Seeing my silence, Mi Cai asked again, “Is it so difficult for you to give a guitar as a gift? Besides, you might not necessarily lose!”

The moment I heard the word “besides”, a sense of foreboding surged within me. After spending a long time with her, I had discovered that whenever she used such transitional words, she had often already set a trap for me, luring me to willingly jump in.

But on second thought, the bet was my own proposal, she had no prerequisite conditions to set a trap, so such worries were completely unnecessary.

“Giving you a guitar is a trivial matter, but… I can’t afford it!”

Although my words took a sharp turn, they were indeed the truth. If I were to give her a guitar worth only a hundred or so yuan, it would not match her superb playing skills at all.

Mi Cai was silent for a long time before she said to me, “You can owe it first.”

I smiled and agreed immediately, then said, “Just like you said, I might not necessarily lose. Everything is just a matter of ‘if’.”

“Right, then I wish you all the best, don’t let this ‘if’ become a reality.”

“No problem, we’ll see tonight!”

……

After having dinner at CC’s restaurant, I went to the bank to transfer money and paid off the 500,000 yuan I owed to Jian Wei and Mi Cai. I felt a sigh of relief, like a snail shedding its heavy shell. Without any worries, I could finally devote myself to running the bar.

CC and I spent the whole afternoon preparing for the opening of the bar. To our surprise, some customers arrived at the bar around 5 o’clock. They said they came early because they had seen our performance at Zhuomei yesterday and wanted to experience the charm of “The Fifth Season” in advance.

I was both happy and worried. The good news was that my positioning of the bar had initially attracted the attention of consumers. The bad news was that, according to this trend, I was bound to lose the bet with Mi Cai.

But this worry was fleeting, because deep down, I really wanted to give Mi Cai a guitar. After all, a guitar would accompany her for a long time, even a lifetime, just like the guitar Jian Wei gave me.

For the first batch of customers who entered the bar, whether they brought the distributed coupons or not, we gave them a bottle of beer for free. So the customers drank beer and commented on the bar after its reopening.

I mingled among the customers, listening to their comments and soliciting their opinions. I kept their suggestions in mind for future improvements. Overall, the customers gave high praise and were full of expectations for this ideology-oriented bar.

The winter night always comes quickly. Before I knew it, it was completely dark, and I was still standing outside the bar welcoming the guests.

Around half past six, I finally saw the red Q7 I had been eagerly waiting for, and then I saw Mi Cai, dressed casually, sitting in the car.

After Mi Cai parked the car, she came to me. I looked at her and said with a smile, “Your red down jacket looks nice.”

“I dressed like this on purpose, hoping that the bar will be prosperous.”

I was touched, but I still blurted out, “If the bar is prosperous, I will make money. If I have money, I can buy you a guitar… You really plan ahead!”

“Yes, yes… I’m just waiting for you to make money and buy it for me.” After saying that, she looked around. Just then, a business car arrived, and a group of customers who came to the bar got out of the car. Mi Cai smiled and said, “It seems like you’re going to lose today!”

“Even if I lose, I’m happy. The more the merrier. At least it proves that the customers approve of this bar!”

Mi Cai seemed very happy too. She patted my shoulder and said, “Keep up the good work, don’t let my expectations down!”

I didn’t say anything, but the word “expectations” was enough to make me daydream. I really hoped that she wasn’t just saying it casually, but was truly full of expectations.

Mi Cai didn’t go into the bar immediately. She stood outside with me, welcoming the guests who were arriving one after another, and we chatted casually.

I asked her again, “Why did you come alone today? Where’s your ‘little turtle’ friend?”

“He finally came back to the country once, he has other friends to meet… But, can you stop calling him ‘little turtle’ all the time?”

“He is a turtle, and besides, who knows what he calls me behind my back!”

Mi Cai suddenly laughed…

I immediately asked with a stern face, “Tell me honestly, what does he call me behind my back?”

Mi Cai shook her head repeatedly and said, “I can’t tell you that!”

“Believe it or not, I’ll strangle you…”

“Why would you strangle me? I’m not the one who calls you that!”

I was curious and annoyed. I said to Mi Cai, “Call the ‘little turtle’ over now, I want to talk to him face to face!”

“I won’t call him. Besides, I think the way he calls you is quite fitting!”

“So you’re playing favorites now? I call him ‘little turtle’ and you’re not happy, but when he badmouths me behind my back, you enjoy it!”

Mi Cai replied with a matter-of-fact expression, “It depends on the person. You should consider how you usually treat me!”

I seized the opportunity to say, “Yeah, I can’t do something as pretentious as renting out an entire cinema to confess my feelings to you!”

“Don’t you dare mention that!”

“Once the words are out, they can’t be taken back. I’ve said it, so what?” I challenged Mi Cai after finishing my sentence.

“Termite!”

I had never heard Mi Cai use such a fresh insult before. I immediately retorted, “Damn, you’re so good at cursing. You must have learned it from ‘little turtle’, didn’t you?”

“You’re just a termite!”

I immediately grabbed the unprepared Mi Cai, and without fully knocking her down, I let her lie on my knee. I then said, “Try cursing me again. I dare you. I’ll throw you on the ground and let you know what it feels like to be flat on your back!”

Mi Cai’s face changed instantly, but it wasn’t panic or fear of my threat. She looked at me seriously and said, “Zhao Yang, don’t joke around like this. I don’t like it at all!”

Her cold tone left me at a loss. I subconsciously wanted to help her up from my knee, but just then, Chen Jingming and Circle, who had come to show their support, got out of the car and saw this scene.

It seemed like every time we had excessive physical contact, we would inexplicably be caught by acquaintances. Last time it was Mr. Ban, this time it was Circle and Chen Jingming.

Because Mi Cai was lying on my knee, her vision was limited, and she didn’t notice Chen Jingming and Circle approaching. Likewise, Chen Jingming and Circle didn’t recognize Mi Cai, as they couldn’t see her face from their angle.

Circle, who had come up to me, joked, “Zhao Yang, who’s the girl you’re flirting with?”

I was at a loss for words, and finally helped Mi Cai, who I had been holding down, up from my knee…

Circle and Chen Jingming were taken aback, genuinely startled. The two exchanged glances, and after a while, they exclaimed, “Boss Mi…”

———————

Sorry for the late update today, I was chatting with someone and lost track of time!