The sounds of congratulations in the office gradually faded as colleagues returned to their workstations, but the gazes cast upon Liu Li still held a complex mix of emotions. She sat at her desk, the business card and the slip of paper with her phone number in her hand seeming to weigh a ton.

She spent the entire afternoon restless. The lines on the blueprints became blurry, and the data seemed to be viewed through frosted glass. Secretary He's words kept echoing in her mind: "Ministry-affiliated Technical Information Research Institute," "Beijing," "promotional value"...

Platform, future prospects, a broader perspective… these words shimmered before her eyes like a captivating halo. Should she leave the Red Star Factory, leave this arduous yet incredibly fulfilling project team, and go to a completely different environment to do more “macro” work? Her mind was a jumbled mess, like a tangled ball of yarn.

The bell rang, and she followed the flow of people out of the office building, but she had no appetite for the cafeteria. The damp, chilly wind of early winter in Jiangnan brushed against her face, making her slightly more alert. Instead of returning to her dormitory, she turned into the small post office belonging to the project team.

She bought stationery and envelopes, then found a corner to sit in against the wall. Under the dim light of the desk lamp, she held her pen, but didn't put it down for a long time.

Write it to Master Wang first.

"Master, greetings. I'm doing well here, the project is progressing smoothly, and the method we developed for processing thin-walled parts has been approved by the project team and even named after me and another colleague..." She wrote about her recent situation, but her pen seemed to falter. Towards the end, she hesitated for a long time before briefly mentioning the invitation from the department, not daring to express too much of her inner turmoil, only asking, "Master, what do you think I should choose? I'm a little unsure."

After finishing her letter to her mentor, she took out another sheet of paper and wrote to her family.

"Dad, Mom, Xiaodong, hello..." It was still a routine of letting her know she was safe and sound, and talking about work. When the topic of a possible transfer came up, she wrote more vaguely, "...there might be an opportunity to learn at another company, a better platform, but it's not decided yet." She knew her parents were honest people and was afraid that being too explicit would only worry them. Finally, she couldn't help but reveal a hint of confusion: "I just don't know what path is more suitable for me. I'd like to hear your thoughts."

After the two letters were written, sealed, stamped, and dropped into the dark green mailbox, they made a soft "clunk" sound.

After doing all this, she didn't feel relieved; instead, she felt even emptier. She knew that her mentor and parents might not be able to give her a standard answer, but she needed to listen to their voices—the voices from the soil she was rooted in and the people closest to her—that might help her clear away the fog before her eyes.

Back in her dorm, her roommates were already asleep. She quietly washed up, lay down on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Moonlight streamed through the thin curtains, casting blurry shadows on the floor.

Going to Beijing meant a wider world, a brighter future, and the potential to influence more factories and businesses. Staying on her original path meant tackling technical challenges that she knew and loved, working alongside machine oil, metal scraps, and her close colleagues.

She rolled over, facing the wall. Images flashed through her mind: Wang Shifu's focused profile as he sharpened the drill bit; Fu Jingchen's earnestness as he helped her translate materials in the library; the nights she, Zhou Wei, and Sun Mei argued heatedly over data, then stayed up all night revising the plan…

An emotion that was hard to let go of quietly spread.

This unexpected opportunity, like a mirror, revealed her deepest longings and true desires. She needed time, an echo from afar, and, most importantly, to listen carefully to the voice of her own heart.