The other end of the phone was silent. Xie Qian did not speak, and Wen Ying immediately grew tense.
It seemed like three or four seconds passed, or perhaps several minutes, before Wen Ying heard Xie Qian’s voice.
“Give me a reason.”
Xie Qian’s voice showed no great fluctuation. Regarding the matter of whether to follow Zou Weijun back to the capital, he seemed utterly indifferent.
Was returning to the capital or staying in Rong City really so unimportant to Xie Qian?
For some reason, Wen Ying felt a touch of grievance.
“Did you not say you were going to university in the magic city?”
“That reason does not hold. Whether I return to the capital or not will not affect next year’s gaokao.”
The admission scores for universities in the magic city could not possibly exceed those of the two top institutions in the capital. The quality of education in the capital was no worse than in Rong City either. Wen Ying’s excuse of the “gaokao” simply would not work.
If it were any other time, Xie Qian would have accepted such a casual answer from Wen Ying. But at this moment, Xie Qian was being a bit pedantic. He wanted to hear the truth.
No matter what reason Wen Ying gave, as long as it was sincere, that would do.
Wen Ying was in a bind.
This was not a court case, so why did she have to submit evidence?
Her concerns and worries were all based on memories from her previous life, which she simply could not use to convince Xie Qian.
Wen Ying stammered, “If you go back to the capital, what about Li Mengjiao’s and my studies?”
This was not the answer Xie Qian wanted to hear either.
Normally, Wen Ying’s love for studying would make Xie Qian very pleased. Now that she was using it as an excuse, Xie Qian immediately refuted it.
“Your grades do not need improving any further. As long as you maintain your current class ranking, universities in the magic city will be yours to choose from. If worst comes to worst, I remember you won first prize in the New Concept Composition Contest. That competition has a score reduction policy for famous schools in the magic city. If you are willing to go, you can take that route. Li Mengjiao needs even less worry. She is definitely aiming for a film and television academy, and with her current cultural course scores, she can crush over 99% of arts candidates nationwide.”
Xie Qian’s analytical skills had always been strong, but now they were strong to an infuriating degree!
If this would not do and that would not do either, Wen Ying could only assume that Xie Qian had truly decided to return to the capital. Then why had Aunt Zou asked her to persuade him?
Wen Ying could not afford to think carefully at that moment. She was both anxious and angry, nearly driven to tears by Xie Qian’s cold and firm attitude. An inexplicable sense of grievance welled up in her chest, filling it completely.
“Then pretend it is because I cannot bear to part with you. We have been desk mates for two years. Cannot we be for one more year?”
Of course they could.
Xie Qian actually wanted to counter with, “Is it merely one more year as desk mates?” But he feared pushing too hard and making the hamster turn hostile.
That layer of window paper was right there, invisible and intangible yet palpable. Xie Qian had transitioned from initial panic to coexistence with it. He knew full well that his feelings for the hamster had undergone some change!
He hoped the hamster felt the same.
He very much wanted to pierce the window paper, yet he kept telling himself that until he had the ability to protect what was most precious, maintaining the status quo was the best form of protection.
Alright then, that was enough for today.
The urgency and reluctance the hamster had shown at the thought of him returning to the capital, he had felt it clearly. There would be no mistake this time!
“I will not return to the capital before the gaokao.”
Wen Ying had been angry just moments ago, but now she was happy again. “Really?”
“Really.”
“A promise from a gentleman is worth a thousand gold. You cannot go back on your word once you have agreed!”
Wen Ying knew Xie Qian always kept his word, but for safety’s sake, she confirmed once more.
Receiving Xie Qian’s affirmative reply, Wen Ying felt a bit embarrassed. “I promised Aunt Zou to persuade you to return to the capital, but I ended up doing the complete opposite. I need to go and admit my mistake to her.”
“No need. I will explain it clearly to my mother. She returns to the capital while I stay in Rong City. We can support each other like horns of an ox, which is more advantageous for both the present and the future. It can also make certain people think twice before acting!”
Zou Weijun’s decision to resign and join “Jinhu” had been a fait accompli, decided first and notified to Xie Qian later.
Xie Qian had opposed it vehemently at first, but he soon understood the key to it.
As long as his mother’s emotions remained stable, going to work at “Jinhu” was indeed the best choice.
Poor Wen Ying, shrewd in two lifetimes, lost most of her judgement the moment she encountered Xie Qian. Otherwise, she would not need Xie Qian’s reminder; she could have analysed the correct answer on her own.
Beauty misleads, and Wen Ying was utterly unaware. She even expressed worry about Zou Weijun venturing alone into the scumbag’s lair, only for Xie Qian to comfort her in turn.
Wen Ying chatted and grumbled with Xie Qian on the phone for nearly an hour, until Xie Qian reminded her that school was about to start and asked about her summer homework progress. Only then did Wen Ying hang up reluctantly. “I have a little left. I will go write it now!”
It was not laziness that left Wen Ying’s summer homework unfinished. This summer, she had truly been too busy.
Now that the book signings in five cities had ended and the promotion for “The Galaxy and You” had reached its close, it was time for Wen Ying to focus on her studies!
…
After hanging up with Wen Ying, Xie Qian called his dear mother, expressing a hint of veiled dissatisfaction.
“You should not tease her.”
Zou Weijun lied with her eyes wide open. “Tease whom?”
When Xie Qian called, Zou Weijun was still at a gathering with several friends. She brushed off her son, who was standing up for Wen Ying, with a few words. Then Zou Weijun took the initiative to raise her wine glass. “This cup is for everyone. In two years in Rong City, I have gained so much. In a sense, it is as if I have lived anew. This process would not have been possible without everyone’s help. Thank you all for giving me two unforgettable years.”
With that, Zou Weijun tossed back the entire glass of wine.
Her straightforwardness earned a round of applause.
Her number one fan, Mrs Wang, clapped the hardest, gazing at Zou Weijun with starry eyes. Mother Li truly wanted to pinch Mrs Wang under the table. She was too much of a sycophant, too competitive. Could she not leave a way out for others?!
She had not expected the straightforward Chen Jing to also flatter at this moment for her daughter’s grades. First, she personally confirmed with Zou Weijun that Xie Qian would not be returning with her to the capital. Then she spared no words in lavishly praising both mother and son.
Zou Weijun could not forget the two years she had spent in Rong City, and they could not forget her either!
Chen Ru had always been the synonym for “straightforward” in the minds of the group. When a straightforward person flattered, the effect was especially striking. Mother Li was already being crushed by Mrs Wang and Chen Ru’s competitiveness.
And then there was Yuan Fenghui, shrewd far beyond the others. While Chen Ru and the other two did not know Zou Weijun’s full background, Yuan Fenghui had long since investigated it thoroughly.
Yuan Fenghui raised her glass in return to Zou Weijun. “Technology is so advanced nowadays. Even if you return to the capital, we can still keep in touch. The word ‘friend’ is not defined by just two short years. If you truly consider us friends, then whenever you need anything in the future, just say the word! Saying things like going through fire and water or dying without regret is too false. But lending a helping hand is certainly something we can manage.”
Yuan Fenghui’s words carried deeper meaning. Zou Weijun smiled without replying.
What a flatterer Yuan Fenghui was!
Mother Li hurriedly raised her glass as well. “That is exactly what I think. Let us not grow distant just because of the distance, eh!”
Zou Weijun’s eyes glistened with a hint of moisture. “Thank you everyone. I will remember it all.”
The help Zou Weijun spoke of was not about relying on Chen Ru and the others to besiege the scumbag Xie Jinhu. Rather, it was the strength she had drawn from these women.
Chen Ru, Mrs Wang, Yuan Fenghui, and Mother Li, four women with different backgrounds in growth and education, different emotional experiences, and varying levels of wealth and social status. Yet they all possessed “female power”!
To persist with unwavering straightforwardness for years, to dare speak the truth without fear of offending, that was female power.
To balance family and work, to create a harmonious and loving family atmosphere, that was female power.
To pave the way for her son’s future, to step out of the comfort zone of a full-time housewife and venture into unfamiliar fields to strive, that too was female power.
And even more, to restart after a career setback and achieve brilliance anew, that was female power as well!
Once a woman possessed such resilient power, what did she have to fear from change? No matter what trials life threw at her, she could grit her teeth and endure!
It was time to return to the capital.
Time to go back and face the scumbag Xie Jinhu, the petty tricks from behind his lover, and the mockery from certain people.
Zou Weijun was not afraid in the slightest. She even felt a thrill akin to charging into battle with a spear in hand!
It was Xie Jinhu who should be afraid now.
