At the urging of my father, I finally sat up from the bed and took his phone to add him as a WeChat friend, making the situation less like a joke. If he truly used WeChat, how could his friend list not include me, his own son!
After having breakfast with my father, the two of us prepared to leave. Just as we were about to depart, my mother called me back and asked, “Zhaoyang, when will you return to Xuzhou next?”
“I’m currently planning to build an inn here in Xuzhou, so it shouldn’t be too long!”
My mother seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded as she told me, “You should also make an effort with Xiaoyun. Be more proactive and don’t let the girl always accommodate you!”
I was once again stunned. It turned out my father hadn’t told her that Li Xiaoyun already had a boyfriend. At that moment, with so many things weighing on me, I decided to keep this hidden for now. Perhaps there would be no need for either my father or me to inform her, as Xiaoyun’s family would eventually let her know.
But no matter how my mother eventually found out about this situation, I felt as though I was living in a suspenseful drama. I knew some of the truth, and others knew some too, but all these truths were fragmented. Before they were pieced together into a complete picture, the future remained full of suspense. And the woman who would eventually walk through life with me, I remained stuck in this suspense, waiting for her. Yet I no longer believed it would be Mi Cai, because she had told me that in this life, she could not be my wife, Zhaoyang.
How much pain did those words bring me? How many of my hopes had they crushed?
…
As I drove toward Suzhou with my father, Jian Wei had also boarded a train back to Suzhou. She had still chosen to accommodate me by avoiding my father. In truth, the helplessness in this situation was something only I, being in the middle of it, could truly understand. Although Jian and I, as the people involved, could accept our past as former lovers, most others would likely not understand, such as my father, who had seemed reluctant long ago to see the two of us ex-lovers interact again.
But why did he still hold expectations for me and Mi Cai, even after we had broken up? Could it be a natural liking?
I didn’t quite agree with this view because it seemed too superficial. My father was a rational person and wouldn’t let emotions overly dictate his actions. But one thing was certain: regardless of whatever expectations he held, Mi Cai and I were over. The words we had exchanged during our breakup had completely blocked any path for us to get back together.
I gradually came to believe that she was not the woman from that Sky City! Although I had loved her, and perhaps still did…
But then, who was that woman with long hair cascading over her shoulders? Was she already by my side without me realizing it, or would I have to spend much more time continuing my search?
I hoped she was already by my side, just that I hadn’t noticed yet!
…
At noon, my father and I returned to Suzhou. I then asked CC about the address of Mi Cai’s hospital, but CC told me that Mi Cai had already been transferred from the hospital to a convalescent home for rest and recovery. Her current emotional state was somewhat unstable, and she needed a quieter environment to recuperate.
I felt a pang of sympathy for her, but what good was sympathy? She still couldn’t let go of her obsession with Zhuo Mei to live a more relaxed life. Sometimes I really wanted to ask her face-to-face: Would Mi Zhongxin truly want to see her in this condition? And was Zhuo Mei really the most important part of Mi Zhongxin?
Perhaps everything was merely Mi Cai’s own assumption, but this assumption had already dangerously destroyed her life. But had she realized this?
Thinking too much made me lose focus. My father patted my shoulder and said, “Zhaoyang, go see Xiaomi at the convalescent home soon. Ask her what she wants to eat. I’ll cook it for her and then deliver it.”
“Where will you cook it? I’ve already returned the keys to her!”
“The keys are probably under the doormat. If not, I’ll call her to ask…”
“Dad, do you think she’ll appreciate this? … Please, for the sake of your pitiful son, leave me a bit of dignity. She probably sees you as a bother, whether it’s about cooking or for whom it’s cooked!”
My emotional outburst didn’t affect my father. He simply repeated what he had just said: “You go and check first. I’ll go back and cook. This isn’t about whether she appreciates it or not!”
I stubbornly asked, “Then please tell me, how exactly is it not about appreciation?”
My father’s expression immediately darkened, and he was about to erupt because of my unwillingness to cooperate… Not wanting to go against him, I shrugged my hands and said, “You don’t have to get angry. What’s the big deal! I’ll go first, okay? At most, I’ll meet her coldness with my warm face. After all, your son has always been used to being a loser. Talking about dignity feels too luxurious!”
…
Driving Jian Wei’s car, I arrived at this convalescent home on the outskirts. Since it was my first time visiting such a place, I couldn’t help but look around after parking. I found the convalescent home’s environment was exceptionally good. Its facilities even surpassed those of a five-star garden hotel. Artificial hills, fountains, and gravel paths were everywhere. Various pleasant flowers, plants, and bamboo filled the entire courtyard. Its picturesque, fragrant, and melodious birdsong-filled scenery could almost be described as a paradise away from the mundane world!
After getting out of the car, I followed a staff member toward Mi Cai’s ward, feeling both helpless and anxious inside. I really didn’t know what I should say when I met Mi Cai later, and who would be in her room at that moment? Hopefully not that man who always annoyed me!
After walking along a gravel path, the staff member stopped in front of a standalone small building and said to me, “Sir, your friend is staying in Room 203 on the second floor. Please go up by yourself. I still have several rooms to clean.”
“You go ahead. I’ll go up myself. Thank you for showing me the way!”
“You’re welcome, sir!”
After the staff member left, I smoked a cigarette downstairs before carrying the fruit basket I had bought outside toward Mi Cai’s ward. However, just as I was about to knock on the door, I suddenly became hesitant again, so I just stood there awkwardly outside…
Suddenly, the door opened, and I saw CC, who had been startled by me. She patted her chest and said in a frightened manner, “You’re standing outside here making no sound—trying to scare someone?”
“I was just about to knock when you came out!”
CC pulled me aside and whispered, “Mi has just fallen asleep. Let’s speak softly!”
“She’s asleep, huh? Then just take this fruit basket and give it to her for me. I don’t want to disturb her…”
Before I could finish, CC grabbed me and said, “Zhaoyang, look at the way you’re acting. There’s really no need to be so evasive, is there?”
“To be honest with you, if it weren’t for my old-fashioned father, I wouldn’t even come here just to meet her coldness with my warm face!”
CC gave me a light slap and said, “Look at how pitiful you’re making yourself sound! Should I book you a room so you can cry alone for a while, so you don’t have to keep all this heartache bottled up inside?”
I glared at CC, “Are you trying to be annoying?”
“No one can be more annoying than you… Stop talking nonsense. Let’s find a place to sit first. We’ll wait until Mi wakes up and let her treat us to a meal!”
“There’s no need for that…”
Before my words had even finished, Mi Cai’s voice came from inside the ward: “CC, who are you talking to?”
CC shot me a glare and complained, “She had just fallen asleep with difficulty. I told you to speak softly, but you had to go and speak as if you had an amplifier!”
I ignored CC, leaned my body forward to peek into the ward, and then met Mi Cai’s gaze… My heart started pounding rapidly!
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