Weary, I made my way through the second-floor corridor, passing by Robben's room. Hearing the sound of a television, I assumed he'd fallen asleep, so I used his spare key to open the door, intending to turn it off for him.
To my surprise, upon entering, I found Robben smoking and watching a recorded concert.
Curious, I asked, "It's past three in the morning, why haven't you slept yet?"
Flicking the ash from his cigarette, Robben replied indifferently, "Chronic insomnia."
"Try to get some rest," I said, yawning and ready to leave.
But Robben stopped me, "Hang out and chat with me for a bit, buddy."
"I'll go wash my face first."
***
After freshening up, I lay down on the bed next to Robben, took a sip of the calming tea, and asked, "What's on your mind?"
Robben nodded, lighting another cigarette.
No one understood Robben better than I did, so with good intentions, I reminded him, "I think since you've chosen to be with CC, you shouldn't overthink things."
Robben shook his head, "I really don't want to hurt CC, but some thoughts are etched deep in my bones, too deep for any knife to scrape away!"
After a long silence, I finally asked, "Did you get news about that woman?"
"No, the one thing I dare not do in this life is to inquire about her."
At that moment, I felt Robben trapped in a self-imposed world, unable to move forward or back, yet this knot in his heart had to be untied.
After another pause, I said, "How about you tell me about this woman, and I'll look into it for you? You need to untie this knot, after all, life goes on, right?"
Robben struggled silently for a long time.
"Tell me, and you'll feel better for it. It's also a form of respect for CC!"
Finally, after a long sigh, Robben seemed to make up his mind and said, "Wei Manwen, Beijing Normal University, graduated in '09 from the Education department."
"Do you know her current address?"
"She moved, I'm not sure where."
"Do you have any mutual friends?"
Robben shook his head, "We lost touch with our mutual friends after I moved to Suzhou…" He paused before adding, "All these years, I've been like an ostrich with its head in the sand, constantly telling myself: I can't find her… If it were so easy to find out about her, I might have done it myself…"
I understood Robben's feelings and sighed inwardly before responding, "Wei Manwen, Beijing Normal University, Education department, '09 graduate… I've got it, wait for my news."
Robben nodded, finally laying his pillow flat and lying down, but I wasn't sure if he could rest.
Turning off the light, I rested on my arms, recalling a conversation I had with Robben. He had told me that to ensure Wei Manwen's happiness, he had slept with a prostitute in front of her, just to completely cut off her expectations of him. She did indeed leave him afterward and returned to Beijing.
It wasn't a very complicated story, but even now, it was still heart-wrenching, for it contained deep love and cruel helplessness!
I was curious about how the story had unfolded since then: Did Wei Manwen become a university teacher in Beijing as her parents wished, or was there another outcome?
From my perspective, I hoped there was no other outcome. The most beautiful ending should be that she became a university teacher in Beijing, found a man to love, and lived happily ever after… That would be the best resolution for Robben, otherwise, his heart-wrenching sacrifice would have been meaningless.
The next day, the first thing I did upon waking was to send Le Yao a message with all the information I had on Wei Manwen, asking her to look for this person in Beijing. I believed with her connections, knowing the name and the university, it wouldn't be too difficult.
After having lunch with CC and Robben, they returned to Suzhou. Robben wouldn't be coming back to Beijing for a while since his work there was done. He and CC were going to stay in Suzhou to manage "The Empty City" music restaurant and "The Fifth Season" theme bar.
That was probably for the best, as staying in Suzhou was much better for Robben than being in Beijing.
***
In the afternoon, the renovation company arrived at our inn to remodel some of the rooms. Tongzi was in charge of supervision, while I took the "Perfect Travel Package Plan" I had prepared the night before to A Feng's bar.
It was afternoon, and the bar wasn't open yet, so A Feng and I chatted in a quiet corner.
I handed him the proposal, saying, "Take a look at this plan and see if it's feasible."
A Feng, curious, took it and began to read carefully. I sipped my beer, waiting for his response.
About fifteen minutes later, A Feng finished reading and didn't immediately comment but asked, "What's the basis for this plan?"
"Customer demand… I went through all the domestic travel websites last night, and many tourists are wary of Xitang's businesses."
A Feng nodded in agreement, "Well, tourist spots always have some merchants who like to overcharge. It's unavoidable."
"But all tourists hope for a perfect experience in Xitang, and that's where the conflict arises."
A Feng pondered and then said, "If we can resolve this conflict, we'll have a unique business opportunity."
I agreed, "Exactly, customers can't solve this conflict on their own, so it provides us, the merchants, with an opportunity… My idea is to unite the reputable businesses in Xitang, combine our food, accommodation, and sales services into a package, and sell it as one. This way, customers pay once and enjoy a worry-free perfect Xitang experience… Think about it: people's lives are fast-paced, and they come to Xitang to relax and have fun. Our one-click service meets their needs, doesn't it? They won't have to worry about finding inns or bars, or getting scammed by unscrupulous merchants."
"That makes sense… But just a few of us can't fully satisfy customer needs, like snacks. There are hundreds of snack shops in Xitang, and visitors will want to try as many as possible."
"That's easy to solve. If they buy our package, we'll include a tour guide service, provided by employees from our participating businesses. This saves on labor costs and these employees are familiar with Xitang. They won't just introduce tourists to the sights, but also provide a scientific consumption guide, so they won't have to worry about dishonest merchants, truly resolving their concerns."
A Feng fell into thought, then clapped his hands, "When I imagine myself as a tourist, I'm very excited about this perfect travel plan… because it really is perfect, and it really is worry-free!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan