Mi Cai drove me back to Robben’s place. I hadn’t drunk too much that night, so saying goodbye was relatively simple.
Mi Cai unbuckled her seatbelt and said to me, “Thank you for dinner tonight. I really liked that restaurant.”
“You should go there often then, but don’t try to dine and dash. I’ll gather a group of righteous people and corner you in an alley to give you a good beating,” I joked with Mi Cai.
“If I really did that, I would willingly accept your judgment.”
“You’re very enlightened!”
Mi Cai didn’t say much more. She opened the car door and got out, looking around for a passing taxi.
I also got out of the car and stood next to Mi Cai, waiting with her. After a while, I nudged her and jokingly said, “Let’s discuss something.”
“What is it?”
“Let me go back to being your landlord, and you can be my female tenant, okay?”
“That’s not very practical! You just moved out.”
“But I miss that room more and more every day!”
Mi Cai firmly said, “Put away your inappropriate thoughts… I don’t like having a man living in my house.”
“But didn’t you take me in before?”
“That’s because you were pitifully begging me.”
“Then I’ll pitifully beg you again.”
Mi Cai didn’t get annoyed with my persistence like before. She patiently said to me, “It’s really inconvenient for a man and a woman to live together. There are many options in this big city, why do you have to make things difficult for me?”
“So, you won’t live with your boyfriend in the future? No matter who it is, it’s inevitable for a man and a woman to live together.”
Mi Cai gave a faint smile and said, “You’re right, so I’ll only live with my boyfriend, not you.”
Finally, a vacant taxi drove by. Mi Cai flagged it down, got in, and quickly disappeared from my sight.
I muttered to the night, “You’re right, but why do I feel like you’re forcing me to be your boyfriend, so we can live together legitimately? Remember, I told Mr. Ban before, you’re not my type, so please put away your inappropriate thoughts about me!”
Suddenly, I laughed. This was really audacious, I was even lying to myself!
…
When I entered Robben’s house, it was still empty, not even a TV. The night was destined to be dull and boring. I dragged out a few boxes from under the bed and found a can of beer. This was nice. Drinking a can of beer and playing a few songs on the guitar was a decent way to pass the time.
The wind on the balcony was still wild. I sat on the railing, holding my guitar, unmoving. I wasn’t afraid of the wild wind, but I was afraid of not seeing the “City in the Sky”. So, I strummed the guitar strings and sang with all my might, as if calling out, as if begging, calling for that distant city to return to my heart, to settle down, to no longer wander.
I didn’t know when Robben came back. Suddenly, he handed me a cigarette from behind, then jumped onto the railing and lit one for himself.
I put the guitar aside, lit the cigarette, took a puff, and said to Robben, “I went to CC’s restaurant for dinner today.”
“Really?” Robben mechanically responded.
“CC said she misses you.”
Robben looked at me, was silent for a while, and then said, “I chatted with Le Yao on WeChat today.”
“Really?” I mechanically responded.
“Le Yao said she misses you.”
I laughed and said, “I honestly relayed CC’s words to you, but you’re clearly bullshitting.”
Robben didn’t argue with me. He took out his phone from his pocket and showed me his chat history with Le Yao. Indeed, it was there in black and white, solid evidence.
I suddenly felt speechless. I picked up the beer next to me, took a sip, and after a while, I said, “You haven’t seen CC for a long time, right? When you have time, let’s go to her restaurant together.”
“Bring Le Yao along, let’s all go together.”
“Why do you always bring up Le Yao?”
“Zhao Yang, my young friend, do not do unto others what you don’t want done unto you!” He laughed and continued, “You should understand better than anyone that a man’s heart isn’t big. It can only hold the first woman he loved. At least in this regard, we are the same.”
I shook my head and said, “Robben, you and CC are actually quite suitable for each other. You have the same dreams, the same hobbies, the same character. But Le Yao and I are clearly from two different worlds. She doesn’t really like me that much. To be precise, she was just dependent on me for a while. So, don’t forcefully compare us.”
“Let’s not talk about this. I’m a bit tired today, I’m going to bed.” Robben patted my shoulder and jumped off the railing.
I shouted at him, “Find some time to go to CC’s place soon.”
“We’ll see.”
After giving me an ambiguous answer, Robben left. I knew he didn’t want to defile CC with a body that didn’t love her. After all, CC was different from those women he could casually bring back to sleep with. On this point, Robben had his principles.
I could understand Robben, but I still felt a bit regretful.
…
The next day, I got up a bit later than usual because I didn’t have to take the bus. Zhao Li’s car was still with me.Upon arriving at the company, I managed to clock in just before nine o’clock at the front desk. Right on my heels, Zhao Li rushed out of another elevator, sprinting towards the time clock as if he were on roller skates. Just as he was about to insert his card, the time mercilessly ticked past nine.
With a gloomy face, Zhao Li complained to me, “Zhao Yang, it’s all your fault. I thought I had a car and slept until eight. Now…sigh! I’ve lost my perfect attendance award for this month!”
I tossed the car keys in my hand to Zhao Li, nonchalantly saying, “It’s just a perfect attendance award, no big deal. I didn’t get it last month either.”
“Have you ever received it since you started working?”
I was annoyed by Zhao Li’s question and my face darkened. Zhao Li quickly changed the subject, asking, “You said you would fill up my car with gas, did you?”
“Don’t worry, it’s filled to the brim.”
Zhao Li finally seemed to regain some balance and nodded.
I added, “By the way, I found a Sinopec gas card in your car and gave it to the gas station attendant.”
Zhao Li’s face changed dramatically, still holding onto the last hope, he said, “You don’t know the password!”
“It’s just Pan Xiaoyun’s (Zhao Li’s girlfriend) birthday, I know it.”
“Zhao Yang, you beast!… You stole my game equipment last time, didn’t you?”
……
After entering the office, Zhao Li continued to glare at me with a look of deep hatred. I ignored him, knowing that he would still lend me his little Alto when I needed it next time.
Just as I was about to make a cup of coffee in the break room to perk myself up, I received a summons from Manager Chen Jingming, asking me to come to his office immediately.
I put down the cup in my hand and went to Chen Jingming’s office.
“Sit.” Chen Jingming said to me while looking at some documents.
“I won’t sit, Manager. If you have something to say, just say it. I’m very busy.”
Chen Jingming looked up and smiled, then put down the documents in his hand and said, “There’s a matter that needs your coordination.”
“Is it still about GUCCI?”
Chen Jingming nodded and said, “The date for the promotional poster shoot has been changed to the 10th of this month. You need to notify the model.”
“We agreed on the 15th, didn’t we? The model isn’t unemployed and available all the time. Do you know how hard it is to coordinate schedules with the production team?” I said, irritated.
Chen Jingming also looked helpless and said, “I can’t help it if GUCCI makes a last-minute adjustment. They said the photographer has other work arrangements on the 15th, so it has to be moved up to the 10th!”
“They really have some nerve! They tell us which model to use, and we have to find them. They say adjust the time, and we have to comply!” My anger grew.
“Alright, Zhao Yang… you’re on the company’s payroll. This is a task assigned to you by the higher-ups, and you must complete it.” Chen Jingming finally said to me, also irritated.
I retorted sarcastically, “So, because I’m on the company’s payroll, if the company says the moon in the sky is nice, I have to build a spaceship, pluck the moon down, and present it to the company?”
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Mobile site recommendation is currently at 80, still need 60 more for an additional update.
Desktop site has 7274 flowers, still need about 700 more for an additional update.
Keep up the good work, guys. Let’s see which side completes first. Let’s have a competition.