After a brief moment of distraction, I opened another can of beer. I didn't mind drinking a little more; life in Dali is all about romance and beauty, after all. After we finished discussing business, Chen Jin and Ping Ge started talking about the foreign girls on Renmin Road. It seemed like this topic had no end for them, and they became more and more excited as they talked...

I couldn't stay any longer, so after eating a bowl of noodles, I left Brother Ping's place.

Instead of going back to my own room immediately, I pushed the "Little Ninja" that Yang Sisi had left behind under an eave that could keep out the rain, then filled a container with water and wiped the car body with a cloth.

As I was wiping, I noticed the broken panel, and suddenly I felt uneasy.

I tossed the rag aside, then sat down on the floor and lit a cigarette... I couldn't help but think about the relationships between people again.

It's actually quite complicated. Unlike a motorcycle, which can be repaired to look exactly the same as before if you find the original parts, it's not like a motorcycle that's broken.

At that moment, besides Yang Sisi, I also thought of Tie Nan...

I remember when we first met, it was really lively... but now, because of mutual distrust, it has come to this end; and I really don't understand why he suddenly doesn't want to treat me as a friend or brother anymore?

If he had listened to me and invested the money in "Jiulongju" as a temporary inn, it would have been a happy ending for everyone. But he stubbornly refused to listen to advice and chose the most dangerous place to open an inn.

Thinking of this, I was startled. Perhaps Tie Nan also saw me this way. My decision to invest in "Jiulongju" was also a defiant act. It's just that I succeeded and he failed, so I stood in a position of success and looked down on his failure.

This is probably just human nature... So, there's no need to delve into why Tie Nan and I don't trust each other. Because when we think like this, we've already started competing with each other, and right and wrong, good and evil, are hidden in that moment when we start competing.

Thinking about it calmly, what Tie Nan and I really lacked wasn't trust, but Coach Ma himself. It turns out that when Coach Ma was around, we got along very well. So, people's personalities are truly a strange thing. Different people with different personalities will produce different reactions when they come together. Tie Nan and I were like two gears stuck together. Once Coach Ma, the lubricant, was gone, our relationship was over.

At that moment, I suddenly missed Coach Ma. I wanted to talk to him about my new insights into the world that I had gained recently... He is different from Tie Nan. He is a good listener. He knows how to accept and tolerate, like a vast ocean that embraces every little river. I think most people would like to be around someone like him.

I took my phone out of my pocket and, disregarding the late hour, called Coach Ma. Bai Lu told me that she would be returning to Dali with Coach Ma soon. I didn't mean anything by it; I just wanted to ask Coach Ma if he could be more specific about the return date.

Coach Ma actually answered the phone. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he told me that he and Bai Lu were already on their way back to Dali and were resting in a small county in Sichuan. If all went well tomorrow, they would arrive in Dali that evening.

After hearing all this, I've already decided where to treat them to a nice meal tomorrow night.

...

After cleaning the motorcycle, I returned to my place. I drank water and washed up as usual, then lay in bed, staring at my phone's screen saver. It was a picture of Ye Zhi, copied from her WeChat Moments.

I think the hardest part of a long-distance relationship is this: you really want to say something to her, but you don't want to disturb her rest, so you can only use something of hers to find psychological comfort. But this is undoubtedly like drawing a picture of a cake to satisfy hunger, because people's desires are infinite... So what I want is not just her picture, I wish she were sleeping next to me, even if we were both playing on our phones, it would be much better than this feeling of seeking solace.

With a soft sigh, I finally turned off the light in the room. The room was dark, but loneliness shone brighter.

...

The next day, I got up early and, without even having breakfast, made a reservation at the best restaurant in the old town to welcome Bai Lu and Coach Ma. Especially after Tie Nan's incident, I missed them even more. I couldn't express it verbally, so I was even more proactive in my actions. At one point, I really couldn't tell if I was a good communicator. Sometimes, I could indeed forcefully see into other people's hearts; other times, I was too shy to express myself, so I silently turned my enthusiasm into action... just like now.

On the way back, I recalled what kind of wine Coach Ma liked to drink. I remembered that he liked barley wine, so I took a detour and went to a restaurant run by Tibetans to buy the most expensive bottle of barley wine.

After finishing these tasks, it was already past nine o'clock. Thinking that Ye Zhi should be getting up by now, I took the initiative to call her.

After ringing a few times, Ye Zhi answered the call, and at the same time, Ye Zhi's cough was heard...

I asked with concern, "Do you have a cold?"

Ye Zhi coughed again, and replied weakly, "I caught a chill last night, but I'll be fine after taking some medicine."

Do you have any medicine at home?

"There should be... I'll ask Auntie later."

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