Chapter 72 I want to ask you a question
It was still snowing at night.
When Huo Yanli's car stopped downstairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dormitory, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. He hadn't called or sent a message beforehand. Snowflakes danced in front of the car headlights, like countless tiny feathers.
He saw that the light was on in the window on the third floor, and the warm yellow light looked especially warm in the snowy night.
He sat in the car for fifteen minutes, watching the snowflakes accumulate on the windshield and then be swept away by the wipers.
Then he opened the car door and stepped into the snow.
The hallway was quieter than usual, and the motion-activated lights turned on with his footsteps. When he reached the third floor, he stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and then knocked.
The door opened. Song Zhiyi stood in the doorway, dressed in thick loungewear—dark gray fleece trousers and a beige turtleneck sweater. Her hair was loosely tied back, and she wore her thin-rimmed glasses. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw him.
“Mr. Huo?” She stepped aside. “Please come in. It’s cold outside.”
Huo Yanli went inside. The room was warm, a desk lamp was on, a laptop was running, and several open documents and a thick Arabic dictionary were beside it. There was a faint aroma of ginger tea in the air.
“You’re covered in snow,” Song Zhiyi said, taking a dry towel from the bathroom and handing it to him. “Here, wipe yourself off.”
"Thank you." Huo Yanli took the towel and wiped the snowflakes from his hair and shoulders. His coat was already wet, with varying shades of water stains on the dark wool.
Song Zhiyi glanced at him, then turned around and took out a thick blanket from the wardrobe—a dark blue wool blanket that looked very warm.
"Please wear this for now; you'll catch a cold if you wear wet clothes." She handed him the blanket. "I'll go get you a cup of hot tea."
As she spoke, she walked toward the small kitchen.
Huo Yanli wrapped himself in a blanket, the soft wool slowly warming his frozen body. He walked to his desk and saw a report on the computer screen about the winter supplies needed by Syrian refugees, with a handwritten note next to it listing a series of numbers—the demand for tents, blankets, and heating equipment.
His gaze fell on the bottle of painkillers on the corner of the table. Next to the bottle was a small box of plasters labeled "Promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis".
Song Zhiyi brought over a steaming cup of ginger tea and placed it on the table: "Be careful, it's hot."
"Thank you." Huo Yanli took the teacup, the warmth spreading through the cup to his palm, and the spicy aroma of ginger wafted up.
The two remained silent for a moment. Snowflakes fell on the windowpane, making a soft rustling sound; the room was quiet.
"Mr. Huo, is there something you need today?" Song Zhiyi asked. She had already sat back down at her desk, but instead of continuing to work, she looked at him.
Huo Yanli remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the teacup. The steam from the ginger tea rose, blurring his vision.
“Song Zhiyi,” he finally spoke, “I want to ask you a question.”
"Please speak."
“If…” he carefully chose his words, “If a person is forced to choose between love and future prospects, what should he do?”
Song Zhiyi looked at him with a strange expression: "Why did you choose?"
Huo Yanli was taken aback.
“What I mean is,” Song Zhiyi put down her pen and said seriously, “why must love and career be an either-or choice? True love shouldn’t be about binding or sacrificing, but about mutual support. If a relationship requires one person to give up their career to maintain it, then there’s something wrong with the relationship itself.”
She paused, her tone still calm: "A healthy love should make both people better and able to pursue the life they want. If that's not possible, then it means we're not compatible."
Huo Yanli looked at her and suddenly remembered Lin Wei's words: "I'm afraid you'll fall out with your family because of me, I'm afraid you'll lose your inheritance rights..."
"What if..." he began with difficulty, "What if the other party chooses to leave voluntarily for your future? Saying it's for your own good?"
Song Zhiyi thought for a few seconds and said, "That depends on her motives. If she really cares about the other person, it at least shows that she cares. But her method is wrong."
"Wrong?"
“Hmm.” Song Zhiyi picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Relationships are a matter between two people. Any one-sided sacrifice or decision is disrespectful to the other person. If you really love someone, you should be honest with each other, face problems together, and find solutions together. Instead of taking it upon yourself to say ‘it’s for your own good.’”
She put down her teacup, looked at Huo Yanli, and said with clear eyes, "And Mr. Huo, if someone abandons you because of family pressure or so-called future prospects, it means that those things are more important to him than you. Such a person is not worth cherishing."
She spoke calmly, as if discussing an objective fact.
Huo Yanli suddenly remembered the day five years ago when Lin Wei took the money and left. She didn't even give him a chance to explain before boarding the plane to New York.
If she truly loves him, why doesn't she believe he can handle the pressures of family life? Why not give him a chance to choose?
Even within this marriage of convenience, Song Zhiyi remained clear-headed and independent. She didn't need him to sacrifice anything, nor did she sacrifice anything for him. She simply did what she wanted and walked her own path.
“Mr. Huo,” Song Zhiyi asked softly, “are you asking this question because of Miss Lin?”
Huo Yanli looked up: "How did you know?"
“Mr. Ji mentioned that Ms. Lin has been wanting to get back together with you since she returned to China.” Her tone was natural, without any jealousy or dissatisfaction. “And you look…preoccupied today.”
Huo Yanli gave a wry smile: "Is it that obvious?"
“You’ve been frowning the whole time,” Song Zhiyi said. “Although I don’t know the specifics, I want to say that whatever happened in the past, what matters is the present and the future. You should ask yourself what kind of future you want.”
What kind of future do you want?
Huo Yanli looked at the woman before him. She sat under the warm light, with a simple bookshelf piled high with books and documents behind her, and reports about refugees in front of her. Her world contained war, pain, and responsibility, but she remained calm and steadfast.
And what about him? What's in his world? Business maneuvering? Family feuds? And... a past filled with lies?
"The New Year is almost here," Huo Yanli suddenly said.
Song Zhiyi nodded: "Yes, there's still a little over a month left."
“The Huo family organizes a family trip every year before the Spring Festival.” Huo Yanli looked at her. “This year we’re going to Sanya for a week. Would you… like to come?”
Song Zhiyi was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Huo Yanli had taken the initiative to invite her to a family activity—not out of pressure from elders, not for work purposes, but a genuine invitation.
"What preparations do I need to make?" she asked.
"No need, it's enough that you're here," Huo Yanli said. "Grandpa misses you a lot, and my mom also said... she hopes you can come with us."
He spoke with some difficulty. In fact, his mother, Xu Wenjun, originally said, "Call Zhiyi. I feel more at ease with her here."
The shift from "she is not good enough for the Huo family" to "I feel more at ease with her here" took only a few months.
Song Zhiyi thought for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, if my work schedule allows, I will go."
"Thank you," Huo Yanli said.
"You're welcome." Song Zhiyi smiled slightly. "It's what I should do anyway."
It's what we should do.
That word again. But this time, Huo Yanli heard a different meaning—not a distant obligation, but a serious commitment.
He stood up: "Then I'll be going now. You should get some rest."
"Be careful on the road, it's slippery in snowy weather."
Huo Yanli walked to the door, then looked back once more. Song Zhiyi had already returned to her work; the light from the desk lamp illuminated her face, making her appear quiet and focused.
He closed the door and went down the stairs.
The hallway was quiet; the motion-activated lights turned on and off with the sound of his footsteps. When he reached the first floor, he saw that the snow outside the window was falling even heavier, and a thin layer of white had already accumulated on the ground.
When he got into the car, Huo Yanli didn't start it immediately. He remembered what Song Zhiyi had said: "If someone abandons you because of family pressure or so-called future prospects, it means that those things are more important to them than you. Such a person is not worth keeping."
I also recalled Lin Wei's tears and accusations.
The two women's words were like two mirrors, reflecting two completely different views on love.
My phone vibrated. It was a message from Lin Wei: "Yanli, I know you're angry with me. But please believe me, my love for you has never changed. Give me a chance, let's start over, okay?"
Huo Yanli stared at the message, his finger lingering on the screen for a long time.
Outside the window, snowflakes fell silently.
Inside the car, the heater was humming loudly.
Then he typed back: "Lin Wei, let bygones be bygones. We should all move on."
send.
He put down his phone and started the car.
The car headlights illuminated the snowy night ahead, and snowflakes swirled and danced in the beams of light.
Huo Yanli knew that once a path was chosen, there was no turning back.
Just like some people, once you see things clearly, you can no longer pretend you didn't see them.
He drove into the snowy night.
In a certain part of my heart, the rain that had been falling for so long has finally stopped.
Instead, there is a clarity and tranquility like the first snow.
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