Perhaps because she was quite frightened, Ye Zhi still hadn't finished the milk tea I bought for her. I said to her, "Is the milk tea cold? How about I treat you to a few more cups on Renmin Road?"

"No need, I want to go back and rest."

"Let's play a little longer... Anyway, you don't have anything to do tomorrow. Once you get back to Shanghai and are really busy, you'll definitely regret not having enough fun in Dali."

"I need to go to bed early tonight because I have to go back to Shanghai tomorrow to handle some things... The day after tomorrow, I have to fly to Indonesia to negotiate a new tourism project there in person."

I felt a little disappointed, but I forced a smile and sighed, "I promised to put everything aside and spend a week in Dali, and I've only been here a few days!"

"There's nothing I can do. I also want to take a long break, but once you start doing some things, you can't help yourself."

“I’m a grown man, how could I not understand this simple principle! ... I just feel that you are putting too much pressure on yourself right now. You should have your own private life in addition to work.”

Ye Zhi smiled and replied, "Is it oppressive? I think it's okay. The reason you think that way is because your life in Dali is too slow. I still think it's better to be busy, at least you won't waste time on overthinking."

“We have quite a big difference of opinion on this point. I think that daydreaming is also a part of life, and many good ideas are generated from daydreaming. Anyway, I think that once a person loses his imagination, he loses the ability to drive the development of the world.”

"Everyone has their own life. If everyone's thoughts and perceptions were the same, the world wouldn't be so wonderful."

I smiled and said, "That's true... but we can influence each other, and that process can be quite interesting."

Ye Zhi didn't speak, and this silence lasted until we left the ancient city. But even with this silence, I still felt that she was more open than before. At least now she was willing to tell me some of her innermost thoughts, and I saw a different side of her—she could feel sadness, fear, and disappointment…

...

I took Ye Zhi back to the inn, and then chatted with Tie Nan and Tao Zi for a while. They told me that the landlord of the farmhouse we were staying at had come to see them in the evening and said that we had to move out because the farmhouse was also within the scope of demolition and that a formal relocation notice had been issued.

This makes me even more certain that the reason the inn hasn't received a similar notification yet is because Ye Zhi played a role behind the scenes. This is a favor she did for us after her own destruction. So after seeing her efforts, I can no longer say I hate her.

In a daze, Tie Nan said to me, "We haven't seen the apartment Sisi rented yet. What's it like?"

"With a monthly rent of over ten thousand, how bad can it be?"

"Oh, that means the rent for one room would be over four thousand yuan!"

"She said you don't need to pay rent, you just need to sell your labor to her."

Peach smiled, then took over the conversation and said to me, "Sisi must have said that to you... She doesn't hold grudges against us that much."

Perhaps because I'm too familiar with Peach, I wasn't embarrassed when I was exposed. I said, "You know this in your heart. If you say it out loud, how am I supposed to fool Tie Nan?"

"Come on, I'm not someone who's easily fooled..." After a short pause, Tie Nan tossed me another cigarette and said, "We can't stay at the farmhouse anymore, and the inn is busy with business and can't vacate any rooms; how about... we move to Sisi's place tomorrow?"

"You guys move over first, I'll stay here and look after the inn."

"Do you have a place to stay at the inn?"

"Yes... I'm perfectly fine living in that storage room that Sisi used to live in."

“Oh, I’d forgotten there was such a place! ...Alright, you stay at the inn, we’ll come over during the day to help out, anyway, Shanshuijian isn’t far from here.”

I responded and lit the cigarette Tie Nan had just handed me. As the smoke filled my mouth, a sense of melancholy washed over me, a feeling of emptiness after everyone had left… I couldn't help but think of how lively this inn used to be. The most painful thing was watching these people leave one by one, while I stood here waiting, not knowing how long I would have to wait…

I lowered my head, gave a bitter smile, and didn't say another word until I finished the cigarette.

...

That night, I didn't let myself be idle. I moved all my luggage back to the guesthouse's storage room and settled in. My favorite part of the room was the small window next to the bed, through which I could see Erhai Lake. This allowed me to release my inner desires while cooling myself down, so at this moment, I could still maintain a calm mind and think about my future life and career.

I lit a cigarette and looked towards Erhai Lake again. Apart from the moonlight shimmering on the surface of the lake, everything looked very calm. I couldn't even remember that just a few days ago, a guy was crying his heart out here.

The reason I am so forgetful is probably because the past is really not that important to people.

I also feel that this kind of forgetfulness is far from enough, because I really can't forget the setbacks and hurts I suffered in Shanghai, even though I've been in Dali for so long!

Thinking of Shanghai, I can't help but think of the woman who used Lu Jia's number. We haven't been in touch for a very long time. It seems that we've both forgotten each other's existence in the passing years.

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