Chapter Eighty: Every Dream Is Worth Trusting

I rested both hands on the table and stared blankly at Shi Yu across from me. She remained as calm and graceful as ever, and for a long while I could not say a word.

“What’s wrong?” After a moment, when I still seemed frozen in place, Shi Yu asked softly, lifting a hand as if to pull me back from my daze.

“Sis... are you joking?” I finally sat back down and asked in a low voice.

I had no idea how much capital Shi Yu actually had, but two hundred thousand was no small sum anywhere. Since Sister Shi Yu had such ample means, why did she not go out and build something of her own instead of working as a modest manager at Windflower Bar for only seven or eight thousand a month?

“What do you think?” Shi Yu glanced at me, then at the knife-cut noodles on the table, still more than half untouched. “Let’s go outside first, then I’ll go over the details with you.”

I nodded, put on my coat, and left the private room. After settling the bill, I went out of the restaurant with Shi Yu.

“Phew...” Shi Yu breathed out and flexed her body a little before saying, “The weather has clearly started to turn cold. If we don’t get out and walk around more, it’ll only be colder before long.”

“Yeah...” I mimicked her, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, feeling the coolness in the air as it entered my lungs. “Actually, I quite like late autumn. The cool wind, the slightly chilly rain—it feels as if we’ve drifted away from the clamor of the world.”

Shi Yu looked at me oddly, then walked forward along the sidewalk as she said, “People are born to chase after something. Birth, aging, illness, and death, the four seasons of the year—we all keep running through this vast cycle, yet so few ever discover the joy hidden along the way... Rain can blur your eyes, but how do you know it is not sweet?”

I quickly caught up beside Sister Shi Yu, listening to her words that seemed full of wisdom, though I could hardly grasp what she meant.

“Sis Shi, do you really like rainy days?” I asked casually.

But Shi Yu suddenly stopped. I could see her soft short hair fluttering lightly in the breeze, brushing over the delicate side of her pale face. I also came to a halt beside her, wondering whether I had said something wrong.

I saw Sister Shi Yu raise a hand to tuck the dancing strands behind her ear. Turning to look at me, she parted her small red lips gently, but no sound came out. I tried to read her lips, following the shape of her mouth, but after a long attempt I still could not make sense of it.

Then Shi Yu used the hand that had just brushed back her hair to lightly tap my forehead, offered a gentle smile, and went on.

I was left bewildered by her seemingly inexplicable actions, and since it did not seem proper to ask, I could only continue walking beside her.

“Chen, I’ve thought about it carefully again. Your idea really does have practical value, but after all, it’s still only a framework. How difficult it will be to actually carry it out remains to be seen. When you get home, you must make a thorough trial plan on your own. Opening a shop, no matter how large or small, is no joke, because success and failure are decided in the details.” It was as if Shi Yu had forgotten what had just happened; she turned the subject back to me and said, “I know,” I said, idly kicking at the scattered pebbles on the ground. “I’ll definitely plan everything carefully and make sure it’s foolproof before I start.”

“It doesn’t need to be foolproof. Sometimes even the most perfect plan will still have loopholes, and failure can happen at any time... What I mean is, you have to truly put yourself into the decision you make, work hard to do it well, and stop being like a child—liking something and chasing after it one moment, then tossing it away the next when you get tired of it. Do you understand?” Sister Shi’s words carried a deeply earnest tone, and I knew she truly meant well for me. Because she understood me, she could say such things. I could feel from the bottom of my heart that she hoped I would succeed, without the slightest selfishness in that hope.

I nodded forcefully. If there really came a day when I could open the shop, I would pour all my heart and blood into running it, just as Zhao Kewen had once said when she opened her bar: stake your hope on it, and success becomes rebirth.

Seeing how serious I was, Shi Yu finally revealed a satisfied smile. “I’ll help you find a location. We should be able to get a lower price. What you need to do is make the plan, choose the theme, find the right people and equipment. As for the funds, just like I said before, I’ll handle that for you.”

I listened silently as Shi Yu spoke as if she were simply relating a matter of course, but my heart felt uneasy. I already owed her far too much to ever repay, and now was I supposed to keep owing her even more? Sister Shi Yu was always so kind, always helping me selflessly wherever she could, but was that fair to her?

“No. I can’t take that money. Sis, I know you want to help me. Like you said, just helping me find a cheaper location is enough. I’ll handle the rest myself.” I firmly refused Sister Shi Yu’s support. It wasn’t for any other reason than because she was truly good to me. I could not go on like this, living off what others gave me. In the end, that would make me nothing but a complete failure.

“Little brother, why are you being childish again?” Shi Yu looked into my eyes and said gently, “Don’t always reject the kindness others offer you, don’t always feel that you owe people something. You know, a dancer without a stage will end up wandering the streets, and a singer without a microphone can only ever sing at private gatherings... It’s because I believe in you that I’m helping you. Every dream is worthy of trust, isn’t it?”

At Shi Yu’s words, I fell silent; in her gentleness, I was moved... Every dream is worthy of trust. In today’s world, how great a sentence that was. No matter how heavy life’s burdens were, no matter how hard and bitter life became, I had never truly believed myself ordinary. Now, Sister Shi Yu had really placed a stage before me, and all that remained was my performance. Could I really let such a good opportunity slip away?

Life kept forcing me to make choices, yet I could never tell right from wrong. Looking at Sister Shi Yu’s anxious eyes, I finally nodded. I accepted her help, because this was not charity from Shi Yu, but trust. No matter what the outcome, I would fight once. Even if I had no strength left, even if my supplies were exhausted, I would fight once more—not for myself, but for everyone who hoped to see me grow!

“Just... a loan...” I muttered under my breath.

Seeing that I had finally agreed, Shi Yu first froze, then broke into an especially happy smile. She lifted a hand to pat my shoulder lightly, and then, as if a weight had been lifted from her mind, continued walking forward in small, light steps.

“Sis Shi, before I pay this back, just count it as your share in the ice cream shop. Every month, no matter how much it makes, I’ll give you a cut.” This time I did not stay beside her, but followed slowly behind her. “And no matter what happens in the future, this shop will always have a piece of you. Even after I’ve repaid everything, it will still be that way.”

Shi Yu deliberately slowed her pace and came to walk beside me. “Why are you saying it so sadly? I’m not in any hurry for the money. The startup costs for a small shop will definitely be high, and you’ll have more places to spend it. Don’t keep talking about paying me back. I’ll ask for it naturally when I want it.”

“No, this time the money is different.” I lowered my head and said softly.

“What’s different about it? Because it’s a larger sum?” Shi Yu asked, sounding a little displeased.

“Because... you told me that every dream is worthy of trust.” I lifted my head and looked at her beautiful face, saying gently, “That trust alone is already worth my giving everything to repay.”

Shi Yu looked at me without speaking, then nodded and shook her head.

Compared with other would-be entrepreneurs, my advantage was already great enough, because... I was not fighting alone!

After that, I accompanied Sister Shi Yu around a few small shopping centers and clothing stores. Though I had briefly thought of buying a set of clothes for Sister Shi, I didn’t have much money on me—only the bluffing bank card left behind by Luo Qing. But I would never use that card, because of my principles when it came to love.

After wandering for a while, Shi Yu seemed somewhat tired, so I hailed a taxi and sent her home first, then took another car back myself.

Seated in the taxi as it sped up and slowed down with the traffic, my eyes stayed fixed on the world outside the window, yet my mind was filled with complicated emotions. No matter how colorful the scene outside became, nothing could remain in my heart for even an instant.

Again and again, I kept replaying what Sister Shi Yu had said when she got out of the car: “When I come to your ice cream shop to eat, remember to give me a free meal.”

Sister Shi Yu had always been this gentle. Yet in every glance and smile, she brought me so much comfort and encouragement... Faced with someone like her, what excuse did I have left to slack off and take shortcuts? What capital did I still have to fail?

I had to succeed. At least this once, I could not disappoint the people who supported me!

After getting out of the car and returning to the familiar room, lying on the soft warm bed, I kept urging myself on. Luo Qing, just wait and see. When you come back, I will show you a completely new me—a man who may not yet have succeeded, but who will be ever closer to you.