...
I had almost finished my cigarette when she said to me, "You want me to be the woman you compared to a diamond ring, right?"
"Yes, it's just acting."
"I know it's all acting... but I also think Shanghai is the best choice for you... You need to understand, when more people like you start yearning for Dali, Dali has already become another Shanghai... Last year, the price of villas in several Dali areas was around 8,000 yuan per square meter, but this year it has been driven up to 20,000 yuan by outsiders; I want to ask you, is Dali your paradise, or a paradise for the rich?"
“It’s different. We come to Dali for different reasons than the rich people… They come to make money, we come to enjoy life.”
"How can someone who doesn't even have a home here enjoy life?"
“The inn is my home… Coach Ma and Tie Nan are my family… You’re used to being indifferent, so you can’t understand this kind of feeling.”
I don't know if this counts as an argument between us, but this conversation made me feel once again the insurmountable class gap. Like I said, because she's rich, she has countless choices in life, which leads to her cold and indifferent way of thinking about Dali…
...
Ye Zhi seemed unwilling to argue with me any further, so she changed the subject and asked, "When are your family members arriving in Dali?"
"They said they would arrive at the train station around 6 p.m. today."
Ye Zhi took out her car keys from her pocket, handed them to me, and said, "Let's have breakfast together first, then take me to the municipal government... Pick me up at the Land and Resources Bureau at five o'clock in the afternoon, and we'll go to the train station together."
I could hardly believe what I was hearing, so I asked again, "You...you mean you're agreeing to help me?"
"I can help you, because you helped me without expecting anything in return, but you need to think carefully... After this time, how long can you keep it a secret? Your method is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause, and I can only help you this once."
"Helping them once is enough. What I need most right now is time. Once they leave, I can focus on running the inn. When the inn is bigger, many problems will be solved."
Ye Zhi remained silent.
I smiled and said to her, "Actually, I really need your help, not just because I have to deal with my parents... You know, my former boss always wanted Sisi to marry his son. He always felt that my staying in Dali was a problem, so he called my dad and exposed my lie... If he knew that I had a girlfriend like you, he would be at ease."
After I finished speaking, I took a deep drag on my cigarette.
Ye Zhi looked at me with a strange gaze, as if asking me: Aren't you tired of doing this?
I'm exhausted, more exhausted than anyone else, but what can I do when I'm caught in this vortex? I can only try my best to buy myself more time and then accomplish something that will impress everyone.
...
After a quick breakfast, I drove Ye Zhi's car to the city government.
As she unbuckled her seatbelt, I asked her again, "Is it 5 p.m. when I pick you up at the Land and Resources Bureau?"
"What, you can't find the time?"
I replied repeatedly, "No, no, it just feels like a dream; I've never done anything so fantastic in my life!"
"This is my first time too... but I really don't have time to talk to you right now."
As Ye Zhi spoke, she opened the car door, then got out with her handbag. I watched her walk into the "government" building, her figure becoming increasingly blurry in my sight...
In a daze, I gradually got into the role, and I felt like I really had such a girlfriend, and we lived in Dali. Every day, I would drive her to where she needed to go for work, just like right now...
Suddenly, a series of urgent honks sounded from behind. I glanced at my rearview mirror and realized that my car was blocking someone's way. I quickly moved my car. However, when I calmed down again, I couldn't get back into the same state of mind I had been in…
I smiled sheepishly, then reminded myself that this was just another lie brewing after the previous one had been exposed. But does such a beautiful lie truly exist in this world?
Like a group of bubbles, their colors shimmering in the sunlight, then dissipating and bursting as they drifted away...
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