As I read the message Lu Jia sent, Lao Mi left the room, seemingly giving me space, but in reality leaving me with a difficult problem. Of course, I wouldn't go to Chengdu to find Lu Jia, but knowing she was in Chengdu gave me a strange feeling. It was a feeling that was both close and distant, like you feel like you've lost something, but that thing has always been with you. You can't "touch" it, you can't see it, but it's really there.
I closed the door again and then lay down on the bed.
I held my phone above my head and read Lu Jia's message again, but finally chose not to reply... I didn't want to cause any more emotional trouble at this sensitive time.
I'm already exhausted, so I can only focus my limited energy on what I want to do, rather than letting these trivial matters disrupt the rhythm of my life.
...
The next day, not long after dawn, I got up, put the bank card that Lao Mi had given me the night before into the pocket of the coat he was hanging in the living room, and then quietly closed the door and left.
The reason I didn't wait for them to get up was because I didn't want to experience that face-to-face farewell... I really couldn't bear it, but there were too many trivial troubles waiting for me to deal with. I could only comfort myself by focusing on my career, and when I truly succeeded, I would make it up to them materially... For example, by buying them a better house; for example...
I can't think about it anymore, because I know that what they want most is not these things. They just want me to find a woman and live a good life... But they didn't see that hope in Ye Zhi, so when Lu Jia reappeared, they wavered.
...
An hour and a half later, I passed through Chengdu and stopped at a service area. I ordered a bowl of wontons for breakfast. While eating, I couldn't help but think of Lu Jia again, because we were so close at that moment. Maybe she was just a few kilometers away from the service area.
After a brief stop, we continued our journey...
...
After a 12-hour drive, I finally returned to Dali. The first thing I did after putting my luggage away was to tell my family that I had arrived safely.
Old Mi was unhappy that I left my bank card behind... He thought I wasn't ready to settle down.
He misunderstood me. It's not that I don't want a stable life, it's just that I don't have the conditions right now, and I can't create them either. Because for Ye Zhi and me, it's definitely not something that can be discussed into marriage just because we have a house.
...
In the dimly lit room, I didn't turn on the light; I was just half-lying on the bed, smoking.
When I had smoked down to the last cigarette butt, I sent Ye Zhi a message and asked, "Have you ever longed for the life of an ordinary person?"
Ye Zhi countered, "What should the life of an ordinary person be like?"
"Houses, kids... it sounds boring, but that's how most people's lives go."
"But there are also some people in this world who are destined to be extraordinary... Their lives start high and continue to improve. There's nothing to say about houses, but they may only consider having children after they've seen through the illusions of life."
Ye Zhi seemed to be avoiding such questions, so before I could react to her words, she had already changed the subject. She sent another message saying, "Send me your sister's resume... I'll have the HR department look into it and see if there are any suitable positions for her."
"Forget it, we can't let this hole get bigger. If you can arrange a job for my sister today, someone else will come asking for an even bigger favor tomorrow, and you won't be able to handle it... I don't want our relationship to be held hostage by these favors."
After sending the message, I placed my phone on the bedside table. Looking at the night view outside the window, my mood suddenly calmed down, and I wanted to rest, especially after driving all day.
I plan to get some late-night snacks after I wake up. Anyway, there's nightlife everywhere in Dali, so I'm not worried about not being able to eat late.
I closed my eyes, and after a while, I heard a "ding-dong" sound coming from the ceiling upstairs. I didn't want to think of it as Cao Xiaobei's prank, and just assumed that he really had something to fix. Unexpectedly, the sound continued for nearly ten minutes.
This has seriously affected my sleep, and I can't stand it anymore. I sat up in bed with a "whoosh" and went upstairs in a fit of anger.
As I knocked on the door, I yelled, "Cao Xiaobei, is your grandson trying to rebel... Do you believe I'll tear your house down?"
There was no response, so I knocked harder.
The knocking finally stopped, but there was still no response.
I warned again, "I've been driving all day and I was just waiting to get some sleep... If you dare make any more noise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After saying that, I looked back one last time before heading downstairs to my room.
...
It was utterly awful. I had just lain down and started to feel sleepy when the same sound came through the ceiling from upstairs again, even more intense than before. I tried my best to ignore it, but the more I tried to control myself, the more abrupt the sound became, as if it was designed to drive me to the brink of collapse.
I pounded my fists on the bed frame, trying to vent my anger, but the sounds from above only became more provocative.
I swear, if I had a way to break into Cao Xiaobei's house right now, I would beat him to a pulp. He did it on purpose.
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