Rob sang a song titled “A Daughter’s Love” after replacing the female folk singer on the small stage, and then looked at me with a pair of eyes that seemed to indicate he regarded me as the unfeeling monk in the lyrics. He then walked back to his seat beside me, seemingly disinclined to speak, lit a cigarette, and began fiddling with a uniquely designed ring on his ring finger. I, meanwhile, played with my lighter, and naturally, we both sank into silence together.
Eventually, he stubbed out his cigarette and said to me, “You’re not talking on purpose, aren’t you? Did you call me over just to stare at each other?”
I raised my glass toward him and said, “Let’s drink.”
Rob shook his finger at me and replied, “You can drink by yourself… I haven’t finished rehearsals yet. I really don’t have time to hang around here with you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off first.”
“Then go take care of your business.”
After making a gesture indicating to call him if anything came up, Rob zipped up his jacket and walked out of the restaurant. Soon after, the alleyway echoed with the roar of a motorcycle engine, which gradually faded into quietude, leaving only the sounds of diners eating and chatting. At this point, I ordered another mug of draft beer and waited for Zhou Zhaokun.
About an hour later, the roar of an engine was heard again at the mouth of the alley. I could tell immediately it was the distinctive sound of a Lamborghini engine. Indeed, within an hour, Zhou Zhaokun had made his way from Xitang to Suzhou, solely to meet me for drinks… After confirming the news of Leyao’s upcoming marriage, he was sure to be disheartened.
Soon after, Zhou Zhaokun, dressed in a formal suit, sat down across from me. I set aside my draft beer and directly signaled the waiter to bring another dozen bottles of beer.
After each of us had downed a bottle of beer, Zhou Zhaokun finally asked me, “Who is Leyao’s fiancé?”
Actually, I had been curious about this before, but after learning from Rob, I no longer felt it was that important. At the very least, it was Leyao’s final choice. At the very least, the man named Cao Jinfei and Leyao were tied together by something called compatibility in social status. Who could possibly have reason to doubt that this marriage was not a match made in heaven!
Finally, I said to Zhou Zhaokun, “Zhou Ge, does it really matter… If Leyao herself isn’t willing, no one can force her into this marriage.”
“It makes sense, but I still want to understand better what kind of man she likes, and what about me…” Zhou Zhaokun didn’t continue, but his sense of regret was already evident.
“His name is Cao Jinfei. Do you know him?”
“Cao Jinfei!…”
Zhou Zhaokun’s expression of surprise puzzled me a bit, so I asked, “What, is there something wrong with this guy?”
After lighting a cigarette, Zhou Zhaokun replied, “He is not the kind of man worthy of Leyao entrusting her whole life to… This man has problems with his lifestyle.”
I hesitated for a moment before replying, “Zhou Ge, do you have factual evidence for your evaluation of him?”
“This… Maybe you think my judgment of him is biased because of Leyao, but if you care to look into it, you can find out for yourself.”
I became puzzled by Zhou Zhaokun’s evaluation of Cao Jinfei. If Cao Jinfei was indeed an unreliable scion of a wealthy family, there was no reason for Leyao not to know this, and even less reason for her father not to know. Why would they then promote this marriage? Could it be for commercial purposes?
After a period of silence, I finally said to Zhou Zhaokun, “Forget about the scions of wealthy families, even someone like me has had affairs before… Perhaps after he marries Leyao, he will settle down.”
Zhou Zhaokun didn’t respond, merely taking a large swig from the bottle. After all, we could only evaluate a person’s past and present, and regarding the future, none of us had the ability to foresee it. Perhaps Leyao would marry a reformed Cao Jinfei.
The neon lights densely flickered on the building opposite “Kongchengli,” as if reminding me that my night had already begun, while for Mi Cai it was the start of a morning. I missed her, missed her returning, and completing our marriage promise. I didn’t want the flame of expectation in my heart to burn from night to dawn, turning over and over again without any response, nor did I want to endure the loneliness that made me melancholy alone, all under the name of love.
On this particularly disheartening night for Zhou Zhaokun, he drank quite heavily. I sent him to a hotel before leaving myself, wandering alone on the streets late at night, constantly thinking about Cao Jinfei, whom I had never met.
Of course, I wished Leyao a good future, but from what Zhou Zhaokun had said, Cao Jinfei didn’t seem to be a very reliable man. All those comforting thoughts about him changing after marriage were merely a way to reassure myself out of helplessness, since no one could be certain whether Cao Jinfei would ever completely give up his womanizing ways.
Feeling somewhat tired from walking, I found a bench on the street to sit down. I wanted to send a message to Leyao but couldn’t decide whether it was still appropriate to send her one. I also couldn’t determine what identity or position I should take to ask her about her truest motive for choosing to marry Cao Jinfei. Actually, she was born into a wealthy family herself, so it wasn’t as if she was after the status of being a wealthy family’s daughter-in-law.
In the end, I chose not to send Leyao a message, merely lighting a cigarette, puffing on it while refreshing my WeChat friend’s updates… when I unexpectedly came across a message Leyao had posted half an hour ago.
This was what she wrote: “Hey everyone in Suzhou, my fiancé and I will be back in Suzhou the day after tomorrow. If you have time, come and meet us… The choice of hotel is up to you, we’re treating.”
I was dazed for a long time and did not respond to this update. I even didn’t know whether I should, as a friend, meet her and her fiancé Cao Jinfei the day after tomorrow, even though I had so many doubts about this man.
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