I smoked a cigarette and drank a bottle of beer. Yan Yan finally arrived at the bar “The Fifth Season.” Seeing Fang Yuan already passed out on the table, she exclaimed in shock, “Oh my God, how could he drink himself into this state!”
My tone was full of apology: “Yan Yan, I’m partly to blame for this… Please sit down first. I want to talk to you.”
Yan Yan didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, she went back outside to fetch a thick coat from her car and gently draped it over Fang Yuan before turning to ask me, “How come Fang Yuan drank so much?”
Not wanting to upset Yan Yan, I didn’t tell her the truth. I simply said, “Maybe he’s just been under a lot of work pressure lately, so he came to have a couple of drinks with me…”
Yan Yan sighed, “Yes, his work pressure has indeed been quite heavy. To let me focus on a healthy pregnancy, he made me quit my previous job in just over a month. Now the entire financial responsibility for our family rests solely on his shoulders!… And a few days ago, his uncle was diagnosed with uremia. Thinking he was still young, the uncle hadn’t purchased any medical insurance, so all the medical expenses fell on him. When he came to us for help, we couldn’t just ignore him. Fang Yuan gave him half of our savings over the years. We don’t expect him to pay us back—we just hope the treatment works and we can feel at peace.”
I remained silent, but I could feel how difficult things had been for Fang Yuan. Actually, Yan Yan could have continued working for a few more months, but the reason he made her quit was out of love. Helping his uncle was an act of duty. In my eyes, Fang Yuan was a truly considerate and righteous man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have supported me all these years, even though I’m not exactly a motivated person.
Yan Yan continued, “Married life is completely different from dating. After marriage, life is filled with daily practicalities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Fortunately, Fang Yuan is ambitious and his job is going well. We’re living quite comfortably in this city… Otherwise, we wouldn’t have dared to have this baby so early in our marriage!”
Yan Yan’s words immediately reminded me—if Fang Yuan really took her back to his hometown and chose to start a new business there, it would be a huge risk. After all, he had no foundation back home, and starting a business would be extremely difficult. Plus, Yan Yan is now pregnant—how could she fully commit to starting a business… No matter how I looked at it, going back to his hometown at this point wouldn’t be a wise decision… Staying at Zhuomei and keeping his golden rice bowl job was clearly the best option.
While Yan Yan wasn’t paying attention, I quickly slipped the resignation letter Fang Yuan had already written into my briefcase. Then I said to her, “It’s getting late. Let me help you get Fang Yuan into the car. You should take him home and let him rest.”
“What about you? You’ve had quite a bit to drink too, right?”
“I’m fine. I’ll leave my car here and take a taxi back later…”
…
Back inside the bar, I continued drinking the unfinished beer, but my mind was preoccupied with how I should find Mi Cai and talk to her again. I always felt her suspicions and the way she treated Fang Yuan were unnecessary. No matter how you looked at it, staying at Zhuomei was the best choice for Fang Yuan. Even if he came to Lukui, under the company’s strict salary system, I couldn’t offer him particularly good benefits. Most importantly, Zhuomei was a top-tier group on the verge of going public, while Lukui had just started and had an uncertain future. In terms of development potential and stability, Zhuomei was clearly the best option… Sigh! Actually, I know very well that Fang Yuan’s talk of returning to his hometown to start a business was just a momentary emotional outburst. Deep down, he couldn’t bear to leave his job at Zhuomei.
If anyone else had done this, it would have been one thing, but it was my own girlfriend. I felt helpless, and also a bit of anger that I couldn’t release. In my frustration, I naturally drank a few more beers… As my alcohol intake accumulated, I began to feel dizzy.
In my dizziness, a familiar and close face appeared in my blurred vision, amidst the unique atmosphere of the bar. She reached out and waved her hand in front of me, saying, “Wow, you’re pretty drunk… Are you plotting something naughty again… Oh no, why do I feel like I’m walking straight into a trap?”
I didn’t need to see her face clearly; her speaking style and tone already told me who she was—Yue Yao. I let out a belch, looked at her dazedly, and asked, “Is this a chance encounter, or did you deliberately follow me?”
“If I followed you while you were drunk, how shameless would I be?… Zhaoyang, you actually asked that question. You’re the truly shameless one here. Are you thinking about sleeping with this girl again?”
Feeling upset, I didn’t want to engage in such vulgar jokes with her, so I chose to remain silent. But in my silence, I suddenly remembered: this bar, “The Fifth Season,” originally belonged to her. It was perfectly normal for her to come here for a drink and some relaxation. So this was clearly a chance encounter… Perhaps in this city, there were just too many places where we could cross paths, leading to endless encounters that had become so frequent that even calling them chance meetings felt forced. All of this should be credited to those two or three years we spent together messing around.
It seemed Yue Yao had only come here to drink, so she didn’t say much else to me. She simply ordered a cocktail and began sipping it leisurely. Finally, I asked her, “Has Mi Cai sorted out the matter of the girl’s schooling?”
She nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, it’s all set. Boss Mi is very reliable… Now we just need to treat her to a meal, though she said we should wait until she returns from the United States.”
“Oh, so the girl’s schooling is settled. What about you? What are your plans next?”
Yue Yao smacked her lips, swallowed the mouthful of alcohol, and said to me, “Just muddling through, like usual… During the day, I take care of the girl—washing her clothes, cooking her meals. At night, I go to bars. I haven’t missed out on life or entertainment at all.”
Thinking for a moment, I said to her, “How about this? I’ll give the bar back to you to run. After all, it only operates at night, which won’t interfere with your daytime responsibilities. At least you’ll have a proper job to do for now!”
Yue Yao looked around the bar for a while before asking, “How much does this bar make in a month?”
“Under normal circumstances, around 100,000 yuan.”
“Pfft, only that much per month? That’s not even equal to my pay for half an episode of a TV series!”
“Oh my dear lady, then why don’t you go act?… What’s the point of saying such cold-hearted things in front of a poor guy like me?”
“Even if you call me ‘Granny,’ it won’t help. I’ve already seen through the mundane world. Fame and fortune hold no temptation for me anymore. Let them all drift away with the wind!” As Yue Yao spoke, she lifted her cocktail glass again, deliberately striking a solemn and elegant pose as she took a delicate sip. Then she gently placed the back of her hand against her cheek, coquettishly and shyly saying, “I’m feeling a little tipsy!”
Looking at her, I could only marvel at her quick transformation through several personas within just a few seconds. I envied her carefree and refreshingly simple lifestyle… If only Mi Cai could live as simply and purely as her, perhaps I wouldn’t have so many troubles now… Sigh! But Mi Cai is Mi Cai, and Yue Yao is Yue Yao—neither can replace the other!
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