I did not immediately provide my account information to Sun Youmin. Puzzled and uncertain, I asked him, “Manager Sun, may I ask who exactly provided this large sum of money? To be honest, I really don’t have the courage to accept it rashly right now!”
Sun Youmin smiled and replied, “It’s perfectly normal for you to have such doubts. However, I was entrusted with this matter by someone else, and I must honor their request. I cannot reveal their identity to you. But I can assure you that the source of this money is completely legitimate. Otherwise, as a branch manager, I wouldn’t dare to handle such a matter on their behalf.”
“Hmm…”
Sun Youmin continued, “If you feel uneasy accepting this 15 million, once your company’s operations improve, you can return the money to me, and I will pass it back to the person who entrusted it to me. Of course, this is all based on the premise that you trust me. But even if you don’t return it, that’s fine too, because the original intention of this person was to give it to you freely.”
I understood that the reason they had enlisted a bank manager to handle this matter was precisely to use his status and credibility to convince me to accept the money. In fact, I didn’t doubt the origin of this money at all. As someone who had spent many years in the financial industry, Sun Youmin wouldn’t easily put himself at risk. Since he had taken this action, it meant that he must have a close relationship with the person who provided the money. More importantly, the money must be completely legitimate, which was the foundation of his own safety.
Finally, I nodded and said, “Manager Sun, I’ll accept this money. But if I get the chance, I still hope to personally repay it to the person who gave it to me.”
Sun Youmin smiled, then used his phone to note down the bank account number I provided to him. He added, “The money will be transferred to your account no later than tomorrow afternoon. You can now respond to those creditors. Don’t let them keep hounding your company endlessly anymore!”
“Thank you, Manager Sun.”
Sun Youmin gestured for me to stay and finish the tea with him. During that time, he deliberately avoided discussing the topic of the money given to me freely. Instead, he talked with me about the recent national policies affecting banks, and based on this, gave me some business advice.
We chatted for about half an hour before preparing to part ways. However, just before we said goodbye, he said to me, “Zhaoyang, you’ve changed… He said that in the past, you wouldn’t have accepted this money… Actually, sometimes it’s not a bad thing for a person to make appropriate compromises with society. On the contrary, it might bring you many unexpected opportunities!… I’m really looking forward to seeing your future achievements in the business world. It will be a worthy tribute to the kindness he has shown you!”
……
On my way back to the company, I couldn’t stop thinking about who had provided this money. I strongly suspected it might be Mi Cai. Although she had left me, she had always been paying attention to every trouble I encountered in my business endeavors. The fact that she had arranged for Chen Jingming to assist me was the best proof of this. Moreover, for her, a sum of over ten million wasn’t an insurmountable amount. With her business connections and her identity as Yan Zhuomei’s daughter, there were probably quite a few people willing to invest 15 million just to earn a favor from her.
However, I wasn’t quite sure how she had developed a relationship with Manager Sun. Thinking further, I realized it made sense. It seemed that Zhuomei had always maintained a deep cooperation with the Bank of Communications. Most likely, Mi Cai had met Sun Youmin when she was in charge of Zhuomei in the past.
Thinking repeatedly about it, I became increasingly convinced that the money had been provided by Mi Cai. So I stopped dwelling on it and started thinking about how to use this money to repay the debts of “Simay Advertising” as soon as possible, and then proceed to gradually realize my business plans without any worries. Then, no matter who had generously provided the funds, I would be able to repay their kindness with even greater generosity. I had said before: my vision in life shouldn’t be so narrow. I must be able to accept favors, and even more importantly, repay them. This shift in mindset was the fundamental reason why I accepted this money.
The dusk of this day soon arrived. The sky was filled with thick clouds that crowded together, blocking the lingering glow of the setting sun. Then a sudden gust of wind blew, lifting dust into the air, blowing the hair of young girls, and causing people to squint their eyes. Only then did the setting sun shyly reveal a corner of itself, only to be quickly covered again by a dark cloud. I had heard that there would be a rain shower today, and judging by the current situation, it would most likely fall before nightfall…
I stood by the glass window of my office, waiting. Waiting for a rain to moisten my dry mood. At this moment, I didn’t want to regard the falling rain as a burden. I just wanted to quietly listen to the sound of its descent, feeling the passage of time that accompanied it. Perhaps in the blink of an eye, I would have welcomed this year’s summer…
In just a short moment, the sudden rain began to pour down on this city wrapped in lights. Those newly grown green leaves, unable to extend their lives into summer, were carried into the sky by the howling wind. After swirling around for a while, they fell onto the feet of pedestrians, were trampled, and then washed away by the rain into the steel and concrete sewers… Thus, the damp air was filled with silent sorrow. Yet, there were still so many green leaves that couldn’t resist the danger of the raging wind. After a brief drifting, their destinations became unknown…
I listened to the sound of the rain, my hands in my pockets, tiredly closing my eyes. At this moment, I really missed having her by my side. If she hadn’t left, perhaps we would be silently watching the rainy world outside together, watching the endless stream of vehicles heading in all directions, watching the lights burning with desire…
I lit a cigarette, then put it out again… I should go have dinner, even though I was alone.
……
I borrowed an umbrella from the company receptionist and took a bus to the city center, because Jian Wei’s advertising company wasn’t far from the starting station. When I boarded the bus, there were still some empty seats. I chose a window seat and placed the damp umbrella between my feet, mentally calculating what I would eat later.
When the bus reached the next stop, a couple with intimate gestures got on. They asked me if we could switch seats so they could sit together. I simply nodded, picked up the umbrella at my feet, and moved to the adjacent seat. Then I kept glancing at the couple intentionally or unintentionally. Their inseparable manner always reminded me of something, of someone far away. But at this moment, the only companions by my side were the rain-soaked umbrella and the oppressive loneliness. Perhaps I really shouldn’t have chosen to take the bus on this rainy evening, because the frequency of couples on the bus was too high, yet there wasn’t a single woman destined to meet me. And I no longer needed those chance encounters. At this moment, I just wanted her to be by my side, accompanying me through every rain-soaked path.
I got off the bus when I reached the city center and found a fast-food restaurant by the roadside. I ordered two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of soup, then started eating in the noisy environment. The dishes were a bit too salty, so I got up and went to the convenience store across the street to buy a bottle of mineral water. But when I returned, the half-eaten meal had already been cleared away by the impatient waiter. The seat was now occupied by another unfamiliar couple…
I stood there for a while, feeling rather lost, before apologizing to them and retrieving the still-damp umbrella from under the table. I no longer had the intention to continue eating there because my loneliness was amplified in that place. If there had been someone by my side just now, perhaps the waiter wouldn’t have taken away my unfinished meal so hastily.
Three hundred meters south of the fast-food restaurant, Zhuomei still stood in the most eye-catching manner. I had an inseparable affection for this place, so I held the umbrella and gazed at its brilliance amidst the rain and cold air. I saw countless women, carrying shopping bags and looking satisfied, expressing their love to the men by their sides under the lights!
It seemed that Zhuomei was just such a place, constantly satisfying that group of frivolous people with its luxury, those foolish desires… I could tell that they might not even be real couples with spiritual connections. Perhaps the only thing separating them was a few luxury items. Once satisfied, they could quickly go to bed together and then break up…
After standing there for a while, I held the umbrella and walked toward the snack street. I remembered promising the owner of Huifang Restaurant that I would come to eat. It seemed there was no better opportunity than today, because in Huifang Restaurant, there were only work colleagues, no lovey-dovey couples, and the owner wouldn’t hastily take away my unfinished meal. I could do whatever I wanted in the middle of eating without following any rules or conventions… In fact, I had always had a place in my heart for Huifang Restaurant, but after being deceived by the brother I once valued the most, I could no longer muster the desire to come here for a meal.
Perhaps because of the rain, there weren’t many customers in Huifang Restaurant. The owner arranged a slightly larger table for me. I ordered two bottles of beer and two small dishes to go with the alcohol, starting my second dinner of the evening.
It took half an hour, but I finally felt full and satisfied. After settling the bill with the owner, I stepped out into the rain with a slightly unsteady gait, heading toward the alley entrance…
On the way, I met Fangyuan. I didn’t know if he was also heading to the snack street for dinner, but we really did run into each other. Fangyuan put down his umbrella and stood under the eaves of a small shop on the street. He was still concerned about Jian Wei’s physical condition, asking me, “Has there been any improvement in Jian Wei’s condition these past two days?”
“She’s still the same as before. Whether she improves or not will depend on the results of further treatment!”
Fangyuan nodded, and after a brief silence, he said again, “If you have any difficulties with the treatment costs, I hope you’ll give me a chance to help… I genuinely hope she can wake up!”
“That won’t be necessary. We can afford her treatment costs.” After saying this, I prepared to leave. I had already seen the red light at the alley entrance turn green, and the pedestrians were hurrying across the street.
“Zhaoyang, wait…”
“What is it? Is there something else?”
“Yanyan… How is she doing?”
The rain pattered heavily on my umbrella. I remained silent for a longer time than he had taken to ask this question before I replied, “She’s doing well. I think you should be happy for her. She said that once Jian Wei wakes up, she will hold a wedding with Qin Yan… She has found a man who is willing to care for her wholeheartedly.”
Fangyuan lowered his head and finally smiled after a long pause, saying, “That’s good… I hope she will be happy.”
“Yeah.” After saying this, I hurried toward the alley entrance, wanting to cross the street before the green light ended. I needed to take the bus back to the old house. I was really exhausted today and wanted to have a good, deep sleep.
……
The next afternoon, the company’s account received the 15 million transfer. Before dusk, another piece of good news came from Tianyang Group. Anqi had accepted my offer of 6 million and was preparing to take over the business in Yangzhou. This meant that the company now had 21 million in its account, enough to repay all the debts owed to Simay Advertising, with over 2 million left over. I could finally use this unexpected surplus to repay the 1 million I had borrowed from Zhou Zhaokun, and the remaining 1 million would be used for the company’s daily expenses. From this point on, the crisis for the advertising company was completely resolved.
I hadn’t expected things to progress so smoothly, which was entirely thanks to that 15 million. Although I still couldn’t confirm who had provided the help, I was deeply grateful to them. I would definitely find an opportunity to uncover the truth and repay this timely assistance.
Another week passed, and the employees of Simay Advertising who had been sent for training gradually returned to their positions. Under Chen Jingming’s leadership, they began taking over the project planning for “The Artistic Path.” Meanwhile, Zhang Yixi had already secured the additional 30 million investment, officially becoming the new investor for “The Artistic Path” with a total investment of 80 million in the first phase. He had also obtained 40% of the shares in “The Artistic Path.” We would hold a press conference in five days. The reason for delaying it by five days was because Zhuomei would also be holding a renaming ceremony on that day.
Regaining Zhuomei for Mi Cai was the biggest goal in my heart. Although I knew it would be extremely difficult, I had to dare to imagine it in my heart before I could dare to do it in reality. I gave myself a long time to achieve this goal, so I chose to hold our press conference on the same day as Zhuomei’s renaming ceremony… I also hoped that my efforts would help alleviate some of the pain Mi Cai felt because of Zhuomei’s renaming. I believed that she, who was far away in the United States, would definitely pay attention to these two pieces of news. Even smarter than I, she might be able to guess my intention to regain Zhuomei for her… Yes, my past foolishness had made me owe her the original Zhuomei Shopping Center!
Before she left, I had promised to give her a gift, and I hoped it would be the regained Zhuomei. Moreover, I hoped to build a Sky City with a backyard garden on the artistic path I was building and then give it to her… If Zhuomei represented her unforgettable past, then this Sky City would symbolize our infinite hopes for the future…
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