As the sun was just beginning to set, I met Yang Sisi at the entrance of the "Haitu Inn." I don't know what her purpose was, but she was dressed very flamboyantly today. She wore a very short skirt and high heels. Her originally slightly curly hair was now straightened. I stared at her for a while, and for a fleeting moment, I felt a slight resemblance to Wang Lei. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, that feeling vanished instantly.
Why are you staring at me with those big eyes?
I scoffed and said, "Do you know what it means to act tough? It's exactly what you're like—you're not fully developed yet, but you're trying your best to act mature."
Yang Sisi glanced at her chest subconsciously, then replied, "I have a lot of confidence in myself. How did you know I haven't developed properly?"
"You like to bluff so much, who knows how much stuff you've put in there."
"Would you like me to open it up and take a look?"
"I like genuine people, go ahead and take it apart."
Yang Sisi kicked me hard and cursed, "You're a thirty-year-old man, and you don't even have any self-awareness? How dare you take advantage of a beautiful young woman like me?"
"When I meet someone like you, all I can do is give up and wallow in despair."
Yang Sisi glared at me again, then turned her gaze to the extremely dilapidated motorcycle that Tie Nan and I had borrowed. She asked with a half-smile, "Is this thing a motorcycle or an electric bike?"
"With such a huge exhaust pipe stuck here, do you think it's a motorcycle or an electric vehicle?"
Yang Sisi circled the motorcycle once, then said sarcastically, "Everyone else has a good horse with a good saddle, but you, a good-for-nothing, can only be paired with a lousy bike."
"This belongs to Tie Nan; I borrowed it from him to play with."
"You're really good at shifting blame!"
Every time I argue with her, I feel powerless, and this time was no exception. To avoid being thoroughly outmaneuvered, I started my motorcycle and said to her, "Your whole family is still waiting in the old town, can you stop dawdling?"
Yang Sisi picked up her helmet from the back of the motorcycle and replied, "You'd better not try to set me up this time. After all, I'm not someone to be trifled with."
"Don't worry, I'm a smart man. I've already learned my lesson from offending a shrew like you once." After a slight pause, I added, "This car doesn't have license plates. Keep an eye out for the traffic police for me later, understand?"
"Can't you just do something proper and follow the rules? It's only a short distance to the ancient city, and I have to follow you around on edge!"
"Then you can drive there yourself. It's insured."
Yang Sisi smiled, then patted my shoulder and replied, "But... I just love this feeling of being on the run!"
She got into my car amidst the city lights that had just come on, but I didn't feel the same sense of being on the run that she described. I was just a little dazed, because I seemed to have become one of those men Wang Lei had described, riding a motorcycle recklessly through the ancient city, and there was indeed a woman who was quite different from the others sitting on the back of my car. I imagined her to be Wang Lei, and the next moment I felt a very pleasant sensation.
Perhaps this kind of comfort is what Wang Lei dreamed of before she died, which is why she insisted that I come to Dali. Now that I'm here, she can never be the woman on the back of my motorcycle, and I've become even lonelier than before, because I need to think about two women I will never see again in this life.
...
After entering the ancient city, Yang Sisi used her phone to navigate for me while also giving me warnings. Of course, I was also very careful. Unexpectedly, there were indeed traffic police in the ancient city conducting a special crackdown on unlicensed and unregistered vehicles. I saw a large truck they had driven in, loaded with motorcycles and electric bikes without license plates.
Yang Sisi, who also noticed this, grabbed my shoulder and patted me hard: "Run, run... turn into that alley across the street, there are no lights there, it's easy to hide."
Upon receiving the instruction, I disregarded its reliability and headed straight for the alley Yang Sisi pointed to. Unexpectedly, one of the houses was under renovation, with several piles of sand stacked in front of the door. Before I could even react, I crashed straight into them, falling to the ground with Yang Sisi amidst her gasp. In that instant, I truly felt like I was on the run!
I was worried she would get hurt, but I couldn't control myself and yelled, "What the hell are you pointing to?"
Yang Sisi replied, feeling wronged, "How was I supposed to know this was a dead end!"
"With eyes this big, what can you do besides stare and take selfies?" I said, turning on my phone's flashlight and noticing a large scrape on Yang Sisi's calf. I softened my tone and said to her, "You have such delicate skin. I'll go buy some alcohol swabs and bandages. You sit here and wait for me."
“I’m fine, I’m not that delicate. I’m just worried that you won’t have the guts to ride the bike out. If you dare to ride it, I’ll even ride in it.”
"Don't be stubborn. It's the middle of summer. If the wound isn't treated, it can easily get infected."
...
Right under the noses of those traffic police, I went into the pharmacy across the street and bought some alcohol wipes and bandages for disinfection. Then I ran into that pitch-black alley, only to hear Yang Sisi whimpering inside. It turned out that her stubbornness earlier was all an act.
I had her hold the phone while I cleaned her wound with an alcohol swab. She didn't dare open her eyes and seemed very timid. I sighed and said, "Weren't you fearless enough to die in front of your parents? Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over such a small injury?"
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