Fang Yuan and Mi Zhongde both possessed exceptional strategic minds; therefore, they must have calculated the consequences of a name change. The only explanation was that the name change plan for Zhuomei had been supported by Yan Zhuomei herself. They must have reached some sort of private agreement. Thus, Mi Zhongde and Fang Yuan, as the highest leaders of Zhuomei, were so confident and fearless.
After logically organizing these thoughts, I extended my thinking to consider Fang Yuan’s purpose in revealing this matter exclusively to me… I couldn’t figure it out, because human emotions are indeed too subtle. However, I knew that Fang Yuan’s greatest interest at the moment was hoping that Mi Cai would leave for America. Only then could he firmly control the Zhuomei Group in the future. If he had any motive, it must be based on this goal.
I then tried to see things from Mi Cai’s perspective. Once Zhuomei was renamed, it would mean that Mi Zhongxin’s lifelong efforts would be destroyed. This would touch Mi Cai’s bottom line, and she would have no choice but to seek help from her birth mother, Yan Zhuomei. In return, Yan Zhuomei would surely demand that Mi Cai go back to America with her. After experiencing this series of events, Mi Cai was no longer as determined as before. Under various influences, she might actually follow Yan Zhuomei back to America.
I gradually understood that Yan Zhuomei must have assured Mi Zhongde that she would protect the Zhuomei Group and provide more business support after the name change. This assurance gave the newly established Wansen Group the confidence to venture into commercial real estate development, even during a downturn in the property market. This aligned with the interests of Fang Yuan and Mi Zhongde, and even the entire group. Therefore, the name change proposal was passed without any obstacles.
As for Mi Cai, Yan Zhuomei might have made similar promises—ensuring that Zhuomei, a group on the verge of disappearance, would rise again in the business world. After being hit by a series of events, Mi Cai’s emotions would inevitably change. The resentment she had previously harbored against me for indirectly causing her to lose Zhuomei might resurface. Under the influence of this resentment, Mi Cai might no longer feel emotionally tied to me and would certainly choose to follow Yan Zhuomei back to America.
Suddenly, I understood why Yan Zhuomei had given so many opportunities to Weiran and allowed him to get involved in the peripheral operations of her business. Because in her mind, Weiran was the ideal candidate for a future son-in-law. Once Mi Cai went to America, there would be ample opportunities to bring Mi Cai and Weiran together. Eventually, the two could marry, have children, and take over the huge enterprise. With time, they would gradually forget the events and people from back home and settle down peacefully in America. Isn’t this exactly what Yan Zhuomei, after a lifetime of struggle, desired the most? As long as Mi Cai could forget the past in China, Yan Zhuomei would have fulfilled her promise to Mi Zhongde and Fang Yuan.
Thinking this way, all my previous doubts were instantly resolved… But how should I respond? Also, I began to suspect that the recent series of events were part of a well-planned scheme, with Jian Wei’s injury being an essential component. Otherwise, the current effects wouldn’t have been achieved. After all, if I had married Mi Cai smoothly, everything Yan Zhuomei was doing now would have been meaningless. Jian Wei’s incident was the most critical piece of the puzzle.
However, according to what Jian Boyu had told me, it seemed that someone other than Yan Zhuomei was behind this…
What was the truth? I was plunged into a deep sense of confusion!
…
Yanyan, who had just left, returned to my side. She said to me, “Zhaoyang, you need to meet Mi Cai tonight to see Yan Zhuomei. Go back and rest now. Before you go, remember to go to a barber shop and groom yourself. You need to pull yourself together, understand?”
I looked at her in slight surprise…
She continued, “Vivi suffering such a tragedy made me think a lot. I now recognize that Mi Cai is a truly remarkable woman. She deserves your refusal of Jian Boyu’s request for you to marry Vivi. I hope you can cherish the one right in front of you. Don’t let Mi Cai become another Vivi. You must protect her—and yourself. Never let yourself get hurt again in this mundane world!… We all need to be okay.”
Her words unexpectedly moved me to tears. I forced myself to hold them back until I was sure they wouldn’t fall, then smiled and nodded, saying, “Yes, we must cherish the ones right in front of us and not let those who have given us their all drift further and further away.”
Yanyan also had tears in her eyes, but she smiled and nodded at me. She urged me to leave… Looking at her at this moment, I suddenly felt a strong urge to hug her. So I did. Only in the next moment did I realize that this woman I was embracing had once cared for me like a sister, and we shared deep feelings. Now, I finally felt that connection again. Actually, even though time has taken many faded memories far away, those feelings have always been treasured in our hearts. Indeed, aside from Fang Yuan and Xiang Chen, and beyond our university days, we are still so sincere, so eager to be emotional beings.
…
After leaving the hospital, I rented a room nearby by the hour. I had barely slept at all the previous night and was in a very exhausted state. I really needed to rest before gathering my strength to face Yan Zhuomei, the woman who always tried to separate me from Mi Cai. In my heart, I didn’t want Mi Cai to leave with her, because there was no longer much destiny left for us to waste. If she left now, I feared it would lead to a lifetime of regret!
How could my life be without Mi Cai?
Without her, I wouldn’t even be able to forgive myself.
When I woke up, the sky was already dimming. I pulled open the thick curtains, and a ray of sunset light pierced between two buildings, quietly falling on the windowsill in front of me. The children playing and laughing in the square downstairs made the whole world seem so harmonious. I just stood there, gazing into the distance, as if all worldly troubles had vanished. In silence, I watched time turn into fragments, drifting further and further away along with the last streaks of sunlight…
I took out a cigarette, lit it, and checked the time. I gave myself another fifteen minutes, watching the square opposite and the small convenience store behind it… The familiar figure appeared under the eaves of the convenience store just as those fifteen minutes were about to end. She was still so punctual, while I was like an immature child, often procrastinating. But precisely because of these few minutes of delay, I was standing on the rooftop and saw her, so breathtakingly beautiful, bathed in the setting sun… If I were a man easily satisfied, just holding her hand and walking together along the streets of this city for a lifetime would be an incredible blessing. Let alone the many nights we had already shared together.
I stubbed out the cigarette and hurriedly left the hotel room, running down the stairs through the emergency exit. Finally, after crossing the bustling streets, I reached the square. She, standing at the entrance of the convenience store, spotted me among the crowd. With her hands in her coat pockets, she walked toward me, surrounded by a group of playful children.
We met beside a flowerbed full of baby’s breath. The wind, which had been cold all winter, finally carried a hint of spring warmth as it blew past us. Even the sunlight of dusk seemed to compensate for the gloomy days before our wedding, generously illuminating the baby’s breath and swaying gently with the spring breeze.
With a slightly apologetic smile, I said to Mi Cai, “I’m late… You’re still so punctual!”
Mi Cai didn’t look at me. She seemed somewhat distracted, and after a moment of silence, she replied, “In the end, after all these ups and downs, I’m still me, and you’re still the same person you were before. We haven’t changed much!”
“I don’t know whether we’ve changed or not, but after all these twists and turns, we’re still standing on the land of Suzhou. Somehow, we’ve come back in a way no one could have predicted!”
Mi Cai nodded thoughtfully, gazing at this city that had brought us so much joy and sorrow during the transition between dusk and night. She closed her eyes, as if trying to memorize everything that had happened here.
My mood became somewhat somber, and I suddenly had a bad feeling. But I just stood silently by her side, and for the first time, I felt a strong desire to cherish every second I had with her.
Mi Cai finally opened her eyes and looked at me. She softly said, “It’s almost time. Let’s go see Yan Zhuomei. She said she would wait for us downstairs at Zhuomei.”
I sighed inwardly, but I didn’t know whether I should tell Mi Cai about the upcoming name change of Zhuomei. I was worried that upon hearing this news, she might recall my foolish actions that had caused her to lose Zhuomei, and then blame me.
After a brief internal struggle, I still decided to tell her the truth. Just like before, I held her hand. She seemed to have already gotten used to this gesture and didn’t show any resistance. She looked at me and even tightened her grip around my fingers before I finally said to her, “I have some bad news to tell you. Please prepare yourself first.”
Mi Cai didn’t show much emotion. She calmly said, “Maybe I can guess what you’re about to tell me, but I don’t think it’s bad news… I already know that Zhuomei is going to be renamed Wansen.”
Instinctively, I tightened my grip on her fingers. I never expected her to remain so calm in the face of such shocking news. I truly saw a change in her. She was even calmer and more emotionless than before.
“Y-You… Do you really have no feelings about this at all?”
Mi Cai didn’t answer directly. She spoke profoundly, “Zhaoyang, everyone around us is just an actor, performing one play after another in front of us… I’m so tired of them! They put on these plays without ever treating us as the audience. They only seek to gain more and more from us after playing their roles, becoming increasingly greedy…” Mi Cai tightened her grip on my hand even more, looked straight into my eyes, and continued, “Sometimes, your loyalty and kindness truly make me feel heartbroken… They never learn to cherish your sincerity and kindness, but instead use them as tools to hurt you. And you? You never think of fighting back, always retreating, always giving in. Yet even so, you haven’t gained the life and happiness you desire!”
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