As the woman in red finished eating the slice of watermelon, the sunset also vanished exactly at the distant horizon, leaving only a final reluctant glow on the calm river surface—night had come, unstoppable as always.
She placed the watermelon rind into the trash bin. I timely handed her a tissue, and she thanked me as she took it.
I gestured that it was nothing, then stood up and walked toward the railing, gazing at the night-covered Xitang Street. At this moment, this street seemed to be writing its own loneliness with the lights of thousands of homes and flickering stars.
It must be lonely, because a once peaceful water town had already been transformed into a commercial scenic area, receiving all kinds of visitors every day. Therefore, it must miss its former charm deeply, and loneliness arises precisely from such nostalgia.
The woman in red stood beside me and asked, “Earlier you mentioned being troubled by a business problem. What exactly is this problem?”
I pulled myself out of the melancholy thoughts inspired by Xitang Street and told her about the contradiction between the surge of tourists brought by the “Perfect Travel Plan” and the limited capacity of the guesthouse.
She showed a thoughtful expression… I didn’t urge her, because I didn’t expect her to offer good advice.
Time passed slowly as she pondered, and with nothing else to do, I lit a cigarette, letting the small space around me become hazy, echoing the loneliness of the entire Xitang Street.
When I had smoked half the cigarette, she finally spoke: “You could shell borrow.”
“Shell borrow?”
“Yes, I believe there are still many guesthouses in Xitang with mediocre business. You could temporarily rent their guesthouses to divert the surge of tourists, thereby maximizing the profit from this plan.”
I looked at her, thinking that this method of profiting from the price difference by borrowing shells was feasible. But another problem arose before me: if I were to rent, where would I get the funds for the rent?
Seeing my silence, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is this method of profiting through borrowed shells not feasible?”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
She shook her head and said, “Everyone hopes to make money without capital, but that’s not realistic. Even those who claim success must have invested some capital at the beginning, more or less.”
“You’re right… I’ll seriously consider the feasibility of this suggestion.”
She didn’t speak again, only standing beside me gazing into the distance, as if there was a bright light she was anticipating…
…
That night, I lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep—not for love, but for my career. I had a feeling of being stuck in a difficult situation, because I, who was already impoverished, seemed to have fallen into an endless capital game. Once I adopted the suggestion of the woman in red, it meant I would have to bear a huge expense, and I was already heavily in debt. I really couldn’t afford to borrow more. Yet, the traditional tourism peak season in Xitang was approaching bit by bit, and time was running out for me.
It was already midnight, but I didn’t know exactly what time. So I picked up my phone from the bedside cabinet to check the time.
After confirming it was 3 a.m., I became even more restless. This kind of restlessness is understandable to anyone who has ever been plagued by insomnia, and I desperately wanted to find some source of peace.
I opened WeChat, wanting to chat with Mi Cai, who was surely enjoying the afternoon sun somewhere across the ocean at this moment.
“Hi, let me guess what you’re doing.”
After sending this message, I fell into waiting. Although I had set a notification sound, I kept opening the chat page repeatedly, only to be met with the disappointment of no reply…
Half an hour had passed, and in my endless waiting, I gradually felt sleepy. Just as I was about to close the chat app, I unexpectedly found that Leyao had updated her Moments. She was applying a hydrating face mask. Habitually, I gave her post a like.
She seemed to be used to it and replied with a message: “Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”
“Insomnia. And you?”
“I just finished filming two night scenes… So I’m working.”
“Isn’t it just staying up late? Why do you have to sound so superior?”
“Of course I’m superior, because you’re just staying up thinking about women!”
I was about to argue, but couldn’t, because after my insomnia, I indeed had been thinking about Mi Cai, wondering why she hadn’t replied to me yet.
At this moment, Leyao sent another message: “Zhaoyang, after finishing the night scenes today, I don’t have any filming for the next week. What do you think I should do to relax?”
“Whatever.”
“I really can’t stand your indifferent attitude, so I’ve decided to go to Xitang and bother you!”
I felt astonished. It seemed that every time I needed money, Leyao would unexpectedly appear and help me, but such coincidences weren’t enough for me to feel at ease accepting her help. I replied: “Don’t come… Xitang is a small place, it can’t hold such a big star like you!”
“Then you don’t want to know about Wei Manwen anymore?”
This message made me tense, and I felt tense for Ruben as well. I quickly replied: “Did you find out something about her?”
“Mm.”
“When did you find this out?”
“Two days ago.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me until now?”
“Because whether this information is accurate still needs confirmation.”
“Just tell me everything you found out.”
“Let’s talk in person.”
I replied somewhat displeased: “Can this wait for you to make a show of it?”
“Zhaoyang, you misunderstood me. This isn’t about making a show. I just don’t want an unconfirmed message to affect your and Ruben’s mood. Especially Ruben. Wait a few more days and see if we can confirm it. If it’s not true, there’s no need to make you both worry for nothing.”
“Then you shouldn’t have brought it up at all. Now that I know something, how can I not be anxious!”
“You can consider it as me giving myself a proper reason to come find you in Xitang… Okay?”
Still stubbornly, I replied: “No… Just tell me everything you know.”
“Then I’ll go tell Ruben directly, right now.”
I quickly stopped her: “Why would you tell him now about a message that hasn’t been confirmed yet?”
Leyao sent me a voice message, seriously saying: “You understand it yourself, right? So just wait a little longer, okay?”
I remained anxious but could do nothing about Leyao. After a long pause, I finally replied in compromise: “Once it’s confirmed, let me know immediately.”
“Okay, it won’t be too long. I estimate that after staying in Xitang for a couple of days, there will be a confirmation message from there!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage