After watching a movie, Li Xiaoyun and I were walking on the street. She was still holding a bucket of unfinished popcorn, and I had a can of cola in my hand.

As I sipped my cola and Li Xiaoyun munched on her popcorn, we chatted while walking.

I asked Li Xiaoyun, “Do you think it would violate your company’s policy if we were to work in the same company as a couple in the future?”

Li Xiaoyun shook her head and said, “No, we are an advertising company with a very open culture. There are several couples in the company!”

I stopped Li Xiaoyun who was walking ahead. She looked at me puzzled, and I asked her with a “serious” expression, “Xiaoyun, can I take it that we are in a relationship now?”

Li Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment before she said, “Zhao Yang, you asked that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I can’t be too direct about this. If you’re not willing, I won’t have a way out.”

“You’re very methodical in your approach, a good material for a planner!” Li Xiaoyun laughed.

“You’re good at changing the subject, also a good material for a salesperson!” I replied with a smile.

But Li Xiaoyun was no longer joking. She asked seriously, “Zhao Yang, do you really think we can live together and then get married?”

I was silent for a while before nodding and saying, “Yes, at least I’m willing to try and strive for it… and this desire to strive is something I’ve never had in my 20 plus years of life.”

Li Xiaoyun nodded and said, “Actually, after so many blind dates, I’m also tired and hope to get out of the single life. Your appearance was unexpected, but it’s not realistic to say that I fell for you after just a few meetings… Since our parents both want us to be together, I’m willing to consider our meeting as an arrangement by fate, so…”

“So, we can officially start dating, right?”

Li Xiaoyun smiled and said, “Yes… but it depends on your performance in the future, after all, I’m entrusting my life to you.”

“I’m worthy of your life, just watch my performance.” I said with joy.

Li Xiaoyun nodded, and we continued to walk forward. With a bit of trepidation and anticipation, I held Li Xiaoyun’s hand on this autumn evening with falling leaves, as pure as first love.

Li Xiaoyun instinctively pulled her hand back, but I held on tighter. So Li Xiaoyun looked at me uneasily, and I loosened my grip a little, giving her a comfortable and non-aggressive force. Li Xiaoyun’s expression finally eased a bit.

I smiled and said, “Let’s walk a little further, to the end of this street, maybe spring will come.”

“Winter hasn’t passed yet?”

“Let’s skip winter and head straight for spring.”

Li Xiaoyun gave me a smile and said, “Let’s go then.”

So we walked forward in the night under the street lights, which cast a gentle pale yellow glow on our faces.

……

When I got home, Mr. Ban and my mother were still sitting in the living room, watching a TV series.

As I was changing my shoes, my mother turned down the TV volume and asked me, “Zhao Yang, how are things going with Xiaoyun?”

I smiled and said, “Not bad.”

My mother was also very happy to hear this and said, “That’s good, Xiaoyun’s family is really nice, understanding and reasonable. You should get along well with Xiaoyun, understand?”

“Definitely, mom, don’t worry.”

After talking to my mother, I looked at Mr. Ban, but his attention was still on the TV series. It wasn’t until I walked past him that he called out to me and asked, “Have you settled your job yet?”

“I’m still looking, but Xiaoyun said their advertising company is hiring planners, and she has already given my resume to their planning director. I should hear back soon.”

Mr. Ban nodded and said, “A man must always prioritize his work.”

“Mr. Ban, you’re right, I will keep that in mind.”

“Don’t just say it, remember it in your heart.”

I smiled, indicating that I had taken his words to heart, and then headed to my room.

That night, I felt a bit of joy. Everything that had happened so far made me feel that returning to Xuzhou was the right choice. Everything was going so smoothly. Once I settled my job, I would truly be at ease. This sense of fulfillment and anticipation for the future was something I never had in Suzhou.

After finishing a cup of hot tea, I went to the bathroom to wash up. Once I lay down in bed, I quickly fell asleep.

……

I don’t know what time it was, but my phone, which I had forgotten to put on silent, suddenly rang. I was woken up by the ringtone and grumbled a bit before answering the call.

I answered the call in a daze, waiting for the other person to speak.

“Zhao Yang, have you gone to bed yet?”

I suddenly felt awake. I was surprised by the voice, but I recognized it as Mi Cai’s after just one sentence.

I rubbed my face and sat up from the bed. I turned on the light and saw that it was already half past midnight on the clock hanging on the wall.

I yawned and asked Mi Cai, “Haven’t you gone to bed yet?”

“I just got off work.”

“It’s this late and you just got off work?” I exclaimed, feeling a strange discomfort in my heart. This discomfort might have stemmed from sympathy for Mi Cai living alone.

“The company has been a bit busy lately, but it should get better after a while.” Mi Cai said to me in a calm tone.

After a moment of silence, I said, “Then you should take care of yourself, especially your diet. You can make some millet porridge, it’s very nourishing.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“We shouldn’t say thank you to each other, it feels awkward!”

Mi Cai laughed but didn’t say anything. Perhaps she also realized that it was indeed awkward for us, who used to be at odds with each other, to say “thank you”.After a brief silence, I finally got to the point and asked, “Why are you calling me so late? Is there something you need?”

“The light bulb in my room seems to be broken, and I don’t know how to change it!” Mi Cai said to me with a hint of embarrassment.

“It’s already late, why don’t you make do with a desk lamp for the night.”

Mi Cai became even more embarrassed and said, “The bulb of the desk lamp also broke a few days ago, I’ve been busy and forgot to replace it.”

I was speechless for a moment, then said, “Alright, changing a light bulb is simple, but you need to be careful.”

“Okay, you tell me, I’ll do as you say.”

“There’s a storage box in the east corner of the balcony, inside it are light bulbs and an emergency flashlight. Next to the storage box is a double-sided ladder. You can climb up the ladder to change the bulb. First, remove the lampshade, then the bulb is screw-in, just twist it in like a screw.”

“Oh.”

“Wait, turn off the power first, just to be safe.”

“Okay.”

It seemed that Mi Cai had everything ready, but I was filled with anxiety, fearing that she might accidentally fall off the ladder. I kept asking her over the phone, but she didn’t respond, probably because she had put down the phone and didn’t turn on the speaker.

In my nervousness, Mi Cai’s relieved voice finally rang in my ear again, “It’s done, the light is on.”

The heart that had been hanging for a moment finally fell, and I immediately said, “You should rest early, it’s really late!”

“Okay, I’ll rest soon… By the way, how’s your job search going?”

Mi Cai’s sudden concern made my emotions complex. After a brief thought, I decided to tell her that I was doing okay in Xuzhou, so she wouldn’t feel too guilty about me.

——————–

Depending on my condition today, there should be no less than 4 chapters, I’ve been a bit tired recently!