Chapter 54 A mother who's trying to calculate her own fate...

Yu Kui was unaware of Xie Xingzhi's current situation. If she knew he was skipping meals to work, she would definitely give him a good scolding.

After lunch, Yu Kui arrived at the cake shop as promised. Xu Xi was working on the morning's orders. Hearing from the helper that Yu Kui had arrived, he hurriedly came out of the baking room and said, "The cake will be ready soon. Please sit on the sofa and wait."

"Can I go inside with you to take pictures?" Yu Kui asked.

Xu Xi paused for a moment, then came to his senses and said, "Of course, there's no problem coming in, but you'll have to use a disposable apron and hat."

"OK."

After Yu Kui got dressed, she followed him into the baking room. Inside, all sorts of ingredients were neatly arranged, showing that the owner was very clean. Apart from the areas where they were used, the room was almost spotless.

"Do you want to take pictures of me making cakes?" Xu Xi asked.

“Yes,” Yu Kui said, “I brought a phone with a better camera.”

Yu Kui doesn't have a camera yet and usually shoots with her phone. "Does the cake shop have a video account? I can make a few videos for you and post them online to attract customers."

Xu Xi was surprised that Yu Kui would consider so much for him, and paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, but unfortunately I haven't taken good care of it."

“You’re already a popular online cake shop, of course you need to manage it,” Yu Kui said immediately. “Video marketing can make your business even better. If you have time, you can also try live streaming. Your appearance and demeanor are quite good, which will attract many people to come and check in.”

Xu Xi was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, "You think so highly of me?"

“You’re already a good person.” Yu Kui didn’t catch his implied meaning. She was a very enthusiastic person; otherwise, she wouldn’t have helped so many classmates at school. If she could help Xu Xi in any way she could, she wouldn’t hesitate to share her thoughts.

"Thank you for your suggestion," Xu Xi thought about it carefully for a moment, "I will think about it more in the future."

Upon hearing this, Yu Kui did not say anything more, took videos and photos of Xu Xi making cakes, and then left the bakery.

Xu Xi subconsciously followed her retreating figure, staring at her intently for a few moments before snapping out of his daze, gaining a deeper understanding of what kind of girl she truly was.

After Yu Kui did some simple Photoshop editing on the cake photo, she had Xu Xi post it on his WeChat Moments.

"Thank you for your hard work," Xu Xi said with a smile. "What kind of cake would you like? I'll make it for you right away."

Yu Kui shook her head, "Let's skip it today, I want to go to other places."

Xu Xi was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. "Where do you want to go? Let's see if I know any places."

“The Baihua Temple is two kilometers away,” Yu Kui said. “I plan to go with my family to take a look first, and then go there on the first day of the lunar new year to burn paper money for the Bodhisattva.”

"I haven't been to Baihua Temple in a long time either," Xu Xi said, somewhat tempted. "Unfortunately, I still have a few orders to complete today, so I can't go with you."

"You're not far away, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future,"

Xu Xi nodded and went to the back to get some freshly baked bread for her. "If you don't take it, I won't dare ask you for help again."

Yu Kui thanked her and took the things.

Xu Xi stood by the window and saw Yu Kui run quickly to the much older woman across the street, smiling as she took her arm, her face beaming.

She was as light and agile as a white dove in the sunlight.

At that moment, a popular song was playing in the cake shop: "The white doves of the church will not kiss the crows, only the seagulls can answer the story of the sea..." [Note]

Xu Xi's cake shop closed the day before Lunar New Year's Eve. He specially made a big cake and delivered it to Yu Kui's house to thank her for her previous help. Recently, the cake shop's popularity has indeed increased a lot, and he plans to continue to focus on short videos after the New Year.

"That's good," Yu Kui said with a smile as she accepted the cake, "I'll take more photos for you when I come back next year."

"Okay." Xu Xi looked at her fair face and suddenly asked, "Will you stay in City B to work in the future?"

Yu Kui looked somewhat bewildered. "Why are you asking this?"

"I just feel that once you start working, you'll rarely come back."

Yu Kui thought for a moment and said, "I've thought about my job, but my major requires me to pursue a master's degree, so I can't say for sure what my future plans will be. But I'll come back to see my grandparents whenever I have time."

"Is that so...?" Xu Xi smiled. "That's great."

The two stood at the door and talked for a while before Xu Xi turned and left.

After the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the family of three set off to return home and arrived at their doorstep in the afternoon.

"Can you come out tomorrow? Let's go eat hot pot," Sun Shuya called her. "I've been stuck at home for more than ten days, I'm going to get moldy."

"Noon," Yu Kui said, "I want to sleep in this morning."

"Okay, let's go see a movie this afternoon. I haven't seen any of this year's Lunar New Year films yet."

"good."

The next day, Yu Kui changed her clothes, put on some light makeup, told her mother, and went out.

She was wearing a white down jacket, fluffy gloves, and a hat, looking like a clumsy snow hare slowly walking around the neighborhood.

Qin You and her mother ran into her when they returned from the supermarket.

"Yu Kui!" Qin's mother's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly called out, "When did you get back?"

“Aunt Qin,” Yu Kui greeted politely, and replied, “I came back yesterday.”

"Why didn't you tell us?" Qin's mother stepped forward and took Yu Kui's hand, saying warmly, "Auntie has been wanting to invite you to dinner for a long time, and Qin You happens to be home recently."

Yu Kui then glanced at the boy in the black down jacket behind her. He stood quietly, gazing at her silently with a hint of melancholy in his eyes. He was clearly different from the aloof, proud, and spirited boy she had once remembered.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Qin, my mother is home. Please come upstairs and talk to her if you need anything. I have an appointment with a classmate and I need to go there urgently."

She slowly pulled her hand away from the woman's, nodded slightly to Qin You, and walked towards the entrance of the residential area. Her expression was calm, completely devoid of the intimacy she had shown when she followed Qin You, as if they had become strangers.

Qin's mother was stunned. Looking at Yu Kui's back without turning her head, she was filled with mixed feelings. She had stopped Yu Kui halfway, hoping to see if she and Qin You could reconcile. She did not expect Yu Kui's attitude to be even colder than she had imagined.

"Mom, stop doing these things," Qin You said in a hoarse voice. "We've been on different paths for a long time."

"Nonsense!" Qin's mother glared at her son. "She relied on you so much back then. If you had just apologized to her, she would definitely have forgiven you."

Qin You's face turned bitter upon hearing this. The reason his mother could say such things was because she didn't know how many things he had done to hurt Yu Kui in the past. Yu Kui had been sick several times because of him. Although he had separated from Tao Jiang now, what right did he have to ask Yu Kui to treat him like before?

They can't go back anymore.

"I'll go upstairs to find your Aunt Yu in a bit," Qin's mother said, still unwilling to give up. "She's the kindest person. If the two families have a meal together tomorrow, you and Yu Kui can make up naturally."

Seeing her resolute attitude, Qin You had no choice but to remain silent.

He longed to go back to the past. Just thinking about what Tao Jiang had done made him want to slap himself. Now that he had come to his senses and realized his mistakes, he naturally wanted to be friends with Yu Kui again.

After putting the vegetables back in the refrigerator, Qin's mother hurriedly knocked on the door upstairs and mentioned to Yu's mother that she wanted to eat, "It's perfect since both children are on holiday, we can cook more dishes."

"Doesn't Qin You have any dates?" Yu's mother asked, feigning surprise. "He's almost never home when we eat together before."

Qin's mother looked slightly embarrassed. "What date? He doesn't even have a girlfriend yet."

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Yu smiled apologetically, "It's a pity that my colleagues at work are having a get-together, maybe next time."

Qin's mother was stunned, not expecting Yu's mother to refuse. "What about the day after tomorrow?"

"I don't have time the day after tomorrow either. Yu Kui needs to pack up and go back to school. Let's talk about it next time."

Looking into Yu's smiling eyes, Qin's mother couldn't tell whether she was making excuses or telling the truth.

She sat there listlessly for a while, then had no choice but to go home.

As Yu's mother listened to the song playing on the TV, a cold smile appeared on her lips. Did they really think their Yu Kui was easy to bully? They only thought of Yu Kui after breaking up with their boyfriends. Did this mother and son have no shame?

Previously, Yu's mother sympathized with Qin's mother, feeling that she worked hard, which was based on their long-standing friendship. However, if the mother and son do not understand their own status and continue to plot against Yu Kui, she, as the parent, will not be a pushover.

Putting aside whether the Qin family's conditions can compare with theirs, just look at all the mess Qin You has around him. Does he really think his son is a hot commodity, and that his Yu Kui has to stick to him?

Yu Kui is now studying at a prestigious university, excelling in both character and academics, and her personality is impeccable. Her social circle is vast, and Qin You is no longer within her consideration. Her family can forget about turning their daughter back to what she was before.

Thinking of Qin's mother's matter-of-fact attitude, Yu's mother regretted giving her too many nice looks.

After returning home, Qin's mother began to sigh.

"What's wrong?" Qin You asked. "What did Aunt Yu say? Should we buy more groceries?"

“No need,” Qin’s mother said, looking at her son’s expectant eyes. “They have something to do tomorrow, so they won’t be coming for dinner.”

Upon hearing this, Qin You lowered her eyelashes, concealing the expression in her eyes, and said in a casual tone, "It's okay, anyway, I didn't intend to make up with Yu Kui."

Qin's mother knew her son's disappointment. "Why don't you go and find Yu Kui yourself and clear up any misunderstandings face to face?"

Where is the misunderstanding?

Qin You thought, "Didn't I personally cut off those relationships? What face do I have left to stand in front of Yu Kui?"

After watching the movie, it gradually got dark outside. Yu Kui and Sun Shuya parted ways and took the bus to the entrance of the residential area.

Thinking about the plot of the comedy movie, Yu Kui was in a good mood and couldn't help but call Xie Xingzhi to share: "There's a reason why the movie's box office is so high. You should go see it too."

“Okay,” Xie Xingzhi glanced at Sun Chaoyang, who was eavesdropping beside him, and gestured for him to get lost. “I’ll go with you when you come back.”

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Author's Note: PS: [Note]: The song is "White Dove"