When I told CC that I wanted to take over her “Kongchengli Music Restaurant,” she looked very surprised. After glancing around, she said, “Zhaoyang, are you really going to take over my restaurant?”
I nodded seriously.
CC sighed and said, “You must be trying to cut off my livelihood. First you acquired Leyao’s bar, and now you want my restaurant!”
Hearing this, I suddenly recalled that CC also held a small share in Leyao’s bar. It seemed I really was trying to cut off her means of survival…
I thought for a moment and said to her, “CC, I’m speaking to you purely from a business perspective. This restaurant is an important piece in the business plan I’ve envisioned. If you’re willing to transfer it to me, I’ll definitely give you the corresponding shares so you can live comfortably for the rest of your life. That’s my promise to you as a friend.”
CC looked at her restaurant with a reluctant gaze, and this look made me realize she was already planning to hand it over to me. Finally, she said to me, “Actually, whether or not I live comfortably isn’t what matters to me. If this restaurant can really help your career, then take it… Maybe it’s time for me to leave Suzhou.”
Her words filled me with reluctance, and instinctively I grabbed CC’s hand and said, “Don’t go. If you leave Suzhou, who’s going to take care of me when I get drunk?”
CC smiled and said, “You now have Mi Cai, and things aren’t like they used to be. How could you possibly be without someone to take care of you?”
“Please don’t go. You’ve been in Suzhou for nearly seven years now, and surely you’ve developed a sense of home here… As for this restaurant, I can easily give up taking it over, as long as you stay in Suzhou.”
CC took a cigarette from her pack, lit it, took a gentle puff, and slowly exhaled. After a long pause, she said wistfully, “Zhaoyang, sometimes falling in love with a city is simply because you’ve fallen in love with someone in that city… Now the person I loved won’t be coming back. Staying here will only bring me endless pain of missing him. Can you understand how I feel?”
I recalled my own self from last year. The reason I had stayed in Suzhou for so long was because I still held onto the hope of Jian Wei. It wasn’t until she returned to China and accepted Xiang Chen’s proposal that I lost my desire to remain in Suzhou. So, I immediately returned to Xuzhou after quitting my job, only to fall in love with another woman named Mi Cai in this city, which rekindled my affection for Suzhou.
Remembering those painful times, my heart felt heavy. After a long pause, I said to CC, “Of course I understand how you feel, because I’ve experienced it deeply myself. But is your relationship with Luoben really over? Not necessarily… And I know you’re still willing to wait for him. So marrying that man who left 100,000 yuan at the restaurant was just an excuse to cover up your heartache!”
CC’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She put out her cigarette, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingers, but still smiled and said, “If only Luoben could understand what you just said.”
I sighed softly but wanted to know more about how Luoben was doing these days in the mountains, so I asked CC, “Have you been in touch with Luoben these past couple of days?”
“No, but I’ve been following his WeChat Moments. He’s posted quite a few new updates these past two days.”
I immediately took out my phone and opened WeChat. Sure enough, Luoben had posted several updates in the past two days, all photos of him helping Wei Manwen with farm work and teaching students. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Has he really given up on maintaining his image? I’ve never seen him post stuff like this before. He’s even taking selfies now! He’s completely shattered my worldview!”
“He’s trying to change himself. Seeing how deeply he cares for Wei Manwen, I can really feel my long-held beliefs gradually loosening. But I still want to stay in Suzhou and wait for him for one more month. In a month, Luoben and Wei Manwen will have reached a conclusion. If Wei Manwen is willing to give up the upcoming marriage with Zhou Hang for him, I’ll silently wish them well. But if Wei Manwen insists on marrying Zhou Hang, and Luoben remains alone, I’m willing to give myself one last chance.”
Suddenly, I felt immense sympathy for this pitiful woman in front of me, and I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t know where to begin. In the end, I just smoked a cigarette with her.
After putting out her second cigarette, CC said to me, “Come find me whenever you’re ready to take over my restaurant.”
I nodded and asked, “Do you want shares or cash?”
CC toyed with the cigarette box in her hands for a while before replying, “You just need to manage this restaurant well on my behalf. If one day you find that man who left the 100,000 yuan, repay that money to him on my behalf. Consider that the transfer fee.”
I wanted to say something else, but CC stopped me and added, “Zhaoyang, measuring the value of this restaurant with money or shares is the greatest insult to it. If you really understand the significance of this restaurant’s existence, please don’t bring it up anymore.”
I nodded, but in my heart, I had already made up my mind. Once I took over the restaurant, I would definitely fulfill my promise to ensure she could live comfortably for the rest of her life. That way, she could freely pursue her dreams, traveling the world with her guitar, leaving behind beautiful songs in every corner.
…
After leaving CC’s restaurant, my heart was not filled with joy over taking over the establishment, but rather a sense of melancholy. I had a premonition that the next few months would be turbulent, and my fate would be completely changed by a series of events yet to unfold. Whether the change would be for the better or worse, I was powerless to stop it now. Therefore, I felt an even stronger desire to become more powerful. If I had the wealth and social status of someone like Zhou Zhaokun or Weiran, perhaps Mi Cai wouldn’t have to worry so much about her work at Zhuomei. I also understood that if she had accepted Weiran emotionally, Mi Zhongde wouldn’t pose any threat to her at all. But she didn’t choose to do that. She entrusted her entire life to me, while Weiran became a ticking time bomb lurking by her side. After all, no one could be sure whether Weiran would let personal feelings interfere with his cooperation with Mi Cai.
Never before had I felt such a strong desire for power. So, amidst the bustling crowd on the street, I dialed Leyao’s number. I wanted to confirm the bar transfer with her right away and then embark on a path of rapid development, continuously expanding my capabilities until I could grow strong enough to protect those I cared about under my sturdy wings.
The call was quickly answered by Leyao. She asked impatiently, “What do you want?”
“Could you at least speak a little more politely?”
“I’m on my period and already in a bad mood. Don’t add to my stress.”
I was a bit speechless. It seemed she could say anything without restraint to me, but I really hadn’t done anything to stress her out. I turned serious and said, “We’ll talk about your period later. Let’s discuss business first.”
“What business?”
“Of course the bar transfer.”
“Did you get the money?”
“Yeah, I’ll pay you the full 1.5 million yuan as you mentioned, not a penny less.”
Leyao asked cautiously, “Where did you get that money?”
“I borrowed it from Mi Cai.”
Leyao suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, she laughed and said to me, “That’s great. After waiting for so many years, you’ve finally come to your senses. It’s truly worth all my hopes for you to grow up and become someone worthwhile!”
“Are you on your period? Does that affect your IQ? How can you say such things! Hoping for me to grow up and become someone worthwhile, as if you’re not a piece of rotten wood yourself. Actually, your current state is what makes me feel reassured, because even that piece of rotten wood has been carved into a beautiful artwork!”
To my surprise, Leyao didn’t continue to banter with me. She spoke earnestly, “I’ve been very busy lately, so I won’t be returning to Suzhou this time. I’ll draft a contract and mail it to you. You can sign it and then send it back to Beijing, okay?”
“Sure, but what about CC’s shares in your bar? How do you plan to handle that?”
“With your 1.5 million yuan, we’ll split it evenly, giving CC 750,000 yuan.”
I was somewhat surprised and reminded her, “You originally invested over a million yuan. If you give CC 750,000 yuan, you’ll be losing a lot yourself!”
Leyao replied indifferently, “CC gave me strong support during the most difficult time of my life, so I will definitely repay the kindness she showed me, and even more so. That’s my principle.”
I was naturally willing for Leyao to distribute the profits between her and CC in this way. She indeed didn’t care much about the distribution of tens of thousands of yuan. I didn’t say anything else and agreed. Then I said to Leyao, “Please send the transfer contract as soon as possible. Also, your painful menstrual cramps when you get your period are related to your long-term lack of a sexual life. You should find a partner soon; it’ll help.”
Leyao flew into a rage, saying, “You keep that kind of talk for Mi Cai in your family. Scoundrel!”
As I heard the abrupt sound of the call being disconnected, I was somewhat at a loss. We had exchanged many “f*** this and that” jokes before, so I really didn’t understand what was wrong with this statement. Moreover, what I said made a lot of sense. After all, she was already 26 years old, and she should indeed have a life partner by now. Was she really going to stay single forever?
Feeling gloomy, I actually dialed Mi Cai’s number, though certainly not to talk about menstrual cramps…
A short while later, Mi Cai answered the call. She seemed somewhat sleepy and instinctively yawned, saying, “I had just finished washing up and was about to go to sleep when you called!”
I smiled and said, “I just wanted to tell you something—I’ve joined the PR team that Jian Wei formed.”
Mi Cai replied without any surprise, “That was expected… I also look forward to you delivering an impressive performance!”
I was puzzled again. Was this the consensus they had reached in just a few words that day? If so, it was really too mystical, or perhaps these two women were just too smart, while my comprehension was somewhat lacking.
However, I didn’t dwell too much on this question. Instead, I asked Mi Cai about the issue that had been worrying me all along: “Right now, the most critical point for your Zhuomei Group’s listing is the investment side led by Weiran. There won’t be any problems on his end, right?”
Mi Cai replied firmly, “No, there definitely won’t be any problems. I understand him, and I believe in the bond we’ve built over the years. As long as we can withstand my uncle’s counterattack, there will absolutely be no issues with Zhuomei’s listing!”
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