After the impromptu concert ended, our group headed to a restaurant for dinner. Initially, it was just us, which wasn’t particularly lively. Later, Xiao Wu, who had just finished performing at the bar, brought the band members to join us at the restaurant. With these heavy drinkers among us, I inevitably ended up drunk.
But I wasn’t afraid of the discomfort that came with overindulgence, because it had been a long time since I’d experienced a night where my soul could run wild like this. And our group of people would certainly never gather together like this again for another spontaneous concert.
Eventually, Luoben and Leyao would return to Beijing, and that annoying guy Weiran would also go back to America. However, his musical talent was impressive, and without him, the concert wouldn’t have been complete.
Therefore, I grew increasingly nostalgic about this night, even though it hadn’t ended yet.
After dinner, I staggered out of the restaurant with the crowd, my head spinning. Yet, I still instinctively longed for that city in the sky, so I didn’t want to move forward anymore. I just urged everyone to leave quickly.
Yanyan looked at me with concern and asked, “Zhaoyang, did you drink so much that you blacked out? Do you still have the ability to go home safely?”
Before I could respond, Leyao stepped in and said, “I’ll send him home.”
“You heard that, I have someone to take me home. You all should just go on ahead…” Saying this, I sat down on the curb of the walkway and lit another cigarette, secretly hoping to be left alone because I didn’t want to share my city with anyone.
But I didn’t realize that my unreasonable jealousy was precisely because of my drunken indiscretion. In the end, my frail body couldn’t contain the city within me. Only by sharing it could it radiate its healing light to the world.
Late into the night, everyone gradually said their goodbyes, leaving only Leyao by my side.
I said to her, “You should go too. I’ll sit here for a while and then head back.”
“Are you planning to sit here until the cold wind makes you lose your mind?”
“Then why are you still with me? Be careful it turns you into an idiot too!” I rambled drunkenly.
Yet Leyao didn’t mind my crude words and smiled, saying, “Then let’s both be idiots together.”
I stared at Leyao for a while, picked up a handful of pebbles from the ground, and placed them in her hand, saying, “They’re all yours. Now go.”
Leyao held the pebbles tightly and shook her head, saying, “Do you really think you can get rid of me with just a few pebbles? Do you think they’re diamonds or something?”
“Is there really a difference between diamonds and pebbles?”
Leyao didn’t say anything but held the pebbles even tighter. My mind, clouded by alcohol, was no longer capable of deciphering her actions.
I then tore off the plastic wrapper from my cigarette pack and placed it over my eyes, searching for that city in the sky.
Leyao, who had been silent, took the wrapper from my hand and said, “I’m leaving for Beijing tomorrow afternoon. Let me stay with you tonight, okay?” She added after a moment’s thought, “We can just chat.”
I looked at her, took the wrapper back from her hand, and finally said, “What’s there to chat about? Just the usual old, rotten complaints!” I put the wrapper back over my eyes but couldn’t see the city, feeling a deep sense of disappointment.
Suddenly, Leyao changed her expression, pushed me to the ground, straddled me, and angrily said, “I’m a woman, and I’m willing to chat with you, yet you refuse. Are you acting like a big shot? How big of a shot are you, anyway?”
The soft fragrance of Leyao’s body drifted into my nose with the cold wind, and my dizziness intensified until I lost consciousness, unaware of how long Leyao had stayed on top of me.
…
The next day, I woke up around noon, sitting on the bed feeling somewhat numb as I looked around the room I was in, only to find out it was CC’s bedroom.
I started shouting, “CC… CC!”
CC ran into the room, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong? Why are you shouting so loudly?”
“How did I end up here again?”
CC complained, “Don’t you remember what happened last night?”
“If I remembered, I wouldn’t be asking you.”
“Last night, Leyao brought you here. You threw up a lot, which really exhausted her. She didn’t return to the hotel until after one o’clock.”
“Then where is she now?”
“She has already gone to the airport with Luoben. They should be boarding soon.”
Instinctively, I glanced out the window. The sunlight was blinding, yet a sense of melancholy filled my heart. Were we really going our separate ways like this?
Perhaps I really had let the wind make me an idiot last night. Why didn’t I chat with her properly? Why didn’t I care about her life in Beijing?
And the next time we met would be uncertain, so it would take a long time to make up for this regret. I briefly lost myself in remorse.
CC patted my shoulder and urged, “Hurry up and get up. We need to go to the bar after lunch to prepare for the opening tonight.”
…
I had lunch at CC’s restaurant. During the meal, I thought again about the bank card Leyao had left behind. I should return this money to Mi Cai.
So, while eating, I dialed Mi Cai’s number. Moments later, the call was answered, but her voice sounded a bit hazy.
I asked in surprise, “Haven’t you woken up yet?”
“Uh-huh.”
That’s when I remembered that Weiran had blacked out last night too, and naturally Mi Cai had been taking care of him. She must have been exhausted, which explained why she was still sleeping now.
“Where did you stay last night?”
“Why are you asking me this?”
I knew exactly why I was asking but pretended not to, saying, “I’m just worried you might be wandering the streets. Isn’t your place occupied by that sea turtle guy?”
“Yeah.”
My heart sank, guessing that Mi Cai had spent the night with Weiran. After a brief silence, I asked again, “But where did you stay?”
“At home.”
My heart turned cold again. My guess was confirmed. Although I knew Mi Cai was a decent girl, it was late at night, and with a man and a woman alone, both adults, and one of them drunk, things might get out of hand. Like what had happened between me and Leyao before.
“Did you call me just to ask where I stayed last night?”
I replied with a half-truth, “Not exactly. But I’m relieved to know you stayed at home. At least you didn’t end up on the streets.”
Mi Cai was silent for a moment before asking, “Then how come you didn’t come back last night?”
I was surprised, “How do you know I didn’t come back?”
“I’m staying at the old house. Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”
I was momentarily stunned. It turned out Mi Cai meant the old house when she said “home.” Instantly, my heart lifted, realizing she hadn’t been with Weiran last night.
Regaining my composure, I quickly explained, “I stayed at CC’s place last night. If you don’t believe me, you can call CC right now to confirm.”
“Where you stay is none of my business. It’s better that you didn’t come back. That way, I wouldn’t have to drive you out.”
I was at a loss for words again by Mi Cai’s response but still tried to say with a thick face, “You were worried about me, weren’t you? After all, I also blacked out last night!”
My words seemed to leave Mi Cai speechless. After a pause, she said, “If you don’t have anything serious to say, I’m going to hang up.”
“Wait, wait, wait… I do have something. Just don’t hang up yet.”
“Then hurry up and say it. I need to get up.”
“Leave a bank account number for me. I’ll transfer the money Leyao owed you later.”
Mi Cai asked in surprise, “Did she recover so quickly?”
“In the entertainment industry, she just needs to sign with a company or do an endorsement to earn it back.” I said this, downplaying the effort Leyao had put into earning this money. Although I wasn’t sure exactly what she had done, in this world, no one could earn a large sum of money easily.
“I’ll send the account number to your phone later. Oh, and she still has an IOU note with me!”
“Are you coming to the bar tonight? If so, you can give it to me then.”
“Tonight is the bar’s opening. Of course, I’ll be there.”
Suddenly, I impulsively said to Mi Cai, “How about we bet again? Let’s bet on how many customers will come to the bar tonight.”
“Why do you like betting so much?”
I immediately denied it, “No, it’s not that I like betting. I just want to make a comeback!”
“Are you going to compete with me, a woman?”
I started making excuses, “You’re wrong again. Gambling knows no gender or national boundaries. The fact that I keep betting with you only shows my respect for women!”
“That does sound reasonable. Then tell me the range of customer numbers.”
I thought for a moment and said, “Between 100 and 150.”
“Then I’ll say between 150 and 200.”
“Alright, just wait for your loss. This time, if you lose, you have to sing for the customers to entertain them!”
“No problem. What if you lose?”
“You can set the condition.”
Mi Cai thought for a moment and replied, “If you lose, you have to give me a guitar. I don’t have one of my own yet.”
I immediately felt depressed. She was so rich, yet why did she always like making me give her things? Last time it was an oil-powered racing car, and this time it’s a guitar, none of which were cheap…
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