97: Chapter 97 Clearing the Clouds to See the Sun

For Zhou Xinyu, recent days had been like the clouds parting to reveal the sun, with sunshine once again spilling into every corner of his life.

On the day of the project delivery, his palms were covered in sweat as he submitted the compressed code package and test report—completed after an all-nighter followed by a day of frantic sprinting—to the team leader.

The team leader's gaze toward him was marked by obvious distrust and severity.

After all, he had nearly held everyone back before.

The review process was exceptionally strict.

The team leader sat personally at his workstation, the screen filled with Zhou Xinyu's dense lines of code.

With a furrowed brow, the leader's fingers tapped on the keyboard, carefully checking line by line.

He stopped from time to time to ask about the intent of a certain variable, the basis for setting a loop's boundary conditions, or whether the logic of an exception handling routine was thorough.

He even made demands regarding subtle naming conventions and the clarity of comments.

The pressure testing phase raised the standards even higher, rigorously going through items like runtime, memory usage, and stability under extreme data.

Zhou Xinyu stood nervously to the side, not daring to breathe loudly, feeling as though every second was exceptionally long.

He could clearly hear his heart thumping in his chest.

However, the result was unexpected.

"Hmm..."

Staring at the final test report on the screen, the team leader's tense face gradually relaxed, even showing a hint of surprise.

"Efficiency... is 5% higher than the required standard? The memory control is also well done."

He looked up at Zhou Xinyu, the severity in his eyes fading significantly, replaced by a look of scrutiny and a touch of approval.

"This was rushed? Your foundation is quite solid, kid."

Zhou Xinyu's hanging heart finally settled back into his stomach, and the cold sweat on his back seemed to dry up.

He breathed a sigh of relief and answered honestly.

"It was a bit of a rush... but when I'm free, I usually look at new frameworks and practice a bit."

He wasn't lying.

When work at the research institute was quiet, he didn't slack off like some people; instead, he used the time to learn new development tools and study optimization algorithms.

This accumulation over time was a huge help at the critical moment, allowing him to deliver a result that exceeded expectations even when forced to fight a hasty battle.

The project was finally delivered smoothly, and the crisis was averted.

The biggest weight pressing on Zhou Xinyu's heart was lifted.

What made him even happier was the change in Wang Siyu.

That day, he dragged his exhausted body home to find a familiar pair of shoes at the entrance.

Walking into the living room, he saw Wang Siyu sitting quietly on the sofa reading a book, the warm yellow light falling on her, making her look exceptionally soft.

Seeing him return, she naturally put down the book and got up to warm a glass of milk for him in the kitchen.

"You're back? You must be tired."

Her voice was gentle and soft, devoid of her previous impatience and complaining.

Zhou Xinyu felt a bit dazed, as if he had returned to the early days of their relationship.

Habitually, he took out his phone, wanting to transfer part of his newly received project bonus to her.

He thought she had only come back because she was out of money.

As it turned out, Wang Siyu only glanced at the phone notification before returning the money the way it came.

She looked up with a calm gaze, even carrying a hint of tenderness that Zhou Xinyu hadn't seen in a long time.

"No need to give it to me, keep it for yourself. We'll have many things to spend on in the future—the bride price, the down payment for a house... we need to save up properly."

She paused and added.

"In the future... let's work hard together."

Zhou Xinyu was stunned, a massive wave of warmth surging through his entire body.

He gripped her hand tightly, a thousand words stuck in his throat, finally turning into a forceful embrace.

Wang Siyu also gently wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

At that moment, all suspicions and barriers seemed to vanish into thin air.

From then on, Wang Siyu seemed like a different person.

She no longer wore heavy makeup, dyed her hair back to its natural black, and her clothing became much simpler and fresher.

The dressing table that used to be piled with cosmetics now held several literary novels.

She stopped going to bars at night and instead went to bed early.

On weekends, she no longer called friends to go to expensive places; instead, she would drag Zhou Xinyu to the supermarket to buy groceries and come back to study new recipes.

She even began to care about his work, asking if things were going smoothly and if there were any difficulties with his projects.

This grounded, family-oriented feeling made Zhou Xinyu feel incredibly secure and happy.

He couldn't help but attribute this entire turning point to that reunion with his old classmate, Liu Ye.

During a small weekend gathering after his relationship with Wang Siyu had improved, Zhou Xinyu candidly brought up Liu Ye.

"Siyu, there's something I should tell you.

A while ago, I ran into an old high school classmate named Liu Ye, who opened a psychological counseling studio in ZJ.

The troubles I mentioned to you before—I talked them over with her."

He observed Wang Siyu's expression, not wanting to hide anything.

Upon hearing this, Wang Siyu didn't mind at all; instead, her eyes lit up.

"A psychological counselor? Liu Ye? Is she the school beauty who was your desk mate in high school? You mentioned her to me before!"

"Uh... it's her." Zhou Xinyu felt a bit embarrassed.

"Wow! That's great!"

Wang Siyu seemed very excited.

"Can you introduce me? I've always thought psychological counseling was quite magical!"

And so, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the three of them met at an elegantly decorated cafe in the city center.

Liu Ye was as poised as ever, with a gentle temperament.

Wang Siyu appeared lively and talkative.

To Zhou Xinyu's surprise, the two women hit it off immediately upon meeting.

They chatted about everything from fashion and outfits to gourmet food, and from movies to travel experiences, with constant laughter.

Zhou Xinyu ended up being the listener, occasionally chiming in but mostly just smiling as he watched them chat.

From then on, the three of them often made plans for activities together.

The commercial pedestrian street was crowded on weekends.

More often than not, Wang Siyu and Liu Ye would walk ahead arm-in-arm, enthusiastically lingering at various shop windows.

Wang Siyu would pick up a piece of clothing and hold it up against Liu Ye.

"This color suits you!"

Liu Ye would then point to another pair of shoes and say to Wang Siyu.

"This style would definitely look good with that new skirt you bought."

Zhou Xinyu transformed into a walking shopping bag, carrying large and small bags in his hands as he followed behind with a helpless yet doting smile.

Occasionally, they would drag him into a men's clothing store to pick out clothes for him, leaving him to be manipulated like a mannequin.

When the three got hungry from shopping, they would just find any restaurant to eat.

They tried all sorts of flavors.

Sometimes it was a steaming Sichuan restaurant on a street corner, where the three of them would be sweating from the spice and passing each other tissues.

Sometimes it was a quiet Japanese restaurant recommended by Liu Ye, where they sat on tatami mats and shared exquisite sushi and sashimi.

And sometimes Wang Siyu would show off her skills at home, cooking a few home-style dishes, and the three would sit around a small dining table, eating and chatting in a warm atmosphere.

At the dinner table, Wang Siyu and Liu Ye always had endless topics, from recent variety show gossip to social hotspots, while Zhou Xinyu was responsible for clearing the plates.

Once they agreed to see a movie together—a newly released sci-fi blockbuster with stunning special effects.

At the tense parts, Wang Siyu would subconsciously grab Liu Ye's arm next to her, and Liu Ye would pat her hand to comfort her.

Zhou Xinyu sat on Wang Siyu's other side, watching her immersed state with a smile on his lips.

After the show, the three were still discussing the plot setting and special effects.

Another time they watched an arthouse romance; when the lights came up, Wang Siyu's eyes were a bit red, and Liu Ye handed her a tissue, whispering something.

Zhou Xinyu silently went to buy hot drinks.

The relationship between Wang Siyu and Liu Ye warmed up rapidly.

When Zhou Xinyu went to work, Wang Siyu would often send him messages.

"I'm going to hang out with Liu Ye today!"

Zhou Xinyu had been to the psychological counseling studio Liu Ye ran in a quiet neighborhood; the environment was warm and professional, so he felt very at ease about it.

Seeing Wang Siyu and Liu Ye getting along so harmoniously and even becoming better versions of themselves, Zhou Xinyu felt nothing but full relief and gratitude.

Days passed like this, peaceful, fulfilling, and with the warmth of everyday life.

Work was smooth, his relationship was stable, and life finally seemed to be on the track he had idealized.

Sometimes, waking up in the morning and seeing Wang Siyu's quiet sleeping face beside him while hearing the faint chirping of birds outside, Zhou Xinyu couldn't help but pinch himself.

All of this was so beautiful it was like a dream he didn't want to wake up from.