I got up and walked to the window, then opened the glass window, smiled at Ye Zhi and Nicole, and pretended that nothing had happened. Nicole said to me, "Just after we left the bar, Ye Zhi said you were going to get into trouble and that she wanted to come back. I couldn't stop her... I didn't expect that you were deliberately trying to get rid of us!"
“These guys are no pushovers. I’m doing this for your safety.”
"Really?... But this time I saw you strike first, and you were muttering something under your breath. We couldn't hear what you were saying!"
I paused for a moment, then replied, "It's like the kind of cursing you see in a fight."
"Oh, how do you swear during a fight? Teach me..."
I remained silent, but I was pondering why Nicole had said that.
Nicole then turned to Ye Zhi and asked, "When he made his move, he kept muttering to himself. Did you hear what he said?"
Ye Zhi first glanced at Nicole, then looked at me. The atmosphere between us suddenly became very subtle, and there was also a slight awkwardness of not knowing what to do!
I coughed and quickly said, "The matter is almost resolved. Go and treat the wound on your hand, then come back and talk to Boss Zhao together... I have an idea..."
Before I could finish speaking, Nicole interrupted, saying, "You two are really something. You're clearly worried about each other, but you don't say a word... You have no idea, if I hadn't stopped her just now, she would have come in... But what good is coming in except to cause trouble?... And you, where did all that swagger go?"
Ye Zhi and I exchanged a glance, then tacitly chose to remain silent. We are both quite self-centered people and don't like others interfering in our lives.
"Two silent types!"
Nicole sighed and said, "I'm going to buy disinfectant and bandages. I hope when I come back, you two can talk about something practical instead of just gazing at each other affectionately."
Ye Zhi and I watched Nicole's departing figure and then laughed together... As for why we laughed, I couldn't explain it. I just felt that Ye Zhi and I were both quite experienced people, but when we faced each other, we were always very careful... We didn't say much, and we were afraid to say too much.
Perhaps this is what love is like at its beginning. While we are cautiously testing the waters, we are also carefully protecting it... afraid of misunderstanding each other's intentions. At least, that's how I feel. I think more than Ye Zhi: even if we really get together, after the honeymoon period, there will definitely be many practical problems in front of us. I don't have much confidence in facing them, so this is the root of my contradiction...
It feels like I'm waging war against love. Emotionally, I can't resist its allure; rationally, however, I have to consider the differences between myself and Ye Zhi. If these differences are an insurmountable chasm between us, it's better to maintain this relationship—a relationship that's above friendship but below romance.
...
Ye Zhi finally spoke to me: "Why did you attack just now? I think those people no longer have any ill intentions towards you."
"I……"
"What’s wrong with you?"
"I have a lot of pent-up energy inside... It's really hard not to let it out."
"If your friend had arrived five minutes later, had you considered your own situation?"
I feigned a casual tone and replied, "I thought about it, but I think it was worth it because I defended what I wanted to defend!" After a slight pause, I asked Ye Zhi, "What about you? If Nicole hadn't stopped you, would you really have rushed in?"
“If I hadn’t seen your friend, I would have come in even if she had stopped me.”
"If something similar happens again, you should stay far away, because you really can't help."
"Who said that?... These people are just intimidating on the outside. Don't forget, I have friends in Dali. If I mention a name, they'll recognize them. They'd better think carefully before they try to lay a hand on me, a woman."
I was stunned for a moment before I remembered who Ye Zhi was...
I nodded and fell silent once again. Ye Zhi is a sensible and wise woman; she wouldn't do something she wasn't sure of. On the contrary, I was dominated by my habitual male thinking and forgot that Ye Zhi was actually more capable of handling this matter than I was.
But I don't think I did anything wrong. I just wanted to protect her. It was my instinct and my responsibility.
...
A short while later, Nicole returned. She and Ye Zhi went back into the bar, and Nicole treated Ye Zhi's hand wound. I was too nervous. Although there was quite a bit of blood, the wound wasn't big, and my heart finally calmed down.
I turned my attention back to the bar owner, lit a cigarette, and said to him, "Mr. Zhao, we've already argued and even hit each other... how do you think we should resolve this?"
He said to me with a pained expression, "Brother... I really have no money left!"
"Don't play games with me, tell me the truth."
"Uh... I've made some money these past few days, but I need to stock up for the Lunar New Year, otherwise I won't be able to do any business during the holiday, and then I won't be able to pay Nicole her performance fee!"
Seeing that he was quite frightened, I guessed he wouldn't dare to lie. After thinking for a moment, I said, "I'm a reasonable person. If you really don't have the money, I won't force you... How about this, I'll come up with a plan and see if you can accept it."
"You know... you know, if this matter isn't resolved, I'm really upset... The group of customers who were scared away by Nicole just now haven't even settled their bills yet, and in the blink of an eye, we've already lost several hundred!"
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