Love Apartment: Yifei is my junior aunt

Chapter 500 Only Children Make Choices

As night fell, a few lonely stars dotted the crescent moon.

It was late at night, and Ziqiao, looking depressed, leaned against the balcony of 3602 and drank aimlessly.

Although Teacher Zeng was a little tipsy after drinking, he wouldn't get drunk so easily.

Although Xiao Hei's hammer looks scary, he wouldn't actually use it to smash his own head.

Zi Qiao, who had been thoroughly humiliated by the two but was unharmed, sighed. He stared blankly at the sky, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

I've known my godfather for so many years. We've been companions in this mortal world, living a carefree and unrestrained life, galloping on horseback, and sharing in the splendor of human existence.

Ziqiao always felt that his godfather was just like he said, a free and unrestrained cloud, drifting wherever the wind took him, the whole world being nothing more than his inn.

However, it was only today that I realized that even the dashing and eternally passionate Alexandre Dumas would grow old.

Tomorrow is my godfather's wedding. The father and son often say that marriage is the execution ground and the grave. Even now, Ziqiao still can't quite believe that his godfather would choose to step into the execution ground that he once despised a thousand times, and live a peaceful and contented life.

Yes, he believed his godfather would live a stable and contented life.

Because his godfather is smarter than him, knows better self-control, and has more courage and determination to change things.

He would never be like himself, whose body and soul yearn for a stable and peaceful life, yet whose soul is always restless, still coveting those beautiful things that should have been abandoned long ago.

Even though Ziqiao knew very well that these beautiful things would one day give birth to a bitter fruit that he could not bear, he was still unwilling to break free from the torrent of desire.

Perhaps it wasn't that he was unwilling, but rather, as his godfather said, he was just worried that if he tried to change things, he would eventually find that he simply didn't have the ability or determination to change them.

Because I'm afraid I can't do it, I don't even dare to take a step forward and try.

But if someone his age can calmly try to change and accept the life that is about to change...

Then why can't I do it myself?

Ziqiao lowered his head, staring at the wine glass in his hand, lost in thought.

"Will it change?"

He murmured softly.

At this moment, Wanyu, who was wearing cartoon pajamas, also came to the balcony of 3601 because of insomnia.

The impact of everything that happened today on her was truly too intense.

First, there's the work at the magazine, then Zhanbo and Zhao Wuliang's conversation, Meijia's self-questioning, and finally, Alexandre Dumas ending his journey and adventure to freedom.

Wanyu didn't know how to describe her incredibly complicated feelings.

She had never felt so close to the life she loved, yet somehow she felt increasingly unable to see what kind of life she truly wanted.

After chatting with Alexandre Dumas, Wanyu became even more certain that she liked the kind of life that was unsettled and free.

She wanted new scenery and new adventures every day, just like Alexandre Dumas's experiences over the past few decades.

After enjoying decades of freedom and adventure, Alexandre Dumas is about to enter the hall of marriage tomorrow and start a stable and peaceful life.

If a stable and peaceful life is the end of this journey of freedom, then what is the point of her setting sail now?

Wanyu knows that the most important thing about a journey is the process rather than the ending, but is the process necessarily perfect?

Even though Alexandre Dumas said from beginning to end that he never regretted his past choices, every word he uttered was full of regret.

Who can guarantee that these regrets, before the passage of time, won't become Dumas's unforgettable yet irreparable regrets?

Wanyu didn't know, but she didn't want to regret it.

She leaned against the balcony railing, looking up at the sky, but the question Zhanbo had asked her earlier kept replaying in her mind.

Is there absolutely no place for everyone in the apartment complex in our own freedom and dreams?

I think...there probably is.

"well……"

Two distinct sighs, both filled with sorrow, rang out simultaneously.

Ziqiao and Wanyu were both stunned for a moment before turning their gaze from the night sky to each other on the adjacent balcony.

"Wanyu?"

"Ziqiao?"

The two said in unison, "Why aren't you resting? Aren't you going to a wedding tomorrow?"

They gazed at each other silently, then burst into laughter simultaneously.

It's true that one's own troubles can be frustrating, but if someone else is just as frustrated as you, you'd be incredibly happy.

Ziqiao silently approached the direction of 3601, raising the wine bottle and glass in his hand to Wanyu: "How about it, want some?"

Wan Yu hesitated upon hearing this. She had a low alcohol tolerance, and if she drank more alcohol and went to sleep at this hour, she would definitely have a terrible headache when she woke up the next day.

However, she finally nodded and said, "Okay, give me some."

Ziqiao gulped down the remaining wine in his glass, then refilled it.

He handed the bottle to Wanyu: "There's not much wine left in here, so just drink it straight from the bottle."

Wanyu took the bottle and took a small sip.

Ziqiao raised his glass and said with a smile, "We were all too busy tonight, and we didn't even have a chance to congratulate you on finding such a great job."

"Come on, cheers!"

"Cheers."

The two exchanged a smile, and their wine glasses and bottles clinked together across the balcony, making a crisp sound.

"By the way, are fashion editors paid very high salaries?"

Ziqiao rubbed his hands together, smiling with a hint of excitement, "If that's the case, does it mean I can borrow even more money from you in the future?"

Wan Yu gasped in astonishment, "I haven't even started working here yet, and you're already eyeing my salary?"

She rolled her eyes at Ziqiao and said irritably, "Besides, didn't your godmother Elizabeth just give you a super, incredibly thick red envelope?"

Ziqiao shrugged upon hearing this: "It's just a red envelope, how thick can it be?"

"Besides, Wanyu, you know me. I'm the kind of person who lives for the moment and doesn't care about tomorrow. Even if I care about tomorrow, I won't think about the day after tomorrow."

"That red envelope was indeed very thick, but I'll spend it all in two months at most. Anyway, there are ways to spend money when you have it, and ways to live when you don't."

Ziqiao shamelessly said, "Besides, I've been thinking that you should be starting work and getting paid in two months, isn't this just being prepared?"

Wan Yu was both annoyed and amused. Now she understood why Yu Mo said that seeing Zi Qiao made her want to smash a bottle over his head.

I'm holding this bottle and I want to swing it and smash it over his head!

"Who in their right mind would plan ahead and start borrowing money two months in advance?"

She asked, quite displeased, "Ziqiao, can't you just find a regular job?"

"Um... never mind."

Wanyu waved her hand and retracted a comment, after all, she also felt that asking Ziqiao to find a job was too far-fetched.

Unexpectedly, after listening to Wanyu's words, Ziqiao actually began to think about it seriously.

"Finding a job... isn't out of the question."

"what?"

Wan Yu was completely stunned; she even wondered if she was dreaming.

Ziqiao is actually thinking about finding a job? Is this really Ziqiao?

Immediately afterward, Wanyu heard Ziqiao ask with great interest, "Wanyu, do you know if there's any job in the world that pays well, is easy, close to home, has high position and great power but little responsibility, lets you sleep until you naturally wake up, and count money until your hands cramp up?"

"Forehead……"

Before Wanyu could say anything, Ziqiao continued to fantasize: "Ideally, the working hours would be less than three hours a day, no clocking in, no overtime, bonuses during holidays, and wages would keep rising as the currency depreciates, while the workload would gradually decrease as the market environment worsens."

"By the way, the job should ideally not require physical labor... and preferably not mental labor either. It should be something simple and easy to understand, something that anyone can do."

"The most important thing is that there can't be any hard educational requirements when hiring, otherwise I won't be selected."

"By the way, it would be best if all my colleagues were beautiful; it's more pleasing to the eye that way. Their bra size should be at least..."

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Wan Yu couldn't listen anymore. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but now it seemed that if anyone was dreaming, it was Zi Qiao.

"Ziqiao, I'm just a runaway young lady, not a runaway genie. Your wishes won't work on me."

"Can't you just give up these pointless fantasies and find a normal job?"

"Normal work?"

Ziqiao laughed: "You mean the kind of job with a 9-to-5 schedule, weekends off, full social insurance and housing fund benefits, triple pay for overtime, no workplace violence, and no workplace unspoken rules."

"There's no need to boast about the wolf-like culture and the insane competition, nor is there a need to become a bootlicker and lick the leaders' boots."

"Is it a normal job where there's not so much backstabbing, not so much power struggle, and everything is absolutely fair, with promotions and raises based entirely on ability?"

Wan Yu was immediately dumbfounded: "What kind of normal job is this?"

Ziqiao shrugged: "But that's how the labor law is written. That's how society should be."

Wan Yu was speechless.

With a slight buzz from the alcohol, Zi Qiao smiled self-deprecatingly: "In short, I will never treat myself as cheap labor to work myself to death and engage in crazy involution."

"Besides, even if someone like me, with no education, no background, and no connections, wanted to be cheap labor, no one would want me."

Wanyu deeply agreed with Ziqiao's words, but she still couldn't help asking, "But Ziqiao, are you just drifting along like this? Haven't you thought about what to do in the future?"

"The future? You've been thinking about what kind of life you want to live in the future, but it turns out you're not even happy in the present."

Ziqiao let out a hiccup, then gave Wanyu a meaningful smile: "People need to consider the future, but if your gaze is only fixed on the distant future, how can you still see the road ahead?"

Wan Yu remained silent for a moment before speaking, "I just haven't decided what choice to make yet, and I'm worried I'll regret it."

"People always have regrets."

Ziqiao said calmly, "Because we always make choices like blind men touching an elephant, we are bound to make mistakes and regret them."

"But you have to make a choice to tell yourself which mistake is more worth making and which regret is more worth enduring."

"But, but..."

"I know you're worried that you'll find you prefer another path after you've made your choice."

Ziqiao stroked his non-existent beard and, like a strategist, said mysteriously, "If that's the case, then I have an even better way."

Wan Yu was taken aback upon hearing this: "What method?"

"Well..."

Ziqiao looked troubled and said, "I suddenly can't remember."

Wan Yu smiled and gently tapped the railing with her wine bottle: "Would you like me to give you some physical therapy?"

"No need! Absolutely not!"

Ziqiao took several steps back in fear, and the troubled look on his face immediately turned into a fawning smile.

"I remember now, I remember everything."

Wanyu glared at Ziqiao: "Then hurry up and tell me!"

"My solution is... since you're bound to make mistakes and regret your choices, Wanyu, you might as well not choose at all."

"Only children make choices; as an adult, you can have it all!"

"I want them all..."

Wanyu fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she looked up and asked Ziqiao, "How exactly should we do it?"

Ziqiao shrugged and answered quite directly, "I don't know."

Wan Yu's eyes widened: "You call this a solution?"

"At least it gives you a direction to strive for."

Ziqiao chuckled and said, "Would you rather try your best and fail, or decide your future without even trying?"

"Give it a try, maybe it'll lead you to the perfect ending?"

"Give it a try, maybe it'll lead you to the perfect ending?"

At the same time, Nanfeng said the exact same thing to Zhanbo in the living room of 3603.

At almost the same moment, Zhanbo and Wanyu's eyes suddenly lit up.

I'm coming

(End of this chapter)