"Let's find a place to eat around here. I don't want to go too far."
When Ye Zhi said that, I naturally thought of the snack street where I drank with Chen Jin last night; although it was a bit low-end, it was really close to this place, and besides, I wanted to try the grilled snails, so there was no reason not to take Ye Zhi there. After this, I might really have to say goodbye to this snack street, because even Ye Zhi had said goodbye, so what else would make me want to come back to Shanghai?
...
After walking for about two bus stops, I led Ye Zhi into this snack street. As we walked, I asked her, "Is your place far from here?"
“I have a house quite close to here, but I’ve never lived here permanently.”
"Oh...actually, living near the Bund is quite nice. Although it's a bit noisy, there are lots of people and good food...Let me tell you, there's a place on this snack street that makes absolutely amazing grilled snails. When I used to work in Shanghai, I loved coming here for late-night snacks in the summer. I especially loved drinking beer while eating grilled snails dipped in chili powder...I think, considering my previous monthly salary of six or seven thousand yuan, this was the highest quality of material enjoyment I could have!"
"Yeah?"
"If you don't have anything to say, you don't have to force yourself to respond. I just want to express my feelings about this place... But, can you get used to this kind of place?"
“When I was studying abroad, there was a food street like this next to the school. There were many food stalls run by Chinese people, so I would often go there with my classmates to eat…”
"I never knew you had a thing for food streets!"
Ye Zhi glanced at me and replied, "That street is a very special place of emotional connection for those of us who study abroad year-round, so of course we like it."
"Then we have the same understanding of food streets... You know what? My biggest dream in this life is to drive a station wagon and eat my way through all the famous food streets in China."
"Then do your best to achieve it."
"I'll make it happen when I have more free time... I just don't know how long it will be before I have more free time!"
...
After walking a little further, we unexpectedly saw Chen Jin and Ding Lin. Just as Ye Zhi and I were about to get close, Chen Jin also noticed me... I spoke first and asked him, "Why are you eating here?"
Chen Jin looked at Ding Lin, then replied to me, "This is our last meal together, so we should find a place that will be memorable." After a slight pause, he turned to Ding Lin and said, "By the way, I'm going to Dali with Michael tomorrow... Don't worry about me, I'll definitely be better off than you."
Ding Lin's expression was not good, but she chose to remain silent, and in her silence, I did not see any remorse towards Chen Jin.
At this moment, Chen Jin looked at Ye Zhi next to me and asked, "Is this... your girlfriend?"
I glanced at Ye Zhi, then shamelessly replied, "I guess so."
Chen Jin exclaimed, "Michael, I'm not trying to flatter you... but when it comes to finding a girlfriend, you really have better taste than me!"
Ding Lin's face turned even uglier, but Chen Jin ignored her completely and said, "No matter how you look at it, you're a winner in life... Why are you making yourself so cynical? Aren't you just trying to put us down?"
I laughed and said, "I'm just that kind of sentimental person, what are you going to do about it?"
"I'm so impressed, I almost want to kneel down before you!..." After a short pause, Chen Jin suggested, "We're all eating, why don't we share a table?"
"Forget it, there's no tomorrow for these days, let's talk about them one by one."
Chen Jin didn't quite understand what I was saying, and I had already led Ye Zhi to the next stall.
...
After we sat down, I ordered beer and grilled snails as usual. Ye Zhi was quite casual; she didn't specify what she wanted to eat. She just ate whatever I ordered, but she didn't say a word to me during the process.
I poured her a beer and said, "Don't drive later, have a drink with me."
"I don't want to drink it."
"Have a drink, because I have to thank you on Tie Nan's behalf... Although I don't know the final verdict yet, I really should thank you for helping me find the best lawyer in all of Dali!"
Ye Zhi didn't even glance at the cup. She replied, "It's just the two of us eating. I don't want to talk about other people's business."
I sighed, "I've explained everything I needed to. What's left to talk about?" After a brief pause, I continued, "Thinking about it, time really flies! ... We've known each other for almost half a year; in these six months, I can't say I know you very well, but my heart has always been with you... It's a pity I haven't had the chance to get to know you better, but I still hope that you will have a better and better life in the future... I also hope that in the near future, you will have a like-minded boyfriend by your side, because no matter how good one person is, sometimes they will be lonely..."
After saying that, I picked up my glass and downed the beer in one gulp, then secretly glanced at Ye Zhi again.
Ye Zhi also picked up a beer, took a sip, and replied, "I don't need anyone's concern, and I won't feel lonely... You just need to take care of yourself."
“I will get better and better, and I especially enjoy this feeling of starting a business... really.”
Ye Zhi glanced at me, but then ignored me.
...
The meal lasted about an hour. I called the owner over to settle the bill, but I didn't feel like paying for it myself... I said I would be a "bad man," but that wasn't just lip service, so Ye Zhi had to treat me to this meal.
Ye Zhi didn't argue with me; she asked the owner, "Can I pay with WeChat?"
The shopkeeper replied, "I'm sorry, miss... my phone is dead. Please pay in cash."
"I didn't bring any cash."
As Ye Zhi spoke, she looked at me with a pleading gaze. I said, "Try looking in your bag. It didn't cost much. Maybe there are a few hundred yuan in cash hidden in some compartment."
Ye Zhi picked up her bag and rummaged through it, but found nothing.
"I'll help you look for it."
I walked over to Ye Zhi, then lowered my head and reached for her handbag... Then, I leaned in and kissed her lips fiercely. As she instinctively tried to pull away, I bit her hard...
I thought to myself: This is fucking wicked!
But the next second, my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest... I don't know where I got the courage from, I feel like I've gone crazy, right here on this snack street that I love.
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