Cao Bei took the cigarette he hadn't offered and offered it to me again. After I took it from him, he said, "My dad's been pretty free lately. He's been traveling abroad for several days now."
I replied insincerely, "That's great. I envy people like your dad the most. They don't have to work too hard at anything and can make money just by lying down."
Cao Bei smiled. I really hoped he would leave immediately, but he seemed reluctant to leave and turned to me, asking, "Why isn't Sisi with you?"
Just what I feared most came true. Luckily, I didn't lose my composure and jokingly replied, "Your girlfriend is still sitting in the car. Isn't it inappropriate for you to ask that?"
"The car wasn't turned off, and I was keeping the noise down!"
"Can you tell me what your mindset is?"
"Stop acting innocent after getting the benefit... Answer my question now."
Rather than feel guilty, I decided to lie to Cao Bei. I replied with a smile, "She's in Shanghai. We're planning to go to Thailand together and will meet up in a few days."
"Honeymoon?"
"Pretty much. Have you been to Phuket? It's beautiful, fun, and not expensive—it's great value for money!"
Cao Bei lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then looked at me with a conflicted expression. After a long while, he finally asked, "Are you two getting married?"
"I have this plan. I've already met with her parents... We hit it off quite well. Her dad is very welcoming of me to help him at their company, but I have my own ideas about starting my own business... This is a bit of a conflict between us. Once we resolve this conflict, we can really put the marriage issue on the table and talk about it."
"...Congratulations in advance!"
"And you, when are you planning to get married?"
Cao Bei subconsciously glanced back at the woman sitting in the car, then stared blankly at the artificial hill behind me for a long while before replying, "It'll be soon, probably a shotgun wedding... that's the most straightforward way!"
"Then give it your all."
Cao Bei wanted to say something more, but the woman in the car had already opened the window and urged him on. Cao Bei had completely lost his former arrogance. He responded and walked towards the driver's side of the car.
Just as he was about to open the car door, I called out to him again, and he turned around to look at me.
"Thank you... thank you so much!"
Cao Bei was a little confused, but because the woman was urging him, he didn't delve into it. After getting into the car, he drove into the district; and I finally put the cigarette he handed me into my mouth, but didn't light it.
I should thank him. Thank him for giving me the opportunity to weave a lie. In this lie, Yang Sisi and I finally went as we both wanted to see. We finally went to Phuket...
...
After finally getting back to their lodgings, Nicole still hadn't returned. This was understandable, as Dali had entered its peak season for escaping the cold, especially before the Lunar New Year, with a surge in tourism every weekend.
Coach Ma is someone I absolutely have to see, so I took advantage of this break to call him again. I'm about to go to Thailand, and I need to tell him the PIN for the bank card Taozi left me so he can find a way to transfer the money to Tie Nan.
Quite by chance, Coach Ma was giving a lecture in the ancient city, so he arrived shortly afterward.
He is Buddha, I am demon. We haven't been able to communicate normally since last time, so as soon as he sat down, I cut to the chase and said, "I'm going to Thailand in the next few days and I probably won't be back. I've sent the PIN to your phone for the bank card Peach left behind. Find a chance to transfer it to Tie Nan... Also, don't try to trick Tie Nan into going to Jizu Mountain. He's different from you. He has to settle down and start a family!"
"People in Thailand are more Buddhist than Chinese people. Go there and be influenced by them."
I was both amused and exasperated, and after a long pause, I replied, "Aren't you going to ask me why I went to Thailand?"
"The beginning and end of a relationship are all predetermined. Since your connection with Dali has come to an end, even if you don't go to Thailand, you will go somewhere else... Whether I ask or not will not change the outcome, so why bother asking... Speaking out is also a kind of karma!"
I spread my hands, then helplessly put them down after a long while. This is what it means to be unable to communicate.
Unexpectedly, Coach Ma, contrary to his usual self, asked me with a very worldly expression, "Tie Nan will be out in a week, aren't you going to wait for him?"
I was taken aback for a moment before replying, "...I'm afraid he'll hate me, so I won't wait!"
"Is it you who can't let go of the past, or him?"
“I wasn’t the one suffering inside these past few years, so what do I have to worry about? ... I’m afraid he won’t be able to let go.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted the three of us brothers to have a meal together when he comes out… I don’t know if he will stay in Dali, and if he doesn’t stay in Dali, it will be hard for us, who are all over the country, to have a chance to get together again!”
I looked at Coach Ma in astonishment. In my memory, he hadn't spoken to me in such colloquial language for several years.
Putting aside my surprise, I finally spoke to him and said, "The beginning and end of a relationship are all predetermined... Let's just let it go between Tie Nan and me... In a few days, when you meet him, if he doesn't mention me, that's fine. But if he does, just tell him... If he feels that either of us wronged the other, then he can let go of this grudge. Because for the next few years, I will also live in hell, as if I am atoning for my sins!"
"You're talking nonsense... If you really think you did something wrong, apologize to him to his face... If you think you did nothing wrong, you should tell him to his face, otherwise he'll never know how to be a decent human being for the rest of his life!"
Just as Coach Ma and I were arguing, the courtyard gate was pushed open again, and the person walking in front was Nicole...
I thought Nicole would be the last person I saw that night, but I never expected that Ye Zhi would be following behind her... Ye Zhi seemed to be staying here, because she was dragging a suitcase...
Nicole walked over to Coach Ma and me first, then said with a smile, "Did I disturb your conversation?"
"No disturbance."
"That's good. By the way, Michael... Yezi will be staying in my room for the next couple of days. I'll be moving to the bar... The bar has been incredibly busy lately, not closing until 2 or 3 AM every day, and I'm too lazy to come back!" To chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Sister," follow "Hot Articles" or "rd444" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other readers.
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