Chapter 4: A Haunted Weekend

It was almost 2 a.m. when I returned to my old place. After paying the taxi fare, I walked toward my apartment building without much urgency. After all, it was the weekend, so being late didn’t matter much. However, I was still troubled by the 4,016 yuan I owed her. Even if I sold myself at that moment, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with that much money.

When I arrived at the foot of my apartment building, I was stunned, then furious. My luggage had been moved into the corridor of the building’s stairwell. Some of it, which couldn’t fit inside, had already been soaked by the rain, including a pair of black leather shoes that Jian Wei had given me a long time ago.

I threw away my umbrella, took out my keys from my pocket, and rushed upstairs noisily.

I turned the key in the lock and kicked the door open, standing in the living room and angrily shouting, “You bitch, come out here!”

I shouted three times, but no one answered. I kicked open the door to the room she lived in, but it was empty.

Looking at the spotless room she had tidied up, and thinking about my luggage soaking in the rain outside, my anger burned even hotter. I grabbed the quilt from her bed and threw it onto the floor. Still not satisfied, I flipped over the mattress, scattering pillows and blankets all over the floor.

…

After my outburst, I stood in Mi Cai’s room and lit a cigarette, trying to calm myself down.

Mi Cai had unknowingly appeared at the door, holding a mop and a plastic bag filled with daily necessities. She must have just come back from the supermarket.

She glared at me furiously. I grabbed her by the collar and dragged her into the room, the force causing her to drop the bag and mop. The items scattered on the floor again, and the previously spotless room became a mess in an instant due to my rage.

I dragged her to the window, opened it, and pointed at my luggage getting soaked in the rain while cursing, “Are you out of your mind? Why did you throw my stuff out in the rain?”

Mi Cai broke free from my grip and coldly said, “You didn’t show up at all, so I had someone help you move out. Any problem with that?”

“I was just delayed by something else. What’s the big deal about being a little late?”

“Agreed is agreed.” Mi Cai stood her ground firmly, her eyes filled with determination.

“You’re impossible!” My temper flared even more, and I raised my hand as if to slap her.

I had expected her to instinctively dodge or close her eyes, but instead, she continued to stare at me coldly without even blinking.

I lowered my raised hand and looked at her with narrowed eyes, saying, “You bring everything back exactly as it was, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“I won’t go.” Mi Cai’s beautiful eyes showed a hint of tears, but she firmly told me.

I nodded, “You won’t go, huh?”

Before I finished speaking, I took the quilt and blanket from the floor and threw them all out the window with a sense of venting and revenge.

In the wind and rain, the falling quilt and blanket looked so helpless and innocent, like a series of deep and shallow wounds ruthlessly torn open. I stared blankly, feeling regretful. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive, shouldn’t have treated this stubborn woman so harshly. Perhaps it was the sight of that pair of black leather shoes soaked in the rain that had triggered something in me. My heart ached, and in the image of the rain falling on those black shoes, I seemed to see my dead love with Jian Wei.

…

Eventually, the quilt and blanket landed on the ground after their descent. Feeling somewhat guilty, I said to Mi Cai, “Now we’re even!”

As my words fell, tears streamed down Mi Cai’s pale face, and she bit her lip, staring at me.

Looking at the ruined room, a sense of guilt suddenly filled my heart, but I still glared at Mi Cai and said, “I know you’re upset with me and look down on me. Yes, I’m poor and unsuccessful, but that’s absolutely no reason for you to disrespect me and my belongings. You’re a woman, and today I’ll show some gentlemanly manners. I threw out your quilt and blanket, but next time I might throw you down with them!”

After I finished speaking, I pulled out the bank card she had given me yesterday from my wallet and placed it on the table, saying, “I took out a total of 4,016 yuan from the card. Now I don’t have any money to repay you, but I will definitely find a way to pay you back as soon as possible.”

Tears welled up in Mi Cai’s eyes: “You’re despicable. All of you are despicable people who don’t keep their promises…”

I looked at her in surprise, unable to describe the feeling in my heart. After a while, I said, “I’m leaving now. I will definitely repay the money I owe you. Although I might be a bit late in fulfilling my promise, it’s not because I don’t value keeping promises like you think.”

Mi Cai did not respond to me, still looking at me with resentment.

…

I left, not knowing whether Mi Cai was still crying, but I was certain that staying in that room, which I had turned into a mess, must have been very unpleasant for her.

But as she had previously cursed me, I indeed was a scoundrel, and as Yue Yao had said, a beast. A beast unwilling to control my emotions, a scoundrel acting recklessly and irresponsibly!

I hailed a taxi and moved my luggage to a roadside pavilion where it could be sheltered from the rain. For the moment, I didn’t know where else to go. The little money I had left wasn’t enough to rent a place, and staying in a hotel wasn’t a long-term solution either. The only person I was willing to borrow money from was Fang Yuan, but because I hadn’t listened to his advice yesterday, he was upset with me and had temporarily refused to communicate with me.

Yes, over these years, I had only ever borrowed money from Fang Yuan. I considered him a close friend and never hesitated to show him my hardships and difficulties. But with others, I wouldn’t.

It felt as if I had suddenly been abandoned by the world!

…

I lit a cigarette, sat on a stone bench inside the pavilion, and watched the passing cars, somewhat lost in thought.

My life shouldn’t be like this, but over the past two years, I had lived like the silent buildings in this city—lonely and helpless. All of this was because of that woman. I knew deep down that I would never have the chance to hold her hand again, yet I still stubbornly couldn’t break free from her, couldn’t leave her gentle embrace.

The wind made me a bit cold, so I took out a scarf from the woven bag and wrapped it around me, finally blocking some of the cold wind that kept blowing into my chest.

For the next hour, I sat in the pavilion, doing nothing but staring blankly and smoking cigarettes, until the sky gradually darkened, and I finally felt a real longing to be rescued.

The sudden ringing of my phone startled me. I wiped my face and took my phone out of my pocket. The call was from Ban Da.

Ban Da is my father. He is rigid and dull, having worked in the purchasing department of a medium-sized state-owned enterprise for 15 years. He became deputy section chief in his first year there, and after 15 years, he still hadn’t managed to drop the “deputy” from his title. That wasn’t even the worst part. What was more impressive was that although the purchasing department was a place where one could easily take bribes and kickbacks, he hadn’t accepted a single gift or a penny in kickbacks in 15 years. His colleagues, in admiration of his ironclad integrity, privately addressed him as Ban Ke, finally helping him shed the “deputy” title. So, when I turned 17, I started calling him Ban Da to keep up with the times, though he always mistakenly thought I was calling him “my dad.”

I answered the call and heard Ban Da’s dull, emotionless voice. He said to me, “Zhaoyang, I’m arriving in Suzhou shortly. I have an exhibition to attend tomorrow morning, so I’ll stay at your place tonight.”

I immediately felt miserable. This weekend was turning into a nightmare. I dreaded the thought of Ban Da finding out I had sunk to being penniless and homeless. He may be rigid, but he’s not without temper.

I quickly replied, “Ban Da, why don’t you just find a hotel near the station to stay at? I’m having dinner with my colleagues tonight, and it’s going to last a while.”

“You go ahead and eat. You know you left the key under the door frame, right? I can get in.”

“Thieves are everywhere lately. I didn’t leave it there.”

Ban Da insisted, “Then I’ll wait for you. Don’t play around too much after dinner. Come back early.”

“Ban Da, think about how tired you must be after sitting on the bus for half a day. Why don’t you just find a nearby hotel to stay at? It’s not worth taking a taxi to come all the way to my place. Besides, it’s rush hour now, and your arms and legs can’t handle the crush on the bus!”

I tried every excuse to dissuade him, but Ban Da didn’t get upset. Finally, he said, “Your mother knit you a sweater, and I’m bringing it to you.”

…

Hearing the “beep, beep” of the disconnected call, I stood there stunned for a moment. Then, I quickly shouldered my luggage bag and dragged my suitcase toward the roadside, looking around for a taxi. I had to return to the apartment that now belonged to Mi Cai that night.

No matter whether she was willing or not, I had to stay there. If Ban Da found out about my current situation, he might get seriously upset.