When I asked Mi Cai about the real whereabouts of the one million, she lay back down under the covers again. In her expression, I saw a hidden pain, and my heart felt uneasy. I became even more eager for her to tell me the truth, so my gaze never left her face.
Finally, she said to me, “Zhaoyang, I don’t want to talk about it. Please stop asking, okay?”
“Is there something that cannot be said?…And it’s something you absolutely cannot tell me?”
Mi Cai shook her head, indicating she did not want to continue this topic. However, the more she evaded, the more I wanted to find out. I always felt there was a truth in this event that I must clarify. Therefore, I persisted, “Actually, even if you don’t say it, I can guess a little. This matter probably has something to do with Teacher Wei, right?…Has she encountered some trouble, but she’s enduring it without seeking help from us because she’s afraid of telling Luo Ben, which would once again create an entanglement that can’t be resolved?”
Mi Cai looked at me, her expression complicated. This further proved that my guess wasn’t entirely correct, but it was close to the truth, because the logic made sense. If this money had been spent elsewhere, there was nothing Mi Cai couldn’t tell me.
I continued, “Please tell me. You must believe that some things we can bear together. Your position is my position. I won’t do anything unnecessary to cause you trouble or make you break your promise. I think if this matter is indeed related to Teacher Wei, you must have made some promise to her, like not telling me, right?”
Mi Cai looked at me, her expression complex, further confirming that my guess wasn’t entirely correct but was approaching the truth, because the logic made sense. If this money had been used elsewhere, there was no reason Mi Cai couldn’t tell me.
I continued, “Tell me, please. You must believe that some things we can share together. Your stance is my stance. I won’t do anything unnecessary to cause you trouble or make you break your promise. I think if this matter is really related to Teacher Wei, you must have made some promise to her, such as not telling me, right?”
“You’ve probably guessed right. I did give the one million to Teacher Wei, and I did make her a promise. Although I’m not sure whether this promise was right or wrong, I still have to keep it.”
The unease in my heart grew stronger. I couldn’t help but ask anxiously, “But I can find out these things anyway… Please don’t treat a promise whose correctness is uncertain as a burden, because it will harm both you and others… Tell me quickly, what exactly happened to Teacher Wei? Can I help?”
Mi Cai sighed, her eyes slightly wet. Finally, she said, “Actually, it’s not a big deal for you to know about this. The key is that Teacher Wei doesn’t want Luo Ben to know, so I have to respect her choice. It’s just that the matter is too heavy, why should I make you feel sad too?”
“When I guessed it had something to do with Teacher Wei, I already felt very heavy-hearted!”
Mi Cai was silent for a long time. The tears in her eyes had already fallen. Finally, she spoke with a choked voice, “The one in trouble is Zhou Hang. He has developed uremia and is now relying on dialysis to sustain his life. The one million I gave them was in the hope that when a suitable kidney donor becomes available, they won’t miss the chance for a transplant. But you know, among 150 people waiting for a kidney transplant, there’s only one lucky person… Teacher Wei is suffering, and Zhou Hang is suffering even more. He has been an orphan since childhood, raised by society. Therefore, he studied medicine with the intention of giving back to society and has been providing medical aid in that poor mountainous area… But heaven has not given him a healthy body. Teacher Wei had to make this choice. Zhou Hang needs her love as the strength to live… Do you know? This man is truly great. Even with such a serious illness, he has not given up practicing medicine. That time when he got injured on a house call was precisely because his body was too weak, but he kept enduring it without giving up, and he never intended to bother Teacher Wei. If others hadn’t told us, perhaps until the day he died, Teacher Wei would never have known all this… She didn’t stop loving Luo Ben. It’s because there was a man who needed her love more! Therefore, she had to appear in front of all of us and leave Luo Ben in the cruelest way possible! In the end, she succeeded, and we all misunderstood her!”
I was stunned, my mood even heavier… So this was the Teacher Wei I had seen, bearing the name of “betrayal”!
“Zhaoyang, Teacher Wei said that living in this world is not entirely under one’s control. Love is not always the highest thing. Sometimes, giving up is also a very pure form of strength. Luo Ben has already become a famous singer, and there will always be various women around him admiring and loving him. However, the only one willing to love Zhou Hang at this moment is Teacher Wei… She loves this man’s integrity, she loves him despite his misfortune, and she will accompany Zhou Hang until the end of his life, because this outcome was already destined the moment she went to that small village!”
“So… the person who appeared at the airport that day was Teacher Wei…?”
Mi Cai nodded…
Finally, I lit the cigarette I had been holding between my fingers, inhaling deeply one puff after another… This truth couldn’t be told to Luo Ben, because there are people in this world who love each other deeply but are destined never to be together. Therefore, the only thing Teacher Wei could give Luo Ben was the illusion of betrayal, so he would gradually let go of this relationship. Indeed, there were always admirers around him, including unique women like CC and well-known female singers. They are full of personality and wealth, and there must be someone who can replace Wei Manwen and heal Luo Ben’s wounds!
“Zhaoyang, compared to Teacher Wei and Dr. Zhou, aren’t we living too comfortably?”
I nodded heavily, “Yes… Facing birth, aging, sickness, and death, we are indeed living comfortably enough… Yet, there are always some people who are never satisfied with the happiness they already have. They are willing to abandon their families and betray their integrity just to climb to the top and become someone superior… Haha, there will be retribution, there must be retribution. Otherwise, this world would be too unfair and unjust!”
Mi Cai hugged my body, sobbing, “Zhaoyang, after seeing through the impermanence of life, what I truly desire is really not much anymore. I only wish for us to have healthy bodies, a complete family, and a life free from worries about food and clothing…”
“Yeah, I understand everything you’re thinking right now. We are striving for that, aren’t we?”
Mi Cai nodded, then remained silent for a long time, using silence to calm herself until she stopped crying. Then she said to me, “Let’s respect Teacher Wei’s choice. Don’t let Luo Ben know about this. Otherwise, all he can give Teacher Wei is another heart-wrenching choice, and he will suffer even more!”
“This…” I was caught between reason and emotion… Luo Ben is my brother, and I know his personality. What he wants is definitely the truth, not a beautiful lie. However, as Mi Cai said, what else can be done after revealing the truth except to cause endless pain?
Looking back, all of this is the consequence of Luo Ben’s past actions. If he hadn’t given Wei Manwen that cruel lie back then, the event of Wei Manwen going to the small village wouldn’t have happened, and there wouldn’t be the situation he’s facing now!
Are these choices all part of our destined misfortunes?
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