The car circled once in front of the coffee shop before smoothly parking into the designated parking spot. Although Zhou Zhaokun was driving an ostentatious supercar, these days among the comings and goings of various vehicles, he was the only one who parked properly within the lines.
Before he had even stepped out of the car, I had already come out to greet him. Seeing him again, he hadn’t changed much from before—still dressed neatly and cleanly, tall, fit, and energetic.
We greeted each other with a hug, and then Zhaokun cheerfully asked, “Where are you planning to take me for a few drinks later?”
“Spontaneously. After leaving this street, we’ll choose the sixth restaurant we come across—wherever we land, that’s where we’ll have our drinks.”
Zhou Zhaokun patted my shoulder and smiled, saying, “Definitely your style. But I really like it. I’ve always followed society’s conventions, which is hard to judge as good or bad. But following your wild and unrestrained lead really brings back a sense of youth I haven’t felt in ages. So whenever I have time, I always want to find you, my buddy, for a few drinks!”
“Your adherence to social norms also reminds me not to be too reckless. It’s a kind of encouragement and warning, so I’m also very willing to have a drink or two with Brother Kun.”
Zhou Zhaokun smiled again, then glanced into the coffee shop and asked, “Where’s Mi Cai? Isn’t she with you?”
“Well, we’re getting married soon, so she took advantage of today being Saturday to go buy some appliances… Let me call her and see if she has time to come over and have a meal with us.”
Zhou nodded, so I took out my phone from my pocket and dialed Mi Cai’s number. She answered after a moment, and I could hear the noise from her end—it sounded like she was in a mall. I spoke first, asking, “Still shopping around the mall?”
Her speech was quick, “Yeah, I’ve been shopping all morning. Just bought the TV and washing machine, now I’m looking at refrigerators… It’s so hard to decide!”
“What’s there to be so indecisive about? Just buy whichever you like!”
“I feel like our kitchen isn’t that big, so a three-door refrigerator should be enough. But Xiao Yun strongly recommends getting a double-door one. There’s a price difference of several thousand yuan between these two models!”
Her housewife-like calculation made me chuckle as I replied, “If the kitchen can’t fit it, there’s still the living room! Besides, aren’t we planning to move into a bigger house later? Then replacing the smaller fridge later when we upgrade won’t be cost-effective. So why not just buy the bigger one now?”
“Honey, you really have foresight… I’ll go with your suggestion.”
Despite the noise from her side, I clearly heard her call me “honey” because of how sensitive I was to the word. Perhaps because our wedding was approaching, or maybe the excitement of shopping for appliances for our upcoming marriage had moved her. This was the first time in her life she had addressed me this way. I was filled with happiness, even feeling a slight sting in my nose. I just looked at the sunlight covering the grass in front of me, unable to speak for a long time!
“Why aren’t you speaking? Is the signal bad?” Mi Cai asked, puzzled.
After another moment of happy silence, I softly said, “I heard you praise me for having foresight… and I heard you call me ‘honey’!”
“Ah, did I say that?”
“You didn’t notice. You just instinctively called me that, which proves even more that you’ve deeply accepted me as your future husband!”
“We’re getting married already. If I don’t accept you, who else would I accept… Could it be that you still had doubts about me before?” Her tone sounded a bit displeased.
“No, it’s just the first time I’ve heard you call me that. The happiness came so suddenly that I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed…”
This time Mi Cai was silent. After a long pause, she finally said, “Then keep being overwhelmed by it. I hope it lasts a lifetime, without you ever growing tired of me!”
This was the emotional moment sparked by that one word “honey,” and I even forgot to invite her to join us for the meal. Only after the emotional moment passed did I hurriedly say, “Right, do you and Xiao Yun have time now?… Brother Kun has already arrived. If you have time, why don’t you come over and have a meal with us?”
Mi Cai chuckled and said, “I think Brother Kun was just being polite. If I really went over, how could you two enjoy your drinks to the fullest?… Besides, it might be a bit awkward to talk about Leyao. Just have your meal yourselves… Remember not to drink too much and keep the ability to answer my call so I can come pick you two drunkards up!”
Recently, Mi Cai seemed to have developed a grudge against Leyao, always directing her jealousy toward her, regardless of whether it made sense or not. But I really enjoyed it because it at least proved she cared about me. So I laughed and explained to her how absurd and unfounded her jealousy was.
…
It was around noon when I and Zhou Zhaokun drove out of this neighborhood and back into the city’s hustle and bustle. As previously agreed, we chose the sixth restaurant we encountered on the street. Coincidentally, it was a restaurant specializing in Xuzhou local cuisine, which suited me perfectly because I hadn’t had Xuzhou-style stewed dishes in a long time. And stewed dishes are definitely a good match for drinking. So my mood improved even more subtly, perfectly matching the saying, “Good news lifts one’s spirits.” Even looking up at the industrial exhaust under the sunlight felt like watching it drift into a blooming flower!
Inside the restaurant, I ordered two portions of the stewed dishes and some cold appetizers suitable for drinking, and then Zhaokun and I began drinking. As usual, we started with some strong liquor to warm up, then switched to beer for a refreshing finish. After a couple of drinks, I asked Zhaokun, “Brother Kun, what have you been busy with lately? Why are you staying in Nanjing?”
Zhou Zhaokun drank the strong liquor in his glass, smacked his lips, and replied somewhat unhappily, “Recently, I established an internet-based company in Nanjing and invested a lot of money, so I have to personally oversee operations here… China’s economy is currently in a transition period, and traditional profit-making ventures are becoming increasingly difficult. This is a breakthrough I’ve had to make under the circumstances!”
I nodded in understanding. In recent years, the internet economy has developed rapidly in China. Many of China’s top-ranking wealthy individuals come from the internet sector. Therefore, many traditional entrepreneurs experiencing the pain of economic transition have ventured into this field. However, I believe this is just a phenomenon of the transitional period. Ultimately, the real economy will still support the nation’s foundation. Or rather, in the future, the real economy and the internet economy will become more closely linked. This close relationship will give rise to a new economic form, and those who benefit from it will certainly be visionary economic strategists… Therefore, Zhaokun’s effort to break through at this time is at least correct in terms of thinking.
Zhou Zhaokun then asked me, “What about you? Are you just running a coffee shop in Xuzhou?… Do you have any long-term plans?”
“No… Maybe to others this seems like just getting by, but for me, this is real life, Brother Kun… Does a person really need so much money? Or must happiness necessarily be based on wealth?… I think that’s not good. Being comfortable with food and shelter is enough. I don’t want my expanding desires to tear me apart!”
Zhou Zhaokun raised his glass to signal me to drink first. After finishing a glass, he replied, “Humans are always social creatures. We all climb under the watchful eyes of others, and earning more money is an instinct granted to us by heaven… Take Leyao for example. What does she lack? Yet she still struggles in this world, striving for her own place!”
I felt the pressure of reality again and sighed lightly before saying, “Maybe you’re right. Perhaps in a few years, when Mi Cai and I have children, the pressure of life will force me to make long-term plans, but for now, I just want to live more easily and focus on doing what’s right in front of me… As for Leyao, I really can’t understand her. For a period of time, she was in a very difficult and helpless situation. I advised her to return to the entertainment industry, but she strongly resisted. Now that she has married into a wealthy family, her father is a real estate tycoon, who could have a more secure life than hers? Yet she is now planning to return to the entertainment industry to make money again… I heard she even established a fairly large film and television company!”
Zhou Zhaokun thought for a moment and said, “I think her situation can only be explained this way… Her current married life isn’t what she wanted, so she needs to find something to distract herself, otherwise it would be a kind of torment for her!”
“…Brother Kun, this is just speculation without factual basis. It’s not good to make such subjective assumptions. After all, she’s a public figure. If there were any marital conflicts, the media would have exposed them already!”
“Well, since she’s a public figure, protecting her privacy is a basic ability… And Leyao isn’t an actress who needs to rely on scandals to gain exposure and rise in her career. So her efforts to keep secrets must be airtight… Don’t forget, the essence of her marriage to Cao Jinfei is still a business alliance!”
Once again, I felt my perspective overturned. In my subconscious, I had always thought that Leyao’s life after marriage was quite good, so I had never considered the possibility from another angle. But after Zhou Zhaokun’s reminder, there really could be such a possibility. This can be seen from the fact that Leyao has not yet brought the child back to live in Beijing from Suzhou. Cao Jinfei hasn’t given her absolute freedom as he promised before marriage. She has made compromises in this marriage, and behind those compromises, whether there is a contract can only be speculated… Perhaps, Zhou Zhaokun is really right, because he pays more attention to Leyao, and this attention makes him notice more details.
Finally, I said to him, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s have a drink… Brother Kun, after all, Leyao is already legally Cao Jinfei’s wife. In a situation where they themselves appear to be getting along well, we outsiders shouldn’t make random assumptions…!”
Zhou Zhaokun nodded and said, “Yeah, I hope my guess is just a guess… Personally, I really hope she can live a happy life. It’s just that I still have the habit of paying attention to her!”
“I can really understand that… Come on, let’s drink. After finishing the liquor, we’ll have some beer. Today, we won’t leave until we’re drunk.”
Zhou Zhaokun made a gesture to pause and then took out a bank card from his briefcase and handed it to me, saying, “While I’m still sober, I’ll give you and your fiancée the wedding gift first.”
“Brother Kun, this is the money I borrowed from you. How can it become a wedding gift?”
Take it. This is my heartfelt gesture. Later, when I get married, won’t you give me a gift too? Between us, talking about borrowing and returning is too common.
After he said that, I thought this method was actually quite good. However, from the way he spoke about Leyao, I sensed his loneliness and melancholy. I really wonder when he will meet another woman who will make his heart race, other than Leyao. I hope it won’t take too long!
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