"What makes Dali different from other places? There must be some reason that attracts people, right?"

"You'll have to experience it for yourself. What I'm telling you is just my understanding, and you might not accept it."

...

After our conversation, Bai Lu returned to Xiaguan, while Coach Ma, Tie Nan, and I each found a room to stay in. This was the first time since I came to Dali that I had my own private space at night, and Tie Nan and Coach Ma even gave me special treatment, giving me the best sea-view suite in the guesthouse.

I think this ocean view suite is no worse than the inn Ye Zhi stayed at in Ma Jiuyi in terms of view and decoration. So, charging 800 yuan a night is completely reasonable, and can even be said to be very cost-effective.

I tried to learn to enjoy myself, so I lit a cigarette, lay down on the soft chair on the platform, and looked at the flowing Erhai Lake and the dappled starry sky in the distance...

At first, I felt very happy, but gradually a little sad started to creep into my heart...!

The reason I'm able to stay in such a nice room right now is because I spent the 190,000 yuan that Wang Lei gave me, but she didn't even have the chance to come and see it...

I glanced at the other empty armchair next to me, wishing that Wang Lei could enjoy this quiet night as much as I could.

I was stuck in this emotion and couldn't pull myself out, which made me think of some of our past. I remember: when I first arrived in Shanghai, I was unfamiliar with the place and the people, and I always felt especially lonely during holidays or my birthday. She seemed to be able to see my loneliness, so she would always choose to have a meal with me on holidays.

I have a particularly deep impression of it: that day was my first birthday in Shanghai, and it just so happened that a typhoon hit Shanghai, leaving the whole city in a mess. In this terrible environment, I was talking on the phone with a distributor from another city about a new product collaboration. I even forgot that it was my 24th birthday that night.

The moment I hung up the phone, looking out at the raging wind and the streets full of puddles and garbage, I felt like I was dying. The loneliness that erupted in such a harsh environment was just too fierce!

And at that very moment, Wang Lei stood beside me, carrying a cake...

She wasn't a woman who liked sentimental or pretentious things. She just smiled and handed me the cake, then treated me to dinner, and took me to Fuqiao for a full-body massage. It wasn't until almost midnight that she rushed back to the nightclub where she worked.

Later, after Lu Jia became my girlfriend, we contacted each other less. In fact, she hasn't had a meal with me on my birthday in the last two years, but she always sends me a gift.

Thinking about all this makes me miss her even more, but I will never have the chance to repay her in any way.

My eyes are a little wet...

...

I wiped my eyes with my hand, took out my phone from my pocket, and sent a WeChat message to Taozi (Wang Lei's best friend, who also worked in a nightclub): "The day after tomorrow is Wang Lei's birthday. Remember to buy me a bouquet of white roses and go see her."

After sending the message, I also sent Peach a 200 yuan red envelope.