I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

A moment later, Old Huang answered my call. He said angrily, "How dare you call me? I trusted you so much, and you actually did such a despicable thing. I was blind! You've been with me for so many years, and I never realized you were such a beast in human form!"

"Mr. Huang, I originally wanted to call you this afternoon to explain this matter, but I was afraid you wouldn't be calm and wouldn't listen, so I delayed until now... but I still feel that you are not very calm."

Old Huang interrupted me, continuing his tirade: "You beast, how can I stay calm?... Sisi is so young, and you've already ruined her like this. Even if she marries Xiaobao, I'll never get over this!"

"What obstacles could you possibly have?... I never slept with her at all. She made all this up to make you despair and then give up on your idea of ​​sending her abroad to study."

"You've taken such shameless photos, and you still dare to tell me they're all made up?!"

I was speechless for a moment, but finally patiently explained, "The photos she showed you are all fake. They're just promotional photos we took for a friend. I can find someone to vouch for that. At noon, she saw you were all a bit flustered, so she used these photos as an excuse... Think about it carefully, if I really did 'that' with her, why would I dare to go to a hotel with her to see you?... Logically, I would have eloped with her long ago. Besides, do you really think she'd be interested in a man like me? First of all, I'm not as handsome as your Xiao Bao, my education is worlds apart, and as for family background, there's no comparison... So no matter how you look at it, your Xiao Bao is a much better match for her. I have that much self-awareness!"

Old Huang then softened his tone and replied, "What's the point of comparing you to my little leopard? He's the greatest pride of my life!"

"That's right... Even if you don't believe me, you should have faith in Xiao Bao. Do you think Yang Sisi, that cunning girl, can't tell who's good and who's bad?"

Old Huang remained silent, probably still having doubts, so I took the initiative and said, "Mr. Huang, I can swear to you right now that if I really run into Yang Sisi on the street, may I be childless for the rest of my life."

Seeing how earnestly I swore, Old Huang finally stopped doubting me. The next moment, he couldn't hide his joy, and his tone was tinged with amusement: "I knew it! I haven't misjudged anyone in all these years. You're not a bad person at heart, so I felt comfortable letting you come to Dali with her."

"You have shown me great kindness, how could I possibly repay such kindness with enmity?"

I took the opportunity to flatter him, and Lao Huang enjoyed it, which completely dispelled his doubts. He said to me, "I'll call Lao Yang (Yang Sisi's father) right now. He's been furious all day. If I hadn't been there to persuade him, he would have almost called his lawyer to sue you."

I jumped in fright and replied, "There's no way to sue... Even if it's true, Yang Sisi said it was consensual. The law can't interfere like that, can it?"

"You still don't have any sense of what it's like to be in the underworld."

After Lao Huang finished speaking, he hurriedly hung up the phone. But I pondered his words several times in my mind. When I finally understood them, I realized that I really lacked the experience to navigate the world.

……

Back in my room, I lay on the bed, almost drifting off to sleep, when Lao Huang called again. This was pure torture for me. I scrambled out of bed, splashed cold water on my face, and finally answered.

I yawned and asked, "Mr. Huang, is there anything else?"

"I was so happy just now that I forgot to ask you where Sisi went."

I replied with surprise, "I don't know, we went our separate ways after leaving the hotel."

"Look at you, you're not telling me the truth again..."

"Why would I lie to you? ... You have no idea how fiery that girl's temper is. She resented me for bringing her to find you. As soon as we stepped out of the hotel, she slapped me across the face. She's probably hiding somewhere cursing me now, so why would she tell me where she went?"

"Then could you help us look for her...we'd like to talk to her again."

"Mr. Huang, are you trying to extort me? I've already broken up with her, where am I supposed to find her?"

"If you can't find her, then we're even less likely to find her... Besides, if you hadn't just called me and explained things clearly, we would have just let her wallow in self-pity. It's because you gave us hope again that we felt we could talk to her again... Please, be a good Samaritan to the end!"

I slapped my forehead hard, and after a long pause, I replied, "Why do I always do things that backfire? I'm so damn pathetic!"

Old Huang reassured him, "Michael, just go through that a little more trouble. I'll definitely remember your favor."

"Please don't remember it. If you keep thinking about it, I'll be in trouble... Mr. Huang, I really can't tell you. I drank too much tonight and I feel terrible right now. I need to find a place to throw up..." After saying that, I hung up the phone before Mr. Huang could respond.

Before I could even settle in, the phone rang again. I was incredibly annoyed, but the moment I picked it up, I was surprised to find it was my dad calling…

My heart clenched suddenly, followed by a sense of foreboding. He has a habit of going to bed early, and unless something special happens, he would never call me at this time.

I gritted my teeth and answered the phone, then asked nervously, "Dad, why are you calling me so late?"

"I tried calling you earlier but the line was always busy."

"Oh, I was just chatting with the boss. Is there anything I can help you with?"

After a brief silence on the other end of the phone, the reply came: "Your mother and I discussed it and are thinking of going to Shanghai to see you this Saturday, and also to meet Lu Jia's parents. You know, you've been dating for so many years, and we haven't suggested meeting them yet, which is quite impolite. We can't let the girl's parents bring it up with us, so please arrange the meeting for us on that day."

I immediately panicked: "Didn't I tell you? Lu Jia has already gone abroad. You're coming to Shanghai now, but you won't be able to see her. What's the point of meeting her parents then?... Anyway, I think this is pretty awkward!"

"It's precisely because she went abroad that we feel we need to meet her parents... We don't have much to offer, but we brought them some local specialties from home. Hope they don't find it too meager?"

I was silent for a while before I mustered up the courage to reply, "It's not about what you brought them; I just think it's undignified of you to do it, like you're trying to curry favor."

I thought he would get angry at me, but instead, he said with a hint of guilt, "It's only right to flatter her a little. Lu Jia is a girl from Shanghai, and her family is well-off. You, a young man from a small town, are definitely marrying above your station..."

I felt a little suffocated, to the point that I couldn't speak...

At this moment, my mother took the phone again and said, "We know you have a strong sense of pride, but life in Shanghai is even more difficult. It's your good fortune that you've gotten together with Lu Jia, a girl from Shanghai, so you have to coax her and pamper her... If you find this difficult, then let your father and me handle it. As long as you can live a peaceful life together, we'll be at ease even if we have to close our eyes now!"

My heart was breaking. I replied, "Mom, please don't say that. Whether we're doing well or not depends on Lu Jia and me, it has nothing to do with you... Don't come yet, I have to go to Yunnan on a business trip soon. We'll talk about our parents meeting when I get back to Shanghai."

"Why did you have to go on a business trip at this time? I don't remember you going on business trips very often!"

"I got promoted, and now I'm the product manager for the company. I came to Yunnan to represent the company and discuss cooperation with companies here."

My mother was silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, then I heard her sobbing. She sighed, "After all these years, you've finally been promoted!"

Lying is a painful thing, but having come this far, I could only make the lie bigger and bigger. So I smiled and replied, "I've been in Shanghai for so many years, I have to seize this opportunity... Mom, don't worry, Dad and I, my salary has increased to over 10,000, plus various bonuses and subsidies, I earn about 200,000 a year. Once Lu Jia and I save up a bit more, we can make a down payment on a house in Shanghai. Then when you come, I'll have more confidence! Tell me, if we meet now and they ask you for a house, how are you going to ask them?"

There was another silence on the other end of the phone. When the other person spoke again, their tone was noticeably more relaxed: "Okay, focus on your work. When it's time to buy a house, your dad and I will try to find a way to give you some money. We haven't done much for you in our lives, and it doesn't feel good for us!"

"Look at you, why are you saying these things again? My life is my own. You've already done your best to support me until I graduated from university." I forced a smile and said, "Mom, we finally get to talk on the phone, can we not talk about these unpleasant things? ...You and Dad taking good care of yourselves at home is the biggest support you can give me."

"We know."

"Smile before you hang up, so I can relax. Otherwise, I'll have trouble sleeping tonight."

Finally, I heard a laugh on the other end of the phone, and after reminding them to take care of their health, I finally ended this painful call.

I was lost in thought, and it took me a long time before I finally took out my wallet. I hadn't removed Lu Jia's photo from it yet. I stared at her face for a long time, and then I remembered those times when we always exchanged sweet words. My nose started to sting...

If she knew my current predicament and despair, would she still abandon me so heartlessly?

This problem is getting more and more painful to think about, because it takes away the feeling of dreaming and forces me to live in a bloody reality. I know that the moment Lu Jia decided to leave, she already knew what she would bring me, but she still chose to leave resolutely.

……

After suffering for a while, I suddenly woke up. I remembered that Lao Huang would have to cover up my lie, which meant I would have to make another deal with him. This was the chain reaction of consequences brought about by a lie, but I was unwilling to admit that it was a case of reaping what I sowed, because none of this was what I wanted to happen, and I had become the most passive person in the whole situation.