Undeniably, that gold card still gave Xiao Yufan a strong sense of security, but he didn’t believe it truly belonged to him yet.
He always believed in sticking to principles—this was his bottom line. One could even call this persistence stubbornness, but this was simply his nature, unchanged through the years.
“No matter how life treats you, there should always be something deep inside worth holding onto!” Xiao Yufan murmured to himself. Though he wasn’t a saint, he still understood some fundamental truths. This was exactly why he had managed to endure three difficult years in Beijing despite all the hardships.
Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived, which meant he had an interview scheduled for the next morning. Thinking about it, Xiao Yufan couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Since graduating from university and chasing his dreams to Beijing, Xiao Yufan had faced countless rejections—each one leaving him bruised and battered. His longing for a job had even surpassed his desire for romance.
Quietly listening to the old song “Bygone Days” playing from the stereo, a faint glimmer of tears appeared in Xiao Yufan’s eyes. Regardless of how tomorrow’s interview turned out, it represented an opportunity, or even a turning point, for him.
“Starting today, I’m no longer that aimless person I used to be. My fate is mine to control, not decided by heaven!” A rebellious surge welled up from deep within him, and he shouted directly at the bedroom window. Anyone nearby would surely have thought he was crazy.
Both his master and grandfather had told him repeatedly that twenty-five was a crucial turning point in his life, which explained why everything seemed to go wrong for him. Xiao Yufan had always believed this without question, though he refused to believe his bad luck would last forever.
“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you—I’ve been selected by a software design company, and I’m going to the interview tomorrow!”
Xiao Yufan dialed Ma Teng’s number again. With the recent wedding preparations, he hadn’t had the chance to share his own news. He believed this would be good news for Ma Teng too—at the very least, once he had a job, he wouldn’t need to trouble his friend so much anymore.
“An interview… you’d better perform well!” On the other end of the line, Ma Teng sounded hesitant at first, but he understood Xiao Yufan wouldn’t joke about something like this.
“I know. I just wanted to let you know, so I won’t need to keep crashing at your place for meals. After all, you’ve got a family now!”
“Do we really need to be this formal?”
Ma Teng’s words immediately silenced Xiao Yufan. Then, both of them smiled knowingly. Sometimes, friendship needs no explanation…
“Why wasn’t Hu Yingluo at your wedding? Aren’t you two colleagues?” After a pause, Xiao Yufan suddenly remembered not seeing Hu Yingruo at Ma Teng’s wedding, and he felt a little surprised.
“She’s a very busy person—most people can’t get her to come. She couldn’t make it this time because something urgent came up. What? Did you miss her?”
“Exactly! I miss her. Why don’t you play matchmaker for us?”
Xiao Yufan went along with Ma Teng’s teasing. It had been a few days since he’d last seen Hu Yingruo, and he truly missed her.
…
Xiao Yufan spent the entire day thoroughly researching everything about the company. In his view, only with thorough preparation could he face the interview calmly.
“With this money and this job, I’ll never have to bow to anyone else again!”
He whispered to himself, imagining the possibility of passing the interview and finally securing a job. Naturally, that would mean no more reason to stay in his rented apartment. His heart tightened at the thought.
Still, Xiao Yufan was reluctant to leave this place. Though this tiny apartment couldn’t hold all his dreams, it did carry three years of memories.
As for Yu Yihan, Xiao Yufan wasn’t sure what kind of feelings he had for her. Their relationship had always been tense, but after going through so much together, he had to admit that he no longer disliked her cold demeanor.
“Maybe after I move out, we’ll just become strangers passing on the street. After all, we were never meant to cross paths!”
Xiao Yufan didn’t know why he was feeling so sentimental today. Perhaps the wedding had made him reflect more deeply on life, just like the I Ching says:
“When touched by emotion, respond with sincerity. Some people are not meant to stay forever; they may only be passing through life. Yet because of these encounters, life becomes beautiful…”
In life, gatherings and partings are inevitable. It’s best to accept things as they come. When together, cherish every moment; when parting, smile bravely, say goodbye, and offer warm wishes—this is ideal.
Shaking his head hard, a strange thought surfaced in Xiao Yufan’s mind: if he skipped the interview and didn’t get the job, he could keep living here. But was that realistic?
The answer, naturally, was no. How could Xiao Yufan possibly give up this opportunity? Thinking too much now was premature. After all, nothing was certain yet—nobody knew how many people would attend the interview tomorrow…
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