Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 38 January 4nd

June 4th, sunny.

Zuo Cheng woke up at six in the morning. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, going over what he was going to say in his mind three times.

He hadn't prepared any lines. His two lifetimes had taught him one thing—the truth doesn't need rehearsals.

In the morning, he went to office 402 as usual. The development of the second milestone of the Sky Dome project had entered a critical phase. There were still a few boundary conditions to be addressed in the embedded porting of the channel estimation module, but he didn't intend to tackle the tough issues today. He spent two hours revising documents in the morning, compiling a technical memo on the "multi-mode switching robustness" issue mentioned in the first milestone acceptance comments, and sent it to Fang Ze and Chen Hao.

I ran into Zhang Lei while having lunch in the cafeteria.

"Cheng-ge, you know about the graduation ceremony, right? It's on June 20th. The college will arrange it. You can pick up your graduation gowns at the registrar's office tomorrow." Zhang Lei mumbled, chewing on braised pork ribs. "And there's a farewell dinner. Our dorm's is on the 18th. Liu Wei said he'll book the restaurant."

"Okay," Zuo Cheng replied casually.

"By the way—" Zhang Lei lowered his voice and leaned closer, "Cheng-ge, what's going on between you and Yu Ying? Last time I saw you two sitting side by side in the library editing a PPT, you were closer than a couple."

Zuo Cheng picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks without looking up.

"Just focus on your own thesis defense."

Zhang Lei chuckled and tactfully changed the subject.

At 5 p.m., Zuo Cheng sent a message to Yu Ying.

Are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner.

Yu Ying replied quickly: "Okay. What time?"

"Six o'clock. At the Hunan restaurant near the south gate of the school."

"good."

When Zuo Cheng arrived, Yu Ying was already there. She was sitting by the window, with a glass of untouched lemonade in front of her.

She wore a light blue dress today, her hair was loose over her shoulders, and a small silver hair clip was tucked behind her ear. Zuo Cheng had never seen her dressed like this before—Yu Ying in the library always wore a ponytail, a white shirt, and no makeup.

She knew that today was different.

The two ordered their food. The owner of the Hunan restaurant was a warm-hearted middle-aged woman. When she saw Zuo Cheng come in, she called out, "The usual, right? Steamed fish head with chopped chili, stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, and a plate of pounded chili and preserved egg." Then she glanced at Yu Ying and smiled meaningfully.

While waiting for the food, we chatted about some ordinary topics—the graduation ceremony arrangements, Dr. Yu Ying's enrollment procedures, and the progress of Project 402. Yu Ying said that her doctoral supervisor had already contacted her, asking her to go to the lab in July to familiarize herself with the environment, and to officially enroll in August.

"How are the lab conditions at Blue Star University of Science and Technology?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"The equipment is a newer generation than BGI's, but the team is still being built. I'm the first PhD student my advisor is supervising," Yu Ying smiled. "It's a bit like when you founded 402—building it from scratch."

The dishes are all served.

Yu Ying picked up her chopsticks, then put them down again, looking at him.

"You said you had something to tell me."

Straight ball.

Zuo Cheng also put down his chopsticks.

"Yu Ying, I thought for a long time about how to bring this up. I prepared several versions of my explanation, but in the end, I felt they were all too sentimental." He looked into her eyes, "So I'll just say it directly."

"I like you. It started last fall when we first talked to each other in the library."

Yu Ying didn't speak. Her hand rested on the table, her fingertips curling slightly.

"I haven't said anything yet, not because I'm uncertain, but because I feel I'm not ready." Zuo Cheng's voice was calm, like stating the conclusion of a technical solution. "I wanted to wait until I was more established before speaking up, so you wouldn't feel like I was using emotions to manipulate the uncertainty of the future."

"Are you standing still now?" Yu Ying asked.

"I'm not completely settled yet," Zuo Cheng said honestly. "But I've realized something—if I wait until I'm completely settled before speaking up, I might never reach that day. I don't want to miss out on the right person because I'm chasing the perfect timing."

Yu Ying lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twirling the lemonade glass on the table. Water droplets on the glass slid down her fingertips, drawing a small circle on the table.

There was silence for about ten seconds. To Zuo Cheng, that felt like ten minutes.

Then she looked up. There was a thin layer of water in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were curved.

"Zuo Cheng, do you know how long I've waited to hear these words?"

Zuo Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

"From the day you finished your defense at Blue Bay Communications, when I said 'That's great' to you in the hallway," Yu Ying's voice was so soft, as if afraid of disturbing something, "I've been waiting for you to speak. I thought you'd say it on New Year's Day, but you didn't. I thought you'd say it when you went back to school, but you still didn't. When you told me 'eight months and twenty-three days,' I almost asked you on the spot why you couldn't just say it now."

She sniffed and smiled.

"You're usually decisive in everything, but you're dragging your feet on this."

Looking at her smile, Zuo Cheng felt the tension that had been building up in his chest suddenly ease.

"So what's your answer?"

"What do you think?" Yu Ying asked back, her eyes shining.

"I need a clear answer," Zuo Cheng said seriously. "I'm an engineer; I don't accept vague answers."

Yu Ying was amused by him, but her eyes welled up with tears halfway through her laughter.

"Okay. I like you too." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. "Is that clear enough?"

"That's enough."

Zuo Cheng reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, which was resting on the table. Yu Ying's hand was cool, and her fingertips were trembling slightly.

"I won't keep you waiting anymore," he said.

Yu Ying turned her hand over and grasped his fingers.

I believe you.

The sky outside the window slowly changed from orange-red to deep blue. The Hunan restaurant was bustling with noise; people were playing drinking games at the next table, and a waiter walked by carrying a sizzling plate of beef on a hot plate, the smells of oil and chili mingling together.

But Zuo Cheng felt that the whole world had become quiet.

After dinner, the two walked along the small river on campus. The evening breeze in early June was warm, and the river reflected the shimmering light of the streetlights. Yu Ying walked on his left, and their hands naturally became clasped together.

"Zuocheng."

"Um?"

"You just said you 'don't want to use emotions to bind the uncertainty of the future.'" Yu Ying turned to look at him. "You know, I've never worried about that. Because you're the kind of person who takes full responsibility for your own life. With you, I don't need to worry about you stopping. I only need to worry about you running too fast and me not being able to keep up."

Zuo Cheng remained silent for two seconds.

In his previous life, his ex-wife said the exact opposite: "I can't see a future with you."

Both assessments of him as a person show stagnation in one instance and progress in the other.

It's not that he's changed a lot. It's that the people around him are different.

"Yu Ying."

"Um?"

"I will go very far. But no matter how far I go, you will always be there when I look back. This is the most sincere promise I can give you."

Yu Ying didn't speak. She leaned closer to him, her shoulder pressed against his arm, and her fingers tightened slightly.

A river breeze blows by, carrying the scent of early summer and gardenias.

Zuo Cheng looked up at the sky. There were more stars than usual tonight—perhaps because he was in a good mood, and everything seemed bright.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn't look at it.

Regardless of whose message it is, we'll wait until tomorrow.

Tonight belongs to just the two of them.