During my conversation with Yang Sisi, the sky grew darker. I saw the tow truck tow away the speedboat that had just been speeding across the sea, and the world became even quieter. I could almost hear Yang Sisi's breathing and my own heartbeat.
At this moment, I really wanted to become a tapeworm in her stomach and know what she was thinking; although she spoke in the same way as before, she gave me a different inner feeling; I felt that she must have something else on her mind.
Just as I was about to speak, there was a knock on the door, and then I heard Brother Ping's voice, "Michael, are you awake? I've already made a reservation at the restaurant."
These days, it seems like you can't get along with people without some acting skills. If Yang Sisi hadn't contacted him beforehand, how would he have found this place? Now that Yang Sisi is here, I have no desire to sleep anymore, so he's just asking a question he already knows the answer to.
I replied, "How many people did you reserve?"
"It's just the two of us. I specifically picked a table with a sea view, so hurry up!"
I glanced at Yang Sisi, who glared at me and said, "None of you are honest. If he hadn't told me, I would never have found this place in my entire life."
"Brother Ping just likes to joke around, don't take it to heart."
Yang Sisi ignored me and instead focused her gaze on the Rolex watch I had placed on the bedside table... She picked it up and looked at it, then asked me, "Did Ye Zhi buy this for you?"
Before I could even speak, Yang Sisi said again, "It's okay, you can lie to me."
"She bought it."
Yang Sisi put the watch back in its original place, then opened the door for Ping Ge. Ping Ge pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, we have guests at home. I'll quickly ask the boss to reserve another seat... Michael, I'll send you the restaurant's location on WeChat later. You can take Sisi there, and I'll treat you two to the most authentic sirloin steak in Phuket."
I responded, and Brother Ping closed the door again, as if his purpose in appearing was to help Yang Sisi and me get past this most sensitive topic... Thinking about it, I'm really pathetic. In front of Yang Sisi, I said I couldn't forget Ye Zhi; in front of Ye Zhi, I said Yang Sisi was the best choice. In the end, I lost them both.
So, my loneliness was self-inflicted, but God really didn't give me many choices. So I tried to numb myself with my career, but my career didn't go well either. This was probably the most impoverished period of my life.
...
I sat in my wheelchair, and Yang Sisi pushed me from behind. After walking for quite a while, she finally spoke to me, "Two years ago, I accompanied you to Phuket. Do you remember how you felt back then?"
"I remember, it was worse than death."
"And now?"
I turned to look at Yang Sisi, then smiled and replied, "Actually, I'm not feeling much better right now, but it's not because of that matter anymore."
"...At my age, still drifting aimlessly and accomplishing nothing, I'm actually quite anxious...especially about my leg, I don't know if it will ever fully recover... To be honest, I don't really want to think about the future, because I feel like I don't have the resilience to withstand the worst-case scenario..."
Is this why you didn't want me in the first place? ...I hope you can answer me honestly. We've come this far, things can't get any worse, so I want to hear what's really on your mind.
Yang Sisi stopped in her tracks. Before us stretched an endless sea. Although it was already dark, there was still a glimmer of light illuminating the horizon where the sea met the sky.
My heart gradually opened up, and then I replied sincerely, "That's one of the reasons... I'm quite confused. On the one hand, I know that there's no hope between Ye Zhi and me, but on the other hand, I don't want to treat you as a second choice, because that's not fair to you... because you're not a woman who can settle. You seem carefree, but you're actually more proud than anyone else... We've known each other for three years, and I think I know you very well."
"I believe this is what you truly think... In your eyes, I will always be inferior to Ye Zhi... Three years have passed, enough time for me to come to terms with this fact!"
At this point, Yang Sisi smiled and continued, "But I know that there was a moment when you wanted to marry me... If you hadn't injured your leg, we might already be married... I could live with you in Dali, and I wouldn't care if you had a house or not. I'm probably the only woman in the world who could live a life like a poem with you... Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs,' so I came to see you this time not to forgive you... I'm not someone who gives up easily, but when disappointment accumulates, the heart really does die... Hehe, when I met you, I was only 20, and now even my birth year is almost over, so I have my own anxieties... I'm sorry, this time, I can't be there for you during your most difficult time."
After a brief pause, Yang Sisi continued, "We should acknowledge our gratitude and our resentment, and once we've said our piece, we'll be even... Take this card; consider it repayment of the favor to Jiulongju, with interest. From now on, we're even."
“I can’t take this money. I’ve already talked to your dad. We’ll consider this money a loan from him, and Brother Ping’s villa will be mortgaged to him.”
"No need for all that trouble, and you don't have to pay back the money... This money is rightfully yours... But you need to learn from this experience and not let yourself be taken advantage of by a woman like Lu Jia. You need to learn to protect your assets."
"I……"
"Let's settle our scores... Let's not talk about this anymore."
As she spoke, Yang Sisi slipped the bank card into my shirt pocket, then looked up at the distant horizon, her expression forlorn…
"Grandpa Mi..."
I looked at her in surprise. I didn't know why she would suddenly call me that. It was how she addressed me when we first met.
"I've taken care of everything that needed to be done... You can have dinner with Brother Ping by yourself. I'm leaving."
Where are you going?
"Calm down, put the story aside, what you want now, you will have in the future."
"Let's eat before we leave... The sirloin steak at that restaurant is really delicious!"
"I won't touch anything addictive again... Take good care of yourself."
Yang Sisi released her wheelchair, smiled at me, and then walked towards the intersection with taxis, following the streetlights... She untied the hair tie from her braid, and her long hair fell neatly over her shoulders...
My vision blurred, and I forgot how the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. I only saw three years slowly fading away in the sea breeze. Though I felt reluctant, there was nothing I could do…
(End of this chapter) h/>/>
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