Chapter 72: Hesitation

Since the house had been unoccupied for a long time, it was quite dusty. 

Li Dong and the others spent over an hour cleaning before the place was finally tidy.

At noon, Li Dong treated Meng Qiping and his wife to a meal. After eating, Meng Qiping prepared to head back to school.

Cheng Nan, however, said, "Li Dong, your house doesn't even have blankets. How about we help you buy some and also carry your things?"

Women tend to be more considerate than men. Meng Qiping hadn't thought about the issue of how Li Dong would sleep at night.

Li Dong initially planned to decline but, considering the inconvenience of handling it alone, he thanked them, "That would be a great help."

The group then started their shopping trip.

Shopping with women has its pros and cons.

The advantage is that women are meticulous, thinking of everything, even remembering toilet paper. If Li Dong were alone, he would have bought a few major items and left.

Of course, there are also disadvantages.

The main one is the tendency to procrastinate. Even for a small item, Cheng Nan would compare several options and then return to the first store to buy.

Li Dong mentioned this a few times, but Cheng Nan firmly replied, "How can you know if something is good without comparing it? It's because of men like you that there are so many swindlers in the market!"

Li Dong was speechless and patted Meng Qiping, who was loaded with bags, saying, "I sympathize with you. How do you usually endure this?"

Meng Qiping rolled his eyes and disdainfully said, "Who needs your sympathy? I actually enjoy it! You don't know if having a girlfriend is real or fake, but accompanying her on shopping trips is a kind of joy, you know?"

Li Dong was taken aback, feeling a bit at a loss for words.

He inwardly reflected that he might be a bit negligent as a boyfriend.

It had been over three months since he and Qin Yuhan had separated. Aside from occasional phone calls, he hadn't visited her.

Even when they were in Dongping, he hadn't spent much time accompanying her shopping. Qin Yuhan had never asked him to do anything either.

At this moment, Li Dong suddenly missed Qin Yuhan profoundly.

...

After buying the items, it was already past three in the afternoon when they returned.

Cheng Nan still wanted to help with the setup, but Li Dong declined this time.

No matter how close their relationship was, she was someone else's girlfriend, and he wasn't very familiar with Cheng Nan. It wasn't appropriate to trouble her too much.

Cheng Nan looked a bit disappointed and regretful as she left.

When Cheng Nan had gone, Meng Qiping said in a low voice, "She wants a place of her own."

Li Dong nodded. He could see Cheng Nan's thoughts, and Meng Qiping had also noticed.

After a pause, Meng Qiping hesitated before saying, "Dong Ge, can I repay the money I borrowed from you a bit later?"

"Anytime is fine; I'm not in a hurry," Li Dong said.

Hearing this, Meng Qiping's face lit up with joy, "Dong Ge, thank you!"

Actually, Meng Qiping had saved a little money during this period and had planned to repay Li Dong once he had saved up five thousand.

But seeing Cheng Nan's envious look, Meng Qiping felt uncomfortable and decided to move out to give Cheng Nan a chance to decorate a cozy little home of her own.

Li Dong patted his shoulder, thinking that being a man wasn't easy.

...

Meng Qiping and Cheng Nan left.

With their departure, the spacious house instantly felt empty and desolate.

Li Dong sat alone on the floor by the balcony, watching the sunset outside, suddenly feeling very lonely.

There was no one to accompany him, his parents were not around, and his girlfriend was thousands of miles away.

And all of this was self-inflicted, driven by his obsession with money.

He had plenty of money now.

But sometimes money isn't everything. At that moment, Li Dong felt a deep loneliness, and money couldn't fill the void inside him.

He unconsciously dialed Qin Yuhan's number.

When the clear voice on the phone came through, Li Dong felt as though he had come back to life.

"Yuhan, I miss you."

On the other end of the line, Qin Yuhan huffed, "You only know how to talk. You haven't come to see me."

Li Dong was speechless. Indeed, he had been saying he was busy, but was he really so busy that he couldn't find time to visit her?

Although Li Dong didn't want to admit it, he had to face the fact that he might be too selfish.

He selfishly thought that distance didn't matter, that everything he did was for the future, that all his efforts were for his family and Qin Yuhan…

But he never considered whether this was what his parents wanted, whether it was what Qin Yuhan wanted.

He selfishly decided their fates. He closed his parents' shop and opened a convenience store. Were his parents truly happy?

He made Qin Yuhan go alone to Beijing and transferred money to her account every month. Was Qin Yuhan happy?

He arranged for Qin Hai and Yang Yun to come to Pingchuan, abandoning their longtime home in Dongping. Were Qin Hai and Yang Yun happy?

Li Dong fell silent, feeling that everything he had done suddenly seemed meaningless.

Had he made a mistake?

He wasn't a saint, so why did he arrange others' fates?

As if sensing Li Dong's hesitation, Qin Yuhan's gentle voice said, "Li Dong, since this is the path you chose, then walk it with determination. I will always be with you!"

These words seemed to give Li Dong boundless strength. She understood him, she knew him!

Yes, since this was his chosen path, no matter how difficult the journey, he had to walk it steadfastly!

The gloom on his face gradually faded, and Li Dong smiled happily, shouting, "Yuhan, I love you!"

Qin Yuhan on the other end was clearly surprised by Li Dong's words and shyly responded, "Oh my, there are still people in the dormitory!"

"Hehe, Yuhan, I love you. How cheesy!"

"Li Dong, I will always be with you. It's a romantic affair!"

"Xiaohan, your boyfriend has quite a loud voice. The whole dormitory can hear it, hehe."

"..."

Faintly, Li Dong heard Qin Yuhan's roommates teasing, followed by what seemed to be Qin Yuhan saying, "I love you too!"

Then the call ended. Li Dong wasn't sure if Qin Yuhan had actually said those words, but he believed she did.

Li Dong felt as though he had received a powerful boost. His previously waning spirit was instantly revived.

No matter what, his parents supported him, and his girlfriend supported him. That was enough.

...

In the following days, those familiar with Li Dong noticed he seemed to have changed somewhat.

They couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, but Li Dong appeared more spirited.

Recently, Li Dong, who had seemed exhausted, now looked vigorous and full of energy.

Li Dong devoted more energy to the Dragon Hua Plaza project, and recruitment efforts officially began.

He personally handled the recruitment for Pingchuan store, interviewing every leadership position himself.

The supermarket's promotional activities, grand opening preparations, shelf arrangements…

Li Dong was involved in all of this. Even though he usually disliked dealing with bureaucratic matters, this time he frequently visited government agencies like fire safety and industry and commerce.

Without the need to stay in the dormitory, Li Dong sometimes worked until one or two in the morning before returning.

Sun Tao, who had returned to Pingchuan from Dongping, was somewhat worried, afraid Li Dong might overexert himself and harm his health. He had privately advised him several times.

But Li Dong just smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. I feel like I could take on a tiger right now."

This was the truth. Since the last phone call with Qin Yuhan, Li Dong felt his emotional knots had been untied.

With such a woman silently supporting and encouraging him from behind, what couldn't he achieve?

He would work harder, strive more.

He aimed to earn enough money to last him several lifetimes before he turned thirty, then retire and travel the world with Qin Yuhan, enjoying life.

This was his goal and his motivation.