After visiting Wei Xiao’s grandfather at noon, Mi Cai and I had a free afternoon, which I cherished greatly because once our annual leave ended, we would both be immersed in our own busy schedules. Especially for Mi Cai, this year would be a significant turning point, and I believed she would definitely come up with countermeasures against Mi Zhongde.
Time quickly reached evening, and Mi Cai and I began preparing for our appointment, staying in the bathroom and facing the same mirror, tidying ourselves up.
“Zhaoyang, pass me the towel.”
I handed the towel to Mi Cai and then said to her, “You take the hairdryer from the drawer for me.”
Mi Cai took the hairdryer from her drawer, and when I reached for it, we both couldn’t help laughing. In the past, we would never have had the opportunity to ask each other for help like this, but these small, trivial details precisely represented a kind of real life.
After drying my own hair, I also dried Mi Cai’s wet hair, and then we examined each other in the mirror.
I reminded Mi Cai, “Put on more clothes; it will be cold tonight, and according to my estimate, the place Fangyuan chose tonight probably won’t even have air conditioning.”
“That’s not possible, right?”
I nodded again to confirm, “Very likely. Tonight, we’re going for the feeling of having barbecues back in college. Speaking of barbecues, what impressed me most were those small outdoor stalls set up by vendors with tents, where we would crowd inside drinking beer and eating barbecued food… Have you ever eaten in such a place?”
Mi Cai shook her head and said, “No, but I’ve seen them.”
“In such places, it’s all about the atmosphere, chatting about anything and everything. But you probably won’t like it very much,” I said, subconsciously believing that Mi Cai’s cultural upbringing and social class might make her uncomfortable with this kind of common culture.
“You haven’t tried it yet, so how do you know I won’t like it?”
I smiled at Mi Cai, understanding that she was just indulging me. It was easy to understand; if she were truly interested, why would she never have tried it before? I also realized there were still many lifestyle habits we needed to adjust to each other.
Of course, we did share some commonalities, such as neither of us usually carrying much cash because I had no money, and Mi Cai preferred to pay by card.
…
At 7 p.m., Mi Cai and I arrived at the agreed barbecue restaurant on time, or more accurately, a barbecue stall. Almost simultaneously, Xiang Chen and Fangyuan also arrived by car. We all parked our cars on the roadside opposite the barbecue stall, drawing the attention of all the diners. They were somewhat puzzled why a group of people driving Q7s, Range Rovers, and A4s would gather at a barbecue stall, but we understood each other implicitly: this was Fangyuan’s way of bridging the gap between Xiang Chen and me through nostalgia for our university days, after all, we had shared four years of close friendship.
After getting out of the car, Fangyuan still affectionately put his arm around Yan Yan, while Xiang Chen and Jian Wei did not hold hands as they had in previous meetings. Mi Cai and I also kept some distance, but it wasn’t intentional. It seemed Mi Cai hadn’t mentally prepared herself to be seen as my girlfriend in front of them yet, and neither had I.
Once gathered, everyone exchanged “Happy New Year” greetings and offered cigarettes to each other, showing rare synchronicity by all choosing the 8.8 Zhongnanhai brand.
After exchanging cigarettes and lighting them, Fangyuan patted Xiang Chen’s shoulder and asked, “How have you been during this time abroad?”
“Not bad… By the way, I brought some things for you all from overseas.”
Xiang Chen went back to his car, took out a bag, and returned to us, first taking out a box and handing it to Yan Yan and Fangyuan, saying, “This couple watch is for you two.”
Yan Yan immediately removed the wrapping on the gift box and let out a gasp, “Cartier couple watches! Xiang Chen, you really shouldn’t have spent so much on us!”
Xiang Chen smiled and said, “You two are like my older brother and sister-in-law. Talking about spending too much will hurt our feelings.”
Yan Yan grabbed Xiang Chen’s shoulder, speaking joyfully, “You’re growing up, kid! It wasn’t in vain for your sister to care so much for you back in college!”
“That’s right. Thinking about how you used to wash our coats and bring us meals back when we were all lazy, I still feel warm inside to this day!”
Yan Yan, assuming a maternal tone, said with a satisfied air, “Seeing all of you becoming successful now makes me feel warm inside. It’s been worth all these years of effort!”
Everyone laughed together, and Xiang Chen then took another gift box from the bag and handed it to me, saying, “Zhaoyang, you’re single, so I just got you a men’s watch.”
I looked at Mi Cai beside me but didn’t take the watch from Xiang Chen, smiling instead, “You’re too kind, but I don’t like wearing watches because they feel tight. You can keep it or give it to someone else who needs it.”
The atmosphere became awkward because of my refusal, but from my perspective, I couldn’t possibly accept a watch from Xiang Chen worth tens of thousands.
Fangyuan quickly stepped in to smooth things over, “Zhaoyang, it’s just a small token from your close friend. Please accept it. If you really don’t like wearing it, you can keep it as a collectible!”
Just as I was about to find another excuse to refuse again, Mi Cai suddenly took my hand, and this action was clearly seen by everyone present, causing them all to show expressions of surprise.
Feeling the warmth from Mi Cai’s hand, my heart first raced, then suddenly calmed down. I lifted the hand that was holding Mi Cai’s and smiled at everyone, saying, “Taking this opportunity today, I’d like to officially announce some good news… We’re dating, and this time it’s real!”
Everyone first looked at me, and finally their gazes settled on Mi Cai. Smiling in response, Mi Cai held my hand more tightly and said, “Zhaoyang and I are dating. You are his best friends, and we hope to receive your blessings!”
Fangyuan was the first to applaud us, “Congratulations, President Mi! We will definitely give you both our heartfelt blessings for being together!”
Yan Yan also offered her blessings. When it came to Xiang Chen, he handed the watch originally intended for me to Jian Wei and then apologized to Mi Cai and me, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t know you two had already confirmed your relationship. My gift for Zhaoyang was a bit hasty. I’ll make it up to you two with a couple of watches in a few days… Wishing you both happiness!”
I patted Xiang Chen’s shoulder and said, “Really, there’s no need to go to the trouble. Your blessings are the best gift for us!”
Xiang Chen smiled and didn’t say anything else. The only person at the scene who hadn’t offered us blessings was Jian Wei. She appeared in the corner of my vision, embodying a sense of desolation from the passing of time, as if the scroll depicting our past had been eroded into a blank space, a blankness so desolate!
Jian Wei’s eyes, like rippling water, smiled at Mi Cai and me and said, “Congratulations to you both. I hope your love will last forever!”
In response to Jian Wei’s calm blessings, Mi Cai and I naturally accepted them, then thanked her, and of course, we also expressed our best wishes for her and Xiang Chen. Then everything returned to normal.
Fangyuan placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on Xiang Chen’s shoulder, his voice unable to hide his excitement as he said, “Today is a great day for us, so the three of us brothers must drink to our heart’s content, okay?”
Mi Cai and I nodded, and Yan Yan took the hands of Jian Wei and Mi Cai respectively, and we all walked towards the barbecue stall together.
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