I stood there watching Ye Zhi in the gradually strengthening sunlight, when I heard Coach Ma say on the phone again: "Don't you have a suitable candidate right beside you? Go find Ye Zhi, such an ethereal woman, she's more precious than a diamond ring... You're not a blockhead, do I need to remind you of this?!"
I hurriedly hung up the phone, feeling embarrassed, and said to Ye Zhi, "Why are you back again?"
"There's road construction ahead... You haven't answered my question yet."
"I didn't know you had a habit of eavesdropping on people's phone calls!"
"You're speaking too loudly."
I then got off the motorcycle and stared at her for a long time...
I tried to comfort myself, thinking that her return and the fact that she brought up the matter was fate. Given the urgency of the situation, I steeled myself and said to her, "Since you're asking, there really is something I need your help with."
"Um?"
I looked around and then said in a mysterious tone, "It hurts to talk standing up, let's find somewhere to sit down."
...
Ye Zhi and I went to the shore where we had met before. After she sat down, I said to her, "I lived in Shanghai for several years... You know, for outsiders like us with no connections or special talents, it's basically impossible to establish ourselves there. Over time, many problems become magnified, so my ex-girlfriend, seeing no hope in me, chose to break up with me. After the breakup, she went abroad..."
At this point, I lit a cigarette and, after calming down a bit, continued, "People, after experiencing some pain, always re-examine themselves, so I chose to leave Shanghai. But only I can see my helplessness and difficulties; my parents might not understand. So, to put their minds at ease, I lied to them. I said I was doing quite well in Shanghai, and my relationship with my girlfriend was stable… At first, they didn't suspect anything. But yesterday, all the lies I painstakingly told were exposed. They rushed to Dali, their goal being to bring me back to Shanghai… Tell me, having come this far, is it even possible to go back to Shanghai?"
"Do they still want you to get back together with your ex-girlfriend?"
"clever!"
"So, do you want to get back together?"
I subconsciously looked up at the distant sea. It shimmered with life, but it couldn't hold my meager hope. So, I smiled bitterly and replied to Ye Zhi, "She just left and cut off all contact. Do you think a woman who can be so ruthless would even consider getting back together?...If not, why should I force it?"
"This is a form of escapism."
"What?"
"She's forcing herself to let go of you. Otherwise, what difference would it make if she kept in touch? She doesn't love you anymore anyway."
"You mean...she hasn't let me go?"
"At least before going abroad, I hadn't let go of..."
I felt a sense of relief, and then I realized that Ye Zhi was right. If she truly had no feelings or attachment to me, why would she dress up so beautifully before the breakup, go to my apartment, and make our breakup so ceremonial?
I took a drag of my cigarette, and a wave of disappointment suddenly washed over me. I replied to Ye Zhi, "She'll eventually let it go... In her value system, love is definitely not the most important thing. She'll find someone new."
"You know her very well?"
"Hmm... I know her very well... so when she left, I didn't try to stop her... I think if we're both more decisive, maybe we can preserve some of the good memories from the beginning."
"Maybe."
After a brief pause, Ye Zhi fixed her gaze on me and asked, "So, what do you need me to do?"
"I……"
I stammered, unable to utter a word. Ye Zhi, however, waited patiently…
I decided to make Coach Ma take the blame, and finally gritted my teeth and said, "Coach Ma said that if my ex-girlfriend is a gold ring in my parents' hearts, then after she is lost, they will find another one with diamonds... With such compensation, my parents will feel at peace, and then they will stop making a fuss about making me go back to Shanghai."
"Another lie after the lie has been exposed."
"I have no choice. I don't want to go back to Shanghai even if it kills me, and I don't want to disappoint them... Actually, I really admire Coach Ma, because this is the best solution at the moment... Would you be willing to help me?"
"First, answer me, why are you so obsessed with Dali? ... I feel there's nothing special about it, it's just an ordinary place."
Ye Zhi is truly an extremely intelligent woman, so I didn't need to spell out my thoughts; she understood everything and knew exactly how to help me. But how should I answer her question?
I took a deep drag of my cigarette and finally replied, "The reason you think that way is because you're so wealthy. You can go anywhere in the world and find many places better than Dali; you might even think Dali is a flawed city because you can't buy Hermes or Prada... But what about us? We're different; our financial situation dictates that Dali is the most ideal home we can find. We can't go any further..."
Ye Zhi glanced at me, then looked at the distant shore of the sea, and finally just shook her head without explaining why she disagreed with me.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
