My 26-year-old female tenant: Gufan on the Island

That night, I had already met Fang Yuan and Robben separately, so when Chen Bailu suggested going to the bar, it was already 12: in the morning; I never go to the bar so late because I don’t have enough time to have fun.

So, I didn't respond directly to Chen Bailu, but just asked: "You haven't eaten yet? Let's find a place to eat first... Where are you? I'll come to find you right away."

Chen Bailu seemed a little disappointed, so much so that after a while he sent me a location via WeChat.

In fact, there was nothing to be disappointed about, because it was already past 12 o'clock and going to the bar became yesterday's appointment. Even if we went now, it would not make up for the regret of not being able to go yesterday.

……

I brought Chen Bailu to the Huifang Hotel. I knew that the Huifang Hotel would most likely still be open because the proprietress would never chase away customers because it was late at night. This tolerance has become a feature. People who love drinking but are not used to bars will regard this place as a good place to relieve their emotions, and often drink until the middle of the night until they are completely satisfied.

……

Sure enough, in the dim alley, only the lights at the entrance of "Huifang Restaurant" were still on. The proprietress was cleaning, and it seemed that she had sent away the last wave of guests of the day.

She spotted me almost at the same time and asked, "Zhaoyang, are you here for dinner?"

"Uh...if you're closed, I'll go find another one."

"We are preparing to close, but we cannot abandon our tradition... Please come in."

The boss lady was already very tired; in the past, when I drank this much, I had already lost my ability to perceive the outside world, so I never cared about her state after staying up all night. But this time was different. Although I also drank a little with Robben, I was already sober due to the wind blowing on the way; so, for the first time, I felt a sense of guilt towards her.

It turns out that running a small business is so difficult!

With this feeling of guilt, I whispered, "Forget it, you should go back and rest... Next time, I'll call a few more friends and come earlier."

The proprietress was surprised, and then she smiled and sighed, "When did you become so sensible? Before, you once drank here until four in the morning!"

I laughed too: "This is the first time someone has said I am sensible since I was a child."

"So, people will change... but the service tenet of Huifang Hotel will not change... Come in quickly, I'll ask the old man to cook a few dishes for you, you can sit down and eat slowly... We'll go back first and clean up the table tomorrow. When you leave, just remember to lock the door."

I laughed again and said, "Aren't you afraid that I will steal your wine?"

"I'm very good at judging people. I don't believe you can do such a thing..."

After saying that, the proprietress turned and walked towards the kitchen. I could vaguely hear her saying to the boss, "Zhaoyang is here... and he brought a friend with him."

"Two people can't eat too much, so let's just have the three things he likes."

"Earth pot chicken, stir-fried cucumber, and stir-fried pork."

"You still need to remind me of this. I have memorized it like a book."

……

Under the dim light, Chen Bailu and I sat opposite each other. He kept his cell phone next to him, which showed that he wanted to say something to me. I also had something to say to him.

Although he never gave me a direct answer, I knew who helped him solve that big problem.

This is a kind of power that ordinary people do not have. When his life has always been stuck in a difficult situation, he should try to accept this power.

Just as I was about to speak, Chen Bailu had already picked up his phone. His emotions seemed to have been brewing, so he typed very quickly. In just a moment, he raised the phone in front of me: "Brother, it was that old man who rescued me from there... I asked the police, he spent a total of 150,000 yuan on me... I don't have the ability to pay back this 150,000 yuan... Can you help me pay it back?... If you help me pay it back, my sister won't have to owe him so much... I don't want my sister to marry him, not at all!!!"

When someone's ideas are completely contrary to mine, I habitually become confused, but this confusion did not last long, because I already had a judgment that was superior to my own on this matter; so, after taking a look at Chen Bailu, I replied: "Do you think I can come up with this 150,000? ... In terms of making money alone, I can't even compare to your sister... So, you think too highly of me, too omnipotent."

"In my heart, you are omnipotent... When you were in college, you helped me raise so much money for surgery."

I laughed, a kind of self-mockery, and after a long while, I opened my mouth and replied: "Everything I did in college was done with passion... I am sitting in front of you now, take a good look at me... Can you still see that passion?... Everything is changing, Bailu... I have no love, no motivation to live, and no desire to work... I don't even know what I am living for..." After a short pause, I lowered my voice and said, "In fact, I am the same as you now. We are both trapped on an isolated island. I am eager to go ashore, but I can't find a ship that can take me to shore... But you are different. You have such a ship beside you that can set sail for you at any time... You may not have realized it before, but after this incident, you should be able to understand..."

Chen Bailu lowered his head, and I also lit a cigarette at this time. I tried to raise my head, but felt suppressed by something. But when I lowered my head, I inexplicably felt powerless. In the end, I could only choose an angle that was neither up nor down, looking at the alley outside the window where there was no light, and gradually lost my mind.

It wasn't until I suddenly saw a faint light in front of my eyes that I came to my senses...it was Chen Bailu who was holding the phone in front of me again.

"Brother... I heard the conversation between my sister and that old man. Because of an accident, the old man lost his sexual function and could not have children. If my sister really married him, can you imagine what kind of life she would live for the rest of her life?"

My mind suddenly went blank, and then I suddenly remembered what Robben had said to me before. He said: In this world, being penniless is no different from losing your sexual function.

So what is this reversal now?

I have absolutely no answer.

"Brother, please save my sister... Over the years, for my sake, she has suppressed herself no matter what she did... But she was not like this before. She is a woman with a lot of ideas... But gradually, she learned to accept the kindness of others who are not kind to her... She seems to have gained a lot, but she has lost even more... I am the one who dragged her down. I don’t know how to change this situation. I am going crazy... It doesn’t matter if I go crazy, even if I die... I just want my sister to be a fish that can move freely in the sea, instead of being suspended in the air by fate and never having a place to stay... She is more pitiful than me. At least I still have her to protect me... But she has never been protected by anyone..."