On My Way - Chapter 60

Chapter 60 - I Trot Toward You

I walked into the bedroom. Yu Shixuan was lying on her side, reading a novel with only an old desk lamp turned on. The dim, yellowish light illuminated her face, making her look like a calendar model from my childhood.

"You didn't have dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

She didn't even lift her eyelids, as if the copy of Amitabha in her hands was fascinating to death.

I squatted in front of her and said, "Cheng Xia said we should put out another version of the proposal in a week. If you still want to take this project, we have to start now."

She still didn't speak.

I sighed and said, "I don't want to pressure you to persist or anything. To be honest, this doesn't hold much significance for you."

Her father is well-known in the industry, and with her qualifications and awards, she would never have to worry about finding a job.

Moreover, with millions in her bank account, she wouldn't starve even if she never worked a day in her life.

That is the error margin society grants children from wealthy families, which is exactly why they have the courage to reach for higher worlds.

"But if you want to start a company, you have to accept the client's demands, along with their doubts and criticisms. What Cheng Xia said today was merely child's play. You need to understand that in the workplace, no man is going to indulge you; every one of them is your enemy."

She finally reacted, frowning as she asked me, "What are you trying to say?"

"If you don't have a special reason, there's really no need to suffer through this. You aren't short on money."

She interrupted me: "Ren Dongxue, do you think you're particularly amazing or something?"

She threw down the book, her beautiful eyes like an angry cat, and said, "You think you're the only one in the world who can endure hardship and get things done! Then why are you holed up in this broken place? How do you know I don't have a reason? Who gave you the right to lecture me?"

...When she gets vicious, she leaves no room for anyone—herself included.

Now, she was using the same ferocity she’d once used when contemplating jumping from the ninth floor on me.

I sighed and said, "Of course I have no right to lecture you, but I have to tell you that I will help you."

She didn't react immediately, maintaining that fierce posture.

"As long as it's something you truly want to do, I will definitely help you," I said. "Don't be afraid. No matter how difficult the client is, I will stay by your side until we get it done."

She stared at me, and something icy shattered, filled with a kaleidoscope of colors.

But she immediately turned her head, not letting me see her face, and muttered under her breath, "Who’s afraid! I’m not afraid at all!"

I didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said!" she resumed her arrogant air, huffing, "What is there to eat at this hour! I'm starving!"

Grandma had made porridge for her in the evening, and I stir-fried some salted egg yolk pumpkin and potato shreds, purposely adding a little extra vinegar to hook her appetite.

The kid was indeed famished. She buried her head in the meal, eating with a grace that was still quite beautiful.

While she ate, I briefed her on the situation at North-South University: "Its predecessor was the North-South Railway School, dedicated to training technical workers. Later, it was upgraded to a bachelor's program and is considered a quality choice for university students here in the Northeast. After President Wu arrived, it was promoted to a first-tier university."

"What does this have to do with architecture?" she asked.

"It has everything to do with it. First, it has its own history, and this history is closely intertwined with the history of our old industrial area in the Northeast. This isn't reflected much in Cheng Xia’s design, and that’s your opportunity to innovate."

I also showed her President Wu’s biography: "Secondly, you need to study President Wu. He is the founder of the entire campus culture at North-South University, and he was deeply influenced by his alma mater, Peking University. So, you need to research Peking University’s elements to design something that will satisfy him."

Yu Shixuan squinted at me: "How does it feel like you know so much about architecture?"

"I understand the client."

Yu Shixuan was fully revived after eating and went back to her room to enter her work-mode frenzy.

I felt relieved and finally had time to play on my phone.

That was when I noticed that two hours ago, Zhou Ting had sent me a WeChat message saying he had arrived. An hour later, he sent a picture of a scallion-braised lamb leg with the note: "Let me know when you have time, I'll come over to help you make it."

I thought for a long time before replying: "No need."

His status almost immediately showed "typing...", but he never sent a message.

So I sent another one: "My skills aren't bad. Come over this Sunday, and I'll cook you an authentic Inner Mongolian roasted lamb leg."

The "typing..." stopped, and he sent an "OK" emoji.

Then he sent many, many more topics: "When did you learn to cook?"

"Do you have time to come taste the food at my restaurant?"

"What do you like to eat now? Still spicy hotpot?"

Previously, Yu Shixuan had asked me: "Are you really decided on pursuing things with Zhou Ting? He’s so blockheaded, there’s no big future with him."

I said: "I don't really have many options."

Zhou Ting was already the best among all my blind dates.

"That Batu from Uleg Village has a bit of a thing for you, but you keep dodging him."

"We aren't in the same place; it's not suitable. Also, he is, how should I put it, an idealist. I'm too mundane. Our personalities don't match."

There was another reason I didn't mention: he handled rural land development. It might be useful later on, and starting a relationship just to ruin the connection would be a waste.

Yu Shixuan rolled her eyes and said: "You and Cheng Xia don't fit in a single way, yet I never saw you weighing the pros and cons."

"That's different."

"It’s all just dating; what’s different about it?"

Yes, what was different? I wondered, why was Cheng Xia just different?

That week, I tried my best to finish my office work during the day and raced home at six sharp like a sword being drawn. At night, I held all-night discussions with Yu Shixuan.

She had a small team, but they were all in the South. I joined their remote meetings, helping with ideas, staying up until the early hours every day.

This familiar pace of life made me feel exceptionally grounded. Every day, after finishing my work, I would collapse into bed and fall asleep within a second.

Zhou Ting had become a regular visitor to my home. Knowing I was busy, he often brought bird's nest porridge and soup to see me. Our dates were just in the vegetable garden Grandma planted. It was too cold in winter, so we would clear snow together, sweep up fallen leaves, and sit there chatting while drinking hot coffee.

He still talked very little, mostly listening to my nonsense. No matter what I said, he listened very seriously, occasionally laughing so hard he would fall to the ground, as if I were the most humorous person in the world.

The sunlight shone on his fair forehead, casting a kaleidoscope of colors.

The week passed quickly, and the presentation was the next day.

That day, Yu Shixuan didn't stay up late. She said: "This is my habit. The closer it is to a big exam, the earlier I sleep. Because if I look at it, I won't remember it anyway, and the more I try to remember, the more panicked I get."

I said: "Aren't you afraid there might be some omissions?"

She shrugged and said: "I always do very well on my exams."

With that, she closed her computer and went to bed.

I, on the other hand, was tossing and turning.

Although I didn't want to start a company with Yu Shixuan, I truly hoped we could win this project.

For one, after a week of refinement, I had been convinced by our own arguments. Our proposal was indeed the most excellent and meaningful one. I felt it deserved to be recognized.

Secondly, this was of extraordinary significance to Yu Shixuan. In her original world, she had always been a winner, and if she never left, she would remain a winner.

But now, this was her first step toward building her own world, without "Dad" and without a "boyfriend."

If she lost, she would shrink back into her own world and might seek out a new China—that would be too terrible for her.

I lay with my back to Yu Shixuan, unable to sleep, thinking about what else I could do.

Just then, Yu Shixuan suddenly hugged me gently, her fresh, clean scent enveloping me.

"I will win," she murmured like someone sleep-talking. "I have a very, very strong reason. I don't want to be separated from you and become strangers... so I must start this company."

Her voice gradually weakened, turning into steady breathing.

It took a moment for me to process what she meant.

She hadn't sought me out as a partner because she wanted to start a company.

She wanted to start a company because she wanted to be with me.

My heart softened into a puddle. How could there be such a kid?

So silly, so stubborn...

...and so heartbreakingly lovable.

I couldn't sleep anyway.

After Yu Shixuan was sound asleep, I got up on tiptoe to check tomorrow’s PPT, looking for areas where President Wu and the others might ask questions.

Suddenly, I saw something.

A massive fear, like a ghostly hand from the shadows, gripped me.

There was an error here.

And if there was an error here, the entire proposal was ruined...

I stared at it repeatedly until my eyes grew sore and tears fell.

I wanted to wake Yu Shixuan up immediately, but there were less than five hours until the meeting, and even if I woke her, she wouldn't be able to fix it in time.

The sky was already turning a pale white. I hesitated for a long time before calling Cheng Xia.

Because of the sleepless night, my voice was dry and raspy: "I have something I want to tell you."

Cheng Xia’s voice held a hazy sleepiness, but it was still incredibly gentle. He said: "I'll come to you.”