After some haggling, Yang Sisi finally used scissors to cut off the thick layer of tape covering me. As soon as I was free, I didn't care if they were disgusted; I immediately grabbed a blanket from their bed and wrapped myself in it. Then, while sneezing, I said to Yang Sisi, "What time do you think we should arrange to meet your family and Mr. Huang tomorrow?"
"I'm available anytime, the key is whether you can help me come up with a reason."
"Why do you expect me to come up with excuses for your own family matters?"
Yang Sisi replied firmly, "If you're going to stand by and do nothing, then I won't go. Unless you make me feel like we're in the same boat, even if they set some kind of trap for me, I'll make sure you fall in and die first, and then I'll step on your corpse."
"What the hell did I do in my past life to deserve this mess like you? When you screwed me over like this, didn't you feel even a little bit guilty?"
No, not at all.
A sense of powerlessness washed over me, and it took me a long time to reply: "Okay, I'll help you come up with an excuse so you can continue to live a carefree life in Dali."
"When it comes to being a womanizer, who dares to compare with you?! You're lucky you ran into someone you know who didn't hold it against you, otherwise the police officers at the station would be teaching you how to be a decent person by now."
"Can we stop talking now?"
"No, I'll be telling you this for a hundred years."
I didn't have the energy to argue with her, so I changed the subject and asked, "Did you put me on your contact blacklist?"
"If I don't blacklist you, am I supposed to add you to my special watchlist?"
"Please remove me from your blacklist first, otherwise I won't be able to contact you tomorrow."
Yang Sisi glared at me unhappily, then took out her phone and said to me while operating it, "I originally planned to never speak to you again, but being shameless really has its advantages! I'm such a kind person, but I can't resist someone's persistent pleading... Sigh, if my future boyfriend knew that I have no principles, I wonder if it would affect my image in his mind."
"Your inner monologue is so dramatic!"
Yang Sisi snorted at me and didn't respond. After standing there for a while, I walked over to Ye Zhi and said to her with an embarrassed expression, "I'm really sorry about what happened today, I also..."
Ye Zhi interrupted me and replied, "No need to apologize to me. Next time you come, just choose a more normal route."
I was even more embarrassed. After a long pause, I sighed, "If we had exchanged contact information beforehand, this embarrassing situation wouldn't have happened... It's my fault. Can we exchange contact information now?... Uh, I mean phone numbers, or WeChat IDs are fine too."
Yang Sisi quickly said, "Don't give it to him, otherwise he'll have even more excuses to come here. We don't welcome shameless people here."
"Can you please stop being a troublemaker?"
"Alright, I won't disturb you anymore... You should go back now, so as not to disturb the two empress dowagers' repose."
I:"……"
...
At one o'clock in the morning, I finally ended this tumultuous night and returned to my inn. Ma Daozhi and Tie Nan, who had fallen behind me, were already asleep. Their snoring was so well-matched that it was like a terrible gift to me, someone with mild insomnia, which caused me to have trouble sleeping for a long time.
I woke up naturally this morning, checked the time, and it was already ten o'clock. After sitting on the bed for a while, I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to go to Zhao Jing's place to check on the guesthouse this morning. I called out to Tie Nan, but the guy still showed no sign of waking up. This is probably the decadent life of Dali's degenerate youth; they are nocturnal animals, and the daytime is their true resting time. At least in the few days I've been here, I've never seen Coach Ma or Tie Nan get up early.
After waking Tie Nan up, I called Lao Huang again to tell him that I had found Yang Sisi and that they should prepare to have dinner together that evening. Lao Huang was overjoyed, but I felt like a piece of meat filling sandwiched in a pancake. I felt extremely uncomfortable because I couldn't fully satisfy either Lao Huang's or Yang Sisi's requests.
...
Around noon, Tie Nan and I went to Bai Lu's bar again, and then she drove us to Zhao Jing's "Fragrant Clouds" inn located near Longkan Wharf.
When we arrived, Zhao Jing was already waiting for us at the inn. She first showed us around the common areas of the inn, and then took us to see each of the rooms one by one.
After looking around, we sat down at the small tea bar on the first floor and resumed our discussion. Zhao Jing asked me, "What did you think of it?"
“It’s pretty good. I can tell you put a lot of effort into making this inn, because it’s reflected in some of the details… However, I’m not very knowledgeable about this, so I’ll have to ask my friend for his opinion.” As I spoke, I turned my gaze to Tie Nan.
Tie Nan lit a cigarette and asked Zhao Jing, "Have you been running this inn for three years now?"
"Yes, it's been three and a half years."
"The renovation cycle for a guesthouse is generally around five years. That means if my friend takes over, it will need to be renovated in a little over a year, which is a considerable investment... It's clear that your guesthouse did quite well before, as the furnishings in several of the discounted rooms and sea-view rooms are quite worn out."
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