Chapter 141: Rough Men

After ending the WeChat conversation with CC, I was plunged into a state of waiting, a waiting filled with concern and anxiety.

I lit a cigarette to calm my emotions, and finally felt a bit calm. I began recalling the moments and scenes I had just experienced with Mi Cai.

After filtering through all the memories, the sentence Mi Cai said to me before leaving—”I overestimated myself; I shouldn’t have forced you to do something you’re not comfortable with!”—finally settled firmly in my mind.

I kept chewing over these words, breaking them down into individual characters, trying to understand Mi Cai’s feelings at that moment.

In truth, I can’t really be considered a delicate man when it comes to dealing with women. The only real romantic relationship I’ve had was with Jian Wei. In that unforgettable romance, the beginning and the process were so natural—naturally falling in love, naturally experiencing the joys and sorrows of love. But the ending was abrupt and bitter.

This contrast turned me into a hedgehog, and since then, I’ve never been in another relationship. I only sought straightforward indulgence, which was why I ended up having a one-night stand with Leyao.

After carefully pondering, I seemed to understand what Mi Cai meant—at the very least, she hoped to occupy an important place in my heart. Thinking inversely, this also indicated that she indeed cared about me.

But why hadn’t I realized this earlier? Perhaps because during our long period of interaction, we were always in conflict. This ongoing struggle created a mental inertia, leading me to instinctively think that her requests—like asking me to buy sanitary pads—were manipulative attempts to embarrass me. In reality, it was precisely because of our closeness that she, with her typically cold personality, would let a man help her with such a private matter.

At this moment, I understood: no matter what relationship we are in, the road ahead still requires mutual adjustment to avoid misunderstandings like the one today.

…

I don’t know how long had passed when the WeChat notification tone on my phone finally rang. I grabbed my phone immediately—it was indeed a message from CC. In the WeChat message was a photo of instant noodles, with a caption underneath: “She’s eating.”

Looking at this vivid message, I hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to reply. I just felt I was being overly sensitive. Originally, tonight’s plan was for us to have a hearty dinner together and then go play with remote-controlled cars at the plaza. But now, I was still hungry, while Mi Cai had returned home to eat instant noodles. How bitter this outcome was!

After a while, I finally replied to CC: “Tell her not to eat instant noodles anymore. Check if there’s anything else at home and cook her something nutritious.”

CC replied shortly: “We split it and finished it together!”

“You’re really her good bestie! Sharing blessings and hardships!”

CC sent a grinning emoji: “Of course, we can share a branded handbag, and we can also share a bowl of instant noodles with preservatives.”

Knowing that Mi Cai had CC with her, I felt a bit more at ease. I casually tossed my phone aside, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over my head. I felt tired, though I couldn’t be bothered to figure out why. I was even tired of this life that constantly required guesswork, as if I had fallen again into a dull, apathetic black hole.

Half-asleep, my phone rang again. Instinctively, I thought it was CC, but it turned out to be a message from Leyao.

“Zhaoyang, how’s the bar lately?”

“It’s under renovation and will reopen for business soon.”

“Take care… By the way, I have good news for you—I’ve landed a new acting role, and I’ll repay the bar’s debt in the shortest time possible. Don’t feel too pressured.”

Looking at this message, I sat dazed for a while before replying: “I just feel like everything went too smoothly for you this time in Beijing…”

This time, Leyao took a long while before replying: “Everyone eventually reaches a point where they get their chance, and I’ve seized mine. You should be happy for me, not worried.”

Just this brief sentence made me sense Leyao’s transformation. Her words carried a bit of perfunctoriness and assertiveness, unlike the girl who once lacked a sense of security so intensely. Perhaps indeed, disasters can make a person grow. Leyao now has moved on from the past, but I honestly don’t know whether I should be happy for her.

After a while, I sent her a message: “It’s getting late. Get some rest. Let’s talk when we have time!”

“Good night.”

A crisp, straightforward “Good night” no longer conveyed the clinginess and longing dependence she once had.

“Phew…” I exhaled heavily again, tossing the phone aside once more. I wanted to pull the blanket over myself and continue sleeping, but suddenly lit another cigarette, waiting in the darkness for that distant dawn.

…

Time continued to move forward. It was another weekend, and in the past four days, I hadn’t contacted Mi Cai again, and naturally, she hadn’t reached out to me either. I only heard fragmented news about her through CC.

She had spent the past week in Shanghai because the Zhua Mei shopping mall there was about to open. Naturally, she had plenty of free time during her stay in Shanghai to be with Weiran. However, whether their relationship remained the same or had developed further, CC didn’t tell me.

Additionally, the bar renovation was nearing completion, and the grand reopening was officially scheduled for next weekend. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t come up with any good marketing or promotional ideas. I was beginning to feel increasingly pressured and anxious.

In the golden glow of sunset, I brought my remote-controlled car to the plaza alone, hoping to relieve some stress.

Since it was a weekend, the plaza was much more crowded than usual, and all the benches available for resting had already been occupied by earlier visitors.

I sat cross-legged on the ground without much concern, and started playing with my car. About half an hour later, I suddenly spotted two familiar figures, each holding a remote-controlled car—none other than Mi Cai and Wei Xiao.

Wei Xiao still held the Tamiya commemorative edition slot car, while Mi Cai held a brand new gas-powered racing car.

From afar, Wei Xiao grinned widely at me, but Mi Cai completely ignored my presence, stopping not far from me and placing her car down.

Mi Cai tried several times to start her car but failed. Finally, I took the opportunity to approach her and said, “Let me help you. You’re starting it the wrong way.”

“Thanks, no need,” Mi Cai replied, pulling the starter cord again, still failing to start the car.

I squatted beside her and asked casually, “Why are you back in Suzhou today?”

“Can’t I come back on weekends?”

Wei Xiao interjected, “Bro, Judge Sister came back to help Grandpa. She said I don’t need to set up my stall at Zhua Mei anymore.”

Although Wei Xiao’s explanation wasn’t very clear, I already understood: Mi Cai had successfully arranged for Wei Xiao’s grandfather to sell handmade goods at Zhua Mei.

I smiled at Wei Xiao and said, “Little Fat, your judge sister and I have some adult secrets to talk about. Go play over there for a while. I’ll treat you to KFC later!”

“Yay, more food!” Wei Xiao jumped high and obediently took his car to play among a group of kids.

I shamelessly spoke to Mi Cai, who was ignoring me: “This new car of yours is great. You must have spent a lot of money on it, right?”

“Why would I spend money buying it? Do you think no one else would give it to me besides you?”

Mi Cai’s words made me feel a bit disheartened. I had gone through so much trouble just to give her a second-hand car, while others could easily get her one, and even better in performance. That was the difference.

Trying to hide my disappointment, I took the car from Mi Cai’s hands, operating it while saying, “This is a new car, it needs breaking in. Both the main and secondary fuel needles should be slightly rich, or else there will be many problems after starting. Also, don’t insert the glow plug before starting. Use your finger to block the carburetor, pull the starter rope a few times to pump fuel into the engine. Do you understand?”

Mi Cai finally looked less indifferent. She nodded at me and then asked, “You never had a gas-powered car before. How do you know so much about it?”

Mi Cai’s question reminded me of Xiang Chen. The reason I knew so much was because Xiang Chen had a gas-powered car back in college, which we played with for a long time. I definitely couldn’t afford one back then.

“I played with a friend’s,” I replied casually, and Mi Cai didn’t ask further.

I helped Mi Cai adjust the car, squatting for so long that I finally sat down on the ground without much concern. Unexpectedly, Mi Cai also sat down on the ground without much concern, watching me adjust her car with interest.

I quickly pulled her up from the ground and said, “Aren’t you cold sitting on the ground? You just finished your period, your immunity is low, what if you get sick?”

“You’re sitting too!”

“I’m a rough guy, I can handle it. Can you?”

“But squatting is really tiring!”

I looked around and couldn’t find anything suitable for her to sit on, so I took off my down jacket and laid it on the ground, telling her, “Sit here, so you won’t catch a chill!”

I sat back on the ground and continued adjusting the car. Mi Cai didn’t sit down. She was looking at me with a complicated expression.