I followed Mi Cai’s gaze to glance at my own backpack, then said, “Mine is indeed a Ruckus brand, though not as luxurious as I claimed—it only cost me 50 yuan on Taobao, and even came with a sun hat!”
Mi Cai bit her lip trying not to laugh, but I was captivated by her expression; she looked so beautiful at that moment.
Finally suppressing her laughter, Mi Cai asked, “Was the sun hat also Ruckus?”
“Who can remember? A friend borrowed it for fishing and never returned it—what terrible manners!”
“Then it must have been Ruckus, right? Since it was so luxurious that your friend coveted it!” Mi Cai analyzed seriously.
This time it was my turn to be amused by Mi Cai, yet I replied solemnly, “That’s exactly why he’s got no manners! He sold his integrity for just a hat. If he liked it, he could’ve just asked me. As someone so extravagant as me, would I really care about a mere hat?”
Smiling, Mi Cai shook her head and stopped talking to me—perhaps she didn’t really enjoy my exaggerated storytelling. Sometimes she was both annoyed and amused by me, yet underneath that amusement was a sense of helplessness.
The waiter finally brought us two bowls of rice noodles and some other snacks, and we began to eat.
During the meal, I kept glancing at Mi Cai from the corner of my eye. She remained quiet throughout, yet in her silence I sensed loneliness. This loneliness had nothing to do with material things—it stemmed from her background. Despite all this, she lived independently and strongly. At least since I had known her, I had never heard her complain about life.
I stared at her absentmindedly, thinking about the conspiracy she was about to face, and felt pained and deeply conflicted. Yet I also felt so powerless.
As we were nearly finishing our simple dinner, I finally said to Mi Cai, “I still owe you 10,016 yuan!”
She replied indifferently, “I haven’t forgotten, but you don’t need to repay me in a hurry. First find a good place to live, just like you said yourself, so you won’t have to experience the pain of having nowhere to go again.”
“You remember my words pretty clearly!”
“That’s what you told me last night, of course I remember.”
I skipped the topic and asked, “Then why, when I came back after meeting my friend last night, did you keep the door locked? I knocked for almost ten minutes.”
“Even if you knocked for an hour, I wouldn’t have opened it. I already told you, I won’t rent the house to anyone.”
“Then tell me, why did you buy that old house and yet refuse to rent it out?” I asked again, a question that had puzzled me for a long time.
Mi Cai glanced out the window, her expression somewhat dazed. After a long pause, she quietly told me, “That’s my private matter; please don’t ask anymore.”
I didn’t press further. I vaguely understood why she had bought that old house, but I couldn’t be certain.
In my silence, Mi Cai, unusually proactive, said to me, “It’s still early now. Let me help you find a place to live. You should settle down quickly, or else when your father visits you next time, you won’t know how to explain.”
…
In the dark night, I sat inside Mi Cai’s car, holding my phone and browsing rental listings on 58.com. Whenever I found something suitable, I would call to inquire. Mi Cai served as my driver, accompanying me through every corner of this city while I haggled with landlords or agents using various stubborn tactics.
Thanks to Mi Cai driving, within just over an hour I had efficiently viewed five properties, but none were quite satisfactory due to various issues, so we continued crisscrossing this vast city.
Half an hour later, Mi Cai pulled over and said with emotion, “Turns out finding a rental really isn’t easy at all!”
“Yeah, there are so many unscrupulous agents these days. You get scammed without even noticing.”
Mi Cai nodded in agreement. Until today, she hadn’t had much exposure to this side of life, but she now fully understood. This made me realize that sometimes it’s not that people can’t understand each other, but rather they’ve never truly lived in each other’s worlds.
“Are you thirsty? Should I buy you something to drink?” I asked Mi Cai.
She nodded. Without even asking what she wanted, I opened the car door and stepped out. At that moment, my heart felt another wave of uncontrollable oppression. Even though Mi Cai and I had fought countless times over that old house, I didn’t dislike her at all. As we spent more time together, I realized she wasn’t as aloof as I had initially thought. On the contrary, she was very easygoing—seemingly cold but actually warm-hearted. Perhaps she really was a kind woman.
I still remembered when Ban Di came looking for me during my most destitute time. Although I had treated her terribly, she still chose to hide my hardship from Ban Di. Eventually, she even left on her own, leaving the house to me and Ban Di. I remembered how she covered me with her coat by the riverbank so I wouldn’t catch a chill, and how she made me honey milk when I was drunk at that small house in Luoben…
Amid my inner turmoil, I repeatedly questioned myself: “Zhaoyang, are you really going to watch helplessly as this woman falls into your uncle’s business conspiracy?”
Finally, I turned around and looked at her sitting in the car, immersed in the dim lights. Her silhouette, somewhat lost and lonely, was reflected on the car window. That reflection pained me, yet I still couldn’t bring myself to reveal the truth. Because of Fangyuan and Chen Jingming, I couldn’t selfishly ruin their promising futures either.
I returned with two cups of hot lemon tea and sat back into Mi Cai’s car. I inserted a straw into one cup, handed it to her, and reminded her, “It’s hot, drink slowly.”
Mi Cai nodded, cupping the plastic cup with both hands to absorb the warmth of the tea. This autumn night already carried a slight chill of winter.
We remained silent for a while before Mi Cai asked, “Shall we keep looking?”
“It’s up to you. If you’re not tired, I’m fine with continuing.”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “It’s best to see things through from beginning to end. Let’s keep going and help you find a place tonight.”
I teased, “Miss Mi Cai, you’re so enthusiastic and calculating! Settling my issue tonight means you can then sit back and reap the benefits forever.”
“You’re using ‘reap the benefits’ incorrectly. I’ve put effort into helping you find a place. Besides, since the house is originally mine, using that phrase doesn’t quite fit,” Mi Cai replied earnestly.
“Pfft, why so nitpicky!” I waved my hand impatiently.
“Just following your example.”
I took a big sip from the cup I held with both hands, nearly burning my mouth and almost spitting it out.
Mi Cai handed me some tissues and wiped the tea splashes off herself, complaining, “You just reminded me to be careful about the hot tea, yet you forgot yourself when drinking it!”
I didn’t respond to Mi Cai, but bitterness surged inside me. I forgot because I was distracted, and I was distracted because of inner conflict. Right then, I felt an intense urge to tell Mi Cai about the conspiracy targeting her.
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