The streets were bustling with people, and Mi Cai, naturally eye-catching, started to cry. Passersby shifted their attention to me, standing face-to-face with her, assuming I had bullied or wronged her, almost ready to scold me.
“Don’t cry, okay? People might think I did something to you!”
“I just feel sad inside.”
“What’s there to be sad about? I told you not to feel burdened by what I’ve done for you. I’ve moved on. At most, I was just a supporting male character. It’s destined for me to suffer a bit.”
I took the entire bag of beer from Mi Cai’s hand without turning back, waved at her, and said with a smile amidst her crying, “I’m leaving now… hurry up and hide those tears. The moonlight tonight is beautiful; don’t make this good night too gloomy!”
This time, Mi Cai finally didn’t follow me. Perhaps those beers she bought for me had settled all debts between us. To be honest, I never felt she owed me anything. She was once my girlfriend, and all the care I gave her in life was my responsibility. As for exposing Mi Zhongde’s conspiracy long ago, that was out of conscience—I didn’t expect any compensation from her.
If there was any real debt, it was that throughout our relationship, she never once said, “I love you!”
But even that wasn’t important anymore. Since our breakup, that debt had transformed into mere regret—just regret.
…
Back in my newly rented apartment, I instinctively reached into my pocket for a cigarette, lit it up, and began recalling this evening’s chance encounter with her. My emotions flickered like candlelight, and I saw more clearly the bleakness of love…
Therefore, having gradually stopped expecting anything, I still needed to ask Wei Manwen to help me find a girlfriend, preferably someone I could quickly marry.
The WeChat notification tone rang again. After a brief moment of distraction, I picked up my phone from the cabinet. The message was from Leyao, who had long gone to Singapore. From what I remembered, we hadn’t been in touch since she left.
She sent a voice message: “Zhaoyang, your company is opening tomorrow. I’m very sorry I can’t come back to celebrate with you. I can only wish you a grand opening via message. Good luck… your old friend will always support and encourage you!”
I smiled and replied with a message: “Thank you. How are you doing in Singapore?”
“Would you like to talk on the phone?”
“International calls are too expensive!”
After sending the message for a while, an unfamiliar number called me. I answered, and immediately recognized Leyao’s long-missed voice. She complained, “Zhaoyang, you’re already a general manager now. Can’t you live a bit more generously?”
“Hehe, I’m just used to calculating carefully. After all, I haven’t lived a wealthy life for over a decade… tell me how you’re doing in Singapore.”
“I’m doing fine. Recently, I signed up for a tea ceremony course. Life has been pretty fulfilling. But coming to Singapore might not have been the right choice… You know, my show from last year was introduced here in Singapore. I still get recognized on the street, just like back home—I still don’t have any freedom!”
I laughed mockingly, “Haha… this proves you were born to be a star. I think the time is right. Why don’t you return to the entertainment industry? Female artists like you with an artistic flair are exactly what the industry lacks the most.”
“What are you talking about? Since I’ve decided to leave, I have no intention of returning to that circle!”
“We need something to chat about, right? I think this is a pretty good topic. After all, besides the turbulence you experienced in that circle, most of your life has been pretty peaceful and not much to talk about.”
“I don’t have much to say. Let’s talk about you then. After all, your life has always been so bizarre!”
“What a great word, ‘bizarre’!”
“By the way, when are you and Mi Cai getting married?”
“Uh… well, maybe after the company stabilizes a bit!”
“You’re still pretending… You two broke up a long time ago, right?”
I was immediately choked by the smoke stuck in my throat. After coughing for a while, I said, “Was it that grandson Luo Ben who told you?”
“Please, I’m not stupid. Don’t you think I can tell?… You didn’t say anything because you were afraid I’d keep bugging you. Listen, your self-perception is really too good. Just because you and Mi Cai broke up, why would I keep bugging you… Now that it’s proven you’ve broken up, I’m still in Singapore, hoping to stay as far away from you as possible!”
Leyao left me speechless. After a while, I finally replied, “Then go ahead and get married! Marrying someone would be more convincing than going to Singapore!”
“Oh really? You think I can’t get married?”
“Then why don’t you go ahead and get married!”
“Alright, Zhaoyang. You’re single now too. Let’s see who gets married first—you or me!”
“I’m such a mature man. Would I really argue with you over something like this?”
“Please… what do you have to argue with me about? Don’t you even look at your current situation. You’re just a down-on-his-luck guy. Which woman would dare to marry you, risking a lifetime of unhappiness?”
“Please, my dear, have a little mercy on your words, okay? I’m already feeling bad enough!”
“You finally feel bad? All those women who once wished to devote their entire lives to you, did you cherish any of them? Now it’s too late. By the time you realize your mistake, those girls’ hearts have already been broken beyond repair, and they’ll never look back again!”
“Sigh, don’t say anymore…”
“Now you know regret?”
“What’s done is done. There’s nothing to regret. Anyway, I don’t believe I’ll stay single forever. At worst, I’ll go to a dating website. I’m sure I can find a suitable girl.”
“Oh my, you’ve really sunk this low, huh!… I can’t talk to you anymore. After all, I used to be a top actress in China. It’s already bad enough having a loser friend who’s sunk so low he’s browsing dating websites for attention. Even worse, I actually loved you for so long. Oh my God, what have I done… Zhaoyang, we’re done. Don’t contact me anymore.”
After her dramatic outburst, Leyao really hung up the phone. I smiled, and my mood finally lightened a bit. Although Leyao viewed using a dating website as something catastrophic, I didn’t care. After all, I didn’t carry the burden of being an idol like her. I was just an ordinary person. After gradually recognizing my situation, I thought joining a dating website was actually a pretty good choice for me. Perhaps after shedding all the superficial glamour, I might really meet someone truly suitable… As for Mi Cai, I’d rather let her and Weiran be that pair of lofty, divine lovers.
Lighting another cigarette, I turned on my computer, logged onto a dating website, and decisively registered as a member. When filling out sections about income, housing, and car ownership, I hesitated a bit. Although I didn’t actually own a house or a car, for my current situation, acquiring these wouldn’t be too difficult. So, I selected the options indicating I had both a house and a car. As for income, I conservatively listed a monthly salary of 30,000.
After completing all the information, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. At that moment, I felt like I had truly transformed from a rebellious, freedom-loving youth into a regular young adult. My new life seemed to be about to begin! I became even more convinced that I would find a beautiful and gentle girl on this dating website!
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