I drove quickly, wondering why Leyao had come to Xuzhou. From her tone, I could easily sense that her mood was terrible.
About fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the train station and immediately called Leyao. She told me she hadn’t eaten anything and was at the station square.
I parked my car by the roadside and walked toward the station square. Amid the crowded masses, I finally spotted Leyao standing in the cold wind. Although the lighting was poor at night, I could still clearly see her solemn expression.
I walked toward Leyao, who had also spotted me from afar and started walking toward me.
Wanting to lighten the heavy atmosphere of our reunion, I smiled and asked, “Big shot Leyao, why didn’t you go eat somewhere first?”
Leyao obviously forced a smile and replied, “I was waiting for you to treat me.”
My mood became heavier because of her forced smile, and I felt even more urgently that something must have happened to her that required her to come to Xuzhou seeking my help.
…
Leyao and I found a relatively quiet restaurant near the train station. After ordering some food, I asked Leyao while we waited for our meal, “Alright, tell me what’s going on. What do you need my help with?”
Leyao looked at me with a complex expression. After a long silence, she finally said, “Zhaoyang, I opened a music bar in Suzhou.”
I replied in surprise, “You opened a music bar! Didn’t I tell you not to do that!!”
Leyao spoke in a low and helpless tone, “I work in the entertainment industry. If I can become famous, that’s the best-case scenario. But if I can’t, have you ever considered how I would survive? I don’t have any job skills. What else can I do besides investing? How else can I support myself?”
I fell silent, feeling a sense of sympathy for how insecure life can be for most people who struggle to secure their livelihood. After a while, I asked Leyao, “You must have told Luoben and CC about your investment in the music bar, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then why have I never heard them mention it to me?”
“Last time, you already disagreed with me opening a bar, so I didn’t let them tell you.”
At this moment, it was hard for me to blame Leyao for not listening to my advice. I also understood the reason she had come to see me. I calmed myself and asked, “How much money did you invest in this music bar?”
Leyao’s expression became even more gloomy. After a moment of silence, she quietly told me, “More than one million.”
I thought I had misheard and asked again, “How much?”
“Almost 1.5 million.”
“Damn it… Are you crazy? One and a half million! For a bar, investing a few hundred thousand is already enough to play around with. Investing so much money—you’re playing with fire!” I almost shouted at Leyao.
Leyao lowered her head in silence…
I lit a cigarette, knowing that scolding her now would be pointless. I took a heavy puff and then softened my tone to ask Leyao, “Tell me, where did you get so much money to invest?”
“I got 500,000 from my last acting job, and then…” Leyao paused for a long time before mustering the courage to say, “I borrowed 1 million in high-interest loans from some friends.”
I fell silent again, realizing the seriousness of the situation. I never expected Leyao to dare to take such a risk. Her investment was clearly too reckless.
I took another heavy puff of my cigarette before saying, “Tell me, how is the bar doing now?”
“It’s not making ends meet… The business is going really badly.” Leyao’s voice was already choked with emotion.
I fell silent once more, realizing that the sum of over a million had completely exceeded my ability to help.
“Zhaoyang, what should I do now? You have to help me…” Leyao looked at me with a face full of helplessness.
Feeling emotionally overwhelmed, I smoked almost half of the cigarette in one go but still remained calm as I said, “The most urgent thing now is to pay off the high-interest loans. The compounding interest is terrifying. We can deal with the bar’s operation later.”
Leyao nodded and said, “I’ll figure out a way to pay off the loans.”
“How will you pay them back? Where will you get the money?”
After my questioning, Leyao looked helpless and confused. After a moment, she seemed to make a decision and said, “At most, I’ll just…”
“What are you planning to do?” My tone was filled with anger.
Leyao hesitated before replying, “There are some rich businessmen…”
I immediately interrupted, “Leyao, I forbid you to do that. You must live with dignity, do you hear me?”
“But what else can I do?”
“I’ll help you find a solution, but you must abandon that idea immediately.” I said firmly to Leyao.
Leyao finally looked up, tears in her eyes as she looked at me. After a long while, she said, “I’m sorry, Zhaoyang. I’ve caused you trouble again.”
Feeling troubled inside, I still comforted her, “Don’t say that. Your motivation to invest in the bar wasn’t wrong. You were just pushed by life.”
Hearing my understanding, Leyao’s tears flowed like a broken dam. She sobbed, “Zhaoyang, I’ll definitely figure out a way to resolve the high-interest loan issue myself. The reason I came to Xuzhou to find you is because I hope you can help me manage the bar. I know you’re smart. You’ll definitely find a way to help the bar get through this difficult time. Please promise me, okay?”
Leyao’s tearful plea pierced my heart like a knife. But at this moment, I couldn’t bring myself to promise her. If I went back to Suzhou to help her manage the bar, it would mean giving up the stable job I had finally secured in Xuzhou, and even my relationship with Li Xiaoyun…
After an extremely long silence, I quietly said to Leyao, “I’m sorry, but I’ve already started a new life in Xuzhou. As for Suzhou… I really can’t go back!”
My response left Leyao’s face filled with heart-wrenching pain: “Zhaoyang… Please don’t refuse me. Other than you, I don’t know who else I can rely on. I’m so lonely, so helpless… I’m about to break down!”
My heart ached with pain, as if I were once again caught in a painful dilemma. I knew Leyao was the kind of woman who might seem to have many friends, but in reality, very few could genuinely help her in times of hardship. Even those who had the ability to help her were probably only eyeing her body and beauty… Unless she was willing to give up her dignity as a woman, she truly was helpless and lonely.
After a suffocating struggle, I finally said to Leyao, “Let me think about it for a while.”
Leyao’s expression eased slightly, and she nodded tearfully. At that moment, the food we had ordered was brought to us by the waiter.
I unwrapped a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Leyao, then scooped a small bowl of tremella and lotus seed soup for her with a comforting smile, saying, “Drink some hot soup first.”
Leyao obediently nodded and took the small bowl from my hands. As for myself, I had no appetite at all. I took out another cigarette, lit it, and my heart was filled with the pain of making a decision. If I really had to give up my job here and go back to Suzhou with Leyao, how would I face Li Xiaoyun?
Amid the swirling smoke, I seemed to see my distorted life once again…
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