After getting up, Mi Cai and I had a meal at a fast-food restaurant outside the residential area. Then we sat on the electric carousel outside the convenience store, swaying back and forth, discussing our plans to go back to Xuzhou for the New Year.
“Zhao Yang, let’s go to the mall later and buy some gifts. We can’t go to your house empty-handed this time.”
The carousel Mi Cai was sitting on had stopped. I inserted another coin for her before saying, “That’s not necessary, my family doesn’t care about these things.”
“No, you must go with me.” Mi Cai insisted.
“Alright, alright, we’ll go together, right away.”
Mi Cai finally smiled. The midday sun fell on her black hair, fluttering in the wind. I was somewhat entranced, thinking: How wonderful it would be if this woman could become my wife in the future!
My phone rang again, interrupting my daydream. I took it out of my pocket. As the New Year was approaching, I had been receiving a lot of messages. This one was from CC.
“Zhao Yang, what are you doing?”
“Riding an electric carousel…”
CC sent a sweating emoji: “You’re still in the mood to play? I heard from Mi that you’re going to Xuzhou on the first day of the New Year.”
“That’s the plan.”
“What about Le Yao? You’re not going to leave her in Suzhou, are you?”
CC’s question hit a nerve. I lost interest in the carousel and sat down on the bench in front of the convenience store, lighting a cigarette, but I still didn’t know how to solve this problem.
After a while, I replied to CC: “What do you think I should do? Can you give me some advice?”
CC seemed to be thinking about what advice to give me. It took her a while to reply: “I’ll call Le Yao later and see if she’s willing to go back to Beijing.”
“Okay, let me know after you’ve talked to her.”
“Sure.”
……
A moment later, Mi Cai drove me to the mall. My mind was preoccupied with the outcome of CC’s conversation with Le Yao, and I barely spoke to Mi Cai on the way.
“Zhao Yang, are you distracted?”
“Not at all.”
To prove that I wasn’t distracted, I started to look at Mi Cai, finally focusing on her clothes. I asked, “Is your coat from CHANEL’s new collection this season?”
Mi Cai smiled and asked, “Hmm, do you like it?”
“It’s nice, but…”
“Go on.”
“Your daily expenses must be quite high, right?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious about the lifestyle of people like you.”
“Can I not answer?”
Before I could respond, my phone rang again. I knew it was probably CC calling. She must have talked to Le Yao by now.
I took out my phone, but to my surprise, the call was from Le Yao.
I answered the call, and Le Yao’s relaxed voice came from the other end: “Zhao Yang, um… I called to tell you… I’m going to Lijiang this afternoon.”
“What happened?”
“I just felt like getting away for a bit.”
I understood that she was going to Lijiang to give Mi Cai and me some space. After a long silence, I asked, “Did CC say something to you?”
“It has nothing to do with CC. Even if she hadn’t called me, I had already decided to go to Lijiang. But you’ll have to put in more effort for the New Year’s Eve event at the bar.”
“That’s okay, but… do you have someone to accompany you in Lijiang?”
“Why does there have to be someone? Don’t you think traveling alone is more liberating and relaxing?”
I felt a lump in my throat, unwilling to imagine her spending the New Year alone in the ancient town of Lijiang. Despite her attempts to hide it, I knew that sitting alone in the dusk of the old town, drinking tea on New Year’s Eve, would be lonely and sad.
“Zhao Yang, I need to pack my bags, so I’ll hang up now!”
“Wait… why don’t you come with me…”
Le Yao interrupted me with a laugh: “No need, just be with Mi Cai… As a close friend, I sincerely hope you can find your happiness, and I sincerely hope that she will be the woman who makes you happy… Okay, I really need to pack now… Happy New Year to you and Mi Cai!”
“Thank you, Happy New Year to you too.”
“Mm.”
The phone went “beep beep” as she hung up, but that single “mm” left me unable to discern her mood at that moment. All I could do was hope that her trip to Lijiang would be enjoyable.
……
After ending the call with Le Yao, I couldn’t remember what Mi Cai and I had been talking about, so I fell silent again.
After a while, Mi Cai asked me, “Le Yao is going to Lijiang?”
“Yes, she said she wanted to clear her mind… It’s good, the weather in Lijiang is nice during the New Year period.”
“You must be feeling quite reluctant, right?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Zhao Yang.”
“Not really, it’s just Lijiang, it’s not like she’s going through hell and high water.”
Mi Cai didn’t say anything more, focusing back on driving.A moment later, we arrived at the city center, but Mi Cai drove to the parking lot of Baoli Department Store.
I asked in confusion, “Aren’t we going to your Zhuomei for shopping?”
“We’re going to Baoli.” Mi Cai had already unbuckled her seatbelt as she spoke, then picked up her handbag and got out of the car. I followed her.
We quickly entered Baoli Department Store with the bustling crowd. I felt a bit nostalgic. Ever since I left Baoli, I had never returned. After all, it was a place where I had worked for several years. I knew every shop here, which floor and section they were on.
In the elevator, Mi Cai finally said to me, “Zhao Yang, do you know why I chose to shop at Baoli?”
I shook my head.
“I believe you are familiar with every shop here, so we don’t have to waste time looking for what we want to buy.”
“Don’t you know Zhuomei well?”
“I can only remember a small part of it. I rarely deal with the merchants in the mall, but it’s different for you who work in planning.”
I nodded. Mi Cai was right. During my years at Baoli, I communicated with the merchants almost every day.
Mi Cai asked me again, “Zhao Yang, do you have feelings for your job in mall planning?”
I didn’t answer Mi Cai immediately, but looked around. In fact, I did have feelings for it. It was a proper job after all. I finally nodded and said, “Yes, I often get excited about having a good planning idea.”
“Hmm, I’ve talked to Chen Jingming about you. He appreciates your creative ability. Although you are a bit casual, you are still worth cultivating.”
I smiled and replied, “So that’s how Manager Chen evaluates me!”
“Yes… I remember you said that after the bar is on track, you will make other plans. I believe the Fifth Season will be on track soon. Shouldn’t you also consider your future?”
Only then did I understand why Mi Cai wanted to shop at Baoli Department Store. Her purpose was to evoke my feelings through the familiar scene.
Sure enough, Mi Cai said to me again, “I hope, in the future, you can come to Zhuomei.”
“I hope, in the future,” these four words seemed a bit peculiar at this moment, because Le Yao had just said the same to me. Did these two women both have expectations for my future?
Le Yao hoped that I could have a fulfilling love life, while Mi Cai hoped that I could make a breakthrough in my career.
After a moment of silence, I finally asked Mi Cai, “Why do you keep mentioning the idea of me working at Zhuomei?”
Without any hesitation, Mi Cai replied, “Trust, because of trust. Do you understand the meaning of these two words?”
Of course, I understood why Mi Cai trusted me, and I understood even more how much she needed such trust in this cunning business world. But I still found it hard to decide to work at Zhuomei, just as I found it hard to confess my feelings to her.
In the midst of our silence, a group of people walked towards us. It was Yang Huaqing, the CEO of Baoli Department Store. I looked at Mi Cai, curious if the CEOs of the two top-end department stores in Suzhou knew each other, and nudged her, saying, “See those people over there? The one in the front is Yang Huaqing, the general manager of Baoli Department Store.”
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