Perhaps it was the alcohol that stirred something inside me, as I cried so heartbreakingly. Yet, there was no burning sensation in the corners of my eyes, meaning I hadn’t shed a single tear. I felt a bit embarrassed about crying so intensely, so I gradually calmed down.
CC took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to me. I used it to blow my nose, then continued puffing on the cigarette that I hadn’t finished yet. The hot summer air seemed to burn my body, turning it into ashes that gradually filled me with an emptiness that strangely made me feel a bit better. I smiled at CC again.
But CC started crying—quietly, not heartbreakingly like me, just silently shedding tears…
“Why are you crying?”
“Do I need a reason to cry?”
“At least having a reason makes me seem rational, otherwise I’m just being overly emotional!”
“We are emotional people, otherwise we would have given up our stubborn attachments and chosen a more suitable life long ago. We’re not young anymore.”
I smiled: “Yeah, our current struggles are just meaningless delays. So I want to find a girl and get married. Why won’t you let me ask Teacher Wei for help to resolve this issue that’s troubled me for years?”
“You’re in such a hurry to ruin another girl’s life?”
“How can you say ruin?”
“If she doesn’t like you, then it’s not ruining anything. But if she does like you, what can you offer her? A broken heart? Even if you and Mi Cai can no longer find happiness together, there’s still Yueyao. She’s always loved you, and we all know that.”
“Do you really think there’s absolutely no happiness left between Mi Cai and me?”
“She has her own helplessness, and you have your temper. Therefore, there’s indeed a lack of happiness between you. But no one can deny that you once loved each other—perhaps you still do. Whether you love each other or not doesn’t really matter now. I also heard that she will marry Weiran after Zhuo Mei’s IPO.”
“So she can easily marry off herself, why can’t I marry someone easily?”
“This isn’t some competition…”
“That’s just a reaction out of resentment, but I’m already an adult. I know how to deal with a breakup properly. It’s just that at this stage, I really need marriage—for myself and for my family. Think about it, if it weren’t for some unexpected circumstances, I probably would have married Li Xiaoyun already. Now we’d be waiting for our child’s birth, and with the real responsibility of a family on my shoulders, who would even remember that fleeting, unrealistic love? Life is just like this—often, the person you end up spending your life with isn’t necessarily the one you love the most.”
CC looked at me for a while before replying, “Then why don’t you go back to Li Xiaoyun?”
“She has a boyfriend now too.”
CC sighed: “You really are pitiful… going through so much, making a big circle only to return to the starting point and find yourself completely alone!”
“This way of thinking will only amplify my pain, and I’ll end up crying again!”
“Then cry! My shoulder is available!”
…
Time continued moving forward, and the matter of registering and establishing the tourism and culture company was gradually finalized during this process. Tomorrow would be the celebration for the company’s establishment…
This evening, I sat alone in the newly renovated office for a long time, thinking about the company’s future operations. As the sky gradually darkened, I made myself a strong cup of tea and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
I stared for too long, and my vision grew tired. Everything in front of me became blurry, yet suddenly her image became clear in my mind. I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I last saw her, only occasionally catching glimpses of her in financial magazines.
She once told me that Zhuo Mei would go public in about three months. However, the latest financial reports indicated a delay, and outside speculation ran rampant without any definitive explanation. Some even speculated that Zhuo Mei might ultimately fail to go public. I disagreed with this view because I knew some inside information. As long as Mi Cai and Weiran, the biggest investors, could reach an agreement, the possibility of Zhuo Mei failing its IPO was almost zero. Moreover, during this period, Zhuo Mei stores in Hangzhou and Wuxi had simultaneously begun construction, showing strong development momentum, which was definitely good news for the IPO.
Yueyao also went to Singapore last month, although she didn’t apply for immigration because the little girl she brought from the mountains didn’t meet the immigration requirements. Eventually, she gave up and only temporarily settled in Singapore. No one knows when she will return. But I remember that day at the airport when she said goodbye, she told me she had promised the villagers in the mountains that she would help build a road connecting their village to the county town. She assured me she would definitely return and fulfill this promise… Perhaps she will come back someday.
As for Jian Wei, her advertising company secured several major municipal projects during this time, making her even busier than before. Except for our last formal meeting during the cooperation signing, most of our communication had been through phone calls. She even rarely visited that moat anymore. Therefore, I believe she will also fulfill her promise to relocate her company’s headquarters to Shanghai next year, replacing her father, Jian Boyu, to become a powerful rising star in the advertising industry.
Even Luo Ben and CC left Suzhou to participate in a talent show recording, and we only occasionally exchanged a few messages to keep in touch…
Therefore, as the people around me gradually left, I became increasingly lonely, and as night approached, I felt an overwhelming emptiness. So I always had the habit of holding a cup of tea in the evening, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window watching the world beneath me. When I came back to my senses, the night had already passed unnoticed, and the persistent emptiness had somewhat lessened…
Suddenly snapping back to reality, I looked at the rows of streetlights coming on and was certain that my life had been reshuffled!
Still, I remained without a girlfriend!
…
Before nightfall, I drove the company’s GL8 minivan to the university town. On the eve of the company’s establishment, I wanted to reminisce about my university days. When life faces significant changes, people tend to become sentimental, and I was no exception.
Standing silently at the school gate, after just finishing one cigarette, I saw hundreds of couples, reminiscent of my past with Jian Wei. I couldn’t help feeling envious, as it was another weekend for indulgence.
A school bus parked outside, waiting for the teachers who had just finished class, and by coincidence, I saw Wei Manwen. She was teaching at my alma mater—what a coincidence!
I waved at her: “Teacher Wei, over here, look this way…”
Wei Manwen smiled and walked toward me, asking: “What are you doing here?”
I returned her smile and replied: “I didn’t come here on purpose to find you. Our meeting is purely by fate. So, about my request last time asking you to introduce a girlfriend to me, can we take it seriously now?”
Before Wei Manwen could respond, my phone rang. I took it out and was surprised to see a message from my former boss, Chen Jingming: “Zhaoyang, if you have time later, please call me back. Let’s meet somewhere… Tomorrow is your company’s opening, and Mi Cai has asked me to deliver a generous gift for your grand opening!”
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