Just as I was pondering Ye Zhi's words, another student couple walked past us. The boy was a step behind the girl; he crouched behind her, patted her on the shoulder, and when she turned around, he ran in front of her, then half-squatted down. The girl bumped into him, stumbled, and he instinctively carried her on his back...

On the other side, it was probably their friends who recorded this scene on their phones...

As someone who's always on the cutting edge of trends, I could tell at a glance that they were filming the most popular short videos of the moment. And with the same trick, they had an advantage because they chose beautiful locations. So the video not only featured the student couple, but also the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake at sunset.

But I don't want this video to go viral, nor do I want Dali to become a "hot" city, because once it becomes overly commercialized, people like us will lose a spiritual home... This is just one of my rather selfish thoughts.

After a moment of daze, I finally spoke to Ye Zhi and sighed, "Students these days really know how to have fun... Do you think they'll feel bad if they break up one day and then think about what happened today?"

Ye Zhi countered, "Why do you think so pessimistically?"

"Student-era romances often lack any foundation, so few last... I'm not pessimistic, it's just that after seeing so many things, you naturally come to the answer in your heart, which is like having a God's-eye view."

"Let me ask you a question. If you were 0 years old and suddenly had God's perspective, able to foresee the future... what would you most want to do?"

I laughed and said, "Of course I'd buy lottery tickets, a hundred bets every time; then I'd use the winnings to go on a buying spree of houses in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen..."

"Well, what did you do after you bought the house?"

I was a little confused by Ye Zhi's question, and after a long while, I replied, "I don't know what to do... I'll just live my life with money, since money is everything!"

“I don’t think this is what you really think. You wouldn’t use such a valuable opportunity just to make money.”

Do you want to hear my honest opinion?

"Of course I want to..."

Ye Zhi and I looked at each other for a long time before she whispered, "If I had God's perspective, I would write a letter to my seven-year-old self when I was zero years old, telling myself that on my way to Dali, I should never help a stranger change a tire, no matter how much the stranger needed help, I should pretend I didn't see it..."

As soon as I finished speaking, I changed my mind and quickly added, "No, of course I have to help Wang Lei avoid this disaster. If she had been alright, there wouldn't have been this whole thing about going to Dali!"

Ye Zhi shifted her gaze from mine and asked in a low voice, "Do you regret coming to Dali, or do you regret meeting me?"

“I made this choice not to tell you what I regret; I just want you to understand that I’ve been very unhappy all these years… Can you tell me what I did wrong and why I just can’t be happy?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t trap myself in this problem and torture myself… I think that one day, when you truly become a happy person, you’ll find that this problem is meaningless, because no one ever lives for the past… So, what you should do most is to change yourself… That’s what I hope to see in you… I hope that after you arrive in Thailand, you can be completely transformed, just like when you came to Dali from Shanghai… You always felt unhappy, but since coming to Dali, you’ve really gained a lot.”

I remained silent because I realized my own problem: I complained too much in front of Ye Zhi. It's strange; when I'm with others, I'm usually the one in control, but in front of her, I become like a wronged child... I don't really want anything from her; I just hope she can comfort me.

Ye Zhi seemed to understand my thoughts. She divided the skewers the waiter brought into two equal portions and said to me, "It's settled then. Tonight, I'll eat as much as you want... From now on, my goal is clear: I'm going to eat myself into a fat person... And you, set a goal for yourself too. First, go to Thailand to heal your leg, and then build your own career... Once all of that is achieved... we'll meet again here today, and finally do what you want to do together... I'm not just saying this; I'm really interested in the idea you mentioned... Just thinking about how one day I can bring this warmth to those children gives me the motivation to face the future!"

I looked at Ye Zhi, and she looked at me sincerely. She then asked me, "Can you promise me?"

"I know you're trying to encourage me, thank you."

"Can you promise me?"

Seeing Ye Zhi's unwavering determination, I'm starting to believe her... But from an adult's perspective, can we really do this together?

It was actually difficult, but I was used to lying, so I nodded to her, indicating that I had agreed.

Ye Zhi looked quite content. After smiling, she began to eat the food that had been allocated to her...

But I hesitated to reach out. I thought: if I could truly achieve these goals, my heart would be filled with sunshine… I would feel like a remarkable person, because I had weathered such a storm and rediscovered my direction in life, which is already an extraordinary thing, not to mention that I could also make a contribution to society…

"Michael, why aren't you eating?"

"You eat first, I'll let you have your food..."

"I don't need you to give way to me."

I smiled and said, "You said you didn't need to give way, so it's settled. What will you do if I finish eating first?... Don't think I'm making things difficult for you. You're the one who said you wanted to have a competition. Since it's a competition, there should be some kind of reward or punishment."

What do you suggest we do?

I thought for a moment and replied, "Gambling won't hurt you. How about this, if you lose... you walk like a cat from Jianshui Barbecue to the gate of Dali University in front of all these people, and then walk back from the gate of Dali University... It's not too difficult for you, it's only about 100 meters round trip."

Ye Zhi looked back, then let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Do you really think I'm that kind of open-minded person?"

"If you're absolutely certain you'll win, then you don't need to be afraid of the outcome at all... Maybe I'll slip up!" To chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Sister," follow "Hot Articles" or "rd444" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other book lovers.