Mom and Li Xiaoyun were still playing mahjong. Mi Cai and I weren’t in a hurry to have dinner, but we felt a bit tired, so we each went back to our rooms to rest. When I lay on the bed, I, as usual, couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, I played with my lighter while thinking about how to solve the problems Mi Cai was facing. However, the more I thought, the more my ideas became unfocused. This lack of focus was entirely due to my current lack of ability. In fact, I clearly understood that in commercial-level confrontations, intelligence would play a smaller and smaller role, while solid financial resources and broad interpersonal networks were key. Unfortunately, these were exactly what I lacked the most.
I took out my phone and flipped through the contact list. Finally, my gaze stopped on Zhou Zhaokun’s name. Among the people I knew, it seemed only he had such financial strength. But would he be interested in this kind of investment?
Regardless of whether he was interested or not, I felt it necessary to talk to him. At this moment, I should actively pursue even the slightest chance of hope.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened. Moments later, I heard a knock on the door from Li Xiaoyun. Their mahjong game had ended, and she wanted me to get ready and go together to the previously arranged restaurant, “Lijingxuan.”
I got up with a rather low mood, opened the door, and prepared to go to the washroom to wash my face. When I pushed the door open, I found Mi Cai had already beaten me to the washroom. Seeing her face covered with facial foam, I playfully turned her around and blocked her path in front of the sink.
Mi Cai immediately recognized me and said unhappily, “Zhaoyang, can’t you stop fooling around with me?”
“It’s been so long since I teased you. I almost forgot how!”
“Please move aside, okay? I need to wash my face. The foam feels uncomfortable on my face!”
I laughed loudly, “No, I won’t move. I just love seeing you getting anxious!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Mi Cai smeared the foam from her face onto mine. In her usual quiet way, she had struck back. Not wanting to be outdone, I returned all the foam to her face. Thus, the two of us, who had been gloomy for a while, started fooling around in the small bathroom until Ban Di came in and scolded me. Then, like two guilty children, Mi Cai and I exchanged glances and smiled. We stood side by side at the sink, washing the foam off our faces. Perhaps this kind of silly happiness was exactly what we had pursued from the beginning when we first met, what supported us to come together. Sometimes, love happens so simply, without needing to be unforgettable or requiring years of cultivation…
In the evening, we arrived at the “Lijingxuan” restaurant. Perhaps because it was the first day of business, the restaurant was far busier than expected. We had a hard time finding a parking spot in the parking lot.
After getting out of the car, I habitually looked to see whether there would be enough space to drive out after dinner. Unexpectedly, I noticed a red Audi R8 parked next to our car. Instantly, I thought of Mi Lan, who also drove an R8. I instinctively glanced at the license plate, only to find it was a car with a Yangzhou license plate. I didn’t think much more about it and followed the others into the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, the spacious dining hall was not as noisy as I had imagined. Most of the guests were eating quietly, and even when chatting, they spoke in normal tones without any annoying clamor. Indeed, this was a high-end restaurant.
Not long after we were seated, the waiters timely served the dishes, without any delay caused by the restaurant’s popularity. It was obvious that this was a mature, well-managed chain restaurant. Otherwise, they couldn’t provide such high-quality service, which made me quite curious because there was much to learn from their business practices.
Halfway through the meal, I felt a craving for a cigarette, so I took out my cigarette case and left alone. A waiter led me to a designated smoking area on the second floor.
Pushing open the door, I found an unoccupied corner to sit down. Looking around, I noticed a large LCD TV screen above my head broadcasting an entertainment program from a certain channel. I felt the restaurant had truly gone the extra mile in service. After all, it was rare for a restaurant to have a separate smoking area, let alone one that also provided entertainment services. At this moment, the waiter brought me a cup of cooling tea, making the experience feel almost five-star. I didn’t feel like leaving immediately and unconsciously slowed down my smoking pace.
As the smoke slowly rose, I suddenly saw a familiar figure but dared not confirm it. Immediately, I extinguished my cigarette butt, pushed open the door of the smoking room, and followed her. However, she walked into the women’s restroom across from me, leaving only her back view.
I muttered to myself, “Could it be so strange? Could I really meet her in Xuzhou? I must have misidentified her!”
With this thought, I planned to return to the smoking room, yet I still felt she looked familiar. I convinced myself that I wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer for her to come out of the restroom, so I could confirm whether I was mistaken or not.
Leaning against a pillar, I patiently waited. A few minutes later, she came out of the restroom, and we looked at each other. Who else could it be but the woman in the red dress I had encountered in Xitang! I was shocked for a long time before pointing at her with my finger and exaggeratedly saying, “It’s really you… I never expected to meet you here in Xuzhou!”
She was also startled but, as before, impatiently replied, “Why don’t you say you’re the one who keeps haunting me! This is really something!”
I had already gotten used to her bad attitude and didn’t mind. I asked, “How come you’re in Xuzhou?”
“How come you’re in Xuzhou?”
“I’m from Xuzhou, so isn’t it quite normal for me to be here? Could it be that you’re also from Xuzhou!” Without waiting for her to answer, I affirmed myself, “Surely you’re from Xuzhou, otherwise, how could we have such a chance to meet here… Never thought there would be such a pretty girl in our Xuzhou!”
She glared at me, looked at her watch, and said, “I don’t have time to chat with you. I need to go!”
“Oh, how come you’re in such a hurry! Was the time you spent in the restroom squeezed out?”
“Just squeezed out, so what? If you have more time, go stay in the restroom yourself!”
I was genuinely taken aback by her sharp reply. After a long silence, I said to her, “You’re really no fun. Go ahead then…” I muttered to myself after saying this, “Tomorrow morning before I leave home, I must burn some incense so I won’t meet you again…”
“What are you mumbling about?”
“I just met a ghost and was talking nonsense.”
She glared at me again, said nothing more, picked up her handbag, and quickly walked toward the staircase. Then I saw through the floor-to-ceiling window her getting into the red R8, violently starting the car, and soon disappearing from my sight along with the stream of traffic on the street… Finally regaining my senses, I remembered her license plate number. It turned out she wasn’t actually from Xuzhou, but a girl from Yangzhou… But weren’t all the girls from Yangzhou supposed to be gentle and charming? How could there be such a fierce exception who happened to be so incredibly beautiful?
After a while of daydreaming, I reminded myself to burn a stick of incense before leaving home tomorrow. I really hoped not to meet her again. After all, I’m not a masochist. Who would willingly endure being scolded by someone endlessly!
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