Upon seeing Yang Sisi, Yu Tou's consciousness clearly couldn't keep up with his actions. He stood blankly beside Yang Sisi, muttering to himself repeatedly, but unable to utter a single coherent sentence. Yang Sisi glanced at him first, then glared at me, assuming that I had betrayed Yu Tou's information about her coming to Dali.

I quickly said, "Don't look at me like that. I haven't contacted anyone since we met."

Fish Head finally came to his senses and said with a thick-skinned smile, "You've misunderstood. This has nothing to do with Brother Mi. I live nearby. I think we're really destined to meet. I just came out of the inn and was walking down this street when I unexpectedly ran into you... When did you come to Dali?"

Yang Sisi replied rather unfriendly, "What, you're telling me all this so I'll treat you to breakfast?"

"I'll treat you to a meal, I'll treat you all to a meal."

As Yu Tou spoke, he went to the bar to pay for our breakfast. I don't know if this was his original personality, but he was really willing to go all out to pursue Yang Sisi... In this respect, he was more open-minded than Cao Xiaobei. Cao Xiaobei's kindness to Yang Sisi was generally reflected in big things, such as letting Yang Sisi live in his house, opening a milk tea shop for Yang Sisi, and so on, but he was not as meticulous as Yu Tou in the details.

With a smile, Yu Tou said to Yang Sisi, "To be honest, I'm not afraid that you will dislike me, I'm just afraid that you won't remember me... As it turns out, even though we only met once, you still remember me."

"I remember, I definitely remember... That night at dinner, you were the one who showed the least respect to Michael!"

Laughter seemed to be Yu Tou's most powerful weapon. No matter how Yang Sisi confronted him, he would just smile and not get angry. In the end, even the usually sharp-tongued Yang Sisi didn't know what to say, so he took the opportunity to sit down with Chen Jin next to us.

I've figured it out. Yu Tou is the kind of guy who's best at being persistent and clingy. Actually, this kind of guy has the biggest advantage when it comes to women... At first, they might annoy women, but once they get used to their persistence, they'll feel extremely uncomfortable when they lose them...

I've always believed that men who can combine relentless pursuit with playing hard to get to use their charm on women are seasoned players in the game of love, because they understand women's nature all too well; clearly, Yu Tou belongs to this category.

So, in the short time it took to eat breakfast, he successfully got Yang Sisi's contact information again.

I even think that if Yang Sisi hadn't been in such a hurry to get back to Shanghai, he could have actually managed to get her to go out for a meal alone... because he's very good at pleasing women, knows what women like, and has the ability to cater to their tastes.

However, when he offered to take Yang Sisi to the airport, she remained quite steadfast, shaking her head no matter how much Yu Tou tried to persuade her.

At this point, Yu Tou showed his brilliance again. Realizing that there was no hope of getting Yang Sisi to the airport, he stopped pressuring her... But he thoughtfully went to the clothing store across the street and bought Yang Sisi a coat, saying that the mornings in Dali were colder than in Shanghai. In fact, Yang Sisi was indeed wearing very little. His observation was incredibly meticulous.

At least, I didn't think of getting Yang Sisi some clothes.

...

After chatting for a while, Chen Jin took Yu Tou to continue exploring the ancient city, while Yang Sisi and I used our limited time to go to "Jiulongju". She hadn't been to Dali for a long time, so she was particularly nostalgic for these places that had changed her life.

We stood side by side at the entrance of Cao Xiaobei's inn, and I said to her, "Cao Xiaobei is gone. The inn is now managed by a cultural tourism company. Would you like to go in and take a look?"

Yang Sisi hesitated a bit, and I didn't offer her any further advice, but simply waited patiently for her reply.

Cao Xiaobei once told me that the time he spent running a guesthouse with Yang Sisi was the most beautiful period of his life, and I imagine Yang Sisi must feel the same way.

Finally, Yang Sisi spoke to me, saying, "He's not here... Never mind, I won't watch it."

"If he were there, you would have gone in?"

"I won't go in."

"Then why are you making up such an excuse?"

Yang Sisi seemed a little down. She didn't respond to me and then walked deeper into the commercial street before me.

I didn't immediately follow her, but just gazed at her back... I had a feeling that, like me, she also harbored many contradictions and melancholy in her heart; she must have been thinking: what is Cao Xiaobei like now, and what is the woman with Cao Xiaobei like.

Unfortunately, I have no way to answer for Cao Xiaobei.

...

Before I knew it, it was almost noon. I managed to get Yang Sisi to the airport an hour and a half before the plane took off.

I felt inexplicably reluctant to part with it, yet I couldn't express it.

She's right. There will never be another person in the world who would travel from Shanghai to Dali just to have breakfast with me.

To hide my emotions, I habitually sniffed before saying to her, "Don't do that again."

Yang Sisi glared at me: "You're saying that again!"

"Don't misunderstand me, I'm just worried you'll get tired... really!"

"What can I do? I want to see you... but you won't come to Shanghai to find me... If I'm in the same boat as you, are we really going to never see each other again?"

I remain silent.

Yang Sisi whispered to me again, "Don't blame me for doing this, and don't worry about me getting tired... We might really see each other one less time... Because you told me you would marry Lu Jia, and she'll be back soon, right?... If I'm still so willful and reckless after you get married, then it really will be a problem with my character... I don't want to be a shameless Yang Sisi in your eyes. I just hope that when you think of me in the future, you'll feel positive energy and see me as a woman who dares to love and hate!"

"In my heart, you have always been a woman who dares to love and hate."

With a hint of disappointment, Yang Sisi smiled faintly: "But I don't want to hate you... even though all the pain over the years was caused by you."

I felt guilty and remained silent for a long time before replying, "Hate if you want to... I'm not exactly an upright man, I've put a lot of burden on myself... Actually, I'm not happy either."

"So I don't want to hate you... Sometimes I think I should care about you more... Who knows if the woman you'll be with in the future will treat you sincerely? If she doesn't, it will only make you suffer more... But by then, I'll be powerless... So while I can still do it now, I must do everything I can to be good to you!"

I felt terribly sad and helpless.

Yang Sisi laughed self-deprecatingly, then said, "Saying these things makes me feel like a shameless third party... I must be crazy, why did I say these things to you... Why?!"

She crouched on the ground, sobbing painfully, and clutching her hair tightly...

Yang Sisi's suffering has attracted a lot of attention, and I can't let her become an outcast in other people's eyes.

This time, I hugged her without hesitation and used my body to shield her from everything.

I gently stroked her hair and whispered in her ear, "Don't be sad. I swear, I will definitely come to Shanghai to find you."