The message An'an sent immediately filled me with a strong sense of tension, which was quite unexpected. In my mind, if An'an wanted to leave, Cao Jinbo shouldn't have made things too difficult for her. How could someone who would stop at nothing for fame and fortune value a woman so much?
But when I think of Cao Xiaobei, this lovestruck fool, I can't help but feel a little uneasy. I'm afraid that his personality traits are inherited from Cao Jinbo. After all, there are people in this world with complex personalities. Even if he does all sorts of bad things, it doesn't stop him from being a lovestruck person.
...
It was because of these random guesses that it took me quite a while to reply to An'an's message: "Just maintain the status quo and don't overthink things..."
I don't quite understand what you mean.
"I won't refuse, but I won't pander either... If nothing unexpected happens, I'll attend Cao Xiaobei's wedding... As for why I'm attending, I won't explain it to you now. I'll talk to you in detail when we meet in person. It's not convenient to say too much over the phone."
"Okay, then I'll wait for you."
...
After finishing my conversation with An'an, I went back to bed and lay down. I needed to rest because I had already made an appointment with Yang Sisi to leave promptly at 7:30 the next morning. Unlike a few years ago, this time we had to travel day and night to go to Dali because the time was very tight, and we could no longer have the same carefree attitude as before.
Before going to bed, I checked the navigation. Even though it was already 10:30 p.m., there were still many red sections on the route map, which meant traffic jams. I then realized that the Chinese New Year was really coming soon, so wherever there was traffic jam, there was a surge of people returning home.
The outlook for this journey is not optimistic, and it's uncertain whether we'll be able to make it to Cao Xiaobei's wedding.
...
That night, I had another dream. I dreamt that I was driving a car, speeding along the highway; in the twilight of the setting sun, Ye Zhi's G-Wagon was speeding ahead of me, and we were playing a game of chase, with no idea where we were going...
In an instant, I caught up with her again. When our cars were driving side by side, I rolled down my window and smiled at her. She smiled back at me, then stepped on the gas again and overtook me.
We didn't stop until we reached the next service area; as soon as she got out of the car, I hugged her... She whispered in my ear if I wanted something to eat, saying that the service area sold Jiaxing zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
I looked up and saw a sign that read "Dushupu Service Area." In my memory, this was a service area between Kunming and Dali... So, we were on our way to Dali.
I suddenly felt the urge to urinate, so I asked her to go buy it while I rushed to the bathroom... Even though I had already finished urinating, I still had a strong urge to urinate... So, I went back and urinated again.
When I came out of the bathroom, it was already night, and a light rain was falling. I looked around, and the G-Wagon was already...
She's gone, she's gone too... all that's left are two rice dumplings I bought hanging on my rearview mirror.
I felt lost and stood alone in the rain for a long time; but I didn't chase after her, because in my subconscious, it seemed like an inevitable outcome.
I was woken up by the urge to pee in the morning, and then rushed to the bathroom in a panic. After relieving myself, I stared blankly at myself in the mirror. I felt that this was not a dream, because every plant and tree in the dream was so real, even the service area had a name... and there were the two rice dumplings she left behind, with Jiaxing written on the packaging, I just had to remember the production date.
...
Around seven o'clock, Yang Sisi drove her Bentley to the hotel where I was staying.
This time, we're going straight to Dali without any hesitation. The only regret is that I didn't get to meet Yang Sisi's dad. I really wanted to talk to him about company matters, but he was away on a business trip, so we'll have to meet again after the New Year.
I put my luggage in the trunk, and Yang Sisi stood beside me watching; apart from the different car and the different season, this scene was like history repeating itself... In the picture, it was still just the two of us, in one car, and our destination was Dali.
No, my driver's license has been revoked, so this time only she can drive.
Yang Sisi seemed to be moved by the scene, and she said to me with a half-smile, "Uncle Mi, there's a convenience store across the street, why don't you go and buy some Red Bull or something... I'm afraid I'll get sleepy driving alone."
"Okay, is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
"Buy some potato chips and preserved plums... Oh, and buy more instant noodles too... It's almost Chinese New Year, and there will be traffic jams everywhere... We must make sure we have enough food for the road."
I hesitated for a moment before replying, "Why don't we skip driving and take a plane? I'm afraid I'll miss Cao Xiaobei's wedding."
"Doesn't your cousin need a car anymore?"
"Let him rent a car in Chengdu himself."
Yang Sisi looked at me with a suspicious gaze, and then asked, "When did you become so enthusiastic about Cao Xiaobei's affairs?"
I was afraid you'd regret it.
I said that, but I had other thoughts in my mind. These thoughts were not something I could tell Yang Sisi, and they didn't really concern her. I just wanted to get to Dali as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, Yang Sisi replied to me with unwavering determination: "No, I have to drive. Not driving would be my biggest regret!"
"You'd better think this through. We only have two days left on the road."
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
