After parking the car in the parking lot, we all got out. Milar continued her usual habit of ignoring me and said to Mi Cai, “Sis, what a coincidence! We met just in time, so I don’t need to wait anymore…”
I interrupted, “Do you really need to emphasize that? Isn’t it obvious whether someone waits or not?”
Milar replied coldly, “Did I speak to you?”
“You might not want to talk to me, but I can still talk to you. Otherwise, if we all keep frowning, how can we build the harmonious society our leader mentioned?”
Milar was speechless for a moment, then turned back to Mi Cai and said, “Sis, does he always talk to you like this? He sounds so much like a hooligan.”
Mi Cai smiled at me and said, “Once you get used to something, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
Milar replied with confusion, “Since when have you become so submissive?”
…
After the three of us entered the private room in the hotel, I still felt bored. Mi Cai wasn’t a talkative person by nature, and with Milar around, I had to constantly restrain myself, or else the previous confrontational scene would repeat itself again and again.
Mi Cai and Milar, the two sisters, occasionally chatted about topics related to women’s fashion, while I idly played with my lighter. I looked at whoever was speaking and increasingly felt that their family had excellent genetic traits. Although I had always disapproved of Milar’s behavior, her appearance was undeniably flawless—perhaps even comparable to Mi Cai’s, except she lacked Mi Cai’s calm and effortless grace.
During the conversation, Mi Cai promised Milar that next time she went to Paris, she would give her a top designer’s gown. Milar was delighted, and I gained a more direct understanding of upper-class life. It turned out this was the kind of topic they often discussed. In comparison, the farthest place I had ever been to was Harbin, which I had only passed through last year while on a business trip to Baoli Department Store. Feeling increasingly out of place, I grabbed my cigarette pack and lighter and went to the restroom.
While smoking in the restroom, I received a call from CC. My heart instinctively tightened, because she would most likely mention Yue Yao again. I hesitated for a while before finally answering, “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just wanted to ask how your day went.”
“Pretty good actually. Busy all day, but quite fulfilling!”
“Oh, by the way, where’s Mi Cai? I heard you two are getting married.”
I was very concerned about where she had heard this—from Mi Cai or Yue Yao—because depending on the source, the meaning behind it could be completely different. I asked her, “Who told you?”
“Both Mi Cai and Yue Yao mentioned it…”
I instinctively muttered, “Oh my God.” I thought to myself: the meaning behind this news must be really chaotic, especially for CC, because only she would know the different emotions each of them had when they told her.
“What did you say you’re leaning on?”
Suddenly, the smoke felt harsh on my throat. I coughed several times before managing a dry laugh as a response to CC.
CC was silent for a while, then said, “If you’re going to get married, just do it quickly. Don’t let it drag on and cause unnecessary problems!”
I thought for a moment and agreed, “I think that’s a good idea too…”
“There are some things you really never mention at all!”
I naturally understood what CC meant by “never mention,” but some people, once betrayed, are betrayed for good. Repeating it over and over again wouldn’t make things any different or allow me to do anything more for her. After a pause, I asked CC, “How is she doing?”
“She keeps repeating the same sentence over and over again. She seems kind of dazed.”
“What did she say?”
CC didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she sighed, “Sigh… For me, Mi Cai and Yue Yao are like the palm and the back of my hand. If either of them is upset, I feel terrible inside. Just go ahead and get married already. Then she can finally be free!”
After CC finished speaking, she hung up the phone. I was left somewhat stunned, and in that stunned state, I vaguely realized something.
When I crushed the cigarette butt and was about to leave the restroom, I received a message from CC…
“You are a trouble to this world, but to me, you are the entire world—Yue Yao.”
My eyes suddenly felt sore, as if someone had pierced through to the deepest part of my heart. Why did this woman understand me so well?
Yes, over these years, I had been free-spirited and rebellious, always complaining about the world. To the world, I was indeed a troublesome nuisance. Yet I had never realized that I could also be someone else’s entire world… Suddenly, I felt a deep sadness. I wanted to turn around and look back, but all I saw was the dripping tap in the restroom that hadn’t been fully tightened.
…
When I returned to the private room, various luxurious dishes I had never seen before had already been served by the waiters. I placed my cigarette pack and lighter on the dining table, which drew a surprised look from the waiter standing nearby, because in high-end hotels, upper-class people never placed cheap lighters or cigarette boxes on the table.
Without saying a word, I handed the cigarette pack and lighter to the waiter. He gave me a knowing look and walked away with them…
I called out to stop him, “What are you doing?”
The waiter turned around and looked at me, “Sir, I’m going to throw these away for you. Isn’t that what you meant?”
“Just keep them for me. Return them after dinner.”
The waiter looked embarrassed, returned to our table, and put the cigarette pack and lighter into his uniform pocket. Then he proceeded to place napkins on the laps of all three of us, and the meal officially began.
Throughout the meal, my mind wandered, and I remained silent. Finally, Milar spoke to me, “Hey, after you marry my sister, treat her better, okay?”
I looked at Mi Cai and replied, “Do you think this is something that needs to be reminded?”
This response caught Milar off guard. After a pause, she said, “What a strange person you are!”
I didn’t respond. My mind kept replaying Yue Yao’s words…
Surprisingly, Milar didn’t seem to mind my silence. She signaled the waiter to bring her handbag, then took out a gift box and handed it to me, saying, “Here, this is a gift for you.”
Looking at her, I sighed, “Is there any gift given so unwillingly?… Did my sister buy it and ask you to pass it on to me?”
“How ungrateful can you be? When someone gives you a gift, why do you have to talk so much?”
I guessed that this gift was also given to me through Milar by Mi Cai, hoping to eliminate the previous unpleasantness between us and help me understand her intentions. Therefore, I accepted it without further hesitation. I opened the box immediately and found inside a limited-edition Dupont lighter worth nearly 20,000 yuan… A complex emotion surged within me, and I couldn’t help but recall those small trinkets Yue Yao had once given me, which I had carelessly thrown away…
At that moment, Milar turned to Mi Cai again and said, “Sis, next week you will officially take over as chairman of Zhuomei. You’ll need to work hard for Zhuomei in the future!”
Mi Cai didn’t respond immediately, but I knew this was the prelude to business negotiations… Because with Mi Zhongde’s withdrawal, everything would be reshuffled, and the allocation of interests would be redefined!
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