Facing Old Mi's raised hand, I sneered and patted my broken leg, saying, "I'm thick-skinned, so please don't hit my face. I won't feel any pain if you do... Just hit my broken leg... I'd better hit it so hard that I can never get up again... I'll just stay at home eating, drinking, and relieving myself... and you can take care of me for the rest of my life."

"You unfilial son!"

Old Mi's hands trembled with anger.

"Go ahead and hit me, wherever it hurts, hit me there."

My mom and Chen Jin pulled Lao Mi aside... He was furious, and I was unhappy too... That's how people are; they give their utmost patience to outsiders, but always speak harshly to their closest relatives... Lao Mi was like that, and so was I.

Chen Jin tried to smooth things over, then said to Lao Mi and my mother, "Uncle, Aunt... you've been on the train all day, you must be tired... I've already booked rooms for you in the ancient city, you should go and rest for a while... we'll come over again tonight... most importantly, please calm down... if you're so angry, nothing can be discussed!"

My mother chimed in, "Chen Jin is right... Lao Mi, let's go to our place first... You and your son calm down, we can talk about it tonight."

Old Mi glared at me, and I glared back at him without backing down... In the end, it was Chen Jin and my mother who pulled him out of the ward.

...

Suddenly, the room fell silent, and I stared blankly at the sky outside the window as it gradually darkened... I didn't know which window would light up first; I only knew that my heart was in turmoil and I felt terrible...

Even if I cheated on Lu Jia, Lao Mi shouldn't say that about me... He said I deserved to be hit by a car!

I'm working so hard for this family. Besides delivering food, I also have to take care of the advertising business... I haven't had a moment's rest, otherwise, how could I have been hit by a car... Before they came, I was optimistically thinking that maybe they would bring me some local specialties from my hometown... Old Mi is good at making sausages and cured meat. It would be best if he brought me some of the leftovers from the New Year. I've been craving them for ages... But none of that happened... All I got was a barrage of insults!

I closed my eyes, tilted my head back... and then rubbed my face hard with both hands...

I seem to have become particularly vulnerable, and I always feel like crying... I've already cried twice today... I especially hate my legs. If I could sit by Erhai Lake right now and see the magnificent world, I wouldn't have to focus all my attention on these disheartening things.

It's not Lao Mi's fault, it's my own fault... Since I chose to protect Lu Jia's reputation, I should have been prepared for this.

Lu Jia is my nightmare... In this life, I never want to date a materialistic woman again... They not only want too much, but they're also unreliable... If it weren't for the three years I spent with Lu Jia and the genuine feelings we shared, I really wouldn't have wanted to protect her... I'm just a man who can't harden his heart. When I think of that year in the cold wind, she sat on the back of my electric scooter, wrapping me tightly in her coat, I don't want to hurt her... If I hurt her now, it would be like negating those three years... I don't want to do that. I'm someone who hopes everything is beautiful, especially when it comes to love.

...

I let out a heavy sigh and opened my eyes again, looking at this small and oppressive room... Suddenly, I felt like I was going to collapse... I raised my arm and swung it violently, overturning the fruit basket and cups on the bedside table... Then I punched the wall, and it really hurt... But I felt a little better... I had no other choice but to vent my frustration like this.

I thought bitterly: Why can't there be even one person around me who understands me?

The skin on my hands had been rubbed off by the hard wall, and blood was flowing...

I closed my eyes and laughed... laughed at the things and people that hurt me...

As I laughed, my eyes welled up with tears again... It seems that good people are destined to have no good reward; haven't I been good enough to the people around me? Why did I have to be hit by a car? The difference was only a second, it seems like fate deliberately arranged it.

...

Someone must have heard the noise, because they pushed the door open and came in. I knew it was a nurse... because she was in charge of everything in the ward, and if she didn't handle the situation properly after I broke something, the hospital would hold her accountable.

I smiled with my eyes closed and said, "Don't worry... I didn't smash any of your hospital's property... These are all gifts from friends... I'll handle them myself later."

Unexpectedly, my hand was grasped by another very cold hand; she choked back tears and said to me, "Are you sick?... If something's bothering you, just say it... Why are you slamming your fist against the wall... Aren't your hands made of flesh?... Even if your hands aren't made of flesh, my heart is... I feel sorry for you... Why are you doing this to yourself?"

I opened my eyes, and the woman in front of me, crying so hard she couldn't breathe, was Yang Sisi...

I don't know when she came back, but she really came back. She was so close, I could feel her breath.

I instinctively tightened my grip on her hand, then smiled...

She suddenly glared at me with hatred, pinched my face hard with her hands, and sobbed, "I saw the video of that car crash... It was so close, that truck would have run you over... Are you crazy?... I asked you to come back to Shanghai with me, but you absolutely refused... You wanted to stay in Dali and suffer, delivering food... You think it's your personality, it's self-reliance, but do you know how much it hurts me... If you die like this, I don't want to live either... There's no fun left in this world... Because without you, you big idiot... How could there be such a stupid idiot like you!"

As she continued to curse, her grip weakened, and she buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably…

I opened my arms, hesitated for only a second, and hugged her...

I became vulnerable, not as strong as I was in Shanghai, and I burst into sobs...

This is the first time in my life that I've cried my heart out with a woman.

But I can't quite put my finger on whether it's because I'm touched or because I'm genuinely hurt and feel wronged.

I just feel so grounded, it's a feeling of mutual dependence... She's the only woman in this world who doesn't care about my rights or wrongs, only whether I'm doing well or not! Want to chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss"? Follow us on WeChat to read the novel, discuss life, and find kindred spirits!