I pinched my face hard, the pain immediately hit me, confirming that I was not dreaming. After a long pause, I asked Mi Cai, "Why are you here?"

 

Mi Cai smiled and said, "Of course, I came to see you."

 

"But… why did you come to see me? And how did you find me?"

 

Compared to my shock, Mi Cai calmly said to me, "You continue playing the game, we'll talk later."

 

"What are you going to do?" I asked subconsciously.

 

"I'm here to watch you play."

 

Just as Mi Cai finished speaking, the kid on the side had already inserted a game coin into the machine for me.

 

I calmed down and started battling with the kid again, but no matter what, I couldn't win. In the end, I handed a basket of game coins to the kid, and left the game room with Mi Cai, who was still eager to play.

 

…

 

The night was getting deep, and the wind, carrying the chill of late autumn, whistled past us. Mi Cai was dressed a bit thinly, and she subconsciously tightened the houndstooth wool coat that I had seen her wear many times.

 

I couldn't help but ask again, "I feel like this is so absurd, can you tell me why you came to see me?"

 

Mi Cai looked at me, her expression not as indifferent as before. She took a letter out of her pocket and handed it to me, saying, "This is the letter you wrote to me, right? You knew all along that I was the general manager of Zhuomei!"

 

I took the letter but didn't open it, just stared at Mi Cai in a daze. My emotions were fluctuating wildly. After a long, long silence, I lit a cigarette and asked Mi Cai, "How did you know all this?"

 

"Circle, your friend Circle told me. He said you resigned from Baoli Department Store because of this and then left Suzhou."

 

"He shouldn't have told you that. It was my choice, and then I quietly left Suzhou, a city that made me feel tired."

 

Mi Cai looked at me without saying a word. In fact, even if she didn't speak, I already knew her attitude. She was grateful to me, otherwise she wouldn't have traveled all the way from Suzhou to Xuzhou to see me.

 

I didn't want this to become a burden for Mi Cai, nor did I need her to thank me. So I smiled and asked with the intention of diverting her attention, "I'm curious how you knew I was at the game arcade. You're quite resourceful, this is Xuzhou!"

 

Mi Cai dropped her burdened expression, smiled slightly, and said, "Circle gave me your home address. I went to your house to find you. Your dad was home, and he even made me dinner. When your mom came back, I asked her where you were. She said that when you're in a bad mood, you go to the game arcade, and you're most likely there. And sure enough, I found you at the game arcade."

 

"Why did you go through all this trouble, why didn't you call me in advance?"

 

"You like to play cool. If I had called you in advance and let you prepare, how could I have seen your pitiful look?"

 

I was left speechless by Mi Cai. After a while, I looked at Mr. Ban's Santana and said, "Am I pitiful? I have a car to drive, cigarettes to smoke, games to play, and I live as freely as an immortal!"

 

Mi Cai shook her head helplessly and said to me, "Let's not stand here and talk, I'm a bit cold."

 

I immediately took off my jacket and put it on Mi Cai, then pointed across the street and said, "There's a tea restaurant over there, let's go sit inside."

 

Mi Cai nodded, and we both dodged the traffic and crossed the street.

 

…

 

In the tea restaurant, Mi Cai and I sat across from each other. I was drinking green tea, and Mi Cai ordered black tea. The steam from the tea cups filled the air in front of us. Through the steam, I looked at Mi Cai. She was still as beautiful as ever, as if she didn't belong to this mundane world.

 

Mi Cai held her tea cup and gently turned it. She seemed to want to say something, but didn't know how to start.

 

Finally, I broke the silence, but only asked casually, "Where are you staying tonight?"

 

"Hotel." She answered absentmindedly, without even looking at me.

 

"Oh, when are you going back to Suzhou?"

 

Mi Cai finally looked up at me and asked, "Do you think it's presumptuous of me to come to Xuzhou to see you?"

 

"You misunderstood me. I asked because I was worried that you were busy with work." I quickly explained.

 

Mi Cai shook her head and said, "No matter how busy I am, I would come to Xuzhou to see you… I'm very grateful for your selfless help."

 

"You don't have to be so polite, I would do the same for anyone else." I smiled and said.

 

Mi Cai nodded in silence, and I realized that I had never been with Mi Cai like this before, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

 

After a while, Mi Cai looked at me and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

 

"I'm back in Xuzhou now, so I'll definitely stay here in the future. It's actually quite nice here, at least I can be with my family."

 

Mi Cai looked at me, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

 

"How about Zhuomei, has it stabilized now?"

 

"It's temporarily stable, but this is just the beginning. Similar incidents may happen in the future." Mi Cai answered with a somewhat low mood.

I sighed softly in my heart, knowing full well that Mi Zhongde would not give up control of Zhuomei so easily. There would surely be more malicious actions against Mi Cai in the future. I felt even more sympathy for Mi Cai, as the one scheming against her was her own uncle. But I was powerless to help, and could only assist her that one time.

 

"I heard from Circle that you gave up a rare job opportunity this time. Do you regret making such a big sacrifice?"

 

I shook my head and said, "I actually struggled for a long time. After all, human nature is selfish. But once I made up my mind, I wouldn't regret it."

 

Mi Cai took a sip of hot tea, and finally seemed to muster up the courage to ask me, "Zhao Yang, would you be willing to return to Suzhou and join us at Zhuomei Shopping Center?"

 

"Is this your way of compensating me? Or do you think I need this kind of compensation?"

 

"If you wanted compensation, you wouldn't have told me everything in that way. I just hope you'll join Zhuomei. Firstly, you're currently jobless. Secondly, you're originally in the planning field. Thirdly, working at Zhuomei is a good choice."

 

I smiled and asked, "If Circle hadn't told you all this, would you have invited me to join Zhuomei? In the end, you're just feeling guilty, but there's really no need!"

 

"I admit I do feel guilty, but have you ever thought about why Circle told me all this? He doesn't want you to lose your job because of this incident, and hopes you can stay in Suzhou, a place where you've worked hard before."

 

I shook my head and said, "You're not accurate. Suzhou is not a place where I've worked hard. All my memories of Suzhou are grey because I was depressed and decadent there…"

 

Mi Cai didn't say anything more. She obviously wasn't good at persuasion, and I really didn't want to go back to Suzhou, as I couldn't find any meaning in returning.

 

Joining Zhuomei was even more impossible, as it would make my choice seem driven by self-interest, as if I did all this just to join Zhuomei. It would make me feel even more guilty towards Chen Jingming. I wouldn't want to live with such guilt.

 

I was willing to consider Xuzhou, the city where my life began, as a safe harbor in life, and settle down here happily.