When I arrived at the teahouse, it was not yet noon. Being called out by Fangyuan at such an off-hour, far removed from any social gathering or meal, filled me with a sense of unease about the unknown. I had no idea what he was going to tell me, hoping it wasn’t about problems arising in his relationship with Yanyan, which had lasted seven or eight years.
After parking the car, I instinctively looked around the parking lot and noticed Fangyuan’s Audi A4 parked not far away. In fact, I had arrived almost fifteen minutes earlier than our scheduled meeting time, yet he had arrived even earlier than me. This further confirmed that he was facing a situation he couldn’t handle on his own.
I quickened my pace as I walked into the teahouse, bypassing the waiter’s guidance and directly finding the private room myself. I pushed the door open and entered. Fangyuan was inside, smoking, and appeared clearly troubled.
I placed my briefcase down and asked him with concern, “What’s wrong? Why were you in such a rush to call me over?”
Fangyuan let out a sigh, then irritably extinguished the cigarette he hadn’t finished in the ashtray before finally asking me, “Zhaoyang, are we brothers?”
“What kind of question is that? After all these years of brotherhood, what makes you doubt it? If I’ve done something wrong as your brother, just tell me and I’ll change it!”
“It’s got nothing to do with you… Ah! I really don’t know how to put this!”
“If we’re brothers, just say what’s on your mind.”
Fangyuan seemed extremely frustrated and lit another cigarette, still struggling to find the words to speak to me. This made me increasingly uneasy. I lit a cigarette myself, took a deep drag, and tried to ease the tension by saying, “Back in the day, I could endlessly ask you for money without feeling embarrassed. Now you’re hesitating like this—it just doesn’t make sense!”
Fangyuan smoked the cigarette down to the end before stubbing it out in the ashtray again. He looked at me with a mix of anxiety and unease and finally said, “Today I had a fight with Mi Zong. In a fit of anger, I smashed her computer!”
A sense of disbelief immediately widened my eyes involuntarily. Fangyuan, who had always held Mi Cai in deep respect, had actually argued with her and even smashed her computer. In my understanding of him, I couldn’t imagine what kind of situation would cause Fangyuan to lose his composure so completely…
After a long pause, I finally asked Fangyuan, “What exactly happened that led to this conflict?”
Fangyuan’s expression was full of regret and self-reproach. His fingers fidgeted, curling and uncurling anxiously. He gritted his teeth and finally said to me, “Mi Zong wants me to join her team and go to the U.S. with her for the final push before Zhuomei’s IPO.”
“What’s the problem with that? On the contrary, I think it’s actually an opportunity!”
Fangyuan sighed again and replied after a long pause, “If this were a normal situation and such an opportunity arose to go to the U.S. and contribute to the company’s listing, I would definitely go without hesitation. But…”
His hesitancy frustrated me, so I urged him again, “Come on, just say it already!”
“Zhaoyang… Yanyan is pregnant. At a time like this, there’s no way I can leave her to go to the U.S. Don’t you understand how I feel, knowing I’m about to become a father?”
My confusion was instantly replaced by the joyful surprise of hearing Yanyan was pregnant. Among all our university friends, she and Fangyuan would be the first couple to become parents. As a close friend, how could I not be happy for them? Especially since theirs was one of the few university romances that had endured, embodying a kind of hope for happiness worth celebrating. I continued, “You should have told Mi Cai about Yanyan’s pregnancy. Why make things worse like this? Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to her. She won’t hold it against you.”
“I already told Mi Zong about Yanyan’s pregnancy, but she still insisted I go to the U.S. She even said that if I refuse, there’s no reason for me to continue working at Zhuomei because I lack the spirit of a Zhuomei employee. I said things I shouldn’t have, but she remained unmoved. That’s why I lost control and smashed the computer on her desk. I admit I was too impulsive, but how could I possibly leave Yanyan and go to the U.S. at a time like this? I really can’t afford to lose my job at Zhuomei. She’s basically pushing me to the edge!”
I was once again shocked by Fangyuan’s helpless explanation. From what I knew of Mi Cai, she wasn’t unreasonable. After all, Yanyan was already pregnant, and there were plenty of people who could replace Fangyuan for the trip to the U.S., such as Chen Jingming, our former supervisor and mutual friend…
I remained deeply puzzled and silent for a long time, while Fangyuan’s expression remained as complex as before. Perhaps he was still regretting his intense confrontation with Mi Cai. Yet this unusual outburst precisely showed how much he valued Yanyan and their family. Otherwise, how could he dare to challenge Mi Cai, who determined his career fate, in such a way?
Finally, I said to him, “Mi Cai has little experience with emotional matters, so she probably doesn’t fully understand the sense of responsibility you feel toward Yanyan and your family. I’ll try talking to her about this. I think when she said you lacked the spirit of a Zhuomei employee, she was probably just speaking out of anger. After all, I still believe she’s a mature enough manager, and you are a senior executive at Zhuomei. There shouldn’t be any real crisis threatening your position.”
“I hope so…”
I patted his shoulder, signaling him not to worry too much. He looked at me with an apologetic expression and said, “Zhaoyang… I’ve caused you trouble again, brother, but I really didn’t have any other choice. Mi Zong may seem approachable and calm on the surface, but she’s actually extremely strong-willed. Aside from you, no one else can influence her. I can only hope you can talk to her and persuade her. As for the final outcome, I’ll accept whatever comes. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive as to smash her computer. I lacked the restraint a senior manager should have.”
“I’d have lost control too… I don’t think you did anything wrong. You and Yanyan have come such a long way together. Now she’s carrying your child. As the father, staying here in the country to take care of her is only natural. That so-called ‘employee spirit’ is hard to understand!”
Fangyuan nodded. After a moment of thought, he seemed to make up his mind and said firmly, “I’ve thought it through. If Mi Zong insists on my joining the team and going to the U.S. with her, I’d rather resign with dignity. At least then I’ll have done right by Yanyan and by our friendship over the years!”
Hearing Fangyuan say this, I immediately felt a sense of responsibility. No matter what, I couldn’t let him lose all the achievements he had worked so hard for in his career because of this incident… But if I used my position as Mi Cai’s boyfriend to interfere with her management of Zhuomei, it would be presumptuous and inappropriate… I felt torn, yet I knew I had no choice but to act.
Because among the few brothers I had, Fangyuan was definitely one of them. I couldn’t bear to see his life fall apart because of this. I would talk to Mi Cai rationally, from the perspective of family responsibility, and hope she can forgive Fangyuan’s impulsiveness during their argument, giving him a chance to stay in China and take care of Yanyan.
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