After glancing around the restaurant, Luo Ben took a deep drag from his cigarette. As the smoke dispersed from his mouth in a chaotic swirl, he asked me, “You guys at Lucu really don’t plan to keep this place, do you?”
I looked at him and nodded.
Luo Ben, visibly anxious, extinguished his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray and said to Yiqing, the restaurant manager, “Bring me a warm beer.”
I remained silent, playing with my lighter while thinking about the upcoming Christmas event at Zhuo Mei, hoping for a flash of inspiration to come up with a plan that could make the event even better.
Soon, Luo Ben finished his warm beer, hit my arm with the back of his hand, and said, “If this restaurant must be transferred, why not transfer it to me?”
I looked at him in surprise and instinctively replied, “Forget about this idea, okay? You’re getting married to Wei Laoshi, and there’s the mortgage to consider. Where will you find the money for all of that? Taking over this restaurant, you’ll definitely keep running it the same way, losing tens of thousands every month. Can you afford that?”
Luo Ben stared at me, his eyes flashing with coldness, but he remained silent.
Only then did I remember that he was now hailed as the “New Father of Rock,” earning more than five figures per commercial performance, so he indeed had the financial capability to take over the restaurant.
I certainly didn’t want Luo Ben to get involved, so I continued, “You’re not officially signed to a company yet, and your performance and production teams rely entirely on your commercial gigs to survive. Plus, you’re at the stage of getting married. I’m telling you sincerely, give up this idea!”
“So you’re just not going to transfer it to me, is that it?”
“If this were a profitable restaurant, I’d give it to you, believe me! But this place, Empty City, should be passed on to someone with the right connection.”
Luo Ben, seemingly aware of the pressure he was facing, fell silent again. He picked up the half-finished cigarette he had extinguished in the ashtray, lit it again, and only after finishing it did he say to me, “Zhaoyang, for the first time, I genuinely think you’re awesome… truly awesome! You’ve really sold your soul to the filth of the mundane world!”
I ignored him and just took big gulps of my beer… When I finished, Luo Ben was already gone. Presumably, he couldn’t bear his own frustration and was reluctant to witness the filth clinging to my soul, so he left first.
…
After leaving Empty City, I visited Xiao Yun’s flower shop after a long time. I had promised Tong Zi to find out Xiao Yun’s true feelings, but due to my recent busyness, I had postponed it repeatedly. Seizing the time I had tonight, I intended to settle this matter so he could calm his restless heart.
As if descending from the sky into this old district, I approached the narrow and dimly lit alley with a cigarette in my mouth. After some effort, I finally arrived at Xiao Yun’s flower shop. She was sitting in front of the computer, busily working and completely unaware of my arrival.
I gently patted her shoulder and said, “Xiao Yun, stop working for a moment. I have something to ask you.”
Xiao Yun turned around to look at me and then opened the word processor on her computer to communicate with me, “Brother Zhaoyang, it’s been a long time since you last came!”
I nodded. Xiao Yun pulled up a chair for me to sit down and then asked, “What do you want to ask me?”
“You’re so smart, you should be able to guess…”
Xiao Yun’s expression became complicated as she lowered her head, and her fingers instinctively tugged at the hem of her shirt, a clear sign of inner struggle.
I already had an idea in my heart and asked her, “Tell Brother Zhaoyang, do you have any affection for Tong Zi in your heart?”
Xiao Yun kept her eyes downcast. After a long while, she typed a line on the computer: “…I don’t know how to face love! But in my heart, he is a very excellent guy.”
I nodded again and then replied, “I understand your concerns. It’s also right that you haven’t accepted him.”
My response filled Xiao Yun with doubt: “Brother Zhaoyang, so you’re not here to act as a go-between.”
“Indeed, I’m not here to act as a go-between. I also want to tell you that love is not just a product of impulse. Rationality must run through a lasting love.”
Xiao Yun nodded.
I smiled and continued, “However, I still hope you can end up together with Tong Zi. Also, don’t think of him as too excellent, nor should you face him with a humble mindset, because you are beautiful, and your heart is even more beautiful. I actually think Tong Zi has good taste. Perhaps he can pursue the love he envisions in his heart with an attitude that transcends the mundane.”
Xiao Yun looked at me helplessly: “Brother Zhaoyang, even though you’re still acting as a go-between, you’ve just changed to a more subtle approach!”
“I just hope that you can make a decision after getting to know each other better and moving past the impulse of love… and I have confidence in Tong Zi. I believe he is not acting on a fleeting whim but is truly the man who can see your beauty.”
“Um, he’s told me many times that since becoming friends with Brother Zhaoyang and learning about you and your group of friends’ pursuits in this world, he feels he has been influenced and can ignore the endless gossip in this world… Brother Zhaoyang, I also think you are a man with the ability to change and influence others.”
I laughed heartily and patted Xiao Yun’s shoulder, saying, “It seems like you really appreciate Tong Zi in your heart… I’m even more confident about expecting you two to achieve a love that transcends the mundane gaze!”
Xiao Yun looked embarrassed. I exhaled quietly, hoping even more that Tong Zi, who is not yet a real man, can move Xiao Yun with sincerity, giving this beautiful girl who has lost her wings a happy compensation, rather than causing her more pain after false affection!
…
Early the next morning, I received another call from Yiqing, the manager of Empty City. She told me that another woman had come to the restaurant, wanting to discuss the conditions for transferring Empty City. I was very surprised—why were the people interested in this restaurant always women? Was it destined that CC’s emotional attachment over the years was just an unfortunate accident?
And was this second woman who came to Empty City the same one who had left a sum of money before?… In my confusion, I hurried to the “Empty City” restaurant once again!
The traffic was very smooth on the way, and soon I arrived at the neighborhood that I had to pass through to reach Empty City. After parking the car, I instinctively looked around. In my subconscious, the person coming must be either rich or noble, like that woman in red. So she would definitely park her luxury car by the roadside at the mouth of this alley. However, I really didn’t see any luxury cars, which increased my confusion. What kind of identity did this woman have, daring to take over the loss-making restaurant, Empty City!
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