After the impromptu concert, our group headed to the restaurant. Initially, it was just us, not particularly lively. But then Little Wu, who had just finished his gig at the bar, brought his band members to the restaurant. With the addition of these boisterous fellows, it was inevitable that I got drunk.

But I wasn’t afraid of the aftermath of getting drunk, because it had been a long time since I had such a wild night. And our group would never gather like this again to hold such an impromptu concert.

After all, Robben and Le Yao were going back to Beijing, and Wei Ran, who I found annoying, was returning to the United States. But his musical skills were quite good, and without him, it wouldn’t have been a complete concert.

So, I began to miss this night more and more, even though it hadn’t reached its end yet.

After dinner, I staggered through the crowd towards the exit of the restaurant. My head was spinning, but I was instinctively longing for that city in the sky. I didn’t want to move anymore, just urging everyone to leave.

Yan Yan asked me worriedly, “Zhao Yang, are you blackout drunk? Can you get home safely?”

Before I could answer, Le Yao took over, “I’ll take him home.”

“See, someone’s taking me home. You all should go…” I said, sitting on the curb of the walkway. I lit another cigarette, wishing I could be alone, because I didn’t want to share that city that belonged only to me.

But I didn’t realize that this unreasonable pettiness was due to my drunken state. After all, my frail body couldn’t contain this city. Only by sharing it could it radiate its world-saving brilliance!

The night was deep, and everyone said their goodbyes, leaving only Le Yao by my side.

I said to her, “You should go too. I’ll sit for a while and then go home.”

“Are you going to let the cold wind blow you stupid?”

“Then you better be careful, it might blow you stupid too!” I rambled drunkenly.

But Le Yao didn’t mind my foul language. She laughed and said, “Then I’ll be stupid with you.”

I stared at Le Yao for a while, picked up a stone from the ground and handed it to her, saying, “Here, take this and go.”

Le Yao held the stone and shook her head, “You think you can get rid of me with a few stones? Do you think they’re diamonds?”

“Is there a difference between diamonds and stones?”

Le Yao didn’t say anything but held the stones tighter. My brain was in chaos due to the alcohol, and I had no ability to guess her actions.

I took out the thin film from the cigarette box and put it in front of my eyes, looking for that city in the sky.

Le Yao, who had been silent, took the film from my hand and said, “I’m going back to Beijing tomorrow afternoon. Let me stay with you tonight, okay?” She thought for a moment and added, “We can just chat.”

I glanced at her, took back the film, and said, “What’s there to talk about? It’s just the same old complaints!” I put the film back in front of my eyes, but I couldn’t see the city, and I felt frustrated.

Suddenly, Le Yao turned her face and pushed me to the ground. She straddled me, her eyes filled with anger, “I’m a woman, offering to chat with you, and you’re not willing? Are you too big for your boots?… How big do you think you are?”

The feminine scent from Le Yao drifted into my nostrils with the cold wind. The dizziness intensified, and then I lost consciousness, not knowing how long Le Yao stayed on top of me.

…

When I woke up the next day, it was already noon. I sat on the bed, numbly looking around the room, realizing that I was in 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.”

“Le Yao brought you here. You threw up a lot, and she had to deal with it until past one in the morning.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s already gone to the airport with Robben. They should be boarding soon.”

I instinctively looked out the window. The sunlight was blinding, but my heart was filled with a sense of melancholy. Was this the end of our paths together?

Maybe the wind really did blow me stupid last night. Why didn’t I chat with her? Why didn’t I ask about her life in Beijing?

And the next time we meet is uncertain. It will be a long time before I can make up for this regret. So, I lost myself in regret for a moment.

CC patted my shoulder and urged, “Get up quickly. After lunch, we have to go to the bar to prepare for tonight’s opening.”

…

I had lunch at CC’s restaurant. During the meal, I remembered the bank card Le Yao left behind. I should return this money to Mi Cai.

So, while eating, I dialed Mi Cai’s number. After a while, the call was answered, and her voice sounded a bit groggy.

I asked in surprise, “Haven’t you woken up yet?”

“Mm.”

Then I remembered, Wei Ran was also blackout drunk last night. Naturally, Mi Cai was taking care of him. She must have been exhausted. Otherwise, how could she still be asleep!

“Where did you stay last night?”

“Why are you asking this?””Of course, I understand why I’m asking this, but I pretend not to and say, “I’m worried you’ll end up on the streets! Isn’t your room supposed to be given to the little turtle?”

“Yes.”

A chill ran through my heart. I guessed she must have stayed in the same room with Wei Ran last night. After a moment of silence, I asked, “What about you, where did you stay?”

“My own home.”

My heart sank. As I had suspected. Even though I knew Mi Cai was a decent girl, it was late at night, they were alone, both adults, and one of them had been drinking. I was worried they might have done something inappropriate, like Le Yao and I once did.

“Did you call me just to ask where I stayed last night?”

I replied insincerely, “Not really, but knowing you stayed at home puts my mind at ease. At least you didn’t end up on the streets.”

Mi Cai was silent for a moment before asking, “Why didn’t you come back last night?”

I was surprised, “How did you know I didn’t come back last night?”

“I stayed in the old house, of course I would know!”

I was stunned. So, the ‘home’ Mi Cai referred to was the old house. I felt relieved knowing she didn’t spend the night with Wei Ran.

Regaining my composure, I quickly explained, “I stayed at CC’s place last night. If you don’t believe me, you can call CC to confirm.”

“Why should I care where you stay? It’s better if you don’t come back, so I don’t have to kick you out.”

I was choked by Mi Cai’s words, but I still shamelessly said, “You’re worried about me, aren’t you? After all, I was blackout drunk!”

My words seemed to leave Mi Cai speechless. After a pause, she said, “If you don’t have anything important to say, I’m hanging up.”

“No, no, no… don’t hang up.”

“Then hurry up and speak, I need to get up.”

“Leave me your bank account number. I’ll transfer the money Le Yao owes you later.”

Mi Cai asked in surprise, “Has she recovered so quickly?”

“She’s in the entertainment industry. Just signing with a company and doing some endorsements will earn her the money back.” I said, downplaying the effort Le Yao had put into earning this money. Although I wasn’t sure what she had sacrificed, no one in this world could easily earn a large sum of money.

“I’ll send you the account number later. By the way, I still have her IOU here!”

“Are you going to the bar tonight? If you are, you can give it to me then.”

“The bar is opening tonight, I’ll definitely be there.”

Suddenly, I felt like gambling with Mi Cai again, “How about we bet on the number of people at the bar tonight?”

“Why do you like gambling so much?”

I immediately denied it, “No, I don’t like gambling, I just want to win back some dignity!”

“Do you need to compete with me, a woman?”

I started to ramble, “You’re wrong again. Gambling is genderless and borderless. Betting with you again and again just shows that I respect women!”

“That seems reasonable. Then you set the range for the number of people.”

I thought for a moment and said, “100-150.”

“Then I’ll say 150-200.”

“Alright, prepare to lose. If you lose this time, you have to sing to entertain the customers!”

“No problem, what if you lose?”

“You set the condition.”

Mi Cai thought for a moment and replied, “You have to give me a guitar. I don’t have my own guitar yet.”

I was immediately depressed. She was so rich, why did she always like me to give her things? Last time it was an oil-powered race car, this time it’s a guitar, and neither of them are cheap…

————————————

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