Final Extra – A New Chapter
In the chilly early days of spring, Xiang You faced the written examination for the provincial civil service examination.
The examination site was a school in the outskirts. Meng Ou took the initiative to ask whether she wanted him to drive her there, and after thinking about it, Xiang You agreed.
Early that morning, Meng Ou arrived at her home. She had only just finished washing up, with her hair tie still perched on top of her head, when she opened the door.
“Have you had breakfast?” Meng Ou asked casually as he began looking for his slippers and changing into them as though he knew the place by heart.
After Meng Ou had “ruined” her little cat slippers, Xiang You had bought another pair of men’s slippers. They were the same design as the pair she had always worn, only in a different color.
She said nothing about it. She simply took them out one day when Meng Ou came to her home again.
After putting them on, Meng Ou walked over to her and stopped her with one tug. Then he pressed his toes against hers and lowered his head, studying them intently for a long while.
“What are you looking at?” Xiang You lightly kicked him.
“They really are the same.” A smile played at the corners of Meng Ou’s mouth.
“How are they the same?” Xiang You realized what he meant and turned to walk away. “The colors aren’t even the same.”
When she looked back, Meng Ou was standing right where he was, grinning foolishly.
So stupid-looking, just like the fool of a son from a landlord’s family.
“What are you smiling about?” Xiang You asked helplessly.
Only to see him hurry over in two or three steps and, without giving her a chance to object, lower his head and kiss her once, with an audible smack.
Xiang You deliberately tried to push him away in disgust, but halfway through, she ended up collapsing into his arms and laughing instead.
When he heard that she had not eaten breakfast, Meng Ou went straight into the kitchen.
In less than a month, her kitchen had already undergone a complete transformation.
For example, there was now a black apron, quite a few more vegetables and seasonings, and even an extra wok.
Of course, all of them were for Meng Ou to use.
“Do I need to charge you kitchen rent?” One day, while Meng Ou was cooking, Xiang You leaned against the doorway and pondered this question.
Meng Ou stopped the hand holding the spatula and turned to give her a sidelong glance. “Xiang Youyou, I haven’t even asked you for a salary yet. You have no conscience. You’re practically a capitalist by nature.”
Suddenly having such a label slapped on her, Xiang You smiled to herself in satisfaction and could not stop laughing.
She had seen that spirited young man, and she had seen that mature and imposing man. Now she was seeing him washing his hands to make soup.
She had thought that the kitchen and him would be completely mismatched. She had not expected that he could move with ease anywhere, and even the mundane smoke and grease of cooking could not conceal how outstanding he was.
“Meng Ou, you’re so handsome.” Xiang You praised him with particular sincerity.
For Xiang You to praise him even once could practically be called an iron tree blooming. Meng Ou looked at her suspiciously. “Trying to butter me up?”
“Mm!” Xiang You nodded vigorously. “Trying to butter you up.”
“All right.” Meng Ou turned back to the food in the wok, unable to hide the smile at the corners of his mouth. “You succeeded. I’ll make you one more dish tonight.”
Meng Ou really was a paper tiger. When he launched an attack, his momentum was imposing. But as soon as the attack was turned back on him, he became flustered and retreated step by step.
And as Xiang You watched his smiling profile, she felt so, so happy.
By the time Xiang You came out of the bedroom after changing, breakfast was already ready.
A bowl of yangchun noodles, with two eggs resting on top. Meng Ou pointed at it solemnly. “Eat this, and you’ll definitely score 100.”
Thinking back, the last time she had heard something like that seemed to have been back in elementary school during the final exams.
Xiang You walked over. “If I could score 100, I’d be famous across the whole country.”
“By then, don’t forget about me, Boss Xiang.” Meng Ou teased her.
The white yangchun noodles were dotted with green scallions, along with poached eggs white with a hint of yellow, and looked exceptionally delicious.
There was plenty of time, so Xiang You ate every last bite, as was her habit. When she was about to wash the bowl, Meng Ou stopped her.
“Let me, let me.” Meng Ou hurriedly took the bowl from her. “Our Boss only needs to take her exam today. She doesn’t have to do any other work.”
With treatment this good, Xiang You laughed. “Then can I take an exam every day?”
“How come I never noticed before that you had so many little schemes?” Meng Ou pinched her cheek, then turned around and twisted on the faucet. “I suppose that’s not impossible.”
Meng Ou washed the dishes at the sink, while Xiang You wrapped her arms around him from behind.
She really liked leaning against Meng Ou’s broad back. She didn’t have to think about anything or do anything. She could just lean against him like this for an entire day.
After the dishes were washed, Meng Ou reached back and patted the little tree koala clinging to his back. “Ready to go?”
Xiang You tightened her arms around him a little more and rubbed her face against his back. “Meng Ou…”
“Mm, what’s wrong?”
Xiang You sniffed softly. “I’m a little nervous.”
The state of mind for taking the second exam was, after all, different from the first. Having experienced failure, she was even more afraid of it.
If she worked hard for two years, only to end up with nothing, like drawing water with a bamboo basket, she wouldn’t know how to face it.
Meng Ou lowered his head and pulled away the pair of hands around his waist, then turned to face her. He drew her into his arms and said softly, “Of course, if you pass, everyone will be happy. If you don’t, you have a job too, don’t you? Whether it’s success or failure, it’s only a result at one particular stage. It can’t define your whole life.”
“No matter where you apply, if you pass, I’m willing to go with you. If you don’t succeed this time but still want to take it again, I’ll support you too. Or if you don’t want to take the civil service exam anymore and want to devote yourself to growing in your current position, or even want to develop somewhere else, that’s all fine.”
“In short, no matter what choice you make, no matter which road you take, I will always support you.”
Xiang You clutched his clothes tighter, a happy, aching tightness filling her nose, and answered him in a muffled voice.
She thought she wasn’t afraid anymore.
She had a road behind her, a place to go, and a road home. Her life held countless possibilities and countless choices, while her parents and her beloved would always be her powerful support, allowing her to no longer fear every new venture, and to boldly keep moving forward.
In the afternoon, Xiang You finished the essay portion of the exam and walked out of the examination hall feeling completely at ease.
She had already done everything she could and done her best. As for the result, she would leave it to fate.
Of course, passing would be good. If she didn’t succeed, she felt that her current job was quite good too.
Of course, there was also—
From far away, she spotted the tall figure in the crowd. Xiang You ran toward him with all her might, the things in her bag clanging loudly. Like a missile, she precisely crashed straight into Meng Ou’s arms.
“So happy, huh?” Meng Ou let out an “aiyo” as he caught her, then ruffled her hair.
“Happy, so, so happy!”
She had only just finished the exam, yet the great stone that had weighed on her heart for a whole year had already been completely set down.
Sitting in the car, Xiang You held a huge bouquet of brilliant sunflowers in her arms, though even they could not outshine the brilliance of the smile on her face. “Let’s go see a movie later, okay? My treat!”
“Sure.” Meng Ou readily agreed. “Boss Xiang is really generous today.”
“Hehe. A couple of days ago, when I was scrolling through my phone, I saw that the director you like has a new movie out.”
“Why not watch one you like?” Meng Ou asked.
“As long as you like it, I like it too.”
Or perhaps, what she liked was not the movie itself, but the act of watching a movie together with Meng Ou.
Unfortunately, when the gunfight on the screen was at its fiercest, Xiang You once again began to grow drowsy.
Her head bobbed little by little, when suddenly an arm came around her side. With just a little force, it pressed her against a dependable shoulder.
She remembered that little girl from high school.
Although the outcome of that movie had not been particularly pleasant, looking back on it afterward, it had actually still been a happy memory.
In the darkness, that little girl’s heart had been pounding—
He can even notice me while watching a movie he likes. Does he love me that much?
So many years later, she thought that perhaps this had never really been a question.
Breathing in that familiar fragrance, Xiang You sank into a deep sleep amid a chaotic street battle on the screen.
As long as he was by her side, every night from then on, she would be able to sleep this peacefully and soundly.
The movie ended, and the lights came on.
Meng Ou gently patted her awake. Xiang You opened her eyes from the haze and seriously studied him.
The movie had reached its ending, while their lives were about to unfold a new chapter.
It would not end.
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