Faced with Lu Jia's question, I didn't hesitate for long. I replied to her, "While I have a promise to you, you also have one to me... If we are both still single after you return to China, then we will get married."
“Michael, I’m starting to regret it now. I regret giving you so much freedom… There are just too many things that can happen in a year, and I’m not the same person I was before, with choices to make.”
“I will marry you… I’ve been preparing for this all year while I was away.”
"Really?"
"real."
Lu Jia seemed to feel a little better then. She said to me, "Okay, I believe you... I've decided on you for life, so you can rest assured about my promise to you... I will stay abroad quietly and behave myself."
"I believe you too."
...
After Lu Jia hung up the phone, my mindset underwent a strange change... I wanted to get married and didn't want to be upset or heartbroken over love and relationships anymore... If anyone asked me again when I planned to settle down and find a woman to marry, I would tell them "soon," maybe in two months.
I don't know if Lu Jia is the best choice, but I feel quite at ease if we get married... I'm not a saint, so why can't I live like most people?
When I decided to turn this idea into reality, I inexplicably thought of Yang Sisi again.
I felt terrible, but that's life. I can't live a perfect life. Every choice involves hurting someone... The only variable is who I end up hurting.
...
After leaving the Bund, I returned to the hotel. I didn't feel much emotion or struggle. I just lay down on the bed and soon fell asleep thanks to the alcohol, sleeping soundly until dawn.
While I was washing up, someone knocked on the door.
When I opened it, it was my buddy Chen Jin! He didn't care that I had toothpaste foam all over my mouth, he just gave me a really good hug and said, "I missed you so much."
Without even thinking, I knew that Yang Sisi had sold me to Chen Jin.
I miss him too; after all, he was a brother who fought alongside me.
...
I shared half of my breakfast with him, and we ate and chatted...
More than his curiosity about my time away, I was curious about his life in Dali. I asked him, "How have you been these past six months since I left?"
"Just let it go..."
"What kind of talk is that?"
Chen Jin sighed, then said, "You're like a mirror... Now that you're gone, I've finally seen myself clearly... I'm not the kind of person who can do great things; I can only follow behind you and add to your success... My bar business failed miserably; I lost everything I made last year."
"There are gains and losses, it's not a big deal."
Chen Jin lamented, "Back then, it would have been better to go with you... I overestimated myself, thinking I could handle things on my own, but my judgment was truly inferior to yours..."
I smiled, then changed the subject, asking, "How's things going at Jiulongju?"
"It's a complete mess! After you left, I gritted my teeth and endured it for two more months, but those real estate agents were such scoundrels. They would bring in any business as long as they could make money... Before long, the Environmental Protection Bureau took notice and said that the businesses inside were generating a lot of commercial waste, so they shut down a large area... Then it started a vicious cycle, and now it's no different from when we first went in... Only then did those owners start to realize their mistake. They came to me, wanting to entrust their shops to our studio to manage, and we could name our terms... I came to see you about this... to see if you want to go back and rebuild Jiulongju."
Do you think Jiulongju still has any value?
"It's hard to say... but we're in control now. Those homeowners who didn't trust us back then are now acting like subservient grandchildren. If you're willing to go back, I'm confident I can sign up 90% of the merchants there."
I lit a cigarette, took a drag, and replied, "Even if I go back to Dali, I won't do business with Jiulongju anymore..."
"What's wrong?"
"Once trust collapses, it's very difficult to rebuild it..."
"Is there really no chance?"
"There's really no chance."
...
After breakfast, Chen Jin and I strolled around Nanjing Road. In the evening, we met Yang Sisi's father together and had dinner together. During the process, I sensed a change in her father's attitude. He treated me as a benefactor, and I respected him greatly. In short, the atmosphere was much, much better than when we had dinner together last time.
I'm a fairly perceptive person, so during the meal I could sense that her father was trying to set us up. I imagine Yang Sisi must have mentioned some of her feelings to him.
When Yang Sisi looked at me with expectant eyes, I didn't know how I felt...
But there was a moment when I was truly moved... If I were to marry a girl like Yang Sisi, what kind of life would we lead?
In just a moment, I completely dismissed the thought, because only an idiot would think that way.
...
I was drunk, but I still left Chen Jin behind and wandered off to the Bund by myself... It was raining lightly on the Bund.
I was drunk. It wasn't so much rain on the Bund as it was raining all over Shanghai... But the rain didn't affect my mood. I was like a rock, leaning on the railing, watching the ships come and go.
At this moment, my heart is empty, so it doesn't matter what happens. I don't care what others think of me in the rain, nor do I care who has brushed past me.
I am like a smooth stone, without an umbrella, living under the strange gaze of others.
...
I don't know how long I stood there, but then another person appeared next to me who also didn't have an umbrella... to be precise, it was a woman... She had short hair and an outstanding presence. I glanced at her, but could only see her profile.
It was that one glance that shattered my world.
It's Ye Zhi!
It's definitely Ye Zhi. Although she cut her hair short, her temperament remains unchanged; she still looks as aloof as ever!
Was this a chance encounter?
The question flashed through my mind, and then I went completely blank again...
Standing in the rain right now is the woman I've been longing for for almost two years.
How should I face her?
Hate her, or love her?
He held her tightly, disregarding everything.
...
Or, just treat her like a stranger and don't say a word unless she speaks.
If I had that kind of awareness, I wouldn't have been in so much pain and conflicted for so long! Want to chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss"? Follow "Youdu Literature" on WeChat to read the novel, discuss life, and find kindred spirits~
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