Chapter 219: Is She Coming to Xitang?

Zhaoyang and I chose a noodle restaurant and each ordered a bowl of noodles. As we ate, I said to him, “It’s too much trouble to call you by your full name. Let me simplify it for you.”

“You can do as you like, just don’t change my surname.”

I thought for a moment and said, “Alright, I won’t change your surname. From now on, I’ll just call you Tongzi.”

He nodded and said, “Fine, Tongzi it is. After all, I’m still a virgin.”

I smiled. It’s just so easy to get along with someone like him because he doesn’t mind your jokes.

Tongzi shoveled noodles into his mouth energetically and finished his bowl quickly. Urging me, he said, “Brother Yang, eat faster. She should already be there. Usually, she only stays for about half an hour before leaving.”

“You seem to know her habits pretty well!”

Tongzi nodded proudly.

I asked again, “Have you ever talked to her?”

Tongzi shook his head repeatedly. “No, within ten meters of her, my legs start shaking!”

“No wonder you’re still a virgin!”

“Aren’t you a virgin too? …As if you dared to talk to her.”

“My virginity isn’t the same kind as yours.”

“That’s hard to understand!”

I patted Tongzi on the shoulder and said, “How about this: if I manage to say one sentence to her later, you treat me to a meal, okay?”

“What if you don’t dare?”

“Then you don’t have to pay for your food and accommodation this month.”

“Deal.”

…

After finishing our meal, Tongzi and I walked along the Xitang River. After walking a few hundred meters, Tongzi pulled me onto a bridge and joyfully pointed out, “Brother Yang, do you see her? That’s the woman.”

Following Tongzi’s direction, I indeed saw a woman wearing a red coat. Although she was far away and I couldn’t clearly see her face, from her posture and figure, I could tell she was a beautiful woman.

Tongzi pulled me slightly and said, “Brave man, go ahead… I’ll wait for you under the willow tree more than ten meters away!”

I had originally thought that when he said ten meters, it was just an exaggerated figure of speech. It turned out he actually needed ten meters to keep calm. I couldn’t help but exclaim: what a peculiar guy!

I went down from the small bridge and walked toward the woman. Gradually, I could see her more clearly. She was indeed very beautiful, so beautiful that it was hard to describe in words. This feeling was only something I had experienced once before, when I first met Mi Cai. No wonder Tongzi, this virgin, couldn’t muster the courage to talk to her.

Continuing to approach her along a row of newly sprouted willow trees, I finally sat down on the steps beside her. But I didn’t try to talk to her immediately. First, I lit a cigarette for myself, aiming to let her speak to me first.

I intentionally blew the smoke in her direction with the wind and waited…

Unexpectedly, she took out a pack of women’s cigarettes from her bag, lit one for herself, and remained indifferent, as if completely ignoring my presence.

I was surprised by her behavior because I hadn’t expected her to smoke. Thinking about it again, it made sense. A woman coming alone to Xitang and sitting by the river every day must have suffered from a broken heart. After all, the remedies for heartbreak are usually cigarettes, alcohol, or a journey… Still, could such a woman also be hurt by love?

Finally, I put out the cigarette in my hand, smiled at her, and asked, “Girl, did you just break up?”

She didn’t look at me and replied impatiently, “What’s that got to do with you?”

I hurriedly denied, “Of course it’s none of my business! It’s not like I was the one who broke up with you!”

She finally looked at me and said even colder, “Stop flirting with me. I hate guys like you who talk too smoothly!”

I smiled and said, “You were hurt by a smooth-talking guy, weren’t you?”

A flash of hatred appeared in her eyes. Then she stubbed out her cigarette, unwilling to stay here any longer, and stood up to leave.

I didn’t try to stop her any further because women who have just broken up can be dangerous. Moreover, I sensed a hint of ferocity from her, which was evident from how she stubbed out the cigarette.

To be honest, this kind of woman wasn’t my type, even though her appearance was no less beautiful than Mi Cai’s.

After the woman left, Tongzi came stealthily to my side, eagerly asking, “Brother Yang, what did you talk about with her?”

“Do you want to know?”

“Really want to know.”

“Tomorrow, when she comes here again, ask her yourself… Oh, by the way, don’t forget the meal you owe me according to our bet.”

“I definitely won’t forget, but you have to tell me what you talked about with her!”

I didn’t respond to Tongzi anymore. I gave him a resentful look, just like the woman had done moments ago, and then got up and left.

…

Back at the guesthouse, Tongzi continued watching his unfinished TV series. I, as usual, lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, seemingly completely emptying my mind, but actually going through a process of self-reflection.

At this moment, I missed Mi Cai. I was worried she might be too busy with work to have dinner yet, worried she might not remember to add another piece of clothing on such a chilly night.

But as I thought about it, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, because she might now be enjoying another kind of life with Weiran, and had already forgotten me, her ex-boyfriend.

Therefore, I forced myself not to think about her anymore because I didn’t want to make myself seem too pathetic.

I thought of Jian Wei again, recalling those happy days when we were in Xitang and couldn’t wait to promise each other a lifetime together. But now, even the guesthouse that carried those happy memories had been turned into a bar. Thinking about it really made me feel sad!

After thinking about Jian Wei, I began to look forward to the days ahead. Now that I had broken up with Mi Cai, who would be the woman to accompany me on the road ahead?

I had no answer. In the emptiness of having no answer, I hurriedly turned to dream about my future career, but still had no clue.

Finally, I realized: that city in the sky wasn’t so easy to restore. Therefore, I still needed to relax in Xitang while waiting for an opportunity to save my life and that shattered city.

Thinking too much made me feel tired. Suddenly, Tongzi’s loud shout completely woke me up. With some dissatisfaction, I asked, “What are you shouting for?”

“Brother Yang, Leyao updated her microblog…”

“She posts microblogs every day. What’s the big deal!”

“No, no, it’s different this time. She posted a travel guide about Xitang today. Could it be that she’s coming to Xitang?”

I felt a sudden surprise. If Leyao were really coming to Xitang, she must be coming to find me. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain such a coincidence. However, she had been busy filming recently, so it seemed unlikely that she could come to Xitang. Thinking again, she had always had the habit of collecting travel guides. Perhaps because I came to Xitang, she became interested in it and saved the guide casually. Even if she did come, it would probably be later!

After realizing this, I didn’t say anything else. However, Tongzi kept analyzing Leyao’s microblog, trying to prove from multiple angles that she might be coming to Xitang.