Sitting back on the sofa, I finished smoking the cigarette in my hand and then extinguished it in the ashtray. I looked at the guitar beside me, but I didn't have the mood to sing even a song.

 

I lay back on the sofa, once again tortured to death by boredom. I glanced at Mi Cai's room and felt somewhat unhappy. If it weren't for her constraints, I would have been drinking beer and watching a show with Robben and the others, so to a large extent, the boredom I feel now is bestowed upon me by her.

 

If she hadn't suddenly bought this house, I wouldn't have to compromise to continue living here, nor would I have to change my lifestyle. In a night like this, dying in the torment of boredom.

 

I feel that she has a responsibility to help me get rid of this endless boredom. Regardless of how unreasonable this logic may seem to others, I think it is only natural. Boredom is so terrifying in my world of understanding, and it is completely derived from loneliness. If one is alive, who wouldn't be afraid of loneliness?

 

I came to Mi Cai's door, determined to break free from the prison of loneliness on this not-so-late night. I knocked on the door and said to Mi Cai, who knows what she was doing inside, "Hey, do you have time? Let's chat."

 

"We don't have a common language," Mi Cai's voice came from inside the room.

 

"We all speak Chinese, so how can we not have a common language?… Besides, I am the landlord and you are the tenant. We live under the same roof, so it is necessary to communicate in order to live in harmony in the long term."

 

Mi Cai ignored me, and I could only hear a slightly awkward echo from inside the room.

 

I immediately changed my strategy and adopted a conciliatory policy. I knocked on her door again and said, "Have you had dinner? How about I cook some supper…"

 

Mi Cai didn't appreciate it and interrupted me with annoyance, "Please do something meaningful."

 

"Damn it, I offer to make supper for you, and you mock me for living a meaningless life, right? Then I won't bother anymore. I'll go play with a spoon…"

 

I sat back on the sofa in frustration, but I was not willing to give up. Why does she have the attitude of ignoring me? I may be poor and not very successful, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to use lowliness to fulfill her high attitude. Since I am alive, I still care about my dignity.

 

I really found a spoon from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table, using my fingers to spin the spoon handle, making it spin like a top.

 

…

 

Half an hour later, Mi Cai's door was opened. She had changed her clothes and was wearing a white coral fleece pajama. She walked towards the bathroom, seemingly ready to wash up and rest.

 

I stared at her, but she didn't look at me. She only glanced at the spinning spoon when she reached the coffee table, then stopped and looked at me. I, on the other hand, looked at her expressionlessly and spun the spoon handle even harder, as if venting my frustration.

 

My boring behavior finally brought a slight smile to Mi Cai's face, but I couldn't tell if she found it genuinely funny or if she was mocking me.

 

"What are you laughing at? Didn't I just tell you that I want to play with the spoon?" I said while spinning the spoon even faster.

 

Mi Cai nodded and said, "You really keep your word. That's progress." After speaking, she didn't say much and walked towards the bathroom.

 

I glanced at Mi Cai's departing figure and slapped the spinning spoon to make it stop.

 

…

 

A moment later, Mi Cai came out of the bathroom. Her hair was already loose, with some water stains on the tips. Although she had removed her makeup, her skin was still fair and delicate, as if it could be broken with a gentle touch. This further highlighted her natural beauty. Among the countless women I have known, there are not many who still look so beautiful after removing their makeup.

 

She continued to ignore my existence and walked towards her own room.

 

I mustered up the courage and shouted at her again, "Stop right there."

 

"What do you want?" Mi Cai's words were cold, and her expression was even colder as she looked at me.

 

Feeling a bit guilty, I forced myself to say, "I… I'm bored. Can you chat with me for a while?"

 

"Find someone as boring as you to chat with. I'm going to rest," Mi Cai replied, her words and expression full of sarcasm.

 

It was as if I had been granted a reprieve, and my tone became more assertive, "But you said so yourself. I'm going out to have fun now."

 

"You can go out, but take your luggage with you. There's no need to come back," Mi Cai said.

 

"I knew you would use my weakness to entertain yourself… Seriously, after more than three years of renting, I've seen all kinds of people, but I've never seen a tenant as arrogant as you. Can't you be a bit more polite to your landlord?" I expressed my dissatisfaction and once again forced the title of "tenant" onto Mi Cai.

 

Mi Cai retorted, "I've never seen someone as shameless as you!"

 

"If I weren't shameless, I would have been sleeping on the streets. It's all because of you." I glared at Mi Cai, feeling annoyed as I recalled the experiences of the past few days.

 

"Aren't you the landlord? Who dares to force you?" Mi Cai looked at me with a smile that wasn't really a smile, her words full of mockery.I pointed at Mi Cai, feeling so angry that my liver hurt. After a while, I said, "You wicked woman, I said I'm the landlord, but you want to find a fig leaf for yourself? Can you leave some dignity?" After saying that, I sighed heavily, "The life of the poor is bitter… Ah! There's no sense of happiness in living… Ah!"

 

"You are a troublemaker in ancient times, and a rascal in modern times!" Mi Cai glared at me, and after saying that, she didn't want to argue with me anymore. She turned around and walked towards her own room.

 

Looking at the closed door, I spat and angrily said, "So what if you're the bourgeoisie? Comrade Xiaoping has said that the Chinese people will eventually move towards common prosperity. Let you guys who have become rich in advance show off for a few more years. In a few years, you'll see…"

 

After messing around in the living room for a while, I finally returned to my own room. I closed the door, lay on the bed, and lit a cigarette out of habit. I still thought about the argument with Mi Cai just now. Although I didn't gain any advantage, I felt a sense of satisfaction in my heart when I thought about Mi Cai's angry scolding of me as a rascal and a rogue. My mood seemed to be less irritable. After a while, I fell asleep in a daze, finally escaping from the torment of boredom!

 

…

 

Maybe I slept early last night. I woke up at six in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep no matter what. I just stared at the ceiling absentmindedly, and involuntarily thought about Circle and Yan Yan's upcoming wedding. My mood became anxious. I understood that this anxiety was not groundless, it was related to my upcoming meeting with Jian Wei. It was troublesome! No matter how I comforted myself, it seemed that I couldn't remain calm…

 

Furthermore, I was also curious. I had dedicated my youth to Jian Wei just like her. I was anxious because I was about to meet her, but what about her? Was she feeling the same as me?

 

I didn't have the answer. I couldn't use myself as the standard to measure Jian Wei, because sometimes women were different from men, and sometimes Jian Wei was not equal to me. Perhaps when we meet again three years later, she would only treat me as an ordinary friend, or even a stranger!

 

The genius dawned, and under the continuous anxiety, I didn't plan to sleep anymore. After getting up and freshening up, I prepared breakfast for myself. I opened the refrigerator and saw that there were still a few salted eggs that Mr. Ban brought a few days ago. I cooked a pot of porridge, bought a few youtiao, and it was considered a good breakfast combination.

 

I went to the breakfast shop downstairs and bought some youtiao, then went to the convenience store and bought a few bags of pickled vegetables. When I came back, the water in the pot was already boiling. I poured in the rice and then found a mop to clean the house.

 

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew in from the window of the balcony, and I realized that both Mi Cai and I had forgotten to close the window last night. No wonder this morning was colder than usual.

 

It was already halfway through autumn, and the morning temperature was very low. I wrapped myself in clothes and walked to the balcony to close the window. The first ray of sunlight in the morning also shone through the glass and reflected onto the colorful leaves on the balcony, as if telling me that it was a good morning.

 

In order to blend into this good morning, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Gradually, my restless mood calmed down a bit.

 

When I opened my eyes, I saw Mi Cai walking out of the room. She was still wearing pajamas and her expression was still in a daze from just waking up.

 

I leaned on the mop and greeted Mi Cai with a frivolous smile, "Good morning, my female tenant!"

 

Mi Cai seemed unwilling to be entangled in the identity of a tenant that I imposed on her. She tied up her messy hair and asked me, "Do you always wake up this early?"

 

"Of course not. I woke up early today specifically to make breakfast for you." I casually lied.

 

"Is that so? But I planned to sleep a little longer."

 

"Then why did you get up now?" I looked at Mi Cai knowingly. Getting up at this time was obviously to go to the bathroom, but I was curious about what it would be like for such a beautiful woman to say the two vulgar words "go to the bathroom". Or maybe she was too embarrassed to say it!… It didn't matter whether she was embarrassed or not, as long as I could find some amusement for myself at the beginning of the day.

 

Mi Cai frowned at me but didn't say anything. It seemed that a beautiful woman like her found it difficult to say the two words "go to the bathroom". I felt proud in my heart and took advantage of the situation to block the entrance of the bathroom.

 

After a while, Mi Cai said to me, "Move aside."

 

"No way!… Don't you understand manners? I asked you a question and you haven't answered. You made me so angry early in the morning!" I raised my voice.

 

Mi Cai stood still, her face slightly red. It might be because of my anger, or it might be because she had been holding it in all night… How could she not be uncomfortable!

 

I felt extremely satisfied in my heart, as if Mi Cai had already avenged the grudge of occupying this house with money. I arrogantly said, "Tell me, since you still plan to sleep, what are you getting up for now?"

 

"I'm getting up now because I need to use the bathroom. Please move aside." Mi Cai said with an annoyed expression.I was afraid that I had taken my joke too far, even more afraid that Mi Cai would get angry and ask me to move out. I quickly moved aside, making room for Mi Cai to enter. Suddenly, I realized that I didn't necessarily have to say "I need to pee". Saying "I need to use the bathroom" could also subtly express the same thing. This was the difference between a rough man and a beautiful woman!

 

After Mi Cai came out of the bathroom, I sincerely invited her to have breakfast together again. However, she seemed to be disgusted by my previous teasing and ignored me, going straight into her room to continue sleeping. As a result, on this seemingly fine morning, I ate a boring breakfast alone and then, like a machine, started the day that had already been set.

 

Wait, I need to correct myself. Strictly speaking, I'm not like a machine, because lately, I've been anxious with human emotions. Every time I think about Circle and Yan Yan's upcoming wedding, and the inevitable meeting with Jian Wei, I instinctively feel anxious… At this moment, I would rather be an emotionless machine, because another day has passed, and I still don't know how to face Jian Wei after three years of separation!

 

At this moment, the perfect morning sunlight shifted its angle and shone into the room, illuminating the black coat in the wardrobe, extinguishing my emotions, but Jian Wei's face became clearer and clearer…