Who wants to be a male model after being reborn? I want to be a male god.

Chapter 407 Something More Precious Than the Galaxy

As it was almost evening, Lan Qiu Sheng stood downstairs of the staff dormitory building of Linjiang No. 1 Middle School.

She was holding two boxes of freshly baked osmanthus cakes and a bottle of honey grapefruit tea.

This is Yu's mother's favorite snack and a souvenir she always brings when she comes to visit.

Since coming to Linjiang, she has fallen in love with this sweet but not greasy special delicacy, which tastes like a faint osmanthus fragrance.

The early autumn wind brought a little coolness, blowing away the heat in her heart.

The wind blew her high ponytail, and the ends of her hair brushed across her neck, feeling itchy, just like her uneasy mood at the moment.

Lan Qiu Sheng had been standing downstairs for some time.

Her thoughts seemed to go back to the calm and hot summer before.

It was her first time to come to such a big city, and then she met downstairs the person she would never forget in her heart.

Lan Qiu Sheng couldn't help but wonder what her life would have been like if she hadn't met Xu Wen?
Perhaps I would have lost to Ding Yue when I ran for class monitor.

Under Cheng Liming's arrangement, he might even become the Youth League branch secretary.

She completed her student work conscientiously every day, worked part-time in her spare time, and when the second year of college started, she began to review for the examination for selected students and prepare to join the national organization, becoming an activist first.
Lan Qiusheng once thought that this was the best life, but now when he thinks about it, he inexplicably feels lonely and isolated.

The appearance of Xu Wen brought her a whole new path.

A path she had never imagined.

And she now plans to continue along this path.

Lan Qiu Sheng didn’t know what the future would be like, but at least this was the path she wanted to take.

She took a deep breath and finally stepped into the door of her mother's apartment.

Although she had prepared herself mentally, she still felt a little nervous when it really came to this point.

"Ding Dong." She pressed the doorbell.

The moment the doorbell rang, Lan Qiusheng subconsciously straightened his collar.

Today she specially changed into the light blue dress that Yu's mother gave her last year. It was one of the few "good clothes" she could show off.

The suits Sister Jiang gave me were too formal.

The clothes Ding Yue bought for her were too fancy.

This is the only dress that fits.

Lan Qiu Sheng still remembers that when Yu's mother bought her this dress, she said that she was already a grown-up girl and should learn how to dress herself first.

"Come here, come here!" Familiar footsteps came from inside the door, accompanied by Yu Fengling's unique brisk tone.

The moment the door opened, the warm yellow light shone on Lan Qiu Sheng, and also reflected Yu Feng Ling's loving face.

She seemed to have a few more gray hairs than the last time we met, but her eyes were still as bright as before.

"Mom Yu." Lan Qiu Sheng called softly, his throat suddenly feeling tight.

"Come in quickly, it's cold outside. You say it's you too, always bringing something with you every time you come. If you do this again next time I won't let you come." Yu Fengling pretended to complain.

Although she said this, she still took the gift from Lan Qiu Sheng with a smile on her face.

Yu Fengling pulled her hand over and frowned slightly when she touched her fingertips: "Why are your hands so cold? Did you not eat well again?"

Lan Qiu Sheng shook her head and followed Yu Fengling into the living room that she was very familiar with.

The sofa cover was replaced with a new style with lavender florals, a plate of sliced ​​watermelon was placed on the coffee table, and the evening news was playing on TV.

Everything was just as I remembered, warm and orderly.

"Please sit down first. I'll bring out the soup. You said you wanted to come, so I specially stewed your favorite lotus root and pork ribs soup. I simmered it on low heat for the whole afternoon." Yu Fengling said as she walked towards the kitchen.

She kept mumbling, "Your father Yu is out on a business trip again. I'm the only one at home, and you're the only one willing to come back and accompany me."

Lan Qiu Sheng stood in front of the coffee table, at a loss, her eyes sweeping over the photos hanging on the wall.

The most conspicuous position is the photo she took with Yu Fengling at the gate of Linjiang No. 1 Middle School when she was admitted to university last year.

In the photo, she was wearing a borrowed formal dress and smiling stiffly; while Yu Fengling put her arm around her shoulders, her eyes full of pride.

"What are you looking at? Come and help serve the dishes." Yu Fengling's voice interrupted her thoughts.

The table was soon filled with home-cooked dishes: stir-fried seasonal vegetables, braised crucian carp, cold-mixed black fungus, and the bowl of steaming pork rib soup.

Lan Qiu Sheng felt a sour feeling in his nose. These dishes might seem ordinary, but they were all what Yu's mother remembered she liked to eat.

"Are you busy with your studies recently? How is your preparation for the selected cadre going?" Yu Fengling asked while serving her soup, with undisguised anticipation in her tone.

The spoon hit the wall of the bowl with a crisp sound, and Lan Qiusheng's hands trembled slightly.

This was exactly the question she feared most.

But she knew that she was here to talk about this matter and she couldn't escape.

If you just leave without saying a word, Yu's mother will be angry.

"Not bad." She lowered her head and took a sip of soup. The hot liquid slid down her throat, burning her eyes.
After she put down the spoon, she said, "Mother Yu, actually I came here today because I want to discuss something with you."

Yu Fengling paused as she picked up the food, and keenly noticed the difference in her tone: "What's wrong? What difficulties did you encounter?"

Lan Qiusheng put down his chopsticks and took a deep breath: "It's not difficult. I... I may not plan to take the selection exam."

She mustered up her courage and finally said this.

As soon as the words came out, the restaurant suddenly became so quiet that only the ticking of the wall clock could be heard.

Yu Fengling's expression froze, her chopsticks hanging in the air, and the light in her eyes dimmed little by little.

"Why?" These three words were asked very lightly, but with great solemnity.

Lan Qiusheng clenched the hem of her skirt, the fabric wrinkled in her palms: "Xu Wen's company wants to expand into the national market, he needs people to go to new cities to set up branches. I want to give it a try."

"Just for this? You gave up the selection exam you've been preparing for for so long, just to start a business with Xu Wen?" Yu Fengling's voice suddenly rose.
"It's not just because of Xu Wen! I really learned a lot in the company, I think," Lan Qiu Sheng explained eagerly.

"What do you think? Do you think working for him has more prospects than being a stable civil servant? Or do you think..." Yu Fengling interrupted her.

Her voice suddenly choked: "Do you still think that the path that an old woman like me has planned for you is wrong?"

Lan Qiusheng looked up suddenly and saw the tears flashing in Yu Fengling's eyes. His heart felt like it was being stabbed by a needle.

She had never seen the kind and gentle Mother Yu lose her composure like this.

"No, Mom Yu, I will be forever grateful for your help and guidance. Without you, I might not even finish high school, let alone go to college." She hurriedly stood up, knelt beside Yu Fengling and held her hand. Yu Fengling's hand was cold and trembling slightly.

Lan Qiusheng put his forehead against it and said in a choked voice: "Do you remember the first time we met? It was raining heavily that day and I was hiding in the back row of the classroom because I couldn't afford the school uniform fee and didn't dare to attend the flag-raising ceremony."

Memories came flooding back.

When I was in junior high school, my mother was bedridden and our family had no money at all.

It was Yu Fengling who found her hiding in the corner when she went to the county for exchange and study.

Not only did he decide to provide her with one-on-one funding, he also helped her apply for a scholarship.

"Later, you gave me living expenses every month, sent me cotton clothes in winter, and took me to the library during the summer vacation. I was very nervous before the college entrance examination, and you went to encourage me." Lan Qiu Sheng continued.

Yu Fengling's tears finally fell, dripping onto their clasped hands: "Why...why did you suddenly change your plan? Being a selected student is such a good career path, stable, respectable, and you can..."

"Because that was not the path I chose, just like you chose Yu Dad back then, not because the introducer said he was good, but because you saw the shining points in him." Lan Qiu Sheng raised his head, his eyes flashing with a determination that Yu Fengling had never seen before.

This analogy left Yu Fengling stunned.

She recalled the past events she had told Lan Qiu Sheng.

When they were young, people said that Mr. Yu, with his square face, was not worthy of her, but she was attracted by her husband's solidity and reliability.

"During this year in the company, I felt for the first time that I had value. I was no longer a poor student being sponsored, nor a poor person who needed care, but a professional who could stand on my own. Sister Jiang said that the plan I planned was more detailed than that of a professional team, and Sister Ruan praised my ability to respond during negotiations," Lan Qiu Sheng's voice was soft but clear.

She paused briefly, mustered up the courage to say the most crucial part: "The most important thing is that this time I went to Jinling to expand the market. It was my own decision. It was not because of Xu Wen, but because I wanted to prove myself that Lan Qiusheng could not only follow the path arranged by others."

The restaurant fell silent again.

Yu Fengling pulled her hand away, slowly stood up and walked to the window.

It was late at night and the lights of the distant buildings were twinkling. She had lived here for many, many years and this was her youth.

"Do you know why I have been encouraging you to take the selection exam?" After a long time, Yu Fengling spoke with her back to her, her voice hoarse.

Lan Qiusheng shook his head, then realized that Mother Yu couldn't see him, and said softly, "I don't know."

"Because I have seen too many girls like you, who are smart and hardworking, but are forced to give up their dreams because of their family circumstances. Being selected as a trainee is the safest way out I can think of. At least it can ensure that you no longer have to worry about food and clothing." Yu Fengling turned around with tears in the corners of her eyes.

She walked back to the dining table and sat down, looking tired but calm: "But I forgot to ask you what you really want."

This sentence was like a key that opened the softest part of Lan Qiu Sheng's heart.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she threw herself into Yu Fengling's arms, smelling the familiar scent of laundry detergent, like a child who had been lost for a long time and finally returned home.

"I'm sorry, Mom Yu, I'm really afraid of disappointing you."

"Silly child, how can a mother be disappointed because of her child's pursuit of her dreams? I just need time to digest it." Yu Fengling patted her on the back, just like she was coaxing a little girl who was crying because her classmates laughed at her for wearing old clothes many years ago.

She really treated Lan Qiu Sheng as her own daughter. She saw many people's shadows in this little girl, including herself.

Yu Fengling held Lan Qiusheng's face and wiped away the hot tears with her thumb: "Tell me, how long have you been thinking about this decision?"

"It started from Xu Wen proposing the national expansion plan, but I finally made up my mind last night. I thought about it for a very long time and didn't sleep all night. I plan to discuss it with my friends tomorrow." Lan Qiusheng confessed honestly.

Hearing this, Yu Fengling frowned slightly: "Will your friends support you?"

"She will definitely say that I'm crazy, but I think she will definitely make me think carefully whether I really want this opportunity, not just because..." Lan Qiu Sheng burst into laughter.

She could already imagine Ding Yue's devastated expression after hearing the news.

"It's not because of Xu Wen, you still like him, right?" Yu Fengling continued her words and sighed.

Lan Qiu Sheng did not answer immediately.

She recalled Xu Wen's rare surprised expression in his office this afternoon; she recalled the cup of coffee at just the right temperature that he handed her every time she worked overtime; and even earlier, on that rainy night, the two of them sat together in the hotel and spoke their hearts out to each other.

"I like him, but this decision is not made to get closer to him. If the Jinling branch is established, I will be stationed there permanently and will only come back for classes. In fact, the chances of us meeting will be even less." She finally admitted softly.

Yu Fengling nodded thoughtfully: "Does Xu Wen know your feelings?"

"I know. I confessed to him some time ago, but he rejected me and said that we are more suitable to be friends and work partners." Lan Qiusheng smiled bitterly.

This answer seemed to make Yu Fengling feel relieved, but also a little distressed.

She stroked Lan Qiu Sheng's hair as if she was stroking herself twenty years ago.

“Now that you’ve thought it through”

Yu Fengling stood up and took out a manila envelope from the drawer of the bookcase: "This is for you."

Lan Qiu Sheng took it doubtfully, and after opening it, he found a stack of train tickets and accommodation invoices. On top was a handwritten list, which detailed the various modes of transportation and the time required from Linjiang to Jinling.

"This is?"

"Your father Yu has a student who works in the Jinling Education Bureau. I had been planning to ask him to help inquire about the interview situation after you passed the written test for selected candidates. But now it seems that I have to find a way to use him." Yu Fengling explained.

She smiled.

Lan Qiu Sheng looked through the bills and found that the earliest one was from three months ago.

It turns out that Yu's mother had already been paving the way for her in her own way.

"Mother Yu" she was choked with sobs and couldn't speak.

"Don't be so moved. I have conditions. First, you must finish college. You can defer your studies but you cannot drop out. Second, you must call me every weekend to let me know you are safe. Third," Yu Fengling deliberately put on a stern face.

She suddenly stopped and took out a small velvet box from her pocket: "Put this on."

In the box was a silver ginkgo leaf brooch with clear veins on the leaf, which had a soft luster under the light.

"What is this?" Lan Qiu Sheng carefully took out the brooch.

"This is the first piece of jewelry I bought after I started working. Ginkgo represents tenacity and hope. No matter what difficulties you encounter, don't forget that there is always a light on for you in Linjiang." Yu Fengling helped her pin it on her collar.

The last sentence broke down all of Lan Qiusheng's defenses.

She hugged Yu Fengling tightly, and her tears soaked her clothes.

In this embrace, she found something more precious than the galaxy.

Unconditional love and acceptance.

Outside the window, a new moon rose quietly, and the moonlight sprinkled on the embracing "mother and daughter".

When the sun rises in the future, Lan Qiu Sheng will embark on a new journey.

But at this moment, she just wanted to stay in her mother's arms for a while longer and engrave this warmth into the deepest part of her memory.

(End of this chapter)