Chapter 6: They Are Getting Married

Back at the apartment, Mi Cai had almost finished her bowl of congee, while mine was still steaming. I took two salted duck eggs from the bag left by Ban Di and handed one to Mi Cai, saying, “Try it.”

“I’m almost done.” This was the first time in the two days we had known each other that Mi Cai spoke to me in a normal tone.

I smiled and said, “Eat another bowl then. White congee won’t make you fat.”

Ignoring my suggestion, Mi Cai said, “Your father has already left. You can move out now.”

Looking out at the stormy weather, I negotiated with Mi Cai, “Don’t make me move today. Let me stay one more night, okay?”

“No,” Mi Cai firmly replied.

I slammed my chopsticks on the table and snapped, “What’s wrong with you, woman? Don’t you know the saying ‘once you’ve eaten someone else’s food, you should be nice to them?’ Give back the congee you just ate, and I’ll move out immediately.”

Mi Cai looked at me with her beautiful eyes, stunned by how quickly I had changed my tone.

Softening my voice, I said, “Big sister, I’ve had a tough day today. I’m really exhausted. Please be kind and let me stay, okay?”

“Scumbag! Who’s your big sister!”

“All right… Miss then… Miss is fine, right?” I quickly replied, earnestly promising, “Tomorrow, I’ll definitely move out after work tomorrow!”

After a while, Mi Cai finally relented, saying, “Remember what you said.”

“Of course, I’ll move out tomorrow for sure!”

Mi Cai gave me an unhappy look and then picked up her bowl, walking toward the rice cooker filled with congee and scooping herself another small bowl.

“Aren’t you done eating?”

Mi Cai glared at me and said, “Since I’ve already eaten someone else’s food, what’s one more bowl?”

I shook my head and sighed, “Sigh! This is how people become corrupt!”

Despite the teasing, I peeled the salted duck egg for Mi Cai and handed it to her, and she didn’t refuse. The two of us continued eating in the strange atmosphere.

…

After dinner, I handed Mi Cai the 3,000 yuan left by Ban Di, saying, “Let me pay you back 3,000 first. I’ll give you the rest next week when I get my paycheck.”

“If you give me this money, will you still have enough to rent a place? … Maybe you can pay me back together later.”

“You’re being considerate of me, right? Not because I intentionally want to delay paying you back.” I said as I stuffed the money into my wallet.

“As long as you move out quickly, everything else doesn’t matter.” Mi Cai said, then took another sip of her congee. She seemed to really like it. Indeed, Ban Di’s congee was exceptional. Although it was the most ordinary rice porridge, he could cook it to taste like home.

“I’m not a plague carrier. You don’t have to dislike me so much!” I sighed.

“With your character, do you expect me to like you?”

I smiled but didn’t respond. Perhaps I really did have poor character, or maybe she misunderstood me a bit, but it wasn’t important. I had no intention of clarifying or explaining, because after tomorrow’s workday, we would draw a clear boundary between us.

I drank up the congee in my bowl and stared at Mi Cai. She was wearing a white long-sleeve chiffon blouse, black-and-white checkered pencil-fit casual pants, and medium-length wavy hair, giving her a graceful yet delicate appearance.

I picked up the knitted sweater left by Ban Di and pretended to measure it in front of Mi Cai. After a while, I sighed, “It’s getting cold. Don’t you think this sweater suits you?”

Mi Cai frowned, “What? Are you trying to make me feel indebted to you again?”

“Seriously, it really suits you… If you’re willing to let me keep renting this room, I wouldn’t mind giving it to you. My father said it was knitted by my mother. It’s thick and warm, perfect for blocking the cold in winter!”

“No need. I can’t accept such luxury.”

I smiled and handed her the sweater, “I was just kidding. Even if you don’t rent the room, I’ll still give it to you. I don’t plan to have a girlfriend for now. Keeping such a nice sweater with me would be a waste. Consider it my apology for my rudeness yesterday.”

I looked extremely sincere. After hesitating for a moment, Mi Cai actually accepted the sweater and said, “Okay, I accept your apology… Also, be nicer to your father and stop deceiving him and making him worry.”

“Is there a logical connection between accepting my apology and being nice to my father?” I asked in surprise.

For questioning her, Mi Cai angrily said, “You’re such a scumbag!” Then she stuffed the sweater into her handbag and stormed out, closing the door behind her.

I was left alone in the room, somewhat confused by Mi Cai’s sudden anger. Sitting there thinking for a long time, I finally realized that maybe she temporarily accepted my apology and even allowed me to stay another night, only out of sympathy for Ban Di. As for me, she still felt indifferent and annoyed. In her eyes, I had impregnated a woman, deceived my own father, been rude to her, and broken my promises. What else could I be but a scumbag?

That night, Mi Cai didn’t stay in this room. I thought: she must have another place in this city. But why did she insist on staying here?

I racked my brain trying to figure it out but failed, so I gave up. There are always strange people and strange things in this world. Compared to the countless oddities in the vast world, this wasn’t that strange. So there was no need to dig deeper. It could just be considered a form of artistic behavior by the rich.

In fact, many times I quite like living in this vague and hazy way because the truth might mean pain. Only when you gain something can you lose it, so if you don’t know the truth, there’s no pain. If you don’t get it, there’s no loss either.

…

The next day, after attending the weekly meeting of the planning department at the company, I walked out of the meeting room shoulder to shoulder with Fang Yuan, followed by another colleague, Zhao Li.

I lit a cigarette and waved at him, “Come here, Zhao Li.”

Zhao Li looked at me cautiously, “What for?”

“Heard you like outdoor sports?”

“Yeah, I really like it!”

I smiled and said, “I have a set of professional outdoor gear. I bought it but hardly used it. I’ll sell it to you cheaply.”

“You don’t like outdoor sports. Why did you buy outdoor gear?” Zhao Li asked suspiciously.

“Exactly because I don’t like it, I’ve never used it. It’s like new. It’s Arcteryx. I’m doing you a favor, kid. I’ll sell the whole set to you for 2,000.”

I hooked Zhao Li’s shoulder and said.

“Really?” Zhao Li asked, surprised and delighted.

“Impatiently, I said, ‘Of course it’s real. Hurry up and pay me, and tomorrow I’ll ask Fang Yuan to bring it to you. It’s been at his place all along.'”

Zhao Li counted 2,000 yuan from his wallet and handed it to me, reminding me, ‘Remember to bring it tomorrow. It’s just in time for rock climbing next weekend.’

I stuffed the money into my pocket and said, ‘You tell Fang Yuan yourself.’

Zhao Li then said to Fang Yuan, who had been distracted nearby, ‘Fang Yuan, remember to bring me the outdoor gear that Zhao Yang left at your place tomorrow.’

Fang Yuan snapped out of his daze and asked in confusion, ‘What outdoor gear?’

‘It’s Zhao Yang’s Arcteryx set. He sold it to me,’ Zhao Li patiently explained.

I took a deep puff of my cigarette and immediately walked toward the restroom. Behind me, Fang Yuan exploded in anger, ‘Damn it, selling what gear? That’s mine!’

Then I heard Fang Yuan reluctantly say to Zhao Li, ‘Okay, okay. Don’t worry. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.’

…

After smoking in the restroom, I returned to the office. Fang Yuan’s desk had a cup of coffee. Wearing radiation-proof glasses, his fingers were typing rapidly on the keyboard.

I turned on my computer and played with the lighter in my hand while waiting for it to boot up. Then I struck up a conversation with Fang Yuan again, ‘Still working on the planning proposal for GUCCI’s specialty store in our mall?’

Fang Yuan didn’t hold a grudge about the previous matter and sighed, “Yeah, I’ve been working on it for almost a week. The merchandising department has been waiting for our planning proposal to negotiate with GUCCI’s representatives.”

I responded with a sound but didn’t ask further. Fang Yuan and I were two extremes. He was a workaholic while I had always been just getting by. The result of these two completely different attitudes was: after working for two years, Fang Yuan had already become the team leader of the planning department’s copywriting group, while I was still at the bottom.

Fang Yuan suddenly stopped typing and stared at me with a heavy expression for a long time.

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, puzzled by Fang Yuan’s strange behavior.

Fang Yuan finally said, ‘The other day, I saw you were in a bad mood, so I didn’t mention it… My wedding with Yan Yan is next week.’

‘Finally getting married, huh!’ I instinctively sighed, and then my heart ached with pain.

Back then, Fang Yuan met Yan Yan completely because of me and Jian Wei. Yan Yan was Jian Wei’s best friend, and Fang Yuan and I were close friends. After I started dating Jian Wei, I provided opportunities for Fang Yuan and Yan Yan to get to know each other, and then they also fell in love.

During our university years, the four of us often hung out together and built a deeper friendship. We had joked several times about getting married together after graduation.

Fang Yuan and Yan Yan getting married was a huge happy event, but it mercilessly exposed my pain and loneliness… I had ultimately failed to continue my love with Jian Wei.

Sometimes people’s pain actually comes from comparison… But at this moment, besides feeling pain, loneliness, and envying and blessing Fang Yuan and Yan Yan, what else could I do?

Past events will eventually turn to dust, but the wind cannot scatter it. It falls on the heart, covering my world in a layer of dead gray.

I smiled at Fang Yuan and said, ‘Hey, where’s my invitation? Hurry up and give it to me.’

Fang Yuan nodded, took the invitation from the drawer, and handed it to me. I opened it, and on the photo on the invitation, Fang Yuan and Yan Yan were smiling happily.

…

After a long silence, I asked Fang Yuan, ‘Will Jian Wei come back for your wedding?’

‘You know, since she moved from Los Angeles to New York, we’ve lost contact with her. But a few days ago, Yan Yan sent her an email. No reply yet. Whether she comes back or not is uncertain.’

‘Oh, is that so?’ I replied indifferently, then stopped talking to Fang Yuan. My fingers were pressing the keyboard, but my eyes were staring at the screen, lost in thought.