After ending the call with Milang, I quietly walked to Mi Cai’s side, covered her with a blanket, and raised the air conditioner’s temperature slightly before heading outside with Fang Yuan’s resignation letter.
The rain, which had been falling all night, had still not stopped, and even the usually bustling streets had become quiet. The air was filled with a chill, and many parents riding electric bikes to pick up their children had already put masks on them and dressed them in thick winter coats. Perhaps the temperature will rise once the weather clears up, but it’s undeniable that this year’s winter arrived earlier than usual.
The drive was mostly free of traffic jams, and within 15 minutes I arrived at the “Kong Cheng Li” music restaurant. As I parked at the alley entrance, I already noticed Milang’s eye-catching red R8. She was holding an umbrella and looking around anxiously, clearly unsure from which direction I would come.
I looked at her—her youthful and beautiful appearance was in no way inferior to Mi Cai’s. No wonder Fang Yuan couldn’t resist temptation and once lost himself with her. Despite countless subjective or objective reasons, Fang Yuan was ultimately in the wrong. His infatuation with Milang had violated social ethics, especially since he already had Yan Yan, the woman legally bound to him for life.
I finally unfastened my seatbelt, opened the car door, and stood before Milang. She moved the floral-patterned umbrella closer to shield me from the rain, while I said to her at the same time, “Let’s talk inside the restaurant.”
She seemed still somewhat worried and asked me, “Could we possibly run into my sister’s acquaintances here?”
“Don’t worry. You won’t meet them at this hour, although I can’t guarantee it won’t happen later tonight,” I replied, patting her shoulder reassuringly as I gestured for her to follow me. Soon we entered the restaurant. To avoid being disturbed by others, I led Milang into the only small private room in Kong Cheng Li, and then called over a waiter to order some homely Sichuan dishes.
While waiting for the food, I lit a cigarette and took several puffs before finally saying to Milang, “There’s no one else here now. We can talk.”
Milang hadn’t even opened her mouth when her lips began to tremble slightly. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes as she choked out, “Zhao Yang, my sister can’t treat Fang Yuan like this. Me and him really have no relationship left. In fact, we’ve been working separately in the company. He’s been responsible for the Suzhou branch of Zhuo Mei all along, while my sister transferred me to Nanjing long ago. Except for high-level meetings, we hardly ever meet each other anymore.”
Milang’s reaction made me realize she still had deep feelings for Fang Yuan. However, Fang Yuan had already distanced himself from her to protect his family. For a moment, I wasn’t sure how to respond because, subconsciously, I had always thought Milang’s attitude toward Fang Yuan was just a casual fling. After all, judging from her usual behavior and words, she seemed to have a very open attitude toward relationships.
I took another deep puff of my cigarette, wanting to confirm my thoughts, so I asked her, “Did you specially arrange to meet me today about Fang Yuan because you still haven’t gotten over him?”
“No, our relationship ended long ago. I just don’t want my past with him to affect his work. I know how hard he’s worked all these years. His life path can’t be compared to ours, who were born with silver spoons in our mouths.”
I agreed with the latter half of Milang’s statement, which was why I had always opposed Mi Cai’s decision to dismiss Fang Yuan from Zhuo Mei because of this reason. After a moment of silence, I handed Milang a tissue and said, “If you really have no feelings left for Fang Yuan, please wipe away your tears first. Only then will your words sound genuine.”
Milang took the tissue from me and wiped the tears from her face. Then I said to her, “Actually, in my eyes, Fang Yuan is just an ordinary guy. Can you tell me why you liked him? To the point of even seeking out someone you look down on the most—me!”
Milang finally stopped sobbing and replied, “He was a man who gave me a sense of security. He was considerate and thoughtful.”
“That doesn’t quite match my impression of you. I always thought you valued material conditions the most and pursued someone who was your equal in social status.”
“You’re wrong. I only impose that standard on my sister, which is exactly why I disliked you so much. But for myself, what I value more is the feeling I get when I’m with a man. Otherwise, finding someone of equal social standing would be too easy!”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that you value feelings for yourself, yet you still demand your sister pursue someone of equal status?”
“After I gradually understood this about myself, I also gradually stopped disliking you, didn’t I?”
I didn’t say anything else because, to me, it didn’t really matter how she judged herself or Mi Cai. Nothing could change the fact that Mi Cai was already with me. At that moment, the waiter finally brought the several homely Sichuan dishes we had ordered into the private room.
After the waiter left, I gestured for Milang to continue. She began to choke up again as she said, “I once dated a Chinese-American boyfriend abroad. He was hardly even a real man. One time, when I was surrounded and harassed by several drunk men, he panicked and ran off after being threatened by them. I was so desperate that night I even thought about dying—if it weren’t for the good fortune of a passing police car, that night…”
Milang stopped speaking at this point, but I already understood why she had fallen for Fang Yuan. It was because Fang Yuan had given her the emotional support she needed most—the kind of support that only a real man could provide.
Finally, I said to her, “Fang Yuan was just a man who happened to appear in your life by chance. He has his own family, and he truly loves Yan Yan. You should know this better than anyone.”
Milang interrupted me, “Yes, I know he and Yan Yan have had a long relationship for many years, so our relationship ended several months ago. It might be hard for me to stop loving someone, but I can learn to let go. The reason I came to see you today is to ask you to persuade my sister. No matter what her business stance is toward me, she shouldn’t drag Fang Yuan into it. Fang Yuan has always done his job properly within the company and has never been involved in our interest conflicts.”
After Milang finished speaking, I instinctively nodded because I agreed with her. Fang Yuan shouldn’t become a casualty in factional struggles. His current family needed the stability of this job. But at that moment, I also felt helpless because the one who truly decided Fang Yuan’s fate—Mi Cai—refused to listen. She had already made up her mind to remove Fang Yuan from the Zhuo Mei system.
Finally, with a sense of helplessness, I said to Milang, “Actually, I’ve already told Mi Cai everything you just said, but it had no effect. She’s determined to make Fang Yuan leave the Zhuo Mei group.”
Milang shook her head and said to me, “I know my sister better than anyone. Please don’t give up on this matter. You can definitely convince her. If you can persuade her, I promise to give her the strongest possible support in major company affairs.”
I didn’t know where Milang’s confidence in me came from. Her promise of support was unverifiable and sounded more like a joke. Yet I felt sympathy for this woman. At the very least, she was far better than those women who greedily pursue material gains or are fickle in love. But she was destined never to obtain the love she desired.
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