After the video call connected, Ye Zhi's familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared in my eyes. At this moment, she was by the sea, and the sea she saw was the real sea. The Erhai Lake that I was facing was just a freshwater lake, so it was definitely less imposing. However, the wind blowing along the lake was no less strong than the wind blowing over Ye Zhi's side, so our hair was blown very messily by the wind in the video.
Ye Zhi tidied her wind-blown hair, then waved to me through the camera lens. I smiled back at her, and everything seemed incredibly friendly.
Ye Zhi switched the camera, and I no longer saw her, but rather the surging sea and the distant lighthouse. She acted as my guide, saying, "This is Bali, Indonesia. I'm currently at Jimbaran Beach, which is the most welcoming beach on the entire island… Originally, this was a small fishing village inhabited by very simple and honest villagers. Later, someone invested in building a very beautiful hotel, which immediately attracted a large number of tourists. However, these commercial activities didn't cause the small fishing village to lose its original charm; instead, the villagers' enthusiasm and simplicity made the entire beach even more welcoming… Look…"
As Ye Zhi spoke, she adjusted the camera angle, and I saw a street musician singing with a guitar and tourists eating seafood barbecue. They all looked very relaxed. Even more relaxed were the couples sitting on the beach with snacks, chatting and laughing... Compared to the current desolation of Erhai Lake, I simply couldn't believe that there was such a lively place in another corner of the world.
I finally smiled and replied to Ye Zhi, "No wonder you said there are many places in this world more beautiful than Dali, now I've seen them..."
"You can also come out for a walk if you have the chance."
I took a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and then switched to the camera on the back of my phone, showing Ye Zhi the tranquil Erhai Lake at that moment…
I replied to Ye Zhi, "I don't have any plans to go out for a while... However, I truly believe that there are more beautiful and comfortable places outside of Dali."
While I was somewhat skeptical of Dali, Ye Zhi, who had never been a big fan of Dali, said, "Sometimes I feel that Dali is quite nice, especially at night. It has a kind of tranquility that other places can't provide... I especially like sitting alone by Erhai Lake and enjoying that feeling of peace and quiet."
"Is that so... Silence is sometimes another manifestation of loneliness."
Ye Zhi then switched the camera to show her face, and I noticed that she was only wearing a thin white shirt, which gave her an intellectual beauty. The ever-flowing sea breeze ruffled her hair again, revealing her light blue earrings, which made her look even more intellectual...
Just as I was about to say something about my current feelings, the delivery guy who had brought me the fast food returned. He said apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot a seaweed and egg soup for you when I was packing it up..."
I said it was nothing and took the food from the delivery guy, but Ye Zhi's expression was a little off. She asked me, "Didn't you say you had dinner with your friends and drank alcohol? What's going on with this food delivery?"
I felt awkward and embarrassed, and after a long while I finally grinned and said, "This is a late-night snack."
"It's only 7:30 there, and you're already having late-night snacks?"
Ignoring Ye Zhi's suspicions, I shamelessly replied, "Would you like something? Seafood fried rice, with seaweed and egg soup..."
Ye Zhi said in a low voice, "Why would you lie to me about something as small as eating?"
I put down the seaweed and egg soup in my hand, raised my other hand, took a drag of the still-burning cigarette, and then said softly to Ye Zhi, "People are not very willing to show their lonely side to others... It's not exactly lying, it's just that they're a little concerned about their image... You're the same, sometimes you're clearly very lonely, but you don't say anything... That's why you're like me, when we were in Dali, you would sit by Erhai Lake for a while, whether you had something to do or not."
Ye Zhi remained silent for a long time, then smiled and replied, "You lied to me, and you still have the nerve to argue?"
I smiled too.
Ye Zhi then asked, "Where are the other people in the inn? Didn't they come with you?"
I replied in a low voice, “Ever since Coach Ma and Bai Lu left, the inn has become deserted… These past few days, Tie Nan and Tao Zi have moved to Shan Shui Jian, and now I’m the only one left at the inn… If I had just come to Dali and been all alone, I probably wouldn’t have cared so much about this separation… But now I’ve gotten used to the liveliness and camaraderie when we’re together, and then watching them leave one by one… this feeling… is really unbearable!”
As I spoke, my gaze fell upon the vast Erhai Lake, and I felt like a fish that had fallen behind, desperately trying to catch up but ultimately failing to find where my former companions had gone.
This time, Ye Zhi seemed to sense my feelings. She said to me in a very gentle voice, "Would it be better if you tried to shift your focus? ...After all, there are so many things you can do in this world."
"Yes, there are many things that can be done... but very few that are interesting."
Just as Ye Zhi and I were talking, she was approached by a foreigner who seemed to want to invite her to a bar by the sea for a drink. Ye Zhi coldly refused, but the man persisted and bought a large bouquet of flowers to give her...
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