Chapter 299: Brother Yang and Cai Mei

After being speechless for a while, I finally said to Mi Cai, “You rarely come back from the United States. Let’s talk about something cheerful. Why dwell on things that aren’t really that significant?”

Mi Cai nodded and said, “Fine, of course we can talk about happy things. Let me give you a birthday present.”

My mood instantly lifted from its previous depths as I said, “So you’ve prepared a gift for me. Hurry up and show it to me.”

Mi Cai took out a rag doll from her handbag and said, “Look, doesn’t it look like you?”

I examined it carefully and indeed found it somewhat similar, so I asked curiously, “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yeah, after finishing work each day, I’d return to the hotel and work on it a bit. Finally, I finished it just in time for your birthday.”

I praised her, saying, “Great, great! I never imagined that Mi Zong, the CEO of Zhuo Mei, would have such craftsmanship skills!”

Mi Cai smiled and said, “Give him a name.”

I thought for a moment and said, “Let’s call him Brother Yang. It’s catchy and has a grand ring to it!”

“Okay.”

I nodded happily and attached “Brother Yang” to my keychain. Then Mi Cai took out another rag doll from her bag and said to me, “Look, there’s another one. Doesn’t it look like me?”

I examined this doll carefully. It was wearing a white long dress with black hair falling to the shoulders, indeed resembling Mi Cai. However, there were many freckles on its cheeks, so I shook my head and said, “It doesn’t look like you. Your skin is so good, you don’t have any freckles at all.”

“This is to create a cartoon effect. Brother Yang also has freckles on his face.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, don’t believe me? Look closely!”

I unclipped the keychain from my waist and examined the doll carefully. Sure enough, there were small freckles on its face too. I complained to Mi Cai, “You’ve made the cartoon effect too deliberately. Not that it matters to me, considering how beautiful you are.”

Mi Cai didn’t seem to mind and said, “It’s okay. I think a few little freckles make it cuter. Now quickly give this doll a name too.”

“Mine is called Brother Yang, so yours should obviously be Sister Cai!”

“Brother Yang and Sister Cai.” Mi Cai seemed to be talking to herself, and then she laughed, a moving laugh…

I looked at her. Her face was still wearing a smile as she took “Brother Yang” from my hand and started playing with both dolls like a naive little girl.

I took back the doll I had named “Sister Cai” from her hand and said, “From now on, Sister Cai will stay with me, and Brother Yang will stay with you.”

Mi Cai thought for a moment and said, “Hmm, switching them over is also fine… Oh, by the way, I’m going to attach Brother Yang to my wallet. What about you?”

“Then I’ll also attach Sister Cai to my wallet. From now on, every time I take out my wallet, I’ll think of you, and also remember the time when I had no money and you chased me out of your rented house.”

“You’re changing the subject again. At that time, I never had any intention of renting my house to you.”

I hugged her in my arms, recalling those days, sighing for a while before saying, “Actually, I really miss that time. Although you always chased me away, I found the motivation to live during this process and finally got rid of the slump I had for over two years.”

Mi Cai’s face showed a nostalgic expression as she said after a while, “That old house holds our luck, so we met.”

“I hope what’s destined isn’t just our meeting, but also continuing our love all the way.”

…

We got tired from walking and sat down on the steps by the riverside to rest. Mi Cai leaned on my shoulder, still happily playing with the two dolls. Many times she was just like this woman who kept her childlike innocence, so she loved singing children’s songs, loved playing with the racing car I gave her, and liked me accompanying her to ride the rocking horse in front of the convenience store.

I didn’t mind this side of her at all. At least it proved that she was unguarded when she was with me. I liked her trust in me, and even more, I liked her childlike innocence.

I lit a cigarette and started smoking. Mi Cai, in a parental tone, talked to the “Brother Yang” doll in her hand. She scolded “Brother Yang” to behave better in the future, and then exaggeratedly praised the “Sister Cai” doll in her other hand, saying that Sister Cai was gentle, virtuous, good at managing a household, and faithful!

Seeing her enjoying herself, I smiled again, wishing from the bottom of my heart to grow old with this woman.

Finally, she put down the two dolls and whispered to me, “This time, I can only stay in Xitang for three days. I have to leave after your birthday.”

Though I felt reluctant inside, I still nodded and asked, “Is the preparation for the IPO going smoothly?”

Mi Cai shook her head: “Many links have been stuck, but we’ll figure out ways to solve them.”

“Everything depends on people’s efforts. I believe you can succeed.”

Mi Cai reached out and held my arm, and I naturally hugged her closer. She spoke somewhat dispiritedly, “Actually, wanting Zhuo Mei to go public isn’t entirely to restrict my uncle. I more hope to expand the business my father left behind because it was his life’s work.”

After a long silence, I asked, “If Mi Zhongde also has the ability to develop Zhuo Mei further, would you be willing to hand over the ownership and just be a rich young lady?”

Mi Cai’s expression turned somewhat cold as she replied, “No, no one can take Zhuo Mei away from me. This is the continuation of my father’s life.”

This answer made me once again certain of her unparalleled feelings for Zhuo Mei. I couldn’t help but feel some regret inside because she could have lived a happier life. After all, besides the ownership of Zhuo Mei, Mi Zhongde had never treated her badly, and even now I was confident in my ability to support her life on my own. Therefore, I hoped even more that she could live a more relaxed life.

However, I couldn’t clearly figure out when I had developed this kind of mindset… but it didn’t really matter anymore because no matter how my wishes changed, I would still choose to respect her decision.

…

The night grew darker, and Xitang became quieter, so quiet that it seemed like only the two of us were left in the world. I picked up “Brother Yang” and “Sister Cai,” which Mi Cai had placed aside, and whispered in her ear, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back to the inn to rest.”

Mi Cai grabbed my clothes, signaling me to wait.

I looked at her in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I want to talk to you about Luo Ben and CC.”

I temporarily suppressed my urge to leave and said to her, “Okay, talk then.”

“You must promise to tell me everything you know.”

“I promise.”

Mi Cai nodded, but after a moment of silence, she finally asked me, “Luo Ben is going to look up his first love, right?”

After a slight hesitation, I still told her, “Yes, this is a lingering issue that has troubled him for many years. He must resolve it.”

“Then will he give up on his relationship with CC?”

“Based on my understanding of him, if Wei Manwen is not doing well, he will definitely return to her, and CC… CC is destined to be hurt!”

“Can we confirm now that Wei Manwen is not doing well?”

I shook my head and said, “The information about Wei Manwen has always been gathered by Yue Yao. There should be some clues by now, but she insists on waiting until after your birthday to deal with this matter, so I can’t be sure how Wei Manwen is doing right now.”