Chen Jin looked at me, clearly a little guilty. After taking a drag of my cigarette, I said to him again, "You can't be promiscuous and have a clean break. You should end it as soon as possible... You can't stay like this forever. When you want to settle down someday, this dirty past of yours will really let down your future girlfriend."

Chen Jin wiped his face with both hands, clearly starting to care about the matter.

I inexplicably thought of Coach Ma. He and Chen Jin are truly two extremes. One saw through the vanities of the world and chose to become a monk; the other had a chaotic private life... In fact, this reflects the contradictions of Dali city to some extent.

There are far more Buddhists here than in other places, but there are also quite a few who indulge themselves... I'm quite curious, what will this city be like if it develops for another ten years?

It's hard to say about the economy and culture, but what's certain is that there will be more people from other places and foreigners than there are now, so these two extremes will become even more extreme... At the same time, newer elements will be brought in by the influx of people from other places, so let's have both expectations and awe.

I then spoke to Chen Jin, saying, "Buddy, let me give you a heads-up. You need to have some respect for Nicole... I think she's different from other women. If you're sure about her, then go for it wholeheartedly. But if you're just playing around, then stay away from her... okay?"

"I know what I'm doing."

I nodded, and after a brief silence, I changed the subject, saying to him, "Let's get down to business... Although we've already received the approval from the Ancient City Protection Administration, I still want to increase the budget for installing the streetlights... Firstly, we do have a fair amount of usable money right now; secondly, the streetlight project is crucial to the appearance of this street... So, I don't want to just install them in a simple way. I hope we can incorporate design elements into the installation process... Ultimately, I hope these designs will create a refreshing experience for visitors, making them feel that this is not just a commercial street, but also a highlight of the ancient city."

"Hmm, how much are you planning to increase the budget for installing streetlights?"

"Between 120,000 and 150,000..."

After a brief pause, I continued, "I actually already have a plan in mind... I want to divide this commercial street into four sections, and then design corresponding landscapes for each section, taking into account the characteristics of Dali's 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' theme... For example, in the flower-themed section, the streetlights will be designed to resemble various flowers that can grow in Dali. For the other sections, it depends on the design company's creativity... Ultimately, the four themes will be combined to create the new look of this commercial street... Moreover, the 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' theme will also be the direction for our future business development... The 'wind and flower' themed section will mainly feature bars, while the 'snow and moon' themed section will feature shops with ethnic and artistic elements."

After pondering my idea for a moment, Chen Jin gave me a thumbs up and said, "This idea is awesome... If it can be implemented, this commercial street will immediately have a selling point, and when it's promoted externally, its momentum will be completely different from before."

"So you agree with my idea?"

"Agreed, a hundred times over... Not only agreed, I'm genuinely happy... You're in a hundred times better shape now than when you were so down... That's better than anything, really!"

I handed Chen Jin a cigarette, lit it for him, and then advised him, "This situation didn't come easily. Let's all strive for the best possible outcome and hope that we can eventually stand tall and put down roots in Dali."

"Dali is a great place... I really want to settle down here."

After a brief pause, Chen Jin smiled and asked me, "You seemed so down on your luck the other day. Can you tell me what force brought about this transformation?"

As if by conditioned reflex, Yang Sisi's image appeared in my mind, as if I were destined to be inextricably linked to women in this life; indeed, one woman brought my life to its lowest point, and another woman, through gritted teeth, pulled me out of that abyss.

This process was accompanied by pain, but also by gratitude. It was this feeling of gratitude that made me choose to pull myself together again. So no matter how much I achieve in the future, Yang Ruhua deserves some credit for it.

...

After chatting with Chen Jin for a while, I returned to my room and tidied it up... I first mopped the floor, then wiped the furniture, and finally organized my messy personal belongings.

During the process, I found the souvenirs that Ye Zhi had brought back for me from all over the world in my luggage. There were leaves, seashells, and sand from the beach... At first glance, they were all ordinary, but because of Ye Zhi's sentiment and the meaning given by the place, they became extremely precious in my heart.

I held these bottles containing souvenirs tightly in my hands, and a wave of unbearable pain and longing washed over me.

If Ye Zhi survived that accident unharmed... then where is she now?

I've fantasized more than once that she's still alive, but if she is, why doesn't she appear? ...

This is really hard to explain. After all, she has her own group and her own network of contacts, so why doesn't she show up?

But I still can't believe she's gone... so I keep waiting for her.

Without realizing it, I saw a scarf she had left with me when she came to Dali before... The scarf still faintly smelled of her perfume. My emotions collapsed instantly. I went to the refrigerator and got a few bottles of "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon" wine. While drowning my sorrows, I looked out the window at the moon and savored the loneliness without her.

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