They surrounded me right after the breakup.

Xiao Yuanshan picked up his teacup, took a sip, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke.

"You may not know much about the Xiao family. We started out in the hotel business, with stores in Jingzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, generating over a billion yuan in revenue every year."

"Besides that, there are commercial real estate and catering businesses. The total isn't huge, but in Jingzhou, our words still carry some weight."

Jiang Han listened without interrupting.

Xiao Yuanshan continued, "Xiao Xiao is an only child; I have no sons. Her grandmother dotes on her, her uncle dotes on her, the whole family dotes on her."

"This girl has been stubborn since she was little. Once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it. She acts impulsively, so I apologize to you on her behalf."

Xiao Yuanshan picked up his teacup: "But you've seen her intentions."

Jiang Han smiled wryly, unsure how to respond.

You can't exactly say, "Uncle Xiao, I have two girlfriends and a mistress. If you don't mind, your daughter can be the fourth one..."

Xiao Yuanshan leaned back in his chair, looked at the table full of dishes, and suddenly sighed.

"I don't want to get involved in the affairs of young people, nor can I, but I'm making this clear upfront."

"If you're not interested in Xiaoxiao, you should make things clear as soon as possible. This girl may seem carefree, but she's more perceptive than anyone else."

Jiang Han could only nod symbolically.

Xiao Yuanshan didn't press him any further, and instead picked up his wine glass and went around to the other tables to offer toasts.

The banquet continued, and the string quartet changed their tune, playing "The Blue Danube."

The guests began to move around and offer toasts, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Jiang Han stood up from the main table and went to the terrace outside the banquet hall for some fresh air.

The autumn wind blew from afar, carrying a slight chill, and dispelled the smell of alcohol on him.

Jiang Han lit a cigarette, leaned against the railing, and took a relaxed puff.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Xiao Xiao.

"What did my dad say to you?"

"Don't listen to him, he just loves to lecture."

Jiang Han, a cigarette dangling from his lips, typed with one hand: "He told me to stay away from you."

"Did you agree?"

"no."

Xiao Xiao sent a smiley face and ended the conversation.

Jiang Han put his phone back in his pocket and continued smoking.

Just as I was finishing my cigarette, my phone started buzzing again.

This time it wasn't Xiao Xiao, it was Zeng Yi.

Jiang Han answered.

"Chairman Jiang!"

Zeng Yi's voice came through the microphone, accompanied by the noise of the wind outside.

"Speak up, what is it?"

"The person has been found!"

"Linghua, I've found her."

Zeng Yi's voice trembled slightly; he was clearly very excited.

"It was in Shenzhen, at the same nightclub as before. She was surprised to see me, and I told her I wanted to take her back to sing."

Jiang Han did not interrupt Zeng Yi.

"She asked me where I wanted to sing, and I told her about your idea of ​​forming a group."

"and then?"

Zeng Yi paused for a moment: "She's heard Mao Buyi's songs and asked if you could write a song for her?"

"What did you reply?"

"Chairman Jiang, I tried to persuade her by saying that you promised to write it for her specifically."

"Hahaha, well done! You've got a knack for acting first and informing later!"

"Bring her back; we'll throw a welcome-back party for you!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Zeng Yi's voice became forceful: "Okay!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Han stood on the terrace, looking at the skyline of Jingzhou in the distance.

He turned and walked back to the banquet hall, where Xiao Yuanshan was chatting with the president of the chamber of commerce.

Jiang Han walked to the main table, told Xiao Yuanshan that he was leaving first, and then turned and left.

Liu Meng leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and watched Jiang Han walk past her, then sighed.

She sighed more today than she did in the entire past month combined.

……

In Shenzhen, Zeng Yi and Linghua should already be packing their luggage.

Zeng Yi hung up the phone and stood on the steps in the back alley of the dance hall, staring at his phone screen for several seconds.

October in Shenzhen is still hot. The alleys are filled with the smell of swill and the hot air from the air conditioner units. The walls are covered with advertisements for rentals and phone numbers for document processing.

Three years ago, when he left this place, it was in the same alley, and it smelled the same.

At that time, he dragged a suitcase, had three thousand yuan in his pocket, bought a green train ticket to Jingzhou, and stood for twenty hours.

It's been three years, and he hasn't come back. He's afraid that if he does, he'll never be able to leave again.

Linghua sat on the edge of the stage, her legs dangling in mid-air, swinging back and forth.

The dance hall was closed during the day, and all the lights were off except for an emergency light above the stage, which made her makeup look a little messy.

She hadn't planned to meet anyone today. She had just woken up when she received Zeng Yi's call, so she just threw on a T-shirt and went out.

"Have you finished the call?" Linghua asked.

"It's over."

"How so?"

"Let's go there now."

Linghua jumped off the stage, and the sound of her landing echoed in the empty dance hall.

Linghua stood still, looking down at her toes.

"Zeng Yi, to be honest, I'm a little scared."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that if I go, it won't be what I imagined."

Zeng Yi walked up to her and stopped.

"Three years ago, you told me you wanted to stand on stage and sing, with a full audience and all the lights shining on you. Do you remember?"

Linghua nodded.

"Now's your chance," Zeng Yi said. "Tell me, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of falling."

Zeng Yi chuckled: "If you fall, just get up. It's not like you've never fallen before."

Linghua's rented apartment is on the 6th floor of an urban village, and there is no elevator.

Pushing open the door, the room was quite small.

A bed, a table, a wardrobe, and a messy pile of things on the table.

Throat lozenges, hair ties, half a bag of potato chips, and a stack of well-worn sheet music.

A poster of a famous singer was plastered on the wall, with a line of small print written below in ballpoint pen: "When will it be my turn?"

"Let's go."

"Is this all you have?"

"Otherwise what? What do you think I have?"

Linghua opened the wardrobe; there were only a few clothes inside.

Zeng Yi leaned against the door frame watching her tidy up, and suddenly said something.

You've lost weight since three years ago.

You've gained weight since three years ago.

"I'm strong!"

The two looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

To get from the rented apartment to the airport, you have to take two buses and then transfer to the subway.

Linghua sat on the bus with the window wide open, letting the wind rush in as she watched the city recede into the distance.

She spent five years in Shenzhen, singing in one bar after another, in one nightclub after another.

They've sung at opening ceremonies, wedding banquets, birthday parties, company annual meetings, and even temple fairs in urban villages.

The people in the audience sometimes listened, sometimes drank, sometimes played drinking games; no one really cared what she was singing.

Zeng Yi sat next to her, clutching two plane tickets in his hand.

Jingzhou Airlines, departing at 6 pm and landing at 8:10 pm. The ticket price is not cheap, but Jiang Han said he would reimburse the travel expenses.

"Zeng Yi, what does that General Manager Jiang look like?"

"He's pretty handsome," Zeng Yi thought for a moment, "more handsome than me."

"Of course," Linghua said.

airport.

Linghua turned around, clutched her boarding pass in her hand, and walked into the security checkpoint.

As the plane took off, Linghua leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed.

The roar of the engine filled my ears, and my body was pressed against the seat, giving me a feeling of weightlessness.

She didn't know what Jingzhou was like, or whether a rented room or a stage awaited her.

But she knew Zeng Yi wouldn't lie to her.

The city outside the window grew smaller and smaller, the lights merging into one.

The plane flew through the clouds, and nothing could be seen except the black sky and the flashing lights on the wings.

Zeng Yi was already asleep next to me, his bald head leaning against the backrest with his mouth slightly open.

Linghua glanced at him, then turned her head back to look out the window.

Jingzhou.

She had never been there.

But she knew that someone was waiting for her there.