In fact, I had no reason to refuse Sun Jiwei. If it weren't for his tireless efforts, the inn would have been forcibly taken over by Cao Jinbo for 500,000 yuan long ago. Now he's offering 2 million yuan, which means we've made an extra 1.5 million yuan on top of our bad luck. Objectively speaking, this price is quite reasonable, considering that when we took over, we only spent about 1 million yuan including later investments.

This time, I wasn't as resolute as before. Exhausted, I replied, "Brother Sun, give me some time to think about it."

Sun Jiwei patted my shoulder and nodded in response.

...

On the way back to the guesthouse, I didn't let Sun Jiwei take me. I called one of those three-wheeled vehicles with a canopy. During the bumpy ride, I thought about many things: If I accepted the conditions that Sun Jiwei offered on behalf of his friend and transferred the guesthouse, I could probably get 600,000 yuan of it. I would take out the 190,000 yuan that Wang Lei had given me and continue to donate it to the Hope Primary School that she had funded before her death. I could still keep 400,000 yuan for myself.

The amount of money isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either.

Most importantly, I have another option. I can take this money back to Shanghai, borrow some more from relatives and friends, make a down payment on a small apartment, and then continue to find a job that I'm good at.

Although it's still not very comfortable, it's definitely much better than before, after all, we have an extra 400,000.

I'm somewhat tempted.

Alternatively, I could take this money back to my small mountain town. It would be enough to buy a house in the city outright, and then find a girl from that small town to live a life where we only worry about the mundane details of daily life.

This looks good too.

However, when I think of Wang Lei, my heart is filled with guilt, because everything I am doing now is what she most wanted to do when she was alive. If I give up the inn now for this 400,000 yuan, I really don't deserve the sincerity she once showed me.

From the moment I left Shanghai, I always felt that half of my life was for her.

...

In a daze, I arrived at the inn. Everyone was sitting in the small bar, but they weren't talking to each other; the atmosphere seemed heavy. I pushed open the door and went in, then sat down opposite Yang Sisi. She seemed to have just been crying; there were still tear stains on her face.

I lit the cigarette Coach Ma handed me, and just as I was about to finish it, Bai Lu finally clapped her hands and said to us, "Look at you guys, Michael is already back, why are you still looking so dejected? Tonight I'm treating everyone to a good meal, don't hold back, drink until you drop; when you wake up tomorrow, just pretend nothing happened."

Tie Nan clapped and said "Good" twice.

But I just stared at him blankly, and the atmosphere became awkward again.

Tie Nan threw a teacup lid in front of me and complained, "You jerk, can you stop acting like you're half-dead? Let me tell you honestly, none of the people sitting here have a grudge against you... You're only doing this for the inn, we know what's right and wrong."

I forced a smile and then asked Bai Lu, "Sun Jiwei has told me everything that happened these past few days. How were the medical expenses for that grandson ultimately reimbursed?"

To ease my guilt, Bai Lu smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, it's not a big loss. Our inn's revenue these past few days is enough to cover it... Sigh, no wonder people are eyeing our inn. In this environment, our inn is making so much money! You wouldn't believe it, the rooms for the next week are already booked in advance... This is the result of our concerted efforts!"

After Bai Lu finished speaking, she wanted to say something more, but I interrupted her, saying, "Everyone, listen to me for a moment... These past two days, being detained at the police station, I've reconsidered many things, including myself... To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in myself. Before, I always encouraged Sisi to experience the realities of society, but when it came to handling things myself, this is how I handled it. Perhaps some people are destined to live ordinary lives because we lack a certain ruthlessness when we're navigating society..."

Yang Sisi interrupted me again, saying, "You're pretty ruthless! You smashed that bastard's head open with one blow, just like smashing a watermelon!"

I looked at her speechlessly, unsure how to explain.

Coach Ma, who had been silent all along, replied for me: "When Michael said 'ruthless,' he meant cunning... It means being ruthless when you need to be, and cunning when you need to be. It would be even better if you could be calculating. Our group lacks all of those things."

"You could say that."

After a brief pause, I continued, "I just came out of the police station, and I talked with Sun Jiwei for quite a while... What he said to me, although a bit harsh, was still good advice for navigating the underworld... I'm quite questioning myself, and I feel even more sorry for everyone. I've dragged everyone down with me because of this... I'm sorry!"

Bai Lu replied, "Look at you, why are you saying such formal things?!... Although we haven't known each other for very long, we've been through thick and thin together. If you consider us friends and family, please don't say such distant things again!"

My heart was filled with mixed emotions. After a long while, I nodded and said, "Well... let's not talk about that for now. There's something else I want to tell you all... When we were having drinks just now, Sun Jiwei told me that he has a friend who also wants to invest in a high-end seaside inn in Dali. The other party is very satisfied with our inn and offered 2 million yuan to take over."

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