I arrived in Shanghai at five o'clock in the afternoon. Unlike the last time, this time Shanghai finally had good weather. The moment I stepped out of the airport, I was even a little unaccustomed to the strong sunlight... But the air was still filled with the humidity unique to the Jiangnan region. I took a deep breath, and my nasal cavity was immediately stimulated. I subconsciously wanted to sneeze, but I stopped abruptly halfway through. My nose felt wet and itchy...
I put down my suitcase, rubbed my nose, and then took my phone out of my pocket... Even now, standing on this land in Shanghai, I still don't know where I'm going to stay tonight, or who I'm going to have dinner with.
After some deliberation, I gave up on the idea of calling Ye Zhi. I simply sent her a text message: "I've arrived in Shanghai. If you'd like, let's meet at the Bund at 10 p.m. I'm willing to wait for you a little longer. I hope you can come."
After sending the message, I stared blankly at a large passenger plane on the tarmac for a long time... I couldn't describe my feelings, but I inexplicably wanted to stand there a little longer. In my memory, I had never greeted a poignant sunset in a place like an airport.
I arrived at a small square next to the parking lot, put my luggage aside, and casually reclined on a bench. I lit a cigarette, and while smoking, I used my phone's panoramic mode to capture everything in front of me.
Afterwards, I posted this photo on my WeChat Moments, but I didn't deliberately express any sentiments or mention that I was back in Shanghai. I simply wanted to record this moment I was facing.
...
Just as I was finishing my cigarette, my phone vibrated. I thought it was Ye Zhi replying to my text message, but it turned out to be a WeChat message. The person who sent me this message was a colleague I hadn't contacted in a long time, named Chen Jin, who works in the company's public relations department. We often have work-related collaborations, so we have a pretty good relationship in private.
"Michael, you're back in Shanghai? The photos you posted look like they're at Pudong Airport."
"I just got off the plane a little while ago."
"Shall I come pick you up?"
"It's not your off-get off work time yet, is it?"
"Don't even mention it, I got fired from the company, it happened just a week ago."
I was a little surprised and replied, "I remember you used to do quite well at the company, how did you get fired?"
"It's a long story... If you don't have any plans tonight, I'll come pick you up, we can have a few drinks and chat... I'm almost depressed."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here in the parking lot."
...
While waiting for Chen Jin, I finally received a reply from Ye Zhi, who said, "I have an important gathering to attend tonight, so it's inconvenient for us to meet."
I felt a pang of disappointment, but I still had great patience and replied, "I traveled all the way from Dali to Shanghai just to see you. Whether this is an excuse or you really have a gathering to attend, I'm willing to wait for you... To be honest, I'm quite happy that you replied. At least it proves that you're still willing to explain to me, which is much better than I expected before I came."
"You don't need to wait, I'm not going."
Whether you come or not is your freedom, and whether I wait or not is my freedom.
"Whatever you say."
"If you come, remember to bring me a cup of hot tea. It's quite cold in Shanghai at night, and I don't want to just be drinking the northwest wind."
Despite my shameless attempt to say that, Ye Zhi didn't reply. I gave a helpless bitter smile, then lit another cigarette, feeling a sense of anxiety about the unpredictable future.
If she really did come to the Bund to find me at ten o'clock with a cup of hot tea, I would feel like the happiest man in the world... But judging from her attitude in our conversation just now, this hope is extremely slim, and this feeling of being so close yet so hard to reach makes me even more anxious.
However, I remain clear-headed. I know that these are things you have to endure if you like someone, because there is never a smooth road to love. And it is precisely because of these difficulties that you will cherish this hard-won love even more.
However, at this moment, being in a passive position, I seem to have no ability to fathom what Ye Zhi, who has the upper hand, is thinking... I really hope that if she goes to see me, it's because she can't let go of this relationship, and not out of pity; if it's out of pity, I'd rather she not go.
...
After waiting for about forty minutes, I finally met up with Chen Jin. He first complained about the traffic in Shanghai, and then asked me, "Should we find a place to drink nearby, or go to our usual spot?"
"The usual place, is it possible to get grilled snails this season?"
“Grilled snails are a must, they’re our favorite snack with drinks…” At this point, Chen Jin, who had just been smiling, suddenly looked somber. He then said in a low voice, “Looking back at our working days, the most relaxing thing was going to the night market with you after overtime to eat and drink… Tell me, do you think the relationship we built over eating and drinking counts as friendship?”
I smiled and replied, "Even a dog-meat friend is still a friend...of course."
Chen Jin patted my shoulder and smiled, then handed me a cigarette... He was still the same as always, liking to smoke Zhongnanhai cigarettes, which smelled like stinky feet.
...
In an alley near the Bund, there are hundreds of food stalls scattered about. The hygiene is not good, but because they are affordable for ordinary people, they are especially popular with people like Chen Jin and me. We chose one of the food stalls under the plane trees, and after sitting down, we ordered a bucket of draft beer and about a dozen snacks, including grilled snails.
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