Arriving at the company, as usual, I turned on the computer and read some social news for a while. Then I went to my friends’ Weibo and tried to find some funny jokes to cheer myself up.

By chance, I found a Weibo post from Yan Yan two days ago. The main content of the Weibo was her wedding photos with Circle. She mentioned many people in the post, but not me. Of course, I knew that she was afraid that Circle and her getting married would remind me of the sad ending between Jian Wei and me. Actually, she didn’t have to worry. I can bless them with pain.

Their wedding photos had many themes, and one set of photos was named “Silent Joy”. In this set of photos, Circle and Yan Yan held hands but had no expression on their faces. They looked silent, while the background of the photos was a smiling sunflower, highlighting the theme of “Silent Joy”.

It was a great theme, but it didn’t belong to them. This theme was proposed by Jian Wei more than three years ago when she had a forward-thinking idea of how to take our wedding photos. I had a sudden inspiration… I thought that joy in silence could withstand the test of time and erosion of years, and always remain.

I sighed lightly, but my heart was in pain due to the merciless passage of time. I fell into silence for a while, then I smiled and left a comment under Yan Yan’s Weibo post: “Two shameless thieves, I wish you eternal happiness!”

I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly. However, the smoke was instantly blown away by the wind, revealing a cracked image. In the image, Jian Wei, who still looked the same as three years ago, was lying in my arms, praising the theme of “Silent Joy” that I proposed. We happily decided that one day when we got married, we would use this theme for our wedding photos.

But in the end, we didn’t get to use this theme. It was stolen by Circle and Yan Yan, two friends who lacked innovation… Hehe, I’m not upset about it at all, really… It just reminds me of that evening when we were full of joy because of our anticipation of getting married.

…

At noon, Circle and I had lunch in the company’s cafeteria. Starting from this afternoon, Circle would take a two-week wedding leave, and he needed to temporarily hand over some work to me.

After spending ten minutes discussing work with Circle, we started talking about his upcoming wedding with Yan Yan.

I asked Circle, “Has Yan Yan found her bridesmaid?”

Circle nodded and said, “Originally, Yan Yan planned to find a female colleague from her company to be her bridesmaid. But now that Jian Wei is back, she will definitely choose Jian Wei.”

I didn’t react for a moment and stayed stunned for a while before asking Circle, “I’m your groomsman, right?”

“What’s wrong? Are you planning to back out at the last minute?” Circle’s face sank as he asked.

“What are you two thinking? Have you ever considered how awkward it would be to arrange Jian Wei and me as your groomsman and bridesmaid?” I added.

After a moment, Circle finally realized and said, “Oh, I and Yan Yan didn’t think about this. It would indeed be awkward to arrange you and Jian Wei like that.”

“Good that you know. Besides, Jian Wei and I have already broken up. It’s not auspicious for us to be your groomsman and bridesmaid!” I added.

“Now that you mention it, I’m a little worried!” Circle paused and asked again, “So, who should withdraw, you or Jian Wei?”

“You’re taking a wedding leave, and all the work is being handed over to me. I don’t have that much time to be your groomsman. I’ll withdraw.” I thought for a moment and said.

“Alright, there’s really no perfect solution to this matter.” Circle said with some regret in his words.

Of course, I also felt regret, but according to wedding customs, it’s not very auspicious for a couple who have already broken up to be the groomsman and bridesmaid.

After a moment of silence, I asked Circle, “Have you thought of any other candidates for the groomsman?”

Circle made a reassuring expression and said, “No need to think about it, we already have someone in mind. We’ll ask Xiang Chen.”

I have to say, Xiang Chen is the perfect choice to be Circle’s groomsman. Back in college, the three of us had the closest relationship in our class. It’s just that Xiang Chen is from Nanjing and returned to Nanjing after graduation, not staying in Suzhou with us. But the friendship between revolutionaries has always remained.

I nodded and asked Circle, “I haven’t been in contact with him for a while. What has he been busy with lately?”

Circle sighed and said, “Their family’s tobacco and liquor business has been doing well these past two years. I heard they opened several branches in Nanjing. Recently, they are preparing to operate as a company and have set up a flagship store of 800 square meters. The image design fee for the flagship store alone cost over 300,000 yuan. It’s quite high-end!”

I also sighed and said, “His father is really amazing! Even in his old age, he managed to turn this kid into a second-generation rich!”

Circle shrugged and said, “This has nothing to do with his father. You know that his third uncle works in the Business Bureau and has real power. It’s only a matter of time before their tobacco and liquor business becomes big!”

I agreed with Circle’s point of view. In this society, having connections or not makes a huge difference. For example, Xiang Chen and I are two completely different cases.

…

In the afternoon, Circle left the company. My work became busy, and I didn’t finish until 8 o’clock in the evening. The next day, even though it was Saturday, I continued to work for a whole day, mainly taking over Circle’s work for the GUCCI counter project in our shopping mall. These past two days, I have been coordinating with the inspection team from GUCCI and modifying the project proposal according to their requirements.Just two days, and I already feel overwhelmed and tired. This made me realize that compared to Circle, my work ability is lacking. At least he has always been capable in handling these events.

On Saturday night at nine o’clock, I dragged my exhausted body onto the last bus home. However, my mood did not lighten because of tomorrow’s rest. All I could think about was the scene at Circle and Yan Yan’s wedding tomorrow. Although I am happy for their happy union, I am unwilling to meet Jian Wei in such a joyous occasion. This unwillingness grows stronger as time goes on. In my eyes, Circle and Yan Yan’s wedding is a cruel punishment and torment for Jian Wei and me.

Perhaps Jian Wei doesn’t care about this torment, but I really do!

…

I arrived home at half past nine, but I didn’t immediately wash up and rest. I just sat on the sofa in the living room and lit a cigarette out of habit. I became immersed in anxious emotions and even forgot to play a song on the guitar to relax.

I drank a glass of cold water and lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a while, I heard the sound of the door opening. I knew it was Mi Cai coming back. She came back later than me these past two days, maybe she has her own nightlife, but that has nothing to do with me.

The smell of smoke in the room made Mi Cai furrow her brows. She walked over to me and said, “Can you not smoke in the living room?”

I didn’t care about Mi Cai’s question and casually said, “What’s wrong with smoking in the living room? I didn’t go to your room to smoke.”

“The living room is also not allowed. I don’t want to come home every day to a smoky room,” Mi Cai said sternly.

“Then I’ll open the window next time I smoke. The wind will blow it away in a while,” I said patiently to Mi Cai in my anxious state.

“That’s not allowed either. From now on, you can only smoke outside. It’s not allowed in this house.”

I sat up from the sofa and furrowed my brows, saying, “Not allowed here, not allowed there. Do you think of me as your grandson?… I’ve been smoking in this house for over two years, in every corner, including the room you’re living in now and… the toilet.”

After I got angry, Mi Cai suddenly said calmly, “If you’re so dissatisfied, then go find another place to live. You can even climb up to the roof to smoke, no one will stop you.”

I didn’t say anything, but I felt annoyed being pinched at my weak spot. However, I couldn’t resist. I hated that I couldn’t buy this house myself and then smoke arrogantly on the roof.

After a while, I crumpled the cigarette box into a ball and angrily threw it into the trash can. I glared at Mi Cai and said rudely, “I won’t smoke anymore, are you satisfied?”

Mi Cai calmly looked at me and asked, “Won’t smoke anymore? Didn’t you just say you’re my grandson?”

I angrily said, “Nonsense, you’re the one treating me like a grandson. When did I say I’m your grandson?”

Mi Cai smiled, shrugged, and walked back to her room.

I was stunned for a while before realizing that she was setting a trap for me, making me unknowingly admit that I am her grandson… I suddenly had the urge to spray blood in front of her room. She’s really bullying an honest person!

…

After washing up, I returned to my room and closed the door tightly. I found another pack of cigarettes, opened it and lit one, then opened the window and lay on the bed, smoking.

After a while, the phone that hadn’t rung for a long time suddenly rang without any warning. I was stunned for a while and only picked up the phone from the cabinet next to the bed when the ringtone was about to end. Then I answered the call.

I heard Yan Yan’s familiar voice on the phone, “Zhao Yang, are you asleep?”

“I’m lying down, but I haven’t slept yet.”

Yan Yan sighed, “Thinking about something again? Single men are really pitiful!”

“Call me back later, I’ll go cry in the bathroom for a while.” I said unkindly. Yan Yan and Circle are the same, always comforting people to death.

Yan Yan laughed and said, “Alright, let’s talk about something serious.”

“Go ahead.” I took another puff of smoke and said.

“…I’m with Jian Wei now. She’s staying at my house tonight.” Yan Yan lowered her voice and said to me.

I restrained my heartbeat and pretended to be calm as I asked, “Aren’t you with Circle?”

“Are you stupid? I’m definitely at my own house now.” After saying that, she sweetly added, “My husband will come to marry me tomorrow!”

“Oh.”

“Um… Do you want to say a few words to Jian Wei? She’s chatting with my parents in the living room.” Yan Yan’s voice became even lower.

I was speechless…

Suddenly, another voice came from the phone, “Yan Yan, what are you doing?”

Then the phone suddenly hung up with a “beep” sound. However, I didn’t hang up the phone for a long time. I could tell that it was Jian Wei’s voice.

Finally, the phone automatically hung up. After a while, Yan Yan sent me a text message: “Did you hear Jian Wei’s voice just now… I was so scared. I called you behind her back. This matter needs to be communicated with you and Jian Wei’s consent before I can help you connect. Otherwise, it will seem like I have no sense of propriety!”

I didn’t reply to the message. I just extinguished the cigarette in silence. Her voice still lingered in my ears, and I remembered the joyous us in the rainy dusk.

Actually, whether we communicate tonight or not doesn’t have much practical significance for us. After all, we will meet face to face with our real bodies tomorrow, and three years have passed. Do we still care about enduring another anxious night?Today, as always, I’m updating four times. I’m putting in the effort, and I hope you all continue to support me. Our book has a realistic style, so it takes a while to heat up. The new book period is always the most challenging! Yesterday evening, we finally slowly climbed into the new book list, currently ranked tenth.

Flowers, collections, check-ins, and for those who can afford it, VIPs, let’s all come together to get through the toughest new book period.