After leaving the hotel where Leyao and Cao Jinfei were staying, I finally returned to my place in the early hours of the morning. After a quick wash-up, I lay down on the bed. I had thought I would fall asleep quickly, but emotions stirred in my mind. Although exhausted, I remained unusually awake.
In the solitude of the night, I felt sensitive and lonely. I turned on the nightlight, brewed a cup of calming tea, and gazed blankly out the window. Yes, I used the word “blankly” again. It seemed to have become the most inescapable state of my current life phase. I didn’t know when my life would stabilize.
I picked up my phone and realized that the message I had sent to Mi Cai in the evening still hadn’t received a reply. In this late hour, all I could offer was understanding. This was a crucial moment for Zhuomei’s IPO success or failure, and I couldn’t let my personal emotions distract her.
Amidst the frustration caused by insomnia, I lit another cigarette. As the smoke dispersed, I stared at the deep blue curtains, and an image seemed to surface in front of me—a vast, surging ocean. I focused on it, gradually experiencing a vision: a man sailing on the sea and a woman rising smoke from a stove in the center of an island, gazing into the distance.
In that moment, I was merely an observer, yet I saw the place most longed for in Leyao’s heart. Perhaps her upcoming marriage had indeed touched me somehow. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought about it or remembered her…
Finally finishing the cigarette, the vision faded away, and I returned once again to reality. Picking up my phone, I noticed that an hour had quietly passed. I sent another message to Mi Cai, wished her good night, pulled the covers over me, and finally drifted off moments later.
…
The next day, I woke to the sound of my alarm but couldn’t resist the pull of sleep. On a regular day, if I had a work trip from another city the previous day, I might have delayed going to the company. But today, I had an appointment with Jian Wei. We were supposed to discuss the recent operational status of Luck and some management issues needing resolution.
After getting up, I took a hot shower to wake myself up and then drove to the company. Upon arrival, I happened to see Jian Wei’s car coming from another direction. As always, she was punctual.
I parked my car before hers and stood in front of the office building waiting for her. Moments later, she arrived with her briefcase in hand. Looking at her, even though winter had not truly arrived yet, she was already wearing a very thick down jacket. I couldn’t help but say, “Winter hasn’t even come yet, and you’re already dressed so heavily. When it actually arrives, are you going to come to work wrapped in a down comforter?”
Jian Wei took out some tissues from her bag, blew her nose, and said, “I caught a bit of a cold.”
“A cold? This is clearly chills and coldness—you must have a fever!” I said, reaching out to touch her forehead. A burning sensation immediately came through, so I continued, “Forget about work for now—we’re going to the hospital first.”
Jian Wei shrugged off my concern and said, “It’s okay. I just took some medicine.”
“You can’t be careless about your health,” I replied, pulling her toward her car.
…
I took Jian Wei to a nearby clinic where her temperature was taken—it was nearly 40 degrees, a high fever. I looked at the thermometer and scolded her, “You’re burning up like this and still trying to be tough. Do you think your body doesn’t belong to you?”
“My body and health are given by my parents. They’ve never belonged to me.”
I looked at her in disbelief, completely unable to understand where her attitude was coming from. It was the first time I had met someone who was this stubborn even while ill.
Jian Wei said to the doctor, “Doctor, can I skip the IV drip? I’m a bit needle-phobic.”
The doctor replied firmly, “You have a high fever; the IV is definitely necessary. Just stay calm, don’t be nervous, and you won’t faint from the needle.”
Recalling that she had never had a fear of needles before, I asked in confusion, “You’re afraid of needles? I don’t remember that.”
Jian Wei hesitated for a moment and replied, “Uh…I’ve had this fear in recent years.” Then, impatiently, she said to the doctor, “It’s just an IV drip, so go ahead and do it.”
Jian Wei took off her down jacket and sat on the hospital bed. By chance, I once again noticed the prominent scar on her wrist. Instinctively, I linked the scar with her fear of needles. Had this scar left a psychological shadow about sharp objects?
Because of Jian Wei’s fear of needles, the doctor didn’t ask a nurse to do it but did it himself. As he told Jian Wei to relax, he asked some questions to try to distract her attention. Despite this, I still saw the fear in her eyes, and her fingertips trembled irregularly.
Luckily, the doctor’s technique was excellent. He successfully inserted the needle into her vein in one try, but beads of sweat had already appeared on Jian Wei’s forehead. She was slightly out of breath, and I looked at her with concern, asking the doctor questions. The doctor signaled me to relax and told me to chat with Jian Wei, saying she would recover once her attention was diverted.
I covered Jian Wei with the blanket and pulled up a chair beside her bed. I said, “Director Jian, since we have some time now, shall we discuss some work matters? Or if you feel sleepy, you can take a nap first!”
Jian Wei’s voice still trembled slightly as she replied, “Do I look like someone who can fall asleep?”
“Then let’s talk about work.”
Jian Wei nodded but remained silent for a while before asking, “Did Leyao agree to star in the micro-film for ‘The Road of Literature and Art?'”
“Yeah…she agreed, but she doesn’t plan to return to the entertainment industry…she’s getting married!”
A look of surprise appeared on Jian Wei’s face. This news finally made her forget her fear of the needle as she asked me, “Who is she marrying?”
“Cao Jinfei. Actually, we were all a bit too concerned about her returning to the entertainment industry. She doesn’t need this circle to provide her with material security…Do you know that she’s the daughter of real estate tycoon Xiao Rulin?”
“Xiao Rulin’s daughter?!”
I nodded in confirmation, “Yes, after junior high school, she took her mother’s surname, so very few people in the industry know about it.”
Jian Wei was silent for a while before she replied, “Then indeed, we were worrying unnecessarily…If she really is Xiao Rulin’s daughter, then marrying Cao Jinfei is indeed a reasonable outcome…The two companies are heavily dependent on each other in operations, especially since one of Cao Jinfei’s uncles holds a powerful position in the national financial system. You know how dependent real estate developers are on national loans!”
After hearing what Jian Wei said, I felt a complex emotion again. At least from the perspective of people in the industry, Leyao and Cao Jinfei’s union was entirely a business marriage. But then I recalled what Leyao had told me when I left the hotel last night.
I somewhat believed that she truly loved Cao Jinfei. After all, the way she cared for him and looked at him with her eyes couldn’t be faked. As for how outsiders viewed this marriage, it wasn’t that important anymore…I finally smiled at Jian Wei and said, “That’s right, this really is a perfect ending…I hope she can become a master in life, no, a master in marriage…At least I have sufficient reasons to be optimistic about their marriage.”
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