Thus, my temporary inn at Jiulongju became a flawless business, a result of my hard work; of course, it also owes much to the help of others, such as Cao Xiaobei and Sun Jiwei.
That night, I took Sun Jiwei to the bar where Nicole often sang... Nicole was still there, which proved that she really couldn't go home because of her previous rebellion. She was also a lonely person because she had lost her lover and her family.
In the flickering lights, Nicole strummed her guitar and quietly sang "The Price of Love." She seemed to have no emotional fluctuations, but as she sang, her eyes welled up with tears... She was probably thinking of the man who had betrayed her so completely.
This wasn't a good time to get involved in her emotions, so I looked away from her, poured Sun Jiwei a beer, and said to him, "Brother, I have something to tell you... When we were signing the contract with Cao Jinbo today, he asked me to help him out... Do you think there's something fishy going on here?"
Sun Jiwei was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What conditions did he offer you?"
"He asked me to help him manage the inns and bars in the old town, as well as the seaside inns in Shuanglang... He offered me a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan, and there should be a share of the profits later."
Sun Jiwei exclaimed, "Wow, apart from that closed-down seaside inn in Shuanglang, Cao Jinbo doesn't have any unprofitable businesses... If I give you one percent of the profits, you can still earn several hundred thousand a year... That's a pretty good offer!"
"So, I don't think this matter is as simple as it seems on the surface... I think he might be taking advantage of our relationship. After all, he has so many polluting industries that are the focus of your Environmental Protection Bureau's crackdown. Luo Zhuming is determined to deal with him, so he must find someone else to help him protect himself!"
Sun Jiwei laughed: "Haha... I'm just a minor section chief, you think too highly of me... Even if he wants to find a backer, it has to be someone who can be on par with Luo Zhuming... It's useless for him to rely on me! To put it bluntly, I can't even protect myself right now!"
After saying that, Sun Jiwei picked up his glass and drank the beer in one gulp. He looked a little depressed.
After a brief pause, he said to me again, "If you want to hear my opinion, then I'll tell you: this isn't a bad thing... You can give it a try. This should be the best time and the best opportunity for you to build connections in Dali."
I remained silent, but I had my own internal thoughts on the matter.
Sun Jiwei patted my shoulder and laughed, "Brother, there's no need to be so self-deprecating... You're a talented person, and talented people are so hard to find these days! I think the fact that Cao Jinbo made this request to you at this time shows that he really has vision and magnanimity... He's not the petty person that people say he is... Haha, there's always a reason why someone can succeed. Cao Jinbo has built such a large business empire, he must have some extraordinary qualities... You, be more confident too. Why is it that so many people who invested and did business at Jiulongju before lost money or left, but you were able to succeed so much?... Boldness, meticulousness, and resilience, that's what makes you so special!"
I smiled. I didn't necessarily agree with everything Sun Jiwei said, but I was quite pleased to be praised like that.
...
During the brief silence, I picked up my phone and opened WeChat. There was a friend request; assuming it was a customer inquiry, I added it without thinking… I habitually checked the person's Moments, only to find it was Cao Xiaobei. One post featured a photo of Yang Sisi: “After you left, I opened a café in the ancient city. Every night at 10 PM, I give customers a free cup of pudding milk tea. People ask me why I give it away… I just smile, because that's when I'm happiest… We met 53 days ago at 10 PM… I miss you, so much!”
I felt a mix of emotions. While I was feeling warm because of Ye Zhi, in the same city, another man was heartbroken for another woman... It seems this really isn't a perfect world!
For every person who is happy, there is another who is sad... and time, most of the time, cannot offer comfort.
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