It had been so long since I last drove through the city under such freely cascading sunlight that everything before my eyes seemed exquisitely carved. At this moment, accompanied by the original song “Secretly Excited” by Robben playing in the car, I felt completely relaxed, savoring every note and every rhythm bursting with tension from the drums.
I was already filled with satisfaction about my life, because I had my brothers, and I had my lover…
Unable to express the joy in my heart, instinctively I drove my car to the moat. Similarly, I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I last came here on such a sunny afternoon. In the past, every visit had been accompanied by the darkness of night.
I parked the car by the roadside, holding a lighter in one hand and a cigarette box in the other. Under the willow trees bathed in sunlight, I stretched lazily before walking loosely towards the riverbank. I wanted to watch the flowing water and lean against the railing to smoke a cigarette. At this moment, I finally had the confidence to imagine my life as extremely fulfilling, because I had finally escaped life’s harshness and gained everything I wanted!
I took out the necklace that Mi Cai had given me from my collar, holding it under the sunlight and watching the colorful lights refracting beneath the butterfly wings, lazily swaying on the railing. I became smug, lifting my head to slowly exhale the accumulated smoke in my mouth, which then drifted across the river with the blowing wind.
From the moment I stood here, I hadn’t expected to meet Jian Wei at this time. Yet when a fallen leaf landed on the water before me, I suddenly and without any warning thought of her, and then the chill of this winter forced me to recall: the time I jumped into the moat to save that guitar, and how she saved me afterwards.
However, that loyal guitar that had accompanied me for years eventually became useless, and what remained between us was only the weariness of pain…
My breathing began to feel heavy. Instinctively, I lifted my head to gaze at the sky full of white clouds, but between the clouds, I seemed to see Jian Wei’s face. Then, the Sky City I had imagined appeared beside her, gradually merging with her until she became the woman of the Sky City…
This image that suddenly appeared in my mind was like a bolt from the blue. I struggled to pull myself back to reality, repeatedly telling myself that this was just an image in my brain, and that I should carefully distinguish reality.
However, even if the image was false, it had originated from within me. Just like a dream, it feels so real during your sleep mostly because you had subconsciously imagined it before, and the subconscious is often the most genuine reflection.
I was confused. Why, when happiness was so close to me, did I unconsciously see such a fantastical image? Was it just an accident, or was it a sign of lingering connections?
…
After returning to the company, I spent the entire afternoon in anxious unease until, in the evening, the producer of the “Artistic Road Microfilm” sent me Leyao’s final costume photos for confirmation, finally bringing me into a working state.
In the photos, Leyao wore a white women’s tight leather pants, which made her already model-like figure even taller and more sensual. I was somewhat dissatisfied, especially with her tied-up hair. Immediately, I called the producer.
The producer quickly answered my call and asked, “President Zhao, are you satisfied with the final costume photos?”
“Producer Wang, her styling definitely shouldn’t be like this. The Artistic Road doesn’t need such a restrictive outfit. Please give her a more expressive and free styling, okay?”
The producer hesitated and said, “President Zhao, we’ve discussed this with Leyao herself, but she insisted that the character she portrays in the early stages carries inner burdens, isn’t open-minded, yet yearns for the purity of humanity, which is why she chose this styling… We’ve tried to persuade her, but Leyao isn’t an ordinary actress; we simply can’t manage her and can only comply with her wishes… Why don’t President Zhao talk to her directly about this matter, since you two have a close relationship and you’re the one who can get through to her!”
After learning it was Leyao’s decision, I no longer wanted to pressure the producer and said I would communicate with Leyao myself.
I lit a cigarette, one hand rubbing my temples while the other scrolled through my contact list to find Leyao’s number, then dialed…
Moments later, Leyao answered the call, and I heard her familiar and beautiful delicate voice again as she asked, “Calling me must be about the costume photos, I knew that meddling producer would come to you.”
I patiently told her, “Please, our microfilm expresses the openness and self-expression on the artistic road. You, on the other hand, are making sure no one can miss those long legs of yours. With this, who will remember my artistic path?”
“Your path is so long, if my legs aren’t longer, when will I ever reach the end?”
“Can’t you be serious? We’re talking about work!”
“Didn’t you say before that if I just stretched out my long legs on the street, I could trip a handsome guy, and maybe he’d get up angry and fall in love with me! Since my legs are so useful, why not put them to good use?”
I couldn’t stand her illogical thinking anymore and said angrily, “Still thinking about tripping guys!! Is that really something a married woman should say?”
“That’s what you said, not me… Let me tell you, the reason I’m joking around with you like this is to let you know I like this styling I designed myself. Just imagining myself wearing those white pants standing at the foot of the pure white Jade Dragon Snow Mountains makes me feel like a fairy girl, making you poor guys drool!”
“Why don’t you wear a skirt instead, showing off those snow-white thighs even more, and it’ll look even better!”
“You’ve been an adult for so long, how can you still be so naive? Have you ever seen a fairy girl showing off her thighs on a snowy mountain? Besides, I don’t have any protective kung fu and can’t stand that freezing cold temperature!!”
I was nearly driven to despair…
But Leyao suddenly changed her tone: “Alright, no more joking around. After all, I’m not one of those diva actresses who like to throw tantrums. If you, as the investor, aren’t satisfied, I’m willing to respect the contract terms and cooperate with you to redo the styling… Later, you can discuss the styling you want with the stylist, and I’ll go in for another trial tomorrow, okay?”
Leyao asked me but hung up before I could even answer.
Listening to the dial tone in the phone, I felt somewhat bewildered. Her easy compromise made me even more convinced that she had deliberately created a styling I wouldn’t like, just so I would call her…
Of course, the truth couldn’t possibly be like that. Perhaps she really liked that white tight leather pants styling, but the contract was binding. Even if she were a big star, she couldn’t really stand up against me, the investor, so she had to compromise, albeit unwillingly, and took the opportunity to tease me a bit.
…
After ending the call with Leyao, as if in a daze, night had already covered the city. Holding a cup of hot tea, I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and once again recalled the sudden image that had appeared in my mind that afternoon, so several doubts once again troubled me.
Was the woman I truly needed in my life really the one living in that imagined city of mine?
And who exactly was the woman in that city corresponding to in reality? Why did I always subconsciously associate her with Mi Cai, yet today it was Jian Wei who appeared?
I wanted to know even more, who was the woman who would ultimately walk with me through life? Was it Mi Cai, or someone else?
Once again, I took out the necklace Mi Cai had given me from my collar, finally managing to restrain myself from overthinking. I didn’t believe that after she had given me her most precious first time, our love could still face any changes.
I vowed that I could stick to my belief, as long as she didn’t leave me, I would never abandon or betray her… and that Sky City was ultimately just a false creation of my emotions during a certain period. To put it plainly, it was merely a concept existing in my mind, not something to be taken as a reference!!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage