"It looks like there won't be a small amount."
"Absolutely! The bar is packed to the brim right now. We really have to thank Bai Lu for sharing that opening announcement..."
I smiled and asked again, "Is the hundred cases of beer I ordered still enough?"
"I doubt it... but don't order any more. Just finish these and call it a day. We can't just focus on popularity without considering our own costs."
"It's the first day, so I hope everyone has a good time... Any extra beer won't be recorded in the ledger, I'll treat everyone personally."
"Honestly, I've never seen someone as generous as you when you're poor!"
"This is a way of marketing based on personal relationships... I'd love for all these people who come to drink 200 cases. Don't worry, we won't lose money."
"What's your basis for saying you won't lose money?"
"The only thing we're offering for free is beer. You'll see later."
Just as I said that, I heard the waitress's voice on the other end of the phone. She asked Nicole, "Nicole, the customers at the table by the bar want six bottles of Chivas Regal 12-year-old. They're asking if you can give them a discount."
Nicole paused for a moment, then asked me, "Can you give me a discount?"
"How much should we sell this wine for now?"
"Eight hundred and eighty."
"If we give them a 68% discount and throw in two fruit platters, we can still make around 2,000 yuan profit on six bottles of wine. Do you think we can lose money?"
"Michael, you're amazing!"
"It's really just a matter of probability. I dare say that 80% of the people who come to our bar today are here for the free beer... But the remaining 20% of high-end customers are enough to keep us from losing money... Besides, you can't just drink beer at a bar, you have to order some snacks. Just you wait and see, as long as the bar is popular, it's absolutely impossible for us to lose money."
"If you put it that way, I feel more at ease. So, I'll order another hundred cases of beer?"
"Hmm... prepare more snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts as well."
Nicole was in a great mood and replied, "No problem, no problem... Later, I'll add you and Ye Zhi to a group chat and send you some photos from the scene."
I paused for a moment before saying, "Let's not... we're not on the same path."
"Wow... you're really holding a grudge. What did she do to you?"
"Stop asking, it's annoying!"
Nicole didn't take it seriously at all. She said with particular disdain, "Come on, if you two weren't on the same wavelength, would I be able to open this bar? ... I'm not saying this to you, but when you're with a woman, can't you be a little more generous? ... If you really can't be a generous person, just think about the good times you had together. Why do you have to stick to those unpleasant things?"
"If I weren't magnanimous, would I have come all the way from Dali to Shanghai?... But she said she wouldn't see me, so am I really supposed to have no shame at all?"
"Look at your temper... are you on fire?"
"I really want to have a calm talk with you... but there's really nothing to talk about because you don't understand me, and you don't know what she's thinking."
"Then I'll add you all to a group chat and we can have a proper chat, then you'll all know, right?"
"You're not fair, you're definitely biased towards Ye Zhi... you keep talking about me."
Nicole laughed in exasperation and said, "I didn't expect you to have such a childish side... How about this? You two are both major shareholders of the bar, so it's impossible for you not to get involved. We'll definitely need to create a group chat to communicate at any time. At worst, we won't discuss personal matters in the group. If there are any problems, you two can resolve them privately. I won't interfere."
Nicole's reasoning was so sound that I couldn't refute her, and I finally replied, "Okay, go ahead and build it."
...
Not long after I entered the theater, Nicole actually created a group chat, and after being blocked by Ye Zhi for several days, I finally saw her again on WeChat... She changed her profile picture; it was no longer a drifting leaf, but a selfie.
This selfie made my heart race. She's still so beautiful. More importantly, she took this photo at the airport that day because of my strong suggestion. Although I don't know what it means for her to use this photo as her profile picture, I feel like I haven't completely lost touch with her.
The next moment, Nicole posted about ten photos of the bar scene...
I didn't respond, and neither did Ye Zhi.
Nicole sent another voice message, sounding a little angry: "I can't be the only one performing at the bar... Can't you two say a word to each other?"
Two minutes later, Ye Zhi also sent a voice message: "I'm driving now, I'll chat with you when I get home."
Such a simple sentence made my heart melancholy... Melancholy because of beauty, but it's a pity that such a beautiful voice is ignoring me and unwilling to give me a chance to communicate.
"Michael, what about you?"
"Watching a movie, an art film."
Nicole pressed further, "You're in Shanghai, right? Who are you with?"
"you guess……"
"Is that even a guess... It must be Sisi, she just got back to Shanghai too."
I stared at the message for a long time before I understood Nicole's intention... She wanted to make Ye Zhi feel threatened, but would she? This proud woman who didn't want to look at the world with a second glance... Moreover, regardless of whether it was useful or not, I didn't like to involve Yang Sisi in such matters, because in my heart she was like a flawless piece of white jade, not to be compared, much less to be used.
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