Coach Ma also came over to my side with his camera and said seriously, "Do you have a picture of the girl that Tie Nan mentioned? I'd like to take a look and prepare."

I found some selfies Yang Sisi posted on her WeChat Moments and handed my phone to Coach Ma. After examining them with an artistic eye, Coach Ma asked me, "Is there any difference between how you look in person and in the photos?"

Tie Nan also came over to take a look and chimed in, "It's not that there are basically none, it's that there are none at all. That girl's appearance is truly stunning. You have to trust my judgment. I don't have much talent, and judging people is the only thing I'm good at."

Coach Ma nodded, and after a long pause, replied, "I never really understood what it meant to have a beautiful flower 'stuck' in cow dung before, but now I do!"

I laughed helplessly while cursing, "Can't you guys even live in the same house anymore? I'm not kidding, this girl is really not my girlfriend, I'm not lucky enough to have her!"

My smile gradually froze on my face. I couldn't help but think of Lu Jia, the woman who had many demands on me, both professionally and materially. If I had been with a girl like Yang Sisi instead of her all these years, what would I be like now? I had no answer. I just felt that I was not good enough for her. I wasn't arrogant enough to think I had any magical attraction.

In a daze, Coach Ma suddenly patted my shoulder and asked me, "She's really not your girlfriend?"

"No, that's not true. We've only known each other for a short time. Her dad is a friend of my former boss."

"Then introduce her to me. I especially like girls like this, fair-skinned and clean, and they don't seem pretentious."

I almost choked on the smoke that hadn't even reached my lungs yet, but I just thought Coach Ma was joking, so I jokingly replied, "When you take her photos tomorrow, you can chat with her. Maybe you'll find out you're on the same wavelength."

...

Lying in bed, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I first watched a movie, and then watched a live football match, but it was all boring. Every minute and every second became unbearable. I couldn't help but recall my memories of Shanghai.

Lu Jia's departure was an unspeakable pain, and Wang Lei's passing left me more alone than ever before. These two different feelings also reveal the different places these two women held in my heart. In my confusion, I couldn't even discern who was more important to me. The only clear thing was that they were both now in my past. At this moment, the more I think of them, the heavier the pain and loneliness become.

I long for the city of Dali to transform me into a bird with wings, so I can fly away and escape the past that should have been buried in the earth long ago. I gradually felt tired and then drifted off to sleep.

In the past, I would always dream about people and events from the past, but tonight the opposite happened. Dali became the background of my dream, and I dreamed of Yang Sisi. She actually slapped me in broad daylight for no reason, and slapped me out of the dream and into reality.

I sat up in bed and subconsciously checked the time: six in the morning. At Tie Nan's call, I went to the yard, lay down on the recliner he often used, and looked at the half-gray, half-blue sky. Then I saw the rising sun peeking out from behind thick clouds, struggling to emerge.

Lighting a cigarette made me much more clear-headed. I think it was because I felt guilty towards Yang Sisi that I had that dream; the guilt stemmed from truly witnessing her efforts to stay in Dali. I never saw her life in Shanghai, and I can't judge whether returning to Shanghai or studying abroad would be more beneficial for her future.

But I know she will hate me.

...

As dawn broke, Coach Ma got up. He invited a makeup artist to accompany him and found a convertible Jeep. Tie Nan acted as his assistant, responsible for moving equipment and scheduling.

At seven o'clock sharp, Yang Sisi arrived at my guesthouse. After we introduced ourselves and she quickly finished my makeup, the makeup artist began applying it. I sat quietly behind her, watching. Yang Sisi was a very outgoing girl, and she and the makeup artist were soon chatting animatedly.

A moment later, the makeup artist turned to me with great admiration and said, "Michael, your girlfriend's skin is amazing! No wonder she comes from the Jiangnan water towns. She barely needs any treatment, and the results are already amazing!"

Before I could speak, Yang Sisi replied somewhat urgently, "Do you all think we're a perfect match, or is it that you, Michael, are lying to me again? In Dali, all the people who take these kinds of jobs are couples, so everyone has to misunderstand."

The makeup artist looked at me awkwardly, then at Yang Sisi, and asked, "Aren't you two..."

"Absolutely not! If you keep saying that, I'll really get angry! This uncle and I are from completely different worlds. If he dies of depression, I'll still be living a happy life for a long time. Just for that reason alone, he wouldn't dare to have any feelings for me!"

The makeup artist smiled and replied, "I was just guessing. I was quite puzzled when I first saw you two; you don't seem to match." As if realizing she'd offended me, she quickly looked at me and added, "You look serious and mature, that's why you don't match, nothing more."

I said with a pained expression, "Big sister, you don't need to explain anymore. It feels like you've stabbed me in the chest again. Just a few years ago I was a young heartthrob, and now I look so old?"

Yang Sisi immediately pretended to vomit and cursed at me, saying, "Shameless!"

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