Mi Cai’s identity wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret, so I straightforwardly said to Li Xiaoyun, “Have you heard of the Zhuomei Shopping Center in Suzhou?”

“Know of it, isn’t it the most upscale department store there?”

I nodded, “Yeah, Zhuomei was founded by Mi Cai’s father, and she currently serves as its CEO.”

Li Xiaoyun was quite surprised and after a moment of silence, she asked me, “Then the pressure on you must be immense, right?”

“We are people from two different worlds.”

“So what about you two now…?”

I gave a helpless smile and said, “We had some conflicts a while ago, but she recently went to the United States. With the distance between us, I’m not sure how to define our relationship now.”

Li Xiaoyun nodded and didn’t ask any more questions, while I increased the car’s speed in her silence, and soon we were back at the inn.

After we got out of the car, one on each side, Li Xiaoyun stared at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, puzzled.

“Your hair hasn’t been cut for a long time, has it?”

I touched it subconsciously and said nonchalantly, “It’s not that long!”

“A man must always look sharp. Go get a haircut.”

“Tomorrow, I haven’t even eaten yet.”

“That’s easy to fix. I’ll cook for you, and you can go get your haircut. By the time you’re back, there will be food ready.”

“It’s not right to have you cook during your rare visit to Xitang, I’d feel bad!”

Li Xiaoyun insisted without caring, “Hurry up, I don’t want the food to get cold by the time you’re back.”

Her persistence left me somewhat helpless, but I agreed and then took her into the inn to introduce her to Tongzi.

Afterward, we left the inn and walked together on the old streets of Xitang. She went to buy groceries, and I looked for a barber shop.

Soon, I found a barber shop that was still open on the street. Just as I was about to enter, Li Xiaoyun pulled me back. She took out a hundred-yuan note from her wallet and handed it to me, saying, “The 1000 yuan I took from you before, there’s 338 yuan left.”

“You really plan to pay me back this way?”

“Yes, taken from you, spent on you,” Li Xiaoyun said as she pushed the money into my hand again.

I took it from her hand with mixed feelings, hoping that I would never need to use this money again because every time I did, it was when I was at a low point in my life.

…

I took the barber’s advice and got a fluffy short haircut, which cost me 30 yuan, but it was worth it as I looked much more spirited than before.

When I returned to my inn, Li Xiaoyun had already prepared several home-cooked dishes and was chatting with Tongzi while waiting for me.

I deliberately ran my fingers through my hair in front of them, putting on a showy air.

Li Xiaoyun appraised me and nodded in approval, “Not bad, the barber did a good job.”

I ran my fingers through my hair again before sitting down next to them.

Tongzi leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Brother Yang, many women have come here, but she’s the only one who cooks for you.”

I looked at Li Xiaoyun and felt an indescribable emotion well up inside me again. Indeed, compared to Jian Wei, Mi Cai, and Le Yao, she was just an ordinary woman, but she was also the most real.

Li Xiaoyun handed me a bowl of rice, signaling me to eat quickly.

I nodded, too rushed to say thanks, and started wolfing down the food because her home-cooked dishes really made me feel like I was eating at home, without a hint of the unsettled taste of drifting.

…

After dinner and washing the dishes, taking advantage of the rare free time, Li Xiaoyun and I sat on the small balcony to chat and catch up.

Li Xiaoyun looked at the Xitang River opposite and said, “Zhao Yang, the environment here is really nice. No wonder so many artistic youths are eager to come to Xitang to open inns!”

“Opening an inn in Xitang has nothing to do with artistic sentiment for me.”

“Then what’s it related to?”

“Money… I want to earn enough to improve my life.”

“Have you earned it?”

I shook my head, habitually lit a cigarette for myself, and smoked half of it in silence before the power suddenly went out.

I stood up to look around, and it turned out that the whole street was out, not just our inn.

With the electricity gone, many guests gathered by the Xitang River, releasing water lanterns. Watching the river surface dotted with starlight, I truly felt like I was transported back to an ancient Lantern Festival.

I found a few candle lanterns with shades in the storage room, lit them, and hung them on a support pole, so the space between Li Xiaoyun and me was once again covered by candlelight.

After sitting down again, I relit the half-smoked cigarette and asked Li Xiaoyun, “Where were we in our conversation?”

“I asked you if the inn was making money, you shook your head, and then the power went out.”

“Good timing for the power outage, quite fitting.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s like my life, not seeing a glimmer of light.”

Li Xiaoyun looked at the hanging candleholder and said, “Isn’t that light?”

“It counts, just a bit dim.”

Li Xiaoyun spoke seriously, “It seems you really have high hopes for this inn, because the light from this candleholder is not enough for you.”

“Yes… I want to make this inn into a nationally known scenic chain inn.”

“It’s good for a man to have dreams and ambition. I support you.”

“Thank you.”

Li Xiaoyun smiled and said, “Since I said I support you, it can’t just be in words.”

“There’s also moral support!”

Li Xiaoyun shook her head, not saying much, but took out a bank card from her wallet and handed it to me.

“What are you giving me a bank card for?”

“I heard from your friend (Tongzi) that the inn’s rent of 70,000 yuan for the year hasn’t been settled yet. There’s 100,000 yuan in this card, take it and use it for now.”

I didn’t reach out to take it and asked her, “Where did you get so much money?”

“My living expenses aren’t high, and I save up… I was planning to use it for a down payment on a house when I get married, but I won’t need it for now, so take it to tide you over.”

“I can’t take this money from you, really, I can’t…”

“It’s not lent to you, but to your dreams and ambitions.”

“Xiaoyun, do you really think I can succeed here in Xitang?”

“As long as you hold onto your dreams and strive for them, you’re already halfway to success. Plus, your hidden abilities are the other half, so you will definitely succeed.”

“Thank you, I really need this affirmation right now.”

Li Xiaoyun smiled again and placed the bank card in my hand, saying, “It’s getting late, I’m going to rest.”

“Wait.”

I called out and quickly grabbed Li Xiaoyun’s clothes, and the bank card I held in my hand was discreetly slipped into her pocket.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know if the power will come back tonight, take a candleholder back to your room for light.”

…

Li Xiaoyun left with a candleholder, and I remained sitting on the small balcony, not regretting my decision to refuse Li Xiaoyun’s offer of 100,000 yuan. I shouldn’t have accepted her money, I really shouldn’t…

As the night deepened, the light from the candleholder grew dimmer, but a flame was kindled in my heart, illuminating the once dark world with a bright glow. Under the reflection of the flame, I vowed: No matter how difficult, I must keep running this inn and run it well… because I dare not let down Li Xiaoyun’s trust in me with that 100,000 yuan!

I moved closer to the candleholder, opened the shade, and used the candle to light a cigarette for myself, weighing again whom to borrow the 70,000 yuan from.

I was clear: If I couldn’t borrow it in the short term, Li Xiaoyun would still use her dowry money to help me out of this urgent situation.