When Luo Ben kept bringing up Leyao, those wild days of the past resurfaced again in fragments, floating through my mind and disturbing the world I was currently living in. Suddenly, I felt as if my growth had ceased and time had come to a standstill.
Luo Ben nudged me, who was lost in thought, and asked, “What exactly are you thinking?”
This time, I barely hesitated before replying, “Come on, I even proposed to her. At this point, what else could I possibly think?”
Luo Ben nodded after a pause and said, “Yeah, you’ve got no other thoughts left. I’m just afraid she might have some.”
I stared at Luo Ben, hoping in my heart that this was only his exaggeration. Because it had been so hard for Mi Cai and me to reach this point, we should both cherish it. The word “breakup” should never come from either of us.
It was already noon, and I refused to continue discussing with Luo Ben. I kept looking out the glass window, waiting for CC to arrive with Mi Cai for lunch, hoping she would give me a chance to explain all my actions over the past few years.
Finally, the restaurant door opened, and I saw CC walking toward us alone, carrying her handbag. Instantly, my heart sank.
CC sat down beside me and said, “I went to Zhuma to look for Mi Cai…”
Before she could finish, I interrupted anxiously, “What did she say?”
CC looked at me and replied, “She just told me not to meddle in this matter or try to persuade either of you. She didn’t say anything else.”
My mood was filled with sadness and oppression, yet suddenly I couldn’t express myself at all. I fell silent, lit a cigarette, and mechanically inhaled and exhaled.
Luo Ben looked at my silence and said emotionally, “We’re all adults here. What’s the point of playing this cold war game? Since the problem has already occurred, why not just deal with it? Whether to break up or continue, isn’t it just a matter of one sentence? There’s no need to make it so complicated.”
CC interrupted, “Many things aren’t that simple to resolve with just one sentence. It takes time to think them through. Her silence at this moment, I actually think, is a good sign—it at least proves she still can’t let go. What worries me most now is what happens next. If someone fans the flames, it will be hard to predict the consequences.”
CC’s words reminded me. This was only the beginning of the entire incident. There were definitely people with ulterior motives who wouldn’t stop until Mi Cai and I were separated. In the future, we would definitely face even greater challenges!
…
Night arrived quickly. I came alone to Zhuma and sat on a bench in front of the plaza, waiting for Mi Cai to finish work. Although she didn’t want to see me now, I still instinctively wanted to find her. I didn’t even dare to hope she would forgive me—I just wanted to say a few words to her.
Facing the night breeze, I lit a cigarette and watched couples walking into the mall, hugging each other. A wave of sadness washed over me again. I couldn’t help but ask myself: What exactly had caused so many ups and downs between Mi Cai and me? And why was I persisting so stubbornly? Was it for the sake of future happiness, or was it just tormenting myself?
I felt confused and couldn’t give myself an answer. Yet deep in my heart, I still longed for the moment when I would meet Mi Cai later, hoping we could instinctively hold hands again, walking together through the bustling streets.
After a long wait, I still didn’t see Mi Cai. Instead, I saw Mi Lan walking out of the mall. She seemed to have noticed me and walked over.
She asked, “Are you looking for my older sister?”
I nodded.
“Then why don’t you go up? She’s still working overtime at the company…”
“I wanted to go up, but without an appointment, the reception wouldn’t let me in. Besides, your sister probably doesn’t want to see me anyway!”
Mi Lan looked at me suspiciously and asked after a pause, “Did you upset my sister?”
I looked at her in confusion and asked, “You don’t know what happened yesterday?”
“I’m so busy every day, who has time to care about what’s going on between you two? What exactly happened?”
“I can’t explain it clearly to you. Don’t ask anymore. Go wherever you want.”
“Pfft, I don’t even want to ask!… By the way, since you want to see my sister, I’ll take you up.”
“You don’t want me and your sister to stay together, right? Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic? What are you really up to?”
“If you don’t meet my sister, how can she have the chance to finally dump you? So I’m doing this for her. It’s too exhausting for her to keep playing this cold war game with you. She should cut it off decisively!”
“What a damn strange logic!”
…
Soon, Mi Lan led me to the office area of Zhuma. She took out her executive access card, swiped it, bypassed the reception desk directly, and walked smoothly through the executive corridor until we reached Mi Cai’s office.
She knocked on the door and asked, “Sis, are you still here?”
Mi Cai’s voice came from inside, “Yes, what is it?”
Mi Lan lowered her voice and said to me, “Hurry up and go in so my sister can kick you out once and for all. Then you can stop dreaming about swans forever!”
I had no mood to argue with her. All I could think about was what I should say to Mi Cai once I got inside, and whether she would resent me for coming to see her unannounced at this time.
As I hesitated, Mi Lan had already opened the office door and pushed me in. I stood there, staring at Mi Cai, who was still focused on her work, and couldn’t find a single appropriate opening line. Meanwhile, Mi Cai had no idea that the person now standing in front of her was not Mi Lan.
After a while, I finally spoke up and asked, “It’s so late already. Have you eaten?”
Mi Cai looked up in surprise, then frowned and asked, “How did you get here?”
“My weird sister-in-law brought me in. Otherwise, I couldn’t even get past the reception!”
“I’m working now. Please go back the way you came, okay?”
I didn’t respond to Mi Cai’s words. Instead, I sat down on the sofa opposite her and began looking around aimlessly.
She seemed genuinely immersed in important work and didn’t pay any more attention to me, returning her focus to the documents. Occasionally, she made a phone call. Her behavior only reinforced my belief—nothing was more important to Mi Cai than Zhuma, not even after everything that had happened. Her work wasn’t affected at all. As for me, I had barely thought about work all day.
Perhaps Luo Ben was right. Different people invest in relationships differently, and in this relationship, I was destined to be the weaker party. But that was okay—I just hoped she could forgive my foolish past and let our love return to its original course.
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