When I said that Mi Cai was lying and trying to fool me, her emotions didn’t seem to change much; she remained calm and said to me, “I remember already telling you last time that living together creates too many inconveniences for us. Our lifestyles and habits are very different. Why do you insist on pressuring me again and again, continuing this endless entanglement?”
I calmly replied, “Please don’t say that. Have I really been clinging onto you? I’m only concerned about that house. If you move out, I won’t ever seek you out again.”
Mi Cai nodded and said, “I believe that, but the property deed clearly states my name. What’s the point of your attachment?”
I earnestly said to Mi Cai, “Can we try to see things from each other’s perspective? Imagine if you had lived in a house for over two years and suddenly had to move out, how would you feel? In Suzhou, we don’t own any property, our lives are unsettled, and we deeply desire a place to belong—especially at night. You can never understand the panic of having nowhere to go. It’s suffocating and helpless!”
Mi Cai fell silent.
I also remained quiet. At that moment, what caused our conflict wasn’t merely about a house, but the class barrier between us. This barrier prevented us from understanding each other, and we each held onto our own positions, tormenting one another in the process.
After a long pause, I asked her, “Actually, if you really wanted me to leave—for example, by calling the police—I would have no choice but to go. Why haven’t you done that yet?”
Mi Cai looked up at me and, after a moment of silence, replied, “You haven’t been bad enough to require calling the police.”
I smiled bitterly and said, “Well, I’m really glad then. Glad that I haven’t been thoroughly despicable!”
Though it was clearly a sarcastic remark aimed at Mi Cai, she seriously responded, “You helped CC protect that restaurant, and you became friends with a woman like CC. You can’t be that bad. It’s just that life and emotions have burdened you too much, which makes you seem like a thoroughly rotten person. In fact, your cynicism is just a way to make things easier for yourself.”
I stared at Mi Cai, somewhat dazed. Among all these years, she was the one who understood me the most deeply. At least my closest friends—Fang Yuan, Yan Yan, Robben, and CC—had never spoken to me like this. Mi Cai had touched the deepest knot in my heart, loosening it slightly but not completely. Still, it was enough to stir my sensitivity.
Finally, I said to Mi Cai, “Are you trying to affirm my character so that I’ll feel ashamed to keep clinging on, thus giving you peace? Stop playing games with me. I went to school—I understand your soft tactics.”
Mi Cai remained silent, her expression helpless, frustrated by my stubbornness. She now understood my limits: if I stubbornly refused to leave, she was powerless against me. Naturally, I wouldn’t give her another chance to lock me out of the house. How could someone as smart and alert as me fall for the same woman’s tricks three times?
I wasn’t ashamed of my behavior in clinging onto Mi Cai. After all, she still had a luxurious house in this city. Even if she was driven away, she wouldn’t experience the drifting feeling of having nowhere to go. Moreover, I wouldn’t live there for free—I would pay the rent as I should.
At that moment, this was exactly my plan: if Mi Cai could compromise, it would be a happy outcome for both of us. Indeed, she was beautiful, wealthy, and the CEO of Zhuomei, but that didn’t necessarily mean I had to fall for her or have ulterior motives. Therefore, there was absolutely no need for me to keep clinging onto her. If she was willing to rent the house to me, I wouldn’t bother her for the rest of my life.
After a brief moment of thought, I said to the still-silent Mi Cai, “Why don’t you just rent me this house? You still have another apartment in Liu’an Jingyuan, right? You can move back there. Just leave me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer the rent to you every month. We won’t even need to meet. Wouldn’t that be great?”
Mi Cai firmly rejected my proposal, saying with an angry expression, “Why have you changed your mind after being so determined to move out last time?”
“I’m just a scoundrel, living an indecisive life. Besides, I thought I could find a suitable place after moving out, but everything was either too expensive or too far from my company. I’m unhappy drifting around, so naturally, I want to move back.”
Mi Cai looked at me, half amused and half annoyed, saying, “You really have a lot of nerve. You’ve covered both subjective and objective reasons!”
“Of course! I always handle things meticulously.”
“But don’t you think you’re being unreasonable? Who forces someone else to rent their house to them!” Mi Cai patiently said.
I exclaimed, “Unreasonable? Why don’t I call all my friends here right now and let them judge who’s being more unreasonable between us? Seriously, you’re just like those old tyrants and bandits who oppress the poor with money!”
Finally losing her patience, Mi Cai grabbed her handbag from the table and stood up, saying to me, “I don’t have time to argue with you. I definitely won’t rent you the house, so stop dreaming.”
I followed Mi Cai out of the noodle restaurant, still wanting to discuss further. In any case, I wanted to settle the housing issue tonight.
Fearing I would catch up with her, Mi Cai walked very quickly, her high heels clicking against the cement ground. I wasn’t slow either—I took several large steps and blocked her path, stopping her and threateningly asking, “Are you going to rent it or not?”
Before I could finish, a sudden, sharp pain surged through my stomach, causing me to double over in pain. I hadn’t eaten all day and had overeaten just now. My already sensitive stomach couldn’t handle such stimulation.
Taking advantage of my crouched position, Mi Cai walked past me without caring about my condition.
“Aren’t you human? I’m in pain—will you just let me die?”
Mi Cai stopped and turned back to look at me: “What now? Are you trying another pity play? I already clearly told you, I won’t rent you the house.”
I was in so much pain that I could feel sweat breaking out on my forehead.
Finally, Mi Cai returned to my side, crouching down to look at me, still suspiciously asking, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Didn’t I just tell you… my stomach… hurts. How can you just stand there and watch me suffer? Last time… when you had a fever, didn’t I kindly make you ginger tea and go out to buy medicine for you?”
“You’re still keeping score at a time like this? Did I say I wouldn’t help you?… I’ll call an ambulance.” Saying this, Mi Cai took out her phone from her handbag.
“You’re some monster from another planet—don’t you have any common sense? It’s just a stomachache. Why call an ambulance? There’s a pharmacy across the street, turn right and walk a hundred meters. Go buy some fast-acting chewable tablets for stomach pain. I’ll be fine after chewing a couple.”
Mi Cai looked at me unhappily and said, “Can’t you save your strength and speak less at a time like this? Fine, I’ll go. Wait here.”
I grimaced and said, “Hurry up—I’m about to go crazy from the pain!”
Mi Cai nodded and then ran across the street… Watching her back recede, I sat on the ground again, another wave of pain shooting through me.
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