On the way back, my mind was still immersed in the events of the evening, wavering back and forth, until a detail suddenly came to me: when Fangyuan stabbed her finger with a dinner knife earlier, most women would have been terrified, but Jianwei remained calm throughout.
This suddenly reminded me of the scar on her wrist. If the scar was truly caused by someone else’s accident, as she claimed, she should have been more frightened. Unless, of course, it was self-inflicted. In that case, having experienced it herself, she would naturally remain composed in the face of Fangyuan’s actions just now.
As I analyzed this, my heart suddenly felt gripped by an invisible hand, followed by a dull ache. I desperately wanted to believe that I had misjudged her, so I tried to console myself: after all, Jianwei is a strong woman, and such strength must be supported by a strong personality, so naturally, she wouldn’t be shocked by what happened earlier.
After repeatedly reassuring myself, I finally calmed down a bit. I then pressed hard on the accelerator, braving the howling evening wind, rushing toward that small world where I could briefly find peace.
…
The next morning, I returned to Xitang, parked the car on an empty piece of land, and walked toward the inn. I found Leyao sitting on the balcony in a rocking chair, wearing sunglasses and seemingly very relaxed.
I called out to her, “Have you had breakfast yet?”
She replied indifferently, “Can’t you tell I don’t want to talk to you?”
“I just went back to Suzhou last night, is that really a big deal?”
“It is. You’re just a person with no integrity.”
I complained, “You’re really being argumentative!”
“Then argue with me!”
“On such a nice morning, let’s do something meaningful instead.”
As I said this, I started walking into the inn, but Leyao suddenly shouted at me, “Don’t come up! I’m punishing you to buy me breakfast, or I won’t let you off!”
…
After buying three portions of breakfast, I returned to the inn. I gave one portion to Tongzi at the front desk and took the remaining two to the balcony. Leyao was still sitting in the rocking chair in the same posture.
With a smile on my face, I handed her the breakfast and casually asked, “Did you go to Ahfeng’s bar last night?”
“I did.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Don’t use these boring questions to hide your guilt toward me.”
“You really know me too well!”
Just as I finished saying this, my phone rang. I quickly took it out from my pocket and saw it was a call from the marketing director of Yirong Travel Network. As expected, after answering, he urged me again to prepare the advertisement for release as soon as possible, saying the website couldn’t keep adjusting to my schedule.
I felt guilty and assured him that I would get it done within three days at most.
Perhaps because of Yang Congrong’s influence, he didn’t complain further. He just told me not to waste any more time before hanging up.
The pressure on me suddenly increased due to this call. I made up my mind: no matter whether I could successfully take over Zhou Zhaokun’s “Yuanlai Inn” or not, I would have to deliver the advertisement for the “Perfect Travel Plan” to Yirong Travel Network by this time the day after tomorrow.
That morning, I kept working on the final version of the advertisement copy, but this version did not include Zhou Zhaokun’s “Yuanlai Inn,” because subconsciously, I was more inclined to believe that he would not accept my proposal.
Around noon, I received another call, but this time from an unknown number. I answered it with some confusion and heard a somewhat familiar voice: “Are you Boss Zhaoyang?”
“Yes, may I ask who’s speaking?”
“Zhou Zhaokun from Yuanlai Inn. We talked yesterday.”
“Hello, hello…”
“Hello.” He paused slightly before continuing, “Last night I seriously considered your proposal, and I really look forward to your future business plan for the inn… If I remember correctly, you plan to make Yuanlai an artistic and public welfare-oriented inn, right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly the idea.”
“Okay, tonight you can show me your plan. Let me see the prototype of the inn you envision. If it meets my expectations, I will rent the inn to you according to your proposal.”
“Tonight?”
“I know the time I’m giving you is short, but this is a test of your execution ability… If you don’t have enough execution power, how can I believe you will fulfill your promise?”
I didn’t hesitate any further and said to Zhou Zhaokun, “I’m willing to accept this challenge.”
Zhou Zhaokun laughed and said, “Great. It’s 11:30 a.m. now. From this moment until the end of today, the management rights of Yuanlai Inn will be handed over to you. You can use all the resources inside to organize activities… I look forward to being impressed.”
“I also look forward to cooperating with you.”
…
After ending the call with Zhou Zhaokun, I immediately called Ahfeng and explained the general situation to him. We discussed the plan together and finalized the activity plan within half an hour. Then we split up: he went to buy the materials needed for the evening event, while I went to Yuanlai Inn for an on-site inspection to assess the available space for the event.
Around 3 p.m., Ahfeng efficiently arrived with a small truck loaded with all the decorations needed for the event. Soon after, participating merchants from the “Perfect Travel Plan” began setting up.
Quickly, the site was decorated with various fruit-shaped string lights. Under the lights, several piles of firewood and fire extinguishers for safety were placed, which would be used for a bonfire in the evening. At my command, a huge advertising flag was also erected at the entrance of the inn, displaying the promotional slogan for tonight’s event.
At some point, Zhou Zhaokun had quietly arrived beside me. He looked at the flag and read aloud, “The wind makes us want to dance!”
I smiled and said to him, “This is the theme of tonight’s event. The weather forecast says there will be wind tonight.”
He then turned and looked at the unlit bonfires and said, “Eating roasted lamb, drinking wine, waiting for the wind to blow, and then dancing a folk dance… it feels a bit nostalgic. It reminds me of a pleasant night I spent in a Middle Eastern country.”
I felt a slight relief in my heart. If I could evoke his memories, then I had succeeded to some extent. This also indirectly proved that he indeed had an artistic temperament, because the slogan “The wind makes us want to dance” was quite cheesy, but it was a successful appeal to his sensibilities.
He then said to me, “Your execution ability is quite good. I think if such activities are held regularly, it will create a cultural atmosphere in this inn. But what about the public welfare aspect? How do you plan to reflect that tonight?”
“As for the public welfare aspect, I’ll keep it a secret for now. You’ll find out during tonight’s event.”
Zhou Zhaokun smiled, patted my shoulder, and said, “Then I’ll be waiting with great anticipation.”
I responded with a smile, but my heart tightened again. Because of the tight schedule, I hadn’t even had time to think about how to incorporate the public welfare element. The reason I said I’d keep it a secret was merely to buy myself some time.
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