Which way to go is the road?

After the New Year, Lao You didn't gain weight; instead, she lost even more weight, going from over 200 pounds to 170 pounds. The fat on her face disappeared, her belly shrank a lot, and most surprisingly, her hair became jet black and shiny, and her eyes seemed to be more bright.

Zhang Chu remained as gentle and beautiful as ever. Perhaps it was the climate of Sichuan that was so nourishing, but her skin had become even better and much fairer, her hair had grown longer, and she exuded femininity from head to toe.

When I saw them at the exit, Lao You had all the heavy luggage on her back, while Zhang Chu was only carrying a small suitcase with clothes, looking just like a couple.

Old friends meeting again is especially exciting. Lao You expressed his desire to share half of his luggage with her, while Zhang Chu gave Qian Luomei a long hug. The ways of expressing friendship are truly varied, and the results are also different. One grinned, while the other smiled warmly, but without exception, they were all filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

Just as they turned to go to the parking lot, a voice rang out from behind: "Sister Luo Mei, Xiang Fei, Lao You, Zhang Chu!" Turning around, they saw Du Xinpeng and Tian Hai carrying their luggage and walking out of the exit. Upon seeing them, they rushed over to them.

"Sister Luo Mei, Xiang Fei, you guys are so kind! You even knew to come pick us up. I'm so touched!" Before Xiang Fei and the others could respond, Du Xinpeng took out his phone and forcibly gathered everyone together: "Come on, let's take a group photo. I'm going to send a multimedia message to my mom so she knows how loyal my friends in Beijing are!"

Xiang Fei reluctantly cooperated, but looking at that face overflowing with humor, he realized that this was the only way he could make an entrance. After a moment of astonishment, everyone was overjoyed. How could life be complete without someone like Du Xinpeng?

However, on the way back, everyone wasn't as relaxed as when taking photos.

Qian Luomei drove a red sedan. With the driver and four other people, it was quite comfortable. Even if one more person were added in the back, it wouldn't affect the ride. But with six people crammed in, it was a bit like a bus. The four people in the back were almost crammed together according to the principle of maximizing space. Every turn, acceleration, or sudden braking filled the car with all sorts of strange noises, including cursing, groans, and howls.

Fortunately, Qian Luomei had the foresight to arrange for Zhang Chu to sit in the passenger seat, allowing him to maintain his usual elegance and watch the movie and listen to the sounds with her as if watching a play!

First, he took Lao You, Du Xinpeng, and Tian Hai to the university campus. As soon as they got off the car, Xiang Fei felt like he was in heaven. He straightened his clothes and found that two buttons were missing.

Upon returning to "Shuiyunjian", Xiang Fei's first question was about Zhang Chu's situation after returning home. After all, she had been away from home for so long, and had even severed her blood ties in a fit of anger. What kind of fate awaited her after she returned?

Zhang Fang, Dong Lu, and Qian Luomei were also watching from the sidelines.

"Actually, I wasn't alone when I went back to Sichuan!"

"Huh?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise, but Xiang Fei reacted quickly: "Old You came back to Sichuan with you?"

Zhang Chu nodded, a happy smile spreading across his face as he recalled the scene: "He was afraid his family wouldn't accept me, and since I had nowhere to go during the Spring Festival, he got off the train with me in Mianyang, Sichuan. He even said that if things didn't work out, I could go home with him for the New Year!"

Everyone understood, but they were even more puzzled by what happened after she got home. Qian Luomei asked on behalf of everyone, "So what happened next? Did your family give you any trouble after you got home?"

"Actually, we're all overthinking it. My parents are overjoyed to see me! They've been looking for me everywhere these past two years, and they've asked others to look for me too, but unfortunately, I haven't contacted them, and they don't even know where I am, which is why our relationship has been strained until now!"

"Did Lao You go to your house?" Zhang Fang asked anxiously for his brother.

Zhang Chu showed a hint of guilt: "No, after my family accepted me, I sent him a text message! By the time I settled things at home and went out to look for him, he had already taken the train to Shaanxi!"

"Old You didn't want to put you in a difficult position. After all, the relationship isn't established yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go to your house so abruptly. Besides, it's too strange that you left home with one man and came back with another!" Xiang Fei analyzed.

Zhang Chu nodded silently. Her current emotions and past entanglements were making her feel very tired. She didn't know whether she should let go of the past entanglements and fall into a new relationship. She couldn't judge which way her heart was tipped!

Qian Luomei seemed to have noticed Zhang Chu's inner conflict and distress, and proactively changed the subject: "Is everything alright at home? They didn't ask about what happened in Kyoto, did they?"

"They didn't ask anything; they were just happy to see their daughter back. They didn't care about my past! This time when I went back, I found that my parents were more peaceful and understood their daughter better than before! They originally wanted me to stay in Sichuan, but I said I still had work and friends in Beijing, and they didn't stop me!"

Xiang Fei nodded: "Actually, the hatred our parents have for us stems from deep love. The harsher they scold us, the deeper their love! Most of the time, their efforts to stop us aren't to prevent our happiness, but to prevent us from going down a path of despair, or at least what they perceive as a path of despair!"

"That's true. Thinking back, if I had listened to my parents and not been with Wu Xiaobo, I wouldn't have ended up trying to commit suicide. Actually, my parents' objections weren't like in the TV dramas, where everything they did was wrong! They had a lot of foresight!" Zhang Chu said with deep feeling.

"Do you regret your decision back then? Breaking ties with your family and eloping with that Wu Xiaobo!" Dong Lu asked.

"No regrets, because we loved each other back then, and nothing we did for love was excessive!"

"But you just said that if you listened to your parents, this and that would happen! That was clearly a tone of regret!" Dong Lu voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Perhaps I have some regrets, but thinking about it rationally, I don't regret it!" Zhang Chu, unlike his usual gentle self, had a much firmer look in his eyes: "Let me put it this way! Maybe listening to my parents would have saved me from taking detours and suffering, but how can I learn to swim without drinking water a few times? Similarly, I wouldn't have been able to come to Yandu and meet you all!"

"I wouldn't even know Lao You!" Dong Lu added.

Zhang Chu smiled sheepishly: "Right, I wouldn't know Lao You anyway!"

Everyone smiled broadly. Just then, Lao You came out of the revolving door, followed by Tian Hai and Du Xinpeng, and everyone laughed even more heartily.

Upon seeing the free computer sign at the entrance, Du Xinpeng complained as he entered, "Sister Luo Mei, the internet cafe offers free computer use, but you didn't even tell us! Look, it's completely full! We're late again!"

"Free internet access started this morning, and you were still on the train! Would it have mattered if I had told you? Besides, I gave you so many discounts, and internet access doesn't cost much, so don't be stingy!" Qian Luomei tapped Du Xinpeng on the head and scolded him.

Du Xinpeng scratched his head: "Yeah, that's true! I'll come again tomorrow. My mom's been watching over me during winter break, so I haven't been online much, let alone played games. I need to make the most of these next couple of days!"

"We'll be upgrading the equipment tomorrow, so we won't be able to play anymore!" Xiang Fei replied.

"What should we do then?"

"Let's go play over there! See that? They're giving away free internet access for a week! It's so much fun!" Qian Luomei pointed to the internet cafe across the street!

"I'm not going. He's clearly our 'Shuiyunjian' rival. If I go to his place to use the internet, wouldn't I become a traitor, a collaborator?"

"You're not a traitor, you're a spy. They're opening tomorrow, go and gather some intelligence for us. I won't let you go for nothing, I'll put a hundred dollars in your account later, how about it?" Xiang Fei said mysteriously.

"Okay!" Du Xinpeng's eyes darted around, then he changed his mind, saying, "You don't get to decide that. You're not the boss. I can only go if Sister Luomei says so!"

"No, he can say whatever he wants now, because Xiang Fei is now the manager of our 'Shuiyunjian' internet cafe, so he can say that!" Qian Luomei announced the news at the right time.

Everyone was stunned!