After a bit of playful fighting, the money was still in my hand. She stood a short distance away, hands on her hips, watching me, exhausted. She snapped angrily, "Michael, you bastard! I really didn't have any money. You took it all! Do you want me to starve?! There was money from selling clothes in there! How dare you take it?"
"What I learned from you, I can take and make it mine."
"There's plenty of money in the bank, why don't you just rob it? Only a beast like you would bully a poor girl like me who's completely broke!"
I ignored her. She continued angrily, "Go ahead and rob Ye Zhi! She's got tons of money. Do you even dare? You chickened out in front of her for ages! You only bully honest people like me!"
Yang Sisi couldn't handle me, so she sat down on the steps next to her and stopped talking about robbing me. This sudden change made me very uncomfortable. I tentatively took two steps towards her and asked, "This is the money you used to save your life in Dali. You really don't want it?"
"No, I'll just consider it buying steamed buns to feed the dog."
I smiled, then put the loose change back next to her and said, "I was just kidding. Take the money back, but be careful with it. Think about how hard we worked today to sell a few pieces of clothing!"
Yang Sisi glanced at me, as if afraid I would change my mind, and quickly grabbed the money into her hand, saying to me, "At least you still have some conscience."
I took a drag of my cigarette, then looked at her, wanting to say something, but I couldn't think of a legitimate reason to lure her to the restaurant. Just then, Yang Sisi suddenly patted my arm, a hint of inexplicable joy in her voice, and said, "Let's go sell clothes again tomorrow, okay? I'll share some with you, so you don't work for free, what do you think?"
"It's not good. I think it's pretty boring to just drift through life like this."
"Isn't the whole point of coming to Dali just to coast through life?"
I was speechless, then took another deep drag of my cigarette to mask my unease. In the brief silence, my phone rang again. This time it wasn't Lao Huang, but Tie Nan, the first friend I'd made since arriving in Dali.
I thought he was inviting me back for drinks, but instead he said to me quite seriously, "Michael, buddy, I have a job for you, want to take it?"
I was a little puzzled. How did this guy know what kind of work I was capable of doing? With that question in mind, I asked, "What kind of work?"
Tie Nan explained, "A car convoy just approached Instructor Ma, wanting him to take some promotional photos—basically wedding photos. Many tourists come to Dali specifically to take wedding photos, and they rent their cars to these tourists, so they wanted some material for promotion. They didn't have any other requirements, just wanted two models with good looks and气质 (qi zhi - a combination of temperament, bearing, and style) to take some wedding photos. I thought, why not let outsiders take advantage of this? The girl you're with today is perfect. If you agree, I'll give you 300 yuan each; it'll only take one morning, much better than selling clothes!"
"You mean, I should film with Yang Sisi?"
Tie Nan replied confidently, "Yes. But don't misunderstand, this isn't a compliment to your image. This promotional photo mainly emphasizes the role of the bride; you're just an accessory, and you're basically not given any close-ups."
"Hey, what's wrong with giving me a few close-ups, someone as handsome as me!?"
Tie Nan laughed heartily and said, "Then it's settled. We'll set off at seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to start work."
I raised another question, asking, "Isn't Coach Ma a singer in bars? Is it really reliable for him to be a photographer?"
"Everyone who lives in Dali has a few special skills! Don't worry, his stinky feet can't hide his talent. He's a guy with real skills."
...
After ending the call with Tie Nan, I turned my attention to Yang Sisi. Under her wary gaze, I said, "A friend of mine got a job. It pays three hundred yuan a morning, and lunch is included."
Yang Sisi replied skeptically, "Is it really that good? Three hundred yuan for half a day, plus meals!"
"Yes, it's very simple, just be a model for the car team here and take some promotional photos." I hesitated before continuing.
Yang Sisi pressed on impatiently, "Stop beating around the bush, what kind of promotional photo is it?"
"It's those kinds of beautiful photos taken for young couples who are about to get married."
Yang Sisi understood immediately. She pointed to herself, then to me, and asked, "So you mean, we're going to take these promotional photos together?"
Fearing she might refuse and my plans would fall through, I quickly said, "Everyone has professional ethics and the ability to distinguish between art and reality."
Yang Sisi rolled her eyes at me and replied, "If I agreed, wouldn't that be considered selling my 'sex appeal' for money? I don't know why, but when I do something with someone like you, I just can't think of it as artistic. Look at yourself from head to toe, what part of you is related to art?"
I took out my phone and examined myself on the screen, then replied very sincerely, "I don't have much of an artistic sense, I'm just here to make some money?"
"Since you're so self-aware, I'll take the job. But I have to make it clear beforehand: you'd better not put your groping hands around. I'm still a pure and innocent woman, and I can't let a beast like you defile me."
"Understood, I promise I won't put my hands where I shouldn't."
Yang Sisi suddenly asked, "Where are we going to eat tomorrow? It's not going to be boxed lunches, is it?"
Old Huang hasn't given me any news yet, so how would I know where he is? I replied casually, "Making money and staying alive is the most important thing; food is a minor matter. I'll just listen to their arrangements. But I heard the convoy is well-funded, so the meals shouldn't be too bad."
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