The slightly plump middle-aged woman finally checked us into our room. I picked up a pot of hot water from the front desk, and walked with Mi Cai through the narrow hallway toward the guest room upstairs.
I used the key to open the door and found the light switch with the help of my phone’s flashlight. When the room lit up, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the room was much cleaner and larger than we had expected. I threw myself heavily onto the bed, and the spring mattress shook a couple of times. For someone as tired as me, it was a delightful surprise.
Mi Cai didn’t seem to share my eagerness for the bed. She opened the curtain to let in some fresh air, and mist drifted in. She didn’t close the window, instead standing persistently by it, gazing outside.
“What are you looking at?”
“Zhao Yang, come here and see, there’s a small bamboo grove behind the building!”
I immediately got up, went to Mi Cai’s side, and looked down. Indeed, there was a small bamboo grove. It was early summer, the time when bamboo leaves were most lush, which made this modest highway motel seem lively. Raindrops falling along the bamboo leaves looked like a curtain, making the small bamboo grove below full of charm. Mi Cai and I stared at it for quite a while, and this experience was much better than our previous stay.
I couldn’t help but take out a cigarette from my pocket, light it, and exhale the smoke before turning away and asking Mi Cai, “Actually, I really want to know how you spent the night and what you were thinking about.”
Mi Cai sat back down on the bed, her mood instantly sinking. Her eyes were slightly wet, and after a long pause, she finally said, “Actually, I can distinguish right from wrong, but in my heart, it’s really hard to believe and unwilling to admit… I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you have any concerns you can talk to me about? No matter if I can or cannot help, I will try my best to resolve them.”
Mi Cai finally looked at me, sighed softly, and said, “Would you mind if I talk to you about my father and my years with Weiran in America?”
I nodded. Instinctively, I wanted to light another cigarette for myself, only to realize I hadn’t finished the one I was still holding…
Mi Cai’s face showed a look of reminiscence, and after a full minute, she began to speak, “Back then, after graduating from Communication University of China, I had no intention of studying in America, nor had I ever thought about taking over Zhuo Mei. I dislike the intrigue and deceit in the business world, so I majored in photography during college, a subject completely unrelated to business management. My father never forced me to get involved in business either, although he secretly hoped I could take over Zhuo Mei, but he loved me too much…”
At this point, Mi Cai could no longer hold back her tears… My heart ached, but I patiently waited for her to continue.
Mi Cai took out a tissue and wiped her tears, but her voice was already choked up. “That year, while I was traveling in Florence, I received devastating news: my father had been diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer due to long-term overwork and irregular eating habits… All his life, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to Zhuo Mei and to me. This heartbreaking news truly pained me. Under such circumstances, I couldn’t abandon his life’s work… I could no longer be selfish, so I eventually decided to study business administration in the United States, with the goal of taking over Zhuo Mei to ease my father’s burden… After I went to the U.S., my father’s mood improved significantly. He reduced his workload and actively followed the doctor’s treatment. During that time, what he talked about most was that after I returned from America, he would hand over Zhuo Mei to me and spend his remaining years in peace… But a merciless car accident still took his life!”
Mi Cai’s tears could no longer be stopped. My heart had never hurt so much before, as if I were experiencing that unfortunate event with Mi Cai. I tightly held her in my arms, giving her a fragile sense of security…
“Zhao Yang, taking over Zhuo Mei was the promise between me and my father… He devoted his entire life to this mall, even giving his final life… Can you understand the meaning of Zhuo Mei to me?… I cannot lose Zhuo Mei, no matter what it takes!”
“I understand… I understand how much Zhuo Mei means to you. No one can take Zhuo Mei away from you!”
Mi Cai raised her head and looked at me, remaining silent for a long time. Perhaps the words I had spoken—that no one could take Zhuo Mei from her—were completely unrealistic for her. At least if Weiran sided with Mi Zhongde, she would lose Zhuo Mei.
After a long while, I finally asked her the question that had been on my mind for the longest time: “What about your mother? Why have I never heard you mention her?”
Mi Cai’s expression suddenly became even more pained, her lips trembling. My curiosity seemed to have touched her deepest wound… I couldn’t bear to see her in pain anymore and softly whispered in her ear, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it… Tell me about your years with Weiran in America.”
Mi Cai nodded, taking a long time to calm her emotions before telling me, “Later, I went alone to America, a strange country. At that time, life was dark. Every day I had to endure various kinds of mental pressure. My physical condition wasn’t very good either, and I often got sick. Until I met Weiran later, he always took meticulous care of me, took me to his home in America, introduced his parents to me, and helped me integrate into his family, which made me feel warm… He also gave me a lot of protection in life. To prevent me from being harassed by female classmates, he even learned martial arts, even getting injured in the process!… I really cannot forget this feeling, nor can I deny it. For a long time, I even thought he was the man I had to marry… Until I met you… I gradually realized that love has no reason, and that the man who seemed like I had to marry wasn’t the one I loved…”
This time, I was completely silent. All that had happened now was due to a chance encounter. If I had never existed, and if there was no such thing as love becoming an entanglement, perhaps Mi Cai would have already married Weiran by now, without having to make such a painful choice. But love has no reason. Since we had already been arranged together by fate, we should firmly move forward. As for giving up to make things better, that’s just the cliché of a romantic drama, and Luo Ben was misled by this damned cliché, leaving himself and Wei Manwen to live separately for three years with their wounds.
The sound of rain outside became sparser and sparser. This unexpected shower seemed to be stopping, making the room even quieter, almost able to hear each other’s breathing. Yet Mi Cai’s expression grew more helpless. She gripped my hand tightly, as if talking to herself, softly repeating, “What should I do…”
If it weren’t for the rain getting lighter, I wouldn’t have been able to hear what she was saying clearly!
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