After a restless night, I woke up to the sunlight of the next day, but Mi Cai was no longer beside me. She had sent me a voice message saying she had gone to the company early to catch up on the work left over from the past few days. She also added that she had to attend the company’s annual dinner in the evening, so she wouldn’t come to the cafe today.
I put down my phone, stretched lazily in the bright light, and then got dressed. But being alone, I had no motivation to cook breakfast. I simply bought a jianbing guozi and a cup of soybean milk downstairs before driving to the cafe.
Qin Yan and Xiao Nuo arrived at the cafe almost simultaneously with me. They were unfastening the lock on the door. Upon seeing me, they didn’t greet me but simultaneously asked, “Brother Zhao Yang, when does our cafe start the New Year holiday? Many formal companies have already started their holidays!”
Since many people get married and take wedding photos around the New Year, it’s the peak season for photography studios and also an opportunity for our cafe. I certainly didn’t want to miss this once-a-year chance. So I said to Qin Yan and Xiao Nuo, “Uh…you guys will have to work a bit harder this year. There will be a consumption peak coming up, and our cafe can’t afford to miss it. If you agree to work overtime, I’ll pay you triple wages during this period!”
Qin Yan didn’t say anything, but Xiao Nuo looked reluctant. She said, “Brother Zhao Yang, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to buy a train ticket home, so I’ve already bought one. Although the extra pay is tempting, going home for the Spring Festival is more important!”
“Isn’t your home in Xinxiang, Henan? It’s not that far. If you really can’t buy a train ticket, I’ll drive you back. You’re the backbone of the store, and we can’t do without you!”
“But…” Xiao Nuo looked unhappy but couldn’t say anything else. Finally, she started to make a request. She asked, “Brother Zhao Yang, I heard from unofficial channels that you and Leyao are good friends. Is that true?” I hesitated for a moment, recalling that Leyao had helped Lukou with several events before, so it wasn’t hard to find out we were friends. I didn’t deny it and nodded, saying, “We’re friends, I guess. What’s up?”
Xiao Nuo showed excitement and said, “I’m such a big fan of hers! I’ve heard she is preparing a new movie. When the movie comes out, could you ask her to sign my movie ticket as a souvenir? If you can promise me that, I’ll work overtime until New Year’s Eve, no regrets!”
At this moment, I suddenly thought of Leyao, who was far away, striving for her big career. Because I had been busy with my marriage to Mi Cai, she had seemed absent from my mind for quite a while, so much so that her face was now blurred in my memory. I finally replied, “No problem. We can even have dinner together sometime.”
Xiao Nuo grabbed my arm and shook it excitedly, as if she were already having lunch or dinner with Leyao. I then turned to Qin Yan and asked, “What about you? No problem working overtime?”
Qin Yan looked determined as he said, “Brother Yang, I would go through fire and water for you. Overtime is such a small matter that it doesn’t even need mentioning!”
I replied in surprise, “Did I save your life or something?”
“It’s not saving my life, but it’s just as meaningful. If I hadn’t met you in my life, I would never have had the chance to get to know Yanyan, let alone the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with her!”
I glanced at him and replied, “Don’t act like you have such foresight. I suggest you be more practical. Wait until you actually win her over before thinking about spending a lifetime together.”
Qin Yan, however, showed delight and caught the loophole in my words, laughing and saying, “Brother Yang, so you mean you approve of me pursuing Yanyan, right?”
I was even more surprised and retorted, “What does your pursuing Yanyan have to do with whether I approve or not?”
“Of course, it matters! You and Yanyan have such a good relationship. With your approval, I’ll have a strong support group. I think when the time comes, she will definitely ask for your opinion on this matter. At that time, remember to support your little brother, okay?”
I looked at him wordlessly for a while and then said, “Yanyan is a divorced woman. You need to think carefully. What can you give her, and what can she give you?”
“Brother Yang, if you say that, I really have to say that I look down on you a bit. Is divorce really that important? Pre-marital sex is so common nowadays, so that’s not something I care about. Compared with other women, she just has an extra divorce certificate. Her actual age is only two years older than mine. Is a divorce certificate really going to be an obstacle for me pursuing her? Unlike you, I think it’s really rare to truly love a woman in this restless society. Once I fall in love, I will definitely fight for it. Who cares about the worldly views and artificial pressures!”
I looked at him for a long time and finally said, “You’re impressive!”
As I said this, I walked into the shop. Qin Yan followed me, still eager to continue the conversation. He said, “Brother Yang, do my words make you reflect on yourself? Sometimes I think your view on love is problematic…”
I ignored him, placed my bag on the sofa, and prepared to check the accounts for these days. He continued, “Seriously, I’m not exaggerating. I think you have too many concerns about love, and you’re a bit too broad-minded. Therefore, your love life is destined to be more bumpy than others, and the women around you are also unlikely to be truly happy!”
I stopped in my tracks and turned around with a serious expression, saying, “Qin Yan, never hastily judge a person, because many things are just hearsay to you. You are not me, so you don’t understand the unspoken difficulties. Moreover, I’m just like you now, wanting to marry your Sister Mi Cai, and we are indeed going to have our wedding soon. So if you dare to say anything else, I’ll beat the hell out of you!”
Qin Yan made a dodging gesture and waved his hand, saying, “No, no, no…Brother Yang, I’m just kindly reminding you. It’s okay to take my words as advice for improvement!”
I lowered my raised hand and patted his shoulder, indicating him to prepare for work. However, he looked extremely serious and said, “Brother Yang, I need to ask you for a short leave first…I have to take the train to Suzhou at five o’clock this afternoon, which you already know. But don’t worry, I’ve already taught Xiao Nuo some simple coffee-making techniques these days. She can definitely handle customers who come for photos rather than coffee.”
I didn’t want to be too hard on Qin Yan, knowing how much he liked Yanyan, so I approved his short leave. At this moment, I had a strong premonition that Yanyan would probably not be able to resist such painstaking efforts. He would eventually win her over…
After a moment of silence, I finally asked him, “Have you told Yanyan about your family situation? Or are you still planning to keep it hidden, as you did with your ex-girlfriend?”
“Of course I told her. First of all, I don’t want these things to become obstacles in our future relationship, and I don’t want her to think I’m not honest. Secondly, she doesn’t care about these things at all! So there’s no need to hide them anymore!”
At this moment, I really wanted to tell Qin Yan that the reason women don’t care about material things is because they are deeply in love with the man. Yanyan had already used up her most precious love in her life. When she starts a new relationship, she will return to reality for evaluation. That’s why I always believed that Yanyan couldn’t offer much to Qin Yan because the most beautiful parts of her life had already been given to the man who hurt her the most!
In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say these things, so I just said, “It seems you still didn’t love your ex-girlfriend enough.”
“You’re wrong again, Brother Yang. The premise of me not loving her enough is that she couldn’t give me the love I wanted, and of course, I couldn’t give her what she wanted either, even though I had all those things!”
Although Qin Yan’s words were quite philosophical, I didn’t want to think about it further because I no longer had the space to accept different views on love. I just wanted to marry the woman I loved and raise a family peacefully. No matter how profound love might be, in the end, it still has to return to life and become the simplest part of it. Therefore, being a master of life is more far-sighted than being a master of love!
…
I decided to become a master of life, so for the entire morning, I stayed by the brightest window, thinking about my future entrepreneurial plans. I couldn’t spend the most precious years of my life entirely on this small cafe. Perhaps, the money it earns could ensure our basic needs, but my woman is Mi Cai. I must have greater goals. I don’t want people to mention Zhao Yang with disdain and mock Mi Cai’s taste. I also don’t want our future child to start life at a disadvantage. I need to tell Yan Zhuomei that even without going to America, we can still live with dignity in China!
Unconsciously, time had dragged me into the golden glow of the sunset. I put down the notebook where I had been jotting down my entrepreneurial plans and looked up at the distant sky, which seemed to be gilded. Thus, I was completely oblivious to what the photographers and customers around me were talking about, until someone mentioned entertainment news, which struck a chord in my heart, as if I had tasted all kinds of emotions. It was because Leyao was once again on the entertainment headlines, and this time it had nothing to do with her career!
I picked up my phone to look for the entertainment news about Leyao, but I was interrupted by Qin Yan, who came to me with his backpack. He told me that he was about to leave for Suzhou, where he would stay overnight and return to Xuzhou before ten o’clock the next morning.
I reminded him to take care on the road, and he told me not to worry before rushing out of the cafe…
Watching his figure quickly blending into the horizon, I felt a strange emotion welling up inside me. Once again, I saw the fickle nature of love… Perhaps Qin Yan would start a new love story with Yanyan, but the marriage life that Leyao and Cao Jinfei should have been supported by love had hit a red light!
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