Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

As soon as he stepped into the restaurant, Cai Xiaoli greeted him: "Chunming, I need to talk to you."

The two entered Taozi's office one after the other.

"Chunming, I want to withdraw my investment. This year's dividends, along with my initial investment, will be settled in full. I plan to take a break for a while."

Taozi and Han Chunming stood there, stunned, unable to process what had just happened.

"What happened to Xiaoli? Why is she suddenly leaving?"

Taozi frowned, his voice full of astonishment.

"Nothing serious happened, I just don't want to work here anymore. Oh well, let's part ways amicably and let the accountant settle the accounts."

Cai Xiaoli's tone was soft, yet like a block of ice—cold, hard, and resolute. Han Chunming opened his mouth, unsure how to offer any words of advice.

"Are you really sure?"

He asked in a low voice.

"I've been thinking about this for three whole months." She looked up and stared straight ahead. "This place has no light, no roads, and no hope—I need to find a new way to live."

Han Chunming understood what he meant, so he didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, called the finance department, and settled the money on the spot.

Taozi silently accompanied her to the entrance of the alley. As soon as they stopped, Cheng Jianjun greeted them with a smile, carrying a bag of fruit in his hand. He warmly took Cai Xiaoli's bag.

Han Chunming sat alone in his office, staring blankly out the window, half-burnt cigarette ash, without flicking it off.

……

Li Chengtao, known as Taozi, felt as if his heart was stuffed with a damp cotton ball, heavy and suffocating. Afraid of upsetting Xiaoli, yet unsure how to bring it up, he felt that her retreating figure following Cheng Jianjun was like a dull knife slowly cutting into his chest.

He was distracted all day, and in the afternoon he took a break and went straight to Cai Xiaoli's building to wait for her.

"Taozi, Xiaoli went to visit a classmate. She should be back soon. Have something to eat first," said Cai's mother, bringing out a bowl of sweet soup in a gentle tone.

"Auntie, I'm not hungry. I just stopped by to see you and Uncle. I'll sit for a bit and then leave." He forced a smile, his palms sweaty.

He drank cup after cup of tea, and an hour slipped by unnoticed. Still no sign of anyone, Taozi grew restless, afraid of disturbing the peace. He got up and wandered to the alley entrance, leaning against a telephone pole to wait.

The cold wind howled for three hours, making his ears ache. Finally, a familiar figure appeared under the streetlights in the distance—his chest warmed, and he almost ran towards it.

"Xiaoli! Why are you so late? Your aunt and uncle were so worried!" He quickly went to greet her. "Don't walk alone at night in the future, it's too unsafe."

"I ran into an old classmate, and we got so engrossed in chatting that I lost track of time." She smiled. "By the way, what are you still standing there for?"

"I'm worried about you." He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Xiaoli, I've told you before, I like you. Tomorrow... can you come home with me to meet my parents?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the air fell silent.

"Taozi, I'm sorry." Her gaze was calm. "I already have someone I like."

"Cheng Jianjun?" His voice suddenly tightened. "He's unreliable! Trust me, you won't find peace with him!"

"This is my own business, and it's none of your concern to judge." She pushed her bicycle, her tone suddenly sharp. "Even if I don't like him, I will never choose you. From today onwards, don't come looking for me again."

The wheels creaked as they rolled over the blue bricks. Taozi stood frozen, his eyes welling up, but he stubbornly held his head back, refusing to let the tears fall. He kept asking himself: What am I lacking?

"Then tell me, in what ways is Cai Xiaoli inferior to Su Meng? Why did Han Chunming choose Su Meng but let her go?"

A voice drifted from the shadows. Taozi turned around sharply—it was Wang Dingke, Xiao Yao's friend from the south, whom he had met a few times.

"I...can't answer that." His voice was hoarse.

"What is love? It's when you like me, and I happen to like you too, that's love." Wang Dingke lit a cigarette, the flame illuminating half his face. "If you're pouring your heart out to someone who doesn't reciprocate, that's called infatuation, not fate. If Meng Xiaoxing insisted on marrying you, would you be happy?"

These words were actually passed on to him by Xiao Yao. He himself might not have truly understood them; he was merely reciting them verbatim. Whether they could enlighten him to some extent depended entirely on Taozi's comprehension.

Han Chunming was busy with business, and Xiao Yao was unwilling to watch his brother ruin himself for a girl he had just passed by.

"In this life, everyone we meet is a passerby—brothers, parents, comrades-in-arms, colleagues, friends, lovers, strangers... Everyone who passes by leaves something behind: a reminder, a fall, a bit of warmth, or a slap in the face."

Perhaps someone is etched deeper in your heart, but ultimately, you have to walk your own path. Who can guarantee what the future holds? A moment of impulsiveness can truly ruin your entire life.

You can't force her to change her mind for you, but you have to learn to swallow your resentment and then straighten your back and move forward.

Wang Dingke found these words to be profound, and after pondering them for half the night, he finally understood their meaning. He secretly decided: I must recite them often from now on, and take them as my motto. After saying this, he turned and disappeared into the dark alley, his figure vanishing in a flash.

At first, he was puzzled as to why Xiao Yao, the leader, had mysteriously slipped him a note, insisting that he come here tonight to say these things. Now he understood—it turned out that Miss Cai had never been interested in him at all.

This Xiao Yao is truly amazing! Wang Dingke secretly resolved: when looking for a girlfriend in the future, the first thing he would do is ask Xiao Yao to help him decide whether the girl actually likes him.

Taozi walked alone on the empty street, Wang Dingke's words echoing in his ears:

I don't want to marry Meng Xiaoxing, so why should Xiaoli accept me?

Liking someone isn't something to be taken for granted; it's when two hearts beat at the same time.

No matter how intense your unrequited love is, it can't warm the other person's heart.

Xiaoli has never looked at me with that kind of gaze—just like when Su Meng looked at Xiao Yao, her eyes were filled with light, softness, and certainty.

He pushed open the door to his house, locked the bedroom door, and started drinking bottle after bottle of alcohol, trying to get drunk and dilute reality.

The next day at noon, Han Chunming entered the restaurant, but Taozi didn't appear. His heart skipped a beat: yesterday he had seen Cheng Jianjun walking hand-in-hand with Cai Xiaoli across the street… Could that kid be up to no good?

He immediately hopped on his motorcycle and headed straight for Taozi's house. Only when Taozi's mother said, "She's not up yet," did his anxiety subside.

He knocked on the door, and it opened a crack, releasing a strong smell of alcohol. Empty bottles lay scattered on the floor. Han Chunming sighed, feeling a sense of relief—it was better to vent than to bottle it up and get sick.

"Why didn't you go to the restaurant to keep an eye on things today?" he asked casually.

"I'm in a bad mood, I forgot to say hello... I'm sorry, Chunming." Taozi lowered his head and rubbed the hem of his clothes, his voice weak.

"What happened? Want to have a heart-to-heart with me?"

Han Chunming's heart sank. He instinctively felt that this matter couldn't be separated from Cai Xiaoli. If it weren't for Su Meng standing in the middle, he wouldn't have even looked at Cai Xiaoli. He also knew Taozi's feelings for her. He was unwilling to tear apart the brotherhood between the two of them for his own selfish reasons.

"Don't laugh at me, I've already told you all about my feelings for Xiaoli... but only now do I truly understand: if someone doesn't like you from the bottom of their heart, no matter how hard you try to get close, you'll never reach their heart. I always thought time would win her back, but who knew she would turn around and hold Cheng Jianjun's hand—feelings aren't something you can warm up by gritting your teeth and holding on."

Taozi gave a bitter laugh, his words tinged with bitterness, but without a trace of sob.

"Wow, you've got a whole set of theories to back it up, unlike your usual stubborn self. Tell me, who gave you this hangover soup?"

Han Chunming joked, but his eyes didn't relax in the slightest. He knew Taozi too well—stubborn and obstinate, he couldn't be persuaded with just a few words. That's why he rushed over overnight, afraid that this silly boy would stubbornly keep hitting a brick wall and cause something bad to happen.

"I ran into Xiao Yao, an old friend from the south, last night at the entrance of the narrow alley where Cai Xiaoli lives."

Taozi didn't mince words and spoke frankly.

Han Chunming raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all, but felt that the coincidence was too coincidental, as if someone had set up the scheme at the exact time.

"Alright, brother, look ahead! There are plenty of good girls out there. The most important thing right now is to stand tall and get the job done—we still have families to feed!"

Han Chunming patted him on the shoulder.

Taozi nodded silently, quickly tidied up the room, hastily wiped his face, grabbed his coat, and followed Han Chunming out. He knew that Han Chunming still had to rush to the toy factory to oversee things—although the restaurant had a new manager, Guan, who was truly capable, he was too careless, not keeping a close eye on the blueprints or the furnace fire, and could easily make mistakes if he wasn't careful.

……

Outside the research institute, several military green off-road vehicles silently came to a stop, their doors opening in unison to welcome Xiao Yao and his entourage to the military research institute.

Dean Yan led everyone forward and raised his hand to introduce the officer with the straight posture at the front: "This is Division Commander Li, who is in charge of security and guard at the military region's research institute."

He then turned to Xiao Yao, his tone filled with undisguised pride: "This is Professor Xiao Yao, the 'national treasure' scientist that our old leader always talks about."

Commander Li strode forward, grasping Xiao Yao's hands firmly: "I've long admired Professor Xiao's name; it's legendary!"

Xiao Yao smiled slightly: "Commander Li, you flatter me. I don't deserve such a heavy title."

"These people," Dean Yan pointed to them one by one, "Wang Yutong, Lin Siyue, Qian Wentao, Ji Fengnan, Xu Wenxin, Wu Rui—all top-notch research backbones who fought alongside Xiao Yao. One team, six hardcore brains."

He knew that without the tireless support of this group of people, even the sharpest blade of Xiao Yao would struggle to break through the technological barriers.

Commander Li shook hands with each of them, his smile warm and solemn.

"This is Comrade Su Man, Professor Xiao Yao's life partner and research assistant."

Division Commander Li nodded to Su Man and said, "Comrade Su Man, welcome."

Su Man nodded slightly: "Commander Li, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"All subsequent experiments will be conducted within the absolute security zone of the military research institute."

Dean Yan's tone turned serious.

Xiao Yao was slightly taken aback: "Wasn't it said that after the initial assessment, we would go back to the original institute to conduct the actual measurements?"

Dean Yan shook his head, his expression serious: "This project is of a very high level, and there is no room for error. The old leader personally approved it, and it must be operated in complete secrecy—the engine technology you have is directly related to a crucial link in the leapfrog development of our air force's combat capabilities. If the news leaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable. Foreign forces have never blinked at our eyes."