Faced with her questioning gaze, I lit a cigarette and after a long while said, "Your Uncle Huang came to Dali. Last night, after we parted ways at the bar, I met with him."

Yang Sisi immediately became hostile and questioned, "What is he doing in Dali? Are you trying to betray me to him again?"

"Don't be so hostile towards your Uncle Huang. He's one of the few people who's willing to treat your family with sincerity."

Yang Sisi looked me up and down, then replied, "I find you a bit strange. When did you ever speak well of my Uncle Huang?... You've always looked down on him, saying he's slick and opportunistic..."

"Did I say something like that to you?"

"I'm not stupid. I don't need to say it out loud. I can tell just by looking at how you interact with him."

Yang Sisi and I looked at each other for a long while before I finally spoke: "Before today, I really didn't like him... But people are strange things; you have to go through certain things to see another side of a person's personality..."

After a moment of silence, I said in a low voice, "Sisi, your family went bankrupt. Recently, your Uncle Huang has been doing all the legwork for your dad..."

Yang Sisi looked at me in astonishment.

I took a deep drag of my cigarette and said, "Your dad has gone abroad now. His mental state is very poor, and he needs sleeping pills to sleep at night... So your Uncle Huang came to Dali hoping that you could go abroad and keep your dad company... He said that you are the most important person to your dad, and he would feel better if you were with him."

Yang Sisi laughed: "Are you kidding me? How could my family possibly go bankrupt?"

She laughed, then suddenly became angry, punched me lightly, and said, "Are you upset that I'm bothering you in Dali, so you made up this story to lie to me? Let me tell you, you've gone too far. I've been thinking of everything for you, and you're cursing my family to go bankrupt. Do you really think I won't get angry with you?"

I lowered my head, unable to bear looking at her...

She was stunned, probably sensing that there was no joking in my words and actions. To chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss," follow "or" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other book lovers.