After standing beside Ye Zhi for about ten minutes, a ceramic jar finally took shape in her hands. She handed it to the owner of the pottery shop and then went to wash her hands. During this time, she asked me, "How's things going with Jiulongju?"

“This morning, I contacted a friend who works in a car dealership and asked him to help me find out Cao Jinbo’s driver’s phone number… He hasn’t replied to me yet.”

Ye Zhi looked at me, then nodded and replied, "That's a good angle... The driver profession is quite unique." After a slight pause, Ye Zhi asked again, "If you can successfully find out their contact information, what are your plans?"

"First, understand the driver's personality, then cater to his preferences... When it comes to people, you must establish a relationship of mutual benefit in order to have a deeper conversation."

"You learn very quickly."

I smiled and replied, "That's because you taught me well."

Ye Zhi's expression was slightly serious: "Teaching is one thing, but being able to execute it well is another... However, I believe in your ability. I hope that when you encounter difficulties in the future, you can keep a calm mindset, which is the foundation for doing things well."

"Um."

Ye Zhi smiled, but I noticed a few specks of mud on her face without realizing it. I pointed them out to her, but she couldn't find them... I took out a tissue and gently wiped them off for her. Then, I saw her clean face up close, like a clear stream flowing into my heart... Perhaps, good feelings are built up in these subtle moments.

I coughed and looked away from her, while she squeezed out hand sanitizer and washed her hands again. The next moment, our eyes met again, and we smiled at each other.

I said to her, "It's almost lunchtime... Let's go, it's my treat."

"Next time... I booked a flight to Shanghai for noon."

A wave of inexplicable disappointment washed over me. After suppressing it, I simply sighed, "Was it really necessary to rush like this?"

"There's an emergency meeting this afternoon involving major personnel changes within the group, and I have to attend."

"Another temporary one?"

"Yes, it was unplanned... Otherwise, we could have stayed in Dali for another day."

Ye Zhi's words revealed helplessness... I subconsciously turned around and looked at the Cangshan Mountain behind me... Cangshan snow, Xiaguan wind, Shangguan flowers, Erhai moon... If Ye Zhi was once as pure as snow, after getting to know her better, she was more like a flower. She looked incredibly beautiful, but whether she bloomed or withered depended on the season and was not entirely up to her.

I forced a smile and replied, "Alright then... I hope that next time you come, I'll have resolved these problems so I can be in a good mood and go do some fun things with you."

"Good luck!"

"Um."

...

That noon, I took Ye Zhi to a place outside the ancient city where I could catch a ride, and then watched her get into a taxi... After she left, she also asked me to do something. Because the pottery jar needs time to dry, she wouldn't be able to get the pottery jar she made until tomorrow, so she entrusted this task to me and asked me to take a picture and send it to her after I got it.

Besides entrusting her with this task, I also wanted us to have an agreement about when we would meet again. Unfortunately, she left in such a hurry that I only remembered it after she got into the car.

It's better that there was no prior arrangement... that way, it will be another surprise when she comes next time.

...

Under the glaring sunlight, I returned to Renmin Road in the ancient city, found a small shop that only served braised pork rice, and ordered a bowl of braised pork rice and a bottle of beer...

When I first came to Dali, Tie Nan told me that if I wanted to see beautiful women, I had to come to Renmin Road... However, for a single person like me, this was not a pleasant experience. Seeing all sorts of couples walking past me, arm in arm, made me feel very lonely. Fortunately, it was during the day. If it were at night, with the lights illuminating those mesmerizing faces, it would only make me feel worse!

So even though my place, Jiulongju, is very close to Renmin Road, I rarely come to Renmin Road for entertainment. I prefer to find a small alley when I have free time, and then find a quiet bar inside to have a drink... like the place where I met Nicole.

...

Just as I was finishing my bowl of rice, I finally received a call from Xiao Song. After I answered, he said to me, "Brother, I've found out Cao Jinbo's driver's phone number for you... I'll send it to you on WeChat in a bit."

"You've only been working for less than half a day, your efficiency is quite high!"

Xiao Song replied with a smile, "How could I not take your request to heart?"

"Thanks, I'll definitely make time to treat you to a meal another day."

"Then I'll wait."

I smiled and asked, "By the way, do you know who this driver is?"

Xiao Song replied, "The driver's name is Cao Xue, Cao Jinbo's nephew. I heard he's not a good guy. He likes to go clubbing all the time. In recent years, he has ruined a lot of girls and done a lot of bad things by taking advantage of Cao Jinbo's reputation... If you want to deal with him, you'd better be careful."

With a sense of doubt, I asked, "Suppose he's Cao Jinbo's nephew, and his family background should be quite good, why did he end up driving for Cao Jinbo?"

"I only heard it from rumors, I don't know if it's accurate."

"You said there's no smoke without fire, so there's some credibility to that."

Xiao Song said, "I have a friend who was Cao Xue's junior high school classmate, so I know a little about his family... I heard that Cao Xue's father and Cao Jinbo are brothers. Before Cao Jinbo became wealthy, he was involved in smuggling... Later, when it was exposed, Cao Xue's father took the blame and is still in jail... So Cao Jinbo feels guilty towards Cao Xue. He originally wanted to send him to university, but when this guy was in high school, he got involved with a hostess and got her pregnant... Cao Jinbo spent a lot of money to settle things and then transferred him to another school; unexpectedly, this guy was quite deeply in love with this hostess, and later, unable to resist her temptation, he dropped out of school and went to Xishuangbanna with her..."

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