Le Yao had been gone for quite a while, and I was beginning to feel the bitter cold. Yet, the warmth of our tongues briefly touching suddenly became vivid in my mind. In my memory, I had never been this physically close to Le Yao before. All I could recall about that night after we had drunk too much was a few scattered fragments, but I couldn’t remember the feeling of our skin touching… My heart suddenly began to race!
I hurriedly put the down jacket back on, which had been spread out on the snow, and then ran toward the train station. At the taxi stand, I hailed a cab and practically fled in haste from this place that seemed romantic but was filled with trouble.
The taxi driver asked where I wanted to go. I hesitated for a moment before telling him the name of an alley in the old town district. Yes, I didn’t want to go home yet. I wanted to visit the old town area. Perhaps I would sit for a while at the coffee shop west of the old town or go find Xiao Yun.
A few minutes later, the driver dropped me off at the old town district. I got out at the alley entrance. To the south was Xiao Yun’s flower shop, and to the north was Xia Fanye’s “West of the Old Town.” In the end, I chose to go to Xiao Yun’s flower shop. One reason was to check on the flower shop’s recovery, and another was that I felt apprehensive about recalling that sad story in “West of the Old Town.” Every time I saw Xia Fanye still alone, I couldn’t help but feel a lump in my chest. Originally, Mi Cai and I had wanted to bring him together with CC. However, although they had some mutual affection, the deep scars from their pasts prevented them from opening their hearts to each other, leaving only regret and anxiety for us bystanders.
As I walked to the farthest part of the alley, Xiao Yun’s small flower shop came into view. Although it was already late at night, the shop was still open. I peeked inside and saw Xiao Yun sitting at her computer, busily working without noticing my arrival.
I called her name, and she turned around, her face lighting up with joy as she looked at me. I approached and asked, “What are you busy with?”
She gestured for me to look at her computer screen. I glanced over and saw the familiar face of Tong Zi, who had many acne scars. It turned out they were video chatting—not only that, but Tong Zi was remotely helping her edit the products she intended to upload for sale on the online platform.
I put on a headset and chatted with Tong Zi for a while. I learned that he had been working nonstop for an entire night to help Xiao Yun set up the online sales platform. Indeed, it was already morning in the foreign countries where there was a time difference from us. I told him to rest, but he insisted on speaking to Xiao Yun for a few more minutes before he would go to sleep.
After Tong Zi logged off, I asked Xiao Yun with concern, “Have you been very tired these days?”
Xiao Yun shook her head and then typed on the computer to tell me that Tong Zi was the one who was tired. She said she was too clumsy, and it was all Tong Zi who had helped her set up the online sales platform. I smiled, recalling how Tong Zi had not been this enthusiastic when he set up our guesthouse’s online sales platform. I guessed this was out of sympathy for Xiao Yun.
I took two ten-thousand-yuan cash from my briefcase and handed it to Xiao Yun, saying, “Once the online platform is set up, the current variety of your goods definitely won’t be enough. Take this money to enrich your product categories. As far as I know, buying in bulk is the only way to negotiate lower prices with wholesalers. Online sales must have a price advantage.”
Xiao Yun lowered her head. I knew that my repeated help had imposed a significant psychological burden on her, and she felt she had nothing to offer in return. I placed the money on the table without showing too much concern, trying to make her feel more relaxed. I continued, “Since we’ve started building the online sales platform, the hardware must keep up, or all the previous efforts will be in vain… Xiao Yun, you should adapt your thinking to the rhythm of doing business, not dwell on emotional matters, understand? I’ve told you before, consider this money as my investment in this shop. You don’t need to feel so pressured.”
Xiao Yun typed another line on the computer: “Brother Zhao Yang, you are a man with big ambitions. How could you possibly care about my small flower shop business!”
“Businesses can’t be judged by size. If you really don’t want to accept my investment, you can repay me with the money you earn in the future. But under no circumstances should you delay the development of the flower shop, okay?”
Xiao Yun finally nodded. I looked around and noticed that this small flower shop had been arranged very warmly by Xiao Yun, showing her carefulness and thoughtfulness everywhere. That’s why I was always drawn here. I seemed to find a sense of security here, which was rare, especially in this empty and cold city. So Xiao Yun would never understand that, compared to the help I had given her, I had actually gained more from her, because I was indeed a man who valued spiritual possessions more.
Xiao Yun continued to work busily on setting up the online sales platform while I sat beside her watching, though my attention was not on it. I couldn’t help but recall again the scene of passionately kissing Le Yao in the snow just now. But I couldn’t justify this with loneliness or shame, so my sense of guilt deepened. If Mi Cai in the United States found out about this scene, she would probably be heartbroken… At this moment, I could only convince myself that it was just a dream. Subjectively speaking, I swore that I had never wanted to seek physical pleasure because Mi Cai wasn’t by my side. If anyone or anything was to blame, it was the snowfall that was too beautiful, making it hard to control one’s emotions!
…
It snowed all night again. The next morning, when I woke up, the melting snow in front of me had piled up once more. As I got up from the bed, I felt dizzy and unsteady. Even though Le Yao’s thick scarf had been wrapped around me the previous night, I couldn’t avoid catching a chill. I had to go to the hospital to get an IV drip. In the afternoon, I rested at home for half a day. By the time it was nearly evening, I went to the company with a somewhat weakened body. At this critical juncture in the company’s development, the tasks at hand could not be neglected in the slightest.
It wasn’t until 8 p.m. that I finally finished dealing with the accumulated tasks of the day. After leaving the company, I drove directly to Zhuo Mei. I wanted to go there to have some steak rice and also take another look at Zhuo Mei’s huge and magnificent building, hoping to gain confidence that it wouldn’t collapse amidst various upcoming challenges.
I lit a cigarette and stood across the street from Zhuo Mei, gazing absentmindedly. I couldn’t help but think of Mi Cai again, recalling all the nights she had worked hard at Zhuo Mei. Then, a sense of stability arose in my heart. I felt that as long as Zhuo Mei still stood during my lifetime, I would never lose track of Mi Cai. Because her roots were deeply planted at Zhuo Mei, no matter how far she went, she would always return. As long as I stood here, watching like this, I would definitely wait for her. I firmly believed this!
I crushed the cigarette butt in my hand and threw it into the trash can. Then, I noticed a familiar figure standing not far away. He was also gazing at the Zhuo Mei building in the same posture. Who else could it be but Weiran?… I knew that regarding Zhuo Mei and Mi Cai, he probably had even more complex feelings than I did.
A moment later, he also noticed me. There was some surprise in his eyes, but he said to me, “Want to have a few drinks?”
In his eyes, I saw a kind of desperate loneliness. Although we had never been friendly to each other, looking at the Zhuo Mei building in front of us, I still nodded and accepted his invitation to go have some drinks.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage