Chapter Seventy-Nine: I Put You in a Difficult Position

The Sugar Factory Office.

Xu Fei entered the first floor.

By coincidence, Zhou Lina was just coming out of the laboratory. When she saw Xu Fei, she greeted him with a smile, “Xu Fei, what brings you to the office? Were you looking for me?”

Xu Fei shook his head and replied, “Oh, I’m here to see Director Sun.”

“You’re looking for Sun Xing?”

Zhou Lina frowned slightly. “Has he been giving you a hard time?”

Xu Fei smiled and said, “No, I just need him to approve this.” He handed his application to Zhou Lina.

“Leave of absence without pay?” Zhou Lina looked at Xu Fei in surprise.

“If you leave your job, what about your family? And if you quit, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going into business.”

“What? You… you’re going to start a business?”

Xu Fei nodded.

“It’s doable, but… do you even have the capital?”

Xu Fei smiled. “I’ve already solved that problem.”

“Oh.” Zhou Lina’s face was still smiling, but inwardly, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

“I’m going to find Sun Xing. We’ll talk later.” Xu Fei nodded to her and headed upstairs.

As she watched Xu Fei disappear up the stairs, Zhou Lina was filled with a deep sense of loneliness.

The truth was, she had only agreed to date Sun Xing because Xu Fei had come to work at the sugar factory.

But now, Xu Fei had taken the initiative to request a leave of absence.

Zhou Lina stood there in a daze, motionless for a long while.

Upstairs in the office, Xu Fei knocked on the director’s door.

“Come in.”

Sun Xing glanced at Xu Fei as he entered.

“So, I just heard you’re requesting a leave of absence without pay?”

Xu Fei sat down across from him, handing over the application. “Yes, I’d like you to approve it, Director Sun.”

Sun Xing took a look at the application. Without another word, he pulled out the office stamp, pressed it onto the paper, and then signed his name.

“Tell me, what’s your plan now?” Sun Xing was genuinely curious. Although he didn’t like this old classmate, he couldn’t help but wonder about his next move.

“I’m going into business.”

“You’re going into business?”

“Why, is that not allowed?”

Sun Xing leaned back in his chair with a mocking smile, his eyes showing clear disdain.

“Xu Fei, don’t take this the wrong way, but among our classmates, every single one who tried their hand at business ended up battered and bruised. And you—don’t forget, you were always the least capable among us.”

There was some truth to that. The former Xu Fei, before life’s setbacks, had been a rather refined person. But afterward, “ruined” would be the only word to describe him.

“Sun Xing, people can change.” Xu Fei, seeing that the conversation was pointless, stood to leave.

“Wait a moment!” Sun Xing rose as well, pointing at Xu Fei. “Xu Fei, let’s make a bet. I’ll give you six months. You won’t last more than that—you’ll be back at the sugar factory.”

“Fine.” Xu Fei had no interest in wasting words on him.

He took his approved application and left.

After finishing the office handover, Xu Fei exited the building.

Zhou Lina stood by the flowerbeds nearby. She was wearing a floral dress that day. When she saw Xu Fei emerge, she walked over with a smile.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes, I just finished the paperwork.”

“It’s almost noon. Why don’t I treat you to lunch as a send-off?” As she spoke, Zhou Lina took Xu Fei’s hand.

“I…”

“Oh, come on.” Zhou Lina seemed to understand what Xu Fei was thinking. After all, they knew each other too well.

She led him toward the bicycle shed.

At that moment, Sun Xing was standing at his office window, watching as his girlfriend left with another man, chatting and laughing together.

His grip on the window sill was so tight that his hands turned pale and bloodless.

“Xu Fei!”

Sun Xing grabbed his coat and stormed out.

Meanwhile, Zhou Lina was already on her bicycle. Just like old times, she gave Xu Fei a ride out of the factory.

Old Chen, the gatekeeper, waved to Xu Fei as he passed.

But when Sun Xing came riding after them, Old Chen was about to greet him—only to see a murderous look on the director’s face, quite unlike his usual friendly demeanor.

“What’s going on here?” Only then did Old Chen realize that Zhou Lina was giving Xu Fei a ride, and Sun Xing was in hot pursuit.

“Young people these days…” Old Chen shook his head and went back to his post.

…

Li Laosi’s Restaurant.

“You order. My treat today, don’t hold back…” Zhou Lina handed the menu to Xu Fei.

“Really? Then I won’t hold back.”

Xu Fei smiled, glanced at the menu, and ordered stir-fried tofu with green peppers and sautéed pork liver.

“That’s it?”

“That’s plenty. I don’t drink, so let’s have two sugar pancakes. Lao Si’s pancakes are the best.”

Zhou Lina nodded.

“Do you remember when we were in junior high? Once, you, Fuchun, and I came here and shared pancakes.”

Xu Fei nodded. He only had vague fragments of that memory, but it was in there, somewhere.

“Time flies,” Zhou Lina said softly, lowering her head.

“Yes, it’s been almost ten years since we graduated.”

“Nine and a half,” Zhou Lina corrected, looking up.

“You remember that exactly?”

“Mm.” Zhou Lina almost said that she had it written in her diary—the exact day she and Xu Fei parted ways.

They continued chatting when Sun Xing walked in from outside.

“Sun Xing?” Zhou Lina was facing the door and saw him at once.

“Lina?” Sun Xing waved with a smile.

Xu Fei turned and glanced over, then leaned toward Zhou Lina and whispered, “Looks like he didn’t trust you to come out with me.”

Zhou Lina was no fool—she knew exactly what was on Sun Xing’s mind. She stood up and went over to him.

“What do you mean by this?” she asked, a hint of reproach in her tone.

Sun Xing, however, looked past her and shot a cold glance at Xu Fei before smiling and putting his arm around Zhou Lina’s shoulders. “Lina, what are you thinking? As if I’d follow you—I just happened to be passing by.”

“Sun Xing, do you think I’m a child?”

“No, no…”

“Then what are you doing here? There’s still half an hour before lunch break. Don’t tell me you’re hungry and came here for a meal?”

Faced with Zhou Lina’s questioning, Sun Xing forced an awkward smile. “No, no, I was on my way to a meeting at the commercial bureau. I realized I might not get lunch, so I thought I’d grab a quick bite here.”

At his explanation, Zhou Lina shot him a fierce look.

“Whatever you say. Want to join us?”

Sun Xing quickly nodded and said, “That’d be great.”

He brushed past Zhou Lina and walked straight to the table.

When he reached it, he looked at the dishes and sneered, “Just this for you two?”

Xu Fei smiled, “Just a simple meal for the two of us.”

“No, no, now that you’re not at the sugar factory, as an old classmate I have to treat you.” Sun Xing called out to the counter, “One order of stir-fried pig’s heart, please!”