After Wei Ran swore an oath to me with an extremely resolute attitude, he turned around and walked toward the alleyway, becoming the third person to leave the café. I watched his back disappear into the distance, then picked up the cup of coffee already mixed with rainwater and took a sip. It seemed that the rain had added even more troubles from this world into the cup. Even if I drank it all in one go, those troubles wouldn’t leave me, still entangling me endlessly in my annoyance…
Rain continued to fall. Standing alone under the eaves, I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and began to smoke in the damp air. Even the smoke seemed to wilt, dissipating quickly into the humid world before it could rise into the sky.
The café door opened again. This time, it was Fang Yuan and Yan Yan, the couple. Holding a single umbrella, they walked side by side to where I was. Fang Yuan motioned for Yan Yan to go to the car and wait for him first. After a brief chat with me, Yan Yan left, leaving me alone again with another person smoking in this rainy world.
Fang Yuan tapped the ash from his cigarette and said to me, “Zhaoyang, I’m really happy that you and Mi Zhou could reunite. It’s great to see you two back together!”
“To be honest, I should thank you. If I hadn’t met you that day, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to finally say everything I had been holding inside to her. I had already lost hope, but never expected that after breaking, there could still be a chance for rebuilding!”
“Hehe, that’s just the fate between you two!”
I looked through the café window at Mi Zhou’s seat. She was chatting with CC and seemed completely unaware of what had happened outside the window. Was this outward calmness truly a reflection of her inner feelings?… I thought: although there is still unfinished fate between us, the road ahead will be even more difficult. Sometimes, I really wish she could let go of Zhuo Mei and live a relaxed life like most women dream of. She wouldn’t have to work, and I would do my best to meet all her daily needs.
After finishing the cigarette, Fang Yuan patted me on the shoulder and said, “Zhaoyang, Yan Yan is waiting for me in the car. I should head off now.”
“Drive safely on your way back.”
“Alright, you and Mi Zhou should also go back soon.”
Then, half-jokingly and half-seriously, he added, “Let me give you a suggestion—hurry up and get married to Mi Zhou. Once you have kids, you won’t have to worry about anything else. Actually, you don’t even need to get married to have kids. You’ve never been very proactive in this area, my friend!”
“Just get going already.”
Fang Yuan shook his head with a smile, then turned and walked down the alley. For some reason, I was unusually sensitive to the number of people today. As I watched his back disappear, I tried to recall how many people had left the café. I didn’t even care how meaningless this was. Only after his figure completely vanished from my sight did I pick up the cup of unfinished coffee and walk back into the café.
…
With several people gone, the café was no longer so crowded. Only the four of us—me, Mi Zhou, CC, Luoben, and Wei Manwen—remained. Luoben was still sitting cross-legged in front of the painting, scribbling away. Therefore, the only people available for conversation were the four of us. Once Luoben finished his creation, we would all be ready to leave.
I sat down beside Mi Zhou. She asked me, “Did Wei Ran leave?”
“Yes.”
She nodded slightly and didn’t ask further what we had talked about. Perhaps she already understood the outcome of our conversation. I didn’t elaborate either. After pouring myself a glass of plain water, I turned my attention to Luoben, who was still immersed in his creation. I was really looking forward to witnessing the birth of a masterpiece here!
Luoben’s creative talent was unparalleled. Within just an hour, he had completed both lyrics and music, handing the manuscript to CC and saying, “CC, give it a try.”
CC took the manuscript from Luoben, familiarized herself with the score, and began to sing…
CC’s voice, as always, was full of emotional power. From the melody and lyrics, I sensed the song’s seriousness and a dryness hidden within the silence, much like the feeling I had when looking at the painting “Forbidden City.” In Luoben’s lyrics, the word “forbidden” appeared repeatedly. Yet he had no idea about the painting’s title before this. Indeed, the souls of art can truly resonate with each other.
CC only sang half of the song before she couldn’t continue. Putting down the sheet music, she said to Luoben, “I can’t do it. It’s too oppressive. It feels like a dry wind blowing in winter, and in front of me, all signs of life have vanished… What’s the name of this song?”
“Leaving the Forbidden Game.”
I picked up the lyrics CC had set aside and began reading them. My mind immediately conjured a heavy melody. Even without an arrangement yet, I could already imagine the dense, pounding drumbeats overlapping in the final repeated lyrics, pushing the emotions to the brink of collapse. This kind of collapse could drive someone to madness in despair, and rebirth in that madness. And this moving power was expressed by Luoben through a dryness characteristic of winter. He was truly an undisputed artist.
I said to Luoben, “Let me arrange this song. I have many ideas for the arrangement.”
Luoben nodded and agreed to my request. Jia Fan Ye, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke, “Even though I only heard the first half of the song, it deeply resonated with me. I’m really looking forward to the complete version.”
I quickly introduced to Luoben, “This is Xia Fanye, the café owner and painter. The painting you saw earlier is his work, titled ‘Forbidden City.’”
Then I introduced Luoben to Xia Fanye, “This is my good friend Luoben. He’s an independent musician, and I believe he really appreciates your painting!”
Unusually for him, Luoben extended his hand first. Xia Fanye shook it without exchanging any polite flattery. Yet mutual admiration was clearly visible in their eyes. Luoben even gave Xia Fanye a ticket to a music festival he would soon attend in Nanjing.
The shared passion between Luoben and Xia Fanye finally brought a bit of warmth to this cold, rainy night. I believed they would become close friends and shine in their respective fields, for both exuded the true spirit of artists.
Before leaving, Mi Zhou didn’t want to drive back and asked me to walk with her. I was more than happy to oblige. I handed the car keys to Xia Fanye, asking him to bring the car to my company the next day. That would also be a good opportunity to finalize the cooperation between the car company and the “Old City West” café.
…
After exiting the alley, CC took a taxi alone, while Wei Manwen continued to ride away on Luoben’s roaring motorcycle. The vast street was now nearly empty, with only the occasional passing car. Only Mi Zhou and I remained. We didn’t have an umbrella, and the rain wasn’t heavy, but puddles still reflected our figures. A gust of autumn wind blew, causing the reflections in the water to waver. I quickly took her hand and walked with her toward the brightly lit street across the way.
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