Chapter 66 Future Plans His Fingertips Tremble Slightly…

Chapter 66: Future Plans

His fingertips trembled slightly...

Xie Xingzhi looked up, meeting her gently curved eyes, and a smile touched his lips. "That confident in me?"

Yu Kui nodded. "You've always been incredibly capable."

Hearing this, Xie Xingzhi gazed at her intently. "Alright, then I’ll keep striving."

"It's getting late; you should head back," Yu Kui found herself saying. "You have work tomorrow."

"Mm," Xie Xingzhi replied. "When you have time, I’ll take you to see the company’s potential location."

"Sure," Yu Kui agreed readily. "Later, Sun Shuya and I will come visit you."

With that, she pushed the car door open and stepped out. "It's been quite a day, and I’m pretty tired."

"Yu Kui, are you still considering dating lately?" Xie Xingzhi paused, raising his eyes to meet hers.

Yu Kui was startled. "Why do you ask?"

"Can’t I?" Xie Xingzhi didn’t answer directly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I’m worried someone like Xu Xi might come along and sweep you off your feet. What would I do then? You’re so innocent and soft-hearted—as your good friend, I’m genuinely concerned..."

"Don’t worry unnecessarily," Yu Kui retorted lightly. "If I want to date, it’ll definitely be someone I genuinely like."

"Is there someone now?" Xie Xingzhi continued probing. "A colleague from your internship, or perhaps a male classmate from school?"

Yu Kui was momentarily speechless and met his gaze. His eyes were deep, like dangerous undertows, compellingly deep.

"Why are you so concerned about my relationship status?" She turned her head away. "Even if I start dating, I’ll tell you."

Xie Xingzhi didn't respond, and the two of them lapsed into quiet.

"What about you?" Yu Kui said. "You haven’t sorted out your own relationship status yet."

Xie Xingzhi lowered his eyes, his already pale complexion appearing even more aloof.

"You should go back," Yu Kui said, seeing he wasn’t going to respond. She didn’t want to continue the topic. "I don’t have any plans to date right now."

She added softly, "If I meet someone suitable in the future, I’ll let you know."

"Okay," Xie Xingzhi said quietly. "After you go back, get some rest. If anything comes up, call me anytime."

Yu Kui murmured "Mm" and turned to walk toward her building.

Xie Xingzhi didn’t drive off immediately. It wasn’t until she went upstairs and turned on her bedroom light that he finally looked away.

"You’re back," Shu Jia and Xu Siyue were sitting in the living room eating duck snacks. They looked over at the sound of the door opening. "How did it go today? Did you—"

"No," Yu Kui cut her off before she could finish. "Xu Xi and I made things clear. We’ll just stay friends."

Shu Jia and Xu Siyue were both surprised. They'd assumed Yu Kui would eventually accept his confession—they hadn’t expected this...

"Are you sure about this?" Shu Jia couldn’t help asking. "You weren’t influenced by me, were you?"

"We’re better off as friends," Yu Kui didn't explain further. It had been an eventful day, and she was exhausted. "Why aren’t you two resting yet?"

"We were waiting for you," Shu Jia motioned for her to sit beside them. "I couldn’t sleep until you got back."

Yu Kui showed mild exasperation. "Why are you two so curious? Where’s Zhang Jing? Isn’t she back yet?"

"She went to her fiancé’s place for dinner today. She's likely staying over tonight," Xu Siyue said.

Yu Kui changed her shoes, went to her room to get her pajamas, and headed to the bathroom to shower. "Don’t stay up too late chatting. We have an early meeting tomorrow."

"We know," Shu Jia said. "My birthday is coming up soon, right? This weekend, let’s go camping in the suburbs. Make sure you clear your schedule."

"Okay."

On Saturday, Shu Jia and Xu Siyue’s boyfriends came to pick them up for the trip to the suburbs.

When they found out it was a group outing, Zhang Jing’s boyfriend, Zhou Chu, also drove over. He planned to drop them off at their destination before heading to work.

"Isn’t he staying to hang out with us?" Xu Siyue asked, surprised.

"He’s been working on a big project lately. He’s buried in work daily," Zhang Jing shook her head. "If I didn't nag him, he’d even forget to eat."

"That’s rough," Shu Jia said with a smile. "It seems being the successor isn’t easy."

"Doesn’t he have a younger brother? He joined the company a few years ago—shouldn’t he be able to help with a lot of the work?"

"Don’t even mention it," Zhang Jing’s expression showed resignation. "His brother recently had a fight with his girlfriend. The girl said she would kill herself. His brother didn’t want to deal with it, but she kept calling, so he had to go see her. He still hasn’t come back."

"By the way," she turned to Yu Kui, "that girl is also from C City. She’s about to be a senior in college—you might even know her."

Even without her saying it, Yu Kui knew who Zhou Xiao’s girlfriend was.

After Qin You and Zhou Xiao had that big fight back then, Tao Jiang had chosen Zhou Xiao. Yu Kui had even run into them at a mall. At the time, she thought they’d break up soon and Tao Jiang would go back to Qin You, just like in the story. But years had passed, and they were still inseparable.

Maybe the plot of the story wouldn’t play out after all.

"I probably don’t know her," Yu Kui didn’t want to bring up anything related to Tao Jiang.

"That girl is emotionally unstable," Zhang Jing had concerns. "She’s studying in C City right now, so she won’t be coming here for a while. But who knows after graduation?"

Though she didn’t say it out loud, she had reservations about Zhou Xiao’s girlfriend. After all, no one wanted a future sister-in-law who constantly threatened suicide.

"Don’t overthink it," Xu Siyue patted her arm. "Just take it as gossip."

Before long, Sun Lin and Zhou Chu’s cars pulled up downstairs.

Shu Jia exclaimed in surprise and turned around. "Is that Xie Xingzhi’s car?" She automatically glanced at Yu Kui.

Yu Kui was also surprised. "What's he doing here?"

The next moment, her phone rang. "Come downstairs. I’ll take you there."

"I told you not to come!" The previous night, Xie Xingzhi had texted her, inviting her to dinner. She’d mentioned Shu Jia’s birthday celebration, and Xie Xingzhi had said he'd give her a ride. Yu Kui had refused, but he’d come anyway.

"Everyone else has someone to take them. Should I let you go alone?"

"Don't make me sound so pathetic. They’re all my good friends."

Xie Xingzhi laughed softly. "I’ll drop you off and then head to the office."

"But aren't you off today?" Yu Kui asked.

"There’s a project at the company I need to handle. I need to go to the office."

"You should focus on your work first," Yu Kui didn't want to hold him up. "I can just catch a ride with them."

"I'm already here," Xie Xingzhi fell silent for a few seconds. "An extra hour or so won't make a difference."

Hearing this, Yu Kui didn't argue further. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet."

"I made some sandwiches; I'll pack a couple for you." She tilted her head to hold the phone and walked toward the kitchen. "Wait downstairs for me for a few minutes."

Unaware that Xu Siyue raised an eyebrow at Zhang Jing, with a gossipy look.

"She always says they're not dating, but they're even sweeter than me and Sun Lin," Shu Jia puffed her cheeks, looking puzzled. "But when I ask Yu Kui, she says they're just friends. It always leaves me dying of curiosity."

"Just leave it be," Xu Siyue pinched her cheek. "Their business is their own. We just need to support Yu Kui."

"I think they're a perfect match," Shu Jia said in a voice only the three of them could hear. "Whether it's their looks or personalities, it's like something out of an idol drama."

Zhang Jing chuckled. "Alright, now scram."

Yu Kui came out with a lunch bag, and the four of them made their way downstairs at a relaxed pace.

Xie Xingzhi pushed open the car door and was talking to Zhou Xiao and Sun Lin. Since the four girls had met a few times before, they were on familiar enough terms to chat easily.

"Are you joining them for the birthday thing too?" Zhou Xiao greeted Xie Xingzhi.

"Just giving Yu Kui a ride."

Zhou Xiao nodded and smiled. "I'm also here to drop Zhang Jing off. I've been busy with work lately and haven’t been giving her enough attention. I don’t want her to feel like I’m distant."

Xie Xingzhi didn’t respond, his eyes landed on Yu Kui as she walked out of the building. Since they were going to the suburbs, she wasn’t wearing a dress but casual clothes, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, looking full of energy.

A flicker of emotion passed through Xie Xingzhi’s eyes as he walked over to her.

"Here," Yu Kui handed him the lunch bag. "There are sandwiches, and I also packed a carton of milk for you."

"Thanks." Xie Xingzhi placed the lunch bag in the back seat and opened the car door for her. "Hop in."

"You should eat first." Yu Kui waved to Shu Jia, saying she might be running about ten minutes late and asking them to go ahead.

After the other cars left, Yu Kui leaned over to retrieve the lunch bag, urging Xie Xingzhi to eat his breakfast.

A faint smile flickered in Xie Xingzhi’s eyes as he took the sandwich she had opened and took a bite. "This is good."

Yu Kui’s gaze fell on his face, noticing that the dark circles under his eyes had lightened. "Have you been sleeping better lately?"

"Yeah," Xie Xingzhi took a sip of milk. "I’ve been going to bed and waking up early every day."

"That’s good," Yu Kui breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Keep it up. Don’t let work or external stress mess with your sleep."

Xie Xingzhi didn’t respond, but he seemed to be in a good mood, a faint smile playing on his lips.

After eating, he started the engine. "You’re about to start your senior year. What are your plans?"

Yu Kui had always had clear goals and repeated what she had told Xu Xi. "I plan to go to grad school, and I might study abroad."

"You know my major—graduate school is pretty much essential."

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the car turned a bit stiff for a moment.

But Xie Xingzhi quickly responded, "Do you have any schools in mind? Staying at our university or going abroad?"

"Not yet," Yu Kui looked at the road ahead. "Chances are I’ll go abroad."

As she said this, she didn’t look at Xie Xingzhi but instead asked him, "What about you? Are you planning to stay in City B and run your company?"

Xie Xingzhi didn’t answer immediately, pausing before he could speak. "My career is just getting started. I’ll be staying here for now."

Yu Kui said teasingly, "By the time I graduate, won’t you have become a full-blown capitalist?"

Xie Xingzhi didn’t laugh this time. Normally, he would have played along, but this time he remained unusually quiet.

"Are you going to miss me?" Yu Kui noticed his distraction. "Afraid I won’t be your friend anymore after I go abroad?"

"Of course," Xie Xingzhi stopped at a red light and turned to look into her clear eyes, speaking slowly. "I’ll miss you... this good friend."

"It won’t be long," Yu Kui laughed. "I’ll be back soon. When I return, I’ll work hard and make myself rich too."

She seemed unaware of the turmoil hidden beneath his calm exterior, remaining as bright and cheerful as ever.

But Xie Xingzhi’s knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel.