The more Xu Wennuan thought about it, the more irritated she felt. In the end, she paid no attention to her embarrassment and sat down on the cobbled streets of the ancient town and started brainstorming about her next move.
She watched the sky slowly darken as the sun gradually set. By the time the last bus heading toward Lijiang departed, she still had not thought of a solution.
The streetlights in the ancient town lit up one by one. The number of tourists was dwindling, as well, and the cacophony on the streets had grown much quieter. Xu Wennuan moved her slightly numb legs and thought about how her only solution right now was to borrow a phone so she could call her parents and ask them to come to Lijiang to pick her up; however, at that moment, she detected a familiar figure in her peripheral vision.
Xu Wennuan initially thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her. She was momentarily taken aback before she slowly shifted her gaze. Indeed, it was Lu Bancheng, sitting inside a bar with a blond foreign man. From the way their lips were moving, they appeared to be chatting in English. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but Lu Bancheng looked very happy.
She had spent the entire afternoon squatting here, brooding, and daydreaming about how great it would be if she were to run into someone she knew here. What she had not expected was for that wish to actually come true and that so much unhappiness could exist between her and that person.
Even if someone is willing to lend me a cell phone, and even if I actually manage to get in touch with my parents, it would be the following day by the time they could make it to Lijiang from Beijing. At minimum, I’ll have to spend the entire night here.
I don’t have a place to stay or anything to eat. And I’d have to squat here in this foreign place alone as a girl.
The more Xu Wennuan thought about it, the more she felt that perhaps the only solution she had come up with was not too reliable. She then shifted her gaze and looked at Lu Bancheng through the bar’s window once again.
He was wearing a white coat and holding a beer bottle. They clinked their bottles while laughing.
Will he be willing to help me if I go to him for help? I looked for him for help when my father was gravely ill and I had no other choice, but he rejected me so firmly!
Xu Wennuan struggled for a long time in her heart before ultimately deciding to stand up.
How will I know if I don’t try? What if he agrees to help me? Moreover, I have no other choice right now.
At this thought, Xu Wennuan took a deep breath, lifted her head, and started walking toward the bar. The sign hanging on the door emitted a crisp voice when she pushed it open to enter. “Welcome,” the automated voice said.
A server approached her on cue. “Miss, how many in your party?”
Even though Xu Wennuan couldn’t hear the exact content of the conversation between Lu Bancheng and the foreigner because of the singing coming from the back, it was quiet enough in the bar that she could vaguely hear them. The two of them were engrossed in conversation and did not notice her coming in.
Xu Wennuan took another deep breath and shook her head at the server. She said in a low voice, “I’m looking for someone,” and waited for him to leave with a smile. Then, she plucked up her courage and walked toward Lu Bancheng.
Right as Xu Wennuan was about to reach Lu Bancheng’s table, the foreign man opposite him caught sight of her approaching and turned his head curiously. He asked in English, “Miss, you are?”
As his voice rang out, Lu Bancheng, who had just lit a cigarette, lifted his head absentmindedly and looked toward Xu Wennuan.