In a daze, I thought of Wang Lei and Lu Jia again... I felt a little emotional, but I couldn't put it into words... because they had been gone from my life for too long... My personality had changed, and my social relationships had changed along with it... I was no longer the person I used to be.
Perhaps this is the motivation and change that Ye Zhi brought to me.
...
I pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down, then said to the bar owner, "Apologize to my friend... quickly."
One of the bar owner's friends stepped forward and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Brother... we're all in the bar business in the old city, we'll run into each other all the time, can we leave some room for maneuver?... My brother is impulsive, that's wrong of him... but he's still a respectable person, if you really make him kneel down today... he'll have no face to show in this industry in the future!"
I glanced at him and replied, "Do you even have the right to speak here?"
"Brother, really give me some face... I'm the vice president of the bar association here, and I have to admit I bear some responsibility for this... You've already fought, so let's talk this out calmly, okay?"
"It's not good. My relationship with your friend is fair. We settle scores and grudges, and the outcome depends on our abilities... But my friend has no grudge against him, yet he beat him up. This is unfair... I've been making a fuss here for a long time, not to get this unfair result. You have to give my friend an explanation today, and give me a way out."
"How about this... We'll reimburse your friend for medical expenses, nutritional expenses... Just name your price, and we'll do whatever we can to meet it."
I exhaled the smoke from my mouth and called out, "Xiao Long, come here..."
Xiao Long, who had been standing timidly to the side for a long time, finally came to my side, not daring to utter a sound.
I added, "They've asked for it... Do you want your dignity or your money?"
"Brother...I'll listen to you...I'll listen to you."
"I can help you fight, but I can't make decisions for you on this... You have to figure it out yourself."
After I finished speaking, I kept an eye on his expression. He secretly glanced at the bar owner and then replied, "Brother, I don't want anything... I don't want to cause trouble."
I felt like a deflated balloon, speechless for a long time!
...
I stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray before saying to Cao Xue, "Dude, the guy is yours, what are you going to do about this?"
Cao Xue thought for a moment and replied, "The money must be paid. My little brother can't be beaten for nothing, and the other brothers can't come for nothing either... Fifty thousand, not a penny less."
I remain silent.
In my silence, the transaction was completed... and at that moment, I couldn't tell who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.
...
I put the jacket I had taken off back on and said to the person who came out to mediate, "You said you are the vice president of the bar association, so does it count if we talk to you?"
"Yes, it definitely counts?"
"Okay, then let me make a statement... Our bar will definitely continue to sign labor agreements with the singers... It's not to uphold justice, it's just that your behavior is too disgusting... You people, instead of thinking about how to expand the entire industry's pie, you only squeeze that little bit of profit from the singers, is that worth it?... If you ask me, your damn bar association wasn't even established to do anything worthwhile... Don't you think about it, these singers are also part of the industry, if you ruin their living environment, how can the entire industry's ecosystem not be affected?"
After a brief pause, I continued, "You people either withhold singers' wages or hire bar girls to rip off tourists... In your eyes, is it really that hard to do business honestly?"
"The practice of hiring bar girls was something that happened a few years ago. The authorities cracked down on it, and it no longer exists."
"Oh, so the higher-ups have gotten you in trouble, and now you're all all smiles... We're all breaking the industry's rotten rules, but it's not okay when someone in the industry stands up for you?... I've got it all figured out, you're all typical bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong!"
...
After a long lecture, I finally reached a verbal agreement with this so-called vice president of the bar association... the matter was dropped; he guaranteed that no one would interfere with our signing of labor contracts with the singers; as for whether other bars should sign, they should weigh the options themselves and bear the consequences of the singers' strikes, and they should not use this as an excuse to cause trouble for our bar or try to make our bar compromise with this unhealthy trend.
I can't expect everyone in the industry to follow our lead, so this is all I can do... You can imagine that the power struggle between bar singers and bars will continue for some time to come, and industry self-regulation... is a long and arduous task!
...
Back at Jiulongju, I slept soundly until 10 p.m. when I woke up. I wanted to go to Renmin Road for a late-night snack.
I hadn't realized that I had bought Chen Jin's Jimny, but I habitually thought of the Ninja that Yang Sisi left me.
I took the car keys out of my bag, and after a moment of confusion, I suddenly realized that it was extremely inappropriate for me to keep this motorcycle any longer! I had already deleted Yang Sisi from my contact list, so how could I have the nerve to keep this car?
After much thought, I decided to leave the car with Cao Xiaobei, since he is one of the few people around me who still keeps in touch with Yang Sisi.
...
Pushing my bike, I walked along the streets of the ancient city, following the rows of streetlights that looked like a line.
A moment later, the phone rang again. Instinctively, I thought it was Ye Zhi calling out of concern, but it turned out to be an unfamiliar overseas number.
I answered the call with a lot of doubt, and a very effeminate voice came from the other end. He asked me, "You're Michael, right?"
"Um, who are you?"
He was utterly devastated and incoherently said to me, "Don't worry about who I am... Please, take Sisi away... You're ruining her... She said you liked being in the water, so she copied you and jumped into the sea... If it weren't for the yacht nearby, she would be dead by now... She's been living such a depressing and miserable life here, take her away... Elopement is fine too... I just beg you to let her live... Don't degrade yourself anymore!!"
My heart clenched like a rope... and then I realized that the person who called me was Lao Huang's son, Yang Sisi's childhood sweetheart, Xiao Bao!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
