I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

The comfortable environment brought me a comfortable mood, so even without anyone to get drunk with, I felt intoxicated, and I seemed to have a deeper understanding of this new life. First of all, I was much more relaxed than when I was in Shanghai, and I wasn't afraid that getting drunk would affect my work performance the next day; I also didn't have to live in a small room on the 19th floor, feeling incredibly oppressed by the towering buildings outside the window.

Here, I saw a liberated version of myself. This made me even more eager to get the guesthouse up and running. I dream of raising an Alaskan Malamute someday, and then we can welcome guests from all over.

I also want to build a small balcony in the courtyard of the guesthouse with a view of Erhai Lake. When I'm not busy, I'll sit there, drink tea, and enjoy the scenery outside. And these are the only things I can do for Wang Lei.

In my hazy, drunken state, I inadvertently caught sight of Ye Zhi sitting opposite me. She sat very upright, which made her beautiful hair appear even more flowing in the wind, but not a single breeze could stir her inner turmoil. So, throughout the entire night, she didn't talk about herself at all.

Finally, Yang Sisi, who was good at communicating, broke the silence and asked Ye Zhi, "It's still early. After we finish eating, shall we find some entertainment to do?"

Ye Zhi replied, "Sure."

"Do you have any special skills or projects?"

Just then, Sister Li, who was delivering our groceries, chimed in, "Ye Zhi's best skill is definitely playing mahjong... After you finish eating, you can share a table with me, but be prepared to lose money, because she's really good at counting; she remembers everyone's moves and what cards they played!"

Yang Sisi and I both looked at Ye Zhi with disbelief. I didn't know what Yang Sisi was thinking. As for me, I suddenly felt that she had become more three-dimensional, because there was an interesting side to her personality, although I still couldn't imagine what she, who was always so dignified, would be like when she played mahjong.

……

After dinner, Sister Li and Brother Cheng cleared the table, while we sat together and chatted for a bit. During our conversation, I learned that Ye Zhi came to Dali to make investments, and she would probably stay here for about six months before returning to Shanghai.

Think about it, and this is what distinguishes her from us. She didn't see Dali as a necessary stop on her life's journey; she only wanted the most direct gains. It seems that the pursuit of life by wealthy people isn't uniform.

From this perspective, I prefer Yang Sisi's unrealistic pursuits. However, Ye Zhi lives a more authentic life, and is more capable of waking me up, someone who has been asleep for a long time.

Yes, if someone far more talented than me is working hard, then what reason do I have to continue to be depressed?

……

A moment later, Brother Cheng prepared a mahjong table for us, and Sister Li joined our group. After a few rounds, just as Sister Li had said, Ye Zhi was really good at playing cards, and she kept winning our money.

I'm not bad either. Back when I was in Shanghai, I was a big shot in the mahjong parlors. So after I got back into form, I won a few hands in a row, which made Yang Sisi and Sister Li keep lamenting that they shouldn't have played mahjong with me, a Sichuan native.

I certainly appreciate their awareness, because Sichuan people are more obsessed with mahjong than people from other places. Moreover, I have an uncle who makes a living by running a mahjong parlor, so it's hard not to be influenced by it!

However, experience isn't invincible, so I didn't gain a clear advantage over Ye Zhi's mahjong talent. Nevertheless, this shared hobby did bring us a little closer.

……

After playing about two rounds of cards, my phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang. I glanced at it and saw it was Lao Huang calling again. I gestured to the three of us to wait a moment, then took the phone and went downstairs. Yang Sisi didn't suspect anything; she just urged me to hurry up and not waste her time trying to win back her losses.

I answered Lao Huang's call after I went outside. He still sounded impatient as he asked, "Michael, did you take the matter I asked you to handle to heart?"

I replied resentfully, "You've even brought up my dad to intimidate me, how could I not take it to heart?"

"How so?"

"I haven't done anything all day but keep an eye on you, my future daughter-in-law..." I paused briefly, then continued, "Mr. Huang, you're pushing me so hard, I really wish I could install a GPS tracker on her and monitor her life 24/7, reporting everything she ate, who she met, what color clothes she wore, what time she went to bed, what time she got up to use the bathroom... But don't you think that's really vulgar?"

Old Huang smiled awkwardly and replied, "I know this is a difficult situation for you. I'm also worried that things might get complicated if I wait too long, so I discussed it with Sisi's parents and we're planning to go to Dali ahead of time to persuade her to go abroad."

"To what extent earlier?"

"Are you sure you can get in touch with her?"

"Yes, we were playing mahjong at the same table before I answered your call."

Old Huang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll book a flight to Dali right now and try to get there before noon."

I paused for a moment before replying, "Okay... so how should we meet tomorrow?"

Old Huang thought for a moment and said, "After I get off the plane, I'll book a table at a restaurant here. You'll have to figure out a way to bring her over."

"They're just lying, aren't they!"

Old Huang replied with slight dissatisfaction, "You're getting all indignant! We're just doing this for her own good. She's a young girl from such a well-off family, and instead of taking advantage of her youth to improve herself abroad, she runs off to Dali to waste her life with a bunch of unambitious scoundrels. What future does she have? It won't do her a good reputation if word gets out!"

"Are you afraid that if she does this, she won't be good enough for your son in the future?"

Old Huang was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "Michael, let me give you some advice too. When you're young, you must do what you're supposed to do. Look around, nowadays, every ambitious young person is heading to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. Staying in a place like Dali will only lead to wasting your time and doing nothing to improve your life."

This time, I didn't refute Lao Huang's words. I just thought of the two guys I'd met at the inn, Tie Nan and Coach Ma. One was a dissolute playboy, the other颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, decadent, or颓废), and there seemed to be no positive or uplifting spirit in them. This made me wonder, had they simply rotted away, or had they transcended the mundane aspects of life and entered a new realm?

Or perhaps the soil and living environment of Dali easily breed people who don't take life seriously.

In my silence, Lao Huang continued, "I won't say any more. Tomorrow, bring Sisi to the hotel, and your task will be complete... I won't let you help for nothing. I've been keeping the things I mentioned before in mind and have been trying to help you with them. If you're willing, pack your bags and come back to Shanghai with me... I'll keep the product manager position for you. As for which path you choose, that's up to you."

This time, I was the one who let out a heavy sigh. After a long silence, I replied, "It's really hard for me to do something so dishonest and deceitful... but you don't need to talk to me about anything in return. If there's a reward, the nature of this matter becomes particularly vulgar. I only ask you for one favor: if my dad contacts you again in the future, please cover for me and say... I'm doing well in Shanghai, and my work is going smoothly!"

……

After ending my call with Lao Huang, I returned to the card table, but my heart felt heavy, so much so that I couldn't even look Yang Sisi, who was completely unaware of what was going on. I didn't need to excuse myself; what I was going to do tomorrow was to play her for a fool. But, it seemed that for a fleeting moment, she had genuinely cared for me. In my pocket, I still had the wooden puppet she had given me that evening to amuse myself.

I didn't sit down again, so everyone's eyes were on me. I replied, "It's getting late, why don't we call it a day?"

Yang Sisi gave me a displeased look and said, "We've only played two rounds of cards, and you're already leaving... Fine, you can leave, but give me back the money you just won."

"It's not a big game, only a dozen or so yuan."

"I'm asking you to give it back to me to remind you to have better sportsmanship when playing mahjong in the future... You know, it's not easy for us all to get together from all over the country to play a game of mahjong, is it? You're the one who loves to waste our time!"

I looked at her speechlessly, a feeling of guilt welling up inside me, so much so that I didn't know what to say to ease the awkward atmosphere. But my silence only fueled Yang Sisi's anger. Without thinking twice, she stuffed all the gambling money I had left on the table into her purse and then glared at me menacingly.

I could only respond with an awkward smile. This time, it was Ye Zhi who stepped in to smooth things over. After checking the time, she said to Yang Sisi and me, "It's getting late. Let's call it a day. We can meet again another time."

Yang Sisi's expression softened. She picked up her handbag and thanked Brother Cheng and Sister Li for cooking for us. At the same time, Ye Zhi paid Sister Li for the meal.

……

After leaving Cheng Ge and Li Jie's farmhouse, the three of us stood under a dim street lamp. Ye Zhi took out her car keys from her bag, and her G-Class was parked in front of a nearby house.

She looked at me, seemingly hesitant for a moment, but didn't say anything. In the end, she only exchanged a few polite words with Yang Sisi before walking towards her car.

It was then that I realized we had spent quite a bit of time together that night, and as a man, I had forgotten to ask for her contact information to show my gentlemanly manners. But just as I was about to do so, she had already driven along the road by Erhai Lake, heading towards some unknown destination.

……

After a moment of distraction, I lit a cigarette and calmly said to Yang Sisi, who was idly texting someone nearby, "Give me back the money I used to play cards."

"Dream on, if you snatch it, it's mine."

I pretended to look at a stray dog ​​walking past us, and Yang Sisi subconsciously looked in the same direction. In that moment of distraction, I swiftly snatched the handbag from her hand and emptied it of all the money inside.

Yang Sisi was furious. She kicked me while yelling, "Have you no shame? Can't you have any shame at all?"

"Absolutely shameless."

As I spoke, I held the money I had snatched high in the air. Yang Sisi chased after me, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws. In an unintentional touch, cigarette ash scattered everywhere, like a gray snowfall under the streetlights.

Just like my heart right now, it's gray, because while I was joking around with her, I was also scheming about how to trick her into going to the restaurant that Lao Huang had booked for lunch tomorrow. And after tomorrow, there may never be a Yang Sisi in Dali again.