I had thought about what Nicole said, but the more I thought about it, the more aggrieved I felt. So, similar words no longer had a healing effect on me; in fact, they made me feel disturbed.
After letting out a heavy sigh, I asked Nicole again, "What about the pain I've endured for the past year? Who can I tell about my pain?... I really want to know if there's someone in her life who would tell her about my pain, just like you do... I don't need her to feel guilty. I just hope that when she thinks of me, Michael, she'll remember that I was a man who truly cared for her. That's enough... But her heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean. Whether she's with me or has been missing for over a year, I have no idea what she's thinking."
"Yes... she was wrong."
"So please stop creating conflict for me... Your ideas may not be correct, because you understand her even less than I do."
"I know this isn't very appealing... but I don't want you to have any regrets later, after all, you still love her... I can see that the more you hate her, the more it proves that you're still resentful!"
"Let's not talk about her anymore, let's go back... I still need to go to Chen Jin and Tina's bar tonight, I need to find something to do."
"Okay, I respect your opinion."
I forced a smile, then took the purchase contract and walked out of the sales office with Nicole, driving away the Z4 we had left at the hotel the night before.
Speaking of cars, I'm reminded of Yu Tou, who drove my car to Dali. I wonder where he is now.
It should arrive tonight.
I called him, and as I expected, he's already in Kunming and should arrive in Dali around 7 or 8 pm. He asked me to treat him to drinks, but that's really no big deal!
...
After dropping Nicole off, I went to Chen Jin and Tina's bar, but only Chen Jin was there. He was sitting alone by the street, looking at the tourists on the street with a worried expression.
Before coming here, I observed that although the location of the bar was not as bustling as Renmin Road, it still had a certain amount of foot traffic. If there were no major problems with the marketing strategy, it should be able to survive.
I sat down opposite Chen Jin. He first asked me if I had any cigarettes, and after giving them to me, he asked me, "What are you busy with? I haven't seen you all day."
"I bought a house in Cangshan Yishu".
"Holy crap, they really bought it?"
“I did buy it, but I didn’t take the discount Cao Jinbo offered; I bought it at the normal price.”
How's the house?
"The area given away is particularly large, and it's the only villa area in the entire Haixi region with a 70-year property right. The villas in Shanshuijian all have 40-year property rights... Although the price is a bit expensive, I still think it's quite cost-effective."
"Seventy-year property rights? That's impossible... When I first came to Dali, I already heard that the Haixi area is planned for commercial buildings, and all of them are 40-year property rights."
"It was probably specially approved by the government."
"That's true, everyone knows their group has good relations with the 'government'..."
He stopped mid-sentence with a sigh, glanced around at the sluggish bar, and then said, "I'm increasingly wondering why I even started this bar. If I had invested in real estate like you, I wouldn't be in this mess now!"
"Why make yourself so unmotivated... If the bar is doing well, you can make a lot of money in a year."
"The problem is that we're not doing it well... Can you help me figure out what's wrong? We've invested a lot of money, but our business just can't compare to the bar next door!"
I looked around and then asked, "What were you thinking back then? Why did you choose Tibetan-style decoration?"
"The places that artsy young people yearn for most are Dali, Lijiang, and Tibet... The bars in Dali tend to be more minimalist and refreshing, so I designed a Tibetan-style bar to differentiate myself from them. Could the problem be with the decor?"
"The problem is probably with the decor. People who like Tibetan culture should just go to Tibet... Why experience Tibetan culture in Dali?... Since you've opened a bar in Dali, you should focus on the city's theme. You need to think carefully about why tourists come to Dali, and what kind of bars they're willing to frequent... Dali isn't an international metropolis like Shanghai or Shenzhen. Those cities have a large population base, so they're very tolerant commercially. Whether you make your bar Tibetan, European, or industrial-style, people will still patronize it... But Dali isn't like that." Similarly, Dali's characteristics are so distinct that you can only cater to them in your business... Think about it carefully, isn't the most popular restaurant in the entire old town that's called "Waiting for You in Dali" mushroom hot pot restaurant? ...To be honest, its taste is just average, but its name and the ingredients it uses have a very strong Dali flavor. So even if the taste isn't great, tourists are still willing to spend money there because its name is friendly, and mushrooms are Dali's most famous ingredient. Tourists come to Dali definitely not to eat yak meat... And that's the best way to cater to them!
Chen Jin looked thoughtful, and after a long while, he said to me with regret, "I was too idealistic! I didn't do what I'm good at... My business acumen really can't compare to yours!"
Everyone has weaknesses and strengths... You don't need to be too discouraged.
Chen Jin took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "The biggest investment in opening this bar was the renovation... Now, if I were to renovate, I definitely wouldn't be able to come up with that much money."
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