Even more uncomfortable than me was the driver. I stood in the way of the car door, unsure whether to let him leave or not. Ye Zhi finally spoke to the driver, saying, "I'll talk to him for a while. Please wait a little longer, about ten minutes."
The driver quickly replied, "Okay, I'll drive to the parking lot next door, and I'll drive back after you've finished talking."
"Yes, thank you."
After the driver drove away, only Ye Zhi and I remained in the same spot. She was silent for a moment, then looked at me and said, "I always thought we were two people who could treat each other with honesty. Why did you lie?"
"This isn't lying... It's a state of mind that's hard to express in words."
"Is that so? I don't understand."
I don't know how to explain... I can't even remember what I was thinking at the time, because it was a state of mind, only relevant to that moment.
Ye Zhi added, "I saw your WeChat Moments post last night... You said goodbye, did you think my coming to Dali was superfluous? You couldn't wait for me to leave."
"You've misunderstood, you've really misunderstood. That post wasn't directed at you."
Ye Zhi stared at me and asked, "Then who are you targeting?"
After a moment of silence, I replied, "It's Sisi. She went abroad with Xiaobao yesterday."
Ye Zhi remained calm and composed: "You must be very upset, right?... In my memory, you're not someone who likes to express your emotions on social media unless something really touches you."
This was a difficult question for me, but after a moment, I answered honestly, "You know... I came to Dali with her, though for different reasons. For a long time, she was like my shadow. I saw many things in her that I hadn't seen before... So, for me, or for her, she was a dreamer... Now that she's really gone, what I see is desolation... Although I know she'll have a better life, ultimately... I can't explain this feeling. It's like when Coach Ma and Bai Lu left; they always felt that Dali, though dreamy, wasn't a place that could keep people here... This makes me think of myself... Can you understand this feeling of unease?"
In the end, I became a bit incoherent.
"I really want to experience it, but I really can't."
"That's the difference between us... So, sometimes, it's not necessarily a good thing for us to be completely honest with each other... Like right now, I'd rather you lie to me and say you understand how I feel."
Ye Zhi looked at me, and I looked at her too...
I really wanted to hug her, but a voice inside me kept shouting, "We're not meant to be together."
Just then, a wedding procession drove in from outside the hotel. First, the groom got out of the car carrying a huge box. He shouted "Everyone who sees this gets a share" and handed the wedding candies to me and Ye Zhi. His groomsmen were not idle either, and they distributed the wedding candies evenly to the hotel staff present.
As I accepted the wedding candy, I offered my blessings to the groom. He was a very talkative man and praised my good taste, urging me to marry Ye Zhi soon.
He was truly blinded by happiness, thinking that any man and woman standing together could be like him and the bride in the car... But I neither denied nor confirmed it, because to me, he was just a stranger, so explanations were irrelevant. I simply smiled and said to him, "Dude, on such a wonderful day, I'm really happy for you... Can I have another pack of wedding cigarettes?"
The groom was exceptionally generous; without a word, he took out another pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his cigarette case and tossed it to me.
After doing all this, the groom carried the bride out of the car, and then walked into the hotel surrounded by everyone.
I squeezed the cigarette pack tightly, then smiled at Ye Zhi...
Ye Zhi glanced at me, then her gaze followed the bride and groom's backs as they looked into the hotel.
After everything quieted down, she finally spoke to me, saying, "I should go."
I replied softly, "Yeah, see you again sometime."
Ye Zhi lowered her head and walked towards the parking lot. As she got into her car, another impressive cannon salute echoed from the plaza outside the hotel. I knew that after this ceremony, the bride and groom, along with their family and friends, would be having their meal…
I was a little disappointed because I was still hungry and hadn't been able to properly treat Ye Zhi to a meal.
With an umbrella in hand, I finally rode my "little ninja" bike away from the hotel. It wasn't until I returned to the ancient city that I ate a bowl of Chongqing noodles on the street.
...
It was a busy afternoon for me. I went to the old town to buy some craft supplies, and then framed all the leaves I had picked up from the Champs-Élysées. I put the frames on the bedside table, hoping that every guest who stays here can experience the romance of the Champs-Élysées up close.
In the evening, the murals I ordered from the decoration market were delivered to "Jiulongju" by the craftsman. I was even busier. I asked Brother Ping for help, but even with the two of us, it was already 10 p.m. when all the murals were hung up.
Thankfully, after all that work, the room finally looked like it was taking shape. It's a pity Ye Zhi is gone; otherwise, she could have shared in this change as well. She's the one who truly deserves to share in this, because she's the one who came up with the idea.
For even better results, I decided to buy some more floor mats with Champs-Élysées street scenes.
However, when I opened my online banking, I was immediately discouraged because the balance on my card was less than a thousand yuan... That's how doing business is. Even if you have a plan beforehand, it's impossible to cover everything. So when you actually start doing it, you often face the predicament of not having enough budget.
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
