Nicole stared at me wide-eyed. She could tell that my words were full of the intention to protect Yang Sisi, something that had never happened before. Not only was Nicole incredulous, but I myself was also surprised by this change.
Nicole finally spoke to me, saying, "When I told you all this, I thought you would feel sorry for Ye Zhi..."
"Haven't I felt enough heartache?... You can't keep demanding that I treat her this way or that way, it's not fair to me... I have my own life too."
“I know… so when I tell you these things, I don’t dare to be completely confident.”
Nicole sighed and fell silent, her head bowed, looking very depressed.
I lit a cigarette and puffed away. In just a short while, the noodles in the pot had clumped together. Nicole had lost her appetite, and so had I. We just sat there, saying nothing and doing nothing. It was truly awful that two old acquaintances had managed to create such an awkward atmosphere!
I was in a daze for a while, and then I inevitably thought of Ye Zhi again. Then, the image of her sitting alone by Erhai Lake appeared in my mind...
I felt terrible inside, but my face remained expressionless...
In this world, there are countless paths, some wide and some narrow, but we chose this one. What else can I do?
...
The gate to the courtyard was pushed open, and Chen Jin walked in carrying a plastic bag. He had come specifically to deliver a late-night snack to Nicole... This guy was particularly contradictory. On one hand, he was incredibly kind to Nicole, while on the other hand, he was recklessly messing around outside. As a result, the people around him couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
Nicole particularly disliked him. Before he could even offer her the midnight snack, she said she was tired and wanted to sleep... and then she left us behind and went back to her room.
After an awkward moment, Chen Jin threw the late-night snack on the table and said to me, "You got a good deal. I specially went to the North Gate to buy this matsutake chicken soup. Just this one bowl cost several tens of yuan!"
I didn't stand on ceremony with him and drank half a bowl in one gulp.
Chen Jin lit a cigarette, took a few puffs in frustration, and then changed the subject, asking me, "Have you and Lu Jia reached a conclusion about that house in Dali?"
"They just absolutely refuse to give it to me."
"Your mom was right... When I took them to the airport, they specifically talked to me about this."
I looked at Chen Jin, somewhat surprised. When I called my mother earlier, I thought she had forgotten about it, but after hearing what Chen Jin said, it seemed that she had already anticipated the outcome and didn't want to upset me, which was why she didn't mention it.
"Did my parents say anything else? I guess I'm not going to get this house back."
“I told you, your dad said he’ll come back and deal with you, you unfilial son, after he’s finished with things in Chengdu.”
The thought of Lao Mi going back to Dali to instruct me on how to live makes me a little unhappy.
Chen Jin laughed again, "I was just kidding... Your dad seems to have become much more open-minded. He said that life is only a few decades long, especially at his age, it's not worth wasting precious time getting angry with you... He's too lazy to care about you anymore... But he asked me to pass on a message to you... He said that he and your mother raised you for decades with great difficulty, and from now on you have to give them 100,000 yuan every year for their retirement... If you can't do that, then they won't let you be so unruly."
I understand now. Old Mi was probably moved by my Uncle Jiang, who didn't have much time left. That's how it should be. We should all live for ourselves. Old Mi does it, and so should I.
"Michael, your dad is really ruthless. He just opened his mouth and asked for 100,000... What does 100,000 yuan mean? Back when we were in Shanghai, we couldn't even earn that much in a year!"
“He’s trying to motivate me… Even if you gave him 100,000, he wouldn’t be willing to spend it.”
Chen Jin sighed, "That's true, but our generation really doesn't live a carefree life... I hate that my parents didn't have more children back then, otherwise they wouldn't have focused all their attention on me... Seriously, if I had other siblings and didn't have the heavy responsibility of carrying on the family line, I would have lived my whole life like this!"
"No wonder you can't control your crotch, it turns out you're thinking about the important task of continuing the family line..."
Chen Jin subconsciously looked down and then replied, "Why are you talking so rudely?"
After a brief pause, he continued, "We're two extremes; you're just too controlling..."
I exhaled the smoke from my mouth and replied after a long pause, "Dude, I'm not that noble. If it weren't for the fact that every woman after Lu Jia made me dream of marriage, I'd probably be just like you, full of lustful thoughts... Although I've lived a life of quiet celibacy these past few years, I don't regret it at all... Because it's really hard to find a relationship in life where you can truly give your all... Actually, enjoying the process is much more fulfilling than those few minutes of pleasure in bed..."
"You've only had a few minutes..."
I stared blankly at Chen Jin. It really was true what they say: the more you lack something, the more you care about it!
I didn't want to talk, so I just smoked by myself... Suddenly I started thinking about Yang Sisi. I always think about what she's like in her daily life, and I wonder what kind of charm she would have if she wore sexy pajamas.
Honestly, her bust size has always been a mystery to me. Although she always says she's proud of it, I don't believe her at all... because my friends have already carefully debating that "out of ten flat-chested women, nine are beautiful, and the other one has long legs"... For her, that's a perfect fit!
I was just amusing myself, and then I burst out laughing. Chen Jin said I was being ridiculous...
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
