While I was dying to find out the answer, Rob shrugged and smiled, “I do know a bit about the inside story, but I really can’t tell you, since it’s someone else’s privacy. I suggest you ask Leyao herself; she’s the most reliable one.”
“Can’t you be serious for once?”
“You don’t even want to marry her, so there’s no need to pretend to care,” Rob said, tearing open a can of beer and taking a sip before turning to Xie Fanye. “Aye, don’t you think that makes sense?”
Xie Fanye nodded. I couldn’t figure out where these two found their tacit understanding, and besides, this matter had nothing to do with whether or not I wanted to marry Leyao.
I patiently said to Rob again, “We’re all Leyao’s friends, right? As friends, I don’t believe you’d be okay with watching her waste her days like this. Besides acting, she doesn’t have any other survival skills. Don’t you think we should advise her to return to that circle when the time is right?”
Rob patted my shoulder and said, “Since you can pretend to be so sincere, I’ll tell you just this much: Leyao could go her entire life without working and still not live any worse than anyone else materially.”
I stared at Rob for a long time before asking, “Has she really been kept by someone?”
Rob hadn’t finished swallowing his beer when he spat it out in surprise, clearly not expecting me to come up with such an answer. After a while, he slammed the beer can onto the ground and said to me, “Leyao must’ve been blind. You bastard never understood what kind of woman she is—someone who devoted her whole heart to loving you. ‘Kept’ is the biggest insult to her. Do you understand that?”
I hadn’t expected Rob to react so intensely, and indeed, I couldn’t imagine who else might have paid off that breach-of-contract penalty for her if not through such a relationship.
Rob cursed again, “You really are a bastard!”
I realized I might have made a huge mistake. After a moment of silence, I finally said to Rob, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Rob sighed, then climbed back over the railing to the balcony, kicked away the scattered beer cans on the floor, and went downstairs to ride his motorcycle into the night. Obviously, his anger hadn’t dissipated much even after my apology. I felt awkward and guilty, thinking my careless words had tainted her character. Maybe, as Rob said, even if Leyao were the finest jade in the world, I still wouldn’t have the eye to appreciate her. Yet in my heart, I had never truly denied her character or charm. Otherwise, how could Zhou Zhaokun, who had traveled the world without finding a woman to stir his heart, have been captivated by her unique charm the moment he first saw her?
The autumn wind grew colder, but I had no desire to leave. I continued drinking beer with Xie Fanye. Finally, after a long silence, he asked me, “The Leyao you two were talking about just now—is she the hot new celebrity recently?”
I nodded and said, “Yes, we’ve been old friends for many years. What I said earlier was just careless talk.”
Xie Fanye said, “I think Rob doesn’t say things without meaning. He’s the kind of person who says one and means one.”
“Yeah, even though we’ve known each other for so many years and thought we could integrate into each other’s lives, I really don’t understand her as well as Rob does.”
Xie Fanye tapped his beer can against mine and said, “The more you love someone, the heavier the burden becomes. You’re afraid to show your whole self to the other person because you’re unsure if they love you too. That’s why you end up being more open with friends. Maybe that’s why Rob understands her better than you do.”
Suddenly, I realized Xie Fanye was also a perceptive person because what he said made a lot of sense. In front of me, Leyao had never talked much about herself besides being loud and chatty. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know so little about her family background, only that she came from a divorced household.
I didn’t want to continue this topic, so I changed the subject and asked him, “How’s the coffee shop doing lately?”
“The same as always—still losing money. But with the money you gave me, it’s not a problem to keep it running.”
I nodded without asking further because, in my plan, “West of the Old City” was supposed to be a store that operated at a loss to maintain its unique character, and this kind of loss was completely bearable for the company. At this moment, almost all the other stores were profitable except “West of the Old City Café” and “Empty City Music Restaurant.”
After finishing the last can of beer, I patted Xie Fanye’s shoulder to signal that I was leaving. He stood up to see me off, and together we came downstairs. He said to me, “Zhaoyang, I want to move this coffee shop into that old city for real…”
I thought for a moment and immediately understood his intention. He should leave here and truly step into that old city. I nodded and said to him, “Move it. I can understand your idea. Later, I’ll take another 150,000 from the company’s account and give it to you. You can renovate the new store properly, but I hope you can keep the original unique style.”
“Okay, but I can’t take any more of your money. Besides, moving there won’t cost much. The rent there is cheap, and the place doesn’t need much renovation, so I can manage it.”
I understand Xie Fanye’s personality, so I didn’t insist further. In my heart, I hoped that when he truly moved into that old city, he could gain a new life. I asked him again, “By the way, has Mi Cai introduced an art dealer to you? What about the personal exhibition?”
“She already did, and some art dealers have seen my work. They’re willing to fund my personal exhibitions in both Shanghai and Nanjing.”
I nodded. Mi Cai indeed was a woman who always kept her word, which was one of the reasons I always admired her. Her working style was always steady and decisive, so I still had great confidence in the success of Zhuo Mei’s stock market debut.
After chatting with Xie Fanye for a while, I finally left into the night. But when I reached the alley’s mouth, I turned back to look once more. I actually felt a sense of reluctance toward this soon-to-be-relocated “West of the Old City.” It was here that I drank the coffee from “West of the Old City” and suddenly remembered that Mi Cai would be waiting for me at the square we were familiar with. But “West of the Old City” ultimately represented a sense of departure and loneliness. I hoped that Xie Fanye wouldn’t endlessly indulge in these two feelings. Perhaps in that old city he had dreamed of with that girl, there would not only be loss but also rebirth.
…
Late at night, I walked alone on the city streets. The cold wind blew harder, making me increasingly alert. I thought about the things I had been considering these days and took out my phone, immediately dialing Yang Congrong.
After a while, Yang Congrong answered the call, asking me with anticipation, “Zhaoyang, have you considered the development plan I proposed?”
After a moment of silence, I replied, “Uncle Yang, I already have some ideas about the development strategy you and Jian Wei formulated. But I still have many questions that remain unanswered. Before I make a statement, I especially want to talk with you… Do you have time anytime soon? I can come to Beijing to meet you!”
Yang Congrong thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I know what concerns you have. I also wanted to find an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with you. I don’t want these questions we’ve created for you to become hidden obstacles in our cooperation… Well then, come to Beijing tomorrow, and we’ll meet in the afternoon.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.”
After ending the call, I rubbed my hands heavily over my face and then let out a long sigh. Although the conversation with Yang Congrong was brief, it had already revealed a lot of hidden information. I knew that Yang Congrong’s decision to invest in Luku Company wasn’t just because of his appreciation for the “Artistic Journey” project. He must have other considerations, most likely related to Jian Wei. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tied his strategic plans to Luku Company. He could have easily used the brand of Yiru Travel or established a non-platform company to achieve those strategic goals.
…
The next morning, I got up early and asked my assistant to book a 10 a.m. flight from Shanghai to Beijing, just in time for lunch in Beijing.
On my way to the airport, I thought again of Mi Cai, who was still on a business trip in Wuxi. I was actually relieved that Yang Congrong had set the meeting for today. That way, I wouldn’t have to wait for Mi Cai to return from Wuxi before going to Beijing and then miss the chance to spend a day together. In fact, due to our busy careers, the time we could actually spend together wasn’t much. Soon, she would be traveling to the United States again, probably staying there for at least a month this time. When we met again, it might already be winter, and many things would be settled by then. I felt a bit anxious but more excited.
When I arrived at the airport, I almost immediately boarded the plane, habitually putting on my eye mask to rest. Suddenly, I spotted a familiar figure walking down the aisle. I reached out and grabbed her. She turned around in surprise. Although she was wearing sunglasses, I could feel her astonishment. We had met by chance on this flight to Beijing, a completely unexpected encounter, since neither of us knew the other would be on this flight today.
Leyao leaned against my seat to avoid blocking the aisle and asked, “Why are you going to Beijing?”
“Same question to you…” I suddenly felt a surge of joy and asked eagerly, “Are you going to Beijing to discuss your comeback?”
Leyao whispered, “Can we not chat here? The plane is about to take off.”
“Check your seat number; maybe we’re sitting next to each other.”
“Next seat? My seat is in first class…”
“Wow, you’re really something. Your life is almost falling apart, and you’re still flying first class…”
“Whatever, you’re the one giving me money anyway… No time to chat with you. Talk after we land.”
I looked at her helplessly, unsure of how I felt. If she continued to spend so recklessly, I wouldn’t have that much spare money to keep giving her. I could only hope that this trip to Beijing was indeed about discussing a comeback with an agency. If so, our chance meeting on this flight would truly be a pleasant surprise!
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