After I sat down, Nicole busied herself for another ten minutes or so, then brought me a bottle of "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon" beer from the liquor cabinet behind her. This reminded me of the days when I ran the seaside inn in Longkan. After I finished my work outside, I always liked to sit in the inn's small bar for a while, and Peach or Bailu would always bring me a bottle of beer at the right time, just like Nicole did now.

I am a sentimental person, especially on a special day like New Year's Eve, I always think of those friends who have passed away.

I opened a beer, took a sip, and said to Nicole, "You know, the way you hold a beer is just like Bai Lu."

Nicole was in a good mood, and she laughed and replied, "Haha, we're all women out there, how could we not be similar?"

"Actually, I wish you could recreate the glory of the White Dew season."

"No problem, I have full confidence in this bar... Putting everything else aside, just based on your and Ye Zhi's trust, I must find a way to make the bar a success."

I looked at Nicole...

Nicole replied awkwardly, "It seems a little inappropriate to bring up Ye Zhi at this time... Haha!"

"It's nothing, I came here to ask you about her... what did she say later?"

"She doesn't want to communicate with you... If she were willing, I would have called you."

My mood instantly plummeted, then I picked up a beer can and took a big gulp... Suddenly I felt lost again, staring at the mural on the wall for a long time.

"What's wrong, Michael?"

"I'm fine."

I took another sip of beer from the can, then said to Nicole, "Give me a strong one."

"Aren't you afraid of drinking too much?"

I forced a smile and said, "Don't be afraid, it's such a good day today, what's there to be afraid of!"

Nicole listened to me and brought me another bottle of strong liquor. She poured me a glass and then poured one for herself. I drank it first as a sign of respect.

Nicole shook her head, and after a moment of silence, she said to me, "Michael, what are your plans for next year?" After thinking for a moment, she added, "I mean, my career."

These past two days, when I wasn't thinking about Ye Zhi, I did think a lot about my career. I didn't treat Nicole as an outsider, so I answered truthfully, "I want to start my own studio and develop the Jiulongju commercial street..."

"You're getting too confident... Anyone who's been in Dali for a while knows it's a ghost town... Believe it or not, once the peak season after the Lunar New Year is over, it'll still be the same."

"I believe it, which is why I set up a studio specifically for this."

Nicole shook her head: "I don't think you should do this."

I lit another cigarette and replied, "Actually, before this, Cao Jinbo approached me, hoping I would work for him, mainly managing the bars and inns in the ancient city... The salary he offered wasn't bad, several hundred thousand a year wouldn't be a problem, but I had reservations and couldn't completely refuse... So I came up with this compromise. If I can really make this commercial street popular, it's the same as working for him, after all, he owns nearly 20 shops in Jiulongju..."

Nicole interrupted me, saying, "Cao Jinbo really thinks you're talented... But Michael, have you ever thought about going back to Shanghai to develop your career?"

I looked at Nicole with surprise, and after a long while asked, "You've just settled in Dali, why do you want to go back to Shanghai to develop your career?"

"Think about it, where does Ye Zhi spend the most time during the year?"

"Definitely Shanghai."

"Don't you understand yet?... Once you're back in Shanghai, you'll have plenty of opportunities to interact. Your biggest problem right now isn't who misunderstood whom, but the lack of communication. Ye Zhi is also angry right now. If she really cared about you, she wouldn't keep ignoring you... You should take this opportunity to express your determination to her. She's such a smart woman, surely she can see that you're back in Shanghai for her sake... Ask yourself honestly, isn't this kind of action much better than a thousand words?"

I looked at Nicole, speechless for a long time... I never imagined that a city I so wanted to forget would be brought up again by someone in such a realistic way.

I don't deny that what she said makes sense... But Shanghai is a knot in my heart that I can never untie, so how can I just ignore everything and go back because of Nicole's words?

Nicole urged again, "Michael, just say what you think... Anyway, this is just my suggestion, and the final decision is up to you, right?"