That night, Old Shu came to the base again.
He met with me before I saw Xu Qiuyan.
Old Shu felt that I had handled Liu Yang in a satisfying way. He had never thought much of Liu Yang either. He was nothing more than a spoiled rich kid who threw his weight around by relying on his family's power.
Liu Yang liked Xu Qiuyan. His dissatisfaction with me stemmed from what he knew about certain things between Xu Qiuyan and me. So, when he learned that Xu Qiuyan was coming to the base, he insisted on coming along and even resorted to a few underhanded tricks. If Xu Qiuyan had not stood her ground, he would have been the team leader. The first thing he wanted to do upon arriving at the base was put me in my place. He wanted to prove he was better than me and show Xu Qiuyan how she should choose.
In truth, he had not come for official business at all.
Old Shu patted my shoulder. "I have to say, you've got more guts than I do. If it had been me, I might have chosen a more cautious approach instead of being as direct as you were. Of course, we're in different positions. I have too much to consider, and that just makes me hesitant."
I gave a bitter smile. I had been pushed along too. Many roads had not been my own choice; I simply had no choice at all.
It was like the many people and events I had encountered. Especially those people who had once been by my side—somehow, as we walked on, they all disappeared. Some never even said goodbye before they were gone for good.
I knew they had their own paths to walk and their own