Chapter 036

After her thesis defense, He Ye had lunch with some classmates before taking the high-speed train back to Ancheng.

In recent years, science and technology in China have developed quickly, and Ancheng has also changed a lot. For example, several new subway lines have opened. There’s a subway entrance in the southwest corner of Xiaofeng Yaju, where the He family lives.

Since the subway is convenient, He Ye decided not to take the slow bus.

It was drizzling. He Ye opened an umbrella and pulled her suitcase with her right hand.

This suitcase is very sturdy and has lasted six years without breaking. However, the hinge is a bit stiff and sometimes gets stuck.

But this didn’t spoil He Ye’s good mood.

Shanghai is a bustling city, but Ancheng is her home. This time, she plans to stay for a long time, so she can have dinner with her family on weekends.

She walked slowly along the sidewalk on the south side of her neighborhood, feeling nostalgic as she looked at the camphor trees. The trees had grown thicker, and their branches were fuller, having been washed clean by the rain.

This is Ancheng. Even in winter, there’s green everywhere.

He Ye looked ahead.

The familiar bus stop was still there. Just then, a bus arrived. No one got on from the front, but a young couple holding hands jumped off from the back.

The boy held an umbrella in one hand and walked to the side of the billboard. He suddenly leaned down and kissed the girl next to him.

He Ye paused, as certain memories she had tried to forget came back to her mind.

Once, someone took her there…

The couple soon walked away, chatting and laughing, toward the south gate of the community.

He Ye continued walking.

However, she didn’t enter the south gate; she went around to the east gate.

The He family’s shop was still there, but the old “Guangming Supermarket” had changed to “Sunshine Fruit.” Nowadays, young people prefer buying everyday items online, making supermarkets less profitable.

Wu Li was seeing off a customer when she spotted He Ye a few dozen meters away. Her eyes lit up, and she happily shouted, “Old He, Xiao Ye is here!”

He Ye hurried to her father to save him some steps.

Wu Li took her umbrella and placed it on the stand next to her, smiling.

He Yong smiled even wider and brought out a small stool for He Ye to sit on. “How was the defense? Did it go well? I saw online that many college students complain about how hard the defense is.”

He Ye replied, “It was okay as long as you are well prepared.”

Wu Li chimed in, “I told your dad a long time ago; he just likes to worry. Our Xiao Ye is so outstanding; a thesis defense is just a formality.”

He Ye thought: “If only it were that simple. Writing my thesis gives me a headache!”

“Auntie, please sit down. I’ve been traveling and just want to stand for a bit.” He Ye offered the stool to the elder who had to stand almost all day.

Over the years, He Ye grew to like Wu Li more and more. If Wu Li weren’t seventeen years older than her, He Ye might have called her “Mom” long ago.

Wu Li couldn’t sit still. She grabbed some bright red cherries, washed them, and brought them out in a plastic box, telling He Ye to eat some: “These are especially sweet; try them.”

He Ye felt guilty: “Why are you being so nice to me? You should keep them and sell them for money.”

It’s fine to eat tangerines and oranges, but cherries are too expensive.

Wu Li scolded her: “You are just like your father, so frugal. You work hard to earn money, so enjoy the good life. Why don’t you eat the food available at home?”

He Ye lowered her head and smiled.

He Yong secretly felt worried. He didn’t understand why his daughter was so frugal until Wu Li pointed it out. Now he realized she was influenced by her…

Being frugal is a good virtue, but as a father, he felt sad when he saw his daughter not enjoying life.

He Yong turned around and opened a big durian ^[1]a large tropical fruit with a strong smell and thorny husk. for his daughter!

While He Ye was in Shanghai, he couldn’t reach her. Now that she was back, he wanted her to have plenty of fruit, no matter how reluctant she was!

He Ye thought: …

“How’s business now?” she asked.

Wu Li replied, “It’s good. There are many wealthy people in our community. They often come to buy fruits, and some buy cherries by the box.”

He Yong added, “You mean the Zhou family, right? Their son was Xiao Ye’s high school classmate.”

Wu Li thought: “Does he have a girlfriend? Should I try to set Xiao Ye up with him?”

He Ye almost choked on a cherry!

Wu Li was serious. She had seen the boy from the Zhou family; he was tall and handsome and always smiled sweetly. She liked him, even though his family wasn’t wealthy.

After catching her breath, He Ye quickly said, “Auntie, you’re overthinking. He already has someone he likes, and she’s my best friend.”

He Yong was surprised: “He likes Xiaoqing?”

He Ye nodded.

Although Zhu Qing refused to admit it and they didn’t openly acknowledge it, there was tension between them. He Ye sensed the closeness in Zhu Qing’s complaints about Zhou Xiangming.

He Yong said, “That’s great. They are a good match.”

Wu Li felt disappointed that the matchmaking idea ended so quickly. She asked He Yong: “Isn’t there a guy in the same community who went to Tsinghua University? He’s also Xiao Ye’s classmate. Where is he now?”

He Ye silently bit into a cherry.

He Yong responded, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in the past two years. I think I heard from Xiao Zhou that he seemed to have gone abroad.”

He Ye had heard the same news.

During last year’s New Year’s party, Zhu Qing had mentioned it by chance. After she spoke, she glanced at He Ye, worried she wouldn’t want to hear it.

He Ye wasn’t upset by it.

After breaking up with Lu Jin, she didn’t want to explain why they ended things, so she avoided answering Zhu Qing. Now, even when Zhu Qing mentioned Lu Jin, He Ye felt only a few ripples of emotion.

He Ye couldn’t treat Lu Jin like her other high school classmates. She cared about him because they shared many special memories. 

However, her concern was limited to knowing that he had gone abroad. She felt a bit relieved because he was away, and she wouldn’t have to worry about running into him when she returned to Ancheng.

He Ye didn’t hate Lu Jin or fear him; she just found it too embarrassing to see him. He was the man who once kissed her and made her feel things she didn’t want to remember.

Now, thinking back, He Ye felt extremely regretful. Why did she let him do so many embarrassing things back then? 

She wanted to analyze her mindset at 18 ^[2]which is the age when she made those choices. and how she got to that point.

He Ye remembered a night when her college roommates shared embarrassing childhood stories. They all had some “dark history” that was hard to forget. When it was her turn, she calmly said, “I’m fine. I just read books and did homework every day. I don’t have any wonderful memories.” 

But only she knew that her summer vacation with Lu Jin was the most embarrassing time of her life.

In the evening, He Ye prepared dinner and brought it to the fruit shop in a thermos. The family of three squeezed behind the cashier counter to eat together.

The supermarket closed early because fruits spoil easily. Wu Li, the most generous person in the family, didn’t want to waste time before 8 PM, especially with He Ye and her daughter working hard.

“How many days do you plan to stay here this time?” He Yong asked, showing his complaints about his daughter.

He Ye felt guilty. She had moved in with her grandparents so quickly and didn’t blame her father, but now she realized she wasn’t mature enough. She just wanted her father to be happy with Aunt Wu without worrying about her feelings. But she forgot that he missed her as his daughter.

“I’ll stay until I get the results from my interview,” He Ye replied with a smile.

He Yong said, “You’re looking for a job right after your defense? The Chinese New Year is only half a month away. It would be better to find one after the New Year. You have the same hard-working life as me.”

He Ye whispered, “I saw a job posting, so I applied. Besides, if I can find a job before the New Year, I can enjoy the holiday. Don’t you think so, Auntie?”

Wu Li asked, “Which company did you find? Have they notified you about an interview?”

“Blue Ocean Robotics is a subsidiary of Blue Ocean Technology. It just went public six months ago.” 

Blue Ocean is one of the country’s leading technology companies. It established a robotics subsidiary when He Ye was a sophomore in college and is now a leader in the industry.

He Ye wanted to return to Ancheng to work, and Blue Ocean Robotics was her only choice.

He Yong asked, “Where is the company? Is it close to your apartment?”

He Ye smiled, “It’s close, just over six kilometers. It’s easy to take a taxi or the subway. Zhu Qing even envies me for having good taste in buying a house.”

When her father first bought her a house, the properties were relatively cheap. He didn’t expect the area to become popular over the years.

He Yong chuckled, “Maybe I’m born to invest. Some people advised me to invest in stocks.”

Wu Li glared, “Who advised you to do that? I’m going to call and scold him right now!”

He Ye also scolded her father seriously.

He Yong said, “Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. I’m not that foolish. By the way, Xiao Ye, hurry up and take your driver’s license test. Dad will buy you a car, so we won’t have to squeeze into the subway. We can live comfortably in the future.”

Wu Li added, “Yes, knowing how to drive makes everything easier. If you miss your grandparents, you can drive right away. Learn to drive quickly so your dad doesn’t waste money on stocks.”

He Ye was both amused and exasperated but agreed for now.

The next day, at 9:30 AM, He Ye arrived at the Blue Ocean Robotics headquarters half an hour early.

After taking time to familiarize herself with the building, He Ye went to the interview location.

There were three rounds of interviews, and today was just the first. According to the usual process, the leader of the “Motion Control Algorithm Group” that posted the job should review the applicants’ qualifications.

More than a dozen interviewees were in the lounge, including three women, including He Ye.

He Ye sat by the window, silently preparing her thoughts.

She had interned at a large company in Shanghai and had similar interview experiences, which boosted her confidence.

“He Ye.”

She put away her phone and entered the small meeting room for interviews.

The interviewer was a young man in a suit who seemed to be about the same age as He Ye. He had dimples and was friendly.

“He Ye, right? You are my junior.” Cheng Rui smiled kindly. “I graduated from the Computer Science Department in 2017, a year older than you.”

He Ye was surprised: “Oh, I remember you won a prize in the robot competition for our school!”

Cheng Rui waved his resume. “The new generation pushes the old generation forward. We only took second place that year, but your group took first.”