The deep night had completely permeated "Majiuyi," and the place was even more deserted after the surprise inspection; this desertion ruthlessly exposed our helplessness at this moment. Not only me, but even Taozi had already smoked half a pack of women's cigarettes.
At this moment, only a short-legged Corgi was running around in the room. This Corgi was boarded here by one of Tie Nan's friends. Tao Zi often posted pictures of this dog on her WeChat Moments, saying that it provided all the laughs for her and Tie Nan. But at this moment, even with this dog around, there was not a trace of happiness in the air.
In the silence, Yang Sisi finally spoke up: "Sister Taozi, where did you put the dog food? I'm going to feed the dog something. Look at its short legs, it's so anxious it's almost on the table. It must be starving to have such an overconfident idea."
"Inside the cabinet in the storage room."
"I'll go get it..."
Just as Yang Sisi was about to turn around, Taozi called her back and said, "Sisi, I'll feed Steel (the Corgi's name) myself later. You and Michael should go back and rest first."
"But we're a little worried about you."
Peach forced a smile and replied, "I've been through a lot of storms these past few years. I can handle it, no problem... You guys go back."
Yang Sisi glanced at me and asked for my opinion.
I stubbed out my cigarette and said to Peach, "I do have a lot of things to take care of at my inn... Let's call each other later."
Peach nodded.
I then said to Yang Sisi, "Why don't you stay here and keep Taozi company?"
"Alright."
Peach shook her head and said, "You all should leave. I want to be alone... Really, there are so many things I haven't figured out... I've realized I don't understand Tetsuo at all."
In the end, Yang Sisi and I decided to respect Taozi's wish to be alone. We walked out of the inn one after the other, and the first thing we saw was Erhai Lake and the laser lights on the rooftops on the opposite shore... as if they could pierce through everything.
...
Beside the motorcycle, I said to Yang Sisi, "Where are you going? I'll take you there."
"Isn't your inn busy? I'll come help you."
I didn't say anything. In reality, I did need a helper, but Yang Sisi couldn't do it because of her sensitive identity.
"What, are you afraid I can't help you?... Don't forget, I'm a professional receptionist who was sent by Sister Bai Lu to a five-star hotel for training."
"I'm afraid you'll ask me for your salary."
"Someone who's willing to spend hundreds of thousands on a friend, wouldn't be unable to pay a salary?"
I corrected Yang Sisi's statement: "It's not casual, it's going to great lengths for you..."
"You've really gone to great lengths... your kidneys must be rotten from all the stabbing!"
I looked at Yang Sisi, unsure how to respond to her teasing... Actually, in terms of language skills, I might not be worse than her, but my ability is greatly diminished by my mood; at this moment, I don't really have the desire to speak, let alone crack jokes.
Yang Sisi circled the "little ninja" she had left with me again. When she saw the damaged skid plate, her expression changed immediately. She said to me coldly, "Explain to me what happened to the car?"
"I accidentally fell."
"There's no such thing as an accident. You didn't even care about the things I gave you."
"Yes, I've already asked a friend to find an original skid plate. If you don't care, any fake one will do. You wouldn't notice such a small detail anyway."
"Who are you trying to fool?"
"I'm not lying to you. I have chat logs with my friend here. He's currently in Japan and has been helping me find an original source of the product for the past two days."
"Let me see it."
I took my phone out of my pocket, then showed the chat history to Yang Sisi. After she confirmed it, her expression softened slightly, and she asked me, "Your skid plate is all bruised, are you alright?"
"It's okay, it's tough."
"Can you speak seriously? What does 'endurance' even mean?"
I sniffed, didn't respond, and just subconsciously pulled a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it... To be honest, I didn't want to go back to the inn to deal with those annoying things. I just wanted to sit by Erhai Lake for a while and experience that deep-seated tranquility.
I admit that I have developed a psychological dependence on Erhai Lake, especially at night. I always feel that there is a mysterious world beneath the lake, a place without conflict, without entanglements of interests, and without the storms and lightning of the human world.
Driven by this desire, I decided to give myself fifteen minutes to face Erhai Lake.
...
I sat down by Erhai Lake, while Yang Sisi sat on her own motorcycle; her long, slender legs were placed on the ground with ease, like a sexy motorcycle girl, but that was not what I wanted to appreciate. I preferred to contemplate the mysteries of human nature in this boundless night.
Just like Tie Nan, we parted ways in Longkan. Why am I still alive and well, while he has ended up like this?
"Michael...can you listen to my advice?"
I turned to look at Yang Sisi and found her staring at me intently.
What are you trying to say?
After a brief silence, Yang Sisi replied, "You might think I'm being a bit heartless by saying this... but Tie Nan's situation was entirely his own doing, and I don't think you need to drag yourself into it... You can never repay the money he owes for his sins."
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