I’m just someone who barely understands the qualifications for a company going public, while the woman in red is a formidable figure who can strategize skillfully in the business world. I couldn’t bring myself to question her views any further. After a pause, I lit a cigarette and asked, “So you’re saying Zhuomei’s prospects of going public are really quite bleak?”
“It’s not optimistic, but bleak might be an overstatement… I still believe in Mi Cai’s abilities. Perhaps she still has a trump card that can turn the tide.”
I nodded and asked, “Mi Cai called you, surely not just to discuss her views on this matter?”
She hopes that after Wei Ran runs into problems, I can step in as the second investor to fill the gap. But it’s going to be tough… I’m not confident I can seamlessly take over. Also, not everyone within Zhuomei actually wants the IPO to succeed. Even if I decide to invest, I will face resistance from within the group. Replacing the investor at a critical moment before the IPO could be devastating. The best-case scenario is that ZH Investment continues to invest despite the difficulties, maintaining Zhuomei’s stability. But… I don’t need to explain further—you understand this as well as I do.
I remained silent, but deep down, I felt profound concern for Mi Cai’s and Zhuomei’s fate. I could better understand why Mi Cai had been in touch less frequently since going to the U.S. She must be feeling exhausted, helpless, and overwhelmed right now… and there’s no one around her to truly share this burden! And what exactly can I do for her now?
I tilted my head back and exhaled a puff of smoke heavily, once again feeling my own insignificance and helplessness, struggling in the murky waters of worldly affairs…
…
During dinner, I didn’t chat casually with the woman in red due to my troubled mood, and she seemed preoccupied too, so the atmosphere became rather heavy. This silence was finally broken when her phone rang.
Perhaps because we were so familiar with each other, the woman in red didn’t mind my presence and answered the call at the table. After just saying a few words—“I see”—she hung up. After that, she became even more distracted and lost her appetite for food.
Finally, she apologized slightly and said to me, “Sorry, Zhao Yang. I need to meet someone… I’ll stop eating here with you.”
It was quite incredible that someone could make the woman in red so uneasy. I asked her curiously, “Are you going to meet your boyfriend?”
“A cowardly rascal!”
After answering, the woman in red left with a complex expression, carrying her handbag. Left alone, I couldn’t help but admire her linguistic prowess—actually managing to combine “cowardly” and “rascal” into an insult. I also felt curious about the person she had called a cowardly rascal… Perhaps there’s an unknown emotional entanglement between them… Suddenly, I felt a bit envious of this man I’d never met. I wonder whether, in moments I can’t see, Mi Cai would also feel anxious about me, and be willing to drop everything just to meet me?
…
After finishing dinner alone, I walked along the cold, nearly deserted streets. Instinctively, I checked the time—it was only 9 p.m. I didn’t want to return to the hotel, and there was no one in this unfamiliar city to accompany me. So I walked along the street with tired steps, feeling lonely and unable to find a space that truly belonged to me.
In the chilly wind, I turned into a record store, picked up an album by the band “Faith in Chaos,” and started listening to it on a CD player. As the unfamiliar yet familiar melody filled my ears, I couldn’t help but recall the Midi Music Festival in Zhenjiang in 2009…
Yes, that year, Jian Wei and I had just shed our identities as campus sweethearts and stepped into society. We went together to watch that Midi Festival, which featured Faith in Chaos. Nothing particularly memorable happened back then. Now, when I think about it, it’s just scattered fragments in my mind, yet these fragments feel so real and continue to affect my current mood… Even though my friends and I could be considered part of the music scene, I hadn’t attended a music festival in a long time. Why was that? Perhaps because I didn’t want to touch on certain memories, or maybe because I no longer had the mood to go. It seemed like it was always the same few bands and singers—nothing fresh, only songs that stirred up painful recollections.
Finding it enjoyable, I bought the album titled “Don’t Stop My Music” by Faith in Chaos, along with a CD player, which I clipped to my waist. As I walked out of the record store and continued listening, I finally felt a sense of relief from emptiness and loneliness.
Sitting on a bench by the roadside, I finally took off my headphones and picked up my phone, hesitating between calling Jian Wei and Mi Cai. Thinking Mi Cai might be busy with work and not wanting to disturb her, I simply sent her a message saying, “Call me when you have time,” and then dialed Jian Wei’s number, naturally wanting to check in on Xiao Yun.
Shortly afterward, Jian Wei answered the call. I asked her, “How did the scenic area handover ceremony go today?”
“It went pretty smoothly. How about you?”
“I’m doing pretty well too… By the way, is Xiao Yun with you now?”
“She’s sitting in my car right now… We’re almost in Yangzhou.”
“You’ve come to Yangzhou?”
“Yeah, this county isn’t too far from Yangzhou anyway. It’s all the same where we stay, and I thought I’d come check out our company’s project with the Shouxi Lake·Yueyuan development. I’ve heard the night view nearby is really nice!”
“Oh, then I welcome General Manager Jian’s visit and guidance.”
Jian Wei chuckled, then her tone turned serious, “Actually, I mostly wanted to talk to you about how to handle Xiao Yun’s situation. Thinking about what those people did to her yesterday just makes me so angry!”
“Alright, we can talk about it when you arrive. I’ll head over to the Yueyuan area by Shouxi Lake and wait for you.”
…
After ending the call with Jian Wei, I hailed a taxi heading toward Shouxi Lake·Yueyuan. Passing a square filled with night market stalls opposite Jinghuacheng, I coincidentally saw again the familiar woman in red. However, she seemed to be in some trouble—she was being hassled by a man. His arm seemed somewhat impaired, and he was using his leg to block her from leaving. From a distance, I couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, but his behavior was definitely rather obnoxious.
As I considered whether to intervene, I suddenly remembered that I had once used similar tactics against Mi Cai. I realized this intense entanglement might just be playful teasing between them. I really shouldn’t be so insensitive as to meddle unnecessarily. I reminded the taxi driver, who was watching the scene curiously in the distance, to focus on driving, but I still couldn’t help glancing back one more time. I still couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, but I believed he must be quite impressive to be able to win over the woman in red—conquering her heart would take more than just courage and wealth… Yet, in her eyes, he was just a cowardly rascal!
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