element of the artistic path, not just some grand-looking scenic area!
Finally, I said to Jian Wei, “If Mr. Yang is really interested in this scenic area, he can acquire it under the name of Yirong Travel Network. It doesn’t make much difference anyway!”
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