Fangyuan finished speaking and looked at me. I nodded and said, “Some things said out loud can be really hurtful, but I have to protect her because it was me who introduced you to Zhuomei, and she is my girlfriend.”
“I understand how you feel.”
I remained silent, patiently waiting for him to explain further.
Fangyuan exhaled the smoke from his cigarette heavily, then crushed the butt and finally said, “Indeed, Zhuomei currently faces very serious internal conflicts, but I won’t do anything to harm Mi Zong’s interests, nor do I have the ability to. After all, I’m not a member of the board, just an executive vice president of Zhuomei Suzhou. Therefore, don’t overestimate my influence, let alone question the bond between us brothers. For the eight years we’ve known each other, my stance will always be firm.”
I finally felt somewhat reassured and gently patted his shoulder, saying, “Cherish your current life. You already have many things others can only dream of. People should learn to be content, right?”
Fangyuan smiled and said, “Indeed, this current life is exactly what I dreamed of during college. I will cherish it.”
I nodded.
Fangyuan put his hand on my shoulder and asked, “When are you planning to marry Mi Zong? Can you give your brother a definite answer?”
“We’ve made an agreement. We’ll get married after I buy my own house and car in Suzhou.”
“Then it’s coming soon, really soon… By then, Zhuomei will also be planning to go public under Mi Zong’s leadership. That will truly be triple happiness!”
I was inspired by Fangyuan’s words about triple happiness, and my mood suddenly became much lighter. I even managed to blow several difficult smoke rings into the air, swirling upwards. Perhaps one of those wisps of smoke would reach and glimpse the city in the sky before I did.
…
Back inside the bar, I sat beside Mi Cai again. Her mood seemed rather poor, and she had switched from drinking juice to beer.
Putting my arm around her shoulder, I joked, “Why the beer now? Are you planning to go up and sing ‘Drunken Boxing’ later? ‘I stagger and tumble, like rolling waves, sometimes low, sometimes high, swaying but never falling down!’ Haha…”
Mi Cai removed my arm and said in a low mood, “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
I was somewhat surprised, but then I looked toward Luoben, who was drinking quietly, and I understood. Mi Cai had many complaints about Luoben but didn’t know how to vent them, so she started drinking beer.
I tried to comfort her, saying, “I also feel very sad for CC, but when it comes to relationships, we outsiders are ultimately powerless. We should just let them be. Time will eventually resolve their entanglements.”
“Why is he so fickle? Can’t he just be loyal to CC?”
“He’s not really fickle; on the contrary, he’s actually too devoted. There are some things from the past you don’t know.”
“So are you devoted?”
Mi Cai’s sudden question left me speechless because no matter how I answered, it seemed somehow inappropriate. After a pause, I simply said, “Yes.”
Mi Cai just glanced toward Jianwei without saying anything, but her meaning was clear—she was questioning my devotion. At that moment, I felt there was no word more contradictory than “devotion” in the world. Still, I asked her, “Are you devoted?”
“I am too.”
I sighed, “Then the two of us, being devoted, are destined to be together forever!”
…
While we were talking, another person entered the crowded bar—it was Zhou Zhaokun. After spending these past few days together, I had come to appreciate his character, so I actively invited him to sit with us.
Zhou Zhaokun nodded at me and walked over. I signaled to Mi Cai to move closer to CC, making space for Zhou Zhaokun to sit beside me. Immediately, I introduced him to everyone. Upon learning that he had handed over the guesthouse to me, everyone expressed their gratitude toward him on my behalf.
I opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Zhou Zhaokun. He took it from me, glanced at Leyao, and curiously asked, “Why is she always wearing sunglasses?”
I smiled and replied, “You probably don’t follow entertainment news much. She is currently one of the most popular film and television stars in China.”
Zhou Zhaokun was quite surprised and instinctively exclaimed, “A female celebrity!”
“Yeah, that’s why she still wears sunglasses at night.”
“That must be really inconvenient!”
I nodded and said, “Indeed, life always involves trade-offs. Her lifestyle has made it impossible for her to leave this industry.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Before she became famous, she lived a very difficult life. This industry has brought her fame and fortune, so naturally, she can’t leave it behind.”
Zhou Zhaokun seemed very interested in Leyao’s story. He asked again, “Can you tell me more about her life before she became famous?”
I smiled and said, “Maybe you should ask her about that in person sometime.”
Zhou Zhaokun nodded and immediately created an opportunity for himself. He took a glass of wine and walked toward Leyao in the corner. Very politely, he greeted her and asked if he could sit down and chat for a while.
Leyao didn’t refuse, and the two began chatting casually, which made Leyao seem less lonely.
…
After leaving the bar, it was already 11 p.m. Everyone else returned to the guesthouse to rest. Mei Cai and I, enjoying this rare quiet moment, walked hand in hand along the Xitang River, savoring our time alone together.
I asked her, “How long are you planning to stay in China this time?”
Mei Cai stopped walking and looked at me, saying, “I want to stay by your side.”
I felt touched and gently stroked her hair, saying, “I also want you by my side, but you still have to go back to the United States.”
Mei Cai hugged me and whispered in my ear, “I want to stay by your side to make sure you remain devoted.”
Her intentions were hard to grasp. I sighed and said, “So your real intention for staying is just to supervise me?”
“Exactly. CC said you and Luoben are birds of a feather. You usually think the same way when it comes to issues.”
“But didn’t you yourself say that’s only usually the case? There are still differences between us in some matters.”
“What differences? Can you clarify?”
“Girl, are you really going to dig deeper?”
Mei Cai nodded seriously, “I want to have an open and honest conversation with you. Why did both Jianwei and Leyao come to your birthday party?”
“It was just about being friends, you know. Didn’t you see Fangyuan and Yanyan also came along? Besides…”
“Besides what?”
“Besides, Xiangchen has already proposed to Jianwei. I think they’ll get married soon.”
“Did Jianwei accept?”
“Uh… Well, a woman should play hard to get a little, so she’s still holding out. But certain things are destined, and eventually, they will naturally fall into place.”
“So you’re saying I’m not playing hard to get at all? When you just mentioned marriage last time, I immediately agreed!”
Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted trying to keep up with her. Every conversation with Mei Cai unconsciously pulled me into her way of thinking, leaving me feeling helpless and confused. I couldn’t help but wonder: Could there really be an intelligence gap between us?
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