I stubbed out my cigarette and looked up to meet Ye Zhi's gaze. I wanted to see her feelings in her eyes, but I couldn't. She remained calm and didn't even change her posture.
I finally nodded and said to her, "If you don't mind, I'll go and call her."
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."
I glanced at her before heading towards Lu Jia's room. I knocked on the door, and Lu Jia's response was muffled. She asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Michael... Are you still asleep?"
"Um...is something wrong?"
"Let's have dinner together later, she's here too."
After I finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze. I couldn't hear a sound, and Lu Jia didn't reply immediately...
The silence lasted for a full minute before Lu Jia opened the door. She was wearing pajamas, her hair was a little messy, and she didn't look too well, but she smiled and said to me, "She's here too! Where is she?"
“He’s sitting right across from me.”
Lu Jia nodded, still smiling, and said to me, "I'm very curious about what kind of woman she is, but before I meet her, I need to tidy myself up. After all, it's our first meeting, and we need to show mutual respect."
I was very puzzled: "Does image have anything to do with respect?"
"You don't understand the world of women... Tell her I just got up and ask her to wait a while."
I was speechless, but I still chose to respect her decision...
Just as I was about to leave, Lu Jia closed the door again. Because of this door, everything in the room became mysterious, and I couldn't see what state Lu Jia was in at that moment.
Perhaps she was really putting on makeup very carefully to show respect for Ye Zhi... or perhaps that wasn't the case at all; and I was like a postman, conveying information between them that might not have been very accurate.
...
Back at Ye Zhi's side, I said to her, "I've already told her. She just got up and wants us to wait a while."
"Hmm, no rush." After a short pause, Ye Zhi said to me again, "Don't just stand there, sit down."
I sat down next to Ye Zhi, and we remained silent, waiting... I didn't know what Ye Zhi was feeling, but I was quite nervous. I knew what kind of person Ye Zhi was, and because of my sensitive position, I couldn't say too much between the two of us. So, we would probably have nothing to say during dinner, which would be awkward for all three of us.
It's also my fault for being nosy. If I hadn't mentioned dinner to Ye Zhi beforehand, things wouldn't be like this now. After all, Lu Jia is only staying here for a week, and unless I deliberately make things happen, she and Ye Zhi won't have a chance to spend time together.
"Michael, do you regret telling me about having dinner together tonight?"
"How could I not regret it!"
"What if we're just friends?"
I was stunned for a moment before I understood what Ye Zhi meant... Yes, if we were just simple friends of the opposite sex, what would be wrong with taking her to meet my ex-girlfriend? Looking at it this way, it seems that I was just being wishful and thinking too ambiguously about our relationship.
I smiled and replied to her, "I was overthinking it. Thank you for reminding me."
“That’s not what I meant… I just felt you were a bit insecure. If you were truly determined, you wouldn’t be behaving this way.”
At that moment, I could certainly have chosen to deny it, but I didn't. I tried to calm down and examine myself to see if I was really as Ye Zhi described. To be honest, I certainly didn't want to admit that I still had lingering feelings for Lu Jia, but humans are strange creatures. Sometimes we choose to forget things sexually, yet there are things we just can't forget no matter what. What I needed to figure out was whether this inability to forget was simply a matter of not being able to forget, or whether it truly contained lingering feelings.
Unfortunately, I don't have a clear answer, and it seems that Lu Jia and I are deliberately avoiding this question, which is why we made this dinner appointment so openly.
I finally spoke to Ye Zhi and said, "I don't know how to answer you, but I understand now what thoughts I should have and what thoughts I should never even consider."
"Okay, I hope everyone will have a good time when we finish eating."
...
As darkness fell, the flickering lights of the ancient city illuminated the restless souls. Ye Zhi finally shifted her posture during the long wait, leaning back on the bench and gazing absently at the cluster of brightly blooming marguerites before her. We didn't exchange any more words during this time, which made the atmosphere a little somber.
Just as I was about to urge Lu Jia, she finally came out of the house… I looked at her; she and Ye Zhi both wore exquisite makeup, but their auras were different. She was more like a sophisticated urban elite, looking clean and efficient, while Ye Zhi's makeup, like her inner self, carried a sense of mystery and distance. It was impossible to say who was better, but in terms of aura, Ye Zhi was more aloof… This was normal, after all, they were not the same type of people. Although Lu Jia was more representative, representing the petit bourgeoisie of Shanghai, Ye Zhi was a peak, and many women could only live a small part of her life. It's no exaggeration to say that no matter who Ye Zhi was compared to, she would not be inferior in a way in terms of aura.
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