"Don't joke around... I called you not entirely to tell you about my trip to France for research and study... These past few days, a lot of people at the hotel have been saying that your sister-in-law is in the hospital, did you know about that?"

I hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I don't know, she didn't tell me about it... Is your information reliable?"

"Being hospitalized isn't the same as having a scandal... This shouldn't be untrue, right?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Nobody knows the answer to that... You should contact her as soon as possible... You just assumed she was my sister-in-law, and you didn't say a word when I called her sister-in-law, you know that?"

I pretended not to care: "Stop talking nonsense... I don't have time to chat with you, I have dinner appointments with others, I'm hanging up..."

"I haven't finished speaking yet..."

I didn't let Dai Qiang finish speaking before I hung up the phone decisively. But when the surroundings quieted down again, my feelings became complicated... Being hospitalized is no small matter, but Ye Zhi didn't tell me. I don't know if it's because she doesn't want me to worry about her, or if she doesn't consider me a friend... Or maybe we're just too far apart, and whether she tells me or not won't change anything.

...

Distracted for a moment, the door to the private room was finally knocked on, and then the waiter led in Cao Jinbo, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and another man who was probably one of his subordinates.

I put aside my prejudices, stood up, and walked towards Cao Jinbo. When we faced each other, he was more proactive than I was. He smiled and extended his hand to me, but I felt that his smile was really sleazy, like someone who claims to be a Buddhist but is holding a knife that is dripping with the freshest blood.

Dealing with this person really requires a strong heart, so I've never thought it was a bad thing. If I'm determined to make something of myself in Dali, Cao Jinbo is a mountain I have to climb over.

With that in mind, I shook Cao Jinbo's hand, and after some pleasantries, I invited him to take the seat of honor, while I sat down opposite him.