Chapter 37
Rewind to two months ago, in the sweltering heat of July. The intense heat wove a dense net, enveloping this northern city. The afternoon sun was blindingly white, and the asphalt roads emitted distorted waves of heat, making the whole world look like an overexposed frame of old film.
Li Muxue, on summer vacation, carefully avoided the black grease stains on the auto repair shop floor, carrying an aluminum lunchbox. The air was thick with the smell of engine oil, gasoline, and rust, almost tangible. She wore a simple white dress, the cotton fabric soaked with sweat, clinging to her thin back, like a gardenia that had strayed into an industrial jungle, completely out of place in this rough environment.
"Dad, dinner's ready." She walked to an old Santana that had been lifted up by a jack and called out softly.
Li Junsheng slid out from under the car, covered in oil and sweat, which etched deep lines on his dark face. Seeing his daughter, a complex, almost imperceptible emotion flashed in his eyes—a mixture of relief and deeper worry. He took the lunchbox, his tone reproachful: "In this blazing sun, I told you not to come."
Just then, a brand-new silver Honda motorcycle roared into the factory area and came to a stop a short distance away with a sharp brake. The young man who dismounted took off his helmet, revealing a clean-cut and handsome face. He was wearing a neat and crisp light blue polo shirt, standing out starkly from the other workers around him.
His gaze was immediately drawn to Li Muxue. Her elegant and slightly scholarly appearance stood out so strikingly in the auto repair shop filled with the smell of engine oil. He smiled and nodded in greeting, and Li Muxue subconsciously returned a polite but distant smile before quickly lowering her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt.
This subtle interaction was noticed by Li Junsheng without missing a beat. A thought quickly took root in his mind. He greeted them warmly, "Haoyu, you've come at the right time. Let me formally introduce you. This is my precious daughter, Li Muxue. She's a sophomore studying French at the School of Foreign Languages. Muxue, this is Shen Haoyu. He graduated from the University of Finance and Economics. This auto repair shop is owned by his father, and if nothing unexpected happens, he'll inherit it. He's two years older than you, so you can call him Brother Yu. Haoyu, have you eaten yet? If not, why don't you try Muxue's cooking? Her mother is busy with work and doesn't usually have time to cook. If Muxue hadn't come home for summer vacation, I wouldn't have been able to eat the dumplings she made herself—celery and pork dumplings..."
The hint of matchmaking in Li Junsheng's tone made Li Muxue's ears burn.
She stood there awkwardly, the pleasantries between her father and Shen Haoyu seeming to pass through a thick pane of glass, blurry and indistinct. Her thoughts, however, drifted elsewhere, to someone she wanted to love but dared not—Xu Chen.
Her father's vehement opposition still echoed in her ears: "Even if I die, I will not allow you to associate with Xu Zhenguo's son! Haven't they harmed me enough? Have you forgotten how I spent those six years in prison?!"
That heavy burden of grudges and resentments stood like an invisible wall between her and Xu Chen.
The young man before her, Shen Haoyu, represented a different, clearly visible, stable, and smooth future. He came from a wealthy family, had a bright future, and his smile was free of gloom. His father clearly strongly advocated for this, perhaps seeing it as the simplest way to put his parents at ease and restore peace to the family. For a moment, she was almost tempted by this "simplicity."
But a voice inside her was resisting. Xu Chen's weary yet stubborn gaze, the naive yet sincere vows they had made under the starry sky—these were like thorns hidden deep within her heart, sharpening with the slightest touch. This pain reminded her that feelings were not a path she could easily switch to.
"Xiaoxue, what are you standing there for? Go get Haoyu a bottle of chilled soda." Her father's voice pulled her back to reality.
Li Muxue responded and turned to walk towards the freezer in the corner. Her steps were somewhat slow, as if she were walking on cotton. She could feel two gazes behind her: one was her father's earnest gaze, heavy with expectation; the other was Shen Haoyu's appreciative and interested gaze. These two gazes intertwined and collided with the look in Xu Chen's eyes that she remembered, trapping her in the center of the vortex of midsummer.
She took out a bottle of soda, and the cool water droplets slid down the bottle, dripping onto her wrist and sending a shiver down her spine. But the chill couldn't extinguish the turmoil and restlessness in her heart.
This summer, the smell of engine oil, the expectation in her father's eyes, and Shen Haoyu's innocent smile all combined to form a heavy crossroads. She stood there, torn between advancing and retreating, each path ahead shrouded in an unknown fog, and her youthful choices were already tainted with worldly helplessness and weighing the pros and cons…
(To be continued)
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