“That’s right, I need to quickly pass Level 109. Zhou Wei says I should at least pass Level 111. It gets harder as you progress.”
Zhou Yi was just that type of person—how could she be genuinely humble? She was still praising herself.
Level 109 was the qualifying line for community college applications. The fact that Zhou Yi could reach this level in half a year was already surprisingly impressive. If she didn’t have greater ambitions, she could leave the language school after completing Level 109… When they first arrived in America, no one expected Zhou Yi to meet the standards so quickly.
Who would dare to think about plans beyond community college?
They didn’t dare!
After all, Zhou Yi was just like a pile of mud.
But this mud, after being sent to America, could now be molded into some shape. She had raised her expectations, and the Zhou family’s requirements for her had also increased.
The mud could still be salvaged, making Xia Xiaolan’s efforts worthwhile.
The better Zhou Yi was taught now, the fewer troubles the Zhou family—or rather, Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan themselves—would have in the future.
So Xia Xiaolan didn’t mock her, but instead encouraged her with some positive words:
“After Level 109, it gets increasingly difficult—there’s a difference between quantitative and qualitative change. If you want to enter a slightly better university, your English level really can’t be lacking. It’s right to build a strong foundation at language school. Try to pass Level 111 in one go; I believe you can do it. Honestly, I never expected you to progress so quickly. Even if you returned to China now, at the very least you’ve mastered another language, which is much better than Tong Lili, right?”
That was true indeed.
Tong Lili had gotten married.
She married that young talent introduced by her family.
Zhou Yi heard about it when she called home, and she didn’t know if Jiang Hong was deliberately trying to provoke her, but hearing it made Zhou Yi very uncomfortable.
Everyone starts life at the same starting line, but marriage has created a gap between her and Tong Lili. Zhou Yi hadn’t been aware of this aspect before, but after experiencing so much abroad, she had a vague feeling: her marriage seemed too hasty.
What could she rely on to turn the tables?
Xia Xiaolan’s words hit close to home.
Zhou Wengang had said the same thing—the family wanted her to show some spirit, not to compare marriages with others, but to compete with herself.
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t slack off. After you return to China, just wait for my good news!”
Whether it would be good news or not, Xia Xiaolan decided to wait and see.
After all, news from home said that Yuan Han had been transferred to work in Pengcheng.
Unlike remote places, Yuan Han and Zhou Yi could keep in touch by phone in Pengcheng… Zhou Yi’s days of isolation and hard study were coming to an end.
…
The third person Xia Xiaolan met was Chen Qing.
It was at the same coffee shop as last time.
She had thrown coffee at Chen Qing before and said she never wanted to see him again. Meeting Chen Qing again before returning to China wasn’t going back on her word—it was because she had promised Chen Wangda.
If there was anything different about this meeting between Xia Xialan and Chen Qing, it was that Han Jin was sitting at the next table.
Xia Xiaolan had invited Han Jin to come together.
“How have you been lately?”
One look at Chen Qing told Xia Xiaolan that he hadn’t recovered from the shock of losing a large sum of money.
But this state was right—if he had forgotten the lesson from last time so quickly, Xia Xiaolan would have thought Chen Qing was truly beyond hope.
“I’m doing alright, haven’t missed any classes, studying hard in class, working hard after class to save money… Looking back now, my previous mistakes feel like sleepwalking. I regret it, but even if I died to atone for my sins, I couldn’t repay the money I swindled from my family.”
He couldn’t die; he had to live—only by living could he fill the hole.
The change was change—Chen Qing couldn’t return to his former shy self just because of one setback.
People can’t change back; they can only keep moving forward.
The current Chen Qing had lost some of his impetuousness and become much more steady.
Han Jin, unwilling to lose face in front of a love rival, cut off Chen Qing: “He’s saved all his allowances, and together with money saved from working under the table, he’s already sent $2,000 back home. We’ll be able to repay what he took from his family!”
Han Jin wanted to support Chen Qing, but the money he lost in stocks had affected her too.
Chen Qing also insisted on not using her living expenses, relying entirely on his earnings.
Xia Xiaolan nodded secretly. Although they weren’t sitting at the same table, Chen Qing and Han Jin seemed closer than before.
Couples who face difficulties together without breaking up often end up this way. Xia Xiaolan had a poor impression of Han Jin from their very first meeting, and it hadn’t changed—to put it crudely, they couldn’t see eye to eye!
But no matter how unlikeable Han Jin was, as Chen Qing’s girlfriend, she truly cared for him.
Xia Xiaolan raised her coffee, “I’m going back to China. I hope you won’t disappoint Grandpa Chen again. A real man can fall once, but always be upright in whatever you do. I wish you both success in your studies in America and happiness in your relationship!”
They could still toast with coffee.
Han Jin wasn’t petty this time—after all, Xia Xiaolan was returning to China, and the distance of thousands of miles would reduce her influence on their relationship.
After this incident, Han Jin felt that Chen Qing’s emotional scale tipped more in her favor—after all, it wasn’t Xia Xiaolan who encouraged Chen Qing to face failure and regroup, but her!
Chen Qing also raised his cup and drank the coffee in one go.
The coffee was so bitter, just like his current mood.
Xia Xiaolan was like a spring breeze, only briefly staying in small places like Qijing Village. Seasons change, and spring breezes don’t stay in one place forever. And he, having fallen for such a spring breeze, could only desperately run after the wind, becoming a wind chaser.
Can human footsteps catch up to a spring breeze?
From Qijing Village to Beijing, from Beijing to America, and now Xia Xiaolan was returning to China!
“Xiaolan, take care! When we meet again, I hope I will have made up for my mistakes and can return home with my head held high!”
Xia Xiaolan didn’t say much.
What kind of person one becomes isn’t shown through words but through actions over time.
The fourth person was Jiang Yan.
They didn’t have much to say—Jiang Yan would also return to China in two months. Xia Xiaolan told her that if she encountered any troubles in America, she could contact Wen Manni.
At three in the afternoon, at Kennedy Airport, Xia Xialan boarded her plane.
The Wen family saw her off at the airport. The three from Daisy’s group didn’t come, but Matthew did.
“Your work at GMP is settled. If you’re not happy with the work, you could consider coming… Never mind, forget I said that. Do well at GMP, and don’t take Professor McCarthy’s words seriously, thinking that when I return to China, you’ll be left behind. When we meet again in the future, you’ll still only be my assistant—wouldn’t that be awkward?”
Such a sentimental farewell atmosphere was completely dispelled by Xia Xiaolan’s words.
Matthew wanted to hit someone.
Xia Xiaolan seemed to want to say something but changed her mind midway, making Matthew anxious.
What did Xia Xiaolan want to say?
She wanted to say that if he wasn’t happy at GMP, he could consider coming to join her.
The words reached her lips but were swallowed back—after all, her architectural firm hadn’t even started yet. Even if it got on track, how big could it develop in 1980s China? Compared to world-class firms, Xia Xiaolan still had a long way to go. How could she let Matthew give up his work at GMP to come to work for her in China?
Xia Xiaolan generously hugged everyone who came to see her off, then turned and boarded the plane.