Looking from the highway into the county town, it does resemble a city, especially with the landscape lights installed along the riverbank, creating a dreamlike scene of prosperity. However, once you actually drive into the county town, you find it so desolate that there are hardly any hotels to choose from. The streets are also extremely deserted, except for a few taxis dropping off passengers and stray dogs urinating on garbage cans; everything seems to be still.
My memory of this place is hazy because I visited it a few years ago.
...
After driving around the county town for a while, Yang Sisi and I finally chose the hotel where Ye Zhi had stayed, which was also the only star-rated hotel in the county town.
After we all settled our luggage, we finally had time to sit down in the restaurant and have some dinner...
Yang Sisi was really tired, so much so that she started dozing off while waiting for her food... My mental state was much better than hers, so I picked up my phone and started browsing today's news.
"Michael, when you see this place, does it hurt?"
"What's the meaning?"
"Back then, didn't you put on a heroic rescue of a damsel in distress right here? Unfortunately, your cool demeanor lasted only three seconds. Before you could even gloat, you were beaten up badly by some local thugs."
"You're so tired, yet you still can't resist teasing me. What kind of spirit is that?"
"A spirit that is relentless in destroying people."
As she spoke, Yang Sisi laughed, but I felt that her smile was "hidden daggers," so I didn't really want to talk to her. I didn't deliberately recall that scene from before; I just stared at the neon lights outside the window and thought about some things that might happen soon...
Just then, An'an sent me another message: "Michael, I'm increasingly at a loss about how to control this situation... He sent someone to my hometown today and met with my mother, saying he wants to give her a dowry and help her buy a new house in our hometown... I don't know if he wants to show sincerity or if he's just trying to 'test' my background... If he wants to show sincerity, shouldn't he go there in person?"
"This person is a mix of truth and deception, and I don't know what he's thinking... but the current situation is indeed not very optimistic!"
"What should I do?... I'm really panicking!"
"Just bear with it a little longer. I should be able to get to Dali by tomorrow night at the earliest... Then I'll help you figure something out."
"Well, hopefully it's not too late."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best... You also have to remember one principle: if you can delay it, then delay it as much as possible... If you really can't delay it, you'd rather tear off your mask than agree to marry him, after all, this is a matter concerning your entire life."
"I know."
"Also, you have to delete our chat history after you've read it. Don't leave it on your phone... I don't want him to know that we're friends."
"good."
...
it's over
My conversation with An'an made me feel even more urgent... Even if the road conditions are good tomorrow, we might not be able to reach Dali in one day. So, I took a risk and said to Yang Sisi, who was already drowsy, "I'm not sleepy at all right now. Let's not waste time in this small county. I'll drive for a while and you can rest... Let's try to reach Dali by tomorrow afternoon."
"Are you crazy?! You're trying to drive without a license?!"
“I have a much longer driving experience than you… From a safety perspective, I am definitely more reliable than you when I drive… Let’s really not rest, there will definitely be huge traffic jams during the day tomorrow, so let’s drive more at night.”
"Cao Xiaobei's wedding is the day after tomorrow. We'll set off early tomorrow morning, and we should be able to arrive by nightfall at the latest."
"This is under the condition that there are no unexpected events... If there is a big traffic jam on the road, we will definitely not make it... You know that during holidays like Chinese New Year, it is normal to be stuck in traffic for a whole day and night... I just checked the navigation, and there are basically no traffic jams right now. If we grit our teeth, we will definitely be able to reach Dali by tomorrow afternoon."
"Are you out of your mind...? The hotel rooms are already booked... Two rooms, over a thousand yuan!"
"Seriously? When did you become so stingy with money?"
Yang Sisi was silent for a moment, then looked at me with a sharp gaze and said, "Michael, I think you're hiding something... You're acting very strangely today!"
“We have different views on time. I just don’t want to waste so much time on such a boring road trip… The first time we went to Dali, I was in a hurry to get going, while you wanted to stop everywhere.”
“I admit, I used to always be thinking about having fun… But today, we left the city at 7:30 and got on the highway, and didn’t get off until 10:30 at night… Tell me, how much more rushed do you need to be to satisfy your pursuit of time?”
I was a little speechless.
Yang Sisi, still seething with resentment, said, "Michael, do you think I'd believe you if you said you had nothing on your mind?... Do you think everyone's a simpleton like you?!"
I was a little discouraged because no matter how I pretended, my true feelings couldn't escape her eyes.
After a long silence, I finally spoke to her, saying, "I have something urgent to attend to, but it's too important to tell anyone else."
Am I someone else?
I knew you would say that.
Yang Sisi looked at me, then said with a disappointed expression, "You're really a scoundrel!... Michael, let me make this clear from the start: as long as you're honest with me... I'll accommodate you in anything... If you break the rules, I'll break the rules too... If you go through fire and water, I'll go through hell... If you become King Zhou, I'll help him commit evil."
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