Despite my doubts, I didn't voice them in front of Yang Sisi. For me, knowing that Ye Zhi had a half-brother was already a great gain. As for whether he was scheming against Ye Zhi, time would gradually reveal the truth.
After a moment of silence, I finally spoke and asked Yang Sisi, "Where did you find out about all this?"
"Don't worry about that, it's very reliable anyway."
I let out a sigh of relief, and then said to Yang Sisi in a very serious tone, "Sisi, I understand your feelings, but I really don't want you to get involved in this mess. Putting aside whether the information you have is reliable or not... if you become another victim in this incident, then what is the point of me doing all this?"
After a brief pause, I continued, "If everything we're doing now can save Ye Zhi, but in the end it will cost you everything... then for me, it's a losing proposition, and I don't want that outcome."
Yang Sisi looked at me with a strange expression, then smiled and said, "Does what you're saying mean that I'm more important to you than Ye Zhi?"
I stared at Yang Sisi in astonishment...
Can I really rank the emotions between people, or rather, between her and Ye Zhi, in my heart? At least, I've never faced this question in the past few years, so I'm taken aback.
Seeing that I didn't speak, Yang Sisi continued, "I must be stupid to even ask this question... There's no comparison between us at all, at least she never thought of comparing herself to me."
"You really shouldn't get involved in this!"
"I'm just asking around and gathering information, nothing serious will happen."
"Many things don't go as planned; the fact that Ye Zhi herself hasn't been able to unravel the mystery to this day proves that this is a complex and intricate game. Just think about the kind of people behind her—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as ruthless and insane!"
"I don't want to think about all this. I just want to help you resolve your inner conflict... and then live like a normal person."
"I don't understand. Do you want you to be like a normal person, or do you want me to be like a normal person?"
"We... I don't know what you're thinking, but my favorite place is Dali. I'll never forget the time I spent there. When I was bored, I'd go for a stroll in the old town, and if I wanted to buy something, I could find it in Xiaguan town... I think this is the most normal life for me. I love the bars in Dali, I love the carefree people there, I love the freedom in Dali, I love the hedonistic lifestyle there... What about you? Do you like these things?"
I was in a daze for a moment, then shook my head and replied, "I'm different from you. What I saw in Dali was the skyrocketing housing prices driven up by outsiders, and the displaced people after the guesthouses were demolished... Dali is certainly a golden paradise, because I earned my first pot of gold there... I don't have the right to approach Dali with a sense of enjoyment... So, I should be among the first group of people who fled to Dali to wake up."
"Is that so... In the end, you still couldn't live the life Wang Lei wanted, but you went to Dali for Wang Lei's sake!"
"Because I have never thought of giving up on myself... I crave success."
Are you happy?
"If smiling equals happiness... then I'm quite happy!"
As I spoke, I smiled at Yang Sisi.
Yang Sisi sighed, then refused to say anything more. She got up and left the swimming pool, then went upstairs to help her father wash his clothes... while I stood in the swimming pool, speechless for a long time.
I love Dali, I love its slow pace, I love the romantic scenery at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and by Erhai Lake, but I don't know when it started, I've come to dislike those so-called "dream" youths who wander around the ancient city all day. I hate their motorcycles, I loathe their empty talk, and I'm disgusted by their use of "dreams" as a pretext to swindle money and deceive people's feelings...
This isn't prejudice of mine; I've dealt with people like this before. They always borrow money from me—to gas their motorcycles or fix them—but they never pay it back… The amounts aren't large, but why should I foot the bill for their carefree lifestyle? And then let them ride their motorcycles to deceive naive young girls…
God knows how much I fucking hate their motorcycles and their dishonest mouths.
But back then, Wang Lei wanted to come to Dali because she wanted to experience the kind of life where she could ride a motorcycle around Erhai Lake...
So Yang Sisi is right, I am indeed going in the opposite direction now!
...
Forty minutes later, Brother Ping picked up Vice President Wu and his son and daughter-in-law and brought them back to the villa. After a brief chat, we went together to the villa near Karon Beach.
This time, Vice President Wu was determined to buy, so he didn't beat around the bush. We talked mostly about the details of the renovation. After finalizing the general renovation plan, Vice President Wu said to me, "Brother, I really admire your work style... neither humble nor arrogant, neither competitive nor pushy... Logically, I shouldn't be haggling with you, but we're all Chinese, and you should understand. When Chinese people buy things, if they don't negotiate the price, they always feel like something's missing... I won't mess around with you. For a house worth 7.9 million, I'll symbolically offer 100,000 less, how about that?"
I smiled and replied, "Brother, you were willing to pay an extra million to buy that house, but you're willing to pay 100,000 for this one. In the end, you're not being sincere... If you really don't like this house, you should reconsider. After all, nearly eight million is not a small amount."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
