From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

As I stepped outside, a cool evening breeze, carrying the moisture from the riverbank, blew against my face, sobering me up considerably.

After shoving Luo Peng into the passenger seat, Chen Yunqing also got into the car, having already called a designated driver.

I waved to her and said, "Yunqing, I'll leave Luo Peng to you. Contact me if you need anything."

She nodded to me through the car window, smiled, and said, "Okay, you guys should go back now, don't worry."

After watching Chen Yunqing's car drive away, A Qiu also hailed a taxi, preparing to leave with Brother Wang.

Before getting into the car, Wang Ge deliberately stopped.

He looked at me, saying little but very serious.

"Lin Ye, I'm not good at saying nice things, but today... I'm really happy. I haven't felt this good in a long time."

I looked at him, and my tone became more serious: "Me too. Brother Wang, thank you for coming today. Really."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Wang Ge sighed softly, then reached out and patted my shoulder, saying:

"Work hard. The footage from this route is unique. Don't let down what you risked your lives for. If you need equipment or route references for your future live streams, feel free to contact me anytime."

I quickly nodded: "Okay, let's keep in touch."

Wang Ge waved his hand again, got into the taxi with A Qiu, the taillights flashed, and they quickly merged into the traffic.

In the end, it was just Su Qing and me left.

She naturally took my arm and leaned closer to me.

Are you happy?

She looked up at me, the light from the streetlamp casting a soft outline on her face.

"Yeah, I'm really happy." I looked at her, the alcohol still lingering in my head, but my heart was overflowing with joy.

"Let's go for a walk, get some fresh air and sober up, is that alright?" she asked.

"It's alright, I'm not as useless as Luo Peng."

Su Qing chuckled and didn't say anything more, accompanying me as we slowly walked along the sidewalk.

We didn't have a specific destination, so we just followed the streetlights one by one.

After walking quietly for a while, Su Qing suddenly spoke softly, her voice a little muffled:

"Just now, when I heard Luo Peng say those things, I almost couldn't hold back my tears."

"Couldn't hold back what?" I looked down at her.

I almost cried.

I paused for a moment, then smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"It's not as bad as he makes it out to be. I think I'm doing pretty well; at least I don't have to worry about food or drink," I said softly.

Su Qing suddenly stopped and sighed.

She looked up at me, the light from the streetlamp falling into her eyes, making them sparkle.

"You're just too stubborn. Is it really that hard to admit you're having a tough time?"

"It's not difficult at all. As long as you feel it's worth it, that's enough."

As I spoke, I gently pinched her cheek and said softly, "Besides, I have such a wonderful girlfriend like you now, what's so difficult about it?"

Su Qing didn't say anything more, but suddenly took a step forward and hugged me tightly.

She buried her face in my chest, her voice muffled, and said, word by word:

"It won't happen again. From now on, I'll be with you, share your hardships, and fight alongside you. I'll never let you shoulder everything alone again."

My nose suddenly stung, and my eyes instantly welled up with tears.

I quickly tilted my head back to suppress the dampness, then reached out and hugged her back.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, carrying the lingering spicy aroma of the hot pot and the faint scent of shampoo from her hair.

We continued walking slowly along the halo of light cast by the streetlights, the evening breeze caressing us, a feeling of indescribable relaxation and comfort.

Right now, the temperature is just right, neither too cold nor too hot.

As night deepened, the streets became completely quiet, with very few vehicles and almost no pedestrians.

The road was quiet, and the dim streetlights cast long shadows of the two of us, overlapping on the road surface.

In a daze, it felt as if Su Qing and I were the only two people left in this vast city.

We walked slowly forward, our fingers intertwined, chatting casually.

They talked about the days to come, about the future that was still just a figment of their imagination.

That was the future I never dared to hope for before.

Every day in the past was filled with the heavy pressure of survival. Just surviving was enough to exhaust all my strength, and I had no spare thoughts to imagine what the future would be like.

But things are different now. I'm seriously considering things in my mind and making plans little by little.

About the account, about the company, about everything that happened between her and me...

As I was pondering these detailed plans, Su Qing's soft question abruptly pulled me back to reality from my daydreams about the future.

"Do you think Fang Heng will really be sent abroad?"

I was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to suddenly bring up this person.

To be honest, I haven't calmed down and thought about this matter carefully yet.

A night breeze blew by, rustling the leaves of the roadside trees.

I paused for a moment before slowly speaking:

"It's highly likely. Fang Renjie values ​​the Fang family's reputation above all else. Fang Heng has caused so much trouble in China; if he stays here, he's a ticking time bomb, a threat to both himself and the Fang family's reputation. From Fang Renjie's perspective, sending him abroad to avoid the storm is the safest course of action."

Su Qing let out a long sigh, her voice tinged with exhaustion: "I really hope that after he goes abroad, he will behave himself and stay quietly overseas. I really don't want to have anything to do with this person anymore."

"What, scared?" I turned my head to look at her, with a teasing smile.

Su Qing tilted her head and immediately denied it, with a hint of resentment:

"I'm not afraid at all. I just don't want to deal with this kind of person anymore. It's too exhausting."

I nodded slightly, without replying immediately.

Seeing my silence, she mistakenly thought I didn't believe her, and then, chin raised, added confidently:

"Seriously, when have I, Su Qing, ever been afraid of anyone? Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken the initiative to confront him in the first place."

I turned to look at her, smiled, and said, "I believe you. I was just thinking about something else."

"What is it?" she asked, her face full of doubt, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.

When I have something on my mind, I habitually want to smoke a cigarette.

I took out my cigarette case, lit one, took a drag, and slowly exhaled the faint smoke into the night.

"I'm thinking about it; Fang Renjie's reaction today was a bit off."

"Something's not right?"

Su Qing paused for a moment, then frowned and asked, "What's wrong? His behavior seems exactly like that of a wealthy father."

"That's what they say, but I just can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it. But my gut feeling tells me that things aren't as simple as they seem."

Su Qing sighed softly, reached out and took my arm, shaking it gently.

"You're overthinking things. You always complicate things. I don't see any problem with it."

I still hadn't dispelled my doubts, so I shook my head and continued, "Think about it carefully. Fang Heng and you were engaged before, right?"

Su Qing pouted, a hint of reluctance on her face: "Even if I don't want to bring it up, I can't deny that there was indeed such a marriage agreement before."

"That's the problem. Today I clearly told him that you are my girlfriend, but he remained completely calm and showed no sign of anything amiss."