On My Way - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Dignity and Projects, I Don't Want Any of It

With the project halted, I had nowhere else to go. For that entire week, I kept running back and forth to the Architectural Institute to chase after the blueprints.

Of course, you couldn't just say you were "chasing blueprints"; you had to say you were there to "pay respects" to the teachers.

The Architectural Institute was a very old red building with a tall sycamore tree planted outside. Every time the wind blew, the leaves would rustle and fall in a cascade.

The security guard looked me up and down and said, "Who are you?"

I said, "I'm from S-Construction. I'm here to see Teacher Yu."

He waved his hand as if shooing away flies: "Teacher Yu isn't here today."

I said, "Then I'll look for Engineer Cheng. He works under Teacher Yu."

The guard didn't even lift his eyes and said, "Let him come down to get you."

I hesitated.

Since my mental breakdown, Cheng Xia and I hadn't been in touch, and even when we spoke in the group chat, it was strictly polite.

To have him come down to get me during work hours... wasn't that a bit much?

Seeing that I hadn't taken out my phone, the guard sneered: "What do you think this place is? Do you foremen think you can just wander in whenever you want?"

I was a bit stunned. I had specifically put on professional attire and dressed up this morning, so why was I still pegged as a foreman at first glance?

Just as we were stuck in a standoff, Yan Lei came running over in a basketball jersey. The moment he saw me, he grinned: "Whoa, bought so much stuff?"

I said, "The teachers have been working hard. I just bought a few things."

He didn't even look at the guard, swiped his card, and let me in.

"I was playing a quick game with the leadership during lunch break and just happened to see what you posted in the group chat, so I came over," he said while wiping off his sweat.

I kept thinking he looked like someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Now, seeing him in a basketball jersey, it suddenly hit me: he looked like Cheng Xia back in college—very fair-skinned, prone to laughter, and high-spirited.

He chatted with me casually: "Your project is really not easy. I never realized that at the start!"

I said, "Tell me about it. My guts are green with regret. If it weren't for all you teachers, I would have jumped into the sea the night before last."

Yan Lei was amused by me: "That wouldn't be necessary. Hey, as a girl, what made you decide to become a construction foreman?"

I said, "To make money. I do whatever makes money."

While talking, we walked into the office. There were many people inside, but I caught sight of Cheng Xia immediately.

He was sitting by the window, staring at the screen and working seriously, with a steaming glass of plain water at his side.

He looked like a painting, making one’s heart involuntarily grow quiet.

"Boss Ren is here for an inspection," Yan Lei said, helping me distribute the items I bought around the office.

"Big sister, how did you know I love drinking the Chestnut Treasure tea? And with thirty percent sugar?" Yu Shixuan said with delight.

"You ordered it last time. I just happen to have a good memory."

Only then did Cheng Xia turn to look at me. His face was a bit pale; he just gave me a faint smile before looking back at his computer screen.

My heart gave a painful tug. I walked over to him with a hot Americano and said, "Your cold still isn't better?"

"Yeah."

He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

I wanted to tell him not to take my breakdown the other day to heart, but it was too awkward to say out loud. Just as I was caught in the silence, Yan Lei walked over and said, "Meeting room six is empty. Go sit for a while; we'll talk to you about the work progress in a bit."

"Okay!"

I was deeply grateful.

I sat in the meeting room, and Yan Lei poured me some water: "Why do I feel like things are a bit weird between you and Engineer Cheng?"

I made up a random excuse: "We're just avoiding any suspicion. I don't want to cause him any trouble."

"That's true. Engineer Cheng is the type who hates trouble. It's like there's a barrier between him and the rest of us. It's only with Xuanxuan..." He realized he had said too much and stopped abruptly.

I maintained a polite smile: "Is that so? He was quite a lively person back in school, getting along with everyone."

"Lively?" Yan Lei laughed. "I really haven't seen that."

At that moment, the door knocked. Yu Shixuan walked in, wrinkling her nose: "Yan Lei, are you bad-mouthing me again?"

"How could I dare, Little Miss! I was just chatting with Boss Ren."

Cheng Xia followed behind, carrying his computer, his expression blank.

They briefed me on the current progress. Overall, things were going smoothly, and we should be able to finish within the agreed time.

My gratitude was genuine this time, so I quickly said, "Are you teachers free after work? Let me treat you to a meal."

Cheng Xia closed his laptop and said, "Work is quite tight, so there's no need for a meal."

Yu Shixuan said, "What a pity, Big Sister. I have plans after work. Next time!"

To my surprise, Yan Lei laughed: "They probably have a date. It's fine, let's go eat, just the two of us."

Yu Shixuan hit him with a file: "Is eating the point? It's about who you're eating with! Dongxue, the grilled fish place across the street at six?"

I quickly said, "Thank you, Engineer Yan, for doing me the honor."

Yan Lei was a lively and humorous person. Thanks to him, I learned a lot of gossip.

For instance, Yu Shixuan was Teacher Yu's youngest daughter. She also had an older sister, making her genuine 'imperial royalty,' which was why she didn't do much work and no one dared to criticize her.

And for instance, Cheng Xia was actually a misfit here.

"How is that possible?"

"How is it not! He hates talking. He's turned down every team-building event, and even when the leadership comes to invite him, he keeps pushing them away."

But in college, Cheng Xia had always been the student council president, thriving in social situations and frequently organizing large groups of people to go out.

Since we reunited, I had felt he had become a bit more silent, but he still joked around—there was nothing wrong with him.

How could he have changed so much in the workplace?

While I was thinking, I suddenly noticed Yan Lei staring at me with a serious expression.

"What is it?" I asked.

He said earnestly: "I think you’d be a great beauty if you dressed up."

"Ah? Oh, really..."

"Really. Your eyes are pretty, your face shape is great, and on top of that, your personality is so refreshing." He said, "There must be many people chasing you at S-Construction."

"Not really."

Who would dare? After all, in their eyes, I was Old Feng's woman.

"That's great then." Yan Lei smiled, his eyes curving like crescents.

After the meal, we walked out. It was already late. Yan Lei asked from the side: "Dongxue, which subway line do you take?"

"Line five."

"That's a shame, I take line three. Well, send me a WeChat message when you get home?"

Just as we were talking, I saw Cheng Xia.

He was standing at the main gate of the Architectural Institute, wearing that gray-blue overcoat, watching us from across the street.

The sky was too dim for me to make out his expression, but I knew that after standing there for a while, he turned and left without a word.

An unprovoked sense of sadness surged in my heart.

I wanted to keep my distance from Cheng Xia. I had had enough of the days spent tossing and turning until dawn over a single expression of his.

But I hadn't meant to make things this awkward.

That night, I kept hesitating about whether to send Cheng Xia a WeChat message.

But what would I say? After all, I was the one who had said, with such cold detachment, "Let's just pretend we never knew each other."

After weighing it over and over, I didn't send anything. I picked up some professional books and started grinding away, and eventually fell asleep while reading. Between waking and sleeping, my phone rang—it was Yan Lei.

I didn't look at it; he had been very keen on sharing jokes with me lately.

When I truly woke up in the morning, I saw the message.

He said: "The blueprints are finished ahead of schedule."

The blueprints were out three days early. We quickly gathered the project owners for a review, and everything began to move forward with lightning speed.

We could restart construction!

When I got the news, I felt my whole body go numb.

The haze that had been hanging over everyone’s heads finally revealed a sliver of sunlight. This sunlight was so precious that it felt unreal.

What we needed to do now was catch up on the missed schedule, and if possible, receive the next batch of payments before the New Year so the workers could have a decent holiday.

"This time, it’s all thanks to you teachers. Please, give me a chance to express my gratitude."

After the final meeting, everyone surrounded Teacher Yu, and I was no exception.

Yan Lei and Yu Shixuan accompanied Teacher Yu with smiles, but Cheng Xia was nowhere to be seen.

I looked back and realized he had walked to the very back, and was moving slower and slower.

I deliberately slowed my pace, walked to his side, and said: "You've worked hard these past two days..."

When he turned his head, I realized his face was pale, and even his lips were tinged with purple.

"Cheng Xia..."

The next moment, he collapsed into my arms.

Because of consecutive nights of staying up late, Cheng Xia had triggered a heart condition and was rushed directly to the hospital for emergency surgery.

At that moment, what did "avoiding suspicion" matter? I paid all the fees and told the doctor to use the best medicine.

While waiting outside the operating room, Yu Shixuan said to me: "Big Sister, did you know? Engineer Cheng has been working himself to death revising your blueprints. He hasn't slept in three days."

I didn't know what to say. I could only clench my fists tightly.

At that moment, I didn't want any of it anymore.

No projects, no blueprints, no dignity...

As long as he could live, as long as I could be the one lying in there instead of him, I didn't want any of it.