A short while later, Leyao and I had both finished our tea. I glanced at the time—it was almost 11 o’clock. Remembering that I had plans with Jian Wei to inspect a scenic area in the county at 7 a.m. the next morning, I said to Leyao, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely take care of the girl’s schooling within a week.” So saying, I opened my wallet and pulled out all the cash inside—around 5,000 yuan—and placed it in front of her. “Use this for now. Later, just leave me a bank account number and I’ll wire you a few more ten-thousands.”
Leyao didn’t hesitate at all—immediately stuffing the money into her nearly empty wallet. Then she pulled out a bank card and tossed it in front of me, indicating I should memorize the number.
I gave her a sidelong glance and said, “Wow, you really act like the big shot here when you borrow money!”
“Unlike you, I don’t pretend to be high-class. I’m just a weak woman in need of money, so I borrow it when I have to… As for whether I pay it back, that depends on my mood!”
“Truly, you’re the big shot!”
“Haha, it’s not about being a big shot or not. It’s because you owed me from your previous life, so in this life, you’re destined to serve me like an ox or a horse.”
“You’re kidding, right? What did I owe you in my previous life?”
Leyao’s expression suddenly turned serious. “…In your previous life, you planted a seed in my heart. It bloomed and bore fruit, but you forgot to harvest it.”
“Haha, then isn’t that your debt to me?”
“Right, it was my debt. But in this life, I’ve come back with this fruit to return it to you, and you refuse to accept it. So now the cause and effect have changed. Understand? …You little hooligan who throws trash around?”
“You’re talking such nonsense… How can I believe you?”
“People do things, heaven watches. Whether you believe or not is up to you.” As she spoke, Leyao leaned closer to me. She tidied her messy long hair, revealing her bare, natural face. Her innate beauty seemed to be part of her nature—no matter how cheap her clothes were, they couldn’t hide her beauty.
I leaned back slightly and asked, “What are you trying to do?”
“Kill you with my eyes!” She said fiercely, glaring at me. Then she picked up her cheap handbag, put on her sunglasses and hat, and walked out of the coffee shop alone.
I muttered nervously, “What a strange person!” Then I picked up my cup for a sip, only to find it already empty. I then grabbed Leyao’s cup, which still had some tea left, and drank it all at once. Yet I still felt dry-mouthed—perhaps I really had been struck by her fierce gaze!
……
The next morning, I was abruptly awakened by the sudden ringing of my phone. I picked it up and saw it was a call from Jian Wei. Rubbing my face to wake up a bit, I answered. She asked, “Have you gotten up yet?”
“What time is it?”
“Almost seven. Hurry up, I’m waiting at your company… Oh, and don’t eat breakfast—I’ve already bought some.”
I grunted in agreement and hung up. Knowing Jian Wei’s personality, she was probably already annoyed from waiting.
A short while later, I left my apartment with a briefcase in hand. After taking the elevator downstairs, I rushed toward the roadside, when I unexpectedly heard a car horn clearly aimed at me. I turned in the direction of the sound and saw my Audi A6. Last night, I had been too drunk to drive it back, so I left it in the courtyard of Mi Cai’s villa. Therefore, the person inside the car must be Mi Cai.
Sure enough, Mi Cai, wearing sunglasses, rolled down the window and signaled me to get in. I quickly turned back and ran to the car, opened the front passenger door, and sat down beside her. Smiling, I asked, “Why didn’t you call me when you arrived?”
“I just got here. When I was about to call you, you were already coming down.”
I nodded. Mi Cai then started the car and asked, “Do you want to grab breakfast together?”
I honestly replied, “No, I’m in a hurry. I have a 7 a.m. meeting with her.”
“Oh.” She responded briefly, then accelerated, seemingly not wanting to delay my appointment with Jian Wei.
After a brief silence, I told her, “By the way, Leyao came back from Singapore… She came to see me last night.”
Mi Cai calmly replied, “Hmm, and then?”
“Uh… Last time she went to Singapore, she brought a little girl with her. Since the girl couldn’t adapt to life there, Leyao came back and found me, hoping I could help find a good elementary school for the girl.”
“I’ll handle that.”
“That’s great! Saves me the trouble… Actually, I think you’re more suitable for this task!”
Mi Cai smiled.
I couldn’t quite figure out the meaning behind her smile, so I hurriedly added, “Once this is done, I’ll make sure Leyao invites you for a meal…”
“No problem. We’re all friends, so helping each other is only natural.”
When Mi Cai voluntarily categorized her relationship with Leyao as friendship, I suddenly felt tongue-tied and strangely uneasy. I stared at her for a while but couldn’t find anything to say.
Mi Cai turned her head and looked at me. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Nothing, nothing. Just focus on driving.”
……
Shortly afterward, Mi Cai dropped me off at the company. Jian Wei was already waiting downstairs with breakfast in hand. Upon seeing the car stop, she walked toward us. At the same time, Mi Cai also unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and stepped out of the car. This unexpected move momentarily startled Jian Wei, but she quickly regained her composure and greeted Mi Cai with a smile, “Good morning, General Manager Mi.”
“Good morning, General Manager Jian.”
Jian Wei looked at me approaching and asked Mi Cai, “Did you specially come to drop him off?”
“Otherwise, what do you think?”
Jian Wei nodded with a smile. Mi Cai walked over to me, adjusted my tie, and smoothed out my suit jacket. “Call me when you get back. Let’s have dinner together.”
“Okay, I’ll try to come back early.”
Then Mi Cai turned to Jian Wei and said, “Well then, General Manager Jian, I wish you both a pleasant journey.”
“Thank you.”
Mi Cai looked at me once more before turning and walking toward my car. Watching her retreating figure, for the first time I genuinely felt how much she cared about our relationship. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have proactively offered to help Leyao with the girl’s schooling, nor would she have personally driven me to work and engaged Jian Wei in a brief but meaningful conversation filled with subtle implications.
I didn’t mind her concern at all—in fact, I found it heartwarming. Reflecting again on my current situation, I wondered whether I should continue maintaining this sensitive working relationship with Jian Wei. If I hadn’t broken up with Mi Cai first, I certainly wouldn’t have accepted this collaboration with Jian Wei. But life is unpredictable. Now, I can’t simply withdraw from this business partnership, so I must be careful to avoid misunderstandings.
Jian Wei went to park her car while I stood there, momentarily dazed under the morning sunlight. It seemed my life had once again become complicated due to the return of love. Yet I didn’t believe this complexity would threaten my relationship with Mi Cai. After all, we had both learned how to treat love correctly after repeated heartbreaks. My honesty today and Mi Cai’s concern were the best proof of this.
Still, work continued to weigh on my mind. Should I abandon my long-held principles to fulfill Yang Congrong’s late-stage entrepreneurial dream?
With a soft sigh, I decided to first visit the scenic area before making any decisions. Perhaps this scenic area could bring me some pleasant surprises and inspire new ideas—ones that could preserve my principles while also fulfilling Yang Congrong’s dream.
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