Chapter 44

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Xu Lian quietly sat on the bar for a while. Then, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the alcohol Wei YiChen was holding.

However, Wei YiChen’s reaction was quick. He immediately moved his hand and hid the bottle behind the bad. Xu Lian stared at him. Wei YiChen looked back with a smile. “I’ve met Xiang ChangKong before. He told me he was preparing for the postgraduate entrance exams.”

He knew about Xiang ChangKong’s situation because he got Ah Mao to investigate. And now, Xu Lian suddenly talked about dreams. It was obvious to Wei YiChen that something had happened with Xiang ChangKong’s studies.

Xu Lian picked up her orange juice and gulped it down like a vodka shot. She didn’t stop until the glass was totally empty. “He might not take the exam.”

Wei YiChen leaned and put his elbows on top of the bar. “Why?”

According to Ah Mao’s report, Xiang ChangKong had initially given up the chance to study abroad because his father passed away, and his mother became ill. At the time, his younger sister was in her third year of middle school. In a situation like that, it would be impossible for anyone to just happily hop on a plane abroad. Xiang ChangKong had been forced to give up on his studies. But now, he had a chance to continue his studies. Why give up?

“Do you know the current situation with China’s aerospace industry?” Xu Lian asked.

“….” Wei YiChen was silent for a while, then asked: “Do you think I’d know anything about that particular subject?”

Xu Lian handed him her empty glass and said: “Pour me another one.”

Wei YiChen obediently poured her another glass of orange juice and placed it in front of her. Xu Lian took a huge gulp, and when she was finished, there was only a third of juice left. “Xiang ChangKong said that they work on a 611 system. Do you know what 611 means? That’s six days a week, eleven hours a day. And that doesn’t count the overtime they have to do. The stronger your ability is, the more intense your workload. The higher the welfare benefits, the more likely you are of premature death. They lose young people more and more as the industry develops.”

Wei YiChen was shocked. He asked: “Xiang ChangKong’s father was…” Wei YiChen didn’t go on.

“Un, something like that.” Xu Lian took another gulp. It was like she was an alcoholic. “They’ve made great contributions to the country, but their families…probably thought that the price wasn’t worth it.”

She didn’t know the feelings of other families, but Auntie Weng…she would probably prefer if Xiang ChangKong delivered takeout for the rest of his life. She most likely didn’t want him to have anything to do with planes.

Xu Lian looked at Wei YiChen. “If you were a family member, would you support them or not?”

Wei YiChen was silent. He couldn’t help but bring out the alcohol and drink a glass. Xu Lian didn’t reach for the bottle and patiently waited for his reply.

Wei YiChen finished his drink and asked: “Xiang ChangKong’s mother doesn’t approve?”

“Un.”

“And you?”

“Me?” Xu Lian smiled. She had seen Wei YiChen’s depressed appearance before and had seen the same sadness in the depths of Xiang ChangKong’s melancholic eyes. They were both brilliant rays of starlight that were gradually fading away, struggling to shine as they were being overtaken by the dark of the night. Xu Lian could understand Weng ShuLi’s thoughts, but she could never agree with her actions. There are people in this world who were willing to be plain their whole lives, but there were also people who would rather burn as a brief but dazzling existence.

Xiang ChangKong was undoubtedly the latter. And she would stand by him and support him.

“I want the people that I like to do what they like.”

You only have one life. It doesn’t matter how long you have, just don’t leave any regrets.

Wei YiChen smiled. “Then why did you ask me? You don’t have to worry too much about his mother. I’m sure that to Xiang ChangKong, your words are just as meaningful as his mother’s. As long as you continue to support him, there’s hope.”

Xu Lian felt that after all those years of friendship, Wei YiChen finally said something that managed to move her.

(T/N: I’m not sure how to word it right, but basically, after years of pursuit and corny love phrases, this was the one sentence that made Xu Lian feel something. Not that her heart thumped for him, but that it was the one line that moved her.)

After drinking two glasses of orange juice, Xu Lian was ready to leave. She put down her glass, picked up her bad, and said: “I’ll be leaving first. You were the one who offered me the orange juice, so I won’t be paying for it.”

Wei YiChen: “…..”

You really know how to nitpick, ah.

Wei YiChen looked at Xu Lian’s retreating figure and, with one hand on the bar, called out: “Xu Lian.”

Xu Lian turned her head back and asked: “The dignified owner of this bar can’t even afford to let go of two glasses of orange juice?”

Wei YiChen chuckled. “No, it’s not that. It’s just that…if it’s nothing important, don’t visit the bar for a while.”

Xu Lian’s eyes suddenly turned sharp as she looked at Wei YiChen’s face. Just an hour ago, Xiang ChangKong had said the same thing.

What’s going on? One by one, people are telling her not to look for them? Haha, do you think I want to find you?

Without another word, Xu Lian turned around and walked out of Wei YiChen’s bar.

Wei YiChen saw Xu Lian’s expression just now and was a little frightened by it. She was probably going to ignore him for the next six months. But, well, that was good. The less contact Xu Lian had with him, the safer it would be for her.

Xu Lian left QingNan street and drove straight home to sleep. She didn’t wake up until 6:00 p.m. Xu Lian got up, cooked a bowl of noodles for herself, then turned her computer on to check on some orders.

The ingredients required to make aromatherapy candles are hard to come by, even if she looks abroad. Most of them can only be bought in specific places, and these shops are quite hard to find. It was thanks to her Korean teacher that she even found her suppliers. Xu Lian also paid attention to current trends, so the ingredients would change from time to time. She strived to buy new molds or patters from foreign countries whenever possible.

She had already decided to go abroad and purchase some elk antlers, but Xu Lian figured that she might as well buy some other things. While she was surfing the internet, Xu Lian came across a store that recently put out an aircraft mold. They weren’t very big, but they were quite cute. She selected the mold and included it in her purchase order.

Xiang ChangKong should like it.

Xu Lian was so absorbed in her order that her noodles ended up lumpy. In the end, Xu Lian ordered takeout. Fortunately, Xiang ChangKong wasn’t on duty tonight.

Meanwhile, in Xiang ChangKong’s home, Weng ShuLi hadn’t eaten yet. Xiang Nuan had already left for school, so Xiang ChangKong was the only one at home to guard his mother.

Weng ShuLi was no longer young. Moreover, she had been seriously ill before. Xiang ChangKong was very worried that Weng ShuLi’s body wouldn’t be able to bear the strain if she continues refusing to eat. Thinking that Weng ShuLi didn’t have the appetite, Xiang ChangKong had specially made her favorite chicken porridge for dinner tonight. He even added some other small dishes that Weng ShuLi liked to eat.

When the meal was ready, Xiang ChangKong knocked on Weng ShuLi’s door once more. “Mom, it’s getting late. Come out and have some food. I cooked your favorite chicken porridge, ah.”

Xiang ChangKong stood outside the door for a long while, but Weng ShuLi still didn’t answer. “What do you want me to do?” Xiang ChangKong whispered as he leaned against the door.

Weng ShuLi laid in bed all afternoon, but she didn’t sleep. The father and son pair she saw in the park was still on her mind.

The little boy looked around seven or eight years old. He was still clumsy at handling his toy plane. Once, the toy plane landed near her, and the little boy stumbled after it. Weng ShuLi looked at the small plane lying on the grass, its propeller still turning. She bent down and picked it up.

“Thank you, grandma.” The child thanked her with his sweet voice, ran back to his father, and continued to play with his toy.

The little boy looked so much like Xiang ChangKong.

The figure of the father and son pair gradually overlapped with the silhouettes of Xiang ChangKong and his father. Weng ShuLi could faintly hear Xiang ChangKong’s young voice saying that he would grow up to be just like his dad.

If that little boy grew up and found out that he wouldn’t be able to fly anymore, then he will be very disappointed.

“Mom, can you please eat?”

Xiang ChangKong’s voice sounded from the door. Weng ShuLi heard it, but she didn’t answer.

She knew that Xiang ChangKong hadn’t been happy all these years…but at least he was living well.

He knocked on the door one last time, then left. Xiang ChangKong sat on the dinner table alone, the hot porridge gradually turning cold.

Even after the dark night completely shrouded the city, Weng ShuLi still didn’t come out.

Xiang ChangKong took out his phone and called Xu Lian.

As soon as Xu Lian came out of the bathroom, she heard her phone buzz. Xu Lian subconsciously thought that it was Xiang ChangKong calling her, and she stepped forward.

It really was him.

So Xu Lian answered the phone. “Xiang ChangKong?”

Xiang ChangKong had battled with himself for a long time before he managed to call Xu Lian. He even thought of seven different conversational topics before picking up the phone. But now that it was happening, Xiang ChangKong still didn’t know what to say.

Xu Lian listened to the silence on the other end of the phone and sat down on her small sofa. “Why aren’t you talking? What happened to Auntie Weng?”

Xiang ChangKong managed to utter two words. “Xu Lian.”

His voice sounded so dry, as if he was in the middle of a desert.

Xu Lian softly replied: “Un. I’m listening.”

“I…Maybe I shouldn’t take the exam.”

Xu Lian’s eyes drooped. “Auntie Weng still refuses to eat?”

“Un. I think she’s really angry. She holed up in her room all afternoon and refuses to eat or drink anything. She’s already in poor health….”

Xu Lian didn’t reply. Xiang ChangKong could barely hear her breathing. The hand holding his phone gradually tightened, the knuckles whitening. “We should part ways.”

Was this despair? Xiang ChangKong thought that he had experienced despair when his father died and his mother became ill. He thought he understood what it was when he had to give up on his dream. But now, Xiang ChangKong knew. Despair wasn’t darkness. Despair was when the darkness suddenly lit up, but then plunged back into nothingness.

If he didn’t do his postgraduate studies, then Xiang ChangKong didn’t know what he’d do in the future. He couldn’t give Xu Lian any sort of guarantee.

After Xiang ChangKong said those words, the phone call seemed even quieter. Xiang ChangKong sat alone in the room, feeling like the only person left in the entire world.

Then, Xu Lian’s voice suddenly sounded out from the phone. “Xiang ChangKong, what did you just say?”

With clenched hands, Xiang ChangKong repeated: “Let’s separate.”

“Separate? Are you saying we should break up?

“Un…”

“You’re breaking up with me?”

Xiang ChangKong’s mouth flattened into a line. He didn’t answer.

Xu Lian asked: “Xiang ChangKong, are you at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going out later?”

“No.”

“Alright. You wait there.”

“…..”

Xiang ChangKong’s heart jumped.

The author has something to say:

It took me longer than expected to write this chapter.

To our beloved male lead….I’m afraid that Big Sister Xu Lian is on her way to knock some sense into your dog head.

Xiang ChangKong: …..