On My Way - Chapter 56

Chapter 56 - You Just Hate Being Looked Down Upon

Yu Shixuan was wearing a cream-colored coat, her hair dusted with snow, looking like a figure carved from ice and jade.

"Why are you here?"

I rushed over like a cannonball, hurriedly unwrapping my scarf as I did so.

She was bundled up tight, with only her eyes visible, and she began to shiver the moment she spoke: "Can't I come?"

"Yes, yes, yes, but why didn't you knock?"

I held her, rubbing her arms to warm her up, and turned to introduce her to Zhou Ting: "This is my friend, and this is my high school classmate."

When Zhou Ting saw her, he was momentarily stunned; no one could ignore beauty like Yu Shixuan’s, which seemed slightly detached from reality.

However, he quickly said, "Hello, well... I’ll be going then."

"Mm, see you later."

I pulled Yu Shixuan into the house and cooked a bowl of hot noodle soup while she took a hot shower.

We hadn't seen each other since I brought Grandma back to the Northeast from Beijing.

I hadn't been in the mood to chat, and she certainly wouldn't have lowered herself to force a conversation with me, so we gradually lost touch.

That wasn't really a big deal; I have over three thousand people on my WeChat, and far too many of them are such temporary friends.

So, for her to actually come find me was quite a surprise.

She was wearing my pajamas, slowly sipping soup with a spoon; the poor Southern girl had been frozen senseless.

"What made you think of coming to find me?"

She didn't answer, but instead said, "Your taste is truly terrible now."

I paused for a moment before realizing she was referring to Zhou Ting.

"Stop guessing wildly. We were just on a blind date and discovered we were high school classmates," I said.

"And then you’d get married, have Baby One and Baby Two, spend half your energy on the kids' poop, food, and school... and the other half fighting with your mother-in-law. Your life's only hope would be that your husband is in a good mood so you wouldn't have to finish things hastily in bed..." She let out a light sigh. "What an interesting life that would be."

I still had a smile on my face as I replied, "I didn't provoke you, did I?"

"I'm just surprised. When you left S Construction, I thought you would go on to live some sort of idyllic life. Instead, you're in a messy company, rotting away day by day. I’ve visited your construction site—it’s completely rotten..."

That sentence felt like a slap across the face.

My construction sites were always known for being orderly, but this current project was indeed a disaster, with every area just doing the bare minimum to pass inspections.

"Princess!" I interrupted her. "I'm not like you. I am naturally lazy and slovenly. I can't hold myself to strict standards all the time. We poor people all just live by making do—so what?"

"But you weren't like this before!"

"Before." I sneered. "Before, I always thought that if I just worked a little harder, I’d make it. But you saw what happened—Old Feng worked himself to death, and they discarded him as soon as he was no longer useful!"

She stopped speaking and watched me quietly, her complexion pale, her black hair damp.

"And as for me? My family doesn't want me, my boyfriend doesn't want me, and I don't even want my own life. I pushed myself to climb upward with all my might, but in the end, what did I get? Who ever treated me like a human being?" I leaned back and sneered. "Better to just rot; at least then I live more comfortably."

The room plunged into a deathly silence. I suddenly regretted it—why was I yelling at her? She traveled all this way to see me, and I just dumped a bellyful of resentment onto her.

But apologizing now would be awkward.

"You don't need to wash the bowls; just leave them in the sink. Come in and go to sleep after you're done."

I tossed those words out stiffly and retreated to the bedroom.

I pretended to be playing on my phone with my back to her, but in reality, my ears were pricked up like a donkey’s, cautiously listening for any movement in the dining room.

I was genuinely afraid that the "young miss" would lose her temper and storm out.

If she did, she’d become the first Southern girl to freeze to death.

But she didn't leave; she even quietly washed the dishes, brushed her teeth, and applied her skincare.

Finally, she walked into the bedroom.

Only a dim, murky light was on. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, feeling the bed sink as she climbed in. Her scent was delightful, smelling like a sweet, plump pomelo.

She lay down behind me.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Are you still going to ask that question from earlier?"

"What question?"

"You asked why I came to find you."

"Oh, why?"

She hugged me gently from behind and whispered, "Because I missed you."

I felt as if a little kitten with tiny claws had lightly nudged me; I was both flustered and sweet inside.

I could only turn around and say, "Then you should stay for a few more days."

She looked at me quietly. In the warm, yellow light, her eyes were crystal clear, looking even more like a cat’s.

She asked me softly, "Dongxue, how much money do you have left?"

"About two million or so, why?"

She nodded and parted her lips: "I sold my house too."

"Ah, you sold... what!"

The romantic atmosphere vanished instantly; I nearly bounced off the bed!

"You sold your house recently? Have you lost your mind?"

She ignored me and said, "Remember that villa complex I designed? It’s called Breeze Grass Homestay. My father helped me apply for it, and it won an international architectural award."

"And then?"

"I want to set up an architectural firm. We’ll do it together. I’ll handle the design, and you’ll handle the construction."

I was dumbfounded. "You’re truly crazy. Do you know how bad the market is right now?"

"But I’ve already landed my first job, right here," she said. "Do you know about 'influencer architecture'?"

"Literally? Like that place in Aranya?"

"Yes. A building design that is artistic enough and has a good enough concept can bring massive traffic to an area. It’s worth investing in, and the success of Breeze Grass proves I have the ability."

I thought about it. Indeed, whether Yu Shixuan was a "good enough" architect was a matter of opinion, but her works certainly possessed a unique aesthetic—dreamy, fantastical, and whimsical enough.

"You might not know this, but Vegetable Market Street is about to be renovated. The North-South University is going to build a campus branch there. Their president really likes my work, and it's very likely they’ll entrust the design of the new library to me."

Vegetable Market Street... that was where I grew up. They were building a university there?

"If this project succeeds, then rural construction, old residential renovations... many similar concepts will keep coming my way. I need a project manager who can execute my blueprints perfectly, and it has to be you."

I was stunned by the flood of information and reflexively refused: "I can help you manage the site, but let's forget about starting a company together..."

In this economic climate, I simply didn't have the entrepreneurial ambition.

Besides, from the sound of it, the company’s core competitiveness was her design, and the construction team was optional. What was the difference between working under her and being a vice president for Manager Wang?

Starting a company with a friend was both troublesome and risky to the friendship.

"It’s not just the construction site. We’d be partners in the firm—equal status, equal profits," she said. "To be blunt, neither of us has the strength to start a firm alone. You lack the resources, and I don't know how to deal with clients or manage personnel. But together..."

I interrupted her: "Princess, I'm not like you."

Even if she failed, her father wouldn't let her end up homeless. But me? I didn't have a family to act as my safety net, nor did I have the room to make so many mistakes. Failing at a startup wasn't just "oh, I didn't do one thing well" for me.

It meant losing everything. Total ruin.

I couldn't afford to fail.

She looked at me, the flush on her face slowly fading. She said, "Okay, I understand."

That night, we slept back-to-back, and neither of us could fall asleep.

The little dim light glowed faintly.

I heard her say, very softly, "Actually, you love building houses."

I didn't say anything.

"You also love 'working hard'."

"You just hate being used, being pushed around, and being... looked down upon.”