From middle school through high school, Li Yu had always rented his own place off campus, developing strong self-reliance.
Compared to him, who was used to being waited on hand and foot, was practically useless compared to him.
Even though it only happened a few times, it was enough to linger in his memory for a long time.
Jian Suiying's gaze held confusion and a hint of unease. Li Yu felt a pang in his heartâhe couldn't imagine Jian Suiying ever looking so vulnerable.
Leaning back in his chair, Jian Suiying looked at him and said, "You're leaving." Li Yu remained silent, feeling as if his throat had suddenly closed up.
Jian Suiying's expression and gaze returned to normal. She tilted her mouth into a smile. "Alright, I accept your apology.
. Go report back to your brother." With that, she lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks, and began twirling strands of noodles around them, one by one.
Li Yu tossed the tissue into the trash bin and turned toward the entryway to put on his shoes.
"Hey." Jian Suiying turned back. "On the 6th of next month, I can clear a week. Book four plane
to Beihaiâme, you, and the two from the feed company."
Li Yu slowly released his grip, flicked the keys back onto the cabinet, and walked out the door.
Jian Suiying sighed, turned on the TV, and listened to the noisy variety show blaring from the screen as he polished off a bowl of noodles, soup and all.
.
Summer arrived once more, and Beijing quickly descended into sweltering heat. Jian Suiying wasn't particularly sensitive to cold, but she dreaded the heat intensely.
her daily activities consisted of moving from home to the garage, then from the garage to the next air-conditioned space.
Li Yu had booked the tickets. For now, he hadn't told her about his plan to head to Beihai for the next stop and then on to Hainan, afraid she wouldn't
would join him.
This time, the group of four included not only him and Li Yu, but also the head of the bio-feed project and his buddy's brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
The woman was the company's legal representative. Both spouses were said to be graduates of a very prestigious American university
. After working abroad for several years, they returned to China intending to start a business and eventually found their way to him through connections.
Jian Suiying had long heard that both held PhDs, boasting solid technical expertise and knowledge, and their product was indeed excellent.
but they lacked business acumen.
Securing that land depended on leveraging their emerging eco-friendly biotech to win government subsidiesâa task hinging entirely on Jian Suiying's operational prowess.
With Li Xuan's assistance, the matter was now 80% complete. Jian Suiying brought the two along this time
prepare the materials needed for the final government review meeting.
Upon arriving in Beihai on the 6th, the four were once again met by a driver dispatched by Li Xuan and lodged at the same government guesthouse as before.
The moment Jian Suiying stepped through the hotel doors, a flood of emotions washed over her. She couldn't help but glance at Li Yu.
Li Yu's expression was equally awkward. After all, this was the place where they had first become intimateâand in a wildly abnormal way at that.
Reflecting on their relationshipâfrom the extreme hostility back then, to gradually evolving into something as close as lovers, and finally
a state of utter chaosâall within just over half a year. In that brief span, their mental states had undergone profound changes. Li Yu was assigned a room next to his.
That evening, when Li Xuan had free time, he invited them to dine at the guesthouse. They agreed to visit the site together the next day, accompanied by several local government officials.
What surprised Jian Suiying was that the couple who had repeatedly hinted last month for him to bring them here quickly
now made excuses, citing incomplete materials that needed discussion and revision, hoping to postpone the trip for a couple more days.
This left both Jian Suiying and Li Xuan feeling rather displeased.
However, the couple seemed oblivious to the tension, stubbornly insisting on their own way.
Considering they were relatives of his buddy, Jian Suiying didn't feel comfortable saying much. If they wanted to delay a couple of days, so be it.
Beihai's scenery was lovely, and the weather happened to be cool these days, so Jian Suiying took the opportunity to explore the area.
Two days later, Li Xuan arranged a meeting and took the four of them to inspect the plot. The trip took nearly the entire day, leaving Jian Suiying sunburned and dizzy.
After taking on the Beihai project, he sent the two back to Beijing, then pulled out two plane tickets and handed them to Li Yu. Li Yu glanced at her name on the ticket and frowned. "Sanya?"
"Right. It's that newly developed serviced apartment in the Bay Area. You're coming with me to check it out this time."
Li Yu replied: "I can't skip class for that long."
Jian Suiying scoffed: "What's the big deal about skipping class? You'll learn more on this construction site than you did in your entire first year of university."
in a year at school."
Li Yu hesitated for a few seconds. "When will we be back?" "Just two days. We'll return to Beijing on the morning of the third day." "Alright."
Their trip to Hainan this time was anything but smooth. Due to heavy rain, the flight was delayed by two and a half hours, leaving Jian Suiying's butt sore from sitting at the airport.
and refreshingly crisp, making it incredibly pleasant.
The Sanya temporary office had booked a five-star hotel for them in Sanya Bay and arranged to take them to the construction site after lunch the next day.
But the flight ended up delayed by over four hours. Dinner was just airplane food, and now he was so exhausted
his bones ached all over, and any romantic thoughts vanished. After showering, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
Jian Suiying didn't wake up until after nine. He ordered breakfast to his room, sat on the balcony, and finished eating while enjoying the sea breeze.
finished her meal.
Shortly after finishing, the skyâwhich had only been slightly overcastâsuddenly began to rain again. Jian Suiying had planned to go swimming, but this weather was such a downer.
By lunchtime, the person who had greeted them yesterday called, saying he was in the hotel restaurant and inviting them down to eat.
Jian Suiying dressed and went downstairs, where he saw three people from the office had arrived. Li Yu was already seated at the table, talking with them.
As he approached from a distance, the office staff all stood up and greeted him respectfully.
Jian Suiying noticed that all three bore traces of having been caught in the rain. Sitting down, he sighed, "What
damn weather is driving me crazy."
"When will this rain stop? If it keeps up like this, the construction site will have to shut down." "It stopped for half a day yesterday, but today it's pouring again."
"We're leaving the day after tomorrow. If it keeps pouring like this, how are we supposed to get to the site? It'll be a wasted trip."
One person tried to reassure him: "Mr. Jian, don't worry just yet. As long as the typhoon doesn't hit in the next couple of days, we can still go even if it rains heavily.
. Even if the workers stop, we can still visit the site to check on progress. It's inconvenient, but it's only an hour's driveâwe can manage."
" Hmm." Jian Suiying nodded, gazing anxiously out the window at the howling wind and torrential downpour. She had no confidence whatsoever that this trip would achieve its purpose.
The group finished their lunch slowly, lingering at the table for nearly another hour. The rain gradually eased, but it still wasn't
suitable for travel.
They turned to Jian Suiying for a decision: proceed as planned today or wait until tomorrow.
Uncertain, Jian Suiying turned to Li Yu. "What do you think? Should we go today, or wait and see how the weather is tomorrow?"
Li Yu glanced out the window, then turned to find everyoneâincluding Jian Suiyingâwatching him.
Li Yu frowned slightly. "How about tomorrow? Maybe the weather will be better then. Even if it's worse, it shouldn't be any worse than today."
Everyone nodded in agreement.