I gave Chen Jin all sorts of reasons to prove that Ye Zhi hadn't come to Dali specifically for the signing of the agreement... I can't explain my own feelings, nor do I know whether, deep down, I hoped she had come specifically for the agreement or just happened to be passing by.
In the brief silence, I pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a few puffs. Suddenly, something struck me. I squinted at Chen Jin and said, "I remember Oscar Wilde saying something like this: 'Everyone has killed a loved one. You can hear how each one does it; some with a cold gaze, some with a passionate declaration, some with a gentle kiss, some with a sharp blade. Some destroy their loved ones in their youth, some in their old age; some strangle them with the hand of desire, some lure them with the hand of money; only the most merciful use a sharp knife, to lessen the suffering of the dead…'"
After a brief pause, I continued, "This passage is not difficult to understand because we are all people living in it."
Chen Jin nodded and said, "So, you've been killed several times, and you have other people's blood on your hands."
"Yes, someone killed me with the hand of desire, someone gave me a gentle kiss... In that sense, the most satisfying was the one who used a sharp blade... a single, silent stab to the throat!"
"You mean Ye Zhi?"
"Leaving aside the current situation, at least she once thought that way, otherwise she wouldn't have gone over a month without contacting me after coming back... Our relationship started around that time..."
I couldn't quite describe it, so I paused for a long time before saying, "I feel like I've been stabbed hard... not only am I bleeding, but my internal organs have been pierced through!"
"Then your vitality is quite tenacious."
I remain silent.
During my silence, Chen Jin changed the subject and asked me, "Do you want to go to the sales office of Cangshan Villa this afternoon?"
"It's all business... I'll definitely go."
Chen Jin patted my shoulder, looking quite pleased. He then asked, "Can I give you an answer now regarding the renovation company and the screen supplier?"
"Let's keep the price under control. Once we reach your target price, we can finalize the deal."
"Alright... I'll get on with it right now... The bar is saved!"
"etc."
I called out to Chen Jin, who was about to leave. He looked at me with some doubt. I put aside my previous emotions about love and said to him in a very serious tone, "I've already heard about what happened at Jiulongju from Nicole... We chose to start our business together at Jiulongju. There were business disputes later, and I should share the responsibility with you... You didn't act fairly, and I feel bad about it."
Chen Jin smiled and replied, "I know my place... I know my own limitations in that project... Compared to your contributions, I took too much... So, regarding the aftermath..."
I feel it's my duty... This isn't a bad thing at all... At least I'll feel it's fair... Fairness is so important... If I felt guilty, I wouldn't dare ask you to come out of retirement..."
After a brief pause, Chen Jin continued, "If you truly consider me a friend, don't make me feel indebted to you... Actually, whether it's friendship or any other kind of relationship, it's all the same... Finding a profitable project is really not easy... What you gave me and Yang Sisi was a bit too much... I've paid it back, and we're on equal footing... But what will Yang Sisi think?... The more difficult things are for you now, the more guilty she'll feel, but she definitely won't say it... The worst thing is that she won't be able to see things clearly and will treat this as an emotional debt, then the problems between you two will become increasingly complicated!"
"Can you stop causing me trouble?"
"Don't treat this as a problem... just treat it as casual conversation. When you have nothing to do, you can take it out and think about it. Who knows, one day you'll figure it out... It's just a knife after all!"
"That's right."
...
After Chen Jin left, I sat alone on the recliner for a long time, but I didn't deliberately think about anything. I just felt that it was necessary to have a moment of leisure before getting busy.
Dali has entered the rainy season, and it rains inexplicably. It's possible that one street is under the scorching sun while another street is experiencing a downpour... Unfortunately, I only sat there for a short while before the heavy rain started pouring down.
I was in a flurry of activity, and by the time I had moved all the things in the yard that couldn't get wet into the porch, I was already soaked... But that wasn't the most infuriating part. What was even more infuriating was that as soon as I got my footing, the weather cleared up again, leaving me in a dilemma: moving these things back was wrong, but not moving them back was also wrong.
Honestly, if there's anything I'm not happy about in Dali, it's this long rainy season... The whole city is like it's gone mad, one minute it's sunny, the next it's raining, one minute it's unbearably hot, and the next it's so hot you feel like you need to wear a down jacket.
...
After shaving off my recently sprouted beard, I took a shower and felt refreshed before riding my electric scooter to the sales office of "Cangshan Yishu" with the signed contract in hand.
I'm quite busy because I have to be at the company by 3 o'clock to start my work for the day.
Upon arriving at "Cangshan Villa," I easily found Manager Yao's office. After chatting for a few minutes, he gave me a receipt, saying that as long as Ye Zhi signed the receipt, she could receive the advance payment for the advertising fee as early as tomorrow.
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