The crowd watched as Leyao, Cao Jinfei, and the other prominent guests at their wedding departed amidst a throng of people. Although their appearance and departure lasted only a little over an hour, the implicit commercial value they brought to Lukou and Zhuomei was immeasurable. I believe all the planners involved in this event will regard this commercial activity featuring Leyao and Cao Jinfei as one of their most satisfying career accomplishments and a significant asset for professional advancement.
The convoy centered around Leyao and Cao Jinfei gradually disappeared from my sight, finally giving me a sense of regained freedom. I immediately rolled down the car window to breathe in the air bathed in sunlight. Though somewhat dry and cold, it calmed my turbulent emotions. Leaning against the car seat, I remained silent for a long time.
The woman in red did not disturb me. As I closed my eyes and shut out the world, she quietly opened the car door and left. Not long after she had gone, I lit a cigarette for myself, feeling that no one in the world could live more luxuriously than I did at that moment—because I had cigarettes, loneliness, the freedom to indulge in imagination, and a dizzying afternoon with sunlight covering me.
I started the car and finally left Zhuomei, heading to a nearby snack street where I ordered a bowl of hot dry noodles for lunch. I no longer expected Leyao to invite me to her wedding banquet, even though she had once promised to send me an invitation to witness her wedding. Yet when the wedding actually arrived, she changed her mind, turning me into a completely unrelated man and isolating me from her wedding.
The elderly male owner had already brought me the hot dry noodles. I took a bite with chopsticks and found the taste quite good, so I focused on eating, no longer thinking about those complicated matters.
Halfway through the noodles, my phone in my pants pocket beeped with a text message. I continued eating without stopping, using my left hand to take the phone out and glance at the screen. It was a message from Leyao:
“Zhaoyang, thank you for giving me this wedding. Without you, there wouldn’t have been this wedding.”
I smiled, suddenly realizing that the entire planning and execution of Leyao’s wedding had been my responsibility. In fact, I had always been involved in her wedding, never truly leaving. Just like today, every beam of light circling and shining around Leyao on the wedding stage had been meticulously designed by me. Therefore, I had always maintained a subtle connection with this wedding.
Putting down my chopsticks, I replied to Leyao’s message: “Why are you being so polite? Although I did put some effort into planning this wedding, it’s really insignificant compared to the help you’ve given me.”
I thought after exchanging messages, Leyao might invite me to her wedding banquet for a hearty meal, but I was wishful thinking again. She didn’t even reply to my message. So, I ordered another bowl of hot dry noodles and continued to fill my stomach.
…
That afternoon, Luoben brought the little girl and met me at “Seaview Café” downstairs from Zhuomei. The girl sat with me while Luoben sat alone across from us. I asked him, “Why did you bring the girl along? Where is Leyao?”
“She and Cao Jinfei returned to Beijing after the wedding, leaving the girl with me and Manwen to take care of.”
I sighed, “Is it really necessary for her to leave so urgently?”
Luoben glanced at the girl and replied, “Who knows what she was thinking… She said she would let me know once they settle down in Beijing, and then I should send the girl over. In my opinion, she shouldn’t take the girl to Beijing at all. It makes the girl feel rootless, drifting around all the time.”
I nodded in agreement, “It’s actually not bad for the girl to stay with you and Teacher Wei. After all, Teacher Wei lived in that small mountain village before and even taught the girl. They have no problem communicating with each other.”
“That’s exactly what I think… Heaven knows how well the girl will adapt to the aristocratic life with Leyao and Cao Jinfei in Beijing. I think it’s better for her to live a simple life with Manwen and me.”
I smiled, “Mainly, it’s more reliable for the girl to live with Teacher Wei. As for you, forget it. The word ‘simple’ has nothing to do with you at all.”
Luoben lit a cigarette, seemingly recalling his life over the past few years, which was anything but simple, and CC, who was wandering far away…
Taking advantage of his silence, I took out a bank card from my briefcase and handed it to him, saying, “This card contains the payment for Cao Jinfei’s participation in our company’s microfilm. It’s a total of 600,000 yuan. Leyao made the decision on behalf of Cao Jinfei, designating this payment as the girl’s living expenses until she goes to college… Since the girl will be living with you and Teacher Wei from now on, please take care of this money on her behalf.”
“We can afford the girl’s expenses. You keep this money. You might need it someday.”
“You’re kidding, right? What would I keep this money for?”
Luoben shook his head firmly and said, “Don’t make it seem like Manwen and I are raising the girl for this money. Actually, Manwen and I had discussed it long ago. We wanted to adopt a child from the mountains once our financial situation improved. Now that the girl is with us, it’s the best situation.”
“You’re just too principled!”
Luoben didn’t say anything else. He picked up the card and threw it back in front of me. After taking a deep puff of his cigarette, he asked, “CC has been gone for so many days. Has she contacted you?… I always thought that on the day Leyao got married, she would ask you to give something to Leyao.”
I sighed, “This time, it’s definitely your imagination… CC left completely clean. You and Teacher Wei shouldn’t let this issue cause any rift between you. At the appropriate time, try to persuade her to get married as soon as possible. After all, she’s a woman who really can’t afford to wait. As for those past wounds, just leave them to CC, let her take them to the ends of the earth and let them fade away.”
Luoben nodded, leaning back on the sofa with a tired expression, closing his eyes and sighing, “Time is like a sharp blade, slicing away from our world those who have had close ties with us, never to be seen again… Now it’s CC, and who knows who will be next!”
I felt the same way, because over these years I had said goodbye to too many people. This time, it was Leyao. Although we could still contact each other, it was already almost like a permanent farewell. I believed that after the microfilm shooting ended, if we were to meet again, it would have to be by chance, because no one could find a legitimate reason to meet.
…
Luoben and I remained seated, smoking and drinking tea, not moving at all. The obedient girl chose a quiet corner and started doing her holiday homework by herself, giving Luoben and me the space to chat freely. We talked about the women in our lives, the disappointments in life, and even shared some insights about music… Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened as we chatted. Various lights took over every corner of the city in a dazzling manner. Yet, light is not a tangible thing. Although it brings a sense of fullness, it also draws out inner emptiness and loneliness.
In the brief silence between Luoben and me, the sales data from Zhuomei was once again sent to me in the form of a text message. It was still as exciting as ever. Up to now, the sales had already exceeded 80 million yuan. This indicated that before midnight, the expected sales target of 100 million yuan could be comfortably surpassed. This event had created a sales legend in Suzhou’s retail history that would be hard to surpass. In other words, Fangyuan succeeded, Zhuomei succeeded, and everyone involved in this event succeeded.
I put down my phone and suddenly felt tired. At this point, our part in the event had been successfully completed, and I wanted to go home and rest. As for the subsequent sales data, I no longer had such high expectations.
Just as I was preparing to say goodbye to Luoben, Weimanwan slowly came down the stairs of the coffee shop. She still radiated a sense of sophistication, showing no sign of emotional turmoil caused by CC and Luoben’s relationship.
She didn’t come over to where Luoben and I were, but instead went to the girl, handed her a hot hamburger, then helped her pack up her schoolbag. After finishing, she took the girl’s hand and prepared to leave, completely ignoring Luoben and me.
I finally couldn’t sit still anymore and shouted at her, “Teacher Wei, you stop right there.”
Weimanwan turned her head, looked at me with a puzzled expression, but didn’t speak. Immediately, I grabbed my briefcase and ran towards her. Since we met here, I naturally wanted to persuade her not to ignore Luoben anymore. After all, CC had already left forever, and all the emotional entanglements should be put to rest.
I asked the girl to go sit with Luoben for a while, then took Weimanwan’s hand and headed downstairs in the coffee shop. We chose a corner near the window. Before I even sat down properly, I said to her, “Teacher Zhao, in my heart you’ve always been a woman representing sophistication. Why did you act so irrationally in the matter of CC?… I really don’t think it was a wise decision for you to delay your wedding with Luoben.”
Weimanwan looked at me for a long time before she spoke, “Maybe you think I’m pretending, but I really want to give Luoben some space to figure out who he really wants to be with. I don’t want him to regret it after we get married… Perhaps CC is the woman most suited for him, and I’m not.”
Her answer surprised me greatly. After a moment of silence, I asked, “Then, Teacher Zhao, let’s make a hypothetical scenario. Suppose you give Luoben space and he ends up choosing CC, where does that leave you?… I don’t think in your entire life, after leaving Luoben, you’ll fall in love with another man again!”
Weimanwan looked at the people passing by outside the coffee shop, somewhat lost in thought…
Only then did I ask the waiter for a pot of hot tea, pouring a cup for both of us, then patiently waiting for her response.
She finally came back to her senses and said to me without much expression, “Ever since I stayed in that small mountain village for three years, love is no longer the most important thing in my life… The Weimanwan of today is very different from the Weimanwan of the past.”
“What was the past Weimanwan like?”
“The past Weimanwan would quarrel fiercely with Luoben because she couldn’t see a future, would go to bars and drink from evening to late night because of his infidelity… would become despondent and unwilling to live in this world because of lost love… But all of that is in the past. If he hadn’t found me in that small mountain village a few years later, I would have already married there and lived quietly for the rest of my life, accompanying those children who were like flowers waiting to bloom. That would have been good and happy too!”
I looked at her even more surprised. It was hard for me to imagine that a gentle person like her could quarrel fiercely and go to bars to drink recklessly, but time is indeed a powerful force. It has used its magic to completely transform Weimanwan, making her see through many things.
“Teacher Zhao, by what you said, can I understand that in your heart there’s still that doctor from the small mountain village who was almost your fiancé back then?”
Weimanwan’s expression was a bit dreamy as she looked up at me and said, “His name is Zhou Hang.”
Because it had been so long and I didn’t know the man well, I indeed couldn’t remember his name. However, he was deeply etched in Weimanwan’s heart, indelible. That’s why she told me that man’s name so solemnly.
I exhaled with a sigh, habitually smirking, and said, “Teacher Zhao, the fact that you care so much about me not remembering that man’s name actually tells me the answer: your heart truly has him, perhaps even no less than Luoben.”
Weimanwan lowered her head, her fingers gently turning the teacup. After a long time, she replied, “Yes, so I can really understand that Luoben loves CC while loving me… In fact, there isn’t really such a thing as overly genuine love in this world. What we like is just the lifestyle that love brings… Zhou Hang and I always shared the same ideals and values. I longed to contribute to the children and villagers with him in that small mountain village and then live a quiet life.”
My emotions were somewhat stirred, “But… but why did you choose to be with Luoben and leave that small mountain village back then?”
This time Weimanwan quickly gave me an answer, “Maybe it’s in my nature to love him… But during the time I’ve been back in Suzhou, I’ve come to understand more and more that I can live without being entirely for love. The lifestyle I like is the most important.”
At this point, I finally understood why Weimanwan delayed her wedding with Luoben and why she insisted on waiting for CC to appear again.
Reflecting carefully, since she returned to Suzhou, there had always been something missing between her and Luoben. No matter what achievements Luoben made, she always remained so calm and composed, unable to share in Luoben’s joy, not even attending his first concert after becoming famous… Because what she was experiencing had already deviated from the lifestyle she needed.
“Teacher Zhao, tell me, is that man named Zhou Hang still waiting for you to change your mind and return to that small mountain village?”
“Um.”
I nodded and said, “This matter has already gone beyond what I can interfere with, so I won’t ask any more. I just hope you can find an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with Luoben… At the same time, I also respect your feelings for Zhou Hang. After all, during the years you were with him, although we outsiders didn’t see it, there must have been many sweet and warm moments in your emotional life, which are an extremely precious part of your memories.”
“Thank you for being able to understand and respect me with mature thoughts.”
…
After my conversation with Weimanwan ended, she and Luoben took the girl and quietly left the coffee shop, while I fell into an unprecedented sense of confusion, repeatedly pondering what Weimanwan had just said… She said: there isn’t really such a thing as overly genuine love in this world. What we like is just the lifestyle that love brings…
For a long time, I couldn’t grasp the true meaning of this sentence, but I felt sorrow for Luoben. Even though I could respect Weimanwan’s feelings for Zhou Hang, she had already stopped seeing Luoben as the entirety of her emotional world… It seemed that they were just colorful leaves in the landscape of love, capable of carrying various colors, landing on the water, in the mountains, and in the endless black rays without answers.
…
This night, I actually sat alone at “Seaview Café” until the early hours of the morning, then heard the clock tower of Zhuomei striking twelve o’clock, realizing that this Christmas had just come to an end…
At the same time, the text message tone rang again, and I received the final sales data for this event at Zhuomei. By the end of the event, Zhuomei had completed a total sales amount of 116 million yuan, exceeding the previously set target and creating a sales legend in the retail industry.
I tilted my head back, my hands heavily rubbing over my face, and then, my entire being felt empty, completely empty. My brain had received too much information throughout the day, finally becoming overwhelmed and paralyzed, so much so that the phone kept ringing for a long time without me reaching out to answer it…
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