After getting into the car, Tie Nan didn't stop working. He hummed a little tune while fiddling with his phone, probably texting Tao Zi. Before long, his face broke into a wide smile, and he sent a voice message to Tao Zi asking if he could finish up his work early so they could come to Dali sooner.
His every move convinced me that he was truly in love; so was Taozi, otherwise she wouldn't have had the courage to give up a job that supported her family. I think that if love could be calculated, the love she gave would definitely not be less than Tie Nan's.
But the more this is the case, the more worried I become for her, because if she can't make this relationship work out, her future will only be darker and she will see even less hope.
...
After driving for half an hour, I arrived at the Hilton Hotel. Old Mi had already checked out and was waiting for me at the hotel entrance. As soon as Tie Nan saw Old Mi, he called out "Uncle" and offered to help him with his luggage.
Old Mi responded, but didn't seem to like him much, staring intently at his tattoos and dreadlocks. While this kind of attire was common in Dali, it would be considered extremely uncouth in our small county town.
As Tie Nan put the luggage into the trunk, Lao Mi indeed asked me, "Is this your friend?"
"Yes, friends who run an inn together."
"This outfit is so fresh and new!"
I gave an awkward laugh, then led Lao Mi toward the car and changed the subject, saying, "Xiao Ye went back to Shanghai to handle some matters and won't be coming over for the next couple of days."
"Is she from Shanghai?"
Didn't I tell you?
Old Mi gave me a very unfriendly look, clearly thinking I was a jerk for not telling him such an important situation. He then said to me, "It's good that she's from Shanghai, since you're also going back to Shanghai to develop your career... you can look out for each other."
"Can we not mention going back to Shanghai?"
"Can she stay in Dali with you for the rest of her life? Or does she approve of you staying in Dali?"
I was taken aback. It turned out that Old Mi didn't suspect that Ye Zhi and I were acting; he just felt there was a huge gap between us, which was why he didn't think we were a good match. And I felt the same way, so I kept reminding myself not to get too involved.
In this life, being friends is enough. Because I am a man with a lock in my destiny, while she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Don't misunderstand, the silver spoon she was born with was definitely not meant to unlock this iron lock of mine. This lock of mine is the shackle in my destiny, and also the irrefutable proof that I was born ordinary.
Yang Sisi is right, there are different classes in this world.
But what kind of man will a woman like Ye Zhi eventually marry?
I think you have to be at least better than her.
I finally replied to Lao Mi: "She won't stay in Dali forever, but she approves of me staying in Dali... Dad, can you calm down a bit? I'm not just lazing around in Dali. I run a guesthouse with my friends, and things are going very well right now. We'll be able to reopen soon... Do you know what reopening means? Only 31 guesthouses along the entire Erhai Lake can reopen, and we're one of them!"
Old Mi sighed and said, "Don't just stand here, take me to see your inn first."
...
A short while later, the three of us returned to the inn. During this time, Tie Nan received a call from the advertising company, saying that our signboard was finished and asking us to send someone over to settle the bill and check the quality. If there were no problems, they would send workers to install it in the afternoon.
Of course, Tie Nan was in charge of this matter, so when he returned to the inn, he didn't even have time to rest before riding his motorcycle straight to the advertising company.
Coach Ma wasn't idle either. Wearing only a pair of shorts, he was drilling holes in the wall under the scorching sun, while Bai Lu was helping him with the heavy work, wearing white gloves. They only stopped when they saw Lao Mi and me arrive.
Coach Ma offered a cigarette to both me and Lao Mi. He wasn't a talkative person, so he didn't say much. Bai Lu, on the other hand, smiled and asked Lao Mi, "Uncle, were you tired from the journey?"
"I slept well last night and have recovered."
"Then you'd better let Michael show you around Dali today. There are still many nice attractions here that are worth visiting."
Old Mi responded, then looked around the inn and asked, "How much did it cost to set up this inn?"
"It was less than a million yuan. We got it from a friend. She had invested more than 1.5 million yuan back then... Later, the Dali 'government' closed all the guesthouses by the lake to protect Erhai Lake. Her family had lost a lot of money in their business, so she transferred it to us at a low price... However, the guesthouse should be able to reopen in November."
Bai Lu turned her gaze to me and continued, "The inn was able to reopen ahead of schedule thanks to Mi Gao. If it weren't for his heroic act, which caught the attention of the government and led to his award, we wouldn't have been able to get such a valuable spot... Uncle, do you know? There are over three thousand inns that were shut down along Erhai Lake, but only 30 were able to reopen in November. This spot was an extra reward from the government, meaning there were only 31 in total. You can do the math on that ratio..."
Old Mi's gaze towards me finally softened, but there still seemed to be a hint of resentment. He then asked Bai Lu, "Can you make money running this inn?"
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
