Before eight o'clock, I took Ye Zhi to the airport. As she went to get her boarding pass, I felt that heavy atmosphere of parting again. I knew that she had already attended the project's launch ceremony, and that she would only come to Dali less and less frequently in the future.
I looked at the boarding pass in her hand, smiled, and asked her, "Are you really planning to put that 'Bai Lu' bar on hold for the time being?"
"If I said I don't have any plans to do it for the time being, would you think I took over the bar because I feel guilty towards you?"
"A little... Although you don't really care about this little bit of money, it's still a waste to just sit around doing nothing!"
"Why don't you make it for me?"
I was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied, "Forget it, I have big ambitions and I wouldn't be interested in such a tiny bar."
Ye Zhi shrugged and said, "Then let's just relax for now."
After a brief pause, Ye Zhi took out her phone, found a photo, and asked me, "Are these the people who beat you up in Luxi last time?"
I looked closely and it really was true. I couldn't help but ask her, quite puzzled, "How did you get their photos?"
"The police station has already arrested the person."
What did you do?
Ye Zhi avoided answering, and simply replied, "I won't let you suffer this loss for nothing."
I looked at her, my heart filled with mixed emotions...
She looked at me, then smiled and said, "I need to go through security now. I hope everything goes well for you here."
"Yes, have a safe journey with me too."
Ye Zhi was silent for a moment, then looked at me and said unexpectedly, "Uh... I'll come find you to play again when I have time..." At this point, she smiled faintly and asked me, "Is 'er' considered a modal particle?"
I was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered that I had criticized her last night for not using interjections when she spoke. I didn't expect that she would actually take it to heart and try to change in front of me.
I quickly replied, "Yes, definitely... If you can keep it up, it will make you seem very down-to-earth."
"I'll do my best."
Would adding "了" after "try your best" make it more vivid?
Ye Zhi first pouted, then smiled at me, and after saying "Goodbye," she didn't linger. She walked alone towards the VIP passage and quickly disappeared from my sight...
I stood there for a long time, feeling both lost and trying to overcome the regret of losing another person by my side.
...
Ten minutes later, I got back to my car and habitually picked up my phone to check... I could hardly believe my eyes, because Ye Zhi had posted another update on WeChat Moments: The update included a selfie of her wearing sunglasses, and a small passenger plane was visible in the photo, so it must have been taken in the airport waiting area... Along with the photo, there was a caption that read: Goodbye Dali, goodbye winter...
I couldn't help but smile. She really was trying to change... Of course, I couldn't fall behind her. I really should make something of springtime in Dali's indistinct winter!
Just as I was about to start the car, I received another text message notification that my bank card had received a transfer of 300,000 yuan. This was, of course, transferred from Ye Zhi. I immediately felt a sense of security because this money kept me alive in Dali.
...
I closed the text message page and then called Sun Jiwei. I accepted Ye Zhi's suggestion to take the initiative to reach out to some people in society. For me, regardless of whether they were helpful to me, it would at least prove that I had the idea of getting out of the world.
I think this is the best kind of friendship: we can influence each other, change each other, and then continue to pursue a better state.
Sun Jiwei answered my call a moment later. When I told him I wanted to invite him to dinner, he was surprised, but then happily agreed. Ye Zhi was right; Sun Jiwei was grateful to me and genuinely wanted to be my friend. And I realized that if I really wanted to make a name for myself in Dali's business world, he was a friend I absolutely had to win over!
...
After leaving the airport, I didn't go back to the guesthouse. Instead, I went to the "Jiulongju" commercial pedestrian street, which I hadn't been able to see clearly the night before. Unlike at night, there were finally a few scattered tourists here during the day. But after observing carefully, I found that most of these tourists were in tour groups and brought in by tour guides, and there were very few independent travelers.
However, without the eeriness of the night, the superior environment of the commercial street becomes apparent; it's like a small paradise nestled within the ancient city...
I felt that the merchants inside didn't seem to be here to do business, but rather to enjoy a leisurely lifestyle. Some of them kept birds, some kept dogs, and some kept cats. Even more impressively, I saw someone keeping a white fox... It was practically a mini zoo.
I really don't want to believe what I'm seeing, but the truth is, there are more animals than people here, so the entire commercial street has long lost its commercial atmosphere and is more like a residential area.
I wandered around inside again and found that the layout of the commercial street wasn't without its merits... I really liked the design where the shops could form a small courtyard, but the environment was even better than a traditional courtyard house. Here, everyone shared an open courtyard with a scenic stream, flowers, and parasols. Just one glance made me feel very relaxed.
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