I covered my lower abdomen with my hand and stood up from the ground. Mi Cai arrived beside me holding an umbrella. With the pain in my body, I forced a faint smile and asked, “How did you find me?”
“I was worried about you… I called you at 12 o’clock, but there was no answer. Later I called Fang Yuan, and Yan Yan answered. She said you were at the Fifth Season Bar, but when I arrived there, you were already gone.”
I recalled that I must have already blacked out at that time. Yue Yao had been taking care of me, so it was inconvenient for me to answer Mi Cai’s call. I might have accidentally hidden the caller ID as well, so even after I woke up, I didn’t realize Mi Cai had called me.
Before I could reply, Mi Cai anxiously asked me, “Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
I nodded and said, “Stomachache.”
Without further questions, Mi Cai immediately supported me toward her car. She opened the car door, helped me in, and then closed the umbrella before walking to the driver’s side. At that moment, I felt a sense of loneliness in this city, as if the two of us were relying solely on each other. No one else would come to our aid on this rainy night. Yet, this loneliness was also warm and comforting, proving that we existed for each other.
…
At the hospital, the doctor scolded me for not taking care of myself and relying on my youth, blaming me for drinking without restraint. He also scolded Mi Cai, saying that as my girlfriend, she hadn’t disciplined me enough. I remained silent no matter how much the doctor scolded me, because I understood his concern for my health. However, the truth was that I wasn’t an alcoholic. Even after founding Lukoo, with many social engagements, I had never truly gotten drunk. But tonight, I really wanted to get drunk!
I was still receiving an IV when the window, without its curtain drawn, revealed a hint of light outside. However, the rain continued to drizzle. The raincoats below and the cars were covered with yellowed leaves, making the hazy world feel desolate, like the melancholy before a farewell. Yes, Mi Cai would leave with her team in two days to make the final push for Zuo Mei’s listing in the United States! However, the matter with Fang Yuan still hadn’t been resolved.
Mi Cai went to the bathroom to wash her face and relieve the fatigue from a sleepless night. She sat by my bedside again, and I asked her, “Were you looking for me on the streets all night?”
Mi Cai nodded, “Yes, I was afraid you might be drunk and fall asleep on the roadside. With such cold weather, you would definitely catch a chill.”
“Am I really that ridiculous?”
“You really are that ridiculous when you’re drunk!”
I suddenly recalled that I indeed had been quite absurd. Once, I even wanted to jump into the city moat after getting drunk and had shamelessly asked Mi Cai, who at the time wasn’t that close to me, to stop me.
Mi Cai then asked me, “Where have you been since you left the bar?”
“I slept in a hotel…” I hesitated slightly before deciding whether to tell her that I had been with Yue Yao. In fact, we hadn’t done anything. Previously when I was drunk, CC had also taken care of me like that. However, Yue Yao was essentially different from CC. She had always been a sensitive topic between Mi Cai and me.
Mi Cai didn’t ask further. She took off her shoes, lifted the blanket, and lay on the other end of the bed, saying tiredly, “I’ll sleep for a while first. Wake me up if you feel hungry later, and I’ll go buy you something to eat.”
Instinctively, I nodded. Mi Cai had already closed her eyes against the pillow and soon fell asleep with steady breathing. Looking at her, I couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. I blinked my eyes, staring at the dim lamp on the ceiling. Gradually, I no longer felt the stomach pain, so I quickly removed the IV needle from my hand, pressed an alcohol ball onto the spot, and hurriedly ran to the bathroom, trying not to disturb Mi Cai’s sleep by holding in the urgent need to urinate.
After relieving myself, I returned to the bedside and tucked the blanket around Mi Cai. Then I stood by the window, gazing outside. In the ripples caused by the raindrops falling on the ground, I seemed to have an illusion. I imagined that in some sunny evening years later, Mi Cai and I were holding our child, standing on an endless grassland. We were running freely along the traces of the wind under the dazzling sunlight. I ran the fastest and looked back at my wife and child. They looked very alike, both with bright eyes and radiant smiles… Oh right, our child was a daughter. Mi Cai called her Lucy and urged her to catch up with her father, me… Finally, the three of us stood in the wind under the sunset, panting…
Thinking about it, I smiled, because this illusion was so vivid that I even realized I had a daughter named Lucy, who was as beautiful as Mi Cai…
After a while, I came back to my senses, realizing that all those illusions and imaginations had only occurred on this rainy late autumn day. I felt a bit disappointed, but at least Mi Cai was still by my side at this moment, sleeping peacefully. I told myself that as long as we were still together and willing to strive for our future, that imagined scene would surely come true one day. At that time, the sky city I had always pursued would definitely return to my body, making my life crystal clear and bright!
I walked softly to Mi Cai’s side, bent down, and gently kissed her cheek. I seemed to have fallen even more hopelessly in love with her on this rainy morning because of that fantasy!
…
I walked alone on the street, found a breakfast shop, bought breakfast, and returned to the hospital. I woke up Mi Cai, who was still sleeping. She looked at me drowsily and asked, “Have you finished your IV?”
“It’s done. I’ve already bought breakfast, but this doesn’t seem like a suitable place for breakfast.”
Mi Cai didn’t seem to care much about having breakfast. While tying up her messy hair, she poured me a cup of hot water and said, “Does your stomach still hurt?… Take some medicine first.”
I took the hot water from her hand, swallowed the medicine, and then pulled her toward the hospital exit. I really disliked the smell of formalin in the hospital because it was too incompatible with the beautiful fantasy I had just imagined.
After leaving the hospital, the air smelled somewhat damp but much fresher. Mi Cai and I sat in her car and opened all the windows. Then I handed her a portion of the breakfast I had bought. However, she held my hand, shook her head to indicate she didn’t want to eat now, and softly said to me, “Zhaoyang, dealing with Fang Yuan’s matter must have caused you a lot of distress and difficulty, right?”
Looking at her, I knew that although we had avoided discussing this matter in the past few days, we eventually had to face it, and there was no need for me to deny it. If I wasn’t really feeling anxious and upset, why would I have drunk myself to the point of blacking out and almost ending up on the streets?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage