Chapter 65 I believe you wouldn't let me eat here...
“Compared to all that, I am more grateful for everything you have done for me,” Yu Kui said in a very soft voice, “but I’m really sorry that I can’t reciprocate your kindness.”
“It’s not your fault,” the two equally gentle people said, their eyes reddening as they faced each other. Xu Xi tried to smile. “It’s because I didn’t do a good enough job. I hope my presence didn’t bother you.”
“You’re not a problem,” Yu Kui shook her head. “You’ve brought me a lot of joy.”
"So, will we still be friends?" Xu Xi asked, his gaze fixed intently on her.
Yu Kui nodded slightly, "Of course." But they were just friends.
“Okay, I respect your choice.” Xu Xi took a step back. As the sun set, his shadow grew long. “I hope you meet someone who truly moves your heart soon.”
"Thank you." Yu Kui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's stop here then."
“I’ll take you back,” Xu Xi said immediately.
“No need,” Yu Kui said, feeling the breeze passing by her side. “I’ve already taken up a lot of your time, so I won’t take up any more of yours.”
She waved her hand, giving Xu Xi no chance to react, and quickly crossed the road and squeezed into the crowd.
"Yu Kui!" Xu Xi called her name subconsciously. The girl turned her head slightly, and he waved his hand, "I wish you happiness."
At this moment, his eyes and brows were tinged with the colors of the setting sun, shining brightly amidst the bustling traffic.
Yu Kui waved her hand, silently wishing you happiness and that you would find someone who truly resonates with you.
On the way back, Yu Kui did not take a car, but walked back slowly, enjoying the lingering glow of dusk.
She felt a sense of relief mixed with an indescribable melancholy. She didn't know if Xu Xi would stay in City B, or if he would regret coming to find her, but she truly couldn't go against her own will; she only hoped that everything would go well for him.
By the time I reached the entrance of the residential area, it was already dark, and the streetlights stood silently.
As soon as Yu Kui passed through the gate, she saw a boy leaning against a car smoking. His eyes were downcast, and the smoke swirled slowly in the air, making him look somewhat lonely.
"Xie Xingzhi?" She took a few steps forward.
The boy slowly raised his head, and the moment he saw her, he immediately tried to put out his cigarette, but in his haste, he almost set his own clothes on fire.
"What are you doing?" Yu Kui walked up to him and noticed that he looked exhausted and sleep-deprived.
"I..." Xie Xingzhi threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, pretending to be calm as he said, "I came to see you."
Yu Kui frowned. "No littering allowed."
"But there's no ashtray, is there?" Xie Xingzhi opened the car door, took out two pieces of paper, wrapped up the cigarette butt on the ground, and threw it into the trash can.
Looking at his tall figure, Yu Kui noticed that he had lost a lot of weight and frowned, saying, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I came here on short notice," Xie Xingzhi turned around, "You came back so late today, did you go out on a date with Xu Xi?"
“Yes,” Yu Kui said, “He wanted to confirm our relationship, so we went out for hot pot.”
Xie Xingzhi paused, as if even his breath had caught in his throat. "So...did you agree to his request?"
Yu Kui didn't answer, but just looked at him quietly, as if trying to see something in his eyes. Xie Xingzhi raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "As a good friend, shouldn't I give you my opinion?"
“I’m not with him,” Yu Kui said slowly. “I’ve made things clear with him.”
Xie Xingzhi stood there stunned, seemingly not expecting this outcome. Just moments before, she had so confidently declared that she would date Xu Xi.
"Why?" Xie Xingzhi turned his head away and whispered, "Don't you have feelings for him?"
"It's a friend's affection, not romantic love."
Yu Kui said in a low voice, "I tried to turn this feeling into love before, but I couldn't."
"I like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like." No matter what, she always faced her heart honestly: "I don't like him."
Her tone was calm and firm, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
Xie Xingzhi let out a breath, not letting her see his fist clench and unclench. He smiled calmly, "He came all the way to B City for you. You won't regret rejecting him?"
"Regret what?" Yu Kui rolled her eyes at him. "This is the answer I've given after careful consideration."
"That's good," Xie Xingzhi's eyes gradually lost their gloom, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "I was just afraid that you weren't thinking clearly and were being deceived by an old man."
Yu Kui: "..."
“Don’t say that about him,” Yu Kui couldn’t help but say, “He’s a very good person, it’s just that we weren’t meant to be.”
"Will you still go see him in the future?" Xie Xingzhi looked into her eyes. "Like before, even when I came to see you, you still went out to date him..."
Yu Kui was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I probably won't see him again."
Xie Xingzhi's eyes flickered slightly. "Really?"
Instead of answering, Yu Kui asked, "What brings you here?"
"Of course I have important business to attend to." Xie Xingzhi snorted lightly, "You came back happy and full, but I'm still hungry."
Looking at his pale and thin face, Yu Kui frowned and said, "How come you've lost so much weight? Have you been eating lately?"
"I have no appetite," Xie Xingzhi said listlessly. "The thought that you're about to find a partner while I'm still single makes me feel nauseous."
Yu Kui was a little speechless. "If you want to find a partner, that's easy. There are plenty of girls at school lining up to add you on WeChat."
“What’s the point of that?” Xie Xingzhi said, “You have to find someone you like and have mutual feelings for each other when you’re in a relationship.”
"Have you ever liked anyone?" Yu Kui asked casually.
When she first entered university, Xie Xingzhi told her that he would get married after graduation, looking forward to married life. But graduation was approaching and he hadn't made any move.
"Want to pry into my love life?" Xie Xingzhi raised his eyes and said mysteriously, "I won't tell you."
Yu Kui, however, was quite certain: "Then it exists."
Why do you say that?
Yu Kui looked at him, "If not, why do you want to get married?"
Xie Xingzhi's family situation is very complicated. Logically, he should be afraid of marriage like in the story, but he says he wants to get married. Unless he meets someone who can resist all his negative emotions and even bring him a sense of happiness, he can't say such a thing.
Xie Xingzhi remained calm: "Can't I even think about it?"
"Boring." Yu Kui turned and walked towards the entrance of the residential area. "Come on, I'll take you to eat pea and minced meat noodles."
Xie Xingzhi followed behind her, saying, "I want to eat hot pot."
"Why do you want hot pot?" Yu Kui rejected the idea without hesitation. "Do you want me to just watch you eat?"
"Is that not allowed?" Xie Xingzhi asked rhetorically.
“No way,” Yu Kui rejected without hesitation, “I feel guilty whenever I see hot pot now.”
Xie Xingzhi: "..."
In the end, the two went to the noodle shop. Yu Kui sat opposite Xie Xingzhi and asked him how the food was and whether it suited his taste.
"Not bad," Xie Xingzhi said with a smile, "It's the most enjoyable meal I've had this year."
Yu Kui: "If you don't eat properly, you'll become so skinny you'll look emaciated. How will you ever be the school heartthrob again?"
"Really?" Xie Xingzhi used his phone as a mirror to look at himself. "Don't I look pretty handsome?"
"You should eat properly," Yu Kui said, not wanting him to get sick because of his loss of appetite. "You already have a lot of pressure from work and studies." As she spoke, she added a few more toppings for him.
Xie Xingzhi didn't refuse and finished all the food.
It was already quite late.
Yu Kui asked him, "What important business do you have today?"
"Let's talk in the car."
The two left the noodle shop and walked back to the residential area. Xie Xingzhi took a briefcase out of the car, and Yu Kui looked at him with confusion.
Under the streetlights, Xie Xingzhi took out a bank card and a contract with black and white text.
“This is the New Year’s money you gave me back then,” he said, looking down at Yu Kui. “My career is starting to take off now, so I wanted to return it to you first.”
Yu Kui paused for a moment, then said instead of immediately taking the bank card, "You'll need money for many things in the future, so there's no need to rush to give it to me."
“This is the second thing I want to tell you,” Xie Xingzhi said, pulling her into the car and looking at her intently. “I’ve started a game company and would like to invite you to be a shareholder.”
Yu Kui blinked, somewhat confused about what he meant.
Xie Xingzhi said, "I used to develop small games, and I had to rely on Lu Cheng's company for distribution. In the past few years, I've made some money, and I want to start my own company to create more sophisticated and complete games..."
Yu Kui suddenly realized, "So you and Lu Cheng are just business partners?"
“He’s also a friend,” Xie Xingzhi explained. “When I start a company, he will also invest in it.”
"Then why are you giving me shares?" Yu Kui came to her senses. "I can't help you with anything."
"Isn't that helping me?" Xie Xingzhi looked at her. "If it weren't for your New Year's money, I wouldn't even have the start-up capital. You are my great benefactor."
He showed the contract to Yu Kui, saying, "You're a law student, so I don't need to explain the contents to you in detail."
Yu Kui refused without hesitation, saying, "I can't accept it."
She explained, "I gave you New Year's money hoping you could have an easier time. Now that your career is improving, that's a good thing. I'll just take my own New Year's money back."
She took the bank card, genuinely happy for Xie Xingzhi. The stronger he became, the less his parents could control him. The plot of the novel would also change accordingly.
“This is the interest I’m giving you,” Xie Xingzhi insisted. “You must accept it, otherwise I won’t be able to find a suitable reason to borrow money from you again in the future.”
"but--"
“No buts,” Xie Xingzhi interrupted her. “The company has just been established, and we don’t know how it will develop in the future. You don’t need to care too much about these shares. Maybe it won’t succeed in the end…”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Yu Kui said immediately, “You will definitely succeed.”
Xie Xingzhi chuckled, "Then you should sign the contract even more."
Yu Kui felt incredibly conflicted upon hearing this.
Although Xie Xingzhi spoke casually, since he planned to start a company, he must have been absolutely confident.
How could she possibly take such a big advantage of him?
“I really can’t accept this,” Yu Kui refused again. “If you want to thank me, take good care of yourself and don’t forget to eat again.”
Xie Xingzhi lowered his eyelashes, not letting her see the expression in his eyes, "Why?"
“You are my friend,” Yu Kui hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “I can’t let you suffer in this.”
She put the bank card away, saying, "When the company grows bigger in the future, you can treat me to a meal, and I will definitely be happy to accept."
Xie Xingzhi stared at the contract in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.
Yu Kui smiled and said, "You will definitely succeed in the future, I believe in you."
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