Even if Chen Jin hadn't told me this news, I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come so soon. In my subconscious, I thought I should at least wait until I got out of this predicament, otherwise it would only make things worse for my life.

As a man, there is no experience more painful than losing the woman you love during a career slump; I've already tasted this pain with Lu Jia, and now it's Ye Zhi; I can clearly feel that this time it hurts even more, because I know Lu Jia left me to pursue a better life; but Ye Zhi didn't, she jumped from one fire pit into an even bigger one.

I sat on the bed for a long time before replying to Chen Jin's message. I forwarded the message that Ye Zhi had sent me earlier to him.

Not long after, Chen Jin replied, "What does she mean by this? Is she pushing you to Sisi's side and then abandoning you?"

"I knew this day would come..."

"Don't give me irrelevant answers. What are you really thinking right now?"

"Given the current situation, what else do you think I can do?"

“I know you’re in a bad situation right now, and you’re in a passive position… but if you do nothing, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life… Michael, are you even a man? You know perfectly well how much Ye Zhi loves you…”

"Isn't this what adult love is like... If you were me, or if you were in her shoes, would we have a better choice?"

"Yes... I think it's because you're afraid to face it. Think about it carefully. Over the years, has Ye Zhi ever expressed any desire for you to come and help her?... You've always been averse to Shanghai. If you had been by her side earlier, you might have already helped her out of this predicament... Now you want me to figure out the complicated situation at Binjiang Group? Do you think I'm more capable than you?... Michael, you've been running away. You have the ability to help her. Putting everything else aside, just look at the years you've spent in Dali, fighting Cao Jinbo so many times, and you always managed to escape unscathed. No matter how treacherous business battles are, can they be more ruthless than a gangster like Cao Jinbo?... You're running away, you've been running away all along. I really don't know what you're running away from... Yes, Shanghai is a painful memory for both of us... But it's far from being a place that can devour people. Your cousin is doing very well there, isn't he?... So, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid; the one who's afraid is Ye Zhi."

What do you mean by that?

“When our guesthouse was being demolished, she did express her desire for me to come and help her; but that was before we started dating. After that, she never mentioned it again. I never imagined that there were so many hidden dangers behind her illustrious background. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have had any concerns… But now it’s too late to say anything, because what’s done is done!”

"Is it because she doesn't want you to get involved in the power struggles within the Binjiang Group?"

She has always been

She did this even though she wanted me to misunderstand her and hate her… She understands better than I do that some people, blinded by greed, are truly capable of disregarding human life! …Therefore, before we get to the bottom of this, neither of us should jump to conclusions and say she did something wrong… At least for now, we're both still alive and well!

This time, Chen Jin took a long time to reply to the message. He asked, "Are you really going to give up?"

I felt my heart trembling, but I gritted my teeth and replied, "I don't have time. I'm just a person in a wheelchair. What can you expect me to do?... I really don't have the strength!"

"Then what you asked me to do before, does that still count?"

"Even if we can't be together in this life, at least we still have friendship and family ties... If I can help her solve all her troubles and make her happy, then it will be worth it for me."

"It's heartbreaking to hear!"

...

I didn't reply to Chen Jin's message, nor to Ye Zhi's... I sat back in my wheelchair, opened all the windows, and felt the sea breeze blowing from the distant ocean... I was trying to calm myself down; I hated myself so much that when I was in a bad mood, I couldn't even touch cigarettes and alcohol, which had always been like friendship to me... I had lost all ways to vent my emotions, like a stone, waiting to be weathered by the salty sea breeze...

I don't know how much time had passed when there was another knock on the door. Not wanting to be disturbed, I said to Ping Ge outside the door, "I'm already asleep. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Open the door, I want to talk to you."

I instinctively turned around because it wasn't Ping Ge's voice, and it sounded familiar, but not quite.

Who are you?

"You'll know once you open the door."

I turned my wheelchair and came to the door. The moment I opened it, I froze... Standing before me was none other than Fish Head, whom I hadn't contacted in a long time...

In a daze, I realized that Yang Sisi hadn't come to Thailand alone. She had stayed in Jimo for so long and had always kept in touch with Yu Tou, so Yu Tou must have been with her these days.

I told you she wouldn't be lonely, because there are just too many men who admire her, and Fish Head is just one of them.

...

On the beach, Fish Head handed me a cigarette and then asked, "Surprised?"

"To be honest, I'm not surprised at all... I know she went to Jimo before. Since she was in Jimo, how could she leave you out?"

"But she didn't go to Jimo for me."

As Yu Tou spoke, he brought his lighter closer, intending to light my cigarette for me. I pushed him away. Although I missed the taste of tobacco, at this moment, I could unconditionally discard anything that might affect my nerve recovery... I had already lost so much because of this crippled leg, and I didn't want to lose anything more.

I told the fish head, "I've given it up."

How many years have you been smoking?

I started smoking in my first year of high school.

It's been thirteen years.

"To quit smoking after such a long history, you're really tough!"

I gave a wry smile. "Given my current state, do I even have a choice?"

Fish Head lit the cigarette he was holding, took a deep drag, and after a moment of silence, said to me, “Time flies. I still remember the scene of you riding your beat-up scooter, following behind the team, just trying to make up the numbers… Back then, I really looked down on you… You were clearly dirt poor, but you were better at pretending to be a big shot than anyone else… I always thought you were following us to pick up girls… There are a few pretty girls in our team, and I always felt like you were looking at them with a lecherous eye… They didn’t like you either.”

"Really?... Back in Jimo, I wasn't poor at all. That was probably the richest time of my life... Actually, I'd like to buy a nicer motorcycle, but I don't really know much about motorcycles, so I don't want to tarnish your riders' faith!"

(End of chapter)