Luzhou followed Xiao Yi all the way to the front desk.
Xiao Yi said, “Hello, I am Xiao Yi.”
Luzhou: “Hello, I am chief Xiao’s henchman.”
Xiao Yi: “……”
Xiao Yi looked at Luzhou, Luzhou pointed his finger to the corner, indicating for Xiao Yi to move aside, he then went forward and said: “Our chief Xiao came over to see his wife, I would like to ask……what is your girlfriend’s name?
Xiao Yi said his girlfriend’s name.
“She resigned.” The young female receptionist said, “I remember you! You came and sang at our company’s end of the year party! You sing really well!”
“Ah?” Xiao Yi was at once dumbfounded: “When did she go?”
The young female receptionist said “She has been gone for three months.”
Xiao Yi: “……”
“Hey!” Luzhou said in amazement: “Chief Xiao, your wife resigned? What are we going to do now?”
The young female receptionist: “……”
Xiao Yi: “Ah, how could it be? Why did she leave…..”
Xiao Yi had been a bit dumbfounded, Luzhou was almost dying from an excess of anger caused by Xiao Yi, he yelled: “Ask for the phone number!”
The young female receptionist: “……”
The young female receptionist looked at Xiao Yi’s left hand holding flowers, then looked at his right hand holding a small jewelry box.
“Where did she go, can you tell me where she is,” Xiao Yi said.
“She said she was going back home to get married,” the young female receptionist replied.
Hearing the buzzing, Xiao Yi felt like thunder from a clear sky strike across his ears.
“Do you have her phone number?” Xiao Yi asked.
The young female receptionist said, “I have her new phone number.”
Luzhou took off his sunglasses and said to the female receptionist: “Come here, looks into my eyes.”
The emotion showing in Luzhou’s eyes was gentle and firm, full of tender feelings, that could kill young and old, male and female.
“I’m the Luzhou, answer me a question, please don’t deceive me……”
The young female receptionist: “……”
Luzhou: “His girlfriend didn’t actually resign, but she just doesn’t want to see him … …”
“Ah——!Ah——! Ah ah ah ah——! ! ! Luzhou ah——! ! Male God ah——! !”
Luzhou’s next words instantly drowned in the young female receptionist’s scream, the entire office building immediately heard it and some people came down hurriedly, a security guard saw Luzhou and immediately shouted.
“Tell his girlfriend!” Luzhou put his life on the line, and shouted toward the young female receptionist: “Her ex-boyfriend has prospered! Because Lu! Zhou! Is! Driving! For! Xiao! Yi!! I Love you everyone!”
Xiao Yi: “……”
Luzhou turned around and dragged Xiao Yi with him, he ran like he was flying to escape.
Half a minute later, Luzhou and Xiao Yi rushed into the garage, Luzhou drove while countless zombie-shaped people vigorously charged down, Xiao Yi pissed in his pants in terror, they escaped the company.
That night on Bao Jia street, at the chicken noodle shop.
“I am now discovering something.” Xiao Yi sighed and said, “A problem that can be solved by money isn’t a problem.”
Duma smiled and drank his beer, the two ate a big plate of chicken (Da Pan Ji). Before when they were still in school, they often came here to eat, today Xiao Yi would like to thank him for finding him this job, he wanted to invite him to a five-star hotel to eat dinner, but in the end Duma chose to eat at Da Pan Ji.
(T/N: Da Pan Ji = a name of a dish, literal meaning is big plate of chicken)
“Luzhou is really rich.” Duma said, “But if he is bullying you, don’t utter a word, just go directly to my aunt and tell her.”
Xiao Yi gratefully nodded his head and knew that Duma truly treated him as a good friend, they both poured more liquor and drank. Duma was wearing a western-style suit that was very straight from head to toe, he drove in a car worth over millions, seeing him eat with Xiao Yi in a dirty Dai Pan Ji restaurant, Xiao Yi felt it was very funny.
When they attended university in the past, they all majored in music. Duma majored in traditional music, after graduation he followed his father to do business and stopped mentioning his previous love for music, ah, that passionate dream. Almost all of the students were like that, after graduating they had to find a solid anchor to rely on, and if they couldn’t find one, they would vanish without a trace as if what they ate that night was the last party, everything was forgotten.
Only Xiao Yi remained, foolishly living and working in Beijing.
Duma asked, “returning to our main topic, that matter regarding your Luzhou, is it true?”
Xiao Yi: “Hey! Certainly not.”
Xiao Yi knew that Duma also felt that the matter about Luzhou not being able to get ‘it’ up was very amusing, however Xiao Yi had seen Luzhou’s morning erection more than once in the early morning, at most he would have a psychological problem, but certainly not a physiological.
Xiao Yi was very aware that, Duma was asking sincerely regarding Luzhou’s matter, but since Xiao Yi had already signed a confidentiality agreement, what he couldn’t say he would try not to say. They chatted for a while, it had been four years since they graduated, this year Xiao Yi was 25, in the four years he entered society, things got worse with each passing year, his former classmates were already married and had started their career with one million yuan as their annual salary. Fortunately, Duma had helped him, his life was finally at a turning point.
“Hey,” Duma said “A Tu, you don’t seem well, What happened?”
Xiao Yi had the nickname “Xiao Tzuki,” an allusion the girls in his class got from the classical story “Time and Space Through Syndrome,” seeing that he was expressionless and a bit cheap like Tzuki, and someone also called him “hero” because he liked to help his friends. His roommate kept calling him A Tu A Tu up until now.
Xiao Yi sighed and said, “My wife will get marry and became someone else’s wife.”
(T/N: In Asia country, it’s common for couple to called each other as husband and wife)
Duma was shocked for a moment, Xiao Yi told him what had happened with his former love, Duma sighed and said: “I am no good, if I had known earlier……”
“Don’t!” Xiao Yi said, “How can I blame you? I can never thank you enough.”
Duma felt that Xiao Yi broke contact with his girlfriend because of the job, he introduced to Xiao Yi. However, Xiao Yi was extremely grateful to Duma, because he made that one phone call, it changed Xiao Yi’s life.
Duma thought for a moment and said, “You’ll find someone better soon.” He also asked, “Do you want to join a talent show?”
“No, I don’t want to.” Xiao Yi knew that Duma wanted to change the topic to avoid making him feel sad. Duma’s girlfriend parted way with him right after they graduated, the first year after graduation he carried a guitar and entered a talent show, he was the best in the pre-selection but came last, he no longer looked forward to participate in any talent show.
Dumas said: “You have the best singing voice out of all of us, before when we used to go to Lijiang to sing, several times I thought you would become famous.”
Xiao Yi smiled embarrassedly and said: “Unfortunately, nothing came out of it, so, haiz.”
Duma was originally a drummer in a band and had the best relationship with Xiao Yi, during the summer vacation they went to Yunnan to experience the life of making a living through singing, Xiao Yi would wait inside the rented room for Duma to come back from the meeting with others, the two men would sleep shirtless crammed on a steel wired bed. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, Xiao Yi felt that he was still the same as that very same year, but Duma had become so well-off.
They drank up their alcohol and finished the Da Panji. The two staggered out, on the streets of Beijing light snow was fluttering about, Xiao Yi was drunk and confused, he stood in the street for a while, the phone rang as Xiao Yi was in the middle of vomiting, Duma helped him pick up the phone.
Luzhou’s impatient voice went through the phone: “Where are you?! Do you even know what time it is!”
Duma was also a bit drunk, swaying back and forth, he said: “Ah, Lu, male god! Hello Hello! I am his roommate, Duma, I’m together with him right now. It is like this, he is currently drunk, in a moment I’ll ask someone to send him back……”
Luzhou said: “You are his roommate?! And together with him?! Then Who am I?!! Where are you?”
“We’re at Baoji street,” Duma said, “not far from you …”
The phone call was hung up.
Xiao Yi accepted the water Duma gave him and drank it.
They stood in the street with light falling snow, Xiao Yi jabbed Du Ma on the shoulder and said, “You………shouldn’t have dumped my younger sister, you tell me……in all these years, have you found anyone else better than her?”
Even though Duma had graduated for 4 years, he still thought about his ex, he had several girlfriends before, but only those years in school, when he met Xiao Di was the best, it was unforgettable.
“Feeling,” Xiao Yi bitterly smiled, “that the next one will be better, is just some groundless statement, the first one is the best, but youths are just frivolous……Ah ah ah——”
Xiao Yi went a little crazy, shouting a few times. Duma leaned against the street lamp and suddenly started singing passionately.
“My love crosses the horizon…” Duma sang.
“My love is like a stream flowing without stopping…” Xiao Yi spread open both of his hands, singing as he faced toward the night sky with falling snow.
Duma turned toward Xiao Yi and sang. “Oh, my love——”
“My love, when do I meet you again——” Although Xiao Yi was drunk, his singing shocked the passers-by, he and Duma had studied music for many years, the two 20-year old men suddenly sang, free and unconstrained, starting a concert on the street.
“Even if time goes fleeting by, youth will age——”
Duma swayed and swayed, like he was standing on stage as a signer back on campus, his and Xiao Yi’s voices in their duet blended together.
Xiao Yi turned his body and leisurely sang, “I’ve always loved you——”
Duma & Xiao Yi: “Just like in the past——”
Sound of applauses rang loudly, some people also took out their phone to record, outside on Bao Jia Street many people gathered, one after another as they were curious to see what was happening, a couple from the Central Music Conservatory came out and stopped to watch Xiao Yi and Duma singing a duet.
“Just like in the past——” Xiao Yi shook his head, eyes full of sadness, his singing voice fluttered in the snowy night.
*Creak*, a Jaguar drove up, the door was kicked open with one foot.
Duma continued to sing, “Oh my love——”
Xiao Yi sang, “Oh, my love——”
Xiao Yi stopped singing abruptly as a hand extended to grab his collar and threw him into the back seat of the Jaguar.
Luzhou was wearing sunglasses with a scarf covering his face, he got in the car and drove away, sending snow flying. Duma was left behind with face covered with snow.
Very late that night at the dining table, Luzhou was reviewing the report of the annual investment income that he got from the financial advisors, Xiao Yi was lying down on the sofa, his clothing wasn’t in a good shape, his whole face flushed with heavy breathing. At night, Luzhou threw Xiao Yi a blanket, Xiao Yi then wrapped himself in the blanket and slept on the sofa.
+++++++++++++
“Oh, my love——”
Next morning, Xiao Yi took out the diamond ring he bought to propose to his girlfriend, looking at it over and over again, he finally placed it in Luzhou’s room, on the fingers of his q-shaped doll, and decided to give up.
‘Everything from today on, will start afresh!’
In the morning he washed the dishes in the sink which Luzhou used last night, while washing he sang, “Even if the world ends and everything is gone, my love for you, just like in the past…”
“What song is that?” Luzhou yawned as he came downstairs, unexpectedly he also heard a little of what Xiao Yi was humming. After he heard this melody last night, he already felt a little brainwashed by Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi replied, “Duma and I formed a band previously together with our good friends, who lived next door, we composed songs and wrote our own lyrics.”
The corner of Luzhou’s mouth twitched, he said, “Was Duma the person who ran naked with you yesterday at Bao Jia street?”
The crackling sound inside Xiao Yi’s mind was like ten thousands of thunderbolts reaching a culmination.
“I was running naked?” Xiao Yi said, “Unlikely! It couldn’t be!”
Luzhou said, “Almost! I was about to lose face!”
Xiao Yi thought to himself that Luzhou certainly wanted to mess with him, but he wasn’t in the mood to care about this. Luzhou once again sat casually on the sofa and said, “You got dumped, now you need to work energetically for prosperity, work harder and serve me well, in the future the divine steed of Feihuang will gallop and carry a basin of water, you then go in front of her and perform a modern version of what’s done is done and can’t be reversed.
(T/N: the divine steed Feihuang will gallop and carry a basin of water = to achieve meteoric success in one’s career)
“Oh―” Xiao Yi replied.
Xiao Yi had already lost the strength to retort to his ridicule, his mood became a little gloomy. After lunch Luzhou once again started to look over the financial reports given to him by his financial advisors, while glancing at Xiao Yi, he said, “ Your girlfriend broke up with you to save you and also to save herself, a good-for-nothing like you………”
The sound of Luzhou’s voice went into Xiao Yi’s left ear and out of the right one, Xiao Yi calmly uttered several interjections indicating his approval, lastly Luzhou said, “Do your work well, alright? If you can’t accept it then make more money. Drive a car worth millions and go back to ask her out for a meal.”
“Alright,” Xiao Yi replied and thought to himself ‘Do you have a snake spirit disease, in the end where did you get the self-confidence that if you drive a car worth millions of yuan to her, she’ll kneel and lick your feet, she is living a comfortable life and definitely wouldn’t care about these things. What if her husband publicly drove a car worth 2 million, wouldn’t I appear to be even more of a failure.’
Xiao Yi opened his girlfriend’s weibo and sent her a private message, he looked at the content on the homepage, at 3 p.m. his girlfriend replied——these days she worked at a place her parents had introduced her to. She had gone on a blind date with a civil service worker, both of their parents were very satisfied and the other person also loved her very much, they intended to get married next year.
What more could Xiao Yi say? He was silent for a moment, then dialed his ex-girlfriend’s phone number.
“What,” his ex-girlfriend said.
“Nothing.” Xiao Yi smiled and said. “I called you to admit my mistakes.”
She didn’t say anything and both sides were silent, she then said “Forget about it, what happened before, just treat it as if it didn’t happen.”
Xiao Yi said, “Even if I were to treat it as if it didn’t happen, I still have something to say, can you hear me out?”
“Speak” his ex-girlfriend said.
“I was wrong.” Xiao Yi replied: “I’m sorry, no matter what, I must apologize to you. I don’t expect you to forgive me……”
Luzhou looked at the financial report in his hands, his anger suddenly rose, he glared at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi said, “I have wasted many of your years, I haven’t given you anything and made you endure hardships with me in Beijing, in the blink of an eye, four years had passed.”
“It’s nothing,” his ex-girlfriend’s voice had become a little more friendly, she replied: “I didn’t come to Beijing because of you. Sitting behind the bar in a sea of people, at that time I saw you sing to earn some extra money, I believed that you would stand out among your peers……”
Xiao Yi said, “In the end I was no good. Actually I don’t regret living in Beijing even a little bit, those years I had you to accompany me, that’s why I stayed in Beijing. As for feeling guilty, the person I have let down the most is you.”
“Forget it,” she said: “It’s all in the past, what’s the point of talking about it now.”
“When will you get married?” Xiao Yi asked.
His ex-girlfriend said, “After celebrating the New Year, are you coming?”
Xiao Yi replied. “I’m not coming but I’ll send a gift.”
She said, “Thank you, Tuzki, I believe you will succeed. I simply don’t want to continue to drift around again in Beijing, I’m not young anymore and we’re not children anymore, my family also urged me to get married.”
“Ah,” Xiao Yi smiled and said, “I wish you happiness.”
“You too,” his ex-girlfriend said, “Work hard, you can do it.”
Xiao Yi hung up the phone, Luzhou looked at Xiao Yi as if he didn’t know him.
Xiao Yi thought for a moment before he opened the editing software, he brought up the MV of him and his ex-girlfriend. He had made this MV a long time ago and had imagined that one day when the right time came, he could use it to propose to her. Now he could fix it and send it to her as a congratulatory gift for her marriage.
The entire video was her one-man show, as Xiao Yi held the VCR from beginning to end recording the girl of his dreams, from time to time she laughed, from time to time she was sad, he looked back at their love as he added the music, he picked up his laptop wanting to go upstairs when Luzhou said, “Did I allow you to go up?”
Xiao Yi: “I can record the song here?”
“Do as you like,” Luzhou said coldly, “You are an idiot without any backbone.”
Xiao Yi didn’t say anything, he turned on the music and began recording《Write a Song》to his ex-girlfriend, he was busy until evening. He finally sent the MV and felt as if he was relieved from a burden. He opened weibo again and found out that he had several hundred more fans.
Xiao Yi: “……”
Xiao Yi received a great shock, in fact, he had a lot of fans before, although not like Luzhou’s tens of millions of fans, but there were still several thousands, merely the fans who just liked his song were a little passionate and his ex-girlfriend also expressed quite a strong opinion, Xiao Yi then deleted everything and closed his weibo account.
Almost no one knew about this account, what was going on? Xiao Yi looked at the list of fans, they didn’t seem to be zombie fans, suddenly he thought of a possibility as he opened Luzhou’s Weibo and found out that their relationship had changed from watching to following each other.
Xiao Yi: “! ! ! ! “
Luzhou was still having a hard time thinking over something and Xiao Yi was just about to open his mouth, Luzhou at once said, “Shut up!”
Xiao Yi had to shut up, in a flash the depression from the break up had diluted a lot as Luzhou was now following him back on Weibo, he smiled and posted a new status, the general idea was that ‘to turn over a new leaf, from now on one must live well.’
The end of the year was coming near Xiao Yi straightened out his mind and gradually became better, the next day he tidied up Luzhou’s disorganized table and he was immediately stupefied, Luzhou sure was rich!
He had opened a red wine manor in Penglai, Shandong, in the beginning of the year he had invested in a drama as well as opened a chain of tea restaurants with a friend who was a director, he was also investing in high-end Art Hotels!!
These things far exceeded Xiao Yi’s ability to calculate money, Luzhou was clearly planning his life moreover he was a person who knew that before it rains, bind around with silk, even if he didn’t film a movie, the money he received from investing should last him for a lifetime. However, what made Xiao Yi even more shocked was: A report also had details on public welfare projects. Luzhou funded some areas in Sichuan, he had built two schools as well as funded many elementary schools so they were able to build vocal, physical, and multimedia classrooms!
(T/N: Before it rains, bind around with silk = to plan ahead)
Xiao Yi’s pair of eyes turned into stars he felt that Luzhou was worthy of being called a male god, during these many years he had never told anyone how much he had donated.
Xiao Yi took out his cellphone faced it in front of the details of the expenses in the public welfare report and took a picture.
He decided to save this picture in his phone, in the future if Luzhou got angry at him and made him discouraged and feel like he didn’t want to work anymore, he would then take out the picture and look at it.
So that the image of his male god would always remain at 99999999 points and so that his love would not be shaken again.
Xiao Yi’s mother called, as usual, she would ask him if he was returning home this year to celebrate New Year’s, Xiao Yi told his family that he needed to discuss this with his boss to see if he could request a leave of absence.
On the 28th of the Lunar New Year he didn’t need to go to the company, compared to many entertainment companies that hardly had vacation on New Year’s, Luzhou was still relatively at leisure. On one hand, he was getting older unlike the 17- and 18-year-olds who had just debuted, secondly he was currently popular whether he went or not didn’t make a difference.
Therefore Xiao Yi was prepared to start his New Year vacation and start finding a fun place to go.