Three years later.
He Jin sat in his office, his head buried in the supply requirements of various departments. "Didn't the Public Relations Department just change a batch of old computers last month? Why are they changing again this month?" He passed the application form to the secretary across the table and frowned. "Xiao Li, go and understand the situation."
After returning to his hometown, He Jin listened to his parents' arrangements and entered a local cultural institution. After half a year of internship and exams, he graduated and became a permanent employee, starting as a secretary in the administrative office. At the end of last year, the former administrative office director retired and appointed He Jin as the new director. But because He Jin was young, he was not popular, especially since the department directors were all aunties and uncles in their forties.
Director Xu from the Public Relations Department was one of them. Recently, he had been calling He Jin frequently and trying to get close to him. He Jin suspected that this application was not for changing computers but for personal use.
Xiao Li received He Jin's orders and passed him the financial report. "Director He, I've already read through the financial report. There's no problem. Please take a look."
Xiao Li was a college graduate who had just graduated this year. He had also entered the office through his parents' connections. His luck was not as good as He Jin's. If He Jin had not resigned, he would not have had the opportunity to be promoted in this office within a short period of time. Fortunately, this young man did not have much ambition.
As he spoke, the projector phone on the table rang. He Jin answered it. "Minister Wang."
"Xiao He, a small celebrity is coming to our city for a fan meeting the day after tomorrow. The entertainment company wants to borrow a venue that can hold three thousand people. They want the conference hall on the 18th floor of the Cultural Palace or the convention center. Arrange it … I'll send you the relevant information."
"Okay." He Jin hung up and was stunned. A small celebrity? He did not know who it was.
"Wow, another celebrity is coming!" Xiao Li looked at He Jin excitedly.
Actually, they were directly in charge of the performances, radio and television stations, news and publishing units. Many of them were related to celebrity activities. However, He Jin was only the head of the administrative office, so he didn't have many opportunities to meet the celebrities. All he could do was make some arrangements and transfer information.
Ding! It was a notification of a new email. He Jin opened it and instantly froze.
Xiao Li asked, "Who is it?"
He Jin was silent for two seconds, steadied his voice, and said, "Donghuang International's … Qin Yang. Have you heard of him?"
Little Li: "Holy sh * t, how can he be considered a small-time celebrity? Qin Yang has been famous for the past two years. What did you just say? A venue for five thousand people? Is that enough?! "
He Jin laughed dryly. "At Minister Wang's age, it's normal to say that celebrities his age are 'young.'"
He still clearly remembered that not long before they broke up, Qin Yang had said to him in high spirits, "The entertainment industry earns money quickly and trains people. I want to accumulate my own startup capital." Back then, that guy was indeed just a "small celebrity", but in the blink of an eye, he had turned from a 2D online idol to a 3D public figure that was sought after by millions of people.
It was a pity that the passionate lover from that short-lived romance had now become a complete stranger to him.
He Jin expressionlessly shifted his gaze back to the screen. He carefully read the information and said, "It's just a small meet-and-greet. But just in case, it's best to inform the local public security department to restrict the flow of people in the area." He called the heads of the different departments and told them about the matter. After taking care of it, it was time to get off work.
It was a forty-minute walk from the company to his home. He Jin didn't have time to exercise, so he walked to and from work. It had become a habit.
As he walked on the road in the autumn wind, He Jin's thoughts seemed to be brought back to three years ago.
In the breakup letter he wrote to Qin Yang, he explained his reasons for leaving and his difficulties. If Qin Yang was mature enough, he wouldn't look for him again.
Qin Yang indeed didn't look for him again. Although He Jin kept his original phone number and contact information in the ME, Qin Yang seemed to have completely cut ties with him and never contacted him again.
That person also had his own pride. He Jin knew that he had completely hurt him.
The call with Qin Yang on the high-speed rail was the last time they intersected. After He Jin hung up, he squatted at the end of the carriage and looked at the two sides of the railway that sped past the glass door. The late autumn weeds and fallen trees were a miserable sight. It was like his lost youth.
Six months later, he returned to school for his dissertation. He was originally nervous about meeting Qin Yang at school and it would be awkward, but he didn't. Hou Dongyan told him that Qin Yang rarely came to school for classes. Because he was popular, many fans chased after Huaxia University to surround him. Every time, it was especially sensational.
After learning that He Jin and Qin Yang had "peacefully" broken up, Hou Dongyan let out a sigh of relief. He told He Jin that Qin Yang had actually come to school once a week ago. At the time, he had brought a very beautiful girl with him. She also had the aura of a celebrity. Everyone guessed that she was Qin Yang's new girlfriend.
He Jin's last indescribable hope was also extinguished. His heart was completely cold. Yes, young love was like this. Together, separated, and moving forward. There was no one who couldn't live without the other.
When he was almost home, He Jin collected his thoughts. He was still living with his parents.
In the past three years, his mother's condition had improved a lot. When he first came back to stay at home, He Jin had also suffered a lot because of his mother's illness. There were a few times when he was almost driven mad, especially those unbearable insults and threats of death.
At first, they were afraid that his mother couldn't accept that he had a "mental problem," so Papa He and He Jin hid it from his mother. His mother also didn't realize that her neuroticism had caused harm to her family. Later, He Jin felt that this couldn't go on. He went to many hospitals in the city and personally learned about depression from dozens of doctors. Only then did he learn that most patients like his mother were actually most afraid not of "knowing the truth," but of "abnormal treatment" and "indifference, indifference, and indifference" from their loved ones.
Especially when He Jin "ran away from home" and didn't contact his family, it was the most serious harm to patients like He Jin's mother. Because the thing she was most afraid of was "her loved ones leaving her," she took control of the family's finances in an attempt to control her husband and son's hearts by controlling their money.
After figuring out the root cause of his illness, He Jin decided to tell his mother the truth and persuade her to see a doctor. He also accompanied her every day for meals, chatted, and occasionally took a walk together. He Jin no longer retreated, no longer constantly escaped, and no longer condoned his mother's prejudices. Every time there was a disagreement, he would calmly express his views to his mother. Again and again, he persevered.
When he returned home, there was a hot meal on the table. His parents were still waiting for him to eat. The atmosphere in the house was no longer tense, and there were often sounds of laughter. He Jin felt that after all he had done and spent so much, it was finally not all for naught.
However, there was still one thing that gave him a headache and was unavoidable — a blind date.
"He Jin, it turns out that your father's colleague's older cousin's niece is quite pretty. I heard that she's working behind the scenes at a television station. She's the same age as you, and she's still single. Are you interested in meeting her?" He Jin's mother couldn't help but bring it up after just two mouthfuls of rice.
"Sure, I'll meet her." In order to take care of his mother's feelings, He Jin never rejected such blind date arrangements. In fact, his attitude was very cooperative.
He Jin's mother picked up a piece of braised pork for him and said, "I originally wanted you to find someone suitable two years ago. After two years, you could have gotten married, but I just don't understand. Do girls nowadays have such high standards? Why is it that after three years, not a single one of them has settled down! That girl is already 27 years old. If it was two years earlier, I would have felt that she was too old. "
That's right. Twenty-seven years old, a graduate of Huaxia University, steady, gentle, and kind. He was the director of a public institution's administrative office. His job was stable, his parents were still alive, and he had a house at home … He Jin's qualifications made him a quality man that matchmakers of the same social class fought over. In the past three years, He Jin had gone on countless blind dates, but none of them had succeeded. Moreover, almost all of them were rejected by the girls.
He Jin said calmly, "Mom, young people nowadays are used to getting married and having children late. Twenty-seven years old outstanding girls who are still single can be found everywhere. Don't be prejudiced against them."
He Jin laughed and glared at him. "We haven't even met yet, and you're already speaking up for her. I want to see if you can succeed this time."
He Jin also joked, "As long as you're not picky, the chances of success are relatively high. But I can't say for sure. Maybe I just don't have luck with women."
He Jin's mother kicked him again. "How am I picky? Sigh, it's already been three years. How can I not be picky? I don't care what it is, as long as it's a girl, I'll be grateful if you can bring her home! "
He Jin laughed bitterly in his heart. Even if it was a boy, he could not bring her home.
Throughout the conversation between the mother and son, Papa He had been drinking in silence. Occasionally, he would glance at He Jin thoughtfully.
After dinner, Mama He cleared the dishes, and Papa He quietly asked He Jin to talk on the balcony.
"He Jin …" Papa He lit a cigarette and hesitated to speak.
He Jin stood by the side in silence. He did not know what his father wanted to say.
Papa He smoked half a cigarette and said slowly, "Are you … still thinking about that person?"
He Jin's pinky twitched unconsciously, and he asked calmly, "Who?"
Papa He sighed. "You know who I'm talking about. It's the boy who was with you three years ago." At that time, Papa He had only wanted He Jin to quickly draw a line with that person. He had not asked who that person was, nor had they met.
He Jin casually said, "It's been so long. I've long forgotten."
Papa He was speechless.
He Jin said, "Besides, if I still remember him, would I have agreed to go on a blind date?"
Papa He was speechless. After a long while, he said, "Tell Dad about that person."
He Jin felt a chill run down his spine. He lowered his eyes and said, "What's the point of talking about him? It's all in the past."
Papa He said, "Tell me. Even if it's in the past, it's still your experience. Dad wants to know more about you."
He Jin's heart ached, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He tucked his hands into his trouser pockets and took a deep breath.
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