Actually, even though Zhou San didn't want to tell me who this benefactor was, I could guess a few things; he probably went to Nie Dangdang's father, Lao Nie. Lao Nie has political resources and we've always had a good relationship, so expediting a passport wouldn't be difficult for him.

Ye Zhi might also be involved, since she was the one who sent me to Thailand. She knew that Ping Ge didn't offer me much help in my life, so she definitely hoped that I could have someone like Zhou San San who could take care of me the whole time... But Zhou San San always wanted me to be with Yang Sisi, so he had a motive to hide this matter. He never wanted me to remember Ye Zhi's kindness.

Of course, it's more likely that Yang Sisi herself did this.

If... it really is Yang Sisi, then I truly owe her so much...

I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again in this lifetime. If we do, I don't know how I'll feel when I face her.

...

After a moment of this daze, night fell as expected. I was a little hungry, so I went out for a walk by myself. I went into a noodle shop. I had heard that the chili sauce in Thailand was amazing, but the doctor told me I couldn't eat spicy food. So, faced with all these different kinds of chili sauces, I just ordered a bowl of plain noodles, just like my life now, completely tasteless.

At this moment, I really wish I had someone to talk to. I'm so lonely. Apart from chatting with Ping Ge for a few minutes this morning, I haven't spoken to anyone else. I'm not an autistic person, but I really don't know how to communicate with those Thai people who don't speak the language. Even when the noodles were too salty, I just silently endured it...

...

Back in the ward, I sent a WeChat message to Ping Ge, asking where he was. He said he had already returned to Phuket because something came up there and he could only come over on the day of my surgery. I was completely stunned, which meant that tomorrow I would have to repeat today's boredom and emptiness.

I suddenly missed Dali terribly. It's not that there's no boredom in Dali, but you can always find someone to talk to, and if all else fails, you can sit by Erhai Lake. Here, I can only move around near the hospital, which reminds me of the days I was locked up in the detention center. I feel the same way.

I finally picked my phone up from the bedside table. Luckily, my friend An'an remembered to check on me. She sent me a WeChat message ten minutes ago, asking, "Have you arrived in Thailand yet?"

I complained incessantly, "We've arrived, and it's much more boring than I imagined. I have to do everything by myself. The worst part is the language barrier. There are people all around me, but I can't talk to a single one of them. I guess this is how animals feel when they're locked in cages!"

An'an seemed to have a lot of free time, so she texted me back after a short while: "Where are all your female confidantes? At the most crucial moment, not one of them was there for you!"

You really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics!

Don't think I'm...

I was just kidding, I'm asking you seriously... You're so vulnerable right now, whoever is there for you in this time of trouble, that's true friendship."

"It's my own fault for being a bad person, it's not their fault... Never mind me, how have you been lately? You must be super free, right?"

"You're wrong. Thanks to you, I've been quite busy lately. When I have free time, I go out with the car club, and in the evenings I practice yoga with the local yoga instructor. You know what? The place I live in, Shanshuijian, is a real hidden gem. There are all sorts of amazing people there. Besides yoga, I've also met a painter, and whenever I have free time, I learn to paint traditional Chinese paintings with her... I think I'm slowly falling in love with Dali. It's like it's awakened another side of me... So, I'm especially grateful to you. You've created opportunities for me to socialize!"

Even though we were just exchanging text messages, I still smiled and replied, "The person you should thank the most isn't me. The reason you can cultivate so many hobbies is because you're not short of money. I just helped you find some ways to spend your money, so your current happiness is still brought to you by money."

"So, according to your logic, I should be more grateful to the person who gave me money?"

"If you are satisfied with your current life, then theoretically you can say that."

“But I feel that I am not as dependent on him as before; now even if he doesn’t come to see me for a week, I don’t feel anxious like before… Sometimes, I’m even afraid that he will come to see me… I feel disturbed because he has disrupted my original plans.”

"So, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

“I can’t quite explain it… but one thing I’m sure of is that if one day I give up this life of financial dependence on him, I will still choose to stay in Dali… I’m already consciously looking for ways to make money… A few days ago, I partnered with some friends from the car club to open a modification shop. Although I didn’t invest a lot of money, it was a shift in my mindset. If there are other good projects in the future, I will continue to invest.”

With a hint of doubt, I asked, "Does he support your current lifestyle? Does he mind that you have your own circle of friends?"

“He’s so busy right now, he doesn’t have time for me at all… I think as long as I don’t use his name to socialize, he won’t care.”

"That's good!"

I thought my conversation with An'an should end there, but then she sent me another message: "Seeing how miserable you are, how about I come to Bangkok to visit you? I have time anyway."

"Haha... I won't reimburse your travel expenses."

"You don't need to reimburse me."

I then realized that An'an wasn't joking with me, but I was very clear-headed. Even if I needed someone to accompany me, I shouldn't have asked her to come. However, to avoid making her feel embarrassed, I sent her a voice message.

He then said with a smile, "I'm the kind of person who likes to exaggerate. Actually, I'm not as miserable as I make it out to be. Ye Zhi just stayed with me here for two days..."

An An didn't seem to take it to heart; then, she replied with a voice message, saying with a smile, "I think this is a good thing... So, will she still go to Thailand to be with you?"

I replied firmly, "Definitely. She had to rush back because of an important meeting; otherwise, she would have stayed here for a few more days."

"You're the kind of person who gets the benefits but then complains to me... You're having such a comfortable time in Thailand, yet you're complaining to me... I almost mistook you, a king, for a bronze... I'll talk to you later, I have some friends inviting me to a bar for a few drinks."

"Okay, let's talk another day."

(End of this chapter) h/>/>