In the dim light, Cao Xue and I each smoked a cigarette. Then I transferred the remaining 20,000 yuan (excluding the money invested in the bar) to Cao Xue via mobile phone… Cao Xue was busy going back to play cards and didn't even have time to check on the bar. In this respect, he wasn't a reliable business partner. He was a double-edged sword for me: if used poorly, he would hurt me; if used well, he could be very valuable… Therefore, handling interpersonal relationships is indeed a profound art, and I've only just begun to understand it.
While Ye Zhi and I were sitting and drinking, Nicole took out paper and pen and started counting the drinks she could get with the bar owner. She was a kind woman at heart, so she didn't just take the best-selling drinks in the bar. She also took half of the less popular imported liquor. Imported liquor often costs several hundred yuan a bottle. In the end, her salary of more than nine thousand yuan couldn't even cover the cost of a few bottles of liquor.
...
The bar owner hired a tricycle to transport our drinks to the "Women's Flower" bar, which had been closed for a long time. Nicole was in a great mood and gestured as she told us a lot. She said she used to sing at this bar and knew Bai Lu... Not long ago, she was regretting that this bar, which was themed around women's feelings, had closed down. Little did she expect that she would become one of the owners of this bar today.
After chatting for a while, Ye Zhi left the key with Nicole, then left the bar and went her own way...
Although I felt a little reluctant to leave, I didn't try to stop her. She was indeed tired, having been traveling domestically and internationally by plane for the past few days. It was already quite an achievement that she was able to come to the ancient city with me for a while.
Unfortunately, I haven't taken her to Cao Xiaobei's coffee shop for the free pudding "milk" tea yet, but there will be other opportunities, since she will be staying in Dali for the rest of the time.
...
After Ye Zhi left, Nicole and I started cleaning the liquor cabinet and sorting the delivered bottles into categories. During this process, Nicole and I also talked about the future plans for the bar. We both agreed that the "Woman Flower" theme was excellent and very distinctive, so we should not only preserve it but also continue to develop and promote it.
After I had some free time, I took out 3,000 yuan in cash from my wallet and handed it to Nicole...
Nicole was puzzled: "Why are you giving me money?"
"Take it in case you need it, I know you're a little short on cash lately."
Nicole smiled and said, "No need. I don't just sing at one bar. Other bar owners have all paid me part of my performance fee. It's just that Lao Zhao is unfair. If I don't use the New Year as an excuse, he won't pay me until next year's New Year."
"You're quite honest with me!"
"Of course, I consider you a friend... But to be honest, Dali isn't paradise. It has its rules and its downsides, so you have to be careful around people and things."
"That's for sure; wherever there are people, there will be conflict."
Nicole handed me a cigarette and said, "I have to apologize to you. I was prejudiced against you because of a misunderstanding, but your behavior today really shocked me... How should I put it? I think you are a very emotional person, but you can also give people a sense of reliability... You deserve to be liked and admired!"
I asked jokingly, "Who are you talking about, 'someone else'?"
"You know perfectly well... It's the one you're mutually attracted to... But she is indeed quite outstanding. Not to mention you, even I, a woman, feel pressured by her aura."
I took a deep drag of my cigarette and replied with great feeling, "Yeah... so I'm quite conflicted right now too."
Do you think you understand women?
I looked at Nicole with some surprise, because I didn't know why she would suddenly ask such a question; after pondering for a while, I replied, "I don't know if I understand women well enough, but I know that everyone is independent and everyone has the right to choose selfishness for a better life, so I can understand and respect women's choices."
"To say something you might not like, your thinking seems very open-minded, but it's actually quite selfish and narrow-minded."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Because you forcefully labeled women with the word 'selfish,' I think you still don't understand women enough. When a woman loves a man very much, she already has the idea of self-sacrifice in her heart. We are not as selfish as you think."
I smiled and replied, "You said it yourself, you love a man very much. How difficult it is to love someone so much!"
Nicole was speechless, falling into a brief silence. Then she asked me, "Have you been hurt by women before?"
I thought for a moment and said, "It's not exactly hurting her, it's just that I really can't give her the life she wants... Hehe, everyone has their own ambitions, especially women in Shanghai. Living in an international metropolis, it's inevitable that they will have higher demands for material life."
"Then you should be careful, Ye Zhi is also a Shanghai woman."
I smiled and didn't say anything more, but in my heart I was thinking, what makes me so worthy of a woman's special affection, and why should my partner sacrifice herself for me unconditionally? To be honest, I don't really agree with Nicole's point of view, and the beauty of love is certainly not reflected in self-sacrifice.
...
After leaving the bar, I lit a cigarette and walked alone through the streets and alleys. Before I knew it, I arrived at "Sheep Cafe". Although it was already past ten o'clock, I still wanted to go in and get a free cup of pudding milk tea.
I peeked through the window and saw Cao Xiaobei sitting at the bar playing games. I knocked on the window glass, and he finally looked up. When he saw it was me, he looked annoyed and then went back to his computer, showing no intention of serving me.
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