As they strolled back, the lights in the ancient city were already waning. The stone road, the small slanted bridge, the flowing water, and the archaic buildings on both sides were not quiet, but it made people feel peaceful. They ate some snacks along the way, and there were fat golden girls standing in front of the bar, singing or dancing to attract customers. The unique folk songs, ethnic costumes, and ethnic dances made tourists stop frequently.
"Sammy, let's go in and have a seat too. It would be a pity if we don't go to a bar when we're in Lijiang.”Xiao Linghui looked at the absent-minded Xiamang and suggested.
A bar? Xiamang tried to act as natural as possible, but he still couldn't. He hated himself for being impulsive, hated himself for being useless, hated himself for being so unforgiving. He only hoped that he would slowly forget about it after a long time, and then when he mentioned it again, it would be as calm as before, without any ripples in his heart. But now, it was always too easy to be moved and shocked.
"Sammy?" Xiao Linghui's eyes were filled with curiosity.
Xia Mang smiled until the corners of his mouth were no longer stiff. Then, he turned to the person beside him and said,""Hui, let's split up. Fatty Jin was passionate and open-minded. Lijiang was a romantic place, so you had to go alone.”
Xiao Linghui was surprised. Xiamang waved her hand before he could speak."Stop talking, stop talking. I know the way back. Just go straight and turn left. I'm a little tired today, so I'll go back and rest early, Ann!”
Ignoring the reactions of the people around him, Xiamang snatched the pomegranate and sunglasses from his hands and skipped forward. The back view looked very happy, but it was undoubtedly a little too happy, which made people feel suspicious.
The Old Town of Lijiang was really beautiful. It was classical, quiet, romantic, and had a strong ethnic flavor. There were dazzling clothes and accessories, fresh food and fruits, and a pleasant climate. Xiamang woke up at noon every day and went to Sifang Street to kill time. After dinner, she would go shopping in the shops of the ancient city. She was not interested in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Lugu Lake that Xiao Linghui suggested.
In Lijiang, when the sky was clear, the sun was so warm that it could make people throw away all their worries. When they looked up at the sky, the sky was exceptionally blue and exceptionally high. The clouds were as white as snow, so close that they could be touched by reaching out their hands. It was slightly cold when it rained, but the rain was not heavy. People could be seen everywhere in the rain. Some were wearing short-sleeved hot pants and slippers, while others were carrying backpacks from backpacking friends. They were wearing rain-proof cotton coats and were fully equipped to go to the snow mountain. At times like this, Xiamang would stand in the crowd, wrapped in the big shawl she had taken out from the store, and change into a new set of accessories every day. She would watch people coming and going in the store where " One Meter of Sunshine " had been filmed, take pictures as a memento, occasionally accept praises from passersby about her skin, and occasionally answer their inquiries about where she bought the shawl and accessories she wore and the price.
The feeling of being unfamiliar was very good. He could be in a daze, laugh, or cry. In Lijiang, any expression could be tolerated, and any dress could be praised.
"Hui, why are the stars in Lijiang so big?”Every night after he came back from shopping, Xiamang would move the long wooden rattan chair of the inn owner to the courtyard in the middle of the inn. He would lie on it, hugging a colorful pillow in his arms, and stare at the sky in a daze.
Lijiang was once the place that Xia Mang wanted to go the most but never had the chance to. Wen Hao had comforted and promised that they would choose Lijiang for their honeymoon trip. As Xia Mang wished, they would not go anywhere and would just stay quietly for half a month. Xia Mang's heart ached when he thought of Wen Hao.
Xiao Linghui chose to remain silent. He knew that Xiamang was thinking about that person again. He didn't know what he could say to comfort her. All he could do was turn his phone to MP3 mode, hoping that the music would make Xiamang feel better.
"Hui, why are the stars in Lijiang so bright?”When the music played, the corners of her eyes would always be wet. Lijiang. She had lived quietly for half a month. Now, she was really under the starry sky in Lijiang. She did not do anything or go anywhere. She just quietly watched the sunrise, watched the sunset, ate, went shopping, spaced out, and slept. She imagined herself as a Naxi person and imagined that she had been living in this state for thousands of years. But the person beside her was not Wen Hao.
Why are the stars in Lijiang so big and bright? Why did she always feel like crying when she looked up at the stars?
On the evening of the sixth day, Xiamang made his last purchase before returning. She counted the number of gifts. Family, colleagues, friends, no one could be missing.
"A ten-mile long street banquet?" Xia Mang was dumbfounded by the scene before him. A temporary banquet was set up at the main entrance of the ancient city. There was a long flowing water mat and a grill on the side. The lamb leg on the grill was sizzling with oil and gas, and the fragrance was several miles away. There was wine on the table, cutlery, plates of fruits, and beautiful flowers. A row of red palace lights were hung on both sides of the banquet, extending into the distance. Coupled with the busy young and beautiful waiters, Xiamang walked forward.
"Look, Sammy." Xiao Linghui reached out to stop Xiamang, who was rushing straight into the banquet, and pointed at a big poster by the roadside.
Xiamang turned her head when she heard that. Oh my, so this ten-mile-long street banquet wasn't a national festival or a welcoming event for tourists. It was a national golf club general manager gathering! Xiamang turned back to look at the banquet and realized that there were moving fences around. After asking around, she found out that not only were the leaders of Yunnan Province, Lijiang City, and the China Higher Education Association present, but there were also hundreds of presidents, general managers, industry elites, sponsor representatives, and media colleagues from all over the country.
By the way, the theme of the Fellowship Party was " golf and a harmonious society." However, that was not important. The important thing was that Xia Mang had nothing to do with the banquet. She could not even pass the test by pretending to be a waitress, let alone attend it. It was said that there would be guards and police officers around if the participants arrived later.
So it was a party for rich people. No wonder it was so extravagant.
"What a joke!" Xiamang sighed and signaled Xiao Linghui to leave with her.
There was not much time left. Xiamang thought that she had purchased enough in the past few days, but after counting on her fingers, she realized that the number of gifts she needed to give was not to be underestimated. There were more than ten colleagues in the same office. As the assistant to the department director, she could not be biased and deal with the matter of face so unfairly, right? There were no less than 30 colleagues in the department and other large offices.
In view of the department's serious weakness, Xia Mang decided to "send" large shawls. It was worth mentioning that Xiamang had learned 70% of the skill of bargaining after seven years of hellish training from her best friend Ye Zi from high school to university. Back when she was shopping with Ye, even in the mall, Ye could use her mouth and bare hands to get the counter lady to give her an internal discount--a price that was even more VIP than VIP. As for the roadside shops, Ye 'zi's principle was to cut the price by 70% when they closed their eyes. When they opened their eyes, they would only increase the price by 10%. If it was more than 40% off, they would not buy it no matter how much they liked it. Therefore, even though Ye 'zi had always said that Xia Mang had no talent in this aspect and that he had only achieved 70% of his cultivation after teaching him for so many years, this 70% of his cultivation was already very good at fooling people in the Greater World.
Xia Mang casually wrapped a red embroidered shawl with gold thread and a blue and purple embroidered shawl with silver thread around her body. At the same time, she instructed Xiao Linghui to carry the scarves back to the inn. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to go shopping with such a big bundle. For convenience's sake, Xiamang took her wallet and threw her backpack to Xiao Linghui."I have to take a lot of things later. I guarantee that you can also carry them back. Don't worry, I know the way. I'll go back after buying a few more things. You can stay at the inn and pack your luggage.”
Xiao Linghui took the backpack and looked like he was about to choose a pig. He looked at Xiamang for the last time and didn't say anything. Before he left, he said,"If you can't take it, give me a call. I'll carry it back for you.”
Xiamang nodded and gathered the two shawls on her body. She swaggered out of the shop like an afghan woman and ran to the next shop. He walked around and went further and further away. He bought Pu 'er tea for his father, crocus, Yunnan Eighteen Monsters, and beef jerky for his mother, crystals and jade pendants for Ye' zi, Yanyan, and Bai Bai, and a bunch of useless accessories for himself. Finally, Xia Mang decided to go back to the scarf shop with a bag full of things and buy two dozen shawls for future trouble.
With a thud, the gift bag in Xia Mang's hand fell to the ground. It was already past nine o'clock, but Square Street was still bustling with activity. There were shops, people, faint yellow street lights, and the singing of Naxi girls in the bar not far away. Xia Mang stood on the west side of the small stone bridge. There were a few bars on the left side. In front of him were CEO Yu and a few others from Heng Long Real Estate. One of them was the male protagonist that Xia Mang did not want to see the most. The thing in her hand naturally slipped away, because when Xia Mang looked up, she happened to see the man's gaze on her.
"What a coincidence to meet Miss Xiamang here.”When Yu Weitao saw Xia Mang, he took the initiative to smile and greet him. He took two steps forward, picked up the things that Xia Mang had dropped on the ground, and handed them to Xia Mang.
As the general manager of Heng Long Real Estate, it was a good thing that he did not put on airs. However, in Xia Mang's eyes, it was definitely a huge flaw. If you don't know him, it's better to brush shoulders with him! He could only blame himself. It was fine if he didn't notice the situation earlier, but he even had such an eye-catching reaction at the first moment. He deserved to be seen!
"Thank you, President Yu. I really didn't expect to meet you here.”Xiamang reached out and took it. With a professional smile, his eyes automatically blocked the man who slowly walked to Yu Weitao's side. She was indeed a little surprised to meet him in Lijiang. She suddenly remembered the extravagant and boring ten-mile long street banquet just now. A golf ball! Damn, how could he forget that the city he had lived in for more than 20 years, the only golf course built in the city two years ago, was a property of Hang Long Real Estate?
"Sammy." Just as Xia Mang paused and was about to leave, the man beside Yu Weitao spoke. When Xia Mang heard this, he trembled as if he had been struck by lightning. He was stunned on the spot and felt a deep sense of tenderness on the inside. He subconsciously rolled his eyes. The lights were dim, and his small movements of trembling and rolling his eyes might not have been noticed by anyone. But it was only a possibility.
"Chairman Chen, Chairman Wang, I've met an old friend in a foreign land. Weitao, accompany Chairman Chen and Chairman Wang. I'll come over later.”The man nodded at the other two middle-aged men present, then turned around and walked up to Xiamang. He smiled and said,"Sammy, let me carry the things."”
The smile on his face was strange and annoying to Xiamang. Xiamang had wanted to reach out and slap that annoying smile away, but in the end, he reached out with his right hand, which was carrying something. This action just happened to fulfill the man's words. In just a minute, Xia Mang was struck by lightning again. He felt like his entire body had turned into a small crisp, and he was charred on the outside and inside. He hated the fact that he had used his right hand to take the thing that Yu Weitao had handed over just now.
What should he do? Xia Mang opened her mouth." You…I…" She hesitated for a long time, but she couldn't say anything. She did not understand why she was like a child in front of him. This helplessness did not mean that he had regressed to his youthful days. It was because, ever since that night, Xia Mang felt that he was missing something in front of this man. What was missing? Xia Mang thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that what was missing was clothes. It was because of the strangeness and intimacy of that night.
At the thought of this, Xia Mang's face turned red. By the time Xia Mang realized that the passersby were looking at them curiously, Yu Weitao and the two middle-aged men had already disappeared. Only then did Xia Mang come to his senses. He reached out to snatch the gift bag from the man's hand.
"Sammy." The man smiled calmly.
"Don't call my name, I don't know you!”Xiamang looked at the handsome man's face under the streetlights. She didn't understand why she would see this man everywhere she went, even though she was rebellious once in a while. Moreover, he looked like a rich man. Shouldn't such a man be extremely proud? Even if he was married, wouldn't there be thousands of women who would fall one after another? Why did he have to make things difficult for Xiamang? Why couldn't he just ignore her and pretend he didn't see her? At the thought of this, Xia Mang was furious. His voice was several times louder than usual, and he was just short of pouncing on her and baring his fangs.
"So you're blaming me for not formally introducing myself.”The man completely ignored Xia Mang's bleeding face. He slowly took out his wallet from his pocket and rummaged through it. He pulled out a business card and handed it to Xia Mang with a smile.
Xia Mang reached out and took the card. Without looking at it, he gritted his teeth and tore the card into pieces. He threw it on the ground and stomped on the pieces of paper. His emotions were too agitated and his movements were too big. As a result, the two shawls that were wrapped around Xia Mang fell to the ground.
Before Xia Mang could bend down, the man had already bent down to pick up the shawl on the ground. He shook it and handed the gift bag in his other hand to Xia Mang. Xia Mang took it in a daze. A thought flashed through his mind. Could it be that his actions just now had finally made this person return to normal, so he returned the item to her and let her go?
The next second, his vision blurred. The man held the shawl with both hands and folded it in half. The shawl quickly wrapped around Xia Mang's neck and wrapped around her shoulders perfectly. One end of the tassel was hidden in the shawl, and the other end was slanted over her shoulder and hung behind her.
"Eh?" Xiamang fainted. It was obvious that this method was quite different from the way she casually wrapped her upper body like an afghan woman.
"Miss Xiamang, may I have the honor of inviting you to a bar?”When the man said this, he looked at Xia Mang with a smile.
A bar! Xia Mang was still sensitive to these two words, but when the person in front of him mentioned it, he felt both shocked, regretful, and bitter, but also inexplicably shy and ashamed.
Xiamang blushed as she realized that something was missing from her body.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。