Chapter 90

My Hat Isn’t Something Anyone Can Take Off

In the elevator, Zhao Xiaorou excitedly said, “I’ll never trust men again. Do you know how many tricks Li Ai has up his sleeve? After his wife passed, this man dealt with coffee every day, and I thought he was just a normal, sentimental guy. But now, with milk, fruit jams, jelly, everything, he can make anything exciting. It’s enough to make your legs go weak!”

Hu Xiu glanced at the ceiling’s surveillance camera. “What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

“You’re all the same, Li Donghai’s wife. What’s wrong with making dirty jokes? When you were fantasizing about Li Donghai, those fanfics you wrote, how is that any different from what I’m saying now?”

Zhao Xiaorou clearly wasn’t done. “If I had known Li Ai was like this, I wouldn’t have needed all those other boyfriends. Now when I see him, I feel complicated—part of me wants him, but part of me is scared.”

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them walked toward the basketball court. Zhao Xiaorou couldn’t stop talking about Li Ai.

Going up and down the stairs to the basketball court felt like the winding paths Zhao Xiaorou had taken for Li Ai; for him, she really had gone through a lot.

Li Ai and Diao Zhiyu had made plans to play basketball with some friends. Li Ai could occasionally dribble and take a few steps, making a few layups. His close friends purposely played seriously, and although they could tell his legs had been injured before, outsiders only saw a middle-aged man who loved sports and was cultured.

As for Diao Zhiyu, his energetic style when playing sports, his black curly hair soaked with sweat, and his playful attitude as he jogged backward, all made Hu Xiu easily sense his charm. It was his natural charisma.

The two men were on separate teams, one dribbling, the other faking moves, and when they faced off, they were intensely focused. Neither noticed the two women chatting in the stands.

Hu Xiu purposely went to sit in a corner by the small door, still enjoying watching Diao Zhiyu, just like when she had followed Qin Xiao in the Snowpiercer. Even though they liked each other, discovering his new qualities in the details still made her happy for a long time.

Zhao Xiaorou wasn’t shy at all. She pulled out a large light-up sign from her bag, with Li Ai, wearing glasses and making coffee, surrounded by flashing blue, yellow, and green lights: “Li Ai! Go! Beat them! I love you!”

Li Ai limped a little as he ran, wiping his sweat and squinting to look over, looking incredulous.

Diao Zhiyu had long been used to this spectacle. He deliberately dribbled past Li Ai, who, belatedly, caught up, and the young man jumped to dunk the ball, hanging on the rim and showing off his victory, looking cool in the cheers.

The four of them went into REGARD’s iron gate, sat down, and drank coffee.

Zhao Xiaorou had just pulled out the coffee pot when her face turned red. She turned away to unpack the shop’s delivery, while the other three were puzzled.

Li Ai ground some low-caffeine coffee beans. “It’s getting late, let’s have some calming tea. This batch of beans came from Yunnan. Zhao Xiaorou, have you talked to Hu Xiu about the issue?”

“She’s busy supporting you, no time for me. What’s the matter?”

“I’m planning to start an MCN business, signing and incubating some fashion and lifestyle influencers. The first wave of fashion influencers have all moved to integrated marketing. I still occasionally do live streaming and advertisements, but it’s not very groundbreaking.

One thing though, the brands I work with are good, not trashy, and the resources are solid. I have in-depth partnerships with some top-tier brands. Now I want to go deeper and sign some high-quality people. I wonder if you or Diao Zhiyu would be interested.”

“Us?”

“Your Bilibili account, I can help you get advertisements, increase traffic. After the trending topic, both Diao Zhiyu’s Weibo and your Bilibili gained followers. Actually, you could continue promoting.

Diao Zhiyu, wait, I’m not saying you should become an influencer.

If you don’t want to do ads, that’s fine too. I can sign you as a model. Just do what you usually do, and consider it a way to earn money.”

Diao Zhiyu looked at Hu Xiu, and neither of them had thought about this. After a pause, Diao Zhiyu said, “I’m not too keen on exposure.”

“Big brother, weren’t you getting offers after that trending topic? You even caused a stir with Hu Xiu before. If I hadn’t figured out that you set her up, I would’ve wanted to tie you up in a sack and toss you in the river.

People need a plan. You used to know how to earn by being an NPC and accepting tips. Now you’re becoming more reserved? Acting in plays and participating in script-killing games is poor work. Having enough to eat and achieving something are very different.”

“Didn’t expect it, you two have teamed up to become capitalist couple. Can you even handle all this business?”

“The company is planning to expand. It’s not so much about becoming huge, but because everyone is moving forward. I want to make it systematic.

Being an influencer myself, signing ten influencers or models, and doing marketing, with more brands looking for me—that’s my current goal.

As for Li Ai, I just found out he’s full of energy. He helps me with work even after losing two hours of sleep.”

“Did you see that? Black-hearted capitalist.” Li Ai finally finished wiping the coffee pot and sat down. The warm yellow light illuminated the folding bicycle, guitar, camera, and the friends around him… He seemed quite satisfied with everything in front of him.

Looking at Hu Xiu, who was flipping through her phone, he asked with concern, “Hu Xiu, what have you been up to? Still studying?”

“Mm. There’s a psychological counseling charity lecture on Saturday. Pei Zhen and his colleagues are organizing it, and I’m going as a translator.”

She stretched lazily. “I quit my job to make space for his friends, but now I’ve joined, and I’m smoothly organizing activities. Having some connection with medicine after leaving the hospital is worth it.”

“You’re too kind.”

“One can’t force themselves to do things they don’t like. No matter how we resist, fate will always bring us to the places we most want to be.”

Diao Zhiyu didn’t say anything.

Zhao Xiaorou was still flipping through a magazine. “Li Ai, you were featured in a magazine and didn’t tell us.”

“It’s a small award, nothing worth mentioning.” After all, he had won the Beiyuming Award.

“What’s this ‘dreamhouse’ you mentioned in your interview? I’ve never heard you talk about it.”

“It’s a project I’m working on recently. I’ll tell you more once it’s clearer.”

The architectural model he had once gifted to Xu Meng was still displayed in the store. Zhao Xiaorou didn’t bring up the past. This model, now part of the store’s decor, had already witnessed more new stories.

For example, now, the four of them were sitting in the shop late at night, playing guitar and singing old songs. None of them wanted to leave.

Zhao Xiaorou had arranged more than just one porcelain project for Li Ai. When she heard that her new boyfriend, Li Ai, was an interior designer, someone found her through several connections and asked if he could help design a bar.

The owner had hired several designers, but all their proposals were rejected. The latest one had been outright criticized: “Your level is so bad, you should be writing condolence speeches and arranging wreaths for a funeral home instead. You should practice your handwriting instead of wasting time.”

Li Ai had come into contact with this mysterious person through several friends. It wasn’t exactly admiration but more like someone wanting to shut this difficult person up quickly.

Li Ai was reviewing a pile of contracts and looked at the computer with a frown. “It’s probably not about being picky, it’s just that no one cares. The moment I heard it, I knew it would be a waste of time.”

“I heard he’s a bit of an artsy entrepreneur, rarely comes out but does big things when he does.”

“He recently stepped down from a social app partnership and now wants to retreat again. Even if we don’t cooperate, we could still be friends.”

“Gong Huaicong’s friend?”

“Yes. But he reached me after a few turns and has no real connection to Gong Huaicong.”

Zhao Xiaorou linked her arm with his: “Come on, let’s go see him. I’m really curious about what kind of man he is.”

They were told to meet at a coffee shop on Shaoxing Road, so they brought their new coffee beans and brewing equipment with them.

Zhao Xiaorou wore a white dress and a khaki suit, with soft white leather shoes that exposed her ankles as she walked ahead, surveying the café. “It must be that man.”

Following her gesture, they saw him sitting by the window, working on his computer with a cup of coffee beside him. His face was clean, wearing a brown-green plaid shirt, khaki vest, and a hat, giving off a very distinctive vibe.

Zhao Xiaorou commented, “What, I thought he’d be harder to deal with. He looks pretty much like us.”

They sat across from him. The sound of the keyboard clicking continued for a while before the man finally looked up, without any greeting, just sizing up the two of them.

Zhao Xiaorou spoke first: “Gong Huaicong sent someone to find me. Is this the bar you want designed?”

“No. It’s at the Fuxing SOHO area, originally a non-profitable sugar water shop.”

“Then should we go see it?”

“No need. I focus on people, not things.”

Her words caught Zhao Xiaorou off guard, successfully making her angry. The man’s hat rim shaded half of his face, and he looked a bit smug. The next moment, Zhao Xiaorou stood up and took his hat off: “Ah, so you’re not bald.”

The man’s single eyelid eyes widened as he took the hat back and carefully put it back on.

This threw him off rhythm. He began typing louder and seemed even less inclined to acknowledge them.

Zhao Xiaorou leaned her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at him with great interest. “Do you think this is getting more interesting? The villain always thinks like that.”

“I’m just curious about what kind of person you are. I don’t understand design, ask Li Ai.”

The next move, however, really threw Zhao Xiaorou off. Li Ai picked up the man’s coffee cup, sniffed it, and said, “The beans are a bit average. I brought some brewing equipment and beans as a gift for you. If you’re interested, I can make you a cup right now.”

“Okay then...” The man finally shut his computer, “I’ll try this coffee.”

Everyone at the table remained silent while Li Ai stood up and went to wash the kettle. Zhao Xiaorou kept her eyes on the man, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, he crossed his arms, watching Li Ai in the distance. When he noticed that Li Ai was slightly limping, he quietly smiled.

Zhao Xiaorou’s radar went off. “Just a reminder, Li Ai is straight. Don’t get any ideas.”

The man didn’t even look at her.

Li Ai made the coffee and handed it over. The man took a sip, raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn’t comment. “Let’s get to the point. What style of design are you good at?”

“Not sure. I usually need to meet people, talk to them, then I know. Whether or not it’s for profit, the design has to match the vibe of the store and its owner. As long as it’s near Xintiandi, the business should be good. What’s the place like?”

“A three-story house with a yard. I plan to open only the downstairs two floors. I have a photo of the third floor. I’d like you to base your design on it.”

The photo was likely taken at night, with yellow lighting casting over a bookshelf filled with literary books— Flowering, Paradise Lost, The Sea and the Sardines, 2666. There were also movie posters on the wall, all of them featuring niche cinematic stories.

The man opened his computer again: “The books and the bed aren’t mine; it’s someone else’s resting room. But I want to preserve the feeling and memories of this room.”

“So this design is about capturing that vibe, right? That’s why you’ve been struggling to find the right designer.”

“Let me guess—you’ve loved someone who was here before.”

The man smiled. “Not exactly. But someone was close by.”

“I have some design drafts, initial ideas. It could be a brown-toned space, with a vintage film color palette. The books will be fake, not upscale, but I’ll need a few to decorate. Do you remember the bookstore in Notting Hill?”

The man thought for a moment: “Got it. This shop is yours to design.”

Li Ai seemed a bit puzzled. “Don’t rush. Have some more coffee.”

“No need. I like you,” the man said, packing up his things to leave. “I have to go. I don’t have a business card anymore, I threw all my old ones away. If you need anything, call me. Your girlfriend has my number.”

“Your name?”

The man who picked up his bag left without saying goodbye: “Lei Zheng...”

“What a weird temper, but I have to say, the people around Gong Huaicong are all slippery.”

“I checked the location of the shop. That house is in the nine-figure price range, and the rent is very expensive, really no shortage of money.”

“And what kind of story do you think that would be, after all, he’s a gay man. Could it be that he liked a straight guy?”

“Your mouth is so sharp,” Li Ai said, turning onto Yuyuan Road, “I’m taking you somewhere.”

The car drove to Gubei and stopped at an outdoor parking lot. After crossing the street, they entered a hotel-style apartment. Before entering, Zhao Xiaorou glanced around. The streets of Gubei were quiet, with Japanese restaurants, coffee shops, and a children’s hospital with Japanese signage.

The elevator reached the 16th floor, and she said, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Your hunches are never accurate.”

When the door opened, Zhao Xiaorou first saw the tatami at the end of the room. There were Japanese manga of Slam Dunk and One Piece, along with two guitars placed on top.

On the left was a marble table, a swing-style long bench, and a bar cabinet filled with liquor.

The furniture was all new, and there was no sign of anyone living there. Zhao Xiaorou, puzzled, asked, “What is this place?”

“I’m here to drink with you. At your place, it’s all work and you’re squeezing me dry. I’m bringing you here to relax,” Li Ai said.

The more she listened, the more something felt off. Zhao Xiaorou looked at the bedroom, which had the same bedding as her own home, and asked, “Li Ai, don’t scare me. Is this the home you shared with your ex-wife? You cleaned it up and invited me here for drinks?”

“This doesn’t feel like anyone’s lived here,” Li Ai sighed. “You really won’t let me keep any secrets. You said you were going to Shenzhen, so I started looking for this place. Then you forced me into the script-killing game, and after a series of temptations, now you’re turning it against me...”

“The ‘dream house’ is ours. Although we’ve only rented it for five years, I’ve done my best to remodel it. The master bedroom and tatami are for us, and Diao Zhiyu and Hu Xiu can stay in the guest room. The big table is for playing tabletop games... Originally, I wanted to see if you liked it after a few drinks, but you’ve spoiled my surprise.”

Li Ai helplessly and dejectedly went to the fridge to find some alcohol. “My life rhythm is just here to be messed up by you.”

Zhao Xiaorou hugged Li Ai from behind. “Alright, I get it. I won’t ask any more questions. Can we still drink?”

So they drank. From their first meeting to the divorce with Wang Guangming, when they got to the topic of the lawsuit, it was impossible to avoid mentioning Xu Meng. They also commented on the irrational Hu Xiu and Diao Zhiyu, and the past three years of knowing each other took up a lot of time.

As the sky darkened, the two of them collapsed together, and several bottles of foreign liquor were emptied.

They both collapsed onto the tatami, with Zhao Xiaorou reaching out to wrap her arm around Li Ai’s neck. “You’re only thirty-three. Why did I ever think you were so old? After the surgery, you’re much better, and now you look five years younger than before.” Zhao Xiaorou, a bit tipsy, extended her hand with four fingers.

“One boyfriend after another has made you younger. But I understand, there’s no perfect solution in life. In tough times, we choose the life-saving straw, not what we most desire.”

Zhao Xiaorou smiled and hummed. “Reaching out and grabbing the moon isn’t something everyone can experience. Most of the time, it’s like fishing for the moon in the water, stretching out to catch air, touching stars, and then falling back to Earth with the meteor.”

“Many times, I envy Hu Xiu. She’s set on Diao Zhiyu. During Christmas, what made me angriest wasn’t you and Xu Meng, but Hu Xiu. Even when standing next to Pei Zhen, I could tell from the look in Diao Zhiyu’s eyes that he’d never let her go easily.”

“Such luck, I’m so jealous. As for me? No patience, bad luck, a combination of human flaws.”

“So you can only find yourself a cripple.”

“Who says not?” Zhao Xiaorou grinned foolishly. “Good thing he’s a sexy cripple. You’re not going to ruin your leg from all that drinking, right? Come on, let me touch it.”

Li Ai, unable to lift his hand, held Zhao Xiaorou’s hand. “Marry me.”

After a second or two of silence, Zhao Xiaorou couldn’t hold back her tears, still smiling. “What did you say?”

“I said, maybe we can try getting married. If we can still tolerate each other, we don’t need to divorce.”

“No. Do you know how boring marriage is? I’ve been trapped in it before, and I swore I’d never marry again. You must be drunk to ask such crazy questions.”

“Only three bottles of wine, what’s there to be drunk about? Those years of marriage, every day was very happy. I never thought being trapped was a hassle. But I have to admit, I also killed my own wife. On sleepless nights, I often think, if that day I hadn’t fought with her and kept her on the inside of the road, would everything have turned out differently?”

Li Ai rubbed her head in his arms, wiping away the tears. “Let’s not talk about this. I’m not forcing you, dating is fine too. I just worry you’ll run away because you don’t feel secure.”

“If it’s with you, maybe marriage wouldn’t be so bad...”

“It’s pretty bad—look at you, crying like this.”

The next day, when Li Ai woke up, the curtains were drawn, and voices could be heard from outside the door. The new house wasn’t fully set up yet, and the blanket still had a fresh scent.

But compared to the old house on Yuyuan Road and Zhao Xiaorou’s trendy office, this place was much quieter, and aside from the shooting equipment and lights, it felt more like a home.

“Let me introduce my new home. This is the place my boyfriend and I just rented. It’s all residential area, very quiet. There’s a big balcony by the kitchen, not enclosed, so it’s pretty cold. We haven’t moved in any of our things yet. I came here for the first time yesterday. He gave me a surprise, and I was shocked.

That’s right, the coffee shop owner who appeared in my vlog turned out to be my boyfriend, maybe even my husband. I have to report this to everyone.”

She still remembered the proposal, it seemed she wasn’t drunk enough last night. She gently got out of bed, and Li Ai slightly opened the door. The yawning from the other side was clearly audible.

“Without supplementary lighting and no sunset lamp, Sister Rou Rou might not look as beautiful today.

But it doesn’t matter; perhaps I won’t care so much about perfection anymore. The current state is also quite good.

In the past, I often told everyone that a woman must be beautiful, cunning, and resourceful. This is not evil, but a way to get what you want—after all, many of the people we fall for cannot be won with our true personalities.

Over time, I suggested everyone should act, and you all know the story that followed. I went too far and was criticized on trending topics. Every day I was chased and humiliated in the comment section, unable to distinguish whether people’s intentions were good or bad. When I saw residents in the building across from mine, I even worried they were judging me...

Now, I finally understand that hypocrisy will eventually backfire, and the karmic consequences are real.

When it comes to someone you truly want to love, be honest. Honesty is the most precious thing in this world.

White lies are fine, but don’t let your acting become a reflex, and don’t believe that hypocrisy can buy everything.

Maybe some will jump out and say I’m fake, but honestly, I’m speaking from the heart.

Lastly, I’ll say this: when lovers become a couple, it’s the happiest thing in the world. For two strangers’ souls to choose to be together—it’s such a magical feeling.”

After hearing her turn off the camera, Li Ai planned to find a proper time to act as if he had just woken up and walk out.

His hangover hadn’t worn off yet, and getting up was tough. Before he could sit up, Zhao Xiaorou pushed open the door and shouted, “Damn, Ma Liang was arrested!”

The impact of her shout made Li Ai’s head buzz.