Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 34: Clean place

My expression began to become unnatural. Renee, who was sitting across from me, noticed that something was wrong with me. She looked at me and then looked back, and her gaze met Brittany's.

Renee was a bit cold-hearted, and Brittany was born proud. When they met like this, they didn't even greet each other, but Robert waved at me and said, “Lucas, taking your girlfriend out to dinner?”

“Well, it's just as well that you're here together. Let's share a table.” Although I didn't want to meet, I still politely invited them. This kind of politeness made me feel very awkward, but I had to do it.

Brittany took Robert's arm and shook her head, saying, ”No, let's sit over there, so we don't have to squeeze.”

Robert followed orders, smiled at me, then took Brittany's arm and walked towards the other side of the table. Looking at their backs, I believed that after this unexpected encounter, Brittany and Robert should absolutely believe that Renee and I are a couple, because Renee and I were on a date today, enjoying a dinner just for the two of us.

...

This was probably the first time Brittany had dined at “Empty City” in the few days since she had returned to the States, so CC was very surprised to see Brittany and also gave Brittany and Robert a draft beer and a Coke, but did not mention the past, because at the moment Brittany and I already had new lovers in her eyes, and talking about the past was tactless and would ruin the mood.

During the meal, Robert and I exchanged a few words across several tables. I asked Robert why he and Brittany were still in Suzhou. Robert said, “Suzhou is where we went to university, but we've rarely visited over the years. So while he and Brittany have some time, they're going to spend a few more days here, but in a few days Brittany is going to follow him to Nanjing.”

Robert's answer stimulated my fragile nerves. I of course knew that Brittany was going to Nanjing to meet Robert's family. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before I really received their wedding invitation, and once again I would be torn to pieces.

...

During the meal, I kept fidgeting, but I never looked over at Brittany, and I didn't drink much. I repeatedly told myself: Our past has long been washed away by the flow of time, and no matter how much I don't want to let go, no matter how much I torment myself, it won't change anything.

I knew deep down that ever since Brittany had put on the crystal and diamond necklace Robert had given her, I had been living in a world of my own, building the strongest wall I could to keep myself locked up, not to see, not to think, not to feel...

I didn't know when Robert and Brittany had finished eating before us and simply said hello before leaving. I kept watching them walk into the small alley, but I could no longer see the scenery at the corner where I could buy roasted sweet potatoes on winter evenings.

It was a bit cold that night.

Renee waved her hand in front of my eyes to wake me up from my daze. I then realized that this was a dinner that originally belonged to Renee and me alone. I smiled apologetically and raised my glass to Renee. I gulped down the remaining draft beer in the glass, but I was still very sober.

The dinner continued. It wasn't that Renee and I were eating slowly, it was just that Brittany and Robert left in a hurry. I ordered another glass of draft beer, not because I wanted to get drunk, but because I wanted to sober up a little with the cold liquid.

Half an hour later, Renee and I finished the dinner. After saying goodbye to CC, we left.

“Lucas, you haven't paid the bill yet, have you?” Renee said, pulling me.

“We're all such close friends, why would you buy the bill?” I said, continuing to walk forward, but I was just joking with Renee. In fact, we had mostly been silent throughout the meal and didn't exchange many words. Teasing her as we were about to leave made the evening at least seem less heavy.

Renee added a little more strength to hold me back, her face, which had been calm all evening, was full of anger: ”You have no integrity! If everyone is like you, how can your friend's restaurant operate?”

“You've had too much to drink! It's rare that cola can make someone drunk,” I said with a smile, looking at Renee. At that moment, she looked so different from her usual self.

Renee realized that she had lost her temper and stopped arguing with me. She took out her wallet and walked towards the bar. At that moment, I understood even more how much Renee detested my bad character, to the extent that she had disregarded her own manners and dragged me along in public.

I quickly followed, grabbed Renee, and said to her, “We agreed that I would treat you, how can I let you pay the bill?”

“I don't want to be associated with scum like you, don't talk to me.”

“Haha, I'm just joking with you, the place to pay the bill isn't at the bar, it's in that corner.” I turned Renee around so she could see the box in the corner.

Renee looked at me with some confusion, she had been facing away from the box during the meal and didn't know anything about it.

I smiled and explained, “You don't see that the prices are not marked on the menus we ordered? When you eat here, you rely on your own conscience. When you leave, you just put the money into that box.”

“Just put in whatever you want?” Renee looked at me in surprise and asked.

“Yes, no one will supervise you here.”

“But this...”

I pulled Renee to the corner where the box was placed, took 300 yuan out of my wallet and put it in the box, and then said to Renee, “Everyone who comes here to spend has a pure and empty city in their hearts. No one will desecrate this empty city with worldly material things. So this restaurant has been in business for many years and is not losing money... If there is still a clean place in this world, it must be here!”

...

On the way back, Renee drove the compact Alto through the real city, but she still seemed interested in the Empty City Music Theme Restaurant. She asked me again, “Lucas, do you think everyone who has spent time in that restaurant over the years has abided by this rule?”

“Of course not. When the restaurant first opened, there were a lot of people who came for free meals and tried to avoid paying the bill.”

Renee was not surprised by my answer, because there is no shortage of people in this world who love to take advantage of others and get something for nothing. She then asked, “So why has everyone followed this rule now?”

I recalled and replied, ”At that time, we all advised CC to give up this idealized business method because it was too unrealistic, but CC insisted on doing so. In the end, the income could not cover the expenses, and it was difficult to continue operating. Finally, one day, a notice of business closure was posted on the bulletin board of the restaurant.”

“Then what happened?”

“On the last night before closing, there were still many people with their families coming for a free dinner. We were heartbroken, blaming CC for being so foolish. This idealistic way of running a business only revealed the ugliness of human nature in the end.”

Renee nodded thoughtfully.

I opened the car window, lit a cigarette and continued, “After closing that night, we were really depressed. A few friends closed the door and drank a lot of wine, because after this night, there would be no more ‘Empty City’ restaurant!”

Exhaling the smoke from my cigarette, I smiled and said, “Maybe there really is such a thing as a happy ending. When we and CC opened the box together to settle the day's business, we discovered that there was a full 100,000 yuan in cash inside... We were surprised, but no one knew which customer had put it there.”

“So the restaurant continued to operate because of the 100,000 yuan?”

I nodded and said, “Well, the 100,000 yuan gave CC the motivation to continue operating, or rather, a kind of spiritual motivation. In order not to let the unknown customer close ‘Empty City,’ we later replaced the box with a transparent one, so that everyone could see clearly how much money was given after eating. Those who only threw a few coins in, a few friends cornered them in the alley and beat them up...Over time, those people who like to take advantage of others stopped coming, but CC never knew about this. If she had known, she would not have agreed to what we did...After a long time, CC replaced the transparent box with an opaque one again, but there was basically no more loss. Of course, it is not impossible that there are still people taking advantage of the situation!

After hearing my account, Renee, who is usually indifferent, said with a sense of common cause, “Well done, those unscrupulous people deserve to be beaten... But if you take the law into your own hands like this, won't the people who are beaten report it to the police?”

“Of course they will call the police, but one of the guys we beat up with us is a police officer in this area, so they just turn a blind eye. Besides, we didn't extort money, and we were also very careful. We just gave warnings. As long as those scumbags don't come, the restaurant can maintain normal operations.”

Renee looked at me and suddenly laughed...

I looked at her in surprise, not understanding.

“It's inexplicably funny to hear you call someone a scumbag...!” Renee explained with a smile.

“...who says that scum can't call someone else scum?”

“I didn't say you were scum this time.”

“That's what you meant. Don't you think I'm stupid and can't tell?”

Renee laughed heartily. This was the first time I had seen her laugh so openly in all the days we had spent together. This moment of her being carefree was even more beautiful and heart-stopping. So the little Alto travelled more briskly through the light and shadow of the city, less weighed down by reality and with a beautiful laugh ringing in its wake.