I took the business card from this woman named He Meihui and looked at her. I've never heard her name, but she's the closest person to Xiao Ai. Therefore, in the two years of separation, we already have our own lives, just like she won't know, I also have some new friends and relatives around me, such as Kang Kang and Yang Qu.

I suppressed all kinds of emotions in my heart, and finally said to He Meihui: "What day will your concert be held...... Because it is the Chinese New Year period, there will be a peak period for weddings, and we may not be able to provide a venue here. ”

He Meihui replied: "Don't worry, it won't be in the near future, because preparing for the concert is a very complicated job, and because it is Xiao Ai's first solo concert in the mainland, we still have a lot of announcements and corporate announcements to do in the early stage." ”

I nodded, not showing rejection, I just wanted to think of it as a normal business. Since the establishment of the "Dream Tree", we have done more than a dozen similar businesses.

"Boss Jiang, can you give me a quote for the use of the venue, and then I will hand it over to the performance company to assist them in making the approximate cost of this concert."

I didn't rush to answer, but said, "Isn't it more important for the performance company to be responsible for such a thing as choosing a performance venue?" ……”

He Meihui smiled and explained: "I am a very responsible agent, and the quality of the first concert is likely to determine the quality of her future acting career, so I have to do it myself." I don't want to ruin Xiao Ai's good seedling because of my own negligence...... She is the most talented artist I've ever brought over the years, and I won't necessarily meet her again, so I cherish it very, very much...... I say that, can you understand? ”

"Hmm......" After a pause, I looked at her again and said, "I hope you can give her a good acting career, she I know has a noble pursuit of art." ”

He Meihui looked at me, she didn't answer my words immediately, probably because I was surprised that I would say such a thing.

I said to her again: "If you are sure to come to our side to perform, the venue fee is 8,000; In addition, if you need security and cleaning from our side, you can add an extra 5,000 yuan for a performance. ”

"Okay, it's not expensive...... I'll go back and discuss with Xiao Ai, and if she thinks it's okay, we'll perform here. ”

"Consult with her? Wasn't this place she chose? ”

He Meihui smiled and replied: "She is not interested in participating in such a thing as choosing a performance venue. In addition, in addition to your dream tree, we also have a few good alternative venues, which we will have to come up with and discuss with her when the time comes. ”

I can't tell what it feels like in my heart, because I only now know that it was just the agent's personal behavior and had nothing to do with Xiao Ai.

After a period of silence, I said to He Meihui: "Okay, you think about it slowly, if there is any change in the middle, please notify us in time, because we can't guarantee that we can provide a performance venue at any time." ”

"Okay, if it's convenient, you can also leave me a contact information."

I nodded, then took out a business card from my card bag and handed it to Ho, who took it from me, said "keep in touch", and left the "Dream Tree". And the bonfire party is still going on, and the atmosphere is even more lively than when it first started. At this time, the waiter brought me another wine list and asked me to sign it, and as my name fell on the list, he signed out nearly 5,000 yuan of drinks for the guests to enjoy for free.

And it was destined to be a night that many people would never forget, including myself...... I can't tell if I expect Xiao Ai to hold the first concert in his acting career in the "Dream Tree".

……

While the waiter was cleaning up the garbage left behind after the bonfire, Liu Liu and I lit cigarettes and watched, and we inevitably talked about Xiao Ai's debut.

Liu Liu asked me, "Have you listened to the album that Xiao Ai released?" ”

I took a deep puff of my cigarette and shook my head. After a moment, he asked, "How do you feel about that album?" ”

Liu Liu slowly exhaled the cigarette in his mouth, and he replied: "The album is a good album, but the music form is too avant-garde and does not meet the taste of the current mainstream entertainment market, but there is nothing surprising about this...... Because psychedelic music has always been something Yuan Zhen wants to try, I think this album can only be regarded as a test of the waters. From a music point of view alone, my personal judgment will not cause much repercussions in the mainstream market, but the evaluation in the industry will not be bad, and I think this steady debut form is very much in line with Xiao Ai's self-positioning...... Becoming popular overnight is not suitable for her. ”

I forced a smile and said, "I can't see it, you know Xiao Ai quite well." ”

"Hehe, don't forget, I'm also her senior brother in Nanyi...... Putting aside your grievances with her, as far as I'm concerned, I still hope that she can take a musical path that can lead to the palace of art...... That way of becoming famous overnight will really ruin her plasticity! ”

Speaking of this, Liu Liu also smiled and said, "It's good, it's really good that she can make her debut...... The higher she goes in the future, the more alive we underground musicians will be. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

Liu Liu replied: "If she can become popular, it proves that the music market will pay more attention to the quality of the music itself, rather than the whole society admiring those little sissies who just rely on their appearance." Therefore, this will give those who are dedicated to music more opportunities to express themselves, because she is taking a path of fame that she continues to explore in music...... I'm really fed up with this idol era, some people have been creating day and night for several years, and they can't even match the beauty given by their parents...... It's not fair! ”

I smiled and said in a joking tone, "I'm afraid that in the end, the audience will recognize her face...... Looking at the entire entertainment industry, there are really not many female artists with better appearance conditions than her! ”

Liu Liu looked at me desperately and then stopped talking, because my words so lightly made all the tirades that he said before, which sounded quite reasonable, all become nonsense.

After he finished smoking the cigarette in his hand, he said to me again: "Do you think her first solo concert will be held in our dream tree?" ”

"Who knows! …… Look, there will always be results. And even if she wanted to, we wouldn't necessarily have a free space for them to use...... Hehe, after all, our dream tree is quite busy! ”

This time, Liu Liu expressed his opinion very resolutely, he said: "I very much hope that she can come to the concert, even if we provide the venue for free." You think, we don't doubt that she will become a first-line musician in the future. Based on this premise, if her first concert was held at the Dream Tree, you know better than I do what that means to the Dream Tree...... Moreover, haven't you always planned like this, borrowing artists from here to enhance the popularity of the dream tree...... Speaking of potential, which of the people we praised before can compare with her Xiao Ai? ”

"I just don't think there's any need to be so pretentious...... Just let it be. ”

Liu Liu's expression became more serious, and he said: "Seriously, for more than a year, we have been wearing the cloak of feelings and doing many profitable businesses, we all know very well...... But this is definitely not wrong, because it is not easy to eat in Shanghai, and the company is still responsible for the livelihood and future of so many people, it is a pity to give up such a good opportunity, not to mention that they took the initiative to find it...... You tell me? ”

I looked at Liu Liu, a little speechless for a while. I really see a change in him, and this is Jin Qiu's ability, since Jin Qiu is really in charge of the "Dream Tree", I am gradually the only one who talks about feelings. More people, influenced by her, care about development and livelihood, and Liu Liu is one of them. Before this, Liu Liu was such an unruly person, even if I didn't say it, everyone knew it.

But it is precisely because of the combination of me and Jin Qiu that "Dream Tree" can take into account feelings and reality, and then achieve the level that it is so popular with customers today.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided not to participate in this matter anymore, I took out the business card left by He Meihui from my wallet, handed it to Liu Liu and said: "My identity is quite embarrassing, so you should take over this matter, which will avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble." ”

Liu Liu took the business card from my hand, and then replied, "Okay, I'll do this...... I'll call Jin Qiu tomorrow to see what kind of attitude she has over there. I would suggest to her that the venue fee for this concert be waived...... If she could agree, it would be done! ”

"You can do it."

……

I am a man of words, and after I decided to hand over this matter to Liu Liu, I didn't ask again. The next afternoon, I drove alone to the busiest mall in the city, where I was going to buy a few gifts.

The first gift is for Yang Jin. Because of the "Tulip" hotel she invested in the construction, it will be officially put into operation in more than 20 days, although I have not called her "Mom" for more than a year, but the relationship has eased a lot. On that special day, it was necessary for me to give her a gift. And time can indeed make people see a lot of relationships clearly. She was a competent mother during this long time. Because, as long as she is not busy, she will come to Shanghai to see me and Yang Qu. And every time I come, I will prepare some gifts that we like, although they are not very expensive, but it can be seen that they have spent their own thoughts, not asked the assistant to buy them.

The other one is for Zhao Mu, last year, during the Chinese New Year, he gave me a car of nearly 300,000 yuan in return, so I plan to prepare a generous gift for him on his birthday this year.

After coming to the mall to pick and choose, I finally bought a couple watch worth more than 100,000 yuan, ready to give to Zhao Mu and Yu Xin. It also reminds them that it's time to get married. After all, the two have been together for almost two years, and the material foundation for marriage is also available, if it drags on like this, it is not very fair to the girl Xin, because she really paid too much in this relationship with Zhao Mu.

And the gifts bought for Yang Qu are routine, so you don't have to think about it. After I bought the watch, I went to the counter and bought her a lipstick, and if I kept buying one lipstick every month, I would be able to make a series of 12 lipsticks in three months.

But when it came to buying a gift for Jin Qiu, I had a hard time, I went back and forth four times at a counter that sold necklaces, but in the end I couldn't make up my mind to buy her one.

When I stood outside the mall, I carried 7 handbags in my hand, totaling 160,000 goods, all for others.

I have never been so extravagant in my life, but when I can really be extravagant, many of the people who accompanied me when I was poor were gone. I suddenly wanted to go back to Nanjing to see my grandmother, and I wanted to stand in front of her tombstone and talk to her about my troubles during this time.

……

The next day, after explaining my recent work to several department heads, I drove along the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway to Nanjing at 10 o'clock in the morning.

The road conditions were not very good, I walked and stopped all the way, and did not arrive in Nanjing until four o'clock in the afternoon, I did not stop for a moment, and went directly to the cemetery.

Because it was the Chinese New Year, the cemetery was colder than ever, and the winter wind was as bitter as ever, and even the small river opposite the tombstone was frozen, and the branches of the trees were hung with ice thorns like awls.

I pulled the zipper on my down jacket to the top, stepped on the uncleared snow, and walked towards the tombstone.

About 50 meters away from the tombstone, I saw a figure standing in front of my grandmother's tombstone, she was tall and wearing a purple down jacket, I thought I was dazzled, but the lilies on the ground were so conspicuous.

I tentatively shouted to the back, "Chen Yi, is that you?" ”

She turned her head and we looked at each other...... I didn't guess wrong, and the familiarity generated by more than 20 years of getting along with each other will not make me mistaken. At this moment, the person standing in front of his grandmother's tombstone is indeed Chen Yi.

As I kind of recall, we hadn't seen each other for almost a year...... To be precise, we haven't seen each other since she got married, not even a single phone call.

And the reason for this state is not only because we have left Nanjing to live, but also because of the strangeness she has caused us after marriage.

I walked up to her and looked at her with surprise in my eyes. She looked at me with the same expression. But full of distance.

In silence, I looked down at the lilies on the ground, which were clearly brought out of the greenhouse, because in their natural state, no bouquet of lilies bloomed in winter. So she bothered, and even I wasn't able to bring a bouquet of flowers, because it was almost impossible to buy flowers in winter.

After a while, Chen Yi finally said to me: "In the past six months, I have been living abroad and have never returned to Nanjing. This time I came back for only three days, and I will leave tomorrow, so I wanted to come and see my grandmother. ”

I nodded and replied, "No wonder I haven't heard from you all this time!" ”

"What about you, why did you choose to come to see grandma at this time? …… I heard from my parents that you only went back to Shanghai a few days ago. ”

In order to make the atmosphere of the conversation less awkward and jerky, I forced a smile and said, "Maybe God thinks we haven't seen each other for too long, so he deliberately arranged for us to meet...... I also decided to come back on the spur of the moment. ”

"Oh."

Chen Yi responded, and fell into silence again, and I also had a sense of frustration at this moment. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, we wouldn't be able to get into a state of talking as soon as we met like we used to.

Come to think of it, it's ridiculous enough to be between people. At this moment, who would believe that we are childhood sweethearts who grew up together!

...