I parked my car behind Xiang Chen’s and then opened the door. He seemed to have noticed me as well and got out of his car at the same time. As usual, he intimately put his arm around my shoulder. I smiled and then we both simultaneously pulled out a pack of Hong Mei cigarettes from our pockets. Back in college, besides Zhong Nan Hai, we mostly smoked Hong Mei. These two brands accompanied us throughout our university years.
We each offered each other a cigarette and lit them up. Jokingly, Xiang Chen asked, “You’re General Manager Zhao now. Still smoking Hong Mei that costs only four yuan a pack—are you trying to be profound or pretentious?”
“In this pretentious world, a four-yuan pack of Hong Mei is the best prop for showing off…”
Xiang Chen burst into laughter, “You hit the nail on the head. That’s why I’m still smoking it. I haven’t dared to switch brands in all these years.”
“Yeah, the ultimate form of pretentiousness is to return to simplicity!”
Xiang Chen shrugged, “If everyone were as pretentious as us, smoking Hong Mei and drinking Erguotou, my tobacco and alcohol business wouldn’t survive!”
I smiled and didn’t continue the conversation because, in reality, not everyone in this world has the talent for pretentiousness. Therefore, Xiang Chen’s business in tobacco and alcohol would definitely be fine. The above was merely a casual exchange between us, a way to pass the time when we had little else to talk about after meeting again.
During a brief silence, I glanced toward Wei Ran’s car. He wasn’t inside at the moment, possibly having already entered the mall. I temporarily pushed aside my emotions and started chatting with Xiang Chen again, while CC remained seated in my car the entire time, never getting out.
After finishing our cigarette, Xiang Chen looked at his watch and glanced toward the intersection, complaining, “Why hasn’t Jian Wei arrived yet? Could she be stuck in traffic?”
“She might be busy at work. I came the same way as her, and there wasn’t any traffic.”
For a moment, Xiang Chen’s expression turned somewhat gloomy. He then smiled helplessly and said, “Sometimes I really don’t know why she insists on doing this. Other women would rather live carefree lives, traveling around the world, shopping and sightseeing whenever they feel like it. But she shows absolutely no interest in such a lifestyle. Is it really appropriate for a woman to throw herself so completely into the business world?”
I remained silent for a while before responding with a helpless smile, “Maybe she’s just naturally driven and ambitious.”
Half-jokingly, half-seriously, Xiang Chen asked, “Was she like this back in college too?”
I crushed out my cigarette butt and looked toward the intersection, saying, “Here she comes. You should ask her yourself.”
Xiang Chen crushed out his cigarette butt as well, following my gaze toward the intersection without saying anything else. His expression, however, was complex. It seemed as if Jian Wei had given him many unavoidable frustrations. Facing these frustrations, all he could do was endure, as had always been the case, because Jian Wei was simply too strong-willed.
Jian Wei parked her car, grabbed her handbag, and walked up to Xiang Chen and me, asking, “Zhao Yang, is everyone here yet?”
“Not yet, but they should be arriving soon.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Luo Ben arrived on his motorcycle, carrying Wei Man Wen, from another intersection. Then came Yan Yan. Only Fang Yuan and Mi Cai were missing, and at this moment, Wei Ran should have been with Mi Cai.
Luo Ben and Xiang Chen had met a few times before. They exchanged greetings and offered each other cigarettes. The women chatted while the men smoked, continuing to wait for Fang Yuan and Mi Cai, who hadn’t finished work yet.
Finally, Mi Cai, Fang Yuan, Wei Ran, and Mi Lan emerged from the Zhuomei building together. They walked and talked, seemingly still discussing work matters, until they reached us.
Mi Cai said to the waiting group, “Sorry, the meeting ran a bit longer than expected. I made you all wait.”
Everyone assured her it was fine, and I then invited everyone to leave. Mi Cai turned to Mi Lan behind her and asked, “Lan Lan, would you like to come with us?”
“No, I have a wine tasting event to attend tonight. Have a good time, you guys.” After saying that, Mi Lan turned back toward the underground parking lot of Zhuomei and left. Meanwhile, Fang Yuan and Yan Yan stood together without any further interaction, which convinced me they had truly ended things. After all, Fang Yuan and Yan Yan had shared many years together. A moment of weakness was understandable, but he would never abandon his family responsibilities for that. I still believed in Fang Yuan.
After Mi Lan left, Mi Cai seemed to deliberately avoid any conversation between me and Wei Ran. She got into my car first and signaled me to get in and lead the way for everyone else. At this moment, I finally exchanged a glance with Wei Ran, but we didn’t say anything. We each got into our cars, and then the group drove in a grand procession toward Xia Fan Ye’s café, “West of the Old City.”
…
About twenty minutes later, we arrived at the old neighborhood. After parking at the alley’s entrance, the group split into two lines and walked into the alley. Jian Wei and Xiang Chen walked together, followed by Wei Man Wen and Luo Ben, then Fang Yuan and Yan Yan. Mi Cai and I walked at the front, while CC and Wei Ran each walked at the end of the lines, without any interaction throughout, making the atmosphere somewhat heavy. Perhaps this was indeed a gathering filled with hidden agendas. I only hoped these hidden thoughts wouldn’t ruin the style of the café, “West of the Old City.”
Soon, we reached the café’s entrance. As if to match the indescribable melancholy, it started drizzling. I stopped and looked at the peeling green-painted door, saying to everyone, “This is the café. Today, I wanted to invite you all to have a cup of the café owner’s specially blended ‘West of the Old City’ coffee. Mi Cai and I both really like this café…”
Mi Cai nodded and continued, “Yes, but the story behind this café is quite sad. However, being able to discover it is a kind of luck, reminding us to cherish the people and lives we have around us more.”
CC asked, “What story?”
Mi Cai looked back at the signboard and replied, “The story of ‘West of the Old City’… Let’s go inside first and try the coffee. Mi Cai and I have invited everyone.”
When Mi Cai said “Mi Cai and I,” she subtly informed everyone present that we had reconciled. That previously broken path, we would continue walking on it, repairing it as we went.
Instinctively, I looked toward Wei Ran. His expression immediately turned dark, even painful. This pain was no less than the collapse of a belief. At this moment, I believed that Mi Cai might have truly made a promise of marriage to him, but she had broken her word and returned to me again.
As everyone looked at Wei Ran, his expression suddenly became calm. He gave Mi Cai a gentle yet cold smile, pushed open the café door before anyone else, and walked in alone. Mi Cai, however, stood there somewhat at a loss, staring at his retreating figure until I took her hand, bringing her back to her senses.
Perhaps only she understood what lay behind Wei Ran’s gentle smile.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage