Bad news
Zhiwei said, "Really? Do you think it looks good? I plan to paint it with light rose gold glow-in-the-dark paint later. During the day, you can only vaguely see a trace, but at night after the lights are turned off, you can see the Milky Way, the Little Prince and his rose in the darkness."
May gasped. "Such a beautiful work can only be viewed at night after the lights are off? Is this what they mean by 'wearing fine clothes in the dark,' a different kind of luxury?"
Zhiwei smiled and said, "From now on, I'll paint a roof on your boudoir so you can see it during the day, okay?"
May said, "It seems that I have to work hard to earn money so that I can have my own roof over my head as soon as possible."
The two chatted and laughed as they packed their things and returned to the studio with the rest of the group. In New York in winter, it gets dark very early; it was only a little past 7 pm, but it already felt like midnight. They ate a quick meal at a café near the studio and then took the subway home together.
When Zhiwei arrived at her apartment building, she saw a familiar figure waiting for her. Seeing that she recognized him, May said, "I'll go up first," and took Zhiwei's bag with her.
In the dim light, Li Fuqiang remained leaning against the car. He only straightened up when he saw them approaching, smiling at Zhiwei. Zhiwei, unsure what to say, unconsciously adjusted her braid with her hand.
Seeing her playful outfit, with speckles of paint on her off-white pants that looked slightly shiny, Li Fuqiang blurted out, "Is this the most fashionable outfit for you young people these days?"
Zhiwei followed his gaze and realized that she hadn't noticed in the afternoon that there must have been quite a few paint drips on her clothes. She laughed and said, "Oh, I didn't even notice. We went to the house this afternoon. I was trying out the ceiling design, and I probably got some paint on it."
"roof?"
"Yes, I noticed that the roof of that house was empty. I was thinking that it was for a young lady who loves art, and they were going to paint a starry sky on the roof. Today I'm going to try out what would be a suitable way to paint it."
"Didn't you draw it bit by bit with a pen?"
“Oh, I think that's a bit unnatural. I'm going to use a flicking motion to naturally draw stars of various sizes, and then depict some individual larger stars. I'm also going to draw a crescent moon, and then draw the Little Prince sitting on his planet looking at the crescent moon, with his rose beside him. I'm going to use light rose gold glow-in-the-dark paint to paint it on the ceiling, so that it's only faintly visible during the day, and only when the lights are turned off at night can you see the starry sky and the patterns. Ah May said I'm too extravagant.”
Li Fuqiang didn't know what Zhiwei meant by the Little Prince, the rose, or the planet. But looking at her enthusiastic face and her young and beautiful figure, he couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of inferiority.
After Zhiwei finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Li Fuqiang, remembering his purpose, quickly coughed, "I heard you say the other day that you were doing your homework, wanting to design this house according to the different identities of its owners. Who do you want to design for next?"
"I thought there were many female models trying their luck in New York, but unfortunately I don't know anyone like that around me."
"There's a cocktail party coming up in a couple of days, and the organizers told me they've invited quite a few up-and-coming models. Since you're interested, why don't you come check it out with us?"
Seeing that Zhiwei hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to refuse, he quickly said, "You can invite your friends to come along. It's not a very formal cocktail party."
His politeness made Zhiwei a little embarrassed. She bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Mr. Li. Is there any dress code?"
"Nothing too formal, just comfortable is fine. Shall I have someone pick you up here at 7 pm the day after tomorrow?"
Since I've already accepted your kindness, I might as well go all the way and say, "Okay. Thank you, Mr. Li."
Li Fuqiang didn't say much and politely said, "Then you should go upstairs quickly. I see you're dressed quite lightly."
Zhiwei bowed slightly, "Goodbye, Mr. Li," and went back upstairs. Once inside, she couldn't help but glance out the window and saw Li Fuqiang still downstairs, looking up at her. He waved when he saw her and got into his car. The car sped away in a flash.
Zhiwei felt a mix of emotions. May came over and looked at her with amusement.
"I remember now, wasn't it this gentleman at the church last time?"
Zhiwei said, "At Christmas, Johnny and I went to a Chinese dance party, which was organized by Mr. Li's company. I've seen him a few times since then. By the way, Mr. Li said there's a cocktail party tomorrow, and the organizers have invited a lot of model girls. He heard that we wanted to meet these girls and find out their preferences regarding housing, so he invited us to come along. Would you like to go?"
"Okay, but what should I wear?"
"I asked and they said it didn't need to be anything too formal."
"Nothing too formal, just a little dress, okay? It wouldn't be appropriate for us to be dressed like this today, would it?" The two exchanged a smile.
"The car will pick us up at 7 pm the day after tomorrow. After school, we'll have dinner and then we can coordinate our outfits." Young girls usually coordinate their outfits before going out, let alone at a party.
After Li Fuqiang returned to the hotel, Qian Dayou came to report a work matter to him. After discussing the work, Li Fuqiang suddenly remembered, "Dayou, have you heard of The Little Prince, The Planet, and The Rose? What are these?"
Da You laughed and said, "Mr. Li, you've stumped me. Is this some kind of fairy tale? When my niece was little, I only ever heard her talk about Barbie dolls; I've never heard of The Little Prince."
"Oh, by the way, Da You should arrange a cocktail party the day after tomorrow, to invite some business friends to get together. Invite a few more models to make it look nice. Also, at 7 o'clock, have someone pick up Zhiwei and her friends. They said they want to meet some model girls and find out their preferences."
Da Youxin was wondering why there was this sudden cocktail party; it turns out it was meant to be here.
Time flew by amidst studies, internships, and the occasional "chance encounters" with Li Fuqiang. Before they knew it, it was Lunar New Year's Eve.
On that rainy night, after Zhiwei and May returned from making dumplings at Meihui's house, she received a call from Aunt Mei in Shanghai. The devastating news that her mother had been diagnosed with mid-to-late stage lung cancer shattered all her strength like a thunderbolt.
In a panic and helplessness, she instinctively dialed Zhou Xuanyu's number, but the line was constantly busy. As if possessed, she used a payphone to call him; the call connected instantly, and a familiar female voice came through the receiver: "Xuan, I'm done washing..."
After Zhao Youlin finished speaking, she realized that Xuan Yu was on the phone. When they were together, she rarely heard Xuan Yu's phone ring. She made a gesture as if to say, "Are you on the phone?"
Zhiwei, on the other end of the phone, was stunned by the woman's voice and the content of the call. "Johnny?"
Having worried about this happening all along and taking many precautions, Xuan Yu felt a sense of relief, as if the shoe had finally dropped. Without thinking twice, he cleared his throat and said, "Zhiwei, you're a good girl. But I think we're incompatible. Let's break up."
Zhiwei seemed to have lost the ability to think, her mouth agape, stunned and speechless. Xuanyu heard the silence on the other end, hesitated for a moment, and then hung up the phone.
The beeping sound from the telephone receiver seemed to bring Zhiwei back to her senses. She struggled to hold the receiver, trying to hang it up, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. The receiver didn't hang up properly and fell helplessly to the ground, the telephone cord stretched out, and the receiver swung back and forth aimlessly.
Zhiwei seemed oblivious to all of this. She frantically pushed open the phone booth door and walked heavily into the rain. The winter rain in New York was so cold, it felt like it could freeze one's heart.
Rainwater stung Zhiwei's face, blurring her vision. The pattering rain on the eaves and ground drowned out her sobs. As if remembering something, Zhiwei dialed Xuanyu's number again, and sure enough, the familiar message came through: "The number you have dialed is currently busy. Please try again later."
I see.
Zhiwei fiercely wiped her eyes with her hands, but more tears poured out. She futilely lowered her hands and walked home like a walking corpse.
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