I was quite puzzled, but Yan Yan still sent me the photos. Immediately, I went back to my car to fetch my laptop. Using today’s photos and the video footage from Zhuo Mei’s performance yesterday, I began writing a promotional article titled “A Beautiful World in the Fifth Season.”
I extracted the highlights from yesterday’s video and created a short compilation. After spending fifteen minutes writing the promotional article, I walked onto the bar’s performance stage.
Grabbing the microphone, I addressed the audience: “Excuse me, everyone, for interrupting.”
The venue quickly quieted down, and all eyes turned to me once again.
I quickly gathered my thoughts and continued: “Today marks the grand opening of the Fifth Season Bar. Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us… Our bar is somewhat unique, with a very specific target clientele, which naturally makes it quite niche. However, we have a beautiful aspiration—to create a quiet, independent world here. If you enjoy this bar, we hope you’ll recommend it to friends with similar preferences… I’ve prepared a promotional article, and I’d like to ask everyone to share it on their social media. Of course, this is entirely voluntary—we won’t force anyone!… As a token of appreciation, we’ll give a free beer to anyone who shares it. It’s a small gesture, but it comes from the heart!”
The customers present were very understanding of this promotion. After all, the bar needs revenue to keep running, and obviously, not everyone here could come every night. More customers with similar preferences were needed to fill the gap.
After I announced the Weibo link, the customers quickly took out their phones and shared the post on their Weibo accounts.
Their high level of cooperation eased my mind and preliminarily confirmed that my business positioning and promotional strategy were correct. These high-quality customers would become the initial driving force behind the bar’s development.
…
It was already very late. The customers and friends who had come to support us gradually left, leaving only the staff and Meicai, CC, and myself in the bar.
As closing time approached, CC came to me joyfully and said, “Zhaoyang, I’ve got the numbers. Do you know how many customers came today?”
I glanced at Meicai beside me, knowing she had stayed to hear this result. I shook my head and replied to CC, “I don’t know. Definitely around a hundred or so.”
CC nodded and said, “Excluding those who came just to support us, we had exactly 198 paying customers today—198, not 198 visits!”
Her emphasis stunned me for a moment. Meicai seemed to have some kind of magic. This result was almost identical to her upper limit prediction of 200 people…
So I lost, and I accepted it wholeheartedly.
Just as I was preparing to honor our bet, CC suddenly said to me, “Zhaoyang, the restaurant is closing too, and I need to head back now. Could you take care of the bar for me?”
“Sure, no problem. Drive safely.”
CC nodded, said goodbye to Meicai, and left the bar, giving me another chance to be alone with Meicai.
“Zhaoyang, will you honor our bet?” Meicai looked at me with a half-smile, her tone slightly triumphant.
“If you didn’t ask, I wouldn’t have run away. I owe you a guitar!”
“Then give it to me now…”
Her sudden request caught me completely off guard. After a pause, I said, “Didn’t you say it could wait? Besides, it’s so late now—where am I supposed to buy one for you?”
“Because it’s not convenient to buy it, that’s how you can show your sincerity in honoring the bet.”
“How come you’re so changeable? That’s not what you said before…”
Meicai didn’t respond, clearly showing her displeasure. Then I recalled earlier, when she had given me quite a bit of cash under the pretense of giving red envelopes, mentioning something about using that money to buy a guitar.
I hesitated slightly, then took out my phone and found Xiao Wu’s number to call him.
Soon, Xiao Wu answered, “Hey, Zhaoyang… calling me so late, what’s up?”
I walked to another corner and quietly said to him, “You have a friend who owns a music store, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I need to buy a guitar…”
Before I could finish, the impatient Xiao Wu interrupted, “Then just buy one. What’s the big deal? I’ll have my friend give you a discount… Hmm, wait, didn’t you already have an awesome guitar? Are you replacing it? I don’t think my friend’s store has anything better than yours!”
Xiao Wu’s interruption left me momentarily confused. After a pause, I said, “Xiao Wu, stop interrupting me and listen first… Uh, I have two points to make. First: this guitar is for a friend of mine. Second: I need to buy it right now!”
“You’re not serious, right? Do you know what time it is now! Can’t you just buy it tomorrow?”
“Xiao Wu, no! Otherwise why would I call you now? Do you really think I’m calling for a discount? I don’t need the discount money. So right now, immediately, help me get this done!”
Xiao Wu was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Zhaoyang, you’re getting more and more high-class… Fine, since you’ve asked, I’ll call my friend now and have him wait for you at the store!”
After ending the call with Xiao Wu, I let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t understand why I was going to such lengths. Was it just to make a beautiful girl happy?
It didn’t seem like that. After all, I wasn’t particularly good at pleasing women. I was just afraid to see her disappointed expression because her disappointment seemed to make me sad too.
…
I returned to Meicai’s side and asked her, “What brand and material guitar do you want? I’ll go buy it for you now!”
“I want to go with you.”
“It’s already so late. You should go home and rest earlier!”
Meicai shook her head and firmly repeated her previous words: “I want to go with you!”
“Alright then, but don’t regret it!”
“What’s there to regret?”
I smiled and said, “Let me make you a biker girl! It’ll be exciting, although a bit cold!”
“Ah!” Meicai exclaimed.
Without saying much more, I directly led Meicai to the bar’s storage room, pulled out the racing motorcycle left by Roben, and handed Meicai a helmet. “We’re going to buy a guitar, so we definitely need some rock style. Of course, a motorcycle is essential. But if you’re afraid of the cold, forget it! We can just take the car!”
“It’s exciting! Why would I be afraid of the cold?” Meicai said as she already put on the helmet.
I smiled at Meicai. No wonder Roben had used this motorcycle to pick up so many women. Indeed, many women have a biker fantasy, and Meicai was no exception!
I pushed the motorcycle outside, with Meicai following closely. I put on my helmet and straddled the motorcycle, and Meicai did the same behind me.
I started the engine, and the roar immediately broke the night’s silence. I shouted loudly to Meicai behind me, “Hold on tight! I’m taking off!”
I couldn’t hear what Meicai said, but she tightly hugged my waist. Thus, a classic scene unfolded—a biker man carrying a woman behind him. I didn’t know what this moment meant to Meicai, but I would definitely remember this night and this scene forever!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage