Back at the hotel, Chen Jin was lying on my bed watching a variety show. I had barely sat down on the sofa when he turned off the TV and asked me, "Yang Sisi said Ye Zhi is back… This can't be a joke, can it? Someone who's been missing for over a year!"
"I'm not kidding... but don't talk to me about this. I just want to get some sleep right now."
"You feel like she hurt you? She's been back for over a month, but she hasn't even come to see you once!"
Is it interesting to reopen old wounds?
"That's really not what I meant... I was just worried about Lu Jia... You're not going to back out, are you?"
I opened my eyes and looked at him, and after a long while, I replied, "Why would I go back on my word?"
"Everyone knows how much Ye Zhi means to you."
"Can we not talk about my love life... It's been over a year, and you've changed girlfriends like you change clothes. Have I ever said anything to you about it?"
"You're attacking me!"
"What the hell is this attack? Everyone has the right to choose, and when it comes to relationships, they need to have the ability to make independent judgments. I don't want to hear too much gossip at this time... If you really consider me a brother, then give me some respect in this regard... okay?"
"Okay, okay, okay... I won't say anything more."
...
After things quieted down for a while, Chen Jin said to me again, "We can't talk about things related to our personal lives... but we can talk about things related to our work, right?"
"Tell me what you're thinking, I'm listening."
"Before we talk, I have to ask you... do you have any desire to do anything? If not, then whatever I say is pointless."
I stared at the ceiling for a while, feeling completely lost.
Logically and emotionally, I shouldn't just sit around and do nothing; I might be getting married to Lu Jia soon, and Lu Jia is an only child, so I'm essentially shouldering the responsibility of two families. I have to earn money to keep both families running.
Thinking about it this way, I did have a little desire to do something. But people always have to face reality. I can't let my pain make me give up. I shouldn't live for a woman I can't have... I should have higher ideas about life.
With this in mind, I finally spoke to Chen Jin and said, "After a year of neglect, it's time for me to go out and do something."
"Then let's not say anything more... come back to Dali with me... Dali is your lucky place, you have some connections there, it will definitely be much easier than going to other places."
"Let me think about it."
"Don't even think about it. I'll book your plane tickets now, and we'll leave tomorrow morning."
I shook my head at first, and then after a moment of silence, I said, "To be honest, I still want to go back to that fishing village... I want to do some seafood business there; if it's done well, it can be quite profitable."
"Having traveled to so many places across the country, I really don't think there's anywhere more suitable for living than Dali... I'd better go back to Dali. The seafood business isn't that easy to do; the industry is too transparent, and there are too many people doing it."
“When I was doing business at Jiulongju, no one believed in me.”
Chen Jin looked at me and said with a hint of doubt, "Michael, I always feel like you're struggling with something... You're the smartest one in our group, don't you know where you're better suited to develop?"
“You’ve never been there, so you have no right to speak.”
Chen Jin sighed, then lit a cigarette. After a while, he said to me, "If you really don't want to go back to Dali, I won't try to persuade you... I've booked a room next to yours, I'm going to sleep now."
"Go."
Chen Jin stood up, and as he was about to reach the door, he turned back to me and said, "If I have the chance, I'd like to go to that fishing village and see what it is that attracts you so much that you don't even want to go back to Dali."
I didn't say anything, but I knew in my heart that the fishing village couldn't compare to Dali. The fishing village only had the sea, and the winters were especially cold, not to mention the romance and beauty of nature.
...
Lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, I then, like a fool, pulled out the plane ticket she had left behind from my handbag. The ticket had been in my hands for so long that it wasn't as new as it was when she left it, but the older it was, the more heartbroken I felt... These plane tickets were a reflection of how much I missed her, which is why I would take them out to look at them from time to time, and that's why they've become so worn out.
...
At 12:30 a.m., my phone rang again. This time it was Nicole calling. It was like a chain reaction; once one person knew my whereabouts, everyone else knew too. That's why I've always been reluctant to publish my new phone number.
After the call connected, Nicole asked me, "Aren't you asleep yet?"
"I can't sleep in bed... This number, Chen Jin gave it to you, right?"
"Hmm... I heard Ye Zhi is back."
"Yes... but don't talk to me about this, it's upsetting."
"Have you ever considered that... Ye Zhi treats you this way because she feels guilty towards you?"
I was a little annoyed, and my tone became a bit harsh as I said, "That's really something. This is the first time I've heard of someone choosing to be indifferent to another person because of guilt!"
"She caused you so much pain, and then your father got so sick, and she wasn't by your side... While Lu Jia, and even Si Si, did their best to help you, she must have felt guilty... She probably felt that only one of Lu Jia and Si Si was worthy of being with you... So she endured the pain of being indifferent to you... In fact, her pain was no less than yours, and perhaps even greater!"
I paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Can you even believe what you're saying?... Or did she contact you and tell you all this herself?"
"She hasn't contacted me... This is all just my guess from a woman's perspective."
"Don't talk to me about guesses... These are the words I hate to hear the most right now... Nicole, I know you two are close, and since you called me anyway, I'll take this opportunity to tell you... If you ever have a chance to meet in the future and talk about this... just say that I, Michael, have no feelings for her whatsoever!"
Nicole sighed, "If that's your attitude, I really don't know what to say... Just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Okay, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
After a moment of silence, Nicole continued, "Actually, I understand how you feel right now... Not everyone can live for love. You should be getting married to Lu Jia soon, right? I heard from Chen Jin that you and she have an agreement... If neither of you has started a new relationship after she returns to China, you will get married, right?"
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