Plans for What Came Next

"My show." Wei Zijin's face shone with irrepressible joy, making her radiant. "The station took an interest in my short-video interview series."

She paused briefly, seemingly gathering her words, or perhaps savoring this tremendous surprise.

"The station decided to buy my show and turn it into an official short-video series under its banner. This is Jiangcheng Television's first official move into short-video platforms!"

Wang Xiaoliang was left a little dazed.

Buy it? Official?

Those words together carried so much weight that he struggled to take them in.

"So now, not only do I have my own independent show," Wei Zijin said, counting on her fingers with a touch of childlike pride, "I'm also its producer and creator. The station has assigned me a dedicated team, with a camera operator, a lighting technician, and an assistant. From now on, all the footage we shoot will go to the station's best professional editors."

At that, she let out a long breath, her face filled with the satisfaction and excitement of a dream come true.

"The videos will take a huge leap in quality. It took me just fifteen videos to prove myself to them."

Wang Xiaoliang listened quietly, warmth swelling in his chest.

He was happy for her, with a pure joy that came straight from the heart.

She had succeeded. Not only had she become a professional television host, she now had a show of her own.

"That's wonderful, Zijin. You're incredible."

"No." Wei Zijin shook her head and turned to face him fully, her outline clear and resolute in the night. "I'm not the incredible one."

"The main reason I invited you to dinner tonight was to tell you the good news in person. And more than anything, I wanted to thank you."

She was utterly earnest, without the slightest trace of mere politeness.

"All of this is thanks to you. Really, Xiaoliang. It was because you pointed me in the right direction that I reached my goals so quickly. You really are a master. Besides calligraphy, can you tell fortunes too?"

Wang Xiaoliang opened his mouth, wanting to say something modest, but her next words stopped him.

"My original plan was to spend three years trying to become a location host for the station. Then another five years hoping I might have an independent show of my own."

"But I took your advice and started making short videos... and somehow, in just over a month, I accomplished all of it. It turned out even better than my wildest dreams."

At that moment, the question that had been circling in Wang Xiaoliang's mind suddenly had an answer.

Was he the person who had changed her fortunes?

Yes.

He was.

The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment almost left him floating. Helping the girl he liked and watching her succeed firsthand felt like winning the lottery.

Just as his heart was bursting with delight, Wei Zijin took an elegantly wrapped gift box from her bag and held it out to him.

"This is for you."

Wang Xiaoliang froze, looking down at the square box.

"What is it?"

"A thank-you gift. And a graduation present, too." Wei Zijin's gesture left no room for refusal.

Wang Xiaoliang took it. The box felt slightly heavy in his hands, solid and substantial.

He hesitated, then looked up at her. "Can I... open it now?"

Wei Zijin nodded with a smile.

Wang Xiaoliang carefully peeled away the wrapping and lifted the lid.

Nestled inside was a brand-new Apple iPhone, the latest model. Its metallic body gleamed in the darkness with an understated, premium sheen.

"This... this is too expensive." He closed the lid almost immediately and tried to give it back. "Zijin, I can't accept this. I... I can't repay you."

Their relationship had not yet reached the point where he could comfortably accept such an expensive gift. It would leave him feeling indebted and uneasy.

"You deserve it." Wei Zijin remained firm. She did not reach for the box, only looked quietly at him.

"The station gave me a bonus. A big one. It was essentially payment for buying the show. I won't tell you the exact amount, but it was a lot."

"I've noticed you've been making videos lately, too. Your phone is really old, and its camera resolution is terrible. The videos don't look very good. Use this one. I guarantee your video traffic will at least double."

Her reasons were so practical, so considerate of him, that Wang Xiaoliang's refusal caught in his throat.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Wei Zijin added something else.

"Besides, didn't you give me a gift too?"

She meant the calligraphy piece, Green, Green Is My Collar.

"To me, your gift is so precious that this phone can't even compare. What it means to me can't be measured in money."

Wang Xiaoliang felt as though something had struck him hard in the heart.

He no longer wanted to refuse.

Not in the slightest.

This was the first gift the girl he liked had given him.

It meant something extraordinary.

He opened the box again and took out the brand-new phone, turning it over in his hands. The cool metal casing touched his skin, yet sent waves of warmth through him.

He could feel Wei Zijin quietly watching him the whole time. It made him a little self-conscious, but secretly delighted too.

"Lanxiang and I only really became close friends today."

Wei Zijin's sudden change of subject caught Wang Xiaoliang off guard.

He raised his head and looked at her in puzzlement.

"I only found out today, too." A trace of complicated emotion crossed Wei Zijin's face. "She and Zhou Qiang really love each other."

"Last time, when I said their relationship was a transaction, I was wrong."

"Do you know what they're planning next?"

Wang Xiaoliang shook his head instinctively. Of course he had no way of knowing.

"Getting married?" he guessed.

Wei Zijin shook her head again, but her answer startled Wang Xiaoliang.

"They've already registered their marriage."

Already... registered their marriage?

"Then they..."

"Next, they're going to start trying for a baby and have a child." Wei Zijin spoke slowly, but every word reached Wang Xiaoliang's ears clearly.

"So tonight's dinner was the last time Lanxiang and Qiang would drink before they officially started trying."

Wang Xiaoliang fell completely silent.

He tried to digest the news, his mind a jumble.

How did Zhou Qiang manage to get ahead of everyone in everything?

Financial freedom before he'd even left college.

Then marriage, a child, a complete family.

He was moving way too fast.

Wang Xiaoliang knew about Zhou Qiang's background.

His longing for a family would be stronger than most people's.

His progress through life was just too fast.

It left him strangely shaken, as though someone else's progress through life had left his own far behind.

But what puzzled him even more was why Wei Zijin was telling him all this.

What did it have to do with their conversation, or with him?

He did not ask. He simply waited quietly.

Sure enough, Wei Zijin let out a soft sigh and turned toward the shimmering lake, the night breeze stirring her long hair.

"I talked with Lanxiang for a long time this afternoon. She said she felt happy because she'd found Zhou Qiang, someone who could shoulder all of this with her. She said that when you choose a path, whether it's a career or a family, what matters most isn't where that path leads, but who you choose to walk it with."

Wang Xiaoliang's heartbeat began to quicken uncontrollably.

He thought... he was starting to understand what she wanted to say.

"Lanxiang chose her path, a steady, happy life filled with everyday warmth. And she has Qiang beside her."

Wei Zijin turned back to look at Wang Xiaoliang.

Her eyes were astonishingly bright in the darkness, as though filled with starlight and the lake's shimmer.

"And what about me?" she asked softly, as if asking herself as much as him.

"Because of you, I took a completely different path from the one I expected. A shortcut. I completed a five-year plan in just over a month."

There was no fear on her face, only a resolve and anticipation he had never seen before.

"You were the one who nudged me onto this path."

Wang Xiaoliang felt his throat go dry. His grip on the new phone tightened without him realizing it.

He could sense that the night's ultimate question was about to come.

The breeze from the lake brushed their cheeks, carrying moisture with it.

Everything around them was quiet, save for the occasional sound of a distant car and their clearly audible heartbeats.

Wei Zijin simply gazed steadily at him for a long, long time.

So long that Wang Xiaoliang almost thought this would be another silent exchange of looks.

Then she spoke, her voice soft but carrying a weight he could not ignore.

"Lanxiang said what matters most is who you choose to walk with."

"Recently, I interviewed a girl named Nono. Her circumstances made me reach a decision."

She leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.

"Xiaoliang."