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

Not long after we left Shanghai's city limits, Lao Huang transferred the money for the train ticket he hadn't had time to cancel to me via WeChat, plus an extra 6,000 yuan as a promised allowance for food and lodging. But I only accepted the ticket money, because even with food and lodging, it wouldn't have cost 6,000 yuan; my expenses weren't high.

I replied to him: "Don't pay for food and lodging."

"You can pay for the gas and tolls for Sisi."

I glanced around instinctively and realized her name was Sisi. Just then, Lao Huang sent another message: "Make sure you keep a close eye on her, especially on the road, and absolutely nothing goes wrong."

I sensed something unusual, but I wasn't in the mood to ask any further questions.

I accepted the six thousand yuan and then said to her, who was driving, "Your Uncle Huang just transferred six thousand yuan to me, saying it was for tolls and gas. But we definitely won't need that much by the time we get to Dali. I'll transfer the rest to you."

"What the hell? I don't want his money."

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, I felt helpless, but having fulfilled my obligation to inform her, I chose to remain silent and then focused my attention on the fleeting scenery outside the car window.

Half an hour later, Lao Huang sent another message: "Michael, can you ask Sisi how long she wants to stay out this time?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you asked them yourselves?"

"This child is very willful. If we try to communicate with her directly, she feels like we're controlling her and won't tell us the truth."

I finally couldn't hold back and asked, "...She's not your illegitimate daughter, is she?"

"You little rascal... Sisi is my future daughter-in-law."

"That shouldn't be the case. Where's your son? Why didn't he go to Dali with her?"

"Studying abroad means I have to stay for another year before I can return to Shanghai."

Old Huang's words immediately created a sense of distance, a feeling of "one should not covet a friend's wife." I subconsciously leaned closer to the car door before replying to his message: "It used to be all about hooking up with rich men, but now the trend has changed, is it popular to date a young, wealthy woman?"

"Marry someone of equal social standing, marry someone of equal social standing."

"You're kidding me."

I smiled at the WeChat chat window, inwardly looking down on Lao Huang. After working with him for three years, I thought I knew him pretty well. He was a seasoned veteran who could seamlessly integrate his smooth-talking into the workplace, but he lacked real talent, which is why he was still just a department manager at the company.

If I were to judge him with a snobbish eye, how could someone of his social standing possibly be considered a good match for a 20-year-old girl who received a million-dollar luxury car as a birthday gift? Frankly, it's just a form of flattery, with the ultimate goal of an asymmetrical marriage.

I turned the car volume down a bit and finally asked Sisi, "Flying is so convenient, why did you insist on driving to Dali?"

"I need a means of transportation to get there."

"Are you planning to stay there for an extended period?"

"That's right, I have a friend who owns a bar there, and I really admire their free lifestyle." After thinking for a moment, she added, "It's also possible that I just don't like the pace of life in Shanghai. You have no idea how annoying the people around me are, especially my parents, who are always pressuring me to study abroad. You know, I only have a few decades of life left, and I can't spend it all improving myself without enjoying anything at all, can I?"

"But your Uncle Huang and your parents all thought you were on a road trip and they're all waiting for you to come back soon."

"Do you know what a delaying tactic is? Once I'm deep in this bustling city of Dali, they can forget about studying abroad; they'll find me first." "Uncle, what about you? Why are you going to Dali?"

My emotions fluctuated intensely in an instant. I desperately wanted to light a cigarette right then and there, and in this uncontrollable urge, I saw different lives, even though our destination was Dali.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Sisi said again, "It must have been incredibly tragic, right?"

I had no desire to say anything, and simply replied, "There's a service area up ahead, I'm going to get off and have a smoke."

Sisi glanced at me sideways: "You're so boring... Actually, you're not that much older than me, but why do I call you 'Uncle' as soon as we meet? It's because I can't stand your mental age, like that old man who's about to be buried..."

"Let me go downstairs for a smoke first. As for whether you call me 'Uncle' or 'Grandpa,' call me whatever makes you happy."

"I won't let you smoke, you smoker..."

As she spoke, she stepped on the gas pedal hard, instantly overtaking the Z4 that had been driving in front of her. The service area sign shrank smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, and my desire was defeated by her willfulness.

……

After passing Hangzhou, she finally stopped at a service area to use the restroom, and I finally had the chance to sit under a parasol outside the supermarket and light a cigarette.

Not long after, she came out of there carrying a lot of food. She handed me the car keys and said, "You drive later, I want to eat."

I looked at the plastic bags she was holding and asked, "Did you bring all of these out of the toilet?"

She slapped me on the shoulder and said, "You're disgusting! Can't a person even eat in peace?"

I finally smiled at her, then took a deep drag on my cigarette. She sat down beside me and asked, "Uncle, can we get to Wuhan today?"

"We will not pass through Wuhan."

"Let's take a detour and have some fun. I'll treat you to duck necks."

"If we go to Wuhan, we'll have to travel an extra 300 kilometers."

"I'm not in a rush, and you don't seem to be either... Let me tell you, Wuhan is really fun, and I have a college classmate there. Her family owns a restaurant, and they can make all sorts of delicious food."

Before I could even agree, she threw the pile of food at me, then dragged me into the car and forcibly set the destination to Wuhan on the navigation. Of course, I couldn't resist such a willful girl, so I gave up on my desire to get going and treated this unnecessary journey as a trip.

……

The car sped along the highway at 120 km/h. Sisi reclined the passenger seat completely and crossed her long legs on the center console, looking incredibly comfortable. She popped potato chips into her mouth while sending voice messages to some unknown person.

"Uncle, I've already had my classmate make arrangements. What would you like to eat?"

"Is there any Meng Po soup?"

Sisi stared wide-eyed, and exclaimed, "Are you really planning to be buried in peace?"

"Everyone has things they want to forget. Right now, I really want to forget how you tricked me into coming to Wuhan. All I can see are the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake in Dali."

"So, you're saying you regret getting a ride with me?"

"A little."

"Don't be in such a hurry to regret it. Life is full of surprises. Maybe you won't want to leave once you get to Wuhan."

……

The first day's journey went very smoothly. At eight o'clock, Sisi and I entered Wuhan city along the overpass. I parked the car in front of a budget hotel, handed her the car keys, and said, "Go and meet up with your friends. Don't stay out too late. We'll leave promptly at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Didn't we agree to treat you to duck necks? My classmate has already made the arrangements."

"Why should I get involved when you classmates are catching up? Just have fun."

"Are you trying to spoil the mood?!"

While she was expressing her dissatisfaction, I got out of the car, took the backpack containing toiletries from the trunk, returned to the driver's side window, handed her my phone, and said, "Let's add each other on WeChat so we can keep in touch."

She muttered to herself as she scanned the QR code and told me, "My name is Yang Sisi. You can call me Yangyang in my contacts. That's what my friends call me."

"become."

"And you, is your real name Michael? I don't think I've ever met anyone with the surname Michael before."

"Do I really need to use a pseudonym with a little girl like you?"

"Alright, I'll save your name as Old Man Mi for now. When you've lived to the age you should be, I'll call you High Mi."

……

After Yang Sisi drove away, I checked into a budget hotel and then wandered aimlessly along the Yangtze River. After walking for about an hour, I stopped at a section of the river with the fewest boats. I leaned on the bridge railing, facing the wind blowing from the river, ignoring the city's prosperity.

It's said that the more prosperous a city is, the more lonely a person walking alone on its main street will feel. It seems we all lack something in these seemingly inexhaustible metropolises. Perhaps it's a sense of belonging, perhaps it's a belief…

I took a cigarette from the pack and lit it. Suddenly, I felt uneasy because I thought of my parents in Sichuan. I didn't know how to tell them that Lu Jia and I were on different paths, and that I had left Shanghai as a loser.

Amidst the whistles of passing ships, I gently took the bank card that Wang Lei had left me out of my pocket; it seemed to be my last bit of confidence.

I finally took my phone out of my pocket, wanting to tell my family the truth about what had happened recently. I didn't want to go to Dali with such a heavy psychological burden; this wasn't how a peaceful and prosperous life should be.

Just as I put my hand on the dial pad, ready to make a call, a voice invitation popped up in WeChat. It was sent by that girl Yang Sisi.

……

The voice invitation notification kept ringing in my ears along with the sound of the wind by the river. I felt like a deflated balloon, no longer having the courage to call my family to explain the situation. I even felt a sense of lingering fear. If I had actually dialed the number just now, I would probably be facing endless guilt and my parents' disappointment.

I must be extremely careful about this matter. Unless absolutely necessary, I must not tell them that I have broken up with Lu Jia, because they have placed too many hopes on me. I am already suffering enough; how can I let them suffer with me?

I subconsciously touched my collar before accepting Yang Sisi's voice invitation amidst the whistles of passing ships.

"What's wrong?"

Yang Sisi's voice was filled with anxiety as she said, "Uncle, I can't find my ID card, and the hotel won't let me check in. What should I do?"

"A driver's license is fine too."

"I can't find my driver's license either. I suspect my parents did something to it; they didn't want me to go to Dali at all."

"You didn't even check it before you left the house."

Yang Sisi replied with a sob in her voice, "How could I have imagined they would come up with such a vicious trick? Please help me think of a solution!"