Chapter 21
The atmosphere at the end of a semester at university is always particularly tense. The library is packed, and the air is thick with the aroma of strong tea and anxiety. For Ling Peng, the chill of this semester's end arrived earlier.
The project he had high hopes for encountered unexpected difficulties during the patent application process. The examiner uncovered a key prior art document whose core ideas overlapped significantly with his design. Although Ling Peng and his advisor vigorously defended their improvements and innovations, the patent application was ultimately rejected.
To make matters worse, because of this "flaw," an emerging tech company that had expressed strong interest in their project, even hinting at internships and ongoing R&D support, politely withdrew its offer. It felt as if all the hard work and anticipation they had invested in the early stages had been drained of its value in an instant, leaving only a cold official document and an "apology."
In the lab, the instructor patted him on the shoulder, his tone lamenting, "Ling Peng, don't lose heart. This is how scientific research works. If you can succeed once or twice out of ten attempts, you're lucky. Put this area aside for now and focus on the final exam."
Ling Peng nodded, his face expressionless, though his jawline was slightly tense. He was used to smooth sailing on the court and in his studies; this kind of complete defeat after giving his all was a new experience, and it was a bitter taste that was hard to swallow.
At this time, Shen Siyu's college ended its classes early. She enthusiastically planned one party after another to celebrate her "liberation" and naturally asked Ling Peng to accompany her throughout.
At a noisy KTV party, Shen Siyu's friends played dice and sang boisterous songs. Ling Peng sat in a corner, a half-finished beer in hand, looking a little distracted. The feeling of loss from a failed project and missed opportunities weighed on his heart like a heavy stone, dampening his interest.
After Shen Siyu finished singing a song, she sat back next to him amid a chorus of compliments and complained softly, "What's wrong with you? You haven't said a few words all night and your face looks so gloomy. Is it so boring to be with my friends?" Her tone was coquettish, but there was displeasure in her eyes.
Ling Peng rubbed his brows and tried to soften his tone: "No, I'm just a little tired recently, and the project hasn't been going well."
"Not going well again? Isn't your patent almost completed?" Chen Siyu frowned his carefully drawn eyebrows.
"It was rejected." Ling Peng's voice was a little dry.
"Huh? Why? Wouldn't that be a waste of time?" Shen Siyu's voice unconsciously rose a little, drawing the attention of the people nearby. Feeling a little embarrassed, she lowered her voice, "Forget it, forget it. Failure is failure. It's just a crappy project. Oh, by the way, my friend has a great product sales internship opportunity. Flexible hours and a good commission. I told her you should give it a try."
Ling Peng refused without a second thought: "I won't go. I'm not interested in sales, and I have final exams to do."
"Why are you like this?" Shen Siyu's dissatisfaction completely exploded. "I kindly offered you an opportunity, but you refused without even listening? You only cared about your fruitless activities! I asked you to come play with my friends, but you put on a sour face and made me lose face in front of them, you know?"
"Siyu," Ling Peng looked at her tiredly, "I'm really not in the mood to talk about this right now."
"I'm not in the mood! When have you ever been in the mood?" Shen Siyu shook off his hand that was trying to pull her, her tone sharp, "Ling Peng, do you really consider me your girlfriend? Where were you when I needed you? Besides playing basketball and hanging out in the lab, what else do you do? You have no interest at all!"
These words were like cold needles, piercing Ling Peng's already depressed heart. He looked at her face, now a little harsh due to anger, and suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness and unfamiliarity. What he needed was not complaints or interference, but a little understanding, even a simple "It's okay, come again next time."
The two parted on bad terms.
Academics were thwarted, his future was bleak, and his relationship life was in jeopardy. For the first time, Ling Peng felt the winter wind in this familiar city could be so cold, piercing his bones. He turned off his phone and rode his bike aimlessly through the cold streets for a long time before returning to the silent dormitory.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jinglu was also in the final sprint of her final exams. One weekend, she found a rare moment at home, turned on her computer, and logged onto the then-newly popular "Xiaonei" website. While browsing, she clicked on Zhang Hao's homepage.
The latest status update reads:
"Alas, life is unpredictable. It's easy to be unpredictable. Just to comfort my brother Peng, it never rains but it pours."
The release status is yesterday.
Sun Wei replied below: "What's going on? What happened to Brother Peng?"
Zhang Hao replied with a mournful emoji in the comments section: "The project fell through, a good opportunity went by, and I'm feeling really down. It seems I'm having a falling out with my sister-in-law, which makes things even worse."
Zhao Jinglu's heart tightened slightly. She immediately recalled the confident glint in Ling Peng's eyes when he mentioned the patent at the hotpot party that day, and his words, "It could be a stepping stone to a new company in the future." After all that hard work, only to receive such a result, he must have felt terrible.
She stared at the screen, hesitating for a moment. She didn't leave a message on the status bar, as that would be too public. She clicked on the private message window and found Zhang Hao's name.
"Senior Zhang Hao, excuse me for bothering you. I just saw what you posted on the campus network...Is Senior Ling Peng...ok?" She chose her words carefully, trying not to sound too deliberate.
Zhang Hao's reply quickly popped up in a pop-up window in the lower right corner of the page: "Oh, forget it! The project patent was rejected, and the internship opportunity I had was gone. It's a huge blow. The most important thing is... I think I'm having a falling out with Sister Siyu too. It's really dire."
Zhao Jinglu's heart sank. As expected.
She replied, "Thanks for telling me, Senior," and closed the private message window. Her finger rested on the mouse, the cursor hovering for a long time over Ling Peng's profile picture, which wore a default hat. Sending a direct private message saying, "I heard your project failed, don't be sad," seemed pale and revealing. Saying, "Everything will be fine" felt too hollow a comfort.
She thought of the loneliness and helplessness she felt when she was wrongly accused of cheating after the first mock exam in her third year of junior high school, and that cold winter. Then, she remembered what Ling Peng had said to her at the bookstore entrance not long ago.
She took a deep breath, opened the text message on her phone, and typed carefully. She didn't try to comfort him, but just shared her feelings:
"Senior, I just got stuck again while doing a practice test, and out of nowhere I remembered what you said earlier—'It's not your loss, it's his.' It suddenly struck me that many things are similar. If you work hard and don't get what you want, it might not necessarily be because you're not good enough, but simply because the "result" or "opportunity" isn't on the right wavelength. Get some good sleep, and maybe you'll have some new inspiration tomorrow. Good luck on your finals."
She read it carefully, confirming that it didn't reveal that she had learned the information from Zhang Hao, but rather that it was a random connection to her own predicament. Then she pressed the send button.
The phone screen went dark. Zhao Jinglu didn't know how much of an impact this message would have. She just felt that at a time when he felt everything was going badly, he might need someone to tell him that his value wasn't entirely tied to a single success or failure. Just like he had told her before.
Ling Peng returned to his dorm and took a hot shower, trying to wash away the fatigue and chill. He turned on his phone, and several text messages from Shen Siyu popped up on the screen. The tone ranged from complaining to questioning, and finally to coldness. He swiped the notifications in frustration, not wanting to open them.
Just then, a new text message popped up. It was from Zhao Jinglu.
He clicked it with some surprise.
The words caught her eye. They offered no direct sympathy or comfort, but like a cup of water at just the right temperature, they flowed silently into his dry, restless heart. She remembered what he had said, and at this moment, in this way, she skillfully sent them back.
She didn't even mention anything specific, but she strangely and accurately hit the core of his frustration at the moment - doubts about his self-worth. And what she provided was not an answer, but a shift in perspective.
Ling Peng leaned back in his chair, looking at the lines of words over and over again. The corners of his mouth, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed slightly. He could almost see the girl struggling with the questions, suddenly pausing and typing those words carefully.
He raised his hand and replied with two words, brief but profound.
"Thanks."
The night remained cold, the frustrations lingered, the cracks in their relationship remained. But in this icy silence, a small, distant signal of kindness pierced the chill, bringing a tiny yet real touch of warmth. For Ling Peng at this moment, perhaps this little bit of warmth was enough.
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