Perhaps it's because An'an doesn't belong to this circle, so I'm willing to talk to her about many things I wouldn't tell others; although she might not be able to give me advice, talking about it makes me feel much better; I have the same effect on An'an... So, our friendship was built on this foundation, little by little.

An'an refilled her cocktail, and I lit a cigarette. After a brief silence, An'an continued the conversation, saying to me, "The woman you're talking about, isn't she the one I met at the hospital last time?"

"no……"

"It's Yang Sisi, isn't it?"

I looked at An'an with slight surprise, then suddenly remembered that I had talked to her about Yang Sisi and Ye Zhi before, so it wasn't surprising that she could call out Yang Sisi's name.

I flicked my cigarette ash, then nodded and replied, "It's her... I don't know when this transformation happened, but she has indeed taken on an increasingly important place in my heart... I no longer see her as a child. I will stand on a very equal footing and think about everything between us... including the difficulties we may encounter in the future. These are all based on the level of love... Isn't that incredible?"

An An thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't find it unbelievable... She's not an ordinary woman, having stayed by your side for over three years... I think she's intelligent, but her personality is too lively, which sometimes overshadows it... But her dedication and perseverance have indeed been rewarded by you."

After a brief pause, An'an changed the subject and asked, "However, are you sure this feeling has nothing to do with substitution?"

"No... I know very well how it feels to be with them when we're apart... But I admit that Ye Zhi still holds a lot of weight in my heart... But every time I think of her, that feeling of helplessness makes me feel suffocated... So most of the time, I deliberately try not to think of her."

"If it's not a replacement, then it's a kind of compensation... Yang Sisi has what Ye Zhi lacks most, so you feel relaxed and happy when you're with Yang Sisi... And the pursuit of happiness is human nature... So, over time, the scales in your heart have slowly begun to tip."

I smiled and replied, "You've almost completely dissected everything that's on my mind."

An An laughed and said, "Unfortunately, what I said can only stay at the analytical level... and it can't give you any substantial help."

“It’s okay, I’ve thought it through myself… To be honest, during this time since I broke my leg, I’ve become incredibly sensitive and insecure… This kind of mentality is detrimental to both my career and relationships… The most important thing right now is to change my mindset… Otherwise, with my mind in such a mess, I really don’t dare to go to Shanghai to find her.”

"That's the right way to think."

Yes... people can only truly understand things by first opening their hearts.

Only when the window is open can the sunlight stream in… I’ve already decided that once my leg is healed, I’ll hold a 100-meter sprint race among my friends, and I’ll pay for the prizes myself… Not for anything else, but just to tell those who care about me: I, Michael, have returned as the champion!

Haha...I really think you're a really interesting person!

...

The result of chatting with An'an all night was that I felt much better; so, when you're feeling down, never shut yourself off, as that will only make things worse. If you try to communicate as much as possible, you might be surprised by the results.

I'm also very fortunate to have An'an as a friend. We have no conflict of interest, so we can freely discuss topics that are usually difficult to talk about... If it were Nicole, she would only tell me how difficult Ye Zhi's life is; Zhou San would desperately praise Yang Sisi; these are not the things I want to hear, because I always feel like I'm being directed by someone else.

...

Back at my place, I cooked myself a bowl of noodles. After eating, I started planning the event for the bar's opening day in my room... and before I knew it, it was already two in the morning.

My neck was a bit uncomfortable, so I took a walk in the yard for a while...

There has never been a quieter time. I sat down on the recliner again and started thinking about many people and many things that had happened. My heart has never been more impartial than at this moment... I felt that I had let Wang Lei down.

I don't hate Lu Jia too much.

I miss Yang Sisi, who's far away in Shanghai...

When Ye Zhi appeared in my mind, I felt another wave of helpless pain.

I have no way to make it up to Wang Lei, but what about the others?

Is there still a chance in this life to make the most of it and leave no regrets with any of them?

I'm afraid I don't have that ability; I just hope to cause less damage.

...

It felt like just a blink of an eye, and it was already the day before the bar's opening, the busiest day in recent times.

Early in the morning, I went to the company where I used to deliver food and handed out tissue advertisements related to the bar's opening to every deliveryman. My intention was strong: I hoped the bar would be an instant success when it opened tomorrow.

We also had to make a splash immediately, because the bar was too big, and Chen Jin and I were already at our wits' end. We simply didn't have the extra funds to fight a protracted war, so we had to earn enough working capital in the short term to keep the bar afloat.

Chen Jin was even more nervous than me, and he went to the Porsche Owners Club group leader early in the morning to discuss some details of tomorrow's event.

On Wednesday, he spent every minute testing the interactive dating app in the bar.

Ia was also leading a group of people to organize the display of the wine cabinet.

It wasn't until almost afternoon that we finally had time to have lunch together.

Pass

During the process, Zhou San, who was sitting next to me, asked me in a low voice, "Brother, are you really not going to tell my fourth brother to come and support us?"

"We won't let her go through all that trouble."

"But she keeps asking me about you... I think she wants to come to Dali."

"Is that so?"

I tried to gloss over the matter, but Zhou San was still bothered by my trip to Shanghai. He said, "I don't know what you were thinking... You're already in Shanghai, and you can't resist meeting my fourth brother!"

"I've already explained it to you... Not meeting is so that we can meet better in the future... That time, I really wasn't mentally prepared... You know, we've known each other for more than three years, and suddenly changing roles is hard to adapt to."

After pausing for a moment, I patted Zhou Sansan on the shoulder and said, "Bringing your fourth brother over at this time would be a burden for her. You've seen how bad my temper has become since the car accident... If I truly care about her, how could I bear to let her suffer my bad temper at this time?"

(End of this chapter)

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