Six of us were heading to Zhuomei in our company’s business van. On the way, I was sitting next to Jian Wei. We used this time to discuss some recent company affairs and also talked about the company’s development direction for next year. Soon, we arrived at Zhuomei, where Fang Yuan was already waiting for us at the entrance of the shopping mall with members of Zhuomei’s planning department.
After greeting each other, we followed Fang Yuan into the mall. Jian Wei seemed unfamiliar with the place, looking around the interior with curiosity. She then asked Fang Yuan, “Director Fang, which areas of the mall are you planning to entrust to our Simai Advertising for advertising resource development?”
Fang Yuan replied, “Any areas not currently used for commercial purposes can be handed over to you. It depends on how you plan to utilize them.”
Jian Wei nodded and smiled, saying, “It seems Zhuomei’s sincerity this time is truly impressive!” She then asked her assistant to take photos of the empty areas inside the mall for developing a plan based on these photos after returning. I was also busy, looking around the mall for a suitable location to hold the commencement ceremony.
At that moment, coincidentally, Chen Jingming was walking down from the second floor with his assistant. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed us earlier, which led to this awkward encounter at the escalator.
Jian Wei wasn’t close to Chen Jingming and naturally didn’t greet him. Fang Yuan, still harboring strong resentment toward him, also didn’t take the initiative to greet. I simply smiled and said to him, “Good morning, Director Chen.”
“Good morning,” he replied, glancing at the people behind me and then asking, “You’re here to inspect the venue?”
“Yes, we need to finalize the event location today, so we came to discuss with Director Fang.”
Chen Jingming nodded, his eyes filled with complexity. But as I mentioned earlier, all resources related to this event have already been mobilized, and no individual can halt this event involving multiple interests.
I then said to Chen Jingming, “Director Chen, we’re going upstairs to take a look. Would you like to join us?”
“No, I have some things to take care of here,” Chen Jingming said, and without further delay, he left the mall with his assistant. This brief encounter did not affect Fang Yuan’s mood. He promptly invited Jian Wei and me to proceed to the second floor of the mall.
Throughout the morning, Jian Wei and I stayed at Zhuomei with Fang Yuan, coordinating the resources needed for the event. Jian Wei achieved significant results. Although she handed over a large portion of the advertising resources to Zhuomei for use before Christmas, she obtained from Zhuomei a two-year development and usage right for the advertising resources, as well as the priority right to renew the contract upon its expiration.
My part was relatively straightforward. After some discussion with Fang Yuan, I decided to hold the commencement ceremony in the main hall of Zhuomei’s first floor. Because on the day of the event, Leyao and Cao Jinfey’s wedding would also be held. If the commencement ceremony were held outdoors, even with tents erected, the temperature could not be guaranteed, and Leyao, wearing her wedding dress, would definitely not be able to endure it.
At noon, Jian Wei, I, and our entourage had a simple work lunch at Zhuomei before departing in haste. We each had our own tasks to handle. With New Year’s Day and the Lunar New Year approaching, the company’s business volume had sharply increased, thus increasing the workload. Otherwise, I really wanted to find time to visit Mi Cai in the United States, especially on Christmas Day, when I especially wanted to be with her. However, due to the Zhuomei event and the occurrence of Roben’s wedding, I could only regretfully abandon this idea.
At the company building’s entrance, I said goodbye to Jian Wei. She dismissed her assistant to go and prepare the car first, then approached me alone and asked, “Zhaoyang, are you free tonight?”
“What’s up? Can’t it be discussed now?”
“Just tell me if you’re free or not. If you’re not, I’ll schedule another time, as it’s not something urgent.”
I thought for a moment and replied, “If I can finish work before eight, I’ll call you.”
“Okay, see you at our usual place.”
…
Initially, I was curious about what matter Jian Wei wanted to discuss with me. However, as I got involved in work, I soon forgot about it. The entire afternoon was immersed in various complicated tasks, and I didn’t have time to think about it until nightfall, when I temporarily finished half a day’s work. Then I called CC, as I was most concerned about CC’s mood.
CC answered the phone quickly, and her mood wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. Her voice was quite normal as she said, “What’s up? Why are you calling me now?”
“Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Me and Leyao are having dinner at a restaurant with the little girl. Do you want to come over?”
I was taken aback, but instinctively reluctant to meet Leyao again, or rather, afraid. Because every recent encounter with her always left me heartbroken and unable to recover. I heard Leyao asking CC on the other end, “Who’s on the phone?”
CC answered, “Zhaoyang. He’s asking if you want him to come over for dinner.”
Leyao wasn’t particularly concerned about the dinner matter and said to CC, “Ask him if the contract our company is preparing for me is ready yet, and when the payment will be made.”
CC seemed to hand the phone to Leyao so she could speak to me directly. I once again clearly heard Leyao’s voice, and she repeated the question to me.
I replied, “The new contract is already prepared, but I’ve been quite busy these past few days and haven’t had the chance to bring it to you… Let’s meet tomorrow, and I’ll have the manager from our administrative department deliver it to you. I’ve already signed it. As for the payment, if you need it urgently, leave a bank account number on the contract, and I’ll have the company’s finance department transfer the funds to you within a week.”
Leyao didn’t question my refusal to meet her in person, merely saying “Okay” before handing the phone back to CC. CC then asked me again if I wanted to come over and join them for dinner. I politely declined, citing that she already had Leyao’s company. But at the moment I hung up the phone, I felt an inexplicable emptiness. In fact, I didn’t really like spending such a long, lonely night alone.
I lit a cigarette and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the farthest edge of the city. Out of habit, my thoughts drifted to Mi Cai, who was even farther away than the horizon. At this moment, she was probably still asleep, but my heart ached for her because of this insurmountable distance. Compared to Leyao, who seemed to treat relationships with such lightness, she truly had it far too tough. Sometimes, I genuinely wished she could pause her hectic schedule and live an ordinary life like other women. Once again, I couldn’t help but wonder whether her relentless efforts for Zhuomei, at the cost of her youth and everything else, were actually a losing battle. If she could let go of some of her obsessions, she could live better than any other woman…
Suddenly, a burning sensation came between my fingers as the cigarette had burned down to the butt. I quickly put it out, but at that very moment, I abruptly remembered Jian Wei and her invitation to meet at our usual place tonight. I hurriedly took out my phone and sent her a message, telling her that I had finished work and would go there soon. She replied quickly.
At that moment, I truly became curious—curious about what she had wanted to meet me for tonight.
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