...
Another gust of wind blew by, and Ye Zhi, while smoothing her wind-blown hair, asked me, "What are you planning to do after you take over the inn?"
I looked up and stared at her blankly for a moment before replying, "I'll probably go back to my hometown... You've met my dad, he's quite old, and my mom isn't in good health either. Going back to Shancheng will allow me to be there to take care of them."
Ye Zhi smiled and said, "It sounds like a pretty good choice..." She paused for a moment, then sighed, "We probably won't have a chance to meet again in this lifetime, will we?"
I glanced at her, and a sense of melancholy washed over me. I took a deep drag of my cigarette and forced a smile. "I'm particularly afraid of people talking to me about things that can drag on for a lifetime."
"Isn't that just the way it is?"
I nodded and continued smoking, and Ye Zhi stopped talking... We maintained this state until we parted ways.
But this time, as I watched her walk back to the inn, I felt a pang of indescribable sorrow. So I sat alone on that rock where we had sat for a long, long time...
...
Back at the inn, everyone was sitting in the small bar. When they saw me return, they all put down their glasses and turned their attention to me. I sat down at the far end of the table, meeting their gazes.
Bai Lu spoke first, asking me, "Michael, have you thought it through?"
I nodded, then pulled a crumpled cigarette from my pocket, lit it, took a heavy drag, and said to everyone, "I've decided to respect the majority's opinion and transfer this inn to Sun Jiwei's friend."
After I finished speaking, the room fell silent... Then, Yang Sisi burst into tears and questioned me, "Do you really want everyone to break up and for me to go back to Shanghai?"
"I did it for the sake of the bigger picture."
"Okay, I'm just a nobody and don't want to say anything more... Please settle my salary for this month, it'll be enough for my travel expenses back to Shanghai... I'll pack my bags now and leave tomorrow morning... I hope you'll all be well after I leave."
After Yang Sisi finished speaking, she left with a lot of resentment, while the others seemed surprisingly calm. I really wanted to know: what were they thinking at that moment?
Finally, Coach Ma, who seemed to have the least emotion, coldly said to us all, "Like Sisi, I also feel there's nothing more to say... Those of you who want to transfer the inn, please go and take down the inn's signboard. From now on, the 'Waiting for You in the Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon' inn will no longer exist in this world."
No one spoke.
Coach Ma slammed his fist on the table and yelled at us, "What the hell are you all standing here pretending to be?... Go, go take down the sign!"
The crowd remained silent.
Coach Ma then said coldly to me, "Michael, go help Sisi pack her luggage... You'd better not remember that she used to post on the forum day and night for our inn; and I hope you guys don't feel guilty taking the money her aunt used to come and organize the annual meeting!"
Coach Ma turned his attention to me. Bai Lu gestured for him to calm down and then said to me, "Go see Sisi. I also feel really bad for that girl. Talk to her nicely... If she really wants to go back to Shanghai, don't force her to stay. Going back to Shanghai isn't a bad thing. It's really unfair to her that she's working as a receptionist at the inn."
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