"Is that so?"
"It's definitely true, it was a friend from the Public Security Bureau who told me... We were chatting yesterday, and somehow we started talking about Cao Jinbo... Speaking of which, it's been a really long time since we've been to Dali... Actually, there's nothing to miss, it's a place that makes me sad... Shanghai is still the best!"
I didn't say anything, but just picked up the bottle and took another big gulp of wine... I don't know if it was a hallucination or if someone was really singing, but I heard "Goodbye, Twentieth Century" again, but my heart was numb. I didn't feel anything, nor did I try to recall anything.
...
After a long while, I finally spoke to Chen Jin and asked, "How's work been lately?"
Chen Jin immediately retorted with a mocking tone, "You want to ask me about Ye Zhi, don't you?"
"It's been three years. Have you ever heard me mention this person to you?"
"Yes, it's been three years, and you finally couldn't help but mention this person to me!"
"If you can't talk to me properly, I'm going back to sleep."
"No, I've finally managed to get you to ask me out... Michael, there's something I really can't help but want to tell you."
"Let's talk about something more reliable."
Chen Jin leaned closer to me and whispered, "What I'm going to tell you is about President Ye's child... Last week, I saw her in the company's underground parking garage. She was holding that little thing... Damn, she really looks a bit like you... Especially her eyes, when she's half-closing her eyes and looking at people, she looks so frivolous!... Really, exactly like you!"
I was stunned, then cursed, "Can't you speak like a human being?!"
"You two...really didn't have sex?"
“I swear, I didn’t even take her shirt off.”
Chen Jin slapped himself, then replied, "Just take it as me being foul-mouthed. You can't just say things like that!"
...
In the intermittent silence, we lay down together on the rooftop. It was around this time that I finished the whole bottle of wine. I was getting sleepy and wanted to sleep there...
“Michael, it’s almost Chinese New Year again… Let’s go to Thailand this year. I heard Ping bought a yacht, so we can drink red wine and enjoy the sea view on the yacht… and then celebrate our 33rd year in this world!… I’ve fucking come to terms with it now. Since things aren’t going well in my love life, I definitely can’t skimp on myself in terms of lifestyle… Next year, I’ll buy a house in Phuket too…”
I interrupted Chen Jin impatiently and said, "Go by yourself... I want to go home for the New Year..."
"Don't go home and upset your parents... You don't even have a girlfriend... Why don't you come to Thailand with me!"
I remained silent, but then I thought back to this time three years ago… I suddenly longed to go back to Dali, to see my friends there, to witness the beauty of its scenery! …I don’t know if not going to Dali all these years, or even inquiring about anything related to Dali, counts as escapism… But I have never forgotten everything that happened there. I still keep the business license for the “Waiting for You in the Scenery of Dali” inn… It was given to me by Tie Nan, and it is almost one of the most important things in my life.
...
The next day, I took the earliest flight from Shanghai to Dali. Sitting in the taxi, looking at the familiar Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, I was filled with mixed emotions...
I just watched until the car entered National Highway 218, then I said to the driver, "Sir, could you recommend a guesthouse? I need to find a place to stay tonight."
What kind of inn would you like to stay at?
"Dali's guesthouse culture is leading the country, so of course the more sentimental the better."
The driver smiled and replied, "It's right ahead of you."
"What?"
The driver gestured for me to look ahead.
I looked up and saw that the slogans promoting the protection of Erhai Lake that were once on the billboard were gone. In their place was an advertisement for a guesthouse.
My heart, which had long been numb, suddenly trembled violently...
I quickly dialed the reservation number on the billboard.
Five seconds later, I heard that voice that had appeared countless times in my dreams. She spoke to me in a very gentle tone: "Hello, an inn, a city, a lifetime waiting for one person... Dali, I'm waiting for you amidst the wind, flowers, snow, and moon. Welcome to inquire..."
"An inn, a city, a lifetime waiting for only one person..."
My vision blurred instantly... At that moment, I seemed to see her nearly 30 years old through the "romantic beauty" of this city... which is precisely the best part of my life, and also the choice between two cities!
(The Finale) (Follow the WeChat Official Account "Tank's Bookstall" for more updates on the series!)
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