I steadied Ye Zhi in the crowded throng, then let go of her hand, followed by an indescribable awkwardness... We've been competing with each other for so long, yet today we met at the place we agreed to meet yesterday.
This is definitely not a coincidence; rather, it's because the Bund is a place we all cherish in our hearts.
Ye Zhi straightened her clothes to ease the awkwardness, and I decided to take the initiative, so I asked her, "Didn't you go home? What are you doing on the Bund?"
Did I say I was going home?
"You said in the group chat that you were driving."
"So in your mind, whenever you drive, there's only one destination?"
"After get off work, if I don't drive home to cook for myself, where else can I go?"
"Are you saying all this in such a far-fetched way just to mock me for not being able to cook?"
"You didn't know how to do it in the first place, so why are you laughing at it!"
Under the flashing lights, Ye Zhi looked at me, probably wanting to get back at me, so she turned to me and asked, "Putting me aside, weren't you watching a movie at the cinema? Why are you here on the Bund?"
I felt a little awkward, then put my hands behind my head and said in a very joking tone, "While watching the movie, a voice kept guiding me to come to the Bund... I never expected it to be you. If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have come... I feel so bad for making you feel so embarrassed!"
Ye Zhi ignored me.
I said again, "Do you think this is just bad luck or fate...? There's a saying, let me think..." I pretended to be thinking and said, "Right, it's a line from 'Norwegian Wood'."
Ye Zhi remained silent.
Don't you want to know which sentence it is?
“I’m not that curious…and you don’t have anything nice to say anyway.”
I suppressed my playful impulse and lowered my voice to say to Ye Zhi, "Haruki Murakami said that everyone has their own forest in their heart. Those who are lost will remain lost, and those who are meant to meet will meet again... Heh, with that quote as a starting point, it won't be so awkward for us to bump into each other here, right?"
"You don't seem embarrassed at all."
As Ye Zhi said this, she turned and walked towards a less crowded area. I instinctively thought she was leaving, so I quickly followed her. But she stopped by the riverside railing and asked me, "Why are you so nervous?"
"I'm afraid you'll leave again before we've even exchanged a few words."
Will you let me leave?
I shook my head: "No, I'm a trap..."
"I think you're more like a scoundrel... Don't think that just because you have the upper hand in a verbal argument, you can do whatever you want."
"Why shouldn't I use the talent that God gave me... I can't be inferior to you in every way!"
"This is the first time I've heard that being good with words is a talent."
"No, it's not about being glib, it's about eloquence."
Ye Zhi sighed...
"Are you sighing because you've resigned yourself to your fate?"
Can you please be quiet for a moment?
"If you're ordering me around, no way... But if you're negotiating with me, I might consider it."
Ye Zhi looked at me with a mixture of disgust and annoyance, and then said, "I don't have time to listen to your nonsense... I'm going back to cook."
"You're clearly putting me down."
"Get out of the way!"
Ye Zhi pushed me, and I stood in front of her again, saying, "You can leave, but please leave calmly... because I'm not your enemy, and I never intended to do anything to you. You can treat me like I'm invisible, but you can't have any emotions towards me."
Why should I have feelings for you?
"You think I'm stringing you along... I came to Shanghai from Dali to tell you that I'm not as bad as you think. I just feel that I'm under too much pressure right now, and I'm afraid that this pressure will affect our relationship, so I suggested giving each other some space and time..."
At this point, I looked at Ye Zhi with a very sincere expression and then said, "Ye Zhi... based on my experiences over the years, can you see the pressure I'm under?"
"I can see it, but what does that have to do with feelings?"
I suddenly felt a little lost and didn't know what to say... Ye Zhi and I were never on the same level, so she couldn't understand my thoughts; or to be honest, in today's social climate, are feelings still pure feelings?
Of course it's not pure. I only see that the feelings between men and women are full of considerations and can be influenced by many external factors. So, regarding my feelings for Ye Zhi, I just think more about them than she does, and I don't have any malicious intent.
I chuckled, then changed the subject, saying to Ye Zhi, "Let's not talk about that anymore. I just bought a car... its off-road capabilities are no worse than your G-Class. Want to go for a spin with me?"
"I'm not in the mood."
"Let's have a meal together... as a farewell dinner. I'm going back to Dali tomorrow, and this might be... the last time we see each other. It's not that I want any special ceremony or a meal... it's just that I'm feeling really sad, and it makes me think about things from when we first met until now..."
Ye Zhi finally nodded, and it was only at this moment that I saw a side of her that could be emotional. I knew that she didn't really want to have dinner with me, but because I emphasized that it might be the last time we would meet, she was moved and agreed.
I asked her, "What would you like to eat?"
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