I was so afraid that Mi Cai would be unwilling to take me along that I sprinted to her car, yanked open the passenger door, sat down, and hurriedly fastened my seatbelt, finally feeling safe.
Mi Cai looked at me helplessly and said, “Why are you always so nervous?”
“You always ignore me, right? If I didn’t stubbornly stick around, we’d only be gazing across a chasm at each other.”
“Who would gaze at you across a chasm!”
“You lack so much poetic sensibility. Imagine that scene—it’s so helpless, so tragic…”
“And sad too!”
Seeing Mi Cai successfully drawn into the conversation, I raised my eyebrows and said, “Therefore, you wouldn’t want to gaze at me across a chasm, because you wouldn’t see a complete me, and you’d feel very sad!”
Mi Cai glanced at me from the corner of her eyes but didn’t respond, then started the car and joined the stream of traffic on the afternoon streets of winter.
Sunlight filtered through the car windows, casting onto us, dispelling some of the winter chill and making us feel comfortable.
After Mi Cai drove onto a relatively simple road, I asked her, “I heard that Chen Jingming will serve as the Executive Vice President of Zhuomei Department Store in Suzhou?”
Mi Cai nodded, confirming the news.
“…It’s hard to imagine the internal interest groups at Zhuomei would easily support your decision, since the position of Executive Vice President isn’t ordinary!”
Facing my confusion, Mi Cai calmly replied, “Mainly, this time they encountered the right opportunity. You should know that Zhuomei’s mall in Shanghai will soon open, and the headquarters will relocate there too, leaving many opportunities in Suzhou…”
Mi Cai didn’t continue, but I vaguely understood the reason and asked, “So in the future, will your uncle focus more on managing the Shanghai headquarters while you mainly handle Suzhou?”
“You can say that.”
I once again recognized Mi Zhongde’s cunning and long-term planning. He was gradually stripping Mi Cai of her power step by step. After all, Suzhou’s Zhuomei and the Shanghai headquarters were completely incomparable. Once separated, it would be more advantageous for Mi Zhongde to cultivate his own system. Perhaps his insistence on launching the ‘metropolis’ strategy was motivated by this very intention. After all, establishing a mall in a top-tier city like Shanghai would naturally lead to the headquarters relocating there. In contrast, developing in second- and third-tier cities would keep the headquarters in Suzhou, which would not be conducive to him breaking free from Mi Cai’s influence.
Of course, if I could think of these things, Mi Cai certainly could too. After a brief silence, I asked her, “So, how do you plan to respond?”
Mi Cai looked at me and said, “I don’t want to talk about this with you.”
I felt somewhat rejected but still stubbornly pressed on, “Then at least tell me why you postponed meeting with Chen Jingming and Fang Yuan by a week? Surely you can tell me that.”
“You aren’t involved, so why should I tell you?”
Her attitude left me speechless, but I vaguely understood that it might be because I had repeatedly refused to join Zhuomei.
Knowing I wouldn’t get anything out of her, I finally stopped asking. Mi Cai also accelerated the car, seemingly eager to get me to my destination as soon as possible and be rid of me.
But we had been so happy last night, cooperating via WeChat on the song “Runaway Together”—how come she was so cold today? Women’s minds… truly incomprehensible!
After dropping me off at my place, Mi Cai left for Shanghai, though whether it was for Weiran or work, I wasn’t sure.
…
In the evening, I had dinner with Fang Yuan, Chen Jingming, and Zhao Li. This time, Zhao Li would also follow Fang Yuan and Chen Jingming in switching to Zhuomei. After all, at Poly Department Store, he belonged to Chen Jingming’s faction. With Chen Jingming’s downfall at Poly, Zhao Li naturally couldn’t stay, and following Fang Yuan and Chen Jingming was a good choice for him. At least at Zhuomei, his position wouldn’t be lower than it had been at Poly.
During the meal, both Chen Jingming and Fang Yuan expressed their deep gratitude toward me, and naturally, there was no shortage of alcohol. Only after getting quite drunk did the dinner end.
On my way home, I didn’t take any transportation but instead staggered along the streets with the crowd, trying to sober up.
When I grew tired, I sat on the curb watching the passing crowds blankly. I disliked this night when I was all alone, because when I was drunk, I always had so many complaints to vent, but now, who would be willing to listen?
I then recalled my university days, when no matter how much I drank, there was always someone who stayed with me till the end, patiently listening to my drunken ramblings…
Thinking of those old days, I couldn’t help feeling melancholy. I lowered my eyes and lit a cigarette for myself, regretting that I had drunk so much, because being drunk alone was so lonely.
I tore off the transparent wrapper from the cigarette pack and held it over my eyes, gazing at the stars. But I could no longer see that city or that long-haired woman, only drawing disdainful glances from passersby who avoided me, the drunkard sitting by the roadside.
What do they know! They’re just ordinary people buried in their daily lives, so they’ll never see that city in the sky. But I can see it, even if only occasionally!
The night gradually swirled into my mind. To keep myself from collapsing on the street, I had to sing, even without a guitar. I took out my phone, found the voice chat record with Mi Cai from yesterday, pressed the voice key, and sang out loud.
I sang “Past Glories” for Mi Cai, singing heartbreakingly: “The most beautiful treasures in life are those moments from the past. Although we were poor, we had happiness. We wore old clothes. In the snowy winters of Hailar, the song of the three carts echoed. On the gentle summer nights by the Yimin River, the accordion played softly. Now we’ve changed. We’re busy chasing after life every day. But when we think of those days, your eyes will light up. The most beautiful treasures in life are still those moments from the past. Friends raise their beer, and there’s only half a sausage on the table…”
After finishing the song, I stared blankly at the message I had sent. I was dazed because I was immersed in the lyrics. My eyes felt warm, and I thought of my once deeply loved lover and my best friends. But just like the lyrics said, we’ve all changed now. Those carefree days together have finally been locked in an untouchable moment in time, leaving me with a deep sense of longing!
A moment later, Mi Cai replied: “This song is supposed to be a gentle reminiscence, so why did you sing it so painfully?”
“To disgust you!” I replied illogically to Mi Cai.
“You didn’t disgust me. On the contrary, it was very nice… Can you guess which line of lyrics I like the most?”
I reorganized the lyrics in my mind, not caring which line she liked, and sent her my favorite: “The most beautiful treasures in life are those moments from the past. Although we were poor, we had happiness. We wore old clothes.”
I lit another cigarette, waiting for Mi Cai’s reply while scrutinizing myself. In the past, I was truly poor except for happiness, but now I’m poor except for sorrow, and I long even more to return to those days of the past!
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