"You saved my life!"
Sun Jiwei patted my shoulder, his face turning serious, and then said to me, "Michael, I truly consider you a brother, so I have a few words I want to advise you... As men, we need to have a long-term perspective to be well-rounded. Society is actually quite complex; every circle has its own rules... The reason you suffered such a big loss this time is because you underestimated some things. You don't understand how important connections are in the current social system... Let me ask you, how many people in our lives aren't driven by self-interest?... In reality, all interpersonal relationships revolve around this concept of self-interest. If you don't understand what this self-interest truly means, you'll continue to suffer losses in the future."
"I don't really understand..."
"It's not your fault. You used to work for someone else, so you couldn't see all aspects of society... Take our circle, for example. Everyone talks about corrupt officials and collusion between officials and businessmen, but can you ordinary people see how they collude? You can't see it; you can only hear about it. Does this really happen?... Yes, it has always happened... Really, only when you actually see how much cash and how many antiques are confiscated when those corrupt officials' homes are raided can you realize how many shockingly dirty deals are hidden behind them... This is a historical problem, not something that a certain political party or dynasty can completely eradicate; to put it bluntly, it stems from human nature."
"I still don't quite understand what you mean."
Sun Jiwei glanced at me, then lit a cigarette before replying, "Since you can't change the world, learn to adapt to it... Let me give you an example from our situation. If I had invested in this inn before, would Cao Jinbo have dared to do this? Don't say Bai Lu is from the tourism bureau; she only holds a nominal position. The real power lies with her uncle, and Cao Jinbo won't be intimidated. At worst, he'll compensate Bai Lu privately afterwards... But for you powerless people, he absolutely won't care about your lives. That's the rule of the game; fairness won't be applied to you."
I took another deep drag of my cigarette. I wanted to argue with Sun Jiwei, but after what happened, I didn't feel I had any confidence left to do so. Perhaps what he said was a very harsh reality.
A moment later, Sun Jiwei said to me again, "Michael, I truly consider you a brother. Otherwise, as a public servant, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to say these things to you. However, how you choose to proceed is ultimately up to you. As your brother, I can only offer some advice. Perhaps next time you encounter a similar situation, I won't be able to help. You know, this time I only did this because Cao Jinbo needed my help."
"Thank you, Brother Sun. After this incident, I should really think about how to deal with these complex social relationships."
Sun Jiwei nodded, then smiled...
At that moment, I had no desire to drink anymore. I just wanted to get back to the inn as soon as possible and see everyone who had suffered a lot because of this incident.
At this moment, Sun Jiwei said to me again, "Michael, there's another thing I want to discuss with you about the reason I came to pick you up alone this time..."
"Brother Sun, what is it?"
Sun Jiwei finished his coffee and then said to me, “A friend of mine is also thinking of investing in a high-end guesthouse in Dali… He asked me to inquire about it for him… I think this is a good opportunity for you to exit… You could consider transferring the guesthouse to him. My offer to him is 2 million yuan, and he thinks that price is acceptable. I believe that if you transfer it at that price, each of you shareholders can earn at least several hundred thousand yuan. It’s really just a matter of reselling; you can earn several years’ salary for an average office worker. Why not?”
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