VFGRC Chapter 83

The high-speed train raced through the woods, and the scenery slowly receded behind.

Yu Bai rested his chin on his hand and quietly gazed at the scenery outside the window.

During these seven days in H City, Yu Bai felt relaxed and at ease.

Every day, just as the sky was getting light, Yu Bai would get up, have breakfast, stroll through the morning market, and then have lunch around noon. After a short rest, he would either watch educational videos with Xing Xing in the hotel room or go out together to explore the famous sights of H City.

In winter, H City adorned with snow was a winter wonderland.

Now that the weather had warmed up, most of the snow had melted, and it wasn’t as cold as it was in winter.

H City, with its lush greenery and singing birds, had its own charm.

Time was limited, and the beauty of H City couldn’t be fully explored, nor could all the snacks be tasted.

Perhaps leaving behind precious memories in this limited time was the true value of the trip.

After a week of travel, the photo album on Yu Bai’s phone became “enriched” with quite a few more pictures.

Some were candid shots of Xing Xing taken by him, and some were secretly captured by Rong An and her husband while shopping and touring H City with Yu Bai and his son, capturing the warm moments between the father and son.

As Yu Bai boarded the high-speed train, Rong An, who had added Yu Bai as a WeChat friend, sent all these photos to him in one go.

Seeing Yu Bai staring at his phone, Xing Xing also leaned over to join the fun.

Seeing so many pictures of himself on his dad’s phone, Xing Xing felt a bit conflicted as he bit his lip.

He grabbed a beef bun and took a big bite; these photos were really not very elegant! If his dad could just delete the not-so-handsome photos of him, that would be great!

But when Xing Xing noticed a corner of the photos where Yu Bai was smiling while looking at him with a slight lip curl, Xing Xing swallowed the words he was about to say.

Never mind, never mind! Let’s not delete it! Dad is also in the photos, so I don’t want you to delete them!

Xing Xing knew that Yu Bai always liked taking pictures of him but rarely took selfies.

Photos like these with father and son in the same frame were even more precious.

Xing Xing wished he could keep these photos on his dad’s phone for a lifetime!

In an instant, Yu Bai’s fingertip slid across the screen.

In the photo, the sun had just risen from the horizon, and the vibrant dawn colors filled the sky, as if painting everything in the world with beautiful neon hues.

Yu Bai was holding Xing Xing on a mountaintop, looking at the rising sun.

Yu Bai and Xing Xing both had wide-open almond-shaped eyes, their lips slightly curved upward, as if they were marveling at the beauty of the sunrise.

It was a simple photo, yet it captured the overflowing warmth between Yu Bai and his son.

“Dad! We both look really good in this photo!”

Xing Xing’s soft chubby hand hugged Yu Bai’s arm, and he nuzzled his little face against Yu Bai’s arm affectionately.

Actions speak louder than words.

Yu Bai could easily tell that Xing Xing was plotting something again.

Yu Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, “It does look good. So what is it?”

Xing Xing’s grape-like watery ink-black eyes blinked gently for a moment.

Xing Xing’s voice turned soft and tender, “Dad, since you also think it looks good, then… why not set it as your WeChat profile picture? That way, you can see this photo every day, right?”

Yu Bai’s WeChat profile picture was just the default ordinary photo that WeChat provided.

Although Xing Xing didn’t have WeChat, he often saw Yu Bai using it to chat with others. When Ji Rongyu used WeChat to talk to Yu Bai while taking care of him at home, Xing Xing had seen Yu Bai’s profile picture a few times.

Back then, Xing Xing thought that Dad’s WeChat profile picture was a little bit ugly. He wished Dad could change it to a nicer one.

He felt that the photo they took together on the tall mountain in H city was exceptionally beautiful! It would be perfect for a profile picture!

“Dad, what do you think about my suggestion?” Xing Xing blinked his shiny eyes.

How could Yu Bai, faced with this cute little one suggesting something in such a soft tone, not accept?

“I think you’re… absolutely right!” Yu Bai pinched Xing Xing’s tender cheek, “I’ll change it right now.”

As the high-speed train slowly pulled into J city’s train station, the sun was setting once again.

Night fell.

With one hand dragging his luggage and the other holding Xing Xing’s small hand, Yu Bai walked out of the train station.

Since it wasn’t early, Yu Bai planned to take Xing Xing home first and then order some takeout for dinner.

However, what Yu Bai didn’t expect was that Yun He, who knew he was coming back from H City, had actually come to the train station to pick him up.

After not seeing each other for a week, Yun He appeared a bit slimmer, but his spirits seemed higher.

Yun He took the luggage from Yu Bai’s hand.

“Why did you suddenly come?” Yu Bai asked.

The only person who knew about Yu Bai’s travel plans this time was Yun He, who had taken over the shop for a week in his absence. The other employees only knew that Yu Bai took a week off and went to another city.

Yun He replied, “People have heard a bit about your situation. They… and I, are a bit worried about you.”

Yun He quickly added, “So they asked me to come represent them after work and welcome you at the train station.”

Yu Bai had a very harmonious relationship with the older lady employees in the shop. Upon hearing the rumors about Yu Bai suddenly taking leave, the older lady employees were all concerned about him.

Considering that Yu Bai took this leave to relax in another city and probably wouldn’t enjoy having a crowd of people around him making noise, the older lady employees decided to send Yun He as their representative to welcome Yu Bai at the train station.

Thinking that there was a group of people in the shop who cared about him, Yu Bai’s heart warmed.

Yun He accompanied Yu Bai and Xing Xing all the way to their doorstep.

Fortunately, with Yun He’s help, Yu Bai didn’t have to struggle alone with the heavy luggage while taking care of Xing Xing. Otherwise, he would have been overwhelmed.

Yun He stood at Yu Bai’s doorstep, placing the luggage in the entryway, his hands awkwardly behind his back.

“Well… I, I should head back now.”

“Wait a moment.” Yu Bai stopped Yun He, “You came to the train station right after work to pick us up. Have you had dinner?”

Yun He hesitated in his response, “I…”

Seeing Yun He’s hesitation, Yu Bai knew that Yun He hadn’t had dinner.

“Alright, come in.” Yu Bai said, “Xing Xing and I haven’t had dinner either. Since you’ve gone through the trouble of bringing us here, it’s only fair for me to invite you for a meal. We have some ingredients at home, so I’ll quickly make something…”

After washing his hands, Yu Bai entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, taking out some frozen fish balls. As he turned around, a tall figure appeared in front of the kitchen door.

The person was backlit, and their silhouette overlapped with the rapid flashes of images that had crossed Yu Bai’s mind before.

Yu Bai froze in place.

Back then.

There was also a person who liked standing at the kitchen door, watching him cook.

When that person watched him cook, their narrow phoenix eyes focused, and their thin lips curled up…

He vaguely remembered how warm the breath from those thin lips felt and how soft the lips themselves were.

A hand reached out and took the fish ball from Yu Bai’s hand.

Yu Bai snapped out of his thoughts.

Yun He: “I-I can assist you in the kitchen.”

Yu Bai pursed his lips and offered a faint smile.

“Sure.”

With Yun He’s help, the time it took Yu Bai to prepare dinner was cut in half.

After a short while, fragrant pork lard fried rice, fish ball soup, and a plate of specialty produce Yu Bai brought back from H city were served on the table.

It wasn’t early anymore. Yu Bai’s dinner wasn’t elaborate, just enough to fill the stomach.

Of course, even though it was a simple home-cooked meal, the taste Yu Bai produced was clearly much better than the usual.

As the fragrant fried rice and warm fish ball soup went down their stomachs, Yun He also felt less constrained than at the beginning.

The tender texture of the fish balls was like dense and elastic foam that could easily be bitten into by teeth.

“Daddy! The fish ball soup you made is so delicious!”

It was so tasty that it almost made his eyebrows fall off!

Xing Xing drank the fish ball soup mouthful after mouthful, unable to stop.

Yu Bai smiled and added another spoonful of fish ball soup to Xing Xing’s bowl, “Is that enough? If not, I can add more for you. Otherwise, the remaining soup in the pot will…”

Speaking of which, Yu Bai subconsciously glanced to his side.

Yun He was scooping up a snow-white fish ball, gently blowing on it.

Yu Bai’s smile slightly faded, his grip tightening on the ladle.

Now, the person sitting next to him was Yun He, not someone else.

Yun He, who was focused on eating the fish ball, didn’t notice Yu Bai’s change of expression.

After taking a delicate bite of the smooth fish ball, Yun He immediately asked, “These fish balls are handmade, right?”

Yu Bai nodded, “Yes. Handmade fish balls are finer in texture compared to machine-made ones. I made a batch when I had some free time earlier and froze them in the refrigerator. I took them out today to make fish ball soup. If I made the fish balls fresh, they would taste even better.”

“How have these days been at the shop?” Yu Bai asked.

Yun He: “Hmm… it’s been alright.”

Yu Bai didn’t need much explanation; he could tell that Yun He must have had a tough week.

Fortunately, the older women employees at the shop were helpful; they often lent a hand to Yun He.

Yun He wasn’t foolish.

Over time, he learned how to handle things.

After dinner, Yu Bai had Xing Xing stay in the room to watch educational videos while he went downstairs to see Yun He off.

The night was deep, and there were only a few sporadic pedestrians on the street.

Yu Bai and Yun He walked side by side under the streetlights.

“In fact… I can just go to the station ahead and catch a train by myself,” Yun He said, “You don’t need to send me. Xing Xing is still at home…”

“Xing Xing is obedient and won’t wander off,” Yu Bai said, “I’m just sending you off for a short while, it’s nothing.”

Speaking of which, Yu Bai paused.

“I also want to take a stroll by myself.”

A week’s time was truly too short.

Yu Bai had a great time in H city during that week. He thought he had prepared himself to face everything when he returned to J city.

However, when he came back to J city and looked at the familiar surroundings, past laughter and conversations would appear before his eyes one by one.

Yu Bai would still remember that person who should have vanished from his memories forever.

Yun He was one of the few who knew a bit about the situation, and he could understand Yu Bai’s feelings.

But words of comfort felt too pale and powerless.

Yun He: “…Before I came here, I used to work in the food industry too.”

“‘Qiaozi Snack Store’, I used to work there. But what I did there is different from what I do now… I was part of the product development department.”

Back then, Yun He had just entered society; he loved making delicious food and challenging innovative dishes. With his excellent culinary skills, he smoothly became a member of the product development department at “Qiaozi Snack Store”.

Yun He believed that from then on, he would be doing the work he loved. But when he entered “Qiaozi Snack Store”, he found that everything was different from what he had imagined.

“‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ offers me a high salary, but not much work. What I need to do is to replicate the taste of snacks to the best of my ability…”

The only requirement of “Qiaozi Snack Store” for Yun He was to “replicate.”

Yun He was the best chef in the product development department.

Besides possessing exceptional culinary skills, Yun He had a profound understanding of cooking.

In “Qiaozi Snack Store”, Yun He hardly had a chance to showcase his interests or innovative abilities; instead, he was constantly replicating the flavors of other snacks…

This made Yun He feel like a rat hiding in the shadows. He had spent decades, even over a hundred years, secretly accumulating unique combinations, which he conceived in moments of inspiration.

Yun He had also thought about leaving “Qiaozi Snack Store”, but at that time, his parents were seriously ill and required high medical expenses every day.

He had no choice but to rely on “Qiaozi Snack Store” to earn a high salary.

Gradually, Yun He’s youthful enthusiasm and fighting spirit were worn down over time.

Until one day, the department head brought out a few kinds of snacks that Yun He needed to imitate.

Yun He still remembered the first time he tasted these snacks; the fleeting stunning flavors they left on his lips.

The department head said that these were snacks from a very popular teppanyaki stall. The stall owner was very young, only in his twenties, and he personally made the sauces.

Yun He thought about a person of his age running a popular snack stall on the street, using his hands to create delicious surprises for customers.

And he, like a bird without ambition, was locked in a cage, repeating monotonous and dull work day after day.

Yun He envied the freedom of the snack stall owner.

He was also jealous. Jealous that the other person not only had freedom but also had better culinary skills.

Even if Yun He tried every method, he could only hastily replicate the taste of teppanyaki.

Later on.

His parents passed away, and the company went bankrupt.

Going around in circles, Yun He ended up in front of a snack shop that was under preparation.

The owner of this snack shop was none other than Yu Bai, the owner of the teppanyaki stall who had left him with a memorable taste.

Yun He concealed parts of his past, and with his outstanding culinary skills that far surpassed his peers, he successfully applied to become the second chef at “Galaxy Snack Shop.”

The iron chains on the feet of the bird were unfastened.

The bird embraced the blue sky, and Yun He stepped onto the path of hope once again, blossoming with new life.

No matter how embarrassing the past was, when looked back upon, it was merely a staircase leading to a brighter future.

“I believe that you will meet better and more cherished people in the future. But…” Yun He rubbed his hands awkwardly, “I know about the history between ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ and you… that’s why I hid parts of my own past. If you mind, I can submit my resignation tomorr…”

“No need. That was just your past.” Yu Bai whispered softly, “Now, how could the past bind us anymore?”

He was saying this to Yun He, but it was also as if he was saying it to himself.

“Alright, we’ve arrived at the station.” Yu Bai smiled and patted Yun He’s shoulder, “Wait for your train here. I’ll head back; Xing Xing is waiting for me at home.”

“Remember to be on time for work tomorrow. Goodbye.”

Yu Bai turned and walked away.

The cool breeze of the summer brushed against his cheeks, carrying the refreshing scent of jasmine. The cicadas chirped, and the moonlight illuminated the world like water.

It was an ordinary summer night, as ordinary as could be.

At this moment, Yu Bai’s heavy heart felt a bit lighter.

The bus approached slowly.

Yun He withdrew his gaze from Yu Bai’s departing figure and got on the bus.

Just as Yun He was about to take a seat, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure outside the bus window, by the concealed entrance of a small alley near the bus stop.

As Yun He followed the direction of that figure, it disappeared once again.

In the pitch-black entrance of the alley, Ji Rongyu was leaning against the wall, his eyes gently closed.

Suddenly, he swung his right hand forcefully, pounding it against the wall.