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During the days spent in the hospital, the two of them learned from their experiences and the doctor's advice, and they dared not eat anything outside. Every day, Lin Xi would cook porridge at home and bring it to Qingmei.
However, over these few days, the little girl had lost quite a bit of weight from eating only porridge. Her round face had become much flatter. Eating porridge, receiving IV drips, and constantly needing to use the restroom made it very inconvenient for Little Ones in the cold weather. Therefore, she was now quite reluctant to see porridge and her eyes lit up when she saw the cake in Qinglan's hands earlier.
Today was the fourth day, and the doctor said she could eat something solid. Seeing that Lin Xi hadn't come after mealtime, Qinglan guessed that she might be working late today. So while Qingmei was sleeping, she went to a nearby bakery and bought a piece of cake.
After teasing Qingmei for a bit, Qinglan opened the plastic bag that Lin Xi had left on the shelf, took out bowls and chopsticks, and divided the rice from the thermos into two bowls—one for Qingmei and one for herself.
After finishing their meal, Lin Xi was just about to leave for work. She stood up and waved goodbye to Qinglan, who quickly put down what she was holding and walked her to the door.
At the entrance of the hospital, Lin Xi stopped and said to Qinglan, "I'm leaving now; you should go back."
Qinglan nodded and accompanied Lin Xi down the steps. She followed her for a short distance. After Lin Xi urged her several times to go back, she kept saying "okay" but didn't stop walking. Lin Xi had no choice but to stop again and say, "Go back; it's an unfamiliar place. Beautiful will cry if she can't see you."
Qinglan stopped, nodded, and finally spoke up: "Lin Xi, so many years have passed; you should let go now and find someone else. There are always excellent people around you. If not, let friends introduce someone. Floating like this is not a solution. Your Mother En and Dad only have you as their daughter; they are already worried about you. If you don't resolve your personal issues, how can they feel at ease? Even if it's not for yourself, think about them a little. Once you settle down, they can enjoy their later years in peace."
Before Qinglan could finish her words, Lin Xi interrupted her, "Stop right there! You talk about me; what about you? Is drifting around with Beautiful really better than being alone? Fine, you're going to say you're two people with company. I think you two are worse off than me alone; at least I'm free as a single person—I just have to take care of myself. You have to take care of another person too; why is it okay for you but not for me?"
Qinglan shot Lin Xi an annoyed glare. "You always get worked up when this topic comes up and go around in circles. It's not that I'm more capable than you; I had no choice back then when I was young and naive. I've ended up here without options. But you're different; you can date like any normal girl—get married and have kids—why are you still stuck on past events?"
Lin Xi waved her hand dismissively. "Okay, okay! You didn't know better back then and ended up here without options—that's true. But now you should understand things better; there should be options now too! Xu Wen hasn't married yet; I suppose you know why? Why can't you accept him even now?"
Qinglan looked up at the sky in silence for a long time before turning her face away.
"What's wrong? What's wrong, no words to say?" Lin Xi had a look that seemed to take pleasure in the discomfort of others.
"This is completely off-topic; how can I say anything nice about you?" Qinglan pointed at Lin Xi's nose. "Speaking of which, I should call you Lin Sister, but look at you, you're getting younger and younger. If I could marry Xu Wen now, I would have been better off marrying him back then. From the start, I never liked him; so what does it mean to marry him now? Am I just marrying someone out of desperation? Even if his family doesn't mind, I would feel ashamed myself. But you're different; you actually like him now, and you two are a good match. Why don't you consider it?"
"I do like him, but what good does that do? The person he likes is you. Besides, I don't even know if I truly like him; that's just your perception. I don't understand how you can be so sure about my feelings when I'm not even sure myself. For years you've insisted that I like him; it's strange that our affections must revolve around the same man. Back then it was An Shaojie, and you insisted he liked me. But in reality, the one I liked was Lu Chenyu. Now you're saying I like Xu Wen, who likes you instead. Can't I find someone who likes me?" Lin Xi looked towards the horizon as a small bird flew by. After a moment, she exhaled and said, "In any case, let's not talk about Xu Wen. I have nothing to do with him. Don't forget that I'm still unsure if I like him; even if I do, he doesn't like me back."
"Alright, alright, let's drop that topic. I can't win this argument with you. Let me ask you again: please come work for my company. The salary I can offer is probably similar to what you're earning now, but I'm in the countryside—not as bustling as the Provincial Capital—but I really need you and want you to come. I've asked you so many times; what are you thinking?"
In 2004, when Lin Xi graduated from university, housing prices in China were skyrocketing like a mischievous child climbing a pole. The real estate market was alarming and had become China's largest bubble economy while simultaneously increasing the demand for Economics Major graduates in the job market. As an Economics Major herself, Lin Xi was among the top graduates of her class—having graduated from a prestigious university with a tall stature, good looks, and elegant demeanor—there were many opportunities for development in Beijing. However, due to Lu Chenyu's sudden disappearance, after working for a year at a real estate company in Beijing where her career was just beginning to take off, she resolutely gave up her job and returned to the Provincial Capital.
She had hoped that returning to the Provincial Capital would allow her to find Lu Chenyu again, but years had passed with no news.
After returning to the Provincial Capital, she first joined a large state-owned enterprise. The management there was rigid and lifeless—lacking innovation and passion—which felt like a waste of her youthful years for someone as talented as Lin Xi. After much consideration, she resigned from the state-owned enterprise and moved to a private company.
However, working at the private company was not aligned with her expertise and proved quite unmanageable. Moreover, private enterprises in China are essentially family-run businesses rife with complex relationships and conflicts; after some time there, Lin Xi resigned again and joined a foreign enterprise. Unfortunately, this foreign company had also been affected by the Asian financial crisis in 2008 and had yet to recover its vitality; it was currently in a state of stagnation.
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