"There's no going back now... Look... Look, that dog is barking at you again... showing eight big, white front teeth... Uh... How many front teeth does a dog have again? I can't even lie properly anymore!"
"Can you please stop scaring me?"
I suppressed a laugh and replied, "Actually, I didn't mean to scare you. I just really can't imagine how scary this place is... I'm not bragging, but when I was a kid, I walked through real graveyards on mountain paths. Those were truly terrifying."
"Stop creating a scary atmosphere... You should take a good look at the business layout here. I think that's what you should be curious about, not trying to frighten me."
"I couldn't control myself... because I've seen so much of your calm and strong side, so seeing you like this now is really refreshing... so you have to forgive me, because anyone else would have done the same... haha!"
Ye Zhi didn't say anything, but she let go of my arm. I didn't know if she was angry with me or if she was going to test her courage.
I added, "If you don't want to be stuck like this, then buy me some food later as a bribe, and I'll take you out of here."
"You've really gone too far."
Ye Zhi's assertive side began to show again. Although I couldn't see her expression clearly, I could see her steps as she walked past the dog cage and then past a large, sprawling tree... As she walked further away, I realized that my joke had gone too far. The reason I joked like that was because Ye Zhi's usual calmness had greatly misled me; I thought she wouldn't get angry, much less hold a grudge against someone like me who likes to stir up trouble when she's bored. But this time, she was serious!
I was a little confused because I had absolutely no idea how to coax a woman like that.
...
A moment later, I caught up with her, and, deciding to just go all out, I lowered my voice and said, "I feel like we haven't even gotten out of here at all; we're still going around in circles!"
Ye Zhi stopped and turned to look at me. I quickly pointed my phone at her and finally saw her expression. Her face was very pale, and she looked really frightened!
Actually, I shouldn't doubt her fear, because she's definitely not the kind of woman who would use this environment to put on airs. Just like she said, everyone has weaknesses, like some people are afraid of heights, and I can't understand that kind of fear.
I pointed the light from my phone at myself, then made a peace sign at Ye Zhi and laughed, "Don't you think I'm cute?"
"You're such a boring person!"
"If you want to get revenge on me, I won't resist... because I really didn't put myself in your shoes just now, and I built my happiness on your pain."
After I finished speaking, I made a peace sign at Ye Zhi and pouted.
Ye Zhi was both annoyed and amused... After a long while, she said to me, "I really can't get angry at a scoundrel like you!"
"That's because I admit my mistakes and correct them; I'm still a good student."
Ye Zhi was indeed no longer angry with me. After a pause, she said to me, "Speaking of students, I just remembered something... What happened to your Azure Dragon Study Group?"
"I achieved outstanding results, and later I became one of the top students in the class, and was admitted to a key high school. Even now, my legend still exists in our school."
"What I admire most about you is your ability to spout nonsense!"
"If I don't talk nonsense, there's always a chance of an awkward silence between us."
Ye Zhi was silent for a moment, then asked me with obvious disappointment in her voice, "Am I a difficult person to get along with?"
Do you want to hear the truth?
"Um."
"I don't know if your personality is innate or acquired... Anyway, being around you always gives me a feeling of rejection... I've studied your way of speaking; you rarely even use interjections... This makes your personality seem cold, and in fact, it really is... In other words, only someone as thick-skinned as me can still exchange a few words with you; most people aren't unwilling to communicate with you, they're just genuinely afraid... But does the timidity and inferiority they feel when facing you really make you happy?"
“I’ve never thought of it that way. I’m just used to expressing myself this way… No, most of the time, I don’t have a strong desire to express myself, and I’m not very willing to get along with people I’m not related to.”
"This is indifference!"
Ye Zhi hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "But when I'm with you, I'll consider your feelings before I speak."
I looked up at her and smiled, replying, "You're treating me like a friend! ...I'm really happy about that!"
“I think you are a kind person at heart... so no matter what you say to me, I will tell myself not to get angry.”
"Is that so?"
Ye Zhi didn't answer me. After a moment, she changed the subject and said to me, "Do you think you can do something here, so you insisted on coming in to take a look?"
"I've had that idea... but more than that, I'm curious... why are two adjacent commercial streets so different, one incredibly popular and the other eerily deserted... I think if we set up a horror-themed amusement park there, it would be very profitable!"
“These shops are all very small and not easy to connect, so I don’t think they have the space to be used as game arcades… But your idea is quite good; it’s a good way to adapt to local conditions.”
I smiled and replied, "I'm just guessing... It's nighttime now, so I can't see very clearly. I'll come back during the day tomorrow to see what the environment is like inside."
"Hmm... let's go out first... it's really uncomfortable staying here."
I didn't make things difficult for Ye Zhi anymore. After nodding, I let her hold my arm and walked out of the commercial pedestrian street called "Jiulongju" with her.
...
I was surprised to find that the other end of this commercial street is right next to Renmin Road, which is also a very bustling road in the ancient city. This is even more puzzling. Why is it that the two entrances of the commercial street are right next to bustling roads, but the commercial street itself is not popular?
Could it be that there really is such a thing as feng shui?
I'm not really a believer in this superstition. On the contrary, I think the current rock-bottom rents are very tempting to me. It's a good opportunity to buy at the bottom... But for the time being, I haven't figured out what kind of project would be suitable for this very strange commercial street.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
