This afternoon, I had stayed in Mi Cai’s office without leaving and had a long, sound sleep. As dusk approached, Mi Cai woke me up and I voluntarily suggested buying a proper suit as a gift, but she said it wasn’t necessary, explaining that tonight’s gathering was merely a casual family dinner, not a business banquet.
I was more than happy to skip all the formalities. Immediately afterward, I walked out of the office with Mi Cai. While passing through the executive-only corridor, we coincidentally met Fang Yuan, who had just finished work. After exchanging greetings, he smiled at me and said, “Zhaoyang, I rarely see you come to pick up CEO Mi after work. Are you two planning a romantic evening together tonight?”
I smiled back and replied, “We’re heading to Shanghai shortly.”
Fang Yuan looked slightly puzzled, but since Mi Cai was beside me, he didn’t ask further questions. Instead, he mentioned that he himself had a business banquet to attend later, and then bid us farewell.
After leaving Zhuo Mei, I went to the parking lot and drove the car, preparing to head straight to Shanghai. However, Mi Cai asked me to stop by a nearby bakery first. Confused, I asked, “Didn’t your uncle already celebrate his birthday this year? Why buy another cake?”
“Today is Mi Lan’s 26th birthday…”
Instinctively, I replied, “Her birthday? So is the main purpose of our trip to Shanghai tonight to celebrate her birthday?”
“What do you think?”
“Well, you’re the one to ask… What opinion can I possibly have on this?”
“This time in Shanghai, I don’t intend to deliberately discuss anything with my uncle. Let’s just let things unfold naturally.”
“What a great phrase, ‘let things unfold naturally’…”
In response to my complaint, Mi Cai simply smiled calmly, then linked her arm with mine and walked toward the car parked across the street.
…
The distance between Suzhou and Shanghai is so short that as I drove, I barely finished thinking through one matter before we had already passed through several bustling city blocks and arrived at the luxurious villa community where Mi Zhongde lived. After I honked the horn, the gate opened, and Mi Zhongde, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time, had already walked out from the house, seemingly in a welcoming manner, as there was a faint smile on his face.
I parked the car steadily and got out with Mi Cai, each from one side of the car. Mi Zhongde was already walking toward us with a smile. Mi Cai greeted him first with “Uncle,” and after a brief hesitation, I followed suit and called him “Uncle” as well.
This time, Mi Zhongde’s attitude toward me had greatly improved. He patted my shoulder and gestured for me and Mi Cai to follow him inside. I found his change in demeanor a bit unfamiliar, so much so that Mi Cai had already walked several steps ahead before I snapped out of my thoughts and caught up with her.
Inside was still the same spacious and grand living hall. At Mi Zhongde’s gesture, I sat down on the sofa. A housemaid brought us a pot of hot tea, and Mi Zhongde personally poured me a small cup and smiled, saying, “This is the premium Longjing tea I bought at the Shanghai Tea Culture Festival. Try it!”
I took a small sip and after a while said to Mi Zhongde, “With just one sip of this tea costing hundreds of yuan, I can only feel anxious—it’s hard to taste anything else.”
Mi Zhongde smiled, then poured himself a cup of tea from a purple clay teapot and took a sip before saying to me, “When tasting any tea, one must be calm and composed. In fact, tea itself has no distinction of being expensive or cheap; what matters is the person tasting it…”
I slightly furrowed my brow and asked, “So you mean people have distinctions of high or low status?”
“People also have no such distinctions. The concept of being noble or humble lies in one’s attitude toward life. If you have an ambitious heart, your life and destiny can truly deserve the word ‘noble.’”
I remained silent because I didn’t quite understand the purpose behind his words.
Mi Zhongde continued, “I’ve heard about your recent business moves. The inns, restaurants, and bars you operate in Xitang and Suzhou all have distinctive business characteristics. As Cai’s uncle, I am genuinely delighted to see your ambition, and I believe your father would also feel comforted.”
I looked at Mi Cai, who remained calm and composed, simply waiting to see how I would respond to Mi Zhongde. But suddenly receiving such praise left me completely unprepared, so I didn’t know how to respond.
Sensing my awkwardness, Mi Cai glanced around and asked Mi Zhongde, “Uncle, where is Mi Lan? Why hasn’t she come back yet?”
“She’s already on her way from Nanjing to Shanghai and should arrive shortly…” He paused briefly before adding, “Cai, you and Zhaoyang sit here for a while. I’m going for a walk in the backyard garden. We’ll have dinner when Xiaolan arrives.”
Mi Cai nodded, and Mi Zhongde then got up and left. Watching his back, I quietly asked Mi Cai, “Are we only four having dinner tonight?”
“There’s also my aunt.”
Still confused, I asked again, “Last time when your uncle celebrated his birthday, I didn’t see your aunt. I thought they might have divorced!”
“Don’t talk nonsense. They get along very well. It’s just that last time when my uncle celebrated his birthday, my aunt was abroad for an academic exchange and couldn’t come back.”
“What does your aunt do for a living?”
“She’s a university professor.”
I nodded, and couldn’t help but feel envious of Mi Lan’s family for Mi Cai. If Mi Zhongde could truly put aside business conflicts and allow Mi Cai to be part of his family, it would bring her great happiness. After all, to some extent, her uncle and aunt could replace the love of parents.
At this moment, I became increasingly curious about Mi Cai’s mother, whom I had never met. However, Mi Cai was unwilling to mention her. Even stranger was that no one else had ever brought her up either…
Although I really wanted to know the truth, I eventually held myself back from asking, because the last time I brought it up, Mi Cai had clearly shown strong resistance. There must be some hidden reason she didn’t want to discuss, so I should respect her.
While talking with Mi Cai, the sound of a car engine approached from outside. Moments later, we saw Mi Lan, whom we hadn’t seen in a long time. I still remembered the last time we met, when she was messing around with Fang Yuan and had been slapped hard by the temperamental Jian Wei. I wondered what emotions she would carry when facing me again this time!
From a distance, Mi Lan casually tossed her handbag onto the sofa and then walked toward us, completely ignoring my presence. She sat down beside Mi Cai and linked her arm with hers, saying, “Sis, I thought you were too busy lately to come to Shanghai for my birthday!”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “Even if I’m busy, I’ll always make time to celebrate your birthday… Happy birthday, Lanlan!”
Mi Lan acted like a spoiled little sister, stretching out her hand toward Mi Cai and asking, “Sis, don’t you have a gift for me?”
Mi Cai nodded and then handed Mi Lan an exquisitely wrapped gift box from her handbag. Mi Lan took it but didn’t open it immediately. She glanced at me and asked in a still somewhat aggressive tone, “Why are you here too?”
I replied without any emotion, “I’m here to celebrate your birthday.”
“Oh… Just asking randomly. I feel like you sitting here seems a bit unnecessary!”
I smiled indifferently and said, “Be a bit more polite to your future brother-in-law… Don’t act out!”
Mi Lan glared at me fiercely but chose not to react. Then she ignored me completely, picked up her handbag, and went upstairs to her room.
…
We waited for a little while longer before Mi Zhongde returned from his walk in the backyard garden, accompanied by a middle-aged woman of noble demeanor. Mi Cai stood up to greet them and said to the elegant woman, “Auntie, it’s been a long time. Have you been busy lately?”
The woman approached Mi Cai, held her hand, and looked at her with some concern, saying, “Xiaocai, you’ve lost weight again! You should pay attention to your meals and rest. You need to take breaks from work sometimes, after all, you’re a girl!”
I couldn’t quite tell whether the woman’s advice was genuinely out of concern for Mi Cai’s health or subtly reminding her not to oppose Mi Zhongde too strongly, so I paid close attention to Mi Cai’s response.
Mi Cai smiled and said, “Auntie, don’t worry. I know how to balance work and rest.”
The woman looked at Mi Cai again, her eyes filled with genuine concern. As she repeated her advice, I became convinced that her care for Mi Cai was heartfelt, and she probably didn’t involve herself in the power struggle between Mi Cai and Mi Zhongde.
After chatting with Mi Cai for a while, the woman turned her gaze to me, looking somewhat puzzled. Without waiting for Mi Cai to introduce me, I smiled and said, “Auntie, nice to meet you. My name is Zhaoyang. I came with Mi Cai to Shanghai today to celebrate Mi Lan’s birthday.”
“Oh, welcome, welcome,” the woman politely replied, then looked at Mi Cai, clearly sensing that there was more to the relationship between Mi Cai and me.
Mi Cai held my hand and said to the woman, “Auntie, he’s my boyfriend… We’re already planning to get married!”
The woman looked at me again, but unlike Mi Zhongde’s previous strong reaction, she simply said to Mi Cai, “Auntie trusts your judgment. Once you’ve set the wedding date, be sure to let me know first. Auntie will prepare your dowry.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
During this conversation between Mi Cai and the woman, I instinctively glanced at Mi Zhongde, who had been silently standing nearby. This time, he appeared very amiable and did not raise any objections regarding Mi Cai and my marriage.
I gradually relaxed, though I remained cautious, because Mi Zhongde’s current compromise might very well be motivated by business interests. Of course, there was another possibility—that while pursuing business goals, he genuinely hoped Mi Cai could find happiness in her love life. After all, people are complex, and I shouldn’t always focus only on his negative side.
…
That evening, Mi Zhongde’s family, along with Mi Cai and me, celebrated Mi Lan’s 26th birthday in a relatively harmonious atmosphere. However, neither Mi Zhongde nor Mi Cai mentioned the word “Zhuo Mei” during the dinner. It wasn’t until the meal ended that Mi Zhongde said to Mi Cai, “Xiaocai, it’s been a long time since you played Go with your uncle. Why don’t you play a few rounds with me later?”
Mi Cai checked the time and said, “Uncle, we need to head back to Suzhou soon. Let’s play another time.”
“That’s fine. Why don’t you and Zhaoyang stay here tonight? I’ll ask the housemaid to prepare rooms for you.”
Her aunt also chimed in, urging us not to leave. Mi Cai looked at me for my opinion. I said, “Why don’t you play a few rounds of Go with your uncle? It’s okay if we return to Suzhou a bit later. Anyway, it’s not far, and we don’t want to trouble your uncle and aunt by staying over.”
Mi Cai understood my meaning and finally nodded to Mi Zhongde. I knew well that during their Go game, the two would likely finally confront the issue of Zhuo Mei…
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