After Yu Jie said that, the previously tense atmosphere immediately lightened.
Yu Jie's father wiped his eyes with a smile and said, "Why do you need to buy him a house? He'll have to rely on himself in the future."
Yu Le held Yu Jie's hand and gently shook it: "Sis, I'll buy you a house in the future."
Yu Jie couldn't help but pat Yu Le on the head again.
Such an obedient, soft, and adorable little brother—how could anyone bear to part with him?
While Yu Jie and Yu Le enjoyed a family reunion, Song Shizhe finally returned from abroad.
He'd been gone for a month; he left with a heavy heart and returned full of anticipation.
He thought his feelings for Yu Jie were just a fleeting joy, like when he was young—not something he'd pursue for a lifetime.
But when he heard abroad that the man who had dinner with Yu Jie married Li Si, he realized he'd been wrong.
Yu Jie had never had feelings for that guy.
Song Shizhe was glad Yu Jie hadn't fallen for someone else, but also sad that he himself was included in the 'not interested' category. Tormented and conflicted, he finally regretted going abroad for work.
If he'd known he'd be gone so long, he wouldn't have left!
He's not Yin Sicheng, who can take his wife on business trips.
If he could take his wife on business trips, he wouldn't be in such a rush!
When Song Shizhe got home, he saw his mom making tangyuan. Song Shizhe couldn't help but ask, "Mom, are you making these to welcome me back?"
Mrs. Song shot her son a disdainful look—she couldn't have been more annoyed—and said, "These are for Assistant Yu. She's going on a business trip in a few days. She said she doesn't crave anything except tangyuan. It's not a holiday, so you can't get good tangyuan outside. I happened to be free at home, so I'm making a few to send to her."
Song Shizhe was dumbfounded: "Wait, Mom, when did you get so close to Yu Jie?"
Mrs. Song looked at her son in surprise: "Didn't I tell you? The day after you left on your trip, I invited Assistant Yu over. She used to live in the apartment diagonally across from ours. Oh, but no one lives there now—she moved to the luxury apartments in our community, even closer. We often run into each other and have afternoon tea together!"
Song Shizhe: "..."
Thunderstruck!
Now that he knew his mom was so close to Julia Yu, why did he have to be away on a business trip at the worst possible time?!
Ugh! He wanted to beat his chest in frustration—words couldn't even describe how he felt right now.
Stephen Song spun around and rushed into his room, showered and changed at lightning speed. By the time he was done, Mrs. Song had already finished making the tangyuan.
Mrs. Song was just about to ask someone to deliver the sweet rice dumplings to Julia Yu when Stephen quickly snatched them up. "I'm heading out anyway—I'll drop them off for her on my way."
"Sure, just be careful not to squish them," Mrs. Song said, handing the tangyuan to Stephen. "Drop them off and get going—don't hold up Chief Assistant Yu."
Stephen Song felt bitter inside, but he kept it to himself.
He grabbed the box and headed downstairs, placing the sweet rice dumplings on the passenger seat before calling Julia Yu. "Hey, long time no see—where are you?"
Julia Yu paused for a moment before replying, "You're back from your trip? I'm at one of my apartments right now—is something up?"
"My mom made you some tangyuan and asked me to bring them over," Stephen said, his face suddenly turning red. For some reason, it felt like he was saying something a boyfriend would say.
But Julia, ever oblivious, didn't pick up on the subtext. She sounded even more surprised: "I just mentioned it in passing the other day, and Mrs. Song actually made them? I feel bad—I can't leave right now, I'm waiting for the furniture and appliances to be delivered. Can you come by?"
"Of course, I'll be right there." After getting the address, Stephen practically raced over, barely able to contain his excitement.
Stephen carried the small box of tangyuan inside and saw Julia Yu directing the delivery crew as they set up the furniture and appliances.
The apartment, which had been empty before, instantly felt more like a home.
"You haven't lived here in a while, have you?" Stephen asked casually. "Are you planning to move in?"
"No," Julia replied, taking the tangyuan and putting them in the fridge. "My dad and stepmom are going to stay here for a while. I bought this place four years ago—it was my first house, and I took out a mortgage for it. Once I started making money, I paid it off. After I joined the Mo Consortium, I barely stayed here, so I never really furnished it. But it's nice to have someone looking after it now."
She smiled as she finished speaking.
Stephen could tell that Julia's smile was much more relaxed now, as if she'd finally let go of a lot of old worries.
Stephen regretted going abroad on that business trip all over again.
How much had he missed about Julia while he was gone?
If he'd been there to go through all this with her, would their relationship have moved forward by now?