Dai Qiang shook the decanter, poured me half a glass of red wine, and I tilted my head back and drank it all down, just like beer. Then I slammed the glass on the table, signaling Dai Qiang to pour me another glass.
Dai Qiang looked at me, paused for a moment, and then poured me another cup; this one was fuller than the last, and I still tilted my head back and drank it all in one gulp, then smiled and said to Dai Qiang, "You've been in Shanghai for two years now, have you found a girlfriend yet?"
Dai Qiang swirled his glass, took a sip, and replied with a smile, "No... I don't want to find a woman who's too ordinary..."
I was curious to hear his reasoning, so I asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Brother, you shouldn't have asked me about this. I think you're the one who understands this best... Finding an ordinary woman is really troublesome. They can't be financially independent, so they're always demanding things from men. It's okay when you're dating, but once you get married, there are always problems and disagreements... Take Lu Jia for example... She swindled you out of two houses... The reason she swindled you is because she lacks something. Being with a woman like that means you'll always be living under their schemes. Do you think that kind of life has any quality?"
I didn't comment, but asked again, "So, if you find someone with good prospects, will everything be fine?"
"No, it's not that... You need to improve yourself and try to meet their standards... You've experienced this yourself. Take your sister-in-law, for example. Why did you two end up like this? It's because you can't interfere in her affairs, and she has to constantly consider your feelings. Over time, she gets tired, and you feel humiliated... In my life, I don't expect to find a woman on your sister-in-law's level, but she has to be a local Shanghai girl with a respectable job... My current conditions are still a bit lacking, and I don't want to get involved easily. I'll only consider relationships when my annual salary exceeds one million and I've bought a house in Shanghai... Because only then will things be truly reliable..."
After a brief pause, Dai Qiang continued with deep emotion, "Meeting an outstanding woman isn't easy. If you drag things out for so long because you're not good enough, and it doesn't work out in the end, it's truly a pity... because you'll waste your youth and your career will suffer... It's better to focus on improving yourself, and when you're ready, find a woman who is your equal. Then both of you will be more relaxed, and marriage will naturally follow..."
"You talk as if you've actually experienced it."
"There's no way around it. In a place like Shanghai, I've seen too many similar examples... I think that making yourself better is the best way to love yourself and also to love a woman... Nobody comes together with the intention of constantly arguing, right?"
After a moment of silence, I replied, "What you're saying might be the most suitable rule of love for this era... But I don't understand, you've already thought it through so clearly, why do you still keep urging me to be with Ye Zhi?... If we were together, it would be the biggest joke in the world!"
"You're no ordinary person; you drove a BMW 7 Series back in the day."
"You've created a buzz around the entire commercial street... But what have you been doing for the past year or so? ...Why have you ended up like this?"
Seeing Dai Qiang's pained expression, I was speechless for a moment; after a while, I picked up my glass again and drank the red wine in it; I was too confident. I bought two houses and they appreciated so much, so I thought I was extraordinary, but in the end I lost all the property rights of both houses.
After being lost in thought for a while, I finally spoke to Dai Qiang: "I'm not as awesome as you say. Actually, looking back at what I've done over the years, I think I'm pretty useless... You're right, if you really love a woman, you have to change yourself first... Otherwise, people from different social classes, if you force yourselves to be together, it will only lead to endless conflicts..."
Dai Qiang sighed and replied, "Brother, after all these years... this is the first time I've ever seen you speak to me in such a helpless tone!"
"Everything is going wrong... I don't know what to do next... Enough said, we finally got to meet, so let's have a good time drinking."
...
After having dinner with Dai Qiang, I booked a flight back to Dali for the next day. Although I didn't get to do what I wanted to do, I still felt that the trip was worthwhile because I gained a clearer understanding of myself and realized the root cause of my situation.
I am not as confident and fearless as I used to be.
...
Leaning against the railing that leads directly to the Huangpu River, Dai Qiang lit a cigarette for me. After I took a deep drag, he said to me, "Brother, have you ever thought about helping your wife find out the truth about the accident she had in Thailand?"
I looked at Dai Qiang for a long time before exhaling the smoke from my mouth and replying, "There's no point in talking about this now... How can I help her find out the truth?"
"I think if you can get your sister-in-law out of this mess, then all the problems between you will disappear... She's a woman, and she'll break down one day if she has to bear all this alone!"
"Heh... Do you think I have that ability?"
"Whether or not you have the ability, a woman like your sister-in-law is worth doing this for... Right now, the entire group is filled with a tense atmosphere... We don't know when it will explode... I really can't imagine what it would be like if one day, this behemoth, Binjiang Group, suddenly collapsed... But I'm sure that if Binjiang Group really falls, the first one to be crushed will be your sister-in-law... Because she is the one standing at the very forefront of the storm... It's quite tragic that such a large group would not die from the survival of the fittest in the market, but from internal strife!"
After a brief pause, Dai Qiang continued, "My sister-in-law has already developed this sense of crisis, so she has been busy with the restructuring of the group's businesses and the establishment of independent companies, probably to preserve some hope for the future."
I just listened without offering any opinion, because I didn't know where to "interject".
Seeing that I didn't speak, Dai Qiang didn't force the conversation. He checked the time, then patted my shoulder and said, "Brother, there's a very important meeting tomorrow morning, so I have to get up early. I won't be able to keep you company... I've already booked a hotel room for you nearby. Take your room key and go back to rest early."
I nodded in agreement.
Before leaving, Dai Qiang smiled and said to me, "No matter what, the person you love most is still your sister-in-law... A love built on life and death, how can you let go so easily!"
My heart skipped a beat, but I still replied, "If I had the chance to introduce you to her today... you might not think that way anymore."
"Her?...The woman you came to Shanghai to see?"
(End of this chapter)
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