I lay on the sofa, yearning for someone to go onstage and sing a quiet song for me, and my gaze fell upon CC, because her magnetic, cool-toned voice was especially suited for such songs.
Amid the noise of the bar, I shouted at her, “CC, give me a birthday present!”
Her lips formed words that seemed to say, “Didn’t I already give you a pair of sunglasses?”
I shouted again, “Can you give me another one?”
“What do you want?”
I walked over to CC and pulled her up from the sofa, saying, “Give me a song. I want to hear you sing.”
“What song?”
I thought for a moment, then whispered in her ear, “I want to hear ‘Secret Love,’ Yuan Quan’s ‘Secret Love.’ Can you do it?”
“I can… I like this song too.”
I signaled to A Feng to bring a microphone, then handed it to CC and said, “Sing well. This song will be the most special birthday present I’ve ever received.”
CC didn’t say anything else. Holding the microphone, she pushed her way through the dancing crowd and walked onto the stage. Before she even opened her mouth, she had already drawn everyone’s attention. She seemed to possess an innate stage presence.
CC didn’t rush into singing. Instead, she lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and closed her eyes, seemingly recalling the lyrics, but more like preparing herself emotionally.
Finally, she opened her eyes and signaled the sound technician to start the instrumental. The technician gave an OK sign, and the gentle opening melody began to play…
CC tapped the ash from her cigarette, closed her eyes again, and finally sang the first line of the song. Her voice seemed to have a magical effect, instantly silencing the previously noisy crowd…
“The swings sway with the wind, your words still echo in my ears. One morning I woke up with white hair, yet my heart remains. Let me look at you, every night I dream of looking at you. In this noisy world, a mere glance at you turns chaos into paradise. Let me look at you, the beautiful memories only exist because I looked at you. Since youth is so fleeting, secret love stretches on endlessly…”
My restless and weary heart quieted down with CC’s singing, yet I felt a sudden urge to cry, overwhelmed by the emotions expressed in the song. Mi Cai, sitting beside me, had tears in her eyes. She whispered to me, “If I were a man, I would definitely fall for CC. Why doesn’t Ruben cherish her?”
I looked at Mi Cai in surprise. Leyao, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke up, “If I were a man, I would fall for CC too. Her charm, especially when she sings, is really captivating! If she were willing to lower her standards and participate in some talent shows, she would definitely become a big star!”
I looked at CC again and couldn’t help but feel relieved: Fortunately, she’s not a man! I glanced at Ruben, whom Mi Cai and Leyao had labeled as heartless, and found that he was just smoking without any expression. His indifference further proved that love is utterly irrational. Just because you are full of personal charm doesn’t mean I have to fall for you!
During a break in the song, CC stubbed out her cigarette, stood up, and said to everyone, “Today is my younger brother, Zhaoyang’s birthday. I was supposed to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for him, but he said he really liked Yuan Quan’s ‘Secret Love,’ and coincidentally, I like it too. So I’m giving it to him as a birthday present. Happy birthday to him! I also hope that in the days to come, he will become a bright, reliable, and ambitious young man.”
Everyone looked at me and clapped. I stood up and raised my glass to acknowledge them. A Feng, being the good buddy that he is, treated every guest at the bar to a bottle of beer on my behalf. Soon, I was caught up in the revelry with everyone.
After CC finished singing for me, she left the bar alone. Mi Cai, worried, followed her out, while Ruben remained seated in his corner from beginning to end, not moving an inch. Who knows what he was thinking at that moment.
Finally, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Holding a bottle of beer, I approached Ruben and slapped his arm, saying, “You’ve been acting like a statue all night. What’s the point?”
Ruben took a sip of beer and, after a long pause, said emotionally, “Zhaoyang, I have a strong feeling that I might see Manwen soon!”
I was momentarily stunned, then replied, “But that still doesn’t justify you ignoring CC completely, right?”
“I’ve tried to fall for her, but love can’t be forced. I’m different from you. There won’t be another Mi Cai in my life.”
When Ruben used me as an example again, I instinctively looked at Jianwei, who was far away from me, and couldn’t help but wonder: If Mi Cai had never entered my life, what would I be like now?
Probably still stuck in my old feelings for Jianwei, unable to move on! So, besides love, shouldn’t I also treat Mi Cai with a grateful heart? She saved me from the mess my life used to be.
Putting my thoughts aside for now, I said to Ruben, “Suppose, Wei Manwen is already married with children, will you still insist on holding on? Or will you only remember CC as a backup option after you’ve confirmed this fact?”
Ruben frowned tightly, harshly slapped my arm with the back of his hand, and scolded, “Don’t you dare refer to CC as a backup option.”
I hadn’t expected his reaction to be so intense, which left me momentarily stunned, but I suddenly understood that CC actually holds an important place in Ruben’s heart—it’s just not called love.
Ruben lit another cigarette and said to me, “I’m going out for a walk.”
“Go ahead. Go check on CC. She’s not in a good mood. She cried for a long time on the rooftop last night.”
Ruben nodded, grabbed a bottle of beer from the table, and walked out of the bar…
Suddenly, I found myself alone. Even Leyao, who had been with me earlier, was now chatting with Zhou Zhaokun, who had come to my birthday party. Jianwei seemed very tired and had fallen asleep on the sofa. My parents had already returned to the inn after having cake with us.
I took one last look at Fangyuan and Yanyan. The couple was happily chatting together, clearly enjoying their renewed harmony after their reconciliation. I didn’t want to interrupt them, so I closed my eyes and rested, planning to end the birthday party when Mi Cai and the others returned.
When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised to find the woman in red sitting in the 45-degree corner across from me. Indeed, she was keeping to her rhythm of visiting the bar every other day.
Since there was no one else to talk to, I simply picked up my beer bottle and walked over to her, then sat down opposite her and said, “Xitang is so small, yet we haven’t seen each other for two days already!”
She retorted, “Who wants to see you!”
“Of course, I don’t want to see you either, but I’ve always been curious about your name. You know, once a person’s curiosity is piqued, it’s hard to let it go.”
“I won’t tell you.”
“A gentleman should help satisfy another’s curiosity. Come on, tell me. Besides, you’re not a hitman from a movie, so why act like you’re hiding your identity?”
The woman in red sighed, “You sure talk a lot!”
“My verbosity is entirely because you refuse to tell me your name. So the responsibility lies with you.”
The red-clad woman gave a look of disinterest and turned her gaze elsewhere, which made me very embarrassed. So I decided not to engage with her anymore and prepared to leave with my beer bottle.
Yet, she called me back. I turned around and asked, “What? Have a change of heart and decided to tell me your name?”
“I’m leaving Xitang tomorrow and won’t be coming back.”
I was somewhat surprised and confirmed with her, “You’re saying that this time you leave Xitang, you won’t come back anymore?”
“That’s right… Actually, I’m still quite grateful to you. After all, meeting someone as boring as you in Xitang did bring me some amusement. However, I still won’t tell you my name, just to annoy you!”
“Who cares, just go then, and don’t come back ever.”
The woman in red was unfazed and replied, “Don’t rush me, let me finish this cocktail first.”
I gave her a disdainful look and walked back to my original seat. True to her word, she left the bar after finishing her cocktail. Suddenly, I felt a sense of loss, because often, a single farewell between people can mean a lifetime apart, like this woman in red. After all, we had exchanged words and had several long conversations… Watching her back disappear, I silently wished her: I hope in the days to come, you really won’t need Xitang anymore.
…
After sitting alone for a while, Leyao finally ended her conversation with Zhou Zhaokun, moved her seat, and sat back beside me, asking, “What were you talking to that woman about just now?”
I truthfully replied, “I wanted to find out her name, but she absolutely refused to tell me.”
Leyao sighed, “You’re so bored!”
“I had no one to talk to, what could I do?”
Leyao looked around and realized that Mi Cai, Ruben, and CC had already left the bar. She sighed again, “You really have no presence. It’s your birthday, yet you ended up being the most bored person here!”
I smiled bitterly and then looked serious as I said to her, “My birthday is almost over. Now can you tell me where Wei Manwen is?”
Leyao didn’t answer me directly but asked, “When is Mi Cai going back to the U.S.?”
“Tomorrow night, Shanghai to New York flight.”
“Then you should spend tomorrow properly with her. We’ll talk about Wei Manwen later.”
Suddenly, I got angry and glared at her, saying, “F*** you! You said it would be postponed several times already. If Ruben were a hen waiting for eggs, he’d be suffocated to death by you!”
Leyao shot back, “I f*** you too! Even if he suffocates, it’s Ruben the hen who suffocates. Why are you getting so excited? Besides, am I not thinking about you and Mi Cai? What’s wrong with postponing for a day?”
In the middle of our argument, Mi Cai and CC returned to the bar, but Ruben wasn’t with them. I had to lower my voice and complain to Leyao, “You witch, you’re just messing with me!”
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