Chapter 337 Three-Three-Seven-Two Combination
337:
Ye Qingxi: "Huh?"
“The main problem is him.” Mu Shaoyan opened the floodgates and began to speak freely, “He said he wanted us to start a business together, but now he’s saying maybe we should just forget about it. I’ve heard all about it. Isn’t it that guy he knew before, the runner-up of the Star Award, who wanted to team up with him? Yes, that guy is so smart, he shares the same goals as him, and his family is in this field. A champion and a runner-up, a powerful alliance, it’s definitely better than with me.”
"But we're supposed to be good friends, right? We agreed on this before, and now he's gone back on his word. What does he take me for? How can he treat a friend like this?!"
Ye Qingxi quickly fanned him with her hand, "Uncle, calm down."
"You said it yourself, you're best friends. How could Brother Duan Yi change his decision for some sudden runner-up position? It definitely isn't because of him. Is there some misunderstanding between you two? Like, does he think you don't want to start a business with him?"
"Of course not."
"During this period, did you two have any arguments or did you notice any changes in his emotions?"
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Upon being asked this question, Mu Shaoyan was instantly reminded of some past events, and he immediately felt guilty.
Seeing that his arrogant anger subsided in an instant, Ye Qingxi knew that there must be something to it.
"What is it?" he asked.
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan's expression kept changing, becoming more and more guilty.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
No, why are you feeling guilty?
"Speak."
"Well..." Mu Shaoyan said somewhat embarrassedly, "I told him before that we should invite Lu Zhao along too."
He explained, "It's not about making him a shareholder, it's just about starting a business with us. But starting a business requires hiring people, and it can't just be the two of us."
“I was thinking that Lu Zhao is also from A University. Although he’s not in our major, Duan Yi and I have both taught him. He actually does quite well. I gave him our exam papers to do, and his grades were all pretty high. So having him would be like having another helper.”
"Besides, we're all friends. Lu Zhao will have to find a job after he graduates from university. His family can't help him much. I was thinking of working at the group and having him come to work there too, but I'm not going to work there now. So instead of having him go to the group, it's better to have him start a business with us."
After he finished speaking, he became even more guilty.
Because he remembered that when Duan Yi had clearly refused, but Duan Yi still didn't give up and tried to get him to agree, he looked at him quietly and said coldly, "If you want to be with him so much, then you can go find him and start a business together."
"That's not what I meant at all."
But Duan Yi said, "It's okay. If you want to be with him, I have no objection."
Seeing that Duan Yi had already said that, he could only shut up and stop talking to him about the topic.
Unexpectedly, a few days later he heard that the Star Award runner-up, who had come to see Duan Yi several times before, had come to see him again, and this time it was about starting a business.
Mu Shaoyan scoffed at the time, thinking the other party was simply delusional.
How could Duan Yi possibly start a business with him? He already invited him a long time ago!
The next day, Duan Yi told him that they should forget about starting a business together.
Mu Shaoyan subconsciously connected the two things and started arguing with him on the spot. After the two parted on bad terms, he went home angrily.
Looking back now, perhaps it was because he mentioned Lu Zhao back then that Duan Yi didn't want to start a business with him.
After all, he had never really liked Lu Zhao.
However, he had tutored Lu Zhao in computer classes before, and he thought his attitude towards Lu Zhao had softened.
Furthermore, this matter concerns Lu Zhao's future. As his friend, Mu Shaoyan naturally wanted to help him, seeing that he and his other friends were doing better and better, so that he could also have a better future.
"Do you think it might be related to Lu Zhao?" he asked Ye Qingxi tentatively.
Ye Qingxi: ...It's him again.
He should have thought of that sooner.
Nine times out of ten, when his uncle and Duan Yi had a disagreement, it was because of Lu Zhao.
When he used to read scripts, he only knew that the road to love was crowded. Now he realizes that the road to friendship is also crowded!
It's very crowded, at least at his uncle's place.
Duan Yi and Lu Zhao couldn't even walk side by side, let alone on the same side. Even if they walked side by side with their uncle, they couldn't get away.
Thanks to Pei Liang, Zhong Yan, Kang Cong, and his friends. I'm grateful that they walked with him harmoniously, instead of making him, like his uncle, face choices every day.
Although he doesn't like making choices, his bias towards Duan Yi, Lu Zhao, and Ye Qingxi has always been very obvious.
"What do you think?" Ye Qingxi asked in return.
"I think so," Mu Shaoyan said, a bit troubled. "Should I go find him and talk to him about it?"
What do you think?
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan stood up. "I'm going back to my school."
"Go, Uncle!" Ye Qingxi cheered him on.
"Yes." Mu Shaoyan nodded firmly.
However, that very evening, Mu Shaoyan returned in a rage once again.
"He still thinks it's better to just let it go." Mu Shaoyan was puzzled. "I clearly said that I wouldn't take Lu Zhao with me anymore, and I also said that I wouldn't let Lu Zhao join our company in the future, but he still doesn't want to."
Mu Shaoyan asked, puzzled, "Why does he hate Lu Zhao so much?"
"If he looked down on students who didn't study and only fought before because they didn't study, he's no longer like that now. He's in the same school as us and even got tutoring from him. He clearly knows how hard he studies now, so why does he still look down on him?"
"If someone goes down the wrong path, can't they just correct it? If he looks down on Lu Zhao so much, why does he tutor him? Why does he befriend me, who has a similar experience to Lu Zhao? Does he really consider me a good friend?"
"Of course." Ye Qingxi had no doubt. "Uncle, you can't think like that, and you definitely can't say that to Brother Duan Yi. He would be so heartbroken if he heard that."
"Back when you were in your senior year of high school, did you forget how diligently he taught you? If you had a question you couldn't answer, he would be online until 2 a.m. to answer your questions. And during winter break, he specially prepared so many practice tests for you, all of which he created himself, one question at a time. Before the college entrance exam, he even gave you practice questions and helped you review the key points. Didn't he take the college entrance exam himself? He spared all his precious time for you. If that's not considered you a good friend, then what is?"
Mu Shaoyan naturally thought so too, so he was even more puzzled, "Then why doesn't he like Lu Zhao?"
"You just said he tutored Brother Lu Zhao? Why is he tutoring Brother Lu Zhao?"
"He said he was helping me," Mu Shaoyan said. "Lu Zhao chose to accept the transfer in order to get into our school, so he was transferred to another major. But he also wanted to study computer science, so I helped him catch up on the material."
"Later, we stopped living together. He noticed that I sometimes came home late, so he said he would tutor Lu Zhao for me so that I could have an easier time. You have no idea how surprised I was when I heard that. I thought he had finally stopped disliking Lu Zhao so much, and I thought that this would help promote their relationship. Besides, he did have more teaching experience and was more suitable to be a teacher than me, so I agreed."
"I didn't expect that he still didn't like Lu Zhao. Then why did he tutor Lu Zhao in the first place?"
Ye Qingxi also found it strange.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with it, so he said, "That's probably because he cares about you, so he wanted to tutor Brother Lu Zhao for you. That just shows that he considers you a good friend."
Mu Shaoyan was exhausted.
"Sometimes I really feel like I don't understand him at all."
Ye Qingxi patted his shoulder and said, "It's normal. You and Grandpa are father and son, and you still argue, let alone good friends."
"It's nothing." Ye Qingxi leaned closer to him. "I'll ask for you."
Mu Shaoyan nodded quickly, reached out and hugged him, resting his head on his shoulder, "Baby, how can I live without you?"
Ye Qingxi: ...Then there's no way to survive.
Without me, you would have been tortured to death in your hospital bed long ago.
Ye Qingxi patted her uncle's head and said, "Don't worry, your baby will give you a happy life."
However, although Ye Qingxi planned to ask Duan Yi, she did not intend to ask Mu Shaoyan.
Otherwise, if Duan Yi is also in a fit of anger and says something unpleasant, wouldn't the conflict between them just get bigger and bigger?
Therefore, Ye Qingxi cautiously called Duan Yi only after returning to her room.
When Duan Yi saw that it was his call, he guessed that it must be related to Mu Shaoyan. He hesitated for two seconds before finally answering.
Ye Qingxi didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Brother Duan Yi, did you and my uncle have a fight?"
"Mm," Duan Yi replied.
Why?
Duan Yi: ...
Duan Yi was silent for a few seconds, then said to him, "It's my fault."
Huh? Ye Qingxi blinked. He actually said that.
"Can you two make up?"
“Of course,” Duan Yi said, “but there are some things we may no longer be able to do together.”
He said apologetically, "Xiao Xi, I'm sorry. I really wanted to start a business with you before, but now, it might not be possible."
Why?
"Because I can't start a business with your uncle, then naturally I can't start one with you either."
"Why?" Ye Qingxi didn't understand.
Duan Yi used "cannot", not "does not want to".
"Why can't you be with my uncle? Why can't you?"
Duan Yi hadn't expected him to be so perceptive.
However, Ye Qingxi has always been different from ordinary children, so it's not surprising that she noticed these details.
He was unsure how to answer.
He couldn't tell Ye Qingxi about his private feelings.
He also couldn't let Ye Qingxi know that it wasn't that he couldn't, but that he dared not.
He dared not let his emotions be constantly controlled by Mu Shaoyan anymore.
Mu Shaoyan agreed, and he was happy.
Mu Shaoyan wanted Lu Zhao to join them, which angered him.
Mu Shaoyan kept trying to persuade Lu Zhao, even though he had clearly refused. He still insisted on Lu Zhao joining him and wanted Lu Zhao to stay by his side.
He was dissatisfied, jealous, resentful, and unwilling to accept defeat.
These were things he didn't originally have, and shouldn't have suddenly arisen because of someone's words, but now, they simply accompanied Mu Shaoyan's words and filled his heart.
What did Mu Shaoyan do wrong?
Lu Zhao was his friend.
He values his friends, cherishes his friendships, and is willing to think of his friends and help them.
He's always been like this.
That's how it is with Lu Zhao.
The same applies to myself.
He enjoyed his friendships with himself, yet he was also bothered by his friendships with others.
This is unfair to Mu Shaoyan.
Mu Shaoyan is not wrong.
He was the one who was wrong.
He shouldn't have developed feelings for him.
What's even more wrong is that she only hopes he will value her.
So he didn't want them to be tied up so tightly anymore.
They should have been untied a long time ago.
That was the idea he had in mind when he moved out.
However, Mu Shaoyan did not stay in the dormitory as he had expected, but moved out with him and lived together.
This is why his concern for him and his resentment towards Lu Zhao not only did not ease, but became even more serious.
Now, Duan Yi has decided to untie the knot once again.
He wanted to create physical distance between himself and Mu Shaoyan, thereby creating psychological distance between them.
Let's just be friends.
The regular kind is fine.
In this way, he won't always feel that he might be different from others in his heart, or that he might be the person he cares about most besides his family, and thus want more and more, make more and more extravagant demands, and ultimately develop unwarranted delusions.
“Good friends shouldn’t get too much involved in money matters, otherwise problems are more likely to arise.” Duan Yi chose a generally accepted viewpoint to reply to Ye Qingxi. “You’re still young and don’t understand these things. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to your uncle and we’ll make up soon.”
real?
Ye Qingxi was very suspicious.
"But we opened a steamed bun shop together before, and nothing happened, right?"
"Precisely because we already have a steamed bun shop, we shouldn't continue to entangle ourselves with money and interests." Duan Yi's tone was gentle, as if he was genuinely worried that starting a business together with his friends would damage their relationship.
Ye Qingxi said, "But Brother Duan Yi, you don't want your good friends to get too involved in money and interests, which would hurt your relationship. But now, you don't want to be with him anymore, and he's already unhappy. Does that mean it's not hurting him?"
Duan Yi remained silent.
He knew, of course, that this would anger Mu Shaoyan.
But what other choice do we have?
They have never been able to defuse the bomb that Lu Zhao planted four years ago.
Mu Shaoyan and his self-deceptive belief were that as long as they avoided talking about it, there would be no bomb.
However, this bomb remained in his heart, ready to explode from time to time.
He couldn't get Mu Shaoyan to stop paying attention to Lu Zhao—and Mu Shaoyan himself might not agree to it either.
Compared to now, Lu Zhao is still looming in his mind. He is even more unwilling and unable to accept that he has spoken up, only to be rejected by Mu Shaoyan.
But this is inevitable.
He knew it very well.
He always knew that.
That's why he never dared to bring it up.
He was afraid.
His fear wasn't as important as he thought.
But perhaps he wasn't as important as he thought.
Therefore, it is necessary and essential for them to keep their distance.
This is good for them both.
Although there may be temporary pain.
However, it's better than Mu Shaoyan being forced to lose a friend, or the two of them becoming complete strangers.
“I will apologize to him,” Duan Yi said gently. “Xiao Xi, I have my own reasons and insistence on this matter. I’m sorry, but this is the only thing I can do.”
His voice was very low.
As Ye Qingxi listened, she sensed that he didn't seem happy either.
In an argument, it's never just one person who gets hurt; both parties involved in the argument inevitably suffer.
Ye Qingxi suddenly lost the strength to say anything more.
Duan Yi was already in a lot of pain; if he continued talking, it would only make him feel worse.
“Alright then,” he said.
"But Brother Duan Yi, although I feel sorry for my uncle, I don't want you to be unhappy either. I don't know what your so-called reasons and insistence are, but if it makes you unhappy and my uncle unhappy, then, can we not insist so much and take another path?"
“You two have known each other since your senior year of high school. You took the college entrance exam together, applied to the same university, chose the same major, and even opened a shop together. You are both very important people to each other. I know very well how much my uncle cares about you, definitely more than he cares about Lu Zhao. I also know that you care about him very much. He is probably the person you care about the most besides your mother.”
"So, I don't want you two to argue. You both clearly care about each other, so there's no need for you to fight. You can tell him your reasons and your insistence. I'm still young, so I might not understand, but my uncle is not young anymore. He cares about you a lot, so he might understand, support you, and help you. That way, you won't have to keep apologizing."
"Brother Duan Yi, I hope you two can always be well and remain best friends forever, like my grandfather and my current grandfather. When we grow old, I hope we can feel happy and at ease when we think of each other."
“You don’t need to apologize to me. You’ve never wronged me in any way. Even now, if it’s better for you if we don’t start a business together, I will still agree and support you. You know I’ve always liked you.”
“But you need to have a serious talk with my uncle, because he likes you a lot too. He was happy that you wanted to start a business with him, but now that you don’t want to, he will naturally be upset. You should explain things to him and let him know why. That way, it will be fair to him.”
As Duan Yi listened, he felt that Duan Yi was truly warm and insightful.
She's not even that old, but she acts like a little adult.
“I know,” he said. “I will have a good talk with him.”
At the very least, give him a reasonable excuse that he can accept.
"So you two will make up, right?"
"Yes, it will," Duan Yi affirmed.
He never intended to sever ties with Mu Shaoyan.
He simply wanted to cut off his delusions and extravagant desires.
Ye Qingxi was relieved.
He hung up the phone, sighed, and sat quietly on the sofa for a while.
It took Ye Qingxi a while to compose herself before she went to Mu Shaoyan's room.
When Mu Shaoyan saw him return, he quickly asked, "How did it go? What did he say?"
He said it was his fault.
“Right?” Mu Shaoyan said, “It was his fault to begin with.”
“But he said he had his own reasons and principles, and he had to do it this way,” Ye Qingxi added.
Mu Shaoyan: ? ? ?
Mu Shaoyan simply couldn't understand, "What are his reasons and why is he insisting on this?!"
"Uncle, I think Brother Duan Yi is also feeling quite sad." Ye Qingxi looked at him.
Upon hearing this, Mu Shaoyan immediately asked with concern, "Really?"
Ye Qingxi nodded, "Although he didn't say it, that's the feeling I got from him."
"But he also said that he would explain things to you and that he would make up with you."
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan always felt it was mysterious.
He said he had to do it this way, that he would explain things to him, and that he would make up with him.
But if they really break up and stop starting a business together, how can they reconcile?
Unless he has some compelling reason, how could he accept it?
How do I get over this hurdle in my heart?
"I should have known better than to mention Lu Zhao," Mu Shaoyan said helplessly.
Ye Qingxi thought so too.
But he also felt that this matter was definitely not just because Mu Shaoyan mentioned Lu Zhao.
If that's all there is to it, then Mu Shaoyan eventually gave up, so there's no reason why Duan Yi still persisted.
There must be some deeper reason.
This is what led Duan Yi to make this decision.
“When you see him again, the two of you can have a proper talk,” he said.
Mu Shaoyan hummed in agreement. "That's all we can do."
Mu Shaoyan still had something on his mind, so after staying at home for a day, he hurriedly returned to the house he and Duan Yi rented.
Ye Qingxi did not see him again for the next week.
He wanted to know if the two of them had made up, and he wanted to call them, but he was afraid that if they hadn't, his call would only bring up his uncle's painful memories.
Oh well, his uncle will be back on Friday anyway, so let's just wait.
Sure enough, Mu Shaoyan returned on Friday.
This time, however, Mu Shaoyan's expression was somewhat strange.
Ye Qingxi asked疑惑地问道, "Did you and Brother Duan Yi have a good talk? Did you make up?"
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan's expression became increasingly complex and subtle.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled, "What's with that expression?"
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan looked at him with a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and disbelief.
"The situation is rather complicated; let me think about it carefully."
Ye Qingxi: "Huh?"
"I'll tell you when I've figured it out."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi just didn't understand. What was there to think about about whether they had made up or not? If they made up, they made up; if they didn't, they didn't. Was there some middle ground?
Ye Qingxi could only nod and let him think about it himself.
On Sunday, Mu Shaoyan took the initiative to find Ye Qingxi.
He looked at Ye Qingxi, his expression still quite complex and subtle, as if he was somewhat embarrassed and hesitant.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
No, what exactly happened between you two?
Your expression right now is really weird, you know?
“Baby, I have a question for you,” Mu Shaoyan said.
Ye Qingxi asked in confusion, "What?"
"Well..." Mu Shaoyan became even more embarrassed and hesitant, "If one day, your brother Duan Yi doesn't want to be your brother anymore, can you accept that?"
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"If he doesn't treat me like a brother, then what do I treat him like?"
Mu Shaoyan's embarrassment intensified rapidly. He looked at Ye Qingxi, feeling somewhat guilty, somewhat embarrassed, and also vaguely eager to try.
"Perhaps... he wants to be your aunt."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi: !!
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