Chapter 32: Paycheck Day

I waited at the corridor entrance for nearly forty minutes, and Robben was still not done. The autumn cold wind made it difficult for me to withstand, and I thought about going up to urge him.

Just as I stood up, a woman named Lily walked down from above, and a strong fragrance of perfume filled the air.

"Done?" I adjusted my clothes and asked.

Lily glanced at me disapprovingly and said, "If it weren't for you, I would have spent the night here."

"Robben has several more bars to visit tomorrow. Don't bother him."

"I don't understand why two men live together!" Lily still complained to me.

"I'm just staying here for a while until I find a place. It's not a big deal," I explained somewhat guiltily to Lily.

Lily nodded, then said, "I forgot my wallet. Give me $50 for a cab."

I was surprised, "Why didn't you ask Robben just now?"

"I forgot just now, and I'm too lazy to go back up. Stop chattering and give me the money quickly," Lily motioned for money.

"Aren't you a lady of the night?"

Lily gave me a disdainful look and said, "Have you ever seen an openly out lady of the night who only asks for $50?"

"Fair enough," I said, taking out my wallet. After searching for a while, I couldn't find a $50 bill. Lily directly took a $100 bill from me, flaunting it as if I owed her.

After Lily left, I felt that staying at Robben's place was not a long-term solution. It was inconvenient, far from the office, and I needed to continue searching for a house.

...

Back inside, the air still seemed to carry the lingering scent of revelry. I instinctively glanced at the bed, but the sheets were neatly folded.

"Worried that you might be uncomfortable sleeping, so I didn't do anything on the bed," Robben explained to me.

"Thanks!"

Robben smiled, "No trouble, sleeping or standing, it's all the same."

I placed the cherries I brought from Betsy on the table and said to Robben, "A friend gave them to me; try some."

"Oh, these are imported from Chile. Which friend of yours is so generous?" Robben said, picking one up and putting it in his mouth.

I didn't answer immediately, realizing that calling Betsy a friend was a bit presumptuous. In reality, we were only slightly better than strangers. At least most of the time, Betsy seemed quite annoyed with me.

"Just a friend," I replied vaguely.

It was a trivial matter, and Robben didn't press for details. He took out the guitar from the box, plucked the strings, lost in the music, and then asked me, "Didn't you use this awesome guitar to pay off debts? How come it's back in your hands?"

"She returned it to me," I answered truthfully.

"Who is she?"

"Do I need to write a book to answer that?"

Robben looked at me with an understanding gaze and said, "Stay calm..." Finally, he stopped questioning me and started playing "Cinderella" on the guitar, the melody drifting out of the ten-square-meter attic in the night breeze.

...

The night was as quiet as a dead pond. Robben and I lay on the bed, each holding a cigarette, equally lost and silent.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the window, dispersing the smoke that filled the room.

I and the wild wind seemed to be competing. I took a deep drag on my cigarette and exhaled heavily. The room was once again filled with the smell of tobacco.

I finished a cigarette quickly, extinguished it in the ashtray, and turned to Robben, asking, "What are you thinking about, Ben?"

"Thinking about the girl," Robben said, taking another drag on his cigarette.

I teased, "Didn't you just sleep with Lily?"

Robben smiled, extinguished his half-smoked cigarette, took another one from the pack, and lit it. After a while, he said, "I don't know how she's doing now."

"If you're thinking about her, contact her. Just consider it caring about an old friend."

"Do you dare to contact Jenny even though it's been over two years since you broke up?" Robben countered.

"Why bring up me and Jenny?"

"Same logic. What can contacting her change? Just think about it this way!"

"I'm just feeling sorry for you. Still in love, forced by her parents, but in the end, leaving a reputation of betrayal in her heart."

"As long as she's happy, my little grievance doesn't matter."

I lit another cigarette, took a few puffs, and fell into silence, not pushing Robben to contact that girl from Beijing.

"Let's sleep; it's almost dawn," Robben extinguished the cigarette he had only smoked half of and said to me.

I looked out the window as if I could see through all the darkness before dawn. I couldn't help but sigh in my heart: Life is truly an unsolvable puzzle, full of right and wrong, truth and falsehood...

...

The next day, after another busy day, which I hadn't experienced in the first two years at the company, mainly because Morton Cowper's work temporarily fell on my shoulders, I had some other gains. Today, I finally received my salary. So, as the end of the workday approached, I planned how to spend this month's salary.

After much thought, I decided that the first expenditure of this money would be to invite Betsy to dinner. I still remember a few days ago when I used the excuse of a meal to deceive her into attending Morton Cowper's wedding. She was so annoyed. Without a doubt, I did something inconsiderate. So, tonight's meal must be a sincere invitation to apologize and, at the same time, to thank her for cooperating with me in the play at the bar the night before yesterday, preventing me from being embarrassed in front of Jenny.

I dialed Betsy's number, and after a short while, she answered, still with a calm tone, "Hello, what's up?"

"I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight. Would you do me the honor?" I said very sincerely.

"Is this another wedding of your friend?"

I was a bit speechless; she always calmly choked me to death. After a pause, I said, "This time, it's not a friend's wedding. I just want to invite you to dinner."

"Oh, forget it for tonight."

I felt a bit disappointed, but I still insisted, "Come on, I received my salary today, and you're the first person I thought of. Please don't refuse my hospitality."

"My car is in for maintenance, and it's not very convenient to take a taxi here. Next time," Betsy finally gave me a reason not to come.

"That's easy. I have a car. I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

"You have a car?" Betsy questioned.

"Yes, it's similar to yours. Just give me a face. Tonight, I'll take you to a uniquely interesting restaurant, and I guarantee you'll like it."

After some thought, Betsy finally agreed, "Okay, I'm in Liuan Jingyuan. Come over."

"You live in Liuan Jingyuan!" I sighed because this was a high-end residential area in the city. Betsy must have moved there because the bathroom in her house was unusable due to insecticide spraying.

"Why ask so much?" Betsy said and hung up the phone.

I smiled and didn't mind Betsy's attitude. I had expected that she probably had other houses in Suzhou.

Putting the phone in my pocket, I said to Zhao Li, who was still busy next door, "Zhao Li, can I borrow your Little Prince Alto tonight?"

Zhao Li looked up at me with vigilance, asking, "What are you up to?"

"I'll fill it up with gas for you after using it. Be quick." I said impatiently.

"You said it, but don't play tricks on me." Zhao Li said, taking out the car keys from the drawer and handing them to me.

...

As the day grew darker, I drove Zhao Li's Alto to the "Liuan Jingyuan" residential area. This time, I didn't deceive Betsy. The car I was driving now was indeed similar to hers. Hers was an Audi, and mine was an Alto, both eye-catching shades of purple-red.