On the small stage, Robben strummed the guitar, and Le Yao followed the rhythm of the music and started singing. I drank beer absentmindedly.

After a while, I said to CC, “Le Yao is really a potential top actress!”

CC looked at me puzzled and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard Yang Mi and Fan Bingbing sing well? Based on singing ability alone, Le Yao is on her way to becoming a top actress!”

CC smiled and said, “Zhao Yang, you’re really mean. You’re indirectly mocking Le Yao. She’ll be furious if she finds out!”

Curiosity sparked, I nudged Mi Cai next to me and said, “Why don’t you go up and sing later? I haven’t heard your beautiful voice yet!”

“I only like listening to others sing,” Mi Cai declined with a shake of her head.

Feeling bored, I took a sip of beer and then shifted my attention back to Le Yao’s singing on the stage.

After a while, CC asked the waiter to bring a camera and left her seat to capture Le Yao and Robben’s figures on the small stage.

I said to CC when she returned to her seat, “You’re really biased. You didn’t take a picture of me when I was singing. I wanted to capture my magnificent figure.”

CC smiled and showed me the photos she had just taken. She said, “They turned out pretty good. Maybe this will become a photo with special meaning!”

I nodded and looked at Le Yao and Robben on the stage. Perhaps one day they would truly become famous in the entertainment industry. The duet photo of them before they became famous would naturally hold special meaning. But even if that day came, who would know about the countless difficult yesterdays and todays they had gone through to achieve fame?

It was a simple night, simple enough that we took turns singing on the small stage, and Mi Cai was even simpler. She hardly said anything from beginning to end, just quietly listened with her chin resting on her hand. Perhaps everyone who came to “Empty City” treated it as a beach where they could rest and listen to music, enjoying the warmth of humanity in a simple way.

Originally, I was supposed to treat everyone to dinner, but in the end, Mi Cai took out 1000 yuan and put it in the donation box that represented humanity. I was proud of this and showed off in front of everyone, saying that my “girlfriend” was rich.

Everyone jokingly called me the “kept man” supported by Mi Cai.

In fact, there was no rich girlfriend or kept man. It was just young people having fun together. Our youth was running out, and only through laughter and playfulness could we make our remaining youth less lonely and heavy. Because none of us wanted to be the lonely one in the most beautiful years!

…

Leaving CC’s restaurant, Mi Cai bid farewell to everyone and was the first to drive away. Robben left next, and I had to take Le Yao back to her hotel.

On the way, Le Yao, who hadn’t been drinking, was driving, and I opened the car window, lit a cigarette, and habitually looked at the city under the night sky.

I didn’t know when, but a light drizzle started falling from the sky, and the autumn wind felt cool.

Le Yao suddenly changed lanes and turned the car in the opposite direction. She said to me, “It’s still early, and the hotel is too stuffy. Let’s go sit by the moat.”

“Okay,” I replied and continued to immerse myself in the boundless night.

After a while, we arrived at the moat and sat close to each other on the slightly damp grass.

After sitting for a while, I lay flat on the grass with my face up, letting the gentle rain wet me. My emotions completely drifted away in the coolness of the autumn wind.

Le Yao also lay down beside me, her hand resting on my chest. She whispered in my ear, “Zhao Yang, Mi Cai isn’t your girlfriend, right?”

Surprised, I asked, “How did you figure it out?”

Le Yao smiled and said, “It’s a woman’s intuition. I can tell she doesn’t have romantic feelings for you.”

Le Yao’s insight made me believe that women truly are creatures of intuition. I nodded and said, “Yeah, she’s not my girlfriend. I just didn’t want Jian Wei to see me in such a miserable state when we met, so I said she was my girlfriend.”

“Jian Wei is back?” Le Yao’s tone was full of surprise.

“Yeah!” I sighed and then lit another cigarette. Taking a deep drag, I rested my arm on my head and looked at the drizzling sky with a somewhat melancholic gaze.

Le Yao seemed a bit cold, so she hugged me tighter but remained silent. And so, the two of us, who had experienced ups and downs in life, huddled together on this rainy night, seeking the scarce warmth.

After a while, Le Yao softly asked in my ear, “Zhao Yang, is there a place you long for in your heart?”

“Yes, it’s a city.”

“A city? Like CC’s restaurant?”

“No, it’s in the sky, an aerial city, crystal clear, where a beautiful woman with long hair lives.”

Le Yao thought for a moment and said, “Mi Cai is a beautiful woman with long hair.””It’s not her, her hair is slightly curly.” I denied, then asked Le Yao, “What about you? What place do you yearn for in your heart?”

“It’s a small island across the beach, but I don’t know where this island is. Later, I met a man with a sail in the middle of the sea. He took me to that island. We lived there ever since, watching the sunset on the island every day. Oh, he would cook dinner for me every dusk, so there was smoke from the cooking on the island, and we no longer had to think about the hustle and bustle of the world!”

I smiled and said, “You really have it all figured out! Even the plot of the story is well thought out. But it’s beautiful, even more beautiful than my city!”

Le Yao didn’t say anything more, she pressed her face against mine. After a long time, she said to me, “Zhao Yang, stop thinking about Jian Wei. Strive for your own life. We shouldn’t be the ones defeated by reality.”

The cigarette in my hand was already wet from the rain. I took a deep puff, besides the smoke, there was also the fishy dampness of the rain, which made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but ask myself: Can I really forget Jian Wei and strive hard to become a master of life?

This time I gave myself an answer. Regardless of whether I can forget Jian Wei or not, I should strive hard. I know that the opportunity I got at work this time was exchanged by Le Yao enduring great grievances for me.

After a moment of silence, I said to Le Yao, “I should strive hard. Starting from today, I will sort out my life as soon as possible and become a master of life.”

“Mm.” “…Zhao Yang, hold me tight, it’s a bit cold!”

The rain was still falling gently. A low-lying area finally had a bit of accumulated water. The light from the street lamp was cast on this small puddle, as if refracting the “City in the Sky” and the “Island across the Beach”.

……