When I told CC that I had a way to find the man who had left 100,000 yuan at the music-themed restaurant “Kong Cheng Li” (Empty City), the pain on her face finally began to fade. She took a deep drag on her cigarette and asked me, “How are you going to find him?”
“Use the same old trick.”
“The same old trick?”
I nodded and said, “I will announce that Kong Cheng Li is closing down due to serious financial losses over the past year. If he really still lives around Empty City and has never left, he will definitely act again.”
CC immediately questioned, “But Kong Cheng Li is now affiliated with your Luko company. How easily could it really close down?”
“Don’t worry about the details. But you must promise me that, to make this performance realistic enough, only you and I can know about this.”
CC smiled and said, “I love how mysterious you look when you talk like this!”
I turned serious again and asked, “Can you really keep this secret?”
“Yes, for the result I’m hoping for, I will definitely keep this secret to the grave.”
After saying that, CC didn’t speak again, seemingly focusing all her attention on the cigarette she was smoking at that moment. What she was really thinking, only she could know. I, on the other hand, lay on the floor bed with my arms under my head, imagining whether there really was someone around me who would do something so generous and anonymous. Besides, whoever it was must have been quite wealthy to give away such a large sum. After all, 100,000 yuan back then was equivalent to two years’ salary for an average white-collar worker.
I thought hard but couldn’t figure out who it might be. Suddenly, CC asked me, “Zhaoyang, could it have been Leyao?”
I was startled. It actually could be possible. Although she had concealed the fact that she was the daughter of the real estate tycoon Xiao Rulin, getting hold of 100,000 yuan wouldn’t have been difficult for her. However, after thinking carefully, I rejected the idea and told CC, “It can’t be her. First, I vaguely remember that she wasn’t in Suzhou around that time; where she went exactly, I don’t know. Second, if she really wanted to save Kong Cheng Li, she would have just given the money directly to you without using such a covert method. We both know how straightforward and even blunt her style is, especially when it comes to money matters.”
CC thought for a moment and replied, “That’s true. But besides her, I really can’t think of anyone else at the time who had that kind of financial capability.”
“It might not have been someone close to us, but rather a regular customer at Kong Cheng Li.”
CC exhaled smoke heavily, and after a long silence, she said, “Maybe… I don’t want to think about it anymore. It’s tiring. I need to go to sleep.”
“Aww… Once the detective mode kicks in, my mind just won’t stop. I guess I’m going to have insomnia tonight… I should probably drink some alcohol!”
As soon as the word “alcohol” came out of my mouth, CC began to dry heave, complaining to me, “Are you doing this on purpose? My stomach is already about to come out, and you still think I haven’t thrown up enough?”
I immediately apologized to CC, “I swear it was unintentional… Who told you to drink so much? I guess this time you’ve really hurt your stomach, and you probably won’t want to touch alcohol for a month!”
CC then held her chest, struggling to swallow, and I decided to just shut up. At that moment, my mind was too active to control my words and avoid mentioning the word “alcohol.” People who are suffering from a hangover tend to feel nauseous when they hear that word—just like CC at that moment. It was also evident that she had consumed an enormous amount of alcohol the previous night, clearly a severe case of intoxication. However, her ability to sober up was impressive, as she had already regained consciousness by the latter half of the night.
I turned off the ceiling light, leaving only a dim bedside lamp glowing softly. The room was so quiet that I could hear CC’s breathing—sometimes faint, sometimes heavy, clearly not the steady rhythm of someone asleep. So she probably hadn’t fallen asleep yet. At this moment, she was enduring both mental and physical suffering, but she still refused to cry. What a stubborn woman!
Early the next morning, I woke up habitually due to my biological clock. As I sat up, I instinctively looked toward the bed. CC was still asleep, but there were fresh tear stains on her pillow. Her stubbornness had finally collapsed after I had fallen asleep. She must have been truly heartbroken. As one of her closest friends, I felt a sense of guilt for not being able to comfort her emotionally, which further solidified my determination to find the man who had left the 100,000 yuan at the restaurant “Kong Cheng Li” back then.
After getting up, I went downstairs and bought a bowl of pumpkin millet porridge, which is gentle on the stomach. I couldn’t bear to wake CC, who had slept too little, so I left her a note telling her to heat up the porridge when she woke up and eat it. If she felt lonely after breakfast, she could come to my company or call me. Only then did I leave CC’s place with peace of mind.
…
Upon arriving at work, I quickly got into a productive mode. I had the administrative department draft a new contract for Leyao’s participation in a short film, but this time, it included no breach-of-clause terms. Even if she failed to attend the Zhuomei premiere event, she wouldn’t bear any legal liability. I removed these clauses after realizing that I wanted to respect the friendship between us and Leyao. Besides, even if such clauses were included, there would be no way to force her to show up on the premiere day if she truly didn’t want to. It was better not to include them to avoid causing her any unnecessary distress.
Then I summoned the finance department manager and asked her to show me the financial report from last month. The company’s financial performance last month had been good, with sufficient liquid funds on hand. However, “Kong Cheng Li” continued to suffer losses, and last month’s losses were particularly severe. I sighed to the finance manager, “Last month Kong Cheng Li actually lost 32,000 yuan! That’s a disaster.”
The finance manager replied with obvious complaints, “Mr. Zhaoyang, you finally realize it’s a disaster! We are a company that runs real businesses. Nobody operates like you, maintaining a restaurant that keeps losing money. Plus, your business model is too unconventional—letting customers pay voluntarily. It’s a miracle it hasn’t lost even more money!”
I sighed again, “Actually, before our Luko company took over, this restaurant could still make a small profit. But after we launched a large-scale promotional campaign to showcase our artistic and cultural style, it started to suffer losses. Damn it, there are just too many people in this world who love to eat for free, and too few who are conscientious. Restaurants like Kong Cheng Li only lose more money the more they advertise!”
The finance manager remarked, “Mr. Zhaoyang, you finally see your mistake in the face of harsh reality. A loss of 32,000 yuan a month means over 300,000 yuan a year. This is an unnecessary loss for the company!”
“So what do you think? Should we shut it down?”
Without hesitation, the finance manager replied, “Either shut it down or change the business model. Otherwise, this ongoing loss will negatively impact our other restaurants and inns.”
I nodded and said, “You make a good point. Let’s shut it down. Once the business model changes, the restaurant will have lost its original purpose anyway.”
The finance manager nodded seriously, “Then I’ll notify the administrative department to issue a notice of closure on your behalf!”
“Go ahead, and inform the other departments as well.”
After receiving my approval, the finance manager left my office. I lit a cigarette, leaned back in my chair, and smoked. I believed that an official closure notice issued by Luko Company would make the closure of Kong Cheng Li seem extremely real. It might even lure out the person who had left the 100,000 yuan back then.
If this plan unfolded as expected, it would also become an excellent story in the future. Once the truth was revealed, we could publicly announce the real purpose of the fake closure, including the story of the 100,000 yuan, helping the public who care about artistic and cultural endeavors better understand its spiritual essence. We also hoped that revealing this story would awaken more people’s sense of truth, goodness, and social responsibility.
…
In the afternoon, I received a call from my former supervisor, Chen Jingming. He invited me to meet him at a teahouse after work to talk. He had something he wanted to discuss with me. I agreed, though I felt puzzled inside, unsure of his sudden motive, but I was certain it had something to do with Zhuomei.
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