The terrible weather made me think about keeping Ye Zhi here. I said to her, "This rain is too heavy! Why don't you stay here tonight? There are plenty of houses. I'll go to the hotel and get your suitcase for you when the rain stops."
“I hadn’t planned to come to the ancient city, so I booked a hotel in Xiaguan. It’s more than ten kilometers away, which is quite inconvenient to go back and forth. I’ll just go back by myself.”
As Ye Zhi spoke, she took an umbrella from the box where I kept odds and ends.
As she was about to leave, I blocked her way and asked, "So, you really just stopped in Dali for a day? Staying in Xiaguan was for convenience to get to the airport, right?"
"Yes... a developer here kept inviting me to have a meal in Dali, so I only stayed in Dali for a day. I'm flying to Xishuangbanna tomorrow afternoon."
I didn't believe it, so I took out my phone and checked. Sure enough, there were direct flights from Dali to Xishuangbanna, and it was in the afternoon that Ye Zhi had mentioned. I felt a little disappointed, but I remained rational. So after a moment of silence, I said to Ye Zhi, "Okay, I won't delay your trip. I'll find you a thicker coat to wear... Don't catch a cold."
"I'm fine."
If we're talking about stubbornness, Ye Zhi really is a stubborn woman. After she finished speaking, she opened the door and walked into the darkness and wind and rain.
I just stood there, stunned, and then I had this strange feeling. Not only me, but even Ye Zhi was confused. I didn't know what was wrong, but we got angry with each other... To be honest, we are both very rational people, and this kind of thing really shouldn't have happened to us.
I found a thick down jacket in the closet and chased after her. Despite running, I still couldn't catch up with Ye Zhi... After leaving Jiulongju, all I saw were unfamiliar faces sheltering from the rain under the eaves... It seemed that Ye Zhi's entry into my world that night was just an illusion.
...
Back at my lodgings, I was still in a daze until I noticed that an umbrella was missing from the storage box. Only then did I realize that what had just happened wasn't a dream, but something that had actually occurred.
I opened the window, and the damp, cold air drifted in from outside. I moved a chair over and sat down by the window, and then I became more and more awake…
I pulled another cigarette out of my pocket and lit it. I couldn't help but think of that night when I returned to Shanghai alone. If I had met Ye Zhi that night, what would the situation be like now?
If she has any flaws, I think it's that she's too smart, so my lies couldn't fool her, and I really did go to Shanghai specifically to see her.
...
Lost in thought, my phone vibrated. I took it out of my pocket and looked at it. It was a photo sent by Yang Sisi... She sent me a voice message asking, "Do you remember this photo?"
Of course I remember, because when this photo was taken, it was right after we arrived in Dali. In order to make money, we were tricked by Tie Nan and Instructor Ma into taking a set of artistic wedding photos... In the photo, I am holding onto a tree branch tightly with my other hand, while holding onto Yang Sisi with my other hand.
It was an extremely dangerous moment; Yang Sisi twisted her ankle and almost fell off the cliff...
After thinking for a while, I finally replied, "I remember, Coach Ma took the photo for us... We almost lost our lives that day!"
"Tell me, if we had all fallen back then, wouldn't the grass on our graves be two meters high by now?"
"Death is such a serious matter, can you please stop making it sound so ridiculous?!"
"I'm not joking... Every time I see this photo, I start having all sorts of wild thoughts... about what happens after I die... What do you think, if I die, will I go to heaven or hell?"
"Aside from your sharp tongue, you're a good person overall, so you should go to heaven."
"And you, where are you going?"
"If I don't go to hell, who will?"
"So, even if we die together, we're not on the same path, right?"
I was stunned, and after a long while, I replied evasively, "Isn't it better to just live well? Why do we have to discuss whether we're dead or alive?"
"Don't you think time flies by too fast?... We met this summer, and it feels like it happened just yesterday, but now it's already been half a year!"
"If you treat half a year as a day, then we're both really not far from death!"
This time, it took Yang Sisi about ten minutes to reply. It was another voice message, her voice particularly low: "Michael, I'm at the airport now, I've already got my boarding pass... I never imagined I'd leave like this... I feel like I still have so much to say, so many things to do..."
She choked up as she spoke.
I kept the phone to my ear and listened: "I'm wearing the shoes you gave me right now... They feel pretty good, just a bit stiff... Maybe because they're new, they'll soften up after I wear them a bit more?"
I replied with a voice message: "That's how sneakers are, they get more comfortable the more you wear them."
"Hmm, shoes always come in pairs, so why do I always feel so lonely?... I really don't understand!"
"Loneliness is human nature, and you have to learn to bear it."
“I can’t bear it, so I imagine these shoes as you, and I trample on you under my feet a thousand times every day.”
I replied with strong dissatisfaction, "Don't you taste it?... Haven't I given you other things before? Why do you have to imagine me as a pair of shoes!"
"After I've ravaged you... I'll take you, you country bumpkin, to see the most beautiful scenery in the world... I'm leaving now, take care."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
