Leyao seemed to have drunk too much that night. Her words were fragmented and her tone was erratic. Before I could respond, she had already hung up. I put my phone back into my pocket and took one last look at the old district. I knew bidding farewell at this moment wouldn’t be easy. I still had to slip into another dimension to continue my work… but I was growing increasingly weary.
I returned to the noodle shop, bought some marinated tofu, quickly said goodbye to Xiaojun, and then drove toward the not-so-new district where Kongcheng was located.
The traffic was much better late at night, and I reached Kongcheng in just fifteen minutes. When I opened the shop door, I didn’t see the group of drunken people I had expected. Only Leyao and Cao Jingfei, who was already unconscious, were there.
In a low voice, I asked a waiter who was cleaning up, “Where is everyone else?”
“A few minivans came, and their friends took them home.”
I glanced at Leyao, who was leaning on the table, and asked, “What happened to her?”
“Some people wanted to take them home, but she refused, saying she had already called her friend and that her friend would come to pick her up. Her friend must be you, the boss, right?”
I nodded, then walked toward Leyao and gently patted her back. She wasn’t as drunk as I had expected. She lifted her head and looked at me, saying with dizziness, “Zhaoyang, you came!”
“You can still recognize me!”
“I feel like vomiting…”
I quickly supported her chest so she wouldn’t vomit immediately. The waiter quickly brought over a plastic bag, and Leyao leaned on my arm and vomited into it. As she vomited, she cried and said she felt terrible.
I asked the waiter to hold her up while I went to the bar counter and found a bag of sobering tea that Luo Ben had left behind. I made a cup for her, waited until it cooled down a bit, and then handed it to her to drink.
Late at night, I carried Cao Jingfei on my back while the waiter supported Leyao. We walked through that dark alley, opened the car door, and the waiter helped Leyao into the car first. Then I helped Cao Jingfei into the car from the other side. He couldn’t even sit upright and fell onto Leyao’s lap. Leyao carefully found a blanket from the car’s storage compartment and covered him with it, while she herself leaned drowsily against the car window.
I looked at her, reminded her to fasten the seatbelt, and finally started the car, heading toward the nearest five-star hotel.
It took us about ten minutes to arrive at the hotel. I handed the unconscious Cao Jingfei to the security guard and supported the wobbly Leyao as we walked into the hotel lobby.
After finally finding their IDs from their bags, the front desk clerk asked me, “Sir, what kind of room and how many rooms would you like?”
I looked at Leyao, and she told the clerk, “One suite.”
I took out a credit card from my wallet and handed it to the clerk, indicating that she should charge it. Unexpectedly, Leyao said, “Why are we using your card to check in?”
I felt a bit embarrassed, my hand hanging in midair. At this moment, Leyao took out a credit card from her handbag and handed it to the clerk. Only then did I put my card back into my wallet.
After the clerk had checked them into a room, she handed the room key to me. As I took the key, I realized how quickly Leyao and Cao Jingfei’s relationship had developed—they could now share a room…thinking about it again, there was nothing inappropriate, after all, they would soon become a legally married couple.
Once again, I worked with the security guard to help Cao Jingfei and Leyao to their room and settled them in. Standing in the living room, I said to Leyao, who was busy taking off Cao Jingfei’s shoes and covering him with a blanket, “I’ll leave first. Call me if you need anything.” Thinking for a moment, I added, “Better not call me. If you need help, ask the staff—they’ll be able to assist you.”
Leyao, who was busy in the room, didn’t respond to me. I felt awkward again but didn’t say anything else. I turned around and prepared to walk toward the door. My body, already exhausted from the late hour, felt like it no longer belonged to me. I just wanted to return home and fall asleep immediately.
As I opened the door, Leyao came out from the room. She grabbed my arm and asked, “Earlier, before the party started, you said you were tired and wanted to go back to rest…was that true?”
“I really did want to go back to sleep, but there was traffic on the road. I also remembered something I needed to do, so I stayed out until now to finish it.”
“What was so important that it kept you away from my and Jingfei’s pre-wedding gathering?”
“I plan to send Mi Cai a bouquet of flowers every day, so I went to the flower shop and spent over an hour writing postcards, and then I treated the owner to a late-night meal.”
“A bouquet of flowers every day?…Why didn’t I notice before that you could be so thoughtful and romantic?”
“I wasn’t always this way, but since she is my girlfriend, I can change for her…just like you, who are also changing—for life, for love.”
Leyao looked at me for a long time before asking, “So you’ve decided on Mi Cai for the rest of your life, right? Is there nothing more important to you than her?”
“Yes, I will marry no one but her.”
Leyao remained surprisingly calm. She asked again, “Does Mi Cai feel the same way? Will she marry no one but you?”
“Well…since it’s already so late now, do you think it’s necessary to discuss this topic?”
“Okay, fine, we won’t talk about it…Just one last question: Me and Cao Jingfei are getting married soon. Are you happy for us?”
“Well, men and women should get married when they grow up. Why wouldn’t I be happy for you two?”
Leyao nodded and said, “OK, then remember to attend our wedding… and give us your blessings from the bottom of your heart.”
“I’ll definitely go. Just let me know when you send me the wedding invitation.”
“Haha, it’s just a bit of a pity. On our wedding day, Mi Cai might not have returned to the country yet. I wonder if you’ll feel lonely at our wedding, surrounded by all the happiness.”
I realized I could no longer have a normal conversation with Leyao. Maybe she had drunk too much, or maybe I was just too tired. In any case, I should end this conversation as soon as possible and leave the hotel room. So I said to her, “It’s really getting late. I have to go to work tomorrow morning, so I’ll leave first…Oh, I brought a cup of sobering tea. It’s on the coffee table. When Cao Jingfei wakes up later, give it to him. He’ll feel better the next day.”
Without giving Leyao a chance to reply, I opened the door and walked out. Leyao followed me into the hotel corridor and, looking at my back, said, “Zhaoyang, after I marry Jingfei, we will definitely be very happy…because I love him, I want to marry him…We will definitely have a happy family and a lovely baby!”
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