Tie Nan put the phone on speakerphone, and I lit a cigarette while the call was still ringing; at the same time, I was thinking about what I should say to her later. A moment later, Yang Sisi answered the phone.
I tried to read her mood from her tone, but she asked very calmly, "Brother Tie Nan, is something wrong?"
Tie Nan glanced at me, unable to hide his smile, and replied, "Michael has something to say to me."
"What...what is there for me to say to him?"
"You and he have nothing to say to each other. I'm saying he has something to say to you..."
“I’m playing with my friends right now, I don’t have time to listen to him.”
Sure enough, I heard her friends talking on the other end of the phone. I lowered my voice and said to Tie Nan, "How about we forget about it? I'll call Sun Jiwei first. That's the important thing."
As Tie Nan handed me the phone, he said, "Let's not play dumb, we just agreed on that."
I reluctantly took the phone from Tie Nan, then cleared my throat calmly before saying to her, "It's me."
"If it's not you, then it must be a ghost!"
I was speechless at her words...
She added, "Just say what you have to say, don't act like some old cadre."
"I don't have any retired cadres."
"You clear your throat and then tell me it's me... isn't that putting on airs like an old cadre?"
"I'm used to being your boss, so I haven't adjusted yet."
"Oh...you're quite self-important, aren't you? You really dare to act like a boss in front of me."
“I personally paid you two months’ salary, what’s there to be afraid of?”
"If you're calling to try and feel superior to me, then I'm hanging up."
Tie Nan and the others stared at me blankly, then urged me to get down to business.
I cleared my throat again, as if by instinct, and said, "Wait a minute..."
Yang Sisi replied impatiently, "I can wait for anyone, just not you..."
Her words suddenly reminded me of what happened at the airport. We had argued about "waiting" back then, and I think she really took it to heart. So waiting has become a sensitive word between us, easily making her angry and leaving me with a sense of regret.
I said to her in a low voice, "Can we talk calmly for a bit?... We're calling you to let you know that we're not planning to sell the inn."
Yang Sisi on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "What does it matter to me whether you take over the inn or not?"
I was silent for a moment before replying, "Everyone really hopes you can come back."
Do you think I'm the kind of person who can be summoned at will?
"no."
"Where did you get the courage to make this call to me?"
"Because Dali is the place you dream of."
People change.
I detected no joking in Yang Sisi's tone; she was even somewhat serious. So I froze, unsure what to say. In my worldview, waiting and change are words that evoke a profound sense of helplessness. Take Lu Jia, for example. She left, not for many complicated reasons, but simply because she changed, unwilling to wait any longer…
Seeing that I didn't speak, Bai Lu then said to Yang Sisi, "Sisi, I know you were wronged in this matter, and we feel very indebted to you. That's why we thought of you the moment we decided not to transfer the inn. In fact, you could say that our reluctance to transfer the inn was, to a certain extent, because of you... We really loved the atmosphere you created for everyone, and it was only after you left that we truly realized how important you were to our team... No, not just the team, but family."
Yang Sisi remained silent for a long time before finally replying, "Sister Bai Lu, I'm really touched by what you've told me... But you're not me, so you don't know what kind of emotional journey I've gone through these past few days... You might think that my leaving Dali was like a child throwing a tantrum, an impulsive decision that I could easily go back with a little coaxing... But that's not the truth. I went through tremendous pain before finally mustering the courage to make this decision... I want to be very clear that I don't want to repeat that pain again. I've learned to control myself, and besides, having experienced being left with nothing in Dali, I've also learned to enjoy having everything I need in Shanghai..."
After a brief pause, Yang Sisi continued, "My parents were quite happy when I returned to Shanghai from Dali this time. They've stopped controlling my finances. I have plenty of money to spend now, and a group of friends are willing to tolerate my bad temper and say nice things to me... But what's the point of going back to Dali? Every day, besides getting up early and working late to pick up guests, I also have to live in a room converted from a storage room, without even a private bathroom... Haha, the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, the beautiful scenery, are nice, but they can't fill your stomach!... Sister Bailu, don't you think so?"
Bai Lu also fell silent...
"Sister Bai Lu, my friends are still waiting for me. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now..." After a short pause, she continued, "If you have time in the future, you are welcome to come to Shanghai. I promise to treat you sincerely. But you should come soon, because I may not be able to stay for long before I have to go abroad to study."
Bai Lu then spoke up, "Sisi, if that's really what you're thinking, then we won't try to persuade you anymore... Take good care of yourself. If you ever want to come back to Dali again, don't forget our inn. As long as the inn exists, its doors will always be open for you."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
