#8: One More Try

Chu Ning stopped in her tracks at Ying Jing’s bold shout. Smiling, she teased, “Changed your mind?”

Ying Jing scratched the tip of his ear. “You’re nothing like yesterday.”

Chu Ning didn’t understand. “Huh?”

“You were so serious yesterday,” Ying Jing said softly.

Chu Ning rested her hands on her chest. When relaxed, her features softened noticeably. “Hey,” she beckoned to him with a playful curl of her finger, drawing out the last syllable. “Are you scared of me?”

“...” Ying Jing looked indignant, like a thief caught red-handed. “I’m not scared of you.”

Chu Ning’s eyebrows twitched slightly as her phone vibrated—it was Little Sixth calling. She answered while turning away. “Coming.” The music inside was deafening; likely, the other end hadn’t heard her clearly. Chu Ning raised her voice. “—Coming!”

Ying Jing stood behind her. This time, without hesitation, he clung to her like sticky glue.

“Can I ask you a question?” he followed closely.

“Ask.” Chu Ning loved to intimidate people. “But answering comes with a fee.”

“Why didn’t you choose us?”

“Why should I have chosen you?”

“Our major is excellent—it’s one of the national key disciplines. We even get special funding for research every year. Plus, I’ve checked the data: the demand for aviation products in our country is increasing annually, and the growth rate is very promising.” Ying Jing tried to sound seasoned. “Don’t you want a piece of that pie?”

Chu Ning looked at him, smiling faintly. “No.”

Ying Jing pressed on. “It’s something that could make companies money. Why couldn’t you give us a chance?”

Chu Ning didn’t feel like elaborating further and continued walking ahead.

“And what you said about ‘not being able to wait’—it’s not really an issue. During the entire core engine development process, many secondary technologies can be derived, simpler and more practical ones like aerial photography, geodetic surveying, and geological exploration—all of which require support from the aviation industry.”

Ying Jing spoke breathlessly, pausing briefly before continuing in rapid bursts. “We can tackle big projects while making money on the side. Eventually, fame and fortune will come your way—you’ll strike it rich! Hey, slow down a bit! Oh, let me reintroduce myself. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime…”

Before he could finish, she grabbed his arm again. Chu Ning pulled him aside. “Watch where you’re going.”

A waiter carrying drinks brushed past Ying Jing. Had they been half a second slower, they would’ve collided in a mess of broken glass.

Ying Jing froze momentarily. As Chu Ning began to loosen her grip, he suddenly realized and tightened his hold on her wrist. Her arm was slender, and his grip was firm enough to cause discomfort.

Their bodies pressed tightly together.

The excitement and fervor gradually cooled, leaving Ying Jing looking pitiful. “Please reconsider me.”

“...”

Chu Ning fell silent for a moment. What kind of hex had she encountered today? This persistent adhesive-like presence nudged her once steadfast thoughts toward a tipping point.

With a quiet sigh, Chu Ning softened her tone. “Follow me.”

She led Ying Jing out of the bar.

As the revolving door turned, the cold night air rushed toward them. It was chilly, and Chu Ning tightened her coat.

Ying Jing was still wearing his short sleeves, hugging himself as he shivered. “I-I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ve never been afraid of the cold.”

Chu Ning glanced at him indifferently. This boy’s inner drama was tinged with self-importance.

Back to the matter at hand.

Chu Ning asked a question that carried some weight in her mind. “Why do you want to win so badly?”

The autumn wind made Ying Jing question his existence. His teeth chattered, but he remained resolute despite the chill. “This project was recommended to me by my professor. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. If I’m doing something, I want to do it to the best of my ability.”

His youthful spirit was still intact. Words like passion and dedication came easily when standing on the pedestal of self-centered dreams—grand, distant, and seemingly within reach yet impossibly far away.

Chu Ning watched him silently, not interrupting.

Summoning his courage, Ying Jing continued. “And I’m serious about this. My partner and I spent four sleepless nights building a simulation model—the small prototype shown in the PPT last time? That was mine!”

Seeing Chu Ning’s lack of reaction, Ying Jing added softly, “You might’ve already forgotten.”

“There’s another project group at our school—they got picked. Then I got into a fight with one of them. He can mock me all he wants, but he can’t belittle what I’m working on. At least, to me—it matters.”

Ying Jing wished he could rip open his chest and show her the world the journey of his heart.

After listening for so long, Chu Ning had formed her judgment. She said three words: “You’re just不服气 (unwilling to accept defeat).”

“Huh?”

“You’re just不服气.”

“...”

Just then, her phone rang. Chu Ning raised it to her ear. “I’m outside getting some air, at the entrance. Okay, come out.”

As soon as she hung up, Ying Jing rushed to protest. “How am I不服气?!”

Her words felt like a rebellious fallacy to him. He wanted to refute them, to prove his innocence.

The wind blew strands of hair across Chu Ning’s face.

For some reason, Ying Jing suddenly snapped. He reached out abruptly, wanting to brush the hair away from her eyes. He wanted to look straight into her eyes, a wave of heat and frustration inexplicably rising—

How dare you say I’m just unsatisfied!

Chu Ning remained calm. “Like right now. You’re getting upset with me—aren’t you just unsastisfied?”

Ying Jing froze. The balloons of anger in his heart popped one by one. That surge of heat vanished as mysteriously as it had come.

He suddenly felt defeated, too lazy to even hug himself for warmth. He hung his head, pretending to play dead.

Chu Ning instinctively paused her critique, hesitating for a moment. “...Are you crying?”

Ying Jing turned his head away, refusing to look at her.

“Are you really crying?” Chu Ning stepped closer. With each step forward, Ying Jing retreated until his back hit a large stone pillar.

Chu Ning rested one hand on her hip and lightly supported her chin with the other, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to run again?”

Ying Jing stubbornly replied, “I’m a man. Men don’t cry. Only women cry.”

Chu Ning smiled faintly. “I never cry either.”

To his credit, Ying Jing managed his emotions well. Shaking off the gloom, he perked up and stood tall. “It’s okay. You’re a woman—you can cry occasionally.”

The atmosphere reached a crossroads. Chu Ning’s earlier flicker of empathy, like the night breeze, came slowly and disappeared quickly.

“Sister Ning!” A crowd emerged from the entrance. Little Sixth’s voice was crisp and commanding, full of presence. He brightened upon spotting them. “Oh ho ho.”

Ying Jing turned to look. A dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

Chu Ning took two steps forward, subtly shielding Ying Jing. She walked over and blended into the group. Laughter erupted sporadically.

Ying Jing scuffed the ground with the tip of his shoe, his gaze trailing after Chu Ning’s retreating figure.

The valets brought the cars around, and the group began boarding. Chu Ning got into a white Audi. Ying Jing recognized the car—it was the same model his sister Yingchen drove.

As Chu Ning drove past Ying Jing, the window slid halfway down. Her face, bathed in neon light, was soft and radiant.

She was quite beautiful.

Ying Jing thought silently, If only she were a little gentler.

Only after everyone had left did he snap back to reality. Trembling, he hugged himself, bowing over as if his stomach hurt, his teeth chattering. “I can’t take it anymore. I need to go back and put on thermal pants.”

Before midnight, he climbed back over the school wall. Once inside the dormitory and warmed up, he promptly forgot about putting on those thermal pants.

In the four-person dorm, the other two roommates were gone—one had gone home for the weekend, and the other was visiting his girlfriend out of town. Ying Jing returned, booted up his computer, and sat up straight on a small stool.

“...What are you doing?” Qi Yu thought he’d been acting strange lately.

“I want to tweak something.” Ying Jing dug out a familiar-looking cover from under a pile of books.

Qi Yu froze. “Isn’t everything over? Why are you still looking at that project proposal?”

Ying Jing flipped through the table of contents, marking key sections with a pencil. Without looking up, he said, “We were rushed for time back then and didn’t get to refine it. The connections between the turbine blades could be smoother.”

Yes, it was true. During those sleepless nights, they had roughly outlined the process. But at this moment... Qi Yu was confused. “Did the school recommend us somewhere else?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you still...”

“One more try.”

Ying Jing turned his head, his eyes sparking like freshly lit fireworks, sizzling with determination. His voice was firm, each word clear:

“Let me try one more time.”

________________________________________

One week later, Friday evening.

Guan Yu called Chu Ning in the afternoon. “Ning, how about we go eat sashimi tonight?”

Chu Ning had been in meetings all afternoon, her back and neck aching. Rubbing her cervical spine, she replied, “Not tonight—I have to attend my Aunt Zhao’s birthday dinner.”

Guan Yu asked, “Which aunt?”

“The one on the west side.”

“Oh,” Guan Yu pondered. “The one who’s close to your older brother?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’d better be careful. She holds a high position in the Zhao family. Have you picked out a gift? I heard she doesn’t like gold jewelry—don’t buy that.”

“You’re just like my mom,” Chu Ning interrupted. “Let’s reschedule.”

Guan Yu was baffled. “What do you mean, like your mom?”

Always meticulous, cautious, and restrained.

Almost everyone preached to Chu Ning about how to handle the Zhao family.

By 4 PM, as she was rushing home from work, her mother Chen Yue had already bombarded her with calls. They were all variations of the same questions: Was the gift expensive enough? Make sure it’s not too cheap. Then there were reminders: Tonight, the entire Zhao family would gather—siblings, cousins, everyone would be there. Be warm and enthusiastic; don’t smile too reservedly.

Oh, and one more thing:

“Your older brother just returned from a business trip to France. He flew straight to the banquet hall without adjusting to the time difference. You know how he is—bad sleep makes him irritable, especially after traveling. Don’t provoke him. If he criticizes you, just let him talk. Don’t argue back.”

After a pause, Chen Yue wondered aloud, “Is the signal gone? Hmm, I didn’t hang up. Why aren’t you responding? Hello? Hello?!”

“I heard you,” Chu Ning replied flatly.

Chen Yue still had more to say, but Chu Ning ended the call.

At that moment, a red light appeared. Distracted, her mind blanked for half a second, and she accidentally revved the gas pedal, crossing the line. Realizing her mistake, she slammed on the brakes, stopping the car abruptly on the pedestrian crossing.

Chu Ning broke out in a cold sweat.

She shook her head forcefully, bowed her head, and buried her face in the steering wheel, taking deep breaths. Her temples throbbed painfully, and she dug her nails into her skin, leaving red marks.

The phone on the passenger seat beeped, pulling her soul back halfway.

An unfamiliar number sent a brief message:

“Hello President Ning, this is Ying Jing.”

Perhaps fearing she wouldn’t remember, the sender quickly followed up with another message:

“The guy who was crushed by your criticism last time [knife emoji][knife emoji][knife emoji].”

Three knife emojis in a row miraculously lifted the earlier gloom, bringing an unexpected sweetness to her mood. Chu Ning leaned back against the car seat, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.