Chapter 10

Bu Huaiyu chuckled, glanced sideways at Zhang Heng, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, and teasingly remarked, "Why are you feeling sorry? Why don't you pursue her yourself?"

Zhang Heng fixed his gaze on Bu Huaiyu's eyes, retracting his usual playful demeanor, and spoke in an unusually serious tone: "When I first got to know her, I also felt that she resembled Sheng Lan in some ways, but after spending more time together, I realized that they are actually quite different. You should have a sense of this yourself. I am not sure what she has been through in the past that initially gave you an impression of Sheng Lan, but that is not her true self. Yuan Xi is a clever girl; she must have figured something out, which is why she has been showing us a different side of herself, a more authentic version, during this time. Do you understand? She is not Sheng Lan. Perhaps she can accept your love, but she will not accept your guilt towards another woman being projected onto her. Deep down, she is just as proud as you are." She is not Sheng Lan. Perhaps she can accept your love, but she will not accept your guilt towards another woman being projected onto her. Deep down, she is just as proud as you are.

The melancholic melody permeated the car, as Bu Huaiyu quietly gazed at the red light ahead, his expression momentarily lost in thought, as if savoring the taste of the lyrics.

Zhang Heng observed everything with clarity, "Old Bu, if you and that girl Yuan Xi are together, you will either become the happiest couple or the most unfortunate one," he said, "Do you know? You two are too alike. When two very similar people come together, they either soar to the heavens or fall into hell. Have you thought this through?"

The holiday passed quickly. After the annual leave, Qingzhuo was sent to the home of Pi Hui, where she was taken care of by her grandmother for a few days. As people age, they are always reluctant to leave their hometown, constantly thinking about the dilapidated state of their home no matter where they go. Just after the Lantern Festival, the old couple insisted on returning to their hometown. Although Qingzhuo was unwilling to leave, she had no choice but to return with Pi Hui's grandparents.

However, in life, there are not so many possibilities; some paths, which seem to have a clear end, suddenly take a turn right before our eyes

and Bu Huaiyu

The second pot of dumplings was boiled into a soup of dough by Bu Huaiyu. Pi Hui was holding a bowl, using chopsticks to pick up a piece of dumpling skin from inside, looking at it from all angles with a face full of disbelief. "Did you two really boil the dumplings into this?" He glanced at Yuan Xi and then at Bu Huaiyu, his eyes darting around with liveliness. "This shouldn't be Yuan Xi's skill, right?"

Hello

Yuan Xichong glared at Pi Hui and said, "Are you going to eat or not? If not, then forget it! You don't even cook for yourself, so what right do you have to be picky?"

Yuan Xi and Bu Huaiyu continue to maintain a relationship that is neither too distant nor too close. When Bu Huaiyu has free time, he will give Yuan Xi a ride to work, and when Yuan Xi is free, she will prepare some nourishing soup for his stomach and take care of some of his daily concerns. The two of them are like friends, yet there is something more than friendship, while still being less than lovers.

Yuan Xi remained silent, calmly wiping the water droplets off the apple with a dry cloth

Bu Huaiyu sank his body into the sofa, took a deep puff of smoke, and through the haze, Zhang Heng's eyes remained bright. "I know," he said, "she is much stronger than Sheng Lan. No matter how much weight is on her shoulders, her spine is always straight." Since the New Year, she has been striving to make herself happy, facing everything with a smile, even if at times that smile is forced. "She is much stronger than Sheng Lan. No matter how much weight is on her shoulders, her spine is always straight." Since the New Year, she has been striving to make herself happy, facing everything with a smile, even if at times that smile is forced.

Bu Huaiyu seemed to sense Yuan Xi's gaze, turning to meet her eyes. He noticed that Yuan Xi quickly averted her gaze, pretending to be nonchalant as she reached out to fiddle with the crystal pendant hanging in front of the car. He smiled gently, the corners of his lips curving slightly with a hint of tenderness.

There were also female colleagues who deliberately spoke in front of Yuan Xi, saying, "What do you mean you don't know each other at all? How can someone be so hypocritical? On the surface, they appear so honest, but who knows what shameful things they are hiding in their hearts!"

Xiao Moting looked at Pi Hui with a doting gaze, smiling without speaking. Zhang Heng led Qing Zhuo to follow behind, teasing them by tapping the edge of the bowl with chopsticks, "Oh—protecting the short—protecting the short, someone is protecting the short—"

Zhang Heng looked at Xiao Moting, smiling with glee at his misfortune

No, the bus stopped again, and more people squeezed in. Yuan Xi had no choice but to flow with the crowd inside, saying, "He has something to do, I took the bus."

In the kitchen, Yuan Xi glanced at Pi Hui, who was puffing her cheeks in anger, and smiled gently. She handed her a piece of cut dragon fruit and then spoke softly: "I know you mean well, Aunt Pi. I also understand that his boat is a luxury yacht, and I see that very clearly. Just because it is good, I do not want to use it as a lifebuoy. If I were to panic and climb aboard right now, I would never know how deep the water is. Perhaps the water isn't that deep; I might just need to stand up to avoid drowning. Only when everyone sees clearly will I know if it is the boat I should board, and he will also know if I am the person he wants to take. Do you understand?"

Yuan Xi seemed to hesitate for a long time before softly uttering the words, "He Shih has returned..."

Perhaps, if this continues, Yuan Xi and Bu Huaiyu could truly come together, as long as they are given a bit more time to understand each other more clearly and to gain a deeper understanding of themselves

He can see her efforts

Pi Hui was feeling frustrated and had nowhere to vent his anger. He turned his head and shouted outside in annoyance: "Don't you have hands? Pour it yourself!"

Bu Huaiyu smiled somewhat bashfully, "I cooked it, but I forgot to stir it, and it all stuck to the bottom of the pot"

There was no sound in the phone, and Yuan Xi was unsure whether Pi Hui was not speaking or if it was due to poor signal in the car

Yes, she would rather struggle desperately in the water than have him pull her onto the boat out of mere sympathy, or because in the mist he mistook her for someone else; that is not love, she is very clear about that. Even without He Shi, she should not give up her right to love or be loved, because she is Yuan Xi, she is the strong Yuan Xi, she is the Yuan Xi who has known since childhood to stand tall with her back straight.

Xiao Moting shouted in the living room, "Xiao Hui, bring me a glass of water!"

Pi Hui was already very content to see Yuan Xi gradually regaining her youthful cheerfulness, and did not inquire about her progress with Bu Huaiyu. She continued to shuttle between Xiao Moting and Yuan Xi, while also needing to return home every now and then to comfort her mother. She was indeed very busy

Yuan Xi curved the corners of her mouth, wanting to give her a comforting smile, but in the end, she could not smile. She turned around and continued to cut the fruit, softly saying: "I would rather lose my head than be saved by him as if I were someone else."

Pi Huai noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat off, and suddenly shouted from the back seat: "Bu Huaiyu, change it, change it, what song is this? It's really unpleasant!"

When Bu Huaiyu heard Zhang Heng say this, his action of lighting a cigarette paused for a moment, and he looked up at Zhang Heng

Pi Hui bit his lower lip and looked at Yuan Xi, as if he were digesting her words. After a long while, he asked again: "What if the water is deep? If you still can't learn to swim, what will you do if you drown?"

That afternoon, Bu Huaiyu went out to visit clients again. When it was time to get off work, Yuan Xi took the bus home. While still on the bus, her phone rang. Yuan Xi struggled to pull her phone out from the crowded people around her and answered it. A somewhat unusual voice came through: "Yuan Xi! Where are you?"

Yuan Xi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, while Bu Huaiyu remained completely unconcerned. He curved the corners of his mouth slightly and cast a casual glance at the crowd before taking a bowl to serve himself some soup

Yuan Xi only heard one sentence, just this one sentence, and it turned Yuan Xi's world upside down

Therefore, Zhang Heng continued, "I cannot allow you to hurt her; she is so strong that it pains me to see her."

Zhang Heng, however, did not smile; he quietly watched Bu Huaiyu until Bu Huaiyu retracted the smile from the corners of his mouth and lit another cigarette for himself.

Yuan Xi silently washed the apple in his hands, seemingly not hearing Pi Hui's words. The water flowed gently from the faucet, touching the apple in the basin, splashing tiny droplets that fell onto the adjacent marble countertop, scattering into intricate water stains

After the New Year, the weather gradually becomes warmer day by day

After finishing their meal, two women entered the kitchen to wash the fruit. Pi Hui nudged Yuan Xi with her elbow and whispered, "Hey, I hope you don't find this annoying, but even a fool can see that he is interested in you."

A colleague in the company saw Yuan Xi getting into Bu Huaiyu's car, and the news of "Yuan Xi climbing into Bu Huaiyu's car" quickly spread throughout the building. In the end, it transformed into the narrative that the scheming Yuan Xi had exerted tremendous effort to finally catch such a golden son-in-law. Male colleagues looked at her with increased curiosity, while female colleagues exhibited more scrutiny and jealousy.

If life has no regrets, no ups and downs, will there ever be a day when you say goodbye? Perhaps a young heart is too tender. I will wait for another minute, maybe the next minute. Seeing the reluctant look in your eyes, I will exchange a hug for your turning away

Yuan Xi simply smiled faintly, neither refuting nor explaining, and continued to carry out his duties in an orderly manner

In the living room, Xiao Moting smiled helplessly: "Did you see that? This is Xiao Hui, and she absolutely cannot be mixed up with her sister. Even if they look the same, I would never mistake one for the other."

Pi Hui laughed dryly twice and then shouted in a strange tone: "What did I say? What did I say? Look, someone is going to defend me!"

The train around 5 o'clock had just arrived, and by the time they exited the station, it was already dark. Yuan Xi and Pi Hui shared a ride back with Huai Yu, while the radio played Xu Yu Teng's "Wait a Minute"

Bu Huaiyu smiled faintly, turned off the radio, and inserted a disc. A soothing piano piece began to play. For some reason, Yuan Xi felt a sense of relief. She turned to look at Bu Huaiyu, as if for the first time noticing that the originally strong lines of his profile softened somewhat under the dim yellow light

Pi Hui was somewhat annoyed with her for always having that attitude of "say whatever you want, I just won't say a word." In a fit of pique, she tossed the half-cut dragon fruit onto the cutting board, turned to Yuan Xi, and lowered her voice to scold her: "Yuan Xi, look at what you have become now, is there even a trace of your former self? Where has the straightforward Yuan Xi gone? What has made you like this? What do you really want? Do you still want to wait for him? On what grounds do you wait? What are you to him? What makes Bu Huaiyu unworthy of you? In terms of character, appearance, or wealth, what does he lack? What kind of person are you still hoping to find?"

Hmm? I am in the car and will be home shortly

The car window isolated him from the outside noise, and Yuan Xi turned his head to gaze at the silent lights on the street, feeling as if something inside him had begun to ache again