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

After chatting with Tie Nan for a bit, Coach Ma also came over to me with his camera. He said to me, "Tie Nan said your female friend is quite pretty. I've never met her. Do you have a picture of her? Send me one so I can show it to the person in charge of the team. Although I'm in charge of this, we still have to go through this formality."

"Would you like one of my photos too?"

"You don't need to, we don't give you close-up shots, mainly to highlight the woman."

I felt extremely frustrated, but I still found a selfie of Yang Sisi in her WeChat Moments, then added Coach Ma on WeChat and sent it to him.

Coach Ma seemed to examine me with an artistic eye for a moment before asking, "Is there a difference between how you look in person and in the photos?"

I thought for a moment and replied, "I guess not."

Tie Nan also came over at this moment. After glancing at the photo, he chimed in, "It's not that there are basically none, it's that there aren't any at all... That girl's looks are absolutely stunning. You have to trust my judgment. I don't have much talent, but I'm good at judging people."

Coach Ma nodded, and after a long pause, replied, "I never really understood what it meant to have a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung before, but now I do!"

I laughed helplessly while cursing, "Can't you guys even live in the same house anymore?... I'm not kidding, this girl really isn't my girlfriend... I'm not that lucky!"

As I said this, the smile gradually froze on my face. I couldn't help but think of Lu Jia again, the woman who had so many material demands of me. If, all these years, I hadn't been with her, but with a girl like Yang Sisi, how would my life be now?

I have no conclusion. I just feel that I am not good enough for her. I am not so arrogant as to think that I have some magical attraction that would attract a rich girl like Yang Sisi and allow me to live a life of luxury by attaching myself to a prominent family.

In a daze, Coach Ma suddenly patted my shoulder and asked, "She's really not your girlfriend?"

"No, really. At most, it's just a bit of a hometown connection. She's from Shanghai, and I worked there for several years. Also, her dad was a friend of my former boss."

"Then introduce her to me. I especially like girls like her—fair-skinned and clean-cut, and she doesn't seem pretentious."

I almost choked on the smoke I hadn't even inhaled yet, but I just assumed Coach Ma was joking with me, so I joked back, "When you're taking her photos tomorrow, you should chat with her. Maybe you'll find someone you click with."

……

Lying in bed, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I first watched a movie for a while, and then watched a football live broadcast for a bit, but both of them left me feeling bored. I couldn't find a better way to kill time in the night, so every minute and every second became unbearable.

I couldn't help but reminisce, recalling all the moments I shared with Wang Lei in Shanghai over the years. Because of our professions, we were from completely different worlds, yet we were still able to help each other. She was like my closest comrade-in-arms in that city, so after her passing, I felt more lonely than ever before.

Yes, her passing left me with an unprecedented loneliness, while Lu Jia's departure brought an unspeakable pain. These two different feelings reflect the different places these two women held in my heart. In that moment of bewilderment, I couldn't even discern which of them was more important to me.

The only clear thing is that they are all in my past. Now, the more I think of them, the heavier the pain and loneliness become. Therefore, I yearn even more for the city of Dali to transform me into a bird with wings, so I can fly away and not look back at the past that should have been buried in the earth long ago.

As I pondered, I gradually felt tired and drifted off to sleep. Based on past experience, I would always dream about people and events from the past, but this night the opposite happened. Dali became the backdrop of my dream, and I dreamt of Yang Sisi. She actually slapped me in broad daylight for no reason, pulling me from the dream into reality.

I sat up in bed and subconsciously checked the time; it was already six in the morning. I decided not to go back to sleep. I went to the yard to the sound of Tie Nan snoring, then lay down on the recliner that Tie Nan often used. I looked at the half-gray, half-blue sky, and then I saw the rising sun peeking out from behind the thick clouds, as if it was struggling to come out.

Lighting a cigarette cleared my head considerably. I knew I had that dream because of my guilt towards Yang Sisi. Actually, whether she went back to Shanghai or stayed in Dali wouldn't have much of an impact on me. My guilt stemmed from witnessing firsthand her efforts to stay in Dali, but not from seeing how she lived in Shanghai. Therefore, I couldn't judge whether returning to Shanghai or studying abroad would be more beneficial for her future.

But I know she will hate me.

……

As dawn broke, Coach Ma got up after me. He invited a makeup artist to accompany him and found a convertible Jeep. Tie Nan acted as his assistant, responsible for moving equipment and scheduling.

At seven o'clock sharp, Yang Sisi arrived at our guesthouse. After we introduced ourselves, the makeup artist began to do her makeup, while I sat quietly behind her watching...

Yang Sisi was a very outgoing girl, and she quickly struck up a lively conversation with the makeup artist...

A moment later, the makeup artist turned to me with great admiration and said, "Michael, your girlfriend's skin is amazing! No wonder she comes from the Jiangnan region; she barely needs any treatment, and the results are already so good!"

I remained silent. Yang Sisi replied somewhat unhappily, "Do you all really think we're a perfect match... or are you lying to me again, Michael, you bastard? Are all the people who take these kinds of jobs in Dali actually boyfriends and girlfriends? So everyone who sees us will misunderstand."

The makeup artist looked at me awkwardly, then at Yang Sisi, and asked, "Aren't you two...?"

Yang Sisi said angrily, "If you keep saying that, I'll really get angry! ...We're from completely different worlds, how can we be boyfriend and girlfriend? Besides, even if he dies, I'll still live for a long time. Just for that reason alone, he wouldn't dare to have any feelings for me!"

The makeup artist smiled and replied, "Actually, I heard it from Tie Nan. When I first saw you two, I was quite puzzled; you two didn't seem to match..." As if realizing she had offended me, she quickly looked at me and added, "When I said you didn't match, I meant your ages, nothing else."

I clutched my chest, my face contorted in pain, and said, "Big sister, you don't need to explain anymore. I feel like you've stabbed me in the chest again. Seriously, I remember when my mom came to Shanghai to see me last year, she called me her darling son. Only a year has passed, and I look this old?"

Yang Sisi immediately pretended to vomit, but couldn't help laughing and called me "shameless".

……

At 8:30, Tie Nan bought us breakfast. In order to catch the best shooting time, we took the breakfast to the car and ate it while driving. This journey gave me, a first-time visitor to Dali, a deeper understanding of Dali.

Before this, I always thought that "Ma Jiu Yi" where I stayed was the best place to see the sea view, but when I got to Shuanglang on the other side of the sea, I found that the sea view here was just as good, and even better than "Ma Jiu Yi". Unfortunately, due to policy reasons, the sea view inns here have been ordered to close down, and the road construction has also given people a less than pleasant experience.

When the car circled the sea to "Wase Town", it truly gave people a sense of being in a hidden paradise, and the location we were going to film today was also chosen here.

Tie Nan parked the car near the sea, and the makeup artist began making some minor touch-ups to Yang Sisi's makeup. I got out of the car first with Instructor Ma. Shortly after that, I received a message from Lao Huang.

He said he had brought his son, Xiao Bao, and Yang Sisi's parents to the airport, and he wanted me to bring Yang Sisi to the "Golf Garden Hotel" near the old city before 12 o'clock.

Despite feeling guilty, I still gave Lao Huang a positive answer. I don't consider myself a hypocrite, but at this moment, I hypocritically hoped that Yang Sisi would be happier after returning to Shanghai or studying abroad than she was in Dali.

I also hope that she and Xiao Bao can have a true love that is as loyal and devoted as blood, so that she can be a truly happy woman in the decades to come.

……

Lost in thought, I noticed the makeup artist had already led Yang Sisi to stand beside me. Coach Ma, holding a camera, said to us, "Let's take some road photos first... You'll all climb onto the hood of the car later. It's a bit dangerous, so the men should take care of the women and try to get it right in one take."

I helped Yang Sisi onto the car hood, and as I was about to climb on myself, Coach Ma suddenly stopped me, saying, "Wait a minute, this promotional photoshoot mainly focuses on the women. Let me take a few sets of photos of her first."

I consciously stepped aside, while Yang Sisi made a face at me to mock my ruthless neglect.

Yang Sisi seemed to have taken similar promotional photos before, so she didn't need Coach Ma's guidance and naturally struck several good poses. Coach Ma also looked very professional. In just a short while, he had already changed to many difficult shooting poses, capturing every touching detail of Yang Sisi on this coastal highway.

A moment later, I also got onto the car's hood. Coach Ma took a few steps back and then gestured for me to put my arm around Yang Sisi... However, I felt a little awkward thinking about how this girl was Lao Huang's future daughter-in-law.

Coach Ma reminded me several times, but I still couldn't achieve a look that satisfied him. Yang Sisi immediately said to me gloatingly, "You're all talk and no action. If you were actually asked to do something that crosses the line between men and women, you'd chicken out immediately."

I replied, a little annoyed, "You were the one who told me not to take advantage of you yesterday, and now you're making sarcastic remarks. How many faces do you have, you bastard?"

"Of course you can't take advantage of me. You'd better know your limits and not make me think you're a scoundrel."