On the way back, I initiated a conversation with Mi Cai, which this time revolved around Zhuo Mei. I asked her, “How is Zhuo Mei doing now?”
Mi Cai was silent for a while before replying, “The company itself is operating fine, but the pressure and risks of going public are increasing.”
“What do you mean? Can you be more specific?”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I believe I have the ability to handle things well.”
After thinking for a while, I finally said seriously, “The pressure and risks of going public must be due to unstable investors. I think you should try to accept Mi Lan. After all, you’re still family. Once you two can reach a consensus, I believe the foundation of Zhuo Mei cannot be shaken by anyone.”
Mi Cai seemed thoughtful, but after a long silence, she said nothing. Behind her calm expression, there was likely an intense inner struggle. I had also learned in fragments about the current turbulent situation within Zhuo Mei. Once a choice is made, it will inevitably involve the painstakingly built-up big picture.
I didn’t want to overly influence Mi Cai’s judgment. Seeing her remain silent, I finally changed the subject and said, “By the way, tomorrow I need to go with Jian Wei to inspect a scenic project in a nearby county.”
“How many days will you be gone?”
“Just one day. We should be back in the evening.”
“Okay, then wait for you to come back in the evening for dinner.”
I nodded without continuing the topic, as it might touch on sensitive areas between us. Moments later, Mi Cai, as if recalling something, asked me, “Zhaoyang, did you pay back the money you borrowed from CC last time?”
I remembered that I had borrowed more than one million from CC, which I had used when I broke up with Mi Cai. I shook my head and said, “Not yet. I plan to pay her back at the end of the year.”
“Don’t delay this matter. CC has been living without a fixed residence for years. It’s time we paid her back and persuaded her to buy a house. She should stabilize her life!”
“You’ve thought it through. I’ll try to pay her back the day after tomorrow and let her buy a house in Suzhou… Actually, thinking about it, she’s been drifting without support for so many years. It’s been tough for her. I really hope she can meet a man who truly understands her.”
Mi Cai nodded in agreement and said, “Let me repay this money. The card you returned last time is still untouched in my office.”
I looked at her with wide eyes and said, “That’s more than two million! Even if you deposit it in a bank, you’d earn considerable interest. You really don’t know how to manage money!”
“I’ve been busy lately.”
“I don’t understand your world at all!”
Mi Cai slowed down the car and looked at me, asking, “Were you really that eager to draw a clear line with me back then?”
“We’ve already broken up. Why should material matters become a burden to either of us? Think about it from another angle—if you owed me money, wouldn’t you try to pay it back?”
“I haven’t thought about it in detail yet.”
“Well, of course you haven’t. How could you possibly owe me money? From the moment we met, it seems like I’ve always been borrowing money from you. It’s really unbearable to recall!”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe one day I’ll rely on you for a living. At that time, don’t mind me being a bother.”
“No way. How about you borrow some money from me now? I can at least lend you tens of yuan. Let me feel good for once!”
“I won’t play along with your nonsense.”
I smiled awkwardly and looked out the car window. We were already near my place. I gradually felt drowsy…
…
After saying goodbye to Mi Cai, I staggered to my residence. When I took out my key and opened the door, I suddenly noticed someone standing beside the door. My heart started to pound violently, and I sobered up a lot. I quickly focused my eyes and got another big surprise—it was none other than Leyao standing in front of me…
I stammered in shock, “What kind of skill is this? We were chatting this afternoon, and now you’ve already returned… This skill of yours must be called teleportation, right?”
Leyao’s voice was very cold, “Don’t you know that souls can float back and forth?”
Her voice echoed in the quiet corridor. I felt my scalp tingling, so I widened my eyes, staring at her while muttering incoherently…
Suddenly, Leyao burst into laughter, “With a nerve like yours, how could you possibly claim to be a tough guy in daily life? You’re killing me!”
I immediately realized she was teasing me and frowned, saying, “Do you have to appear in such a scary way? Fortunately, I have a strong personality. Otherwise, I would have been scared out of my wits!”
“Haha… I told you earlier that my acting range is wide. Horror roles are also at my fingertips!”
I pretended to be calm and asked, “So you were already back when we were chatting earlier?”
“Exactly. At that time, I was having dinner with some friends.”
“You’re amazing. You appeared like a ghost!”
“Actually, you must be thinking I’m like a persistent ghost, waiting for you at your doorstep in the middle of the night!”
I wasn’t curious about how she knew where I lived. After all, we had many mutual friends, and it wasn’t hard to find out with a little inquiry. I remained silent for a while, took out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it to calm myself. I had really been frightened just now. She was a born actress, and that icy tone was too much like a ghost from a TV drama!
After calming my nerves a bit, I finally asked her, “Why did you come to find me so late? Don’t tell me it’s just to scare me.”
“Can’t you be a gentleman and invite me in for a while? I’ve been waiting for so long, not even getting a sip of water?”
“Come on. There’s a coffee shop downstairs. If you really want to drink something, we can go there.”
“Oh, trying to be a decent guy, huh? Then quickly fix your clothes properly. Otherwise, you really don’t look like a composed and dignified man. You look more like a twisted fake gentleman!”
I looked at my clothes and didn’t see anything wrong, so I realized she was teasing me again. This added new grievances to the old ones, and I glared at her…
However, Leyao suddenly changed to a soft tone and said, “Don’t look at me like that, okay? I came to ask for your help with something.”
I was a bit skeptical and confirmed, “You need my help with something?”
“Yeah, you just mentioned there’s a coffee shop downstairs. Let’s go there for something to drink and talk.”
As Leyao spoke, she put on her sunglasses and hat. Even after returning to China, she still needed to protect herself. Although she had been out of the entertainment industry for a while, the discussions about her had never cooled down. Recently, people were speculating whether she would make a comeback through a certain film festival award ceremony. Therefore, she remained one of the most talked-about female stars at present!
However, I couldn’t imagine what she needed my help for. Could it really be that she was penniless and wanted to borrow money from me? That didn’t seem likely. There were countless people willing to financially assist her if she just asked!
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