My 26-year-old Female Tenant

  The boy stared at me with wide eyes, and said for a while, "You asked her to unblock me? Brother Yang, I heard right!"

  I smiled and said, "I know her."

  Tongzi seemed to hear a joke, and said to me with a distorted expression, "Haha...you know her! Only ghosts would believe her! She is a star, a rising star!"

   "Do you think I'm joking too?"

   "It's a desperate bragging!"

  I sighed: "Then it's over, even if you hate me to death, it won't help!"

  The boy made a move to strangle me, sighed deeply, and drank the remaining beer in his bottle in one gulp. He really hated me to death.

  …

  Leaving the bar, just after nine o'clock in the evening, Tongzi and I walked side by side on the stone path shrouded in night.

  In the middle of the walk, I planned to sit by the Xitang River for a while, because there was nothing to do when I went back, but the boy was in a hurry to go back to catch up on Le Yao's drama, so we temporarily parted ways amid disagreement.

  I wandered alone by the Xitang River until I found a secluded place, then I stopped and sat on the steps by the river bank.

   Habitually touched my pocket, but found that the only pack of cigarettes had been smoked in the bar. The plight of no cigarettes immediately contributed to my boredom, so I played with the lighter in my hand, but my eyes were fixed on the flowing river.

  I was a little distracted, and I no longer expected to see the reflection of that city in this Xitang River, because I understand: I have not been able to restore that city, and I am still as confused as before I came here.

   There was a gust of wind, and there was also the sound of footsteps approaching me. I subconsciously wanted to look back, but was blindfolded by a pair of hands from behind.

  She squeezed her throat and pretended to be a child's voice and said to me: "Student Zhaoyang, guess who I am!"

   A burst of Lancôme La Vita perfume wafted into my nose. Among the women I know, she is the only one who likes to wear this perfume.

   "Let go, stop making trouble!"

   "Have you guessed who I am?"

   "Aren't you busy filming? Why did you come to Xitang?"

  She finally let go of the hand that covered my eyes, walked around in front of me, squatted on the ground and looked at me again, and asked, "How did you guess it was mine?"

   "It's the smell of perfume on your body that betrayed you!"

   "You are awesome, comparable to a dog's nose."

   "How to talk!"

  Le Yao ignored my dissatisfaction and sat down next to me.

  I asked her again with doubts, "Have you finished filming yet?"

   "Yesterday, I finished shooting all the scenes I want to shoot this week." After a pause, she said softly, "I want to come and see you."

   "It's a long way, is it worth it?"

   "What is worth or not between friends!"

   "Let's focus on work, you are now a big star admired by people!"

  Le Yao took off his sunglasses and mask, smiled at me, and said, "In front of you, I am Le Yao."

  I was moved by her words, but I didn't know how to deal with this sensational scene, so I chose to remain silent.

   "Zhaoyang, I feel very lucky. I went to Xitang in the afternoon and met you in the evening!"

   "You will be lucky if you meet me as soon as you arrive in the afternoon. After all, Xitang is such a big place."

   Le Yao slapped me, but then he took my arm as before, and said, "Why do you always sing against me!"

   "Everyone loves to play against others!"

   "You still know that you are a force!... You know, how many people are worried that you don't want to eat and drink when you disappear without saying goodbye!"

  I didn't believe that anyone would worry about me, so I joked with Le Yao, "Are you one of them?"

  She shook her head: "It doesn't count, because I'm the only one who knows where you're going...Actually, it's Mi Cai who worries about you the most!"

"she?"

   "Yes, it's her... If I tell you that she flew to Beijing to find me yesterday, would you believe me?"

  I shake my head.

"She really went, with a haggard face!"

   "But I may not necessarily tell you where you went."

   "I've gone to the doctor in a hurry, have you heard?... For Mi Cai, I am the last hope! Fortunately, she voted correctly, and I know you are in Xitang."

   "So did you tell her?"

"No, I think you should not tell her where you are from me, because it will hurt her very much... So, I came to Xitang, and then I will tell you about her looking for me, and let you decide for yourself Do you want to contact her?"

   "It's as true as it sounds!"

   "It's true, if you don't believe me, I can swear to you!"

  I stared at Le Yao, trying to find any clues of lying on her face, but there was none, and she seemed to have no motive for lying, so my doubting heart was gradually shaken!

  Le Yao stretched out her hand and shook it in front of me: "Zhaoyang, why are you looking at me so stupidly?"

  I finally turned my eyes away, even though I believed in Le Yao, I still felt that this was a dream, how could Mi Cai fly to Beijing to find Le Yao because of my leaving without saying goodbye!

  Le Yao pushed me who fell into silence again, and said, "Tell me, what happened to you and her?"

"broke up."

   "Who mentioned it first?"

  I couldn't help being stunned, and said for a while: "No one mentioned breaking up, but we really broke up!"

   Le Yao looked at me with wide eyes, and asked, "Could it be your wishful thinking that you broke up?"

I felt a "thump" in my heart, but that day she resolutely pushed me away, and the picture of getting in Weiran's car flashed in my mind again, and I immediately shook my head and said to Le Yao, "It can't be my wishful thinking, some things are not accepted by others. It's clear, she and I are clear, and it really happened... I think our short and pitiful love has been torn apart by the reality of nonsense!"

Le Yao didn't press on any further, but smiled at me and said, "I'll tell you what should be told, and you can decide what to do with the rest... But, tonight belongs to me, and this night belongs to me." But it's my first time to Xitang, you have to take a good look around with me.

   "Let's go shopping..."

   Le Yao got up before me, pulled me up from the ground again, and asked, "Where should we go shopping?"

   "Xiangxi, there is a convenience store over there, I'll go buy a pack of cigarettes first."

  …

When I bought the cigarettes and puffed out the familiar smell again, my heart, which had been calm for a day, was suddenly no longer calm. A sudden impulse faintly wanted to break through the self-made defense line. I wanted to send a message to Mi Cai. information, tell her: I'm okay!

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－