I was quite concerned about Tie Nan, so during dinner I asked Coach Ma, "How is Tie Nan feeling after being sentenced?"
"He seemed fine, and even advised me not to feel sorry for him." After a moment of silence, Coach Ma sighed and said, "But do you think he can be in a good mood? During this time, he has been worn down and lost his temper, so he has accepted the result... He also said that he is sorry to Taozi."
He didn't ask why Peach didn't go.
"I definitely have to ask."
"How did you tell him?"
“I didn’t dare tell the truth. I could only say that Taozi had gone back to her hometown for some business… But what could be more serious than his sentencing?… He was quite suspicious… So I told him that Taozi would come to see him as soon as she returned, and that he should focus on his rehabilitation in peace. Only then did he put his doubts to rest. He also asked me to tell Taozi that she must wait for him for three years. As soon as he got out, he would marry Taozi immediately. He said he had come to terms with it and didn’t want to argue with his father anymore. He just needed to humble himself before his father and inherit the family property, and his and Taozi’s lives wouldn’t be too difficult.”
I leaned back heavily in my chair, unsure of what to say.
Coach Ma then said to me, "Why don't you try to contact Taozi again, even if you can just lie to Tienan, otherwise he really won't be able to get through these three years!"
"I've called her and sent her messages on WeChat, but she hasn't replied... I really have no way to contact her now."
Coach Ma looked at me with concern and then replied, "If Taozi doesn't go to see him, he'll start to get suspicious again."
"And you, a monk, why did you tell him such a big lie!"
Coach Ma glanced at me and said, "If you dare to tell him the truth to his face, then pretend I never said anything."
I wiped my face hard with both hands, then looked at Coach Ma helplessly... On the one hand, we really wanted to give Tie Nan some hope to keep going; on the other hand, we really couldn't get in touch with Tao Zi. It was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth. Since she left last time, there had been no news from her back in Dali, not even from Bai Lu. Even though they were like sisters, they hadn't been in contact with each other.
Coach Ma then said to me, "The phone number might have changed, but WeChat is now all verified with real names, so it's very troublesome to switch to a different one. I guess she has already seen your message, but just hasn't replied... Send her another WeChat message saying that Tie Nan has been sentenced and is in a very bad mental state, and ask her to come back and meet with Tie Nan... If she truly cares about Tie Nan, she wouldn't choose to ignore it."
"I'll give it a try."
I edited a long text message, clearly explaining the cause and effect, but after I sent it, I received a notification that it had been rejected by the recipient. I don't know when, but Peach had deleted me from her friend list.
I was incredulous and showed the result to Coach Ma. After a long pause, Coach Ma sighed, "When this woman gets ruthless, she really is... No need to think about it, she must have deleted everyone else from her friends list too!"
I replied in a low voice, "The more she does this, the more it proves she cares, which is why she's even more afraid to face it..."
"Was she with a man when she left Dali last time?"
I nodded. Coach Ma lowered his eyes and didn't say anything more. It was no use saying anything more, because the outcome between Taozi and Tienan was already predetermined.
Tie Nan will find out the truth sooner or later, and knowing it sooner might not be a bad thing. If the truth is told to him on the day he is released from prison, that would be a truly devastating blow, because Tie Nan will definitely imagine many things about the future based on this lie. Once he finds out three years later that these assumptions are all invalid, his mentality will definitely be... Letting him know now, although it seems cruel, is at least true, and it will allow him to make plans in advance.
...
After having lunch with Coach Ma, I returned to the studio. After a busy morning, evening arrived in the blink of an eye. Chen Jin, while organizing office documents, asked me, "When did the housing authority say we'd get our property certificate?"
"Seven to fifteen business days... What's wrong?"
“It’s a bit urgent. If we don’t get this certificate, we won’t be able to get the bank loan… I’ve talked to a few other owners, and a very few of them are interested in selling their shops, but we need to have money on hand before we can confidently negotiate with them.”
"This matter cannot be rushed; let's stabilize the situation first."
"I don't know what you think, but I'm pretty nervous... This time, we're taking a huge gamble. If we win, we'll be set for life; if we lose, we'll be back to square one."
I tidied my briefcase, then smiled and replied, "What, are you hoping I'll give you a little pep talk to get you excited?"
"I'm already very excited. You should give me some inspirational quotes, like 'Where there's a will, there's a way'... Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."
"I don't really have any of that kind of motivational talk here... but you don't need to worry too much. Let's divide the work and do what we're good at. I'll be in charge of formulating the strategy, and you'll be in charge of execution... As long as we're on the same page, I don't think there's anything we can't do well."
"Then make a prediction: how long will it take for these shops to appreciate in value across the board?"
"Focus on doing your job well, and let the market decide the rest..."
Chen Jin sighed, "Can't you at least paint a rosy picture for your business partners? It doesn't need to be fancy, just something that will satisfy their cravings."
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