The next day after Mi Cai accepted my proposal ring, I had already packed my luggage simply, preparing to return to Xuzhou the next day to consult with my mother and Ban Die for a suitable wedding date.
In the evening after a busy day, I was with Robben at the music restaurant “Empty City,” listening to a performing singer while drinking and chatting.
After one song, Robben said to me, “Now that your proposal has succeeded, the next step should be to set a wedding date, right?”
“I’ll return to Xuzhou tomorrow and discuss with my parents… What about you? When are you planning to marry Teacher Wei?”
“After participating in this original music competition.”
“Then it’s coming soon!”
Robben lit a cigarette for himself, taking a puff before replying, “It seems like the wedding is approaching, but I feel something is off, though I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
I responded empathetically, “I feel the same way too… Could it be that we both have pre-wedding jitters?”
Robben shook his head, “I don’t think it’s pre-wedding jitters. Personally, I think it’s because we wanted it so much. When it’s finally within reach, our hearts aren’t ready, causing this sense of anxiety.”
“That makes sense.”
Robben nodded, then raised his glass to clink with mine. I drank the wine in one gulp and then stared absentmindedly out the window at the ivy… completely unsure of what I should be thinking about this evening.
…
It was late at night, and I felt I had drunk enough. I took out my phone and dialed Mi Cai’s number. She was still working overtime at Zhuo Mei. When I called, I received a voice prompt saying she was on another call.
I ordered another bottle of beer, planning to call her again later or wait for her to call back. She should be going home to rest by now because tomorrow we needed to get up early to return to Xuzhou.
At this hour, almost no more customers visited the restaurant, yet the door opened again, and CC appeared before Robben and me. I asked her, “Why are you here? Have you had dinner?”
CC looked serious and didn’t respond to me but said to Robben, “Go sing on the stage for a while. I have something to talk to Zhaoyang about.”
Robben looked around the restaurant, which was now empty, and said, “There’s no one left. Why bother singing? You two can talk first. I’m heading home.”
After Robben left, only I, CC, and a few staff members cleaning the restaurant remained. Feeling uneasy and puzzled, I asked her, “What do you need to talk to me about?”
CC took an entertainment weekly magazine from her handbag and threw it in front of me, saying, “The news about Leyao’s past pregnancy and miscarriage has been exposed, along with several photos of her in nightclubs. You are in the pictures too.”
My heart tightened, but I still picked up the magazine and started reading. A bold headline immediately caught my eye: “Controversial actress exposed again—revealing a chaotic private life before fame, including an abortion, with the child’s father unknown!”
I felt a surge of anger and immediately tore the magazine into pieces, angrily asking, “Who the hell did this again?!”
CC shook her head, “I don’t know, but this time Leyao is really in trouble… It hasn’t been long since the last scandal, and now this news comes out. And this time, it’s not a false accusation—it’s backed by photos!”
I lit a cigarette, trying to stay calm. After a long silence, I said, “This is a conspiracy, definitely a conspiracy. The goal is to destroy Leyao…”
“Probably not just Leyao, but you too.”
CC picked up the torn magazine pieces I had discarded and handed them back to me, saying, “Read the last line.”
My heart raced as I glanced at it. On the torn piece of paper, it read: “According to the informant: The identity of the child’s father will be revealed in three days. Stay tuned for our follow-up report.”
I pressed my temples, helplessly leaning back in the chair. I already had a rough idea of who was behind this. He truly wouldn’t let me marry Mi Cai in peace. A strong sense of unease surged in my heart. This time, I might really be unable to get through it.
CC gently nudged me and asked, “Zhaoyang, was that child Leyao was pregnant with really yours?”
“I can’t be sure. She claimed it was, but when we asked for the ultrasound images to confirm the pregnancy stage, she refused to provide them. That’s why I never believed it.”
CC furrowed her brow and asked after a pause, “When you two were together, did you use any contraception?”
“We were both too drunk to remember anything. Who had time to think about contraception… But I do remember sleeping with her for sure!”
CC sighed, shaking her head, “That child was almost certainly yours… Others might think Leyao has a messy private life, but as her best friend, I know her well. Have you ever really seen her get blackout drunk in a bar?”
“Many times.”
“That’s only because she was with you, trying to keep up with your craziness… When she went to bars with me, she never got blackout drunk. Men approached her all the time, but she never even gave them a second glance! Tell me, who else could she have slept with besides you?”
“Then… why back then, didn’t she show me the ultrasound images? Tell me!”
CC hesitated for a moment before replying, “I can’t say for sure, but I know her private life wasn’t as messy as people think. Most nights, she stayed at my place. I’ve never seen her receiving strange calls.”
“I don’t believe your one-sided account.”
“So you’re implying Leyao is a woman with loose morals!”
“I… I didn’t mean that either… I’m just really confused right now!”
At this moment, CC also looked very troubled. She took out a cigarette, lit it, and after almost finishing it, frowned at me and said, “With how fast information spreads these days, I’m sure Mi Cai will soon find out about this… And if that child was really yours, how would you face Leyao?”
At this moment, panic and helplessness overwhelmed me. I grabbed the beer bottle and kept drinking until I felt like vomiting, then stopped. My mind was filled with imaginable scenes… scenes of Mi Cai’s questioning and despair, of Leyao’s tears and pain, while I was caught between two exploding whirlpools, instantly torn apart…
After a long silence, I finally asked CC, “Based on what you know about Mi Cai, if she finds out all this, will she reject everything between us?”
CC shook her head, “I think instead of waiting for her to find out, you should tell her yourself. As for the outcome, I really can’t judge this time… But from a woman’s perspective, if something like this happened to me, I would find it very hard to accept, especially since Leyao is a public figure. This kind of news will inevitably become widely known, stirring up a storm.”
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