At eight o'clock, there was a few drops of rain hitting the windshield of the car. Just ten minutes later, the rain became more intense, and I had already adjusted the speed of the wipers twice, and the car speed also decreased at the same time.
The frequent brake lights ahead made me even more anxious. Ye Zhi and I had promised to get to Luxi before 10 o'clock, but at this speed, even an extra hour wouldn't be enough.
There seemed to be another traffic accident ahead due to the rain; the tunnel was completely jammed, and I, along with many large trucks, were stuck outside. Five minutes later, I turned off the engine and the windshield wipers. As I lit a cigarette, I checked my phone again, only to find that there was absolutely no signal.
I glanced instinctively at the passenger seat; it was completely empty. Only rainwater seeped in through the cracks in the open window, gradually wetting the handrail inside the car door. It was then that I truly understood what real loneliness meant.
In this loneliness, I thought of Lu Jia again. About six months ago, I told Lu Jia that if we ever had money, we'd buy a car so it would be convenient to go anywhere. At that time, Lu Jia probably hadn't considered leaving yet, so she looked at me with such longing. I promised her again: my passenger seat will always be reserved for her…
She said: Okay.
But today, I drove over 1000 kilometers, and there was no sign of her in the passenger seat. I guess this is where my loneliness comes from. Looking at the flashing car lights outside the window, her image gradually appeared in my mind. So I once again tried to peek into her life, only to find that the rain outside was pouring down harder and harder!
In this profound loneliness, I grew to hate even more those businessmen who manipulate the world with capital, because the ordinary dreams of us ordinary people are so vulnerable in their eyes, and even after being exploited, we still can't afford a house, a car, or our own dreams.
...
At 11 p.m., I finally got off the highway and drove into Luxi County. The Guanjing Lanwan Hotel that Ye Zhi mentioned was very easy to find because it was the only decent hotel in the whole county, but it didn't offer much value for money.
Its facilities are at most four-star standard, but it's priced like a five-star hotel, so even the most basic single room costs 500 yuan a night. I couldn't possibly spend money in such a hotel, so I only booked a room in the budget hotel next door before sending Ye Zhi a WeChat message to let her know I had arrived.
Ye Zhi said she was waiting for me in the hotel restaurant.
I only took a pack of cigarettes and went there.
...
Small towns can't compare to tourist cities like Dali. By 11 o'clock, there were hardly any people on the streets. In the restaurant of this four-star hotel, only Ye Zhi and I were left, along with another table of guests having a late-night snack.
Ye Zhi had already removed her makeup and was wearing pajamas, looking very simple and casual. Even so, her beauty was not diminished at all, so her beautiful image was definitely not built on makeup.
She asked me, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"Um."
"Let's eat something first."
She called the waiter over, and I ordered a bowl of porridge and six pan-fried buns. When I was in Shanghai, I usually ate this as a late-night snack after working overtime, because it was both filling and easy to digest.
While waiting for the food, I said to her with some emotion, "I thought that after you left this time, I would never have the chance to see you again in this lifetime, but I never expected that I would chase after you for 1,300 kilometers and then meet you again in this small county town."
I know what you're trying to say.
"Yes, if I hadn't been scared, I really wouldn't have had the motivation to do something like that!"
Ye Zhi avoided my gaze, and I followed her gaze to look out the window. All I could see was the damp street and a few ten-story buildings, standing motionless in the rain. Sometimes the lights went out, and sometimes they came on... The world was eerily quiet.
Ye Zhi finally spoke and asked me, "You've come all the way from Dali, what do you hope I can do for you?"
I replied, "I've also received very definite information that your project in Longkan will be progressing very quickly. So our inn might not even make it until the New Year before it's demolished. I know this outcome is irreversible… I just hope you can leave our inn some room to grow, so we can finish our business during the peak tourist season. We could probably earn an extra few hundred thousand yuan. A few hundred thousand might not seem like much to you, but for us, it's our last hope!"
Ye Zhi's expression turned serious. She said to me, "Michael, this isn't a matter between us, but between our group and your inn. You need to understand the nature of this matter before we can continue our discussion."
I looked into her eyes and then remembered what Yang Sisi had said to me earlier. Judging from Ye Zhi's expression at this moment, she had already hit half the mark.
I lit a cigarette and replied, "I understand what you mean. This matter is not negotiable on your end, right?"
"Yes, the reason the 'government' ultimately chose our group's proposal is because we have an efficiency advantage over our competitors. First of all, we cannot break our promise to the 'government,' so we will only push the project forward faster than planned, not slower. Secondly, we have invested so much manpower and resources, costing millions every day. We cannot let the progress of the project be affected by a single inn... Finally, I am not the only decision-maker in the group, and I do not have absolute decision-making power."
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