After the divorce, he went on a motorcycle trip, and his ex-wife and daughter were filled with regre

After hearing Lao Yu's story, Jiang Ye was completely shocked.

He looked at the weathered man in front of him, his heart filled with disbelief.

"no……"

Jiang Ye couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yu, is it really necessary?"

"Giving up such a good job as a university professor for a woman? That's too much of a price to pay!"

In Jiang Ye's view, love is important, but to ruin one's promising future and run to this desolate wilderness to become a fisherman for a woman who is already married to another man is simply an irrational form of self-destruction.

Old Yu wasn't angry when he heard Jiang Ye's words; instead, he laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Yes, in your eyes, young people, this is called foolishness, it's called escapism."

Old Yu shook his head and sighed, "Literati and poets always have too much emotion, too much of it. What can I do? I'm a scholar of Chinese literature. What can I do? I'm just inherently imbued with that kind of sentimental, pedantic romanticism."

"The worst part is, well, who told me... I like her so much?"

Old Yu pointed to his chest and said with a wry smile, "Reason tells me that I should stay, I should continue being a professor, I should go on blind dates, get married, and live a normal life."

"But here, it doesn't listen to me."

"Just thinking about her with someone else, about her lying in someone else's arms, makes me feel unbearable pain. That kind of pain is something that no amount of fame or status can make up for."

Jiang Ye fell silent.

Looking into Lao Yu's deep and pained eyes, he suddenly understood the man a little.

Some pain can never be truly understood by those who haven't experienced it.

"So how are you going to make a living now?"

Jiang Ye changed the subject, asking a very practical question, "You quit your job, and in this remote area, can you support yourself by fishing alone?"

Upon hearing this, Lao Yu smiled mysteriously.

"Young man, do you really think I live off these few fish every day?"

Old Yu pointed towards the house, "I have a computer in my house, and I have internet access. Besides fishing, I also write some online novels."

"Write a novel?" Jiang Ye was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, that's right." Old Yu nodded. "After all, he's a professor of Chinese literature, so he has a knack for storytelling. He can earn about ten thousand yuan a month writing historical or fantasy novels."

"The cost of living here is extremely low. I can grow my own vegetables and fish myself. Ten thousand yuan is enough for me to live like a god here."

Hearing this, Jiang Ye couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

He raised his glass and toasted Lao Yu.

"Brother Yu, I respect you. I respect your devotion and your carefree spirit."

Jiang Ye downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, put down the glass, looked at the bright moon overhead, and a deep sense of envy suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"envious?"

Old Yu keenly caught the emotion in Jiang Ye's eyes and asked with some surprise, "You, a young man riding a 300,000 yuan motorcycle and traveling all over the world, envy me, a wretched old man hiding in a remote mountain village?"

"Yes, I'm envious."

Jiang Ye gave a wry smile, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Jiang Ye's face appeared somewhat forlorn.

"Brother Yu, actually... I'm just like you."

Jiang Ye exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice becoming somewhat hoarse, "I also struggled painfully in a relationship for seven whole years. I was hurt beyond repair, covered in wounds."

Old Yu paused for a moment, his smile faded, and he quietly became a listener.

"I was a live-in son-in-law for seven years."

Jiang Ye didn't hide anything and simply recounted the seven years he had spent with Shen Qinghan.

From initial enthusiasm and humble flattery, to later cold indifference and unfounded suspicion, and finally to betrayal and rupture.

"I gave her everything I could, I trampled my own dignity underfoot, just to warm her heart."

"And what did I get in return? I was labeled a 'client of prostitutes' and received a green divorce certificate. Even my own daughter hit me on the head with an ashtray and called someone else 'Dad'."

After hearing this, Lao Yu frowned deeply.

He picked up his glass, silently clinked it against Jiang Ye's, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother, you've suffered." Old Yu patted Jiang Ye on the shoulder, his tone full of sympathy.

Jiang Ye raised his head and looked at the stars in the night sky. His eyes became somewhat dreamy, as if he had fallen into some kind of beautiful fantasy.

"Actually, there's a place I've always longed to visit."

"I once read a novel that mentioned a place called 'Cloud Wilderness'."

"The Cloud Wilderness in my heart doesn't need to be too prosperous or too wealthy."

Jiang Ye gestured with his hand in the air, describing to Lao Yu the scene he longed for most deep in his heart.

"There's a motorcycle there that you can leave anytime."

"There is a woman whose eyes are only for me."

There was a big yellow dog wagging its tail.

"There is a small courtyard like yours, covered with vines."

"Look up, and there's a clear blue sky; look down, and there's a crystal-clear river. We plant crops and grow flowers in the yard, working at sunrise and resting at sunset."

Jiang Ye's voice grew softer and softer, as if afraid of disturbing this beautiful dream.

"Simple and carefree. There's no backstabbing in the business world, no scheming for profit within families, and no suffocating gossip or moral blackmail."

"Brother Yu, although you have lost the one you love most, you have at least found your own place of peace. In this little courtyard, you have found redemption for your soul."

"But what about me?"

Jiang Ye shook his head with a wry smile. "I fled Hanzhou on my motorcycle, but I don't know where my 'Cloud Wilderness Realm' is."

Looking at Jiang Ye's dejected expression, Lao Yu felt a pang of sadness.

Two men, both heartbroken by love, find themselves resonating deeply under the moonlight in the wilderness, their shared experiences and pain creating a powerful connection.

"Brother, don't lose heart."

Old Yu poured Jiang Ye a full glass of wine and comforted him, "You're still young, thirty years old, life is just beginning. The world is vast, there's always a place, always someone, waiting for you."

"Come, let's drink to our 'Cloud Wasteland'!"

"Dry!"

The two clinked glasses again.

They talked a lot that night.

They talked about literature and motorcycles, about past pains and uncertainty about the future.

Two bottles of strong homemade liquor were emptied before we knew it.

The night breeze grew cooler, and a thin layer of mist rose from the lake.

Jiang Ye glanced at the time on his phone; it was already past 11 p.m.

He stood up, his steps were a little unsteady, but his mind was still clear.

"Brother Yu, it's getting late. Thank you for your hospitality today."

Jiang Ye picked up the helmet from the stone bench. "I need to find a guesthouse in the valley to stay in. I have to keep going tomorrow."

Old Yu grabbed Jiang Ye's arm and pressed him back onto the stone bench.

"Why go to a guesthouse?"

Old Yu let out a burp and pointed to an empty room next door, saying, "It's the middle of the night, the mountain roads are difficult to navigate, and you've had so much to drink, riding your bike is too dangerous!"

"Sleep here! I always keep that guest room spotless, and the bedding is freshly aired."

Without saying a word, Lao Yu took Jiang Ye's helmet and placed it on the table.

"Stay here with me tonight, Lao Yu. Sleep here for now. We can talk about everything tomorrow morning!"