Le Yao’s words stirred a strong desire to debate within me. I asked her, “If you could choose, would you prefer a man to be rich or poor?”

“If he could be rich, that would be great, but if…”

I didn’t let Le Yao finish her sentence, interrupting her, “So that’s what Mi Cai must think too. Although we don’t want to admit it, we have to say that a love with material security can save a lot of trouble. It’s not hard for her to accommodate me for a while, but it’s hard to do so for a lifetime. Let’s face it, everyone has their ups and downs. If she becomes poor one day, I should have enough material wealth to maintain her previous standard of living, right?”

Le Yao fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded and said, “You’re right. Once love returns to rationality, it can’t escape the trivialities of daily life. And women ultimately desire their men to be the last line of defense in this cruel life… I’m no exception, and neither is Mi Cai!”

“Right… So, I really should do something.”

“Have you figured out what you want to do?”

“Talking about starting a business at this stage isn’t very practical. I should find a job with room for growth first. At least with a stable income, I won’t be strapped for cash if I want to buy her a bag or a dress in the future!”

Le Yao smiled and said, “You really love her. Your plans for the future are all based on her.”

“But the thing with the shortest shelf life in this world is love. Have you ever thought about what you would do if she stopped loving you one day?”

I was taken aback, realizing that although I had planned our love far enough, I had never imagined a day when we would no longer love each other. But it could happen, just as Le Yao said, love has no shelf life, which is why there are so many breakups and makeups.

I felt a bit frustrated, lit a cigarette from the pack, took a deep puff, and then said to Le Yao, “If I can’t make it work with her, I really don’t want to believe in love anymore. But… I won’t live in despair like before. I think I can continue to strive in life with the open-mindedness that comes from seeing through love!”

“Do you promise?”

I nodded.

Unexpectedly, Le Yao took out her phone from her bag, pressed the record button, and said to me, “Repeat what you just said.”

“Fuck you… Are you cursing us?”

Le Yao replied coldly, “If I give you the chance, would you dare?”

“My point is about you cursing us, not about fucking you!”

Le Yao’s expression turned serious again, “If you two can grow old together, I would of course be happy for you. But if you can’t, I really don’t want you to suffer like before… So, as a friend, I want you to promise me that you won’t live in pain!”

I looked at Le Yao, and after a long time, I finally said, “If one day Mi Cai and I… break up, I will continue to strive in life with the open-mindedness that comes from seeing through love…”

Le Yao nodded, saved the audio file, and I prayed in my heart, “I hope I never have the chance to hear this recording!”

…

After parting with Le Yao at the coffee shop, I immediately went to find A Ji and returned the 20,000 yuan I had received from Le Yao. Finally, I was free of debt, which made me feel that a new life was getting closer and closer, but I couldn’t be sure what the new life would be like. Maybe there would be more happiness than troubles, or maybe more troubles than happiness.

In the evening, I sent a message to Mi Cai, asking if she would be coming home tonight. She said she had a banquet to attend, so I had a simple dinner, and then took a satisfying walk along the street after the meal.

During this walk, I was still thinking about what kind of job I should find. In a daze, I found myself at the city moat, and it was already completely dark.

I sat down to rest by the familiar river bank, not reminiscing about the times Jian Wei and I had spent here as usual, but remembering the day I drunkenly threw my phone into the river, and then Mi Cai came to find me.

Thinking about it, this familiar river bank really gathered all the various aspects of my life. Because here, I had played the guitar, smoked, laughed, cried, and felt helpless.

I lit a cigarette out of habit, enjoying the tranquility of being alone in the breeze. Yes, alone. I knew Jian Wei wouldn’t come today because Xiang Chen was back, and I didn’t have to worry about an awkward encounter.

When I got tired of standing, I sat down on the grass. When I got tired of sitting, I lay down. I was so relaxed and free that I couldn’t help but sing out loud, and the night deepened with my singing.

The notification sound of WeChat suddenly rang. I rolled over and took out my phone from my pocket, feeling joyful because it was a message from Mi Cai.

“I’m back, why aren’t you home?”

“I went for a walk after dinner and ended up at the city moat… I’ll be back soon.”

“You went so far!… Don’t come back yet, I’ll come pick you up. I want to sit there for a while too.”

…

A short while later, Mi Cai arrived at the city moat, carrying the guitar I had given her. She handed me the guitar and said, “You seem so leisurely, why don’t you sing a few songs for me?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll eat something while listening to you sing.”

“Weren’t you at a banquet? Why do you still want to eat?”

“I didn’t have an appetite just now, but I do now.”

I smiled and pulled her into my arms, asking, “Do you get hungry when you don’t see me?”

“Are you a hamburger or fries?”

“Exactly, let’s see if you dare to eat!”

Mi Cai shook her head to indicate she didn’t dare, then took out a box from her bag and said to me, “Look, I brought my own.”

“Tiramisu?”

Mi Cai nodded, opened the box, and with a smile, picked up a piece with a fork and brought it to my mouth, saying, “Open up.”

I opened my mouth to accept the cake, and only then did she start eating. Then she urged me, “Sing a song… sing ‘Cinderella’.”

“But you’re not Cinderella!”

“But I want to be your Cinderella… Sing, sing!” Mi Cai shook my arm, urging me again.

Unable to resist Mi Cai, I smiled, strummed the guitar strings, and began to sing that song, Cinderella.

“How did I fall for you, I ask myself, I can give up everything, but today it’s hard to leave, you’re not beautiful, but you’re extremely cute, oh Cinderella… If this is a dream, I’d rather stay drunk than wake up, I’ve been patient, I’ve been waiting, maybe waiting for you to come, maybe waiting for you to come, maybe waiting for you to come…”

In the midst of my singing, Mi Cai leisurely ate her tiramisu. I felt a bit dazed, feeling as if I had experienced a similar scene before.

At that moment, a breeze brought the scent of the night. I finally remembered, a few years ago, I often sang songs for Jian Wei by the riverbank. Back then, I sang ‘Elope’, today it’s ‘Cinderella’. Mi Cai likes tiramisu, Jian Wei loves mousse cake, that’s the only difference!

I ended the song with a long note, and Mi Cai, like a girl in love, affectionately fed me her tiramisu. Then she snuggled up to me, her hair unintentionally brushing against my face, and I could smell the faint fragrance.

I wanted to freeze this moment, but then I thought of the birthday party I was going to attend in a few days. How nice it would be if we could go there in such a peaceful and simple state, forgetting the complexities of human nature!

——

Beware of scammers impersonating me on QQ to cheat money. I won’t ask you for tickets or money.