The weather in Dali is gradually warming up, so even at night, the wind blowing in from outside the city walls carries a hint of warmth. If there were a seed waiting to sprout in my heart, it would now be blooming all over the mountains and fields. All my senses feel as if they are wrapped in soft petals. If time could stand still, I would like to become a stone, lying on Ye Zhi's body, forever immortal!

I'm quite sleepy, but I don't want to fall asleep again. I don't want to miss a single second because of sleep.

A little while later, the sounds of street singers returned, a sight I'd grown accustomed to. I quite enjoy this form of street performance; it's free, down-to-earth, and expresses inner emotions. Here, mainstream pop isn't valued, but nostalgia prevails, and the connection between people and society is emphasized. So, the singers either rock or folk, weaving a niche paradise in Dali with their unique songs, where people revel and indulge in self-admiration… I once heard a street singer like Nicole say, "Once you come to Dali, once you live in Dali, you can never leave!"

The singer performed Xu Wei's "An Unforgettable Day." His pronunciation was a bit unclear, so I didn't quite understand the song's message. However, the melody resonated with my mood at that moment, making me feel relaxed and carefree, yet also a little melancholic. Because tonight, I would have to say goodbye to Ye Zhi... And in the foreseeable future, we would say "goodbye" many more times, since one of us is in Dali and the other in Shanghai!

...

I'd been holding the same position for too long, and I was getting stiff. But I didn't dare move an inch for fear of giving myself away. I gritted my teeth and held on... A gust of wind blew by, and I became a little more alert, but the stiffness became even stronger. I was about to burst.

Ye Zhi finally spoke, asking softly, "Are you tired?"

I remain silent.

Ye Zhi patted me again: "Get up, I'm afraid you'll catch a cold."

I squinted at her, then struggled to get off her. I wiped my face hard with both hands and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I lay on you for so long!"

"Weren't you asleep? How do you know if it's a long time or a short time?"

I was incredibly embarrassed, but it concerned my image, so I had to stick to the pretense of being asleep. I replied, "My biological clock is incredibly accurate, really..."

Ye Zhi smiled and said, "You really do manage to get things done when you drink."

"Uh...that's because I know my limits!"

Ye Zhi nodded, with a knowing look on her face, while I quickly lit a cigarette to hide my unease. I then lost the ability to speak, and even I couldn't believe that just a minute ago, I was lying so intimately on Ye Zhi's lap... Although we weren't a couple, in that scene, everyone would probably imagine that our relationship was unusual.

I lowered my head, sniffed, and then smiled.

After a moment of silence, Ye Zhi asked me again, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

"Much better."

"Why don't you go back and rest?"

"It's alright, sit for a while longer. The ancient city is quite lively today."

Ye Zhi didn't say anything. Not long after, her phone rang. I didn't know who called her, but when she answered, she avoided me...

I was sitting alone and bored, so I looked around... I noticed that on the streets of the ancient city, many girls were holding sparkly, colorful balloons. The balloons weren't the point; the point was that they seemed to really like the dazzling feeling, so they all had smiling faces. I couldn't help but want to buy one for Ye Zhi.

...

After haggling with the vendor, I finally bought what I consider to be the coolest balloon for twenty yuan. It is absolutely the coolest because this balloon not only lights up, but there is also a Donald Duck inside. As long as I turn on the light switch, the flashing lights are like Donald Duck's bristling feathers, short and fierce!

Five minutes later, Ye Zhi returned to my side, and I handed her the balloon, saying, "Here, you can play with it."

I turned on the light on the balloon, and Ye Zhi instinctively took a step back and asked, "What is this?"

"Look at these balloons, they're much more advanced than the ones we played with when we were kids. Now they have lighting effects, and this is the switch. Going up turns it on, and going down turns it off."

"You... I didn't realize you were so playful."

"Haha...They're everywhere, doesn't it feel like a fairy tale world?"

Ye Zhi looked at it...

I handed the balloon to Ye Zhi again and said with a smile, "Here, take this balloon, and you'll be like someone from a fairy tale, without worries or troubles..."

Ye Zhi took it from my hand, and I stared at her, surrounded by the lights, completely lost in thought... At this moment, she was like the most elegant princess in a fairy tale, while I was a knight who couldn't find a horse or a sword... This was the only way I could make her happy; it couldn't be any more sophisticated.

...

I sat back down on the same bench. Ye Zhi was fiddling with the balloons, while I was smoking with my head down. Even though there was nothing left to talk about, I just didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay until after ten o'clock, get a free cup of milk tea from Cao Xiaobei, and then go back to Jiulongju to sleep.

"Michael, what are your thoughts on Cao Jinbo inviting you to work for him?"

Looking at Ye Zhi, I felt there was no need to hide anything from her, so I replied honestly, "His business dealings are a bit shady, so I don't want to have any deep cooperation with him. Besides, after several encounters, I've found him to be very difficult to understand, and I might get caught by him at any time... But I can't refuse him right now because the business at Jiulongju isn't finished yet!"

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