Chapter 13

"Mom, haven't you realized? A genius is about to emerge in our family!"

Yoda's mother looked at her daughter, who was whispering mysteriously to her, and asked, "You?"

Yoda, taken aback by that look, thought, "Who do you think you are?" In his excitement, he forgot his prepared remarks and blurted out, "No way?"

Yoda's mother shrugged. "It's not that it's impossible. It's just that geniuses don't all show their talent at a young age. You're almost thirty, and I haven't seen any talent in you."

Yoda stuck out his tongue: "Does sleeping for an exceptionally long time count?"

Yoda's mother quickly patted Yoda on the shoulder: "Nonsense, don't say unlucky things. Spit it out right now."

As a child, Yoda was outspoken and overly lively, saying both good and bad things without any restraint. He was constantly lectured by adults forbidding him from saying unlucky things, fearing that the good would not come true but the bad would. If he accidentally said something bad, he had to quickly spit it out and stomp his feet three times.

The "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey" sound had become a conditioned reflex. Yoda spat hard at the ground a few times and even stomped his feet three times seriously.

Only then did Yoda's mother feel relieved, a doting smile on her face. "Don't talk nonsense. The bad luck will pass quickly. Why did you bring it up again?"

"You, just say what you want to say. Why are you still like a child, always talking for ages before finally blurting it out? You're thirty years old now!" Yoda's mother said anxiously, remembering how Yoda used to cling to her legs and dawdle for ages when she was little, only saying it when she had to coax her.

Yoda gets a headache just thinking about thirty. When she was twenty, she always felt young, and could still whine and act spoiled with her parents. Back then, seeing thirty-year-olds seemed like a completely different world. She never imagined she'd wake up to such an age she never dared to dream of. Tears well up. She protests, "I'm not thirty! I'm only twenty-seven!"

Yoda's mother teased her on purpose, counting on her fingers: "Your birthday is coming soon. After your birthday, you'll be exactly twenty-eight, or twenty-nine in the traditional Chinese way of counting age. You'll be thirty in no time."

Yoda quickly grabbed her mother's hand, "Stop calculating, stop calculating, if we keep calculating we'll be almost a hundred years old."

Yoda's mother: "Hurry up and tell me what it is, I'm almost a hundred years old."

Yoda became honest: "Yoo Li is very smart and wants to skip a grade. But he's always worried that his school dismissal time is different from Yoo Ming's, and he's afraid that you'll be too tired."

Yoda's mother exclaimed in surprise, "Really? It's all my fault. I didn't even notice what he was thinking. This child is so sensible. It's all because I care about him so much that he doesn't dare to say anything."

My child is so naughty and troublesome, yet so sensible. As a parent, I feel guilty. It's because of my shortcomings that my child matures.

Yoda sighed as she looked at her mother's disappointed expression. "You've all done so well. It's all because of me that the younger brothers are forced to be so sensible."

Yoda felt even more guilty when comparing his childhood with his brothers' present. Because of him, the entire family's life trajectory had to be changed. His parents' hard work and his brothers' precociousness made Yoda feel sorry for his family.

Yoda looked guilty, and her mother comforted her, "How can I blame you? Yoli wants to skip a grade, so I'll contact the teacher. If it's possible, he can go to a higher grade."

Yoda nodded. "I've already made arrangements for this momentous occasion."

Yoda's mother was still a little confused: "Celebrating what?"

"Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da!" Yoda took out the travel itinerary he had prepared for the whole family. For convenience, he had printed out all the travel guides and bound them into a booklet, arranging all the food, drinks and entertainment.

Yoda's mother flipped through the stack of notes; it was thick, with each step categorized on sticky notes. It was clear she'd done a lot of preparation. They still had a long time before they left. "Why did you suddenly think of this, especially with so much time to spare?"

Yoda: "Ever since my accident—oh, pshaw! Ever since my brothers were born—I haven't been on a trip. When I was little, I could travel everywhere. It can't be that with improved transportation, I'm stuck at home."

Yoda's mother explained, "That's because they were still young. You were an only child back then, and your father and I were young, so taking you out to play was a breeze."

Yoda: Hugging her mother's waist. "They're both grown up now, and I booked a tour specifically for the whole family. It'll be relaxing from start to finish, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Yoda's mother was intrigued and carefully flipped through the pages. "Huh? Where's yours?"

Because Yoda never intended to go along in the first place.

Although she was awake, she wasn't as energetic as before. Besides, if she went too, her parents' attention would be focused on her, which would go against Yoda's original intention of letting them have a good time.

Of course, the most important thing is that we ran out of money. All the money in the piggy bank was only enough for the four of us. Luckily, the younger brothers were too small, so we only took half the amount, which was just enough.

The last few coins left were used to make ice cream.

However, Yoda knew that if she gave these reasons, her parents would definitely not want her to stay. Yoda had already thought of an excuse: "I have to start my internship. Besides, I've already gone out with my parents many times. This time, I want my younger brother to experience having parents who are 100% his."

Yoda's mother patted Yoda's shoulder. She wanted to pat his head, but then she remembered that her child was old enough to do that. She felt like she was back in the carefree days before Yoda fell into a deep sleep, when her daughter was always her sweet little angel, thoughtfully considering the needs of the family.

The memory of their daughter's tenderness had caused their parents, who were teetering on the brink of losing her, even more heartache. But now, Yoda's mother couldn't help but shed tears. Their beloved daughter had indeed returned safely.

That's great.

"What is this?" Xie Yiyi picked up a graduation gown.

"One for each of you. Put them on!" Yoda happily handed out the rented graduation gowns to the others. Compared to the smiling young people around him, Yoda's group looked a bit odd.

A cool-headed, career-oriented man – Shi Xing

A mature and sophisticated woman—Xie Yiyi

A slightly overweight, middle-aged man—Xie Yiyi's husband. Since they were all alumni, he was also brought in to act as an NPC who traveled back in time, coinciding with Yoda's graduation.

And a baby wearing a mini graduation gown.

Xie Yiyi looked at the baby wearing a small-sized graduation gown and asked, "Who did you borrow this from? How come you even have a child's gown?"

Yoda chuckled smugly, "You don't understand, do you? You can rent them now."

Xie Yiyi raised an eyebrow. "Who told me to have graduated seven years ago, while someone else is just graduating?"

Yoda laughed and said, "No matter what, you're all going to graduate again today."

Xie Yiyi teased him verbally, but her actions matched his words. Shi Xing remained silent, but his close following was the best support he could offer.

As for the other two, Xie Yiyi's husband and baby were fiddling with each other's hat tassels. One was captivated by the baby's cuteness, and the other was drawn to the father's longer hat tassel; they were already engrossed in this cosplay, needing no further explanation.

Xie Yiyi looked at the extra item. "Are you still waiting for her?"

Yoda nodded.

Xie Yiyi pouted. Not long ago, she had accidentally discovered that the editor-in-chief of a publishing house was named Ying Jing. Through friends in the industry, she managed to contact him, but only managed to reach his assistant. Although she asked her assistant to tell her that Yoda was graduating today, no one knew if he would actually come.

Xie Yiyi was a little annoyed. She should have just blocked her instead of deleting her. Now it felt like she was begging her to come. And she even had to use an assistant. Humph.

Judging from the clothes Yoda specially prepared, I know she hopes to appear on occasion, just like the promise everyone made back then: to graduate together, work together, and grow old together.

Despite feeling resentful, she still comforted him, saying, "She's busy with work right now, and there must be many people she wants to see. Her assistant might not be able to notify her in time. It's normal if she can't come. I'll ask my friends if they have a direct contact method. We can come back and reshoot if we get in touch."

Yoda nodded, hoping she would come, but also prepared for the possibility that she might not be able to.

"Honey, let's take a picture first." Xie Yiyi's husband saw the lakeside where the two of them used to go when they were dating and couldn't resist taking a picture with their baby. He quickly called out to them.

Shi Xing was also dragged over to act as the photographer. Yoda had no worries about Shi Xing's photography skills; she was sure he could satisfy the family of three.

Yoda stared blankly at the only graduation gown left in her bag. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out. "This is mine, isn't it?"

Yoda looked up and saw a short-haired, capable-looking girl half-squatting in front of him. She took off her sunglasses, revealing a familiar face.

Ying Jing's expression was indifferent, her hands supporting her body resting on her clothes, trembling slightly. Her current image was vastly different from before: simple and neat clothing, short, sharp hair, thin and slender arms, and sharp facial features—none of these traits were associated with friendliness or approachability.

She knew that people who disliked her said behind her back that she couldn't distinguish between men and women, but Ying Jing didn't care about other people's opinions at all.

But, if Yingjing cares about Yoda, is she also so repulsive in her eyes that no one dares to approach her anymore?

"That's so cool!"

Yoda looked at Ying Jing. She used to have long hair and a gentle, quiet demeanor. But now, her appearance seemed to better reflect Ying Jing's inner self—brave and fearless.

Yingjing looked at Yoda and thought, "Yes, even though everyone else has changed, she is still the same as before—enthusiastic and positive."

Such liveliness used to warm Yingjing's heart, but now, Yingjing subconsciously avoided Yoda's surprised eyes.

Yingjing glanced at the young people laughing and joking in the distance. If nothing unexpected had happened, they would have done the same back then. After their last lively gathering, they each went their separate ways, full of hope, towards their futures.

"After graduation, I went to another city. My work went smoothly and successfully. I met many people and did a lot of things. I went to many places and saw many beautiful sights."

"I can't blame myself for what happened back then; I never expected these things to happen."