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

I went back to the guesthouse to pick up Tie Nan's motorcycle and rode all the way to the ancient city. After parking the motorcycle, I went to the "Midnight Diner" that Ye Zhi had mentioned. I heard that it was a rather unique little shop in the ancient city. It only opened at 10 p.m., and the braised pork rice was especially delicious. However, customers were not allowed to drink alcohol in the shop, and the tables were very small, even smaller than those at roadside stalls. They would also play some old Shanghai-style music.

Ye Zhi was sitting on the second floor. I climbed the wooden stairs, which were only two feet wide, and found that the friend Ye Zhi had arranged to have dinner with was actually Yang Sisi. No wonder she wanted me to meet up and talk; it must have been that rascal Yang Sisi's idea.

However, the three of us who came from Shanghai together haven't had a meal together in a long time.

The table was small and there were no chairs, only a few cushions. Ye Zhi and Yang Sisi were sitting cross-legged. There were some drinks and fried chicken on the table. The red lanterns hanging outside gave me a strange feeling: I was in Shanghai in the last century, in a lane, and two beautiful women in cheongsams were sitting opposite me, one aloof and the other lively...

After the initial daze passed, we realized that Yang Sisi was wearing our inn's uniform, while Ye Zhi was wearing a white sweater, which looked particularly simple and clean.

I said to Ye Zhi, "So this is the friend you were talking about? I should have brought a set of demon-slaying artifacts with me. It's the middle of the night, and seeing her gives me the creeps!"

Yang Sisi picked up a chicken nugget, threw it at me, and then made a spitting gesture to scare me. Ye Zhi was used to it; she was already used to our playful bickering.

I ordered some food, and while waiting, I chatted with Ye Zhi. I said to her, "I came here to hear your opinion. If something like this happened to you, how would you handle it?"

"Big data and intelligence are very important in business."

Yang Sisi tapped an empty plate on my side with her spoon and said, "Do you even know what big data is?... Compared to your methods of solving problems by fighting, don't you feel even a little ashamed?"

"Don't make things worse!" I said, then turned to Ye Zhi and said, "I've heard of big data, but what does it have to do with this?"

Ye Zhi didn't rush to answer, but instead asked me, "Do you know how many seaside inns there are in Dali?"

More than 3000.

How many businesses have resumed operations?

31 companies.

Are you familiar with Dali's annual tourism data? For example, how much demand do tourists have for seaside guesthouses?

"Uh... I'm not too sure about that, but the demand must be huge, otherwise there wouldn't be more than 3000 seaside inns along Erhai Lake."

"That's the problem. You need to process this meaningful data professionally, and then you might understand some things..." After a slight pause, Ye Zhi continued, "I can tell you with certainty that even though it's the off-season in Dali right now, considering the overall market demand, if your inn raises the price of even the most basic room to over a thousand yuan, you can still be fully booked. Have you carefully calculated what kind of profit potential that represents?"

"Mentioning a thousand?...That's an exaggeration!"

"Before the government reopened seaside guesthouses on a large scale, it's not an exaggeration at all... I'm someone who really believes in data, and I think your current pricing is too conservative... Also, let's make an assumption: if the working group with the decision-making power over whether seaside guesthouses can resume operations consists of ten people, do you know how huge a social network those ten people would form? But only 31 guesthouses and hotels have resumed operations, and less than ten of them are guesthouses. Compared to the total of over 3000, this ratio is alarming; that means that these reopening slots are something you can't get even if you have connections... This time, the government's determination to handle things officially is very strong!"

"You mean, the problem lies with the spot our inn got?"

"The data doesn't lie... this spot is extremely valuable."

"So someone's jealous?"

Ye Zhi didn't answer directly, but said, "Now that we've covered the data, let's talk about the intelligence... I have some information coming in saying that Cao Jinbo, the owner of Zero Point Inn, invested 1200 million yuan in Shuanglang in 2014 to build a very high-end seaside inn... But unfortunately, his seaside inn isn't on the list of inns reopening this time... Moreover, he's a very domineering person. There was a time when an outsider invested in a bar in the ancient city, which was very profitable, but he and the landlord used special means to forcibly seize it..."

"this……"

I was a little incredulous, and after a long pause, I said, "It's a rare occurrence for an unlicensed taxi to bring guests to our inn. Isn't it a bit far-fetched to conclude that he's jealous of our inn based on that?"

"There's an element of inevitability within chance... Of course, these are just results based on data and intelligence analysis. Whether they can be verified, and what kind of shady dealings are involved, is up to you to decide."

I broke out in a cold sweat, thankful I hadn't made a move today; at the same time, I realized just how unfathomable Ye Zhi was. Compared to her, our business acumen was utterly childish. Therefore, there's a reason why some people in this world are exceptionally successful.

In addition, I can see that Ye Zhi is indifferent to life and the people around her, but she is enthusiastic about things related to work, because I rarely see her willing to talk so much, and this time it is precisely for our inn business.

I finally said to her, "I really appreciate what you said, and I'll start preparing as soon as possible."

"Um."

……

After a moment of silence, Yang Sisi spoke again to Ye Zhi, "Sister Ye Zhi, my cousin's flight arrives in Dali the day after tomorrow. Are you going to pick him up at the airport?... If you go, it will definitely be a huge surprise for him!"

I watched Ye Zhi, wondering what kind of answer she would give, because it would reflect the current state of their relationship.

After taking a sip of the hot milk in front of her, Ye Zhi replied, "I might not be in Dali the day after tomorrow."

"Oh dear... I squeezed out a little time earlier... He came all the way to Dali to see you, and he's a very busy person, so think how sincere that is!"

I kept looking at Ye Zhi without saying a word.

I'll try my best.

I felt a little down, as if I could already see her holding hands with Yang Sisi's cousin, because she genuinely didn't reject this man. But then again, for people like them, finding someone who is balanced in every way is so difficult, so why would she reject him? And why should the world revolve around my feelings?

In this world, there are too many things that make us feel regretful and beyond our control; our feelings are actually very insignificant.

At this moment, Ye Zhi glanced at her watch again and said to us, "Let's stop here for now, I'm going back first."

"Let's chat a little longer. I really think my cousin and you are a good match. If you two get together, we'll be relatives, wouldn't that be great!"

I finally couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up: "Do you have any awareness of being a matchmaker? Your job is to introduce people; whether they end up together is entirely up to fate, not your influence."

Yang Sisi immediately retorted, "Do you even have the awareness to be a bystander? This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so why are you meddling?"

"Okay, okay... I won't say anything, I'm going back to sleep, alright?"

"Get out... but settle your bill before you leave."

Ye Zhi looked at me, then at Yang Sisi, and asked, "You called him over so you could go back with him, right?... It's not easy to get a taxi at this hour."