I temporarily stopped talking with Yang Congrong, filled a glass with beer, drank it all at once, and then placed the glass down. I looked out the window through the glass pane. In reality, Beijing’s sky wasn’t as hazy as the rumors suggested; at that moment, it was a clear, deep blue. Autumn sunlight gently bathed the concrete and steel buildings, adding a touch of serenity to this ancient city. I couldn’t help but become entranced.
Yang Congrong didn’t interrupt me. Instead, he quietly drank another bottle of beer and lit a cigarette, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Or perhaps thinking wasn’t even important anymore—life itself demands reflection. No one can live a perfect life. After years in the business world, Yang Congrong must also have his own matters to reflect upon.
After a long while, I finally snapped out of my trance and said to him, “Uncle Yang, thank you for hosting me today. Your words have been very helpful to me, but there are some things I need time to figure out…”
Yang Congrong nodded and replied, “Your thinking must be your own; others’ words are only for reference. However, I hope you can make a decision soon. Both I and Jian Wei have invested a lot into Luku, so we must quickly establish a clear direction for its future development. This is the most urgent matter at the moment.”
“I understand… If I really am incompatible with the company, I will step down.”
This was the first time I had said the word “withdraw” in front of Yang Congrong as an investor. He looked at me with slight surprise.
I continued, “Uncle Yang, I know you’re worried that my withdrawal might influence Jian Wei and cause her to consider stepping down too. But I think there’s no need for concern. Although Jian Wei is stubborn, she is also a successful businesswoman who makes her own judgments about commercial interests. Even if I leave, she definitely won’t abandon Luku, a company on the verge of taking off.”
Yang Congrong was silent for a moment before saying, “This is indeed my biggest concern. Can you guarantee to me that Jian Wei won’t withdraw either?”
Looking at him, I firmly replied, “I can.”
…
After ending the meeting with Yang Congrong, I walked on the streets of Beijing as if entering another world. I wanted to take advantage of the still-bright sunlight and walk around this not-so-familiar city alone.
At that moment, I felt a bit confused about my future. Giving up Luku wasn’t something I could decide immediately, because to leave Luku meant giving up everything I currently had, and the opportunity to stand at the peak of the business world in the future… I only then realized how difficult it was to make a choice when personality conflicts with material interests. Perhaps I was just afraid of living a hard life, but the uncontrollable reality made me feel even more uneasy. Therefore, I eventually had to make a choice.
That afternoon, I kept walking and stopping on the streets of Beijing, sometimes passing through alleys, sometimes walking through bustling districts with the crowd, until the sky gradually darkened. I looked at my watch—it was already 6 p.m.
I didn’t plan to return to Suzhou that day. I decided to spend a night in this international metropolis, Beijing. I had already made up my mind: I would first book a hotel, then buy some beer, find a hill with a good view of the city skyline, temporarily escape from this bottomless reality, and imagine the loneliness of being alone as enjoyment. This was the most effective way I had learned to relieve stress in recent years.
After booking the hotel, I was driven by a taxi driver to a small, unknown hill. When I reached the summit, I discovered I could indeed look down upon this extremely prosperous city from an elevated perspective. I couldn’t help but feel grateful toward the driver, whose guidance allowed me to spend an imagined evening. If it weren’t too cold at night, I even planned to spend the entire night on this undisturbed hilltop—the city’s night view was truly beautiful!
I removed a few maple leaves that had fallen onto the concrete railing, sat on it, and opened a can of beer. After taking just one sip, I felt a bit dazed. The dazzling neon lights at the foot of the hill created a scene of splendid prosperity. In this scene, I suddenly seemed to see countless souls twisted by fame and fortune. I gazed at it for a long time before raising the can and finishing the entire beer, then emptied my mind completely, refusing to be disturbed by the worldly glamour. I really didn’t want to waste this precious night.
The silence was suddenly broken by a phone call. Instinctively, I thought it was Mi Cai calling, even already planning to answer with a video call so she could see how Beijing’s night view unfolded beneath this hill. However, after checking the caller ID, I found it was Yue Yao calling instead. Most likely, she wanted to invite me to dinner. After all, we were still friends, both in Beijing, so having dinner together was naturally inevitable.
I answered the call, and Yue Yao indeed said, “Zhaoyang, where are you? Come to Xiangshan Hotel for dinner with me.”
Instinctively, I replied, “No, there are so many of you. I don’t want to join the crowd.”
“Come on, who told you there are so many people?”
“Uh… I just assumed. After all, Beijing is your home turf, and it’s Xiangshan Hotel, making it sound so formal. There must be a lot of people!”
“No, it’s just the two of us. Come on, hurry up. Or tell me where you are, and I’ll drive to pick you up.”
I looked around and replied, “I’m on a hilltop. I don’t even know exactly where I am.”
Yue Yao was quick-witted. She told me, “Turn on your phone’s location feature. There’s no place in Beijing I don’t know well. Just tell me a location name, and I’ll find you in minutes.”
A cold gust of wind blew, making me shiver. I figured I couldn’t spend the night on the hilltop after all. And the trip down was too long, so I decided to let Yue Yao come pick me up. I turned on the phone’s location feature and sent her the address.
…
During the time before Yue Yao arrived, I drank two cans of beer and smoked a few cigarettes, barely satisfying my expectations for this night. Still, I felt a bit reluctant to leave and secretly hoped Yue Yao would arrive a little later. However, at that moment, a beam of bright light tore through the darkness of the night, and soon a car stopped behind me and turned off its engine.
I turned around. A white Porsche Panamera was parked not far away. Then I saw Yue Yao, wearing a light blue thin trench coat, with a black-and-white plaid silk scarf around her neck. This outfit gave her a rare air of elegance that I couldn’t help but notice with an extra glance.
Approaching me, she deliberately struck a coy pose and said, “Why are you staring at me like that? It’s making me shy!”
I kept a straight face and replied, “With the wind howling and the night getting dark, I’d advise you not to act flirtatiously in front of a man…”
“Yeah, especially not in front of a man like a beast who can’t control himself!”
I didn’t want to banter with her, so I turned around and gazed at the night view below the hill, wanting to stay here a little longer. It seemed that I was now somewhat escaping from the city’s glamour, probably related to the decision I was about to face. I couldn’t make a decisive choice between material prosperity and spiritual simplicity!
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