Chapter 220: Chapter 218: Stick to One Path Until the End

“No, that won’t do. We don’t know when you’ll be back next time. Your dad and I are definitely seeing you off,” Zhong Hailan insisted.

“Fine then. Mom, let’s leave it at that for now. I’m going to hang out with my friends.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Zhong Hailan turned to her husband. “Yuanqing, do you think Xiao Yang is dating someone? Why else wouldn’t he come home today?”

Today was Valentine’s Day. She had heard Xue Rou from next door muttering about it early that morning. The TV was also plastered with advertisements, making sure the entire world knew. Unless you were completely out of the loop, you were aware it was Valentine’s Day. In fact, this was just a marketing tactic. The things they wanted you to know had a way of becoming pervasive, seeping into your life without you even noticing.

“Our son’s all grown up now. It’s perfectly normal for him to be dating,” Xue Yuanqing said. A hint of melancholy entered his voice as he added, “I just wonder if it’s still the same girl.”

At the mention of her, a wave of sadness washed over him.

His son was just like him: stubborn. Once he set his mind on someone, he would see it through to the bitter end. When he was pursuing Zhong Hailan, he had been prepared to do the same. The difference was that he had succeeded. Most importantly, Zhong Hailan had liked him back. Only when two people love each other can they walk a dark road together and find the light at the end. If you walk that road alone, it will remain dark forever, even if you walk until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble. The path won’t magically light up just because you’ve walked for a long time or a great distance.

So, Xue Yuanqing considered himself a lucky man. His only regret was that he wasn’t very capable, so he’d made her suffer a lot with him.

“Honey, it’s Valentine’s Day. Let’s go out and celebrate, too,” he said.

Zhong Hailan huffed, “We’re old! What’s there to celebrate? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at us?”

“Who says old people can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day? Come on, let’s go.”

Xue Yuanqing wheeled over his Jialing scooter and gestured for Zhong Hailan to get on. She hesitated for a moment before climbing on behind him.

That’s right, who says Valentine’s Day is just for young people? Everyone was young once.

Xue Yang had taken the Wuling Hongguang, but luckily, that wasn’t their only vehicle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere today.

As it turned out, deep affection could be hereditary.

Xue Xing had just managed to finish his homework and came over to Xue Yang’s home, only to find it empty.

That’s strange. Don’t tell me my cousin and his family all went out to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

***

After ending the call, Xue Yang was about to enter the restaurant when a woman’s voice called out from nearby.

“Classmate Xue Yang.”

Xue Yang turned and saw He Jiake approaching him.

That’s right, the second half of the Year Three, Class Two party is at the Emperor Hotel tonight. I forgot about that. So what?

Without a hint of embarrassment at being discovered, Xue Yang greeted her cordially. “Hello, Jiake.”

“What a coincidence! I thought you had gone home.”

“Yeah, I was planning to.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“After leaving the party, I suddenly didn’t feel sleepy anymore, so I decided to take a walk.”

He Jiake laughed. “You didn’t get enough to eat at the party, so you came here for a feast, did you?”

“Who ever gets full at those kinds of parties?”

“That’s true. I didn’t eat enough either. I was about to fall asleep listening to them sing, so I came out to shake off the sleepiness.”

“And is it working?”

“Very effective.”

He Jiake was about to say that she wanted to go in and try the seafood buffet at the Emperor Five-star Hotel when a clear, lovely voice sounded beside them.

“Xue Yang, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“I’ll take you. Jiake, we’ll talk later. I have to go.”

Puzzled, He Jiake looked up, but Xue Yang’s tall figure completely blocked her view of the girl. When she looked again, they had already disappeared around the corner.

Could that girl be the girlfriend Xue Yang is always talking about?

He Jiake wanted to get a better look, but just then, Su Piaopiao and Li Yu came out looking for her. Although Su Piaopiao and Li Yu had argued during dinner, they weren’t children and had quickly made up.

“Jiake, what’s taking you so long? Haotian is looking for you.”

“Oh. I’m tired. I want to go home and sleep.”

“But it’s not even nine o’clock! And it’s the New Year holiday, you don’t have to go to bed this early, do you?” Su Piaopiao always had a feeling that He Jiake didn’t really want to hang out with them. But she never said it out loud, because He Jiake had come to both dinner and the karaoke session. It wasn’t unreasonable for her to want to go home now.

“It’s good for a girl’s skin to get to bed early,” He Jiake said. “I’ll go tell Haotian I’m heading home. You guys don’t stay out too late, either.”

With that, He Jiake walked back toward the KTV rooms. After briefly saying her goodbyes to Tang Haotian and the others, she nonchalantly headed for the exit. Instead of leaving, however, she went up to the fourth-floor dining area and entered the buffet.

Xue Yang was quite famous in Yanbei. There was a rumor that he had a girlfriend, but since no one had ever seen her, ninety percent of people didn’t believe him. They assumed he had been hurt so badly in the past that he didn’t want to date and had just made her up as an excuse. Now, however, it seemed that wasn’t the case. Under these circumstances, He Jiake felt a pressing need to see what Xue Yang’s girlfriend actually looked like. Is she prettier than Chen Ying? Or is she just an ordinary-looking girl? She had to admit, even after spending half a year in a big metropolis like Yancheng, she hadn’t met a single girl who could hold a candle to Chen Ying. Chen Ying was truly beautiful. And as she grew older, she had acquired a certain intellectual beauty. Compared to her, it was really hard to imagine what kind of girl Xue Yang’s girlfriend could be.

He Jiake scanned the buffet restaurant but saw no sign of Xue Yang.

They’ve probably already eaten and left.

She decided not to dwell on it. To keep searching would seem too deliberate. He was just in a normal relationship; it wasn’t like he was cheating on someone. Why was she getting so worked up about it? Perhaps even she didn’t know why she was so desperate to find out.

He Jiake found a table and sat down. First, she would fill her stomach. She really was hungry.

Elsewhere, Xue Yang and his group had finished their meal and were preparing to set off for a farmhouse resort.

“Xue Yang, is it far?” Si Wen asked.

“A bit. From here, it might take an hour and a half.”

“That is pretty far.”

“No worries. I brought my family’s ’divine car.’ Eight people… should fit.”

The Wuling Hongguang—what else could be the divine car? No matter how rough the road, it could leave everyone else in the dust. Even if there was no road, it could forge one of its own.

The girls asked curiously, “A divine car? What kind of divine car can fit eight people?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep