...

About half an hour later, Ye Zhi arrived at Jiulongju. It seemed like a fateful encounter. The place where Ye Zhi and I were was only separated from Lu Jia's room by a rockery used for landscaping.

I looked at Ye Zhi. She usually prefers simple attire, but today she had put on very elaborate makeup. She stood opposite me and asked, "Where is your friend?"

"Still resting in the room..."

Ye Zhi subconsciously looked at the room next to her and then nodded. I felt a little nervous because I didn't know how to tell her the truth about this matter.

...

Ye Zhi sat down on the chair next to me. She sat very upright, while I was half-reclining, looking a bit sluggish, with the cigarette still burning in my hand...

When the cigarette was almost finished burning, I finally spoke to her and said, "I have something to tell you. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but it really happened."

"Yes, I'm listening."

"Uh... I always thought that using my ex-girlfriend's phone number had nothing to do with her, but that's not the case... She left her number with her former boss, so she's always been aware of my situation, and she's the one who came to Dali this time... I don't know what she's thinking..."

Ye Zhi interrupted me and said, "What she thinks is not important; what matters is what you think."

"I?"

"Yes, I think her coming to Dali will definitely have a big impact on you psychologically..."

"I was quite surprised... but I've thought about my relationship with her very clearly. We're no longer on the same path... because we were both very calm when we broke up, so we could foresee what the consequences would be, and that's what we're seeing now... uh, my expression might be a bit 'messy,' but that's the gist of it... we can no longer live in each other's world as lovers."

Ye Zhi smiled and then said, "Actually, as a woman, I probably understand better than you why she came to Dali."

I quickly asked, "Why did she come?"

"The answer is with her, I'm just guessing... so you should ask her."

"She didn't tell me anything... and I didn't want to overcomplicate her purpose in coming to Dali..."

Ye Zhi didn't speak, and we fell silent again.

I don't know how she's feeling right now, but I'm not feeling so good either... As for why I'm not feeling good, I can't really explain it. I just feel that things shouldn't be like this. In my imagination, Ye Zhi and I should have had a very pleasant New Year, but now we've been burdened with such a big problem.

...

After a full five minutes, I finally spoke to Ye Zhi, "Are we still having dinner together tonight?"

Would you like to come together?

"I respect your opinion..."

Without much thought, Ye Zhi replied, "I don't mind."