Chapter 550: May things always be better with no regrets
Xu Tingsheng having white hair caused him to feel a bit of panic. As someone who had lost his youth before, he was concerned about and cherished this period of time in life more than those ignorant, unthinking youths did by a long shot.
This is the best time in life. It is reminisced on countless times by those who have lost it, much more splendidly and colourfully than it really was.
In those final years of his previous life when he had pointlessly overworked himself with nothing to show for it but regret, Xu Tingsheng"s hair had all turned grey.
The morning he had realised this, he had woken up in a cheap hotel in Vietnam. Was.h.i.+ng his face and looking up at the cracked mirror, he had seen his own weathered face and that grey stretching across his temples.
Then, he had sat limply on the ground in front of the washbasin, weeping without any regard for his image whatsoever from the bottom of his heart, "Xiang Ning, it"s too late. Sorry, I can"t make it...I can"t make it."
It was on that fateful day that he had ceased his final struggle. He had dealt with the last batch of high-end accessories from Yiwu market without caring about the initial investment cost, then returned to Jiannan where he opened a small store. Despite the legal action, curses or physical violence of the debtors...he had simply given up for real.
Afterwards, it was in that very store that he had seen Xiang Ning for the last time. At the time, he had still been in several million yuan worth of debt.
"What is it?" Wu Yuewei dragged Xu Tingsheng back from his miserable memories.
"It"s nothing," Xu Tingsheng smiled, "Did you look properly? Is there really just one?"
"It"s really just one. I looked properly. I looked really carefully," Wu Yuewei tousled his hair, smiling brightly.
Xu Tingsheng spoke without thinking for a moment, "Whoever marries you will definitely be very happy."
He had said similar words in his previous life, at her wedding where she had been drunk. That day, feeling awkward, Xu Tingsheng had left the venue prematurely.
It was more or less the same thing this time. Xu Tingsheng nearly slapped himself at once. He was the last person who should be saying these words-anyone could say it but just not him.
Unexpectedly, Wu Yuewei did not get angry or sad as she raised her head slightly, replying, "Well, I"ve always had a good temper and don"t get angry for long. I"d probably be the kind of woman who, after getting angry and leaving the house, would go buy groceries and come back home to quietly cook. How good am I?!"
Xu Tingsheng relaxed as he quipped, "Getting angry and leaving the house? You may not even reach the point of quarreling in the first place."
"I will quarrel too," Wu Yuewei said earnestly, "If a woman does not quarrel with a man, how would she know if the man loves her or not?"
"...Where did you hear all these strange principles from?" Xu Tingsheng got in the mood for chatting.
"My roommate said it," Wu Yuewei said.
"Do girls from Qingbei behave like this in relations.h.i.+ps as well?"
"All girls do it this way. What else would you expect?"
"I thought you"re all so high up that you"d be discussing and theorising on how to run the country well. Look, if even you talents are like this, when can the nation truly be powerful and wealthy?"
"I see you like talking rubbish as much as you did in junior high."
"Well, don"t you still like me though?!"
Xu Tingsheng had accidentally retorted without thinking..he immediately felt like slapping himself.
Wu Yuewei looked at him.
"I"m silly, right?" She asked, "Actually, when I was upset in the past, I also fumed like a child and told myself that if I continued to like you, my surname wouldn"t be Wu anymore."
They reached their stop. Zhong Wusheng was waiting nearby in a car.
Xu Tingsheng walked in front, Wu Yuewei behind him.
"Senior," She said.
Xu Tingsheng turned back to look at her.
"Actually, I made such vows many times. Once in ninth grade, once in tenth grade, once after graduating from senior high, everyday in university...so, I actually stopped being surnamed Wu long ago, just that n.o.body knows. What is my surname then? I probably want it to be Xu, but...it doesn"t seem the country would allow it."
Her words caused Xu Tingsheng to freeze in his tracks.
"Let"s go, Senior. Pretend you didn"t hear it, and I"ll pretend I never said it."
Sitting in the backseat, the scenery of yore flashed by, signifying the pa.s.sing of the days. He had left behind too many regrets in the thirty-one years of his previous life.
Since having been reborn in this life, he had tried to make up for his regrets as best he could. The remainder...just like how the waves would always sweep the seash.e.l.ls on the beach back into the sea, may things always be better with no regrets.
……
While he had rushed all the way over here, the one who would be taking the university entrance examinations tomorrow was still happily watching television.
Xu Qiuyi looked at Xu Tingsheng.
"Why did you come back too?" His younger sister asked.
"That"s too hurtful, Qiuyi! What do you mean why did I come back too? Your brother came back specifically to accompany you in your examinations. It"s fine that you"re not moved, but you are actually disdaining it?!" Xu Tingsheng feigned an aggrieved tone.
When Xu Qiuyi had taken the university entrance examinations in his previous life, he had been waiting outside the venue for her. His younger sister had already been too sensible at the time. Comparatively speaking, while he seemed to be grudging it, Xu Tingsheng actually preferred this sister who could be wilful and insensible.
"Well, not exactly," Xu Qiuyi hesitated, "It"s actually not that I really oppose you coming back. It"s just, it"s just that I don"t think someone wants to see you."
"But I"ve already seen him," Wu Yuewei revealed herself from behind the door and smiled, saying, "Let"s go, we"ll ignore him. I"ll help you brush up on some knowledge for tomorrow…"
"I"ll go too," Xu Tingsheng said.
"What"d you go for? You"re a Humanities student, you don"t understand the material."
"I...I can at least a.n.a.lyse compositions with you two."
"But...we"re of Qingbei level."
"..."
Wu Yuewei accompanied Xu Qiuyi while Xu Tingsheng sat down with his father, narrating the Fang family"s situation and his att.i.tude and position regarding this matter. Mr Xu was someone who valued relations.h.i.+ps greatly. The Fang family had lent a hand in the matter between the Xu and Huang families previously, and the Xu family owed them one for it.
"If you chose to stay out of the Fang family"s affair, Dad would think that you"ve grown up and feel at ease. Still, I know that that"s not you. If anything happens to Yuqing then, it"d weigh on your mind for the rest of your life."
"Go on then. If you really can"t handle it, tell Dad. Dad will also help you to think of a way...we might not be able to help much with anything else, but sending a few people overseas should still be okay. What do you think?"
"Sending them overseas? With what"s happened to their family, it"d probably be difficult for the family members to leave the country."
"It"s alright. I was in contact with a batch of foreign merchants previously. They were led over by people from the American emba.s.sy."
"Woah, crazy!"
"No need for this with Dad. Just see if you need it or not."
"Right, I"ll tell you if I really do need it."
"Alright. Now that you"re back, you should take a good rest. Actually, Qiuyi rather misses you too. She was still complaining a few days back that she"s going to have her university entrance examinations, but you didn"t even call her once. Also, while she may seem to disdain you on the surface, she actually loves to listen to her cla.s.smates discussing you and read news articles about you too. When she comes home every weekend, she"s always chattering on about you...she"s very proud of you."
Xu Tingsheng smiled.
"Actually, Dad"s the same too," Mr Xu said.
Xu Tingsheng found some wine and clinked gla.s.ses with his father.
"Dad."
"Yes?"
"Actually, the thing I"m proudest of in this life is that my Dad is Xu Jianliang. With you around, I don"t have to be afraid of anything."
"And that"s the way it should be. You are my, Xu Jianliang"s, son. Have courage and start your campaign, commence your battle. Dad will always be standing behind you."