On a deep autumn morning, people hurried along the mist-dampened roads, but I was once again stuck in a traffic jam. I repeatedly looked up ahead anxiously. Today I had received an invitation from a business association to attend a conference in Shanghai about the development of the service industry, and I had to arrive at the venue before 9:30 AM.
After being stuck in traffic for nearly twenty minutes, I finally drove out of the busy downtown area. Once on the highway, I accelerated and barely made it to the hotel where the conference was being held just before it began. Another participant in the conference was Fangyuan. I heard that he would be presenting on behalf of the retail industry at this event, and our cars happened to park next to each other, inevitably leading to a face-to-face encounter.
He started talking to me, saying, “I heard you’ll be presenting on behalf of the tourism industry… I’m really glad to see you being recognized by the industry!”
His every attempt at friendliness was hard for me to respond to, so I simply replied, “The conference starts in five minutes. We don’t need to waste time chatting.”
Fangyuan smiled and said, “Then how about we have lunch together after the meeting? I heard there’s a Sichuan restaurant nearby with great spicy food, definitely to your taste!”
“After the meeting, I have to return to Suzhou. I’ve made plans with a friend for work this afternoon.”
Fangyuan nodded awkwardly, indicating he wouldn’t insist. At that moment, a receptionist approached us. She respectfully addressed Fang Zong and Zhao Zong, then invited us to follow her into the conference hall. I and Fangyuan followed her steps one after another…
Actually, making plans with a friend for work was just an excuse. I really didn’t have the mood to have lunch and chat with him. Because our positions were different now, we could no longer talk as freely as we used to, and I especially didn’t want to force myself to sit face-to-face with him like old friends…
…
This evening after returning to Suzhou from Shanghai, I met with Mo Zishi at a small restaurant on Pingjiang Road. We drank some alcohol and talked about our recent work and lives. He told me that after returning to the United States this time, he would open a privately-owned neurological hospital, hoping to help more patients suffering from illness.
I joked, asking, “So your primary goal isn’t making a profit?”
“No, it’s the innate sense of mission of being a doctor… However, you know, excellent neurological hospitals and neurologists are too few. Even if we wanted to operate at a loss, it would be difficult considering the strong market demand. So, I’m really satisfied with my current life; I can fulfill my mission as a doctor and easily make money. Of course, the money earned will later be used to give back to the entire medical industry. As for myself, being free from worries about food and clothing is enough. I’m not really someone who believes in money.”
“Doctor Mo, you really are a special man!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, your compassion as a doctor is first-rate, and your ability to show off is also first-rate!”
Mo Zishi laughed loudly, “Haha… You’re still upset about me setting you up on that blind date?”
“Of course. Actually, I really want to ask you, do you think it’s really fun messing with me like that?”
Mo Zishi’s expression turned serious. He replied, “I was definitely not messing with you in doing this… Because there are some things about Xiaocai that I might know more than you do. You must treat her with sincerity, or you really won’t deserve all she’s sacrificed for you… However, you passed my test, so I honestly told Xiaocai the test results, which gave her the determination to make that decision… Zhao Yang, one day you’ll be thanking me like crazy!”
I quickly caught the key point in Mo Zishi’s words and asked, “What decision did she make?”
“Hehe… Figure it out yourself!”
“Could it be that she rejected my cousin Weiran’s pursuit again?”
“You can think of it that way…!”
“Then I’m really confused! Why do you seem to be undermining Weiran? Isn’t he your cousin?”
“You’re wrong. I didn’t do this to favor anyone… I just played a role in pushing you two forward, helping you understand how to make choices… If you hadn’t been able to resist temptation, then Xiaocai choosing Weiran instead would have been her being foolish. But since you resisted the temptation, I think this kid Weiran doesn’t need to keep pestering Xiaocai anymore, since she’s obviously not his type!”
“Ah… You’re someone who supports reason over personal ties!… If it wasn’t for Mi Cai telling me your intentions not long ago, I probably would have kept misunderstanding you…!”
“You not only misunderstood me, but I bet you’ve cursed me in your heart many times for being a meddling idiot?”
“Hehe, I did curse you… You know, I’m not exactly someone with great manners or a good mouth!”
Mo Zishi sighed deeply, “Sigh… I’m afraid the thing I’ll never figure out in my whole life is how Xiaocai could have fallen for you, you airhead!”
“That word ‘airhead’ is well used… You should know, sometimes resting on an airhead might be more enjoyable than resting on a fancy pillow!”
“So, is that the biggest reason why my cousin, the fancy pillow, lost to you, the airhead?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Mo Zishi first smiled, then turned serious and said, “Actually, you’re not bad, Zhao Yang… If a bullet were shot at Xiaocai, you would definitely step in front of her before Weiran… I believe you absolutely have that courage, because your love for her transcends life and death… To be honest, I really admire that kind of spirit. I think it’s really disgusting to judge whether a man and a woman are well-matched purely by their money and status… I’ve found that those people who like to comment on others are simply bored and have nothing better to do. If a couple is in love and well-matched, even the marriage certificate issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau doesn’t question whether they are well-matched, so why are they so concerned?”
“Yes, whenever I see them looking so worried, I feel heartbroken… With that kind of concern, they might as well think about how to strive for their own careers and how to take care of their parents. Otherwise, a few years later when they look back, they’ll realize that they actually lived even less clearly than us during those wasted years of youth!”
“That’s probably human’s inherent weakness… Always thinking they can manage every role in this world, but in reality, they can’t even manage themselves!”
Mo Zishi and I found common ground like this. Unconsciously, we finished a whole bottle of white liquor. Although we weren’t drunk, we did say a lot of drunk talk, especially Mo Zishi. Usually not fond of swearing, he seemed to compensate by incorporating coarse language into his witty remarks. As our interactions deepened, I found that we actually had a lot in common. Although one of us was a businessman and the other a doctor, it didn’t affect our ability to chat happily…
As we were about to end this one-on-one drinking session, Jianwei also arrived at this bar on Pingjiang Road. She came especially to find Mo Zishi. She took out a warmed bottle of milk from her handbag and handed it to Mo Zishi, saying, “Drink this later. It’ll make your stomach feel better.”
Mo Zishi took it from her hand and asked, “Is this the only one you brought?”
“Yeah.”
“Zhao Yang, let’s share this one then. Drinking some milk after alcohol can protect the stomach.”
I didn’t look at Mo Zishi, nor did I look at Jianwei. I shook my head and said, “No thanks. I’ve got plenty of milk at home. I’ll just heat one up when I get back… You can keep this one for yourself… Boss, check please!”
I paid for both my and Mo Zishi’s meal and then urged Mo Zishi to accompany Jianwei for another walk along Pingjiang Road before I walked alone toward a bus stop at the end of the street. I wanted to get home early, heat up a glass of milk for myself, and then have a good, sound sleep. When I woke up, I would be greeted by sunlight filling the room… I heard that tomorrow would be a nice day!
…
After the four seasons completed a full cycle, I was once again thrown into the icy cold of winter. Mo Zishi and I had just finished rehearsing for our next tour stop when we each slung our guitars and walked down the snow-covered street. We lit a cigarette and then took shelter under the eaves of a shop, waiting for a taxi to pass by.
During this time, he asked me, “Le Yao’s movie is going to be released during the winter break. Let’s rent out a few theaters in Suzhou to support her.”
I took out my lighter and relit the half-smoked cigarette that had gone out. After taking a deep puff, I replied, “I’m planning to rent ten theaters… That should be enough for everyone in my company to watch it once.”
“Then I’ll rent ten theaters too…”
“Do you even have a company?”
“I have a band!”
“You’re an idiot. Your band only has a few people. Is it worth renting ten theaters?”
“Forget it, just bring your company’s employees to watch my ten showings again… It’s my little sister’s movie premiere. As her older brother, I have to do my part!”
“Have you even considered how my employees would feel?”
Rohan laughed, then took another deep puff of his cigarette, instinctively gazing at the snowy scenery all around. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a taxi parked by the roadside. In a tone full of disbelief, he said to me, “Zhaoyang, do you see who’s sitting inside the car? Isn’t that CC?”
My heart gave a violent jolt. I immediately followed Rohan’s gaze and indeed saw a woman whose profile looked very much like CC’s. However, her body shape was completely different. In my memory, CC was a very slim woman, while the one in front of me clearly looked somewhat plump…
Before I could get a clear look, the driver, who had gotten out to buy a roasted sweet potato, returned to the car. He started the engine and drove off toward the northern part of the city in the heavy snowfall, carrying the woman whose identity was still uncertain…
I questioned, “It can’t be CC, right? Although her profile looks somewhat similar, her body shape is obviously a bit plump!”
“It’s CC. The scarf around her neck is my birthday gift to her from two years ago!”
I was stunned, then said, “Oh my god… Then why aren’t we chasing after her right away!!”
After saying this, Rohan and I, with our guitars on our backs, sprinted through the heavy snowfall, shouting loudly, leaving countless footprints of our frantic running on the perfect snowy ground… But CC was getting further and further away from us!
In the end, our tireless legs still lost to the four rolling wheels of the taxi. Rohan and I bent over, panting heavily, helplessly watching the car disappear completely from our sight!
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