Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 184: It's better to be carefree

It was already 10 o'clock at night when I got home. My father was watching TV, while my mother was playing mahjong with some friends. When she saw me come in, she quickly asked my father to take over for her, then dragged me into my room, closed the door and asked with concern, "How did it go with Daphne tonight?"

"It was okay,"

my mother said with a dissatisfied expression, "That's a pretty perfunctory answer!"

"We really just chatted a bit,"

"Didn't you express even the slightest desire to get back together?"

"Well...do you think it's appropriate to talk about getting back together as soon as we see each other?" I replied feeling helpless.

My mother finally realized that it was inappropriate too, and after a while she said to me, "Well...but I'm really worried about you! By the way, did you guys make another appointment to meet up?"

"It's the New Year, and she definitely has relatives to go see too, so let's wait until she has time to meet up again."

"Anyway, you keep a close eye on her. I think Daphne still has some feelings for you, so you mustn't let her get away. And her parents are really understanding. Even after the shit you pulled last time, they didn't come to our house demanding an explanation. If it were ordinary parents, they would have been furious with us!"

"I know, so hurry up and go play mahjong. My dad's mahjong skills really aren't as good as yours, and I can't let him lose money during the New Year."

My mother ignored my urging and gave me several more pieces of advice before finally leaving. In fact, I really understand her feelings, but when it comes to reconciling with Daphne, I really need to be very careful. After all, I don't know Daphne's true thoughts right now. Furthermore, at this time, it is difficult for me to regain the state I was in Xuzhou. If I let her down again after we get back together, I would truly be worse than an animal!

After washing up, I lay on the bed doing nothing. I took out my phone and looked at it for a long time, not knowing who to contact. I simply lit a cigarette and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

...

It was almost 11 o'clock when the phone, which had been silent, finally rang. I quickly picked up the phone from the cabinet, but was a little disappointed, because the call was from CC, not the one I imagined.

I answered the phone and said in a low voice, "Happy New Year, CC!"

"Happy New Year, Lucas."

I smiled and asked, "How was your time in Beijing?"

"It was certainly fulfilling to be able to spend time with Robben. But what happened to you? First Violetta went to Lijiang, which I could understand, since Renee had returned, but then she didn't go to Xuzhou with you at the end, but instead went to her uncle's for the New Year."

I was about to answer when CC said, "Don't speak yet. What I'm most curious about is the guitar. This afternoon Brittany called and asked me why you sold the guitar to A-ji and lied to her that I took it to Beijing for Robben to use."

I tried to explain again, but CC stopped me again and said, "Lucas, you'd better not say anything. I might figure this out on my own... You gave Renee a Taylor guitar before, and you must have traded it for A-ji's guitar and the one Brittany gave you, right?"

I denied it and said, "No, I bought the guitar I gave Renee with the money I received from the bar opening."

"Don't pretend. Most of the friends who came that day didn't pay any contributions. Even if you did receive some, how much could it be? Renee's Taylor guitar is worth nearly 30,000 yuan. From what I know of A-ji, he definitely wouldn't have given you such a large credit if you didn't pay something. So Brittany's guitar was undoubtedly swapped for yours, otherwise it wouldn't have ended up in A-ji's hands."

I was speechless for a while, and then I said, "CC, your logical thinking skills are good enough to be a detective!"

"You don't need to flatter me, anyone who isn't an idiot can figure this out... Renee still doesn't know about the guitar you traded for the guitar, does she?"

"Don't tell her about it."

"Give me a reason not to tell her."

"What reason is needed? You have to understand that I gave her the guitar just to make her happy, with no other ulterior motives. If she finds out about this, it'll probably weigh on her mind again!"

"How do you know that if she knows the truth, she won't be moved, not burdened?"

"CC, just stay in Beijing and mind your own business, okay?"

"No way, since Brittany already called me about this, I have to get involved!"

"How? By telling Brittany that I sold the guitar to buy Renee a guitar?

"Of course I can't tell Brittany that! ...But you really did something wrong this time. If you didn't have the money to buy it, you could have just told Renee, or asked us to lend you the money, but why trade the guitar?"

"If I tell Renee and she ends up paying for it, then what's the point of giving her the guitar? Besides, A-ji really liked the guitar, so it's as if I gave it to the right person. As for Brittany... As for Brittany, she cares about the guitar, and I'll find a way to redeem it."

CC sighed after a long silence and said, "Alas...what can I say about you, Lucas...if it were any other man, he would have been desperate to use this to please a woman, but you are unwilling to let Renee know, and in doing so, she will find it hard to know that you have feelings for her."

I was a little annoyed, so I lit a cigarette and took a long drag before saying, "CC, in fact, I also have a lot of unspoken suffering right now. I'm very conflicted and struggling..."

"Then just tell CC about your conflicts and struggles."

"We've talked about this topic before, and you've advised me, but I really feel a lot of pressure when I'm with her. Every time I think about my chaotic past, I feel like I'm a small person in front of her. And it's especially easy for us to misunderstand each other. For example, the other day Violetta had menstrual cramps, and I carried her upstairs, but she happened to bump into me. After a hard time, we resolved the misunderstanding. But who knew that the next day she got the wrong idea again because of Brittany... I wanted to explain to her, but a relationship is not built on explanations, is it? ...Really, just the thought of hurting her and making her sad because of me makes my heart ache like it's been pulled apart with a dull knife!"

CC fell silent for a long time before saying, "I can actually understand your conflict and struggle, but no matter which woman you get along with, you have to work through the rough spots."

"It is necessary to have a period of adjustment. The difference is that some people become more harmonious with adjustment, while others become more miserable. Maybe she and I really don't have a romantic connection... I'm not worthy of her, so I might as well be free and release her, and myself."

"If you really feel this way, I won't persuade you. But you have to call Renee and just tell her: you are not worthy of her, it's impossible between you, so that she can also let go of her thoughts about you, and you can both start fresh from now on!"

"Are you okay? We haven't even started, and now you want me to call her and tell her all this. Won't she think I'm crazy?"

"I'm telling you clearly, she has hopes and expectations for you. If you tell her the truth, she won't think you're sick. On the contrary, it might be a relief for her."

"CC... don't mess with me! I already look like a clown in her eyes, and you want me to continue to humiliate myself?"

"If I don't torment you, you won't recognize yourself... You say you have a sordid past, but people don't live for the past..." CC seemed to suddenly lose his patience and said to me in a raised voice, "Okay, think about it again. I'll call Renee right away. Now that the guitar incident has involved Brittany, I have to let her know the truth!"

"Don't call her... I can handle this..."

Before I could finish, CC had hung up, and the "beep" sound that came from the phone caught me off guard!