Chapter 69
Shi Xing said slowly, "I may not be able to come back for the time being."
Design competitions require a complete and mature work to be eligible for entry. Shi Xing needs to complete the factory project before the entry deadline.
Yoda paused for a moment, then immediately said, "I'm really busy right now. Once you're done with your work, we can have a proper rest, right?"
Although Yoda tried her best to reassure Shixing that she didn't care at all and that he could focus on his work, she still felt a little sad after hanging up the phone.
However, emotions come quickly and go even faster; after all, Yoda was a very lonely and busy man.
"Great news!" Tang Yun exclaimed excitedly. "You're really popular now!"
Previously, Tang Yun filmed videos of Yoda designing Mo Nan's home, and these videos have been uploaded gradually. Because Mo Nan didn't want to appear on camera, a lot of footage was filmed of Yoda during the renovation process.
Unexpectedly, the video went viral, with many people contacting Yoda Design. Even Tang Yun exclaimed in amazement, "I never imagined that such ordinary and mundane video content would be liked by so many people."
Yoda scratched his head, feeling as if he had been poked.
Forget it, let's cheer up and keep working!
With the backing of projects and referrals from previous clients, the firm now has no shortage of projects.
However, many people specifically requested Yoda to design the projects, and although he was extremely busy with too many projects, Yoda accepted them all. Being trusted by others was a blessing, and being able to accomplish in a year what others did in several years made Yoda feel very fulfilled.
"Why haven't we seen Shixing in so long?" Yoda's mother asked tentatively after finally catching up with Yoda.
While checking the project progress messages sent by Master Liu, Yoda replied, "He's still working on a project out of town and can't get away. What's wrong?" Focused on replying to the messages, Yoda didn't notice the scrutinizing look his mother was giving him.
There was really no other way; Yoda's projects were overflowing with orders, and even Master Liu and the construction team had to rush to finish their work. Everyone's schedule was packed, and any problems had to be solved quickly, otherwise, if there were any delays, the remaining tasks would be even more difficult to complete.
Yoda's mother asked worriedly, "You two didn't have a fight, did you? Are you hiding something from me?"
"How could that be? We're fine, don't worry. I'm leaving now." Yoda found it amusing. She and Shi Xing would never have a fight if they didn't talk about it, and even if they did, they would inexplicably make up before anyone else even noticed.
Yoda's mother wanted to say more, but Yoda had already gone far away. There was nothing she could do; time was running out, so she could only try her best.
Yoda's mother stood there motionless, thinking for a long time before finally unable to resist and dialing the number: "Ah Xing, you..."
"What's wrong?" Master Liu hurriedly called Yoda over early in the morning.
"The wall paint isn't even; there's not enough left, so we need to apply another coat." Master Liu was also anxious. With so many projects lately, each of the workers in his team had to check several areas. He hadn't been paying attention for a moment and had misremembered the timing of the work.
The second coat of paint was applied before the first coat of primer was dry, resulting in a wall surface that is now full of pits and bumps. The firm has standardized construction procedures; this kind of work is unacceptable.
Yoda looked at the current state of the wall and his heart sank.
This was a custom color ordered by the customer, and to achieve the best color effect, they specifically requested that no water be added when painting. Therefore, there simply wasn't enough paint left.
Seeing Yoda's pale face, Master Liu felt guilty: "It's all my fault for not watching. Usually, after we finish painting the first coat of paint, we do other work while waiting, and we come back just in time. We've been too busy lately, so we hired a few new people. They meant well; they volunteered to paint because they saw everyone was too busy."
Yoda shook her head; things had gone wrong, and she was largely to blame. As the designer, she was supposed to be on-site during a crucial phase of the project.
However, because there were too many projects, and Master Liu and his team had done well on their previous projects, Yoda moved on to the next project after making arrangements. Yoda's urgency was also conveyed to the construction team, which is why they made mistakes in their attempt to speed up the process.
As a designer, I failed to supervise the project properly, which disrupted the construction team's normal rhythm. Furthermore, I was unable to control the overall situation, which led to chaos in the entire project.
There's no point in blaming anyone now that things have come to this. Yoda can only take the time to explain the reason for the delay to the customer and then place a follow-up paint order.
The customer was very helpful, with no complaints or blame. The seller was also very helpful, knowing the urgency, and quickly placed an order to fix the problem. Mr. Liu also assured everyone that he would supervise the construction to ensure no further issues arose.
Everything turned out alright, but Yoda looked at his phone, which was constantly bombarding him with messages, and felt terrible.
We need to communicate with the new client.
The construction project needs to be supervised.
The completed project needs to be handed over to the property owner.
Yoda had so much to do, but he couldn't muster the energy. His forehead rested on his desk; he felt so tired, so overwhelmed with work that he was dizzy.
Yoda suddenly remembered the time he had spent in a deep sleep, lying on his sickbed, letting time slip by. What a waste.
"Sister Yoda, what's wrong?" Liu Si came over worriedly when she saw that Yoda was still there after work and didn't respond when she entered the office.
Yoda snapped out of his reverie and looked up at Liu Si. He tried to smile, but his vision blurred; Liu Si's face was obscured by clusters of transparent dots, and he could only discern her anxiety from her tone and gestures. Yoda tried to see more clearly, but the next second, his vision spun like a kaleidoscope.
Feeling a slight itch on his hand, Yoda slowly woke up from his sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw Shi Xing beside him: "What happened to me?"
"Acute gastroenteritis." Shi Xing helped Yoda up so she could sit comfortably.
Because he had been feeling unwell, his memories were fragmented. Yoda looked out the window; it was dawn. "Oh no, my mom doesn't know yet."
Shi Xing comforted Yoda, saying, "Auntie, I've already told her." Only when Shi Xing was there did Yoda's mother feel relieved. She hadn't come because she wanted the two of them to spend more time together.
Yoda then remembered to ask, "Why are you back? Is the project finished?"
Shi Xing nodded.
Yoda, worried about Shi Xing, immediately pressed, "What about the design competition?"
Shi Xing pressed down on Yoda, whose back was dangling in the air due to his anxiety: "Don't worry about me. Look at who's more of a worry right now?"
Seeing Yoda's stiff neck, Shi Xing said helplessly, "You've already registered, and it went very smoothly. Can you finally get some rest?"
Yoda smiled sheepishly; she was just worried that Shi Xing's psychological trauma hadn't faded. She didn't want to see him affected again: "I'm just afraid of you, like before, of you impulsively running back for my sake."
Shi Xing didn't speak, which puzzled Yoda, who looked up at him. Shi Xing's expression was calm as he quietly looked at Yoda: "My concern for you stems from your own heart, not from not having moved on from what happened in the past."
“But you weren’t like this before!” Yoda blurted out, which was also her truest thought.
She wanted to work hard to make up for the time she had lost during her years of slumber, and she also wanted to restore Shi Xing to the state he was before he was injured. Holding onto the belief that everything could be restored with effort, Yoda immersed herself in her work.
It was as if as long as he could catch up with his peers' grades, he could prove that the seven years he had wasted in the past did not exist. It would also make Shi Xing believe that he had returned to normal, and thus he could go back to being the person he used to be.
However, Yoda was somewhat discouraged. He still had a lot of things to do, and he had wasted another day lying in the hospital.
Before Yoda could rouse herself and struggle to get up to continue working, Shi Xing's calm voice rang out: "That's because I hadn't experienced the pain of losing you before. You need to get used to who I am now, even if it's because of the pain that has changed me, it's still the real me. Don't try to correct the present with memories of the past, okay?"
"Is it because I'm sick that you're reminded of your bad experience in the hospital?" Seeing Shi Xing's serious expression and the worry in his eyes, Youda subconsciously felt it was his fault, so he smiled and said to Shi Xing, "I'm sorry, I wanted to do a good job so you could be completely at ease, but I didn't expect to fall ill first. However, it's just a minor ailment, I'll be fine soon."
Shi Xing, however, did not relax upon seeing Yoda's smile as he usually did. Instead, he looked at Yoda and couldn't help but sigh. No longer avoiding the issue between the two, Shi Xing spoke up: "Actually, I've long noticed that your designs are constantly pursuing tight fit and perfection, leaving no room for yourself. In fact, sometimes in life, we also need some blank space and redundancy."
“You think what happened before made me worry about you too much. Even now, I have to admit that it is true. Because of what happened in the past, I do have a lot of concerns about you. Sometimes I am always worried that you will be in danger when I can't see you, and that I won't be able to make it in time. So I don't want to leave your side.”
Yoda stopped smiling and quietly watched Shi Xing.
In truth, both of them understood each other's thoughts. Because they were so familiar with each other, they could detect even the slightest changes in one another, but because they cared so much, neither of them could bring themselves to say it aloud.
It was a kind of tacit understanding; both of them chose to change each other through companionship rather than words. But today, as Shi Xing looked at Yoda, although Yoda had been asleep while he was awake, he had only now figured out his true feelings about their relationship.
“I noticed your worries about me before, and I wanted to reassure you. But now I have to be honest, no matter what, I will not change my approach. Just like you are making up for the years you were asleep by working hard. You are just as strict with yourself as I am.”
Yoda remained silent, knowing that Shi Xing was right. Since waking up, everyone felt relieved, but Yoda felt a sense of unease. Although she acted as optimistic and energetic as before, she knew she was different.
The seven years of slumber were the most important seven years of his life. Yoda didn't want his family and friends to worry, but he himself was constantly anxious about the time that had passed.
So after she regained consciousness, she worked incredibly hard, whether it was studying or working, just trying to make up for the time she had wasted in another way.
Looking into Shi Xing's open and honest eyes, Yoda suddenly realized something. He had been too engrossed in the pursuit, failing to realize that he was actually draining himself in the process.
Yoda finally understood that because of the past accident, not only Shixing was hurt, but she herself was too. However, Yoda concealed her wounds with an optimistic exterior, and even she herself forgot about them.
Shi Xing looked into Yoda's eyes and saw that she had truly relaxed before a smile appeared in his eyes.
Yoda realized that he wasn't the only one waiting for Shi Xing to recover; Shi Xing was waiting for him too: "I'm sorry, I..."
"Shhh."
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