温柔美国人的情歌

第1章 张亦菲

"Sigh!" Zhang Yifei sighed deeply. Ever since returning to Lijiang City, nothing had gone right. He had finally found a girlfriend, but within a few days, she left him. And she left with a man in his fifties. Zhang Yifei was puzzled. Could that old man be better than him? But that "Sigh!" Zhang Yifei exhaled deeply. Ever since he returned to Lijiang City, nothing had gone smoothly. He had finally found a girlfriend, but within a few days, she left him—for a man in his fifties, no less. Zhang Yifei was puzzled. Was that old man better than him in some way? But that shouldn't be the case; at his age, certain physical feats should be beyond him. After all, aging comes with limitations that young people don't face.

Zhang Yifei concluded that it must be about money. Nowadays, women would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle. Finding a beautiful woman without the "moneyed" label seemed impossible. It felt like beauties had a sign on their foreheads that read "For Wealthy People Only." D*mn!

The name Zhang Yifei, which once had the promising meaning of "soaring to the sky," now seemed to be fading into obscurity. Zhang Yifei was actually an orphan—completely orphaned, not knowing who his biological parents were, let alone his surname. Zhang Yifei was a name he chose for himself.

Originally, he was named Zhao Tianci by the old director of the orphanage. According to the director, it meant he was a gift from heaven to the orphanage, and he had a jade pendant with the character "Zhao" on it, hence the name Zhao Tianci.

But as Zhang Yifei grew up, he began to understand things better and decided to rename himself Zhang Yifei. In his own words, he wanted to "spread his wings and soar to the sky," making those who abandoned him regret their decision.

The old director was quite helpless but didn't question Zhang Yifei's choice any further. It seemed that either the pace of life had accelerated too quickly for Zhang Yifei, or he had simply fallen behind. He had never met a woman who wasn't swayed by money. Since returning to Lijiang City, he had noticed that beautiful women were scarce. Occasionally, when a few did appear, they were heavily made-up and clearly experienced.

Reality was harsh, driven by money. But in the end, money is just paper, right? Yet, this very paper had caused Zhang Yifei's recent girlfriend to leave him. At least she was just a girlfriend; if she had been a wife, the embarrassment would have been even greater. Zhang Yifei found a small sense of relief in that.

Walking alone down the street, Zhang Yifei observed couples holding hands, while he had his hands shoved in his pockets. Others were spending intimate nights together, while Zhang Yifei found solace in hugging a pillow. Such was the difference.

The night air was slightly chilly. By late October, the weather was gradually turning colder, and the cold wind made Zhang Yifei shiver slightly. He pulled out a cigarette, a seven-yuan Red Tower Mountain, and tapped the cigarette tip on his thumb nail a few times before putting it in his mouth. With a crackling sound, a lighter flicked a blue flame.

As he smoked, Zhang Yifei sang, "When I have money, I'll smoke Chinese cigarettes, drive a BMW, have tea at noon, visit bars in the afternoon, and have three girlfriends a day..."

According to Zhang Yifei, each woman would have her role, much like the concubines of ancient emperors—one for tea, one for drinks, and one for intimate moments, collectively termed the "Three Companions."

Passersby looked at him with curiosity, wondering if he had just come from a mental institution. Zhang Yifei sighed, "Great and compassionate Guanyin, when will you show mercy and grant me a wife? My requirements aren't high. I don't need her to compare with Xi Shi or Wang Zhaojun; just being on par with Diao Chan will be enough!"

If Guanyin were to hear Zhang Yifei's words, would she be enraged enough to strike him with lightning? Such arrogance, to compare a potential wife to Diao Chan!

Finding a wife like that in today's world seemed impossible—unless one could travel through time. Zhang Yifei sighed, lamenting when he would meet a worthy partner who could recognize his worth.

Since returning to Lijiang City, Zhang Yifei hadn't encountered a single thing that brought him joy. Just a few days ago, he visited the orphanage to see his younger siblings and decided to treat them. He killed a stray dog at the orphanage and made a pot of five-flavor dog meat soup for the children.

While everyone enjoyed the meal, the old director stormed in with a wooden stick, furious. He demanded, "Did you kill my dog again?"

Zhang Yifei was taken aback. He had thought the dog was a stray and had acted on impulse, but now he realized it was the old director's pet. Was the director now like those rich people who walk their dogs after dinner? Zhang Yifei was bewildered.

"Actually... actually," Zhang Yifei stammered, unable to complete his sentence.

"Actually, my foot!" The old director swung the stick at Zhang Yifei.

Zhang Yifei quickly dodged, narrowly escaping a blow. "When you were a kid, you and Song Lishang sneaked and ate my chickens and rabbits, causing chaos in the orphanage. Now that you've returned, you've killed my dog. You little scoundrel..."

Song Lishang was another orphan who had been close to Zhang Yifei. The two had a knack for mischief, causing all sorts of trouble at the orphanage. They had both left, but now Song Lishang had returned, and Zhang Yifei had also changed his name. Zhang Yifei's name symbolized his desire to soar high, while Song Lishang's name represented departure and sadness, leaving only smiles.

Zhang Yifei wasn't a fool; he kept dodging and saying, "Old Director, I did catch your rabbits, but I never ate your chickens."

"Nonsense! Then who ate my chickens?"

"I can't eat your chickens, and besides, aren't they still with you?" Zhang Yifei pointed to the old director's pants with a smirk.

The old director was furious, clenching his teeth. Zhang Yifei saw his anger and quickly fled, shouting, "Old Director, don't worry, I'll find you a companion so that your chickens have someone to eat!"

"Get lost!" The old director threw the stick after him.

Was this some sort of punishment for his past life, Zhang Yifei wondered. The old director's anger was well-known; Zhang Yifei and Song Lishang's misdeeds were infamous.

...

Because of this incident, Zhang Yifei had avoided the orphanage for days. The old director's temper was growing more volatile. Zhang Yifei, for the sake of his own well-being and the many beautiful women still awaiting him, chose to stay away. After all, if something happened to him, many women would be heartbroken, and worse, he might end up benefiting some unsavory characters. For the sake of beautiful women, he needed to stay strong and survive.