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

I stood up under everyone's gaze, then quickly organized what I was going to say in my mind. I was very calm at that moment, and I tried my best to understand their individual needs from an objective perspective.

I finally spoke up: "I thought about whether Sisi should study abroad for a long time last night. I feel that this matter cannot be solved by simply looking at it from one side's perspective. Otherwise, it will become an unsolvable knot and damage family ties... In fact, you both understand where the key issue lies, but you are unwilling to compromise. To put it bluntly, you want to get more from the other side... Do you call this family affection? I don't think so. You are just using the name of family affection and the banner of 'for your own good' to resolve your own inner sense of crisis. This kind of thinking is quite selfish."

No one interrupted me. After a brief pause, I continued, "Of everyone here, no matter how this matter is ultimately resolved, it won't affect my interests. My opinion is probably the most impartial, so I'll speak frankly. I feel that Sisi is very selfish, even indifferent, in her attitude towards studying abroad. She's taken for granted the material life you've provided for her over the years, without truly considering your psychological needs and the sense of crisis that has accumulated over the years… Your company's current scale and achievements are the result of your sacrifice of parental responsibilities, so its place in your hearts is undoubtedly very, very high. And with today's fierce social competition, every growth and decline of the company creates a huge sense of crisis within you. This leads you to need a very capable…" The successor is someone else, but Sisi at this stage happens to be the worst one in your eyes, naturally causing you to feel increasingly anxious... But Sisi doesn't understand how hard you've worked to build this business over the years. She thinks that when she needs money, it's as easy as a windfall; she has absolutely no sense of crisis, but that's exactly what you've given her... Before, when she was younger, we could all get along peacefully, but now we have to face the bitter fruits of these years... Tragically, neither of you can enter the other's world, to put yourselves in their shoes, and you only resort to extreme methods and words to pressure each other... Thus, we've reached this situation where you're willing to sacrifice family ties to conquer each other, unaware that family ties between you have long since become something dispensable, which is why Sisi isn't afraid at all that you'll disown her as your daughter!

Yang Sisi's parents looked solemn, while Lao Huang, who was always good at handling all kinds of situations, fell silent. They seemed to have calmed down and were searching for the root of the problem in my mind.

Yang Sisi looked at me with uncertain expressions, unable to discern whose side I was on. It was because I always seemed to be hitting her parents once and then hitting her hard again. It was clear that no matter how reasonable my words were, or how guilty she felt, she didn't want to leave Dali and choose to study abroad.

I have never seen such a persistent woman. Or perhaps, in her heart, she actually enjoys the sense of existence that comes from constantly hurting others. The more loneliness she feels, the deeper her hatred for her parents must be.

So, who says that having money guarantees happiness?

After taking a sip of water, I continued, "After careful analysis, I believe the key to solving this problem lies with Sisi… You need to make her understand that money and material possessions are very important in this society. You also need to let her experience the hardships and difficulties of life firsthand. Only then can she understand your choices and the hardships you faced when starting your business. Your previous excessive material support is the root cause of her numbness towards money. She has lost her sense of hunger, so how can she have the motivation to improve herself?"

After a long silence, Yang Sisi's father looked up at me and asked, "So, what's your solution to the problem?"

I replied firmly, "Let her stay in Dali to rediscover the hunger within her… We've set a one-year timeframe. During this year, you will not only refrain from providing her with any material assistance, but you must also take everything you previously gave her back to Shanghai. I believe that after losing all of this, living in Dali for a year will not be easy for her… If she can survive after a year, it will be a form of growth for her, at least proving that she is capable of supporting herself even after leaving behind a life of being waited on hand and foot. Conversely, if she cannot survive, what reason does she have to refuse the path you have laid out for her? This year has already proven that her choice and persistence were wrong."

After I finished speaking, Yang Sisi's parents exchanged glances, whispered a few words, and then said to me, "We think your suggestion is good. We can agree to let her stay here for a year, but even if she proves she can live independently after a year, the matter of studying abroad cannot be disregarded."

Yang Sisi replied with a particularly resentful tone, "Why should I need to go abroad to study when I'm capable of living in Dali a year from now?"

I stopped Yang Sisi's parents from responding and spoke on their behalf to her: "Don't be so absolute. Even if you can live here for a year, it doesn't mean you'll still feel the same way about this city afterward… Regarding studying abroad, your parents and I share the same opinion. I think you should try different things while you're young. Maybe you'll find that studying abroad is actually more exciting! If you miss out because of a stubbornness, that would be a real regret. Besides, you're only in your early twenties. Even if you study abroad for two or three years, you'll still have plenty of time to choose the life you want after you come back… Now that your parents have compromised, you should understand how difficult it was for them, instead of constantly undermining their parental authority. Otherwise, you'll really be being unreasonable."

Yang Sisi felt as if the emptiness in her heart had been filled. After a moment, she finally softened her tone and said to her parents, "If I agree to study abroad in a year, can you agree not to interfere with my choice after I return to China?"

Yang Sisi's parents sighed softly before replying, "If by then you're still thinking about this place, we'll accept it. We can't be so selfish as to prevent you from choosing the life you want... What we fear is that you'll be misled by some illusions and miss out on the life that's truly right for you. When you wake up, you'll find that you've never had another chance to choose, and that's when the real pain will be."

Yang Sisi lowered her head and remained silent. After a long while, she took out her car keys and bank card from her purse and placed them in front of her parents, saying, "I am willing to keep this promise. A year later, I will give myself a chance to choose my life again and see a different world. I hope you can also respect me and not interfere with my choices in life after I return to China."

Yang Sisi's mother took the bank card and car keys from her, then took out her own purse and retrieved the ID card and driver's license that they had confiscated earlier. She handed these to Yang Sisi and said, "After this experience, we've realized how important mutual understanding is for maintaining family ties. We believe you've learned something from it, otherwise you wouldn't have made concessions to us... We also believe that in a few years, you'll be more mature and capable of taking responsibility for your own life, so why should we interfere? ...So at that time, feel free to choose your own lifestyle."

Yang Sisi finally received the identity document that represented her personal freedom from her mother's hand, but suddenly she didn't want to say another word. She rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at the flickering lights outside the window, as if she wanted to remember something in this moment...

The next moment, Old Huang clapped his hands and said to everyone with a smile, "Isn't that great? A happy ending for everyone. When the wine comes later, let's all drink to Sisi for staying in Dali, and to her upcoming studies abroad... and even more so to our top mediator, Michael. I told you I wouldn't misjudge him..."

I didn't hear what Lao Huang said next, I just felt completely dazed... After a moment, I turned my gaze to the place Yang Sisi was looking at... The lights were shining brightly there, and the tourists' footsteps never stopped, but I felt inexplicably lonely, and then it was as if I saw myself a year from now...