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

I drank half a glass of wine, then texted her on the other end of the phone—maybe she was waiting, maybe she was already asleep: "I don't know how to comfort you, I just hope you understand that since you don't want your ex-boyfriend to take responsibility for this, this day will come sooner or later. It's your own choice. I think you're a strong-willed woman, and time will sort everything out for you soon."

She quickly replied: "You mean, no matter how much pain I'm in right now, it will pass eventually, right?"

"That's what I mean... Let's not talk about anything far back, just take me for example... When I left Shanghai, it was painful enough, right?... But now I'm slowly recovering. I didn't shut myself off because of the pain, but instead, I met more people, experienced more different things, and found something very meaningful to do. So now I rarely think about what happened in Shanghai or the people there."

"You're a lucky person."

"And you, after something painful happens, how do you treat yourself?"

"I just want to stay in my room and die. Seeing those people and smelling the streets makes me want to vomit."

"Is that morning sickness?"

"Get lost! Can you please stop reopening old wounds?"

I took another sip of my drink and replied, "It will get better slowly. Believe me, there really is no hurdle in this world that cannot be overcome."

"That's such a cliché."

"But it works... Unless you give up on yourself, no one can persuade you otherwise."

"Are you really living comfortably in Dali?... Don't you ever think about the people and the city that hurt you?"

"I'll definitely still think about it, but I don't care as much as I used to."

After sending her this message, I took a panoramic photo of the small bar. In the photo, there was a bookshelf, Coach Ma's guitar, Taozi washing the bartending equipment, and a drink that I was holding in my hand, which was already half-finished.

I sent her another message: "See? This is my life now. The pace is sometimes fast and sometimes slow. I'm quite busy during the day, but I can have a drink at my own bar at night, and there's Erhai Lake outside the window... It's so late, and there's a young couple on the beach. Hehe, all of this makes me feel fulfilled and happy."

Is Dali really as good as you say?

"Whether it's good or not is subjective, but I think this is a city where you can start over. Anyway, I don't think I made the wrong choice in coming here."

"Send me a picture of that young couple who are dating, otherwise I'll keep thinking you've made it all up."

I smiled and then took out my phone to take a picture of the young couple sitting by Erhai Lake, whispering to each other. Because of the lighting, the photo was a little blurry, but I could still vaguely see a box of cigarettes and a lighter next to the boy, and the girl had taken off her shoes and put her feet into Erhai Lake. The sequins on her shoes, illuminated by the streetlights, created a shimmering effect around them... I was certain that this scene on Erhai Lake must have been the happiest and most carefree moment of their lives.

I sent her the photos and a message: "I think you could come to Dali to relax. The seagulls have all returned this season, it's especially beautiful."

"But I don't want to see you. I find you quite annoying... I can go to Lijiang; it's no worse than Dali."

"Ha ha……"

I tossed my phone aside and lit a cigarette. Of course, I didn't expect her to reply after sending that message, but I had already achieved my goal. Whether she came to Dali or Lijiang, at least she was willing to get out and about, which would definitely help her recover her mood.

I've lived in Shanghai, and I know what it's like to be huddled in a room facing skyscrapers all around. The outside world may be far away, but you can see different landscapes, different people, and different skies than in Shanghai.

I checked the time; it was already 12:30 a.m. I gave up on calling Lao Mi, because at his age, he wouldn't stay up until midnight. And I could tell him the good news about the inn anytime; there was no rush.

……

Three days later, at dusk, Bailu arrived at the guesthouse. She and Taozi cooked dinner for us. While eating, we chatted about the guesthouse's success over the past few days. Except for the second day when one room was empty, we were fully booked, including today. Keep in mind, this is November, the slowest month for tourism in Dali.

After everyone calculated the profits from the past few days, Yang Sisi said to us, "Bosses, I've closed all online orders starting the day after tomorrow. My aunt's company is holding its annual meeting here. I've already told you all, so please don't take orders from other channels to avoid conflicts and scheduling issues."

Tie Nan replied, "Don't worry, this is the first group booking our inn has ever received. We've got it all in mind."

Yang Sisi nodded, then turned to Bai Lu and said, "Sister Bai Lu, our inn's meeting room is too small. They're bringing over 50 people, so it definitely won't be enough. Could you help me contact a nearby hotel to arrange accommodation and a meeting space for the rest of the guests?"

"Okay, I'll take care of this."

"These fifty-odd people are all elites and leaders of their company. The leaders will definitely stay at our inn, and the treatment of the others can't be bad either. You have to arrange at least a four-star hotel for them. After all, they came here to be rewarded for their contributions, not to suffer."

Bai Lu smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I've already contacted them. It's a near five-star hotel with complete facilities that can fully meet their needs for holding a meeting. The hotel will also provide two luxury buses to serve them throughout the trip."

"Sister Bailu, I really trust you with everything you do... If it weren't for you overseeing this inn, I wouldn't dare take this job... Sigh, the men in our inn are completely unreliable; they're all brave but lack strategy. When it comes to matters involving outsiders, they're all useless."

The three of us, heavy smokers, surprisingly blew smoke at Yang Sisi as a warning. We disliked her stirring up trouble in the inn with her "feminist" thinking.

As Yang Sisi waved away the smoke, she cursed at us. After she calmed down, she said to me in a cryptic tone, "Michael, my cousin is coming along this time too. Don't you feel like you're facing a formidable enemy?"

"Since they're here, they're guests. Why should I treat them like enemies?"

"Tch, stubborn as a mule!"

Just as I was about to retort, her phone, which she used to contact customers, rang. She gestured for me to be quiet while answering the call.

We initially thought it was just a routine inquiry call, but Yang Sisi's expression grew increasingly serious, and she said to us, "Something's happened. Our customer has been detained by an unlicensed taxi driver."

"Explain what happened."

"The guests came from Lijiang. For convenience, they took an unlicensed taxi from Lijiang back to Dali... The unlicensed taxi took them to a guesthouse in the old town and then asked them to cancel their booking with our guesthouse online and stay at the guesthouse he took them to, otherwise they would have to pay an extra 500 yuan per person for the trip. The guests obviously didn't want to pay, so they called us."

Bai Lu said, "We should have called the police first. Calling us won't have helped."

"They dared not call the police, fearing retaliation. The unlicensed taxi driver knew they had booked our guesthouse, and the police couldn't follow them 24/7."

Bai Lu frowned and said to us, "For a black cab driver to collude with an inn to do this, he must have someone backing him up. I suspect that inn is not simple... In business, harmony is paramount, so let's not cause trouble." After a slight pause, she added, "I suggest we cancel this fare and give the customer some compensation."

"No, since we've already accepted the order, they're our guests... Put yourself in their shoes. If you encountered something like this while traveling, wouldn't you be upset?... Also, don't forget our original intention in running this inn: we're people-oriented, sincerely waiting for every guest who comes to our inn, instead of shrinking away at the first sign of trouble. That would be a disservice to the name we gave our inn."

After I finished speaking, I said to Yang Sisi, "Put the phone on speakerphone, I'll talk to the customer."

Yang Sisi quickly did as instructed, and I then said to the guests on the other end of the phone, "Don't be nervous, our inn will handle this. You give the phone to the unlicensed taxi driver, and I'll talk to him."