The phone call was connected quickly, but it rang only twice before being cut off. I didn’t give up and dialed again. This time, it was even faster—immediately disconnected.
I felt puzzled but still sent her a WeChat message asking why she hadn’t answered the call. The message, however, vanished like a stone dropped into the sea, with no reply for a long time.
Feeling increasingly helpless, I suddenly remembered that I had promised her earlier to go to the plaza to race cars after dinner. By leaving like that, I had broken my promise, which probably made her upset.
I sighed deeply, suddenly losing my appetite. I wanted to rest in my room for a while. Passing by Mi Cai’s room, I noticed the door wasn’t closed, so I instinctively glanced inside—only to discover unexpectedly that the racing car placed on the table was gone.
“Could she have gone to play with the racing car by herself?” I murmured.
That was indeed possible! Without thinking twice, I grabbed my car keys from my pocket, locked the door, and rushed downstairs.
Driving straight to the plaza we often visited, I parked the car and walked through the pedestrian path toward the square.
It was winter, and already nearly nine o’clock. The plaza was almost deserted, so I easily spotted Mi Cai sitting on a bench. In her hands was a remote control, and she looked somewhat bored and lonely.
I approached quietly and stood behind her, suddenly saying, “Why aren’t you racing the car anymore?”
I had expected to startle her, but instead, she calmly replied, “None of your business!”
I circled around to face her and asked with a smile, “Hey, are you mad?”
“Who said I’m mad at you…”
“That’s a confession without even being asked—I never said you were mad at me!”
Mi Cai glanced at me but didn’t respond. She stood up, picked up the remote-controlled car from the ground, and started walking toward the plaza’s exit.
Persistently, I followed and grabbed her hand, saying, “Why do I feel like your princess syndrome is getting worse lately? I just went out for a bit!”
She struggled slightly, frowning, and said, “Let go of me. Don’t provoke me!”
“I never thought you had such a bad temper before. You sure hide it well!” I exclaimed, still holding her hand.
“You’re the one who said women have those few days every month. If I’m moody, it’s because of the rights you’ve given me!”
I replied with a sudden realization, “Oh right, it’s that time of the month, huh… But those rights weren’t given by me—they were granted by Auntie Menstrual herself!”
Faced with my teasing, Mi Cai didn’t get angry anymore. Smiling faintly, she said, “Then, are you still going to provoke me?”
“That doesn’t make sense… Didn’t you have it just last week? Is your cycle getting shorter?”
“That one was forced on me by you, okay?”
“Oh.”
She pulled her hand free and walked toward the exit again. I caught up once more but didn’t grab her this time. Walking beside her, I continued, “Don’t be mad, okay? Today was a special case!”
“What case wasn’t special when you broke a promise to me?”
I was speechless for a moment, realizing she was right. With less confidence, I said, “Then give me a chance to make it up to you.”
Mi Cai suddenly stopped, looked at me for a long time, and asked, “Okay, I’ll give you a chance. Promise me one thing.”
Suspiciously, I asked, “It’s not something illegal, is it?”
“Of course not. It’s something very easy to do.”
“Alright then, go ahead. I’ll do it in a minute.”
Mi Cai glanced at the convenience store across the street and said, “I’m almost out of that stuff. Go buy some for me.”
I hesitated for a moment, instantly understanding, and exclaimed, “Wow! You’re really trying to embarrass me, huh? You want me, a real man, to go buy that stuff!”
“Is that really embarrassing? It’s something you can do in a minute once you’re inside the store!”
“Are all women crazy?” I muttered. I recalled how long ago Le Yao had forced me to wash her underwear—it seemed like women enjoyed using such tasks to oppress men’s dignity.
“If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I won’t force you. Anyway, breaking promises is already engraved in your bones. What woman in the future would dare entrust you with her life? You deserve to be single forever!”
“Don’t be so harsh. I’m only 26, and you’ve already labeled me a bachelor!”
“You’ll still be single at 46!”
“According to your logic, if I go buy that stuff for you, will a wife fall from the sky right away?”
Mi Cai looked at me and said, “Why don’t you try it and see? …Maybe you really will pick up a wife by accident!”
“Cut the crap. Don’t try to dig a hole for me to fall into. I’ve already experienced all your little tricks. Who knows what evil plan you’re scheming to torture me again…”
Mi Cai stared at me for a long time and asked again, “You really won’t go?”
“I won’t.”
Mi Cai nodded, her tone suddenly softening, “I must have overestimated my importance. I shouldn’t have forced you…”
Her sudden change left me confused and unwilling to think further. After a while, I changed the subject, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let me go back and reheat the food for you…”
Before I could finish, Mi Cai interrupted, “No need.” She handed me the racing car she was holding and said, “You can take this back.”
My heart suddenly sank, but instinctively, I didn’t want to take the racing car from her hands.
Mi Cai placed the car and the remote on the ground, looked at me once more, and her expression was like when we first met—cold and distant, instantly separating the two of us as if one was in heaven and the other in hell.
Caught off guard, I stood frozen in place, watching Mi Cai walk further and further away under the streetlights until she got into her car and completely disappeared from my sight.
But I couldn’t understand why a single pack of sanitary napkins could be so powerful. If I had bought it, what would our situation be now?
I didn’t know. I could only sigh: A woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean floor!
Carrying the racing car Mi Cai left behind, I returned home, filled with an indescribable feeling. The cold, untouched meal on the table seemed like a cruel mockery.
I lit a cigarette, feeling frustrated as I smoked. I always thought Mi Cai wasn’t the kind of woman to throw a tantrum over trivial matters—but she really did it!
Sigh! Maybe it wasn’t the sanitary pads themselves that were powerful, but Auntie Menstrual. Although her cycle was short, during those few days, she had an unstoppable effect on changing a woman’s mood, making them irrational and unreasonable!
So, I should wait until she’s free from Auntie Menstrual before I go looking for her again.
…
Lying on the bed, I still couldn’t stop worrying about Mi Cai, fearing she might skip dinner out of anger. I sent a WeChat message to CC: “CC, later on, ask Mi Cai on your behalf whether she’s had dinner yet.”
“Why do you want me to do it?”
“We had a little disagreement. She doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”
“No way… This afternoon, I invited her to go shopping, but she told me she was going to have dinner with you and said you were going to take her to the plaza to race cars. She was so excited, like a silly little kid.”
Reading that message, I was stunned for a long time until CC sent another message asking for details before I snapped out of it.
“What did you do to her?”
I didn’t know how to reply to CC for a while. I couldn’t exactly tell her that we had an argument over whether or not to buy sanitary pads—that would really make us look like two silly little kids!
Finally, after a long pause, I replied to CC: “Nothing much. We just had a little argument… Don’t worry about it. Just help me ask if she’s eaten yet… Or better, why don’t you go stay with her tonight and cook her something simple like noodles? She’s not feeling well.”
“Alright, I’ll go over there right away. I need to find out what’s going on between you two. I’m really worried for you two, like two silly little kids!”
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