Chapter 31: Be Careful Not to Regret in the Future

He spoke casually and decisively, immediately confirming the matter.

Jian Li furrowed her brows. “This is just an example.”

She looked at him. “Even if I quit this job today, after graduation, I will still enter society and face all kinds of people. Should I always avoid things like this? You can offer me help now, but can you help me for a lifetime? Even if you’re a good person and willing, I don’t want to rely on you forever.”

Zhou Shubei’s lips moved, but before he could speak, she continued—

“Before coming to Beicheng, my social skills were almost nonexistent. I didn’t know how to start a conversation with someone I met for the first time, didn’t know what emotions or reactions to give when talking to others, and when accepting help from others, apart from saying thank you, I mostly felt uneasy. I couldn’t understand why they would help me, afraid I wouldn’t be able to repay their kindness. You lent me 200,000 yuan, and I am really grateful because it secured my tuition and living expenses for three years. Even if I can’t find a part-time job and make money, I am guaranteed to continue studying. But I also feel afraid. I’m afraid my efforts won’t lead to the results I want, afraid you’ll be disappointed, and afraid you’ll think this investment was pointless. I’m afraid I’m not worthy of that 200,000.”

“I want to make a lot of money, a lot, so much that it can completely cover that 200,000. I want a place of my own in this city, so I don’t have to plan what to eat next to save a few yuan. I want to be able to pay generously when I go out with friends, rather than them choosing cheap places to accommodate me. I want to be able to travel without worrying about how much money it will cost or whether I will have enough.” Jian Li said all of this in one breath. “I want to be seen, but not in this way.”

She wanted to be seen by him, not as a weak person in need of help. She didn’t want to compromise. She wanted to be seen as an equal.

While it may never be perfectly equal, at least relatively so, to be able to express her feelings.

Zhou Shubei’s heart felt as if it had been hit with a heavy blow, the pain settled deep within him.

He straightened his back, which had bent countless times in the face of reality. For a moment, it felt like he saw his former self.

No one understood the feeling of being helpless when you had no money better than he did.

“I won’t quit this job. If you need help looking after the cat, I will talk to my roommate,” Jian Li said.

Her fair skin looked like winter snow under the light, and Cotton Candy was lazily lying on her lap, belly up, paws outstretched like a flower, purring softly. Cotton Candy lazily rolled over and wrapped its front paws around her hand, resting its head on her lap. She smiled, her eyes warm.

The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

Zhou Shubei’s eyelids flickered, and the words he didn’t want to ask slipped out. “Why don’t you go home?”

Jian Li looked up, and instead of answering, asked, “Why do you live alone in Longhu No. 1?”

“I have no home.”

“I don’t either.”

There was a brief silence, and Zhou Shubei suddenly chuckled, “Then we’re kindred spirits.”

“But we’re not pitiful,” Jian Li said. “We’re young, free, healthy, and have a bright future with things we want to do.”

She said this with eyes full of hope. Even though there were many unknown challenges ahead, she was not afraid. She would fall and rise again, knowing that the obstacles would eventually be smoothed out underfoot, becoming stepping stones to her success.

Zhou Shubei nodded, took a box of candy from the counter, and handed it to her. “Answer me when I ask something.”