The air was still filled with the smell of gasoline. I sat on the ground, watching Jian Wei, who also looked somewhat exhausted, but couldn’t utter a word. Finally, Xiaojun, who had recovered her senses first, brought us two dry towels to wipe off the gasoline still dripping from our faces.
I wiped my face heavily with the towel, then closed my eyes. I heard the sound of my heartbeat. In the rhythm of my heartbeat, I tried to measure the distance between this city block and that crystal city in the sky… I couldn’t calculate this vast distance, but I felt like I had lost something important, which made me feel breathless and panicked.
Finally, I opened my eyes and said to Xiaojun, “Xiaojun, do you have any spare clothes? Take my friend to change. It’s too cold tonight; she might catch a chill.”
Xiaojun nodded, helped Jian Wei up from the ground, and once again lifted the rolling shutter door to help her change clothes inside. My gaze once again fell on the scattered bouquets around me, contemplating how to help Xiaojun resolve this thorny issue.
A moment later, Jian Wei walked out from the flower shop. She had already put on Xiaojun’s white sweater and black pants. She said to me, “Let me take you home… you shouldn’t catch a chill either.”
I nodded, then said to Xiaojun, “Xiaojun, leave the shop like this for now. Don’t open tomorrow. I need to go on a business trip to Yangzhou. You’ll come with me. I’m worried those people might cause you trouble again… After I return from Yangzhou, I’ll help you resolve this issue.”
Xiaojun wept softly, took out her phone from her pocket, and continued communicating with me by typing on the screen: “Brother Zhaoyang, I don’t want to trouble you anymore… Actually, we just met by chance, and I really feel guilty!”
“Even if we met by chance, I can’t just ignore what happened. So don’t say anything foolish. Tomorrow, you’re coming to Yangzhou with me.”
Jian Wei interrupted, saying, “She’s a girl. Don’t you think it’s inconvenient for her to go with you? How about this: Tomorrow, come with me to that county town. After attending the handover ceremony for the scenic area there, I’ll handle her problem myself… I’d like to see who these people really are.”
I thought about it and realized Xiaojun would indeed be better off with Jian Wei. I nodded, indicating she should follow Jian Wei’s instructions. As for how to ultimately resolve this issue, it needed to be handled carefully. Dealing with people who dared to trample on the dignity of the law required decisiveness and thoroughness; otherwise, there would be hidden dangers.
…
Jian Wei and I first arranged for Xiaojun and her family to stay in a five-star hotel, then Jian Wei drove me home. Of course, after meeting Xiaojun’s family, we finally understood the whole story. Xiaojun’s family consisted of four people. She had an older sister. Her mother had been chronically ill for years, relying on medication to maintain her health. Xiaojun’s father didn’t support the family but instead developed a gambling habit. After accumulating a pile of gambling debts, he abandoned the family, leading to the scene we had just witnessed.
On the way, my mood was very heavy. Finally, I asked the driving Jian Wei, “Do you think it’s society that needs reflection, or us who live in this society? Xiaojun didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, she worked harder than ordinary people, but this materialistic society gave her such a life… I don’t expect fate to be equal to everyone, but can the difference really be this big?”
“The development of the material world inevitably leads to the impoverishment of the spiritual world because people lose themselves in the material world… Everyone values their material interests too much, and no one cares about the suffering endured by the vulnerable groups… Or to put it more bluntly, in many people’s eyes, the vulnerable groups are meant to be exploited, not pitied… We can’t change much. The only lucky ones we’ve encountered are just Xiaojun, while in this world, there are countless Xiaojuns scattered everywhere…”
“What a damn world!”
“That’s why your artistic path is so necessary, to awaken the truth, goodness, and beauty in people’s spiritual world.”
I looked at Jian Wei for a long time before saying, “So what I’m doing is meaningful?”
“I’ve never denied it… No one else has either. That’s why everyone has been cooperating with you, even Leyao. Even though she has already left the entertainment industry, she agreed to shoot a micro-film for the artistic path.”
I exhaled heavily, asking myself in my heart, “Will the end of this artistic path be that crystal-clear sky city?… Maybe, or maybe all of this is just a beautiful fantasy in my heart.”
After being lost in thought for a while, I changed the subject and said to Jian Wei, “Tomorrow, Xiaojun will be a bit of trouble for you.”
“Not a problem.”
I looked at her for a long time before lightly patting her leg and saying, “Don’t follow me to do such dangerous things anymore…!”
Jian Wei smiled and said, “In a city of desires, you are my last faith.”
I was silent for a long time: “That’s the lyrics from ‘Runaway’!”
“Yes, for me, it’s just a lyric… I just suddenly thought of it. You don’t need to think too much about it.”
…
After returning home, I took a shower and then lay on the bed. When I lit another cigarette in my hand, it meant the thrilling night had ended, but I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, always thinking about the unfair aspects of this society. I sighed, feeling my own power was too weak. As for the artistic path that had been given high hopes, whether it would eventually develop into a spiritual path of redemption or become a money-making machine in the commercial world, I couldn’t even be sure.
The only thing I could be certain of was that Jian Wei, the biggest investor, still supported my vision. This at least gave me some comfort and enough motivation to keep going.
The phone rang as I was lost in thought. I calmly picked it up from the table, looked at the number, and saw it was Mi Cai calling. I immediately felt a sense of familiarity, but not as excited as I had imagined, perhaps due to my bad mood tonight.
I pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, answered the call, but didn’t know whether to say good morning or good evening to her, so she spoke first, “Am I disturbing your rest?”
“I’m just lying in bed, not resting yet!”
Mi Cai was slightly silent before saying, “I received the flowers you sent. I like them very much! Thank you.”
I smiled and said, “I hope these flowers can cheer you up a bit. Promise me, don’t work too hard.”
After another pause, Mi Cai said, “…Zhaoyang, compared to how thoughtful you’ve been towards me, I haven’t done nearly enough… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say that. Isn’t it natural for two people to understand each other… When you come back to China, everything will be fine. We said we’d go on vacation together, play in the music van, and then we can enjoy our time alone.”
“Okay… I’ll definitely spend quality time with you when I come back… By the way, how’s your work going recently?”
“The music van and micro-film shooting plans are both being prepared simultaneously. It’s going quite smoothly.”
“Okay…”
I wanted to tell her about the trivial matter of going to Yangzhou tomorrow and the red-dressed woman inviting me for dinner, but I heard someone speaking to her in English on the other end. She quickly said goodbye and hung up the phone.
I felt somewhat disappointed, listening to the continuous disconnection tone from the phone for a long time before finally putting it back on the table. I stared at the ceiling for a while, a feeling of perseverance arising in my heart. I don’t believe that my love with Mi Cai will lose to distance… Time will eventually make everything better, including myself and the people around me.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage