Chapter 60
They stopped the car and spoke at the same time, with Yoda letting Zhou Ying speak first.
“I didn’t tell him. I knew what he wanted to say to me, but I also knew how much he had sacrificed for this future of staying. It was my own choice to go back, and I didn’t want to put him in a difficult position because of me. Maybe it’s best for both of us not to bring things up before they even begin.”
At this point, Zhou Ying pretended to be strong and joked, "I always told him he didn't study hard, but after graduation, he's doing much better than me who studies every day. I should have stopped nagging him every day, hahaha."
Yoda could see Zhou Ying's sadness and continued saying what he had been thinking: "I'm sorry, I was actually thinking until just now that it would have been nice if you had stayed."
Yoda felt guilty for her arrogance. She saw Zhou Liu's efforts and watched the two gradually grow closer to each other, but she overlooked the fact that Zhou Ying also had her own independent life in places she couldn't see.
Zhou Ying smiled and shook her head, then leaned over in the passenger seat to hug Yoda and said, "There's nothing I should apologize for. You not only helped me before, but now we're friends. Even if you want me to stay, it's for my own good."
As she spoke, she turned her face to the side, sniffed, and held back her tears: "I'm sorry, I have to go. I don't really like parting at all, so let me leave quietly."
Yoda hugged Zhou Ying tightly. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. She felt a little annoyed at her own slowness, realizing that Zhou Ying's departure would also affect her.
But even his belated reluctance couldn't stop Zhou Ying from leaving, just as Zhou Liu's prior preparations couldn't change her mind.
Zhou Ying got out of the car, looked at Yoda's eyes, which were slightly red just like hers, and forced a smile, saying, "Sister Yoda, believe me. Once I work hard to develop our hometown and make it as developed as this place, people won't have to struggle between staying and leaving anymore."
"Um!"
Yoda looked at the confirmation message and couldn't help but sigh.
"What's wrong? You've been sighing all morning." Shi Xing looked at Yoda, who was propping his head up with his hand, looking sullen.
Just as she had hoped, Zhou Ying left silently after graduation.
Zhou Liu couldn't possibly be unaware, yet he said nothing. His project was simply halted and no longer needed to proceed. Zhou Liu also settled Yoda's design fees in full. However, looking at the string of numbers displayed in the text message, Yoda couldn't help but sigh again.
Shi Xing walked over to Yoda, glanced at the phone screen she was staring at, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? You're not happy about receiving the design fee?"
Yoda tilted his head, leaning on Shi Xing's arm, looking listless: "Zhou Ying is gone, I'm so sad. Perhaps, she was also very sad when she left home to study here, leaving behind her familiar relatives and friends."
Shi Xing patted Yoda's dejected head: "She went back for her dream. Didn't you tell me before that if you have a dream, you should be brave enough to pursue it, and it's okay if you break up?"
Yoda glanced at Shi Xing: "But you're different. Our separation is only temporary. So instead of being together every day, of course you should learn to be independent and strive for your own dreams."
“But with Zhou Ying leaving like this, it will be difficult to see her again.” As she spoke, Yoda looked at the design fee that Zhou Liu had paid. She finally understood why Zhou Ying was so determined to return the money she had given her back then. It wasn’t the money that mattered, but the emotional turmoil it brought. “Although the money is in my account and is just a string of numbers, the thought of what happened behind it makes me feel uncomfortable even just looking at it.”
Shi Xing took the phone and deleted the text message. "Okay, now you can't see it."
Yoda found it amusing: "What kind of method is that?"
Shi Xing looked at Yoda and said, "Besides this, I don't know any other way to make you happy. How about I stay?"
Shi Xing had been back for some time, and they had already notified him to return. Upon hearing this, Yoda, forgetting his previous grief, raised his head and exclaimed, "You dare!"
"This is a project you've poured so much heart and soul into. Now you're abandoning it halfway through, ruining your reputation. Who will dare hire you for design work in the future? Without a good reputation, it will be difficult for you to get projects again."
Yoda kept trying to persuade him: "Besides, I was a little sad just now, but I'll get used to it slowly. If you stay here for me, and then you don't have a job and can only look at me every day, I'll be sad that you can't realize your dreams. And that sadness will only become more and more prominent as time goes by."
After all that, Yoda concluded, "Anyway, you're going." Then, looking up, she saw that Shi Xing had been suppressing a laugh.
"Fine, you lied to me!" Yoda shoved Shi Xing away, huffing and puffing. She'd actually been worried he'd stayed for her sake.
Seeing that Yoda was really unhappy, Shi Xing put his hands on her shoulders and quickly tried to comfort her: "You said that the best support for each other is for both of us to work hard towards our dreams. Besides, our separation is only temporary. Once the project is stable, I'll come back as soon as I have time."
Shi Xing made such a promise, but Yoda couldn't help but worry: "It's better not to come back too often. Sometimes you only have a day or two to rest. If you keep running around, you'll waste most of your time on the road before you can even see him. You might as well get some rest."
Shi Xing looked at Yoda, who had long forgotten his anger, and seriously considered the problem with him, saying, "That makes sense. How about we don't come back?"
"Huh?" Yoda was speechless. There was no need to use that.
Shi Xing tentatively suggested, "How about I rest for at least three days and then come back?"
After calculating, subtracting travel time, if it takes three days, you can rest for two nights when you get back. Yoda nodded: "That's good, you can rest well when you get back and won't be so tired."
She then looked at Shi Xing and said, "But don't try to rush back by working overtime or staying up all night to meet deadlines. If I find out, I won't talk to you even when you come back."
"You can focus on your work once you're there. As for me, I'll stay here and work hard too. By the time you come back, we'll have both accomplished what we needed to do. Wouldn't that be great?"
Shi Xing said with some concern, "Actually, you don't need to schedule yourself too tightly." Since Shi Xing came back, he could see that Yoda's daily work schedule was very tight because he wanted to do every step well, so he was also very mentally and physically exhausted.
Yoda felt that her earlier words about not wanting to part had affected Shixing, so she quickly stood up and, like Shixing, put her hands on his shoulders to boost his morale: "Don't worry about me. The best support we can give each other is to focus on our work."
Shi Xing left again, and Yoda and Xie Yiyi couldn't help but feel a little sad while they were chatting. Although she seemed so indifferent when Shi Xing was around, they had been apart for so long, and even if Shi Xing came back, he wouldn't stay long before leaving again. They didn't know when the project over there would be finished.
Thinking of this, Yoda could only console himself by continuing to work hard to distract himself and live his life well.
Xie Yiyi looked at Yoda, who was reluctant to part with her but was also trying to mentally prepare himself, and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you get married yet? You both can't bear to part with each other, but you're forcing yourselves to learn to let go. Doesn't it hurt?"
Yoda looked at Xie Yiyi, who was lounging lazily on the sofa, and said, "You praised me last time for being wise not to get married."
Xie Yiyi twisted her back and said somewhat shyly, "Times change. When a relationship reaches a certain stage, only marriage can define a deeper future."
"You're being too poetic, I don't understand," Yoda said, looking at Xie Yiyi with feigned innocence.
Xie Yiyi rolled her eyes: "Hmph, marry me or not, it's up to me. Anyway, I see my husband and kids every day now, and the person I can't bear to see isn't me."
"It's not that I'm not getting married, I'm just waiting." After saying that, Yoda seemed a little stunned.
Xie Yiyi asked curiously, "Waiting for what?"
Yoda snapped out of his reverie: "Waiting for the right opportunity?"
Xie Yiyi: "What you're saying is too mysterious, I don't understand." She then mimicked Yoda's expression from earlier.
Now it was Yoda's turn to feel helpless. She only had this vague thought in her mind, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. However, looking at the cushion with the little one's picture on it behind Xie Yiyi, Yoda asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid of dogs anymore?"
Since the conversation ended last time, Li Mi no longer needed to hide it, and the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. Now, Xie Yiyi's family can also see all sorts of little clothes and toys for the dog.
Xie Yiyi: "I'm scared, so the dog is with my parents."
"Huh? What's that over there?" Xie Yiyi's parents had never kept pets before, so Yoda was a little confused.
“They love it so much, they take turns taking it out every day, which exhausts the dog. When Li Mi wants to walk the dog, she doesn’t want to move at all.” Xie Yiyi originally thought that her whole family was afraid of dogs, which was why they had never kept any animals at home.
As a result, only Xie Yiyi was afraid in the whole family, and everyone indulged her.
Because of this, Xie Yiyi felt a little embarrassed and gradually began to try to interact with the little one. Although she was still a little scared, she managed to keep her composure each time they met.
Yoda couldn't help but admire, "Not bad, you've extended your affection to everything related to the house."
Xie Yiyi: "I can't help it, everyone else is so understanding of me, and I want to do something too."
Seeing Xie Yiyi's current success, Youda couldn't help but feel a little envious. Perhaps, he could also take the initiative to talk to Shixing about marriage.
Yoda nodded, since he had already planned to do so anyway.
"Forget it," Yoda shook his head. "It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Let's wait until we both feel it's right before we talk about it."
Squeezing the sudden thought out of his head, Yoda clenched his fist and waved it, deciding to focus on getting the job done first. Keep going, keep working hard, keep designing!
Looking at Yoda, Xie Yiyi clutched her stomach and shrank back. She felt she wasn't afraid of dogs anymore, but rather of Yoda, who seemed to have rabies.
Yoda turned his head and looked at Xie Yiyi's cautious manner, asking curiously, "What are you doing?"
Xie Yiyi stared at Yoda, pushed the water glass towards him, and then withdrew her hand: "Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
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