They're Getting Married

When I returned to my residence, Mi Cai's bowl of porridge was almost finished. My unfinished bowl of porridge was still steaming. I took out two salted duck eggs from the bag left by Dad Ban and handed one to Mi Cai, "Try it."

"I'm almost done." This was the first time Mi Cai had spoken to me in a normal tone in the two days we had known each other.

I smiled, "Have another bowl. White rice porridge won't make you fat."

Mi Cai ignored my suggestion and said, "Your father has already left. You can move out now."

I looked at the wind and rain outside the window and discussed with Mi Cai, "I'm not moving today. I'll stay for another night, okay?"

"No." Mi Cai said firmly.

I slammed my chopsticks on the table and said angrily, "What's wrong with you, Woman? Don't you know how to be soft-spoken? Spit out the porridge you just ate and I'll move immediately."

Mi Cai looked at me with her beautiful eyes. She was rendered speechless by my sudden change of attitude.

I softened my tone and said to her, "Big Sister, I've been going back and forth for the whole day. I'm so tired now. Can you please let me off?"

"Scumbag, who's Big Sister?!"

"Miss… Miss, is that enough?" I quickly said and promised, "Tomorrow, I'll move after work tomorrow!"

Mi Cai finally relented and said to me, "Remember what you said."

"Of course, I'll move tomorrow!"

Mi Cai looked at me with dissatisfaction. She picked up the bowl and walked to the rice cooker with the white porridge. Then, she filled a small bowl for herself.

"Didn't you say you weren't eating?"

Mi Cai glared at me and said, "Anyway, I've already eaten it. It's not bad to eat another bowl."

I shook my head and sighed, "This is how corrupt people are!"

Although he teased her, he still peeled the salted duck egg and handed it to Mi Cai. She did not refuse, so the two of them continued to eat in a strange atmosphere.

...

After dinner, I handed the 3000 yuan that Dad Ban left to Mi Cai, "I'll pay you 3000 first. I'll pay you back the rest next week."

"If you give it to me, do you still have money to rent a house? Just pay me back everything at once in the future."

"You're doing this for my sake. It's not that I'm deliberately not paying you back." I said as I stuffed the money into my wallet.

"As long as you move out quickly, nothing else matters." Mi Cai took another sip of porridge as she spoke. She seemed to like the porridge very much. Indeed, my father's cooking skills were superb. He could make the most ordinary porridge taste like a delicacy.

"I'm not the God of Plagues. You don't have to despise me like this!" I sighed.

"With your character, do you think I'll like you?"

I smiled and didn't reply. Perhaps I really did have a bad character, or perhaps she had some misunderstanding about me, but that wasn't important. There was no need for me to clarify or explain because after work tomorrow, we would draw a clear line between us.

I finished the porridge in my bowl in one gulp and stared at Mi Cai. At this moment, she was wearing a white long-sleeved chiffon shirt, black and white checkered pencil slacks, and slightly curly mid-length hair. It made her look even more elegant, but she looked thin.

I took out the knitted sweater left behind by Dad Ban and pretended to gesture in front of Mi Cai. After a while, I sighed, "It's getting cold. Don't you think this sweater suits you?"

Mi Cai frowned, "Why? Do you want me to take advantage of you?"

"Really, it suits you… If you're willing to let me continue renting this house, I don't mind giving it to you. My dad said that this sweater was personally knitted by my mom. It's thick and warm in winter!"

"I don't have the fortune to enjoy it."

I smiled and handed the sweater to her, "I was just joking with you. Even if you don't want to rent it, I'll give it to you. I don't have any plans to get a girlfriend for the time being. It's a waste to keep such a good sweater with me. Just take it as an apology for my rudeness yesterday."

My expression was extremely sincere. Mi Cai hesitated for a moment and actually took the sweater I handed to her. She said to me, "Alright, I accept your apology… Also, be good to your Dad. Don't lie to him and make him worry."

"Is there a logical connection between accepting an apology and treating my father better?" I asked in surprise.

Mi Cai said angrily, "You're really scum!" After saying that, she stuffed the sweater into her handbag, pushed open the door, and left.

I was the only one left in the room. I couldn't understand Mi Cai's sudden anger. I sat and thought for a long time before I understood. Perhaps she temporarily accepted my apology and even made an exception to let me stay for another night out of sympathy for my father. She still didn't feel anything for me and was very annoyed with me. In her eyes, I played with a woman's belly and deceived my own father. I was rough with her and didn't keep my promise. If I wasn't scum, what was I?

Mi Cai didn't stay in this room that night. She must have other houses in this city, but why did she have to live here?

I racked my brain but still couldn't figure it out, so I decided to stop thinking about it. There were always some strange people and strange things in this world. Moreover, this wasn't too strange compared to the myriad of strange things in the world, so there was no need to get to the bottom of it. I just treated it as a performance art of the rich.

In fact, there are many times when I like to live in such a muddle-headed way because the truth can mean pain. If you get it, you can lose it. So if you don't know the truth, there will be no pain. If you can't get it, there won't be any loss.

...

The next day, I arrived at the company. After the weekly meeting of the Planning Department, Fang Yuan and I walked out of the meeting room side by side, followed by another colleague, Zhao Li.

I lit a cigarette and waved at him, "Come here, Zhao Li."

Zhao Li looked at me warily.

"I heard that you like outdoor sports?"

"Yes, I like it very much!"

I laughed, "I have a set of professional outdoor exercise equipment. I bought it but I haven't used it much. I'll sell it to you for a cheap price."

"You don't like outdoor sports, so why are you buying outdoor equipment?" Zhao Li asked in puzzlement.

"It's because I don't like it, so I haven't used it. It's as good as new! I'll sell it to you for 2000 yuan each." I said as I hooked my arm around Zhao Li's shoulder.

"Really?" Zhao Li asked in delight.

I said impatiently, "Of course it's true. Give me the money quickly. I'll get Fang Yuan to bring it to you tomorrow. It's been sitting at his house since then."

Zhao Li took out 2000 yuan from his wallet and handed it to me, "Remember to bring it to me tomorrow. I can use it for rock climbing next weekend."

I stuffed the money into my pocket.

Zhao Li then said to Fang Yuan, who had been absent-minded, "Fang Yuan, remember to bring me the outdoor equipment that Zhao Yang left at your house tomorrow."

Fang Yuan came back to her senses and asked in confusion, "What outdoor equipment?"

"It's Zhao Yang's set of Arc'teryx Jacket. He sold it to me." Zhao Li explained patiently.

I took a deep puff of my cigarette and immediately walked to the bathroom. Fang Yuan, who was behind me, cursed, "F*ck, what are you selling? That's mine!"

Fang Yuan said helplessly to Zhao Li, "Alright, don't feel wronged. I'll bring it to you tomorrow."

...

After smoking in the bathroom, I returned to the office. There was a cup of coffee on Fang Yuan's table. I was wearing anti-radiation glasses and my fingers were typing on the keyboard.

I turned on the computer and played with the lighter in my hand while the computer was turned on. I spoke to Fang Yuan again, "Are you still busy with the proposal for Gucci to set up a counter in our mall?"

Fang Yuan didn't argue with me about what happened just now. I sighed and said, "Yeah, we've been busy for almost a week. The investment department has been waiting for our proposal to be negotiated with the Gucci representative!"

I responded and didn't ask any further. Fang Yuan and I were two extremes. He was a hardworking man at work and I had always been muddling along. The result of these two completely different attitudes was; after working for two years, Fang Yuan was already the head of the planning department and the copywriting team, while I was still at the bottom.

Fang Yuan suddenly stopped typing on the keyboard and stared at me for a long time with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I was a little puzzled by Fang Yuan's strange behavior.

Fang Yuan finally said, "I saw that you were in a bad mood two days ago, so there's something I didn't tell you… Yan Yan and I are getting married next week."

"You're finally married!" I subconsciously sighed, and my heart ached as I twitched.

Back then, Fang Yuan was able to get to know Yan Yan because of Jian Wei and me. Yan Yan was Jian Wei's best friend, while Fang Yuan and I were best friends. After Jian Wei and I fell in love, it provided Fang Yuan and Yan Yan with the opportunity to get to know each other. After that, they fell in love.

During our university years, the four of us often had activities together and established a deeper friendship. We joked about it several times and got married together after graduation.

Fang Yuan and Yan Yan's marriage was a joyous occasion, but it also exposed my pain and loneliness…In the end, I was unable to continue my love with Jian Wei.

Sometimes, people's pain actually came from comparison… But at this moment, other than admiring and blessing Fang Yuan and Yan Yan in pain and loneliness, what else could I do?

The past would eventually turn into dust, but the wind could not blow it away. It fell on my heart and made my world turn gray.

I smiled at Fang Yuan, "Where's this my wedding invitation? Bring it over quickly."

Fang Yuan nodded and took out the wedding invitation from the drawer and handed it to me. I opened it. In the photo of the wedding invitation, Fang Yuan and Yan Yan were smiling happily.

....

After a long silence, I asked Fang Yuan, "Will Jian Wei come back to China after you get married?"

"You know, ever since she moved from Los Angeles to New York, we couldn't contact her. However, Yan Yan sent her an email a few days ago and hasn't received a reply yet."

"Oh, really?" I replied calmly and stopped talking to Fang Yuan. My fingers were pressing on the computer keyboard, but my eyes were staring at the screen in a daze.