Chapter 66: Are We Friends?

At half past seven in the evening, the doorbell finally rang. I ran to open the door in my slippers, making a clattering sound on the floor. As expected, Mi Cai was standing outside, the person we had previously agreed to have dinner with.

Mi Cai was holding a large plastic bag. I took it from her and looked inside. There were some vegetables, meat, a bottle of red wine, and a bottle of juice.

Mi Cai said to me, “The red wine is for you; I’ll drink the juice.”

“Why not have some red wine with me? Are you afraid I might take advantage of you if we get tipsy?”

“I didn’t say that. I just don’t have the habit of drinking alcohol.”

I joked, “You’re really no fun at all. I just want to tease you a little, so why won’t you play along?”

“Why should I play along with your indecency?”

“I like that word ‘indecent.’ Sometimes I really do think I’m not very noble.”

Mi Cai looked at me wordlessly, clearly unsure how to respond.

I closed the door and said to Mi Cai, “You sit down for a while; I’ll cook dinner. You just need to wait and enjoy it.”

Mi Cai shook her head and said, “I can help you with something within my abilities.”

“This isn’t making couple’s lung slices; why do you need to help me?” I said, carrying the bag toward the kitchen.

Mi Cai looked at me wordlessly again.

…

In the kitchen, I worked with both hands, completing a dish every ten minutes. About fifty minutes later, all the stir-fried dishes were ready. At the same time, the bone soup simmering on low heat was also done. The timing was perfect.

At this point, Mi Cai, who had been idle all along, finally had a role. She came to the kitchen and helped carry the dishes to the dining table.

I turned on all the lights inside, making the small living room for dinner shine brightly. I took off my apron and sat across from Mi Cai. I drank red wine, while she drank juice. It wasn’t a candlelit dinner, though.

I said to the eager Mi Cai, “Shall we clink glasses first, or would you like to taste my cooking first?”

“I’ll taste your cooking first,” Mi Cai replied, picking up a piece of sweet and sour fish with her chopsticks. After chewing and savoring it for a while, she nodded in praise, “Not bad, your cooking is quite good.”

“See? I told you, a tiger father doesn’t have a dog son.” I said proudly.

“It’s hard to imagine you can cook, and it’s actually quite good. When did you learn all this?” Mi Cai asked curiously.

While eating, I replied, “My old man said I have a wild temper and a bad temper, so when I was little, he forced me to learn how to cook, saying it could cultivate my character and help me win the favor of a future wife.”

Mi Cai ignored my implications and asked, “Your old man?”

“Yeah, I call my dad ‘Old Man.’ Haven’t you heard me call him that before?”

“I didn’t really notice. Why do you call him ‘Old Man’?”

I patiently explained, “Because he’s so old-fashioned. Not only do I call him ‘Old Man,’ his colleagues call him ‘Old Man Ke’ too. But he always thinks I’m calling him ‘Dad’ … Ha ha!”

Mi Cai was amused by me and said after a while, “You’re really mean; you don’t even spare your own father!” Her expression suddenly turned gloomy after saying that. I suddenly realized she was thinking of her father, Mi Zhongxin, who had died in a car accident. I finally understood why she was so kind to ‘Old Man.’

I raised my glass and said to Mi Cai, “Let’s not just talk. Let’s clink glasses to celebrate the opportunity we have to turn conflict into peace.”

Mi Cai nodded and picked up her juice, gently clinking her glass against mine. She took a sip and smiled at me, shaking off her previous gloominess.

…

Dinner continued. I had already drunk two glasses of red wine, while Mi Cai had only drunk a small amount of juice.

I looked at Mi Cai for a long time with a complicated expression before finally putting down my wine glass and saying to her, “I’m going back to my hometown tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong? Are you taking a vacation?” Mi Cai asked indifferently.

“No, I’m going back to live there permanently. I’ve already quit my job here.”

Mi Cai looked at me, put down her chopsticks, and asked in surprise, “You quit your job! Did something happen at home?”

No wonder Mi Cai was surprised, because just a few days ago she had accompanied me to rent the studio apartment I currently lived in. However, she didn’t know that I was in a state of struggle at the time. Although I was struggling, I hadn’t yet decided to leave. But when I finally chose to anonymously inform her about Mi Zhongde’s power conspiracy, my fate to leave this city had already become irreversible.

I smiled at Mi Cai and said, “As you know, my job wasn’t that legitimate, and considering my age, I really don’t have much time left to keep struggling in this city with no roots for me. So… going back to my hometown for a stable life is also a good choice. People, especially adults, must learn to make the most accurate judgment about their current environment.”

Mi Cai nodded in agreement with my words but didn’t say much. We weren’t from the same world and were destined to live lives that couldn’t understand or penetrate each other.

I raised my glass again toward Mi Cai, who lifted her glass in response. I nodded and drank the remaining half glass of red wine in one go. An indescribable emotion spread through my body along with the wine.

…

This dinner ended with only a few words exchanged between Mi Cai and me. As Mi Cai was about to leave, I took out all the cash I had on me. Part of this cash was my salary, and another part was from subletting this studio apartment. In total, it was 10,318 yuan. After repaying Mi Cai 10,016 yuan, I had 302 yuan left. This 302 yuan was the only thing I had gained after struggling in this city for more than two years.

I placed the money on the table and carefully counted out 10,016 yuan from the pile of loose coins and handed it to Mi Cai, saying, “Here, this is to repay you.”

Mi Cai looked at me and took the stack of money from me, which consisted of denominations ranging from 100 yuan to 1 yuan. Unexpectedly, she pulled out 16 yuan from the stack and handed it back to me, saying, “I like whole numbers.”

I looked at Mi Cai in surprise but didn’t reach out to take it. She had already placed the loose 16 yuan on the table and put the other stack of money into her handbag.

“It’s getting late; I should go home now,” Mi Cai said to me.

“Oh, okay… take care on your way back.”

Mi Cai nodded and turned to leave. Suddenly, I realized that after this night, we might never meet again. Although this woman and I had been at odds for nearly two months, in the end, my departure would turn those brief moments of the past into dust, which would gradually be erased by the passage of time.

“Mi Cai…” I called her name.

“What is it?” She turned around, her long hair hanging over her shoulders, making her look so pure and untouched.

I was silent for a long time before quietly asking, “Do we count as friends?”

Mi Cai thought for a moment and then nodded, saying, “Yes.”

“Okay,” I nodded heavily.

Mi Cai smiled at me and then turned toward the elevator nearby. A short while later, the elevator doors closed, once again separating us into two different worlds.