Chapter 19 The Crossroads

　　On the pedestrian street.

　　The two of them spoke in unison. An Qiqi’s pretty face revealed an expression of disbelief. “You… what did you say?”

　　“I… I misspoke.” Su Tianyu immediately regretted it. “I wanted to say… do you want to break up with me?”

　　“Bullshit! That’s not what you clearly said just now?” An Qiqi’s face showed anger. “I specifically flew over from Zone One, and you want to tell me you want to break up? Fine, you’re cruel enough. Break up then!”

　　With that, An Qiqi turned and left in anger.

　　Su Tianyu grabbed her wrist, not uttering another word of nonsense. He immediately admitted his mistake. “I was wrong! I admit that I was indeed being too sensitive! Can we both calm down?”

　　An Qiqi looked at him with a pale face, standing still.

　　“We haven’t been talking on the phone much lately, and coupled with… the association’s affairs, and the relationship between Old Li and your father, it’s all made me very sensitive.” Su Tianyu explained softly, “It was unmanly of me, my heart wasn’t big enough. I was wrong.”

　　“Hah!”

　　An Qiqi exhaled a long breath, pointing to the side of the road. “Go buy me a cup of milk tea, iced!”

　　“Okay!” Su Tianyu didn’t dare to disobey his ancestor, and ran to the street corner with lightning speed, buying two cups of milk tea.

　　An Qiqi stood on the side of the street, trying her best to adjust her mindset. Being magnanimous, she didn't continue to argue with Gou Liu Zi (Dog Six).

　　After a little while, Su Tianyu ran back and handed the milk tea to An Qiqi. The two of them continued walking forward along the street.

　　“Xiao Yu, do you think other factors will affect our relationship?” An Qiqi asked softly, holding the milk tea.

　　Su Tianyu was silent, because he didn’t want to lie to An Qiqi, but there were also things he couldn’t tell her.

　　“You think it will, right?” An Qiqi asked again.

　　“After the split, I followed Old Li.” Su Tianyu turned to look at her. “Your father wants to protect himself, and Mingyuan also took Shuanghui and left. If I told you that these things won’t affect us, that would definitely be a lie.”

　　An Qiqi took a sip of milk tea and didn’t respond.

　　“To be honest, I don’t even know how to face you lately. I’m very scared and uneasy.” Su Tianyu sighed. “Actually… Mingyuan and I both foresaw that the association would have this day sooner or later.”

　　An Qiqi slowly shook her head. “I don’t care about the association’s affairs at all.”

　　“Qiqi, I…!” Su Tianyu turned his head, wanting to say something.

　　“Don’t talk about this.” An Qiqi looked at him. “Although I don’t understand politics, I also acknowledge that the influence you mentioned exists. Xiao Yu, can we not let these influences affect us?”

　　Su Tianyu was stunned.

　　“…Can you resign for me, for us?” An Qiqi asked with a serious face, and then added, “Let me say it first! I can give up my current job for you, for us, and not care about any struggles, those power struggles. We’ll avoid them and live our own lives, okay?”

　　Hearing this, Su Tianyu stared at Qiqi, remaining silent.

　　An Qiqi blinked her big eyes, looking at him with hope in her eyes. “Why do we have to get involved in these things? Is it for money? Or for power?”

　　“It’s not that.” Su Tianyu shook his head. “If everyone hadn’t left, if your father and Old Li still maintained a good cooperative relationship, then as long as you were willing, I would definitely leave!”

　　“There are no ifs in life! We can’t argue about something that won’t happen!” An Qiqi said, holding the milk tea, her voice trembling, “If you stay with Old Li, what am I supposed to do? What else can I do? Now they’re not cooperating, but what if they become completely hostile in the future? How are you and I supposed to face that relationship? Am I supposed to watch you scheme against my dad and my brother, or can you just abandon Old Li?”

　　Su Tianyu lowered his head. “…I understand what you’re saying.”

　　“You resign, and we’ll get married! Not in Dragon City anymore, and I won’t stay at home either. We’ll go to Zone Three, to the Hua District. We can still start our own careers, right?” An Qiqi said urgently. “This is the best solution I can think of.”

　　Su Tianyu didn’t want to coax An Qiqi with empty words. “…I… I really can’t leave now! The association just split, and many people chose to follow me. If I leave, their situation will be very difficult, and also Old Li… he has invested a lot of resources in me, and he also gave me…!”

　　“Xiao Yu!! The world doesn’t stop turning just because someone is gone!” An Qiqi retorted, clenching her fists, “I said, this is the only solution I can think of right now! Otherwise, what else can we do?”

　　Su Tianyu swallowed. “Can you wait for me for two years? Within two years, Dragon City will definitely have a result…!”

　　“Can you ensure that the situation won’t become more complicated within two years? Can you ensure that Old Li will still be the same Old Li in two years?” An Qiqi asked back. “What if he falls?”

　　Su Tianyu was silent.

　　“Don’t give me promises, okay? And let’s not try to predict the future.” An Qiqi looked at him, her voice hoarse. “If you’re willing to leave, I’ll go with you, anywhere! If you want to continue your studies, I’ll accompany you to school. If you want to start a business, I’ll work with you! We won’t care about anything else. Since we can’t reason with them, let’s just stay far away.”

　　Su Tianyu put his hands on his hips, turning his head to look at the surrounding street scene, his heart in a state of chaos.

　　“I won’t force you, just like you never make things difficult for me.” An Qiqi brushed her hair. “My mother is here too. I’ll stay here for a few days. If you’ve thought it through, we’ll leave together.”

　　“Qiqi!” Su Tianyu said, touching her cheek with heartache. “Thank you, thank you for loving me so much.”

　　Hearing this, An Qiqi’s eyes instantly turned red. “I tried to persuade my dad, and I also tried to persuade my mom. But it’s useless. They have their own careers… they have their own lives. Children shouldn’t interfere, actually.”

　　Su Tianyu said, “I’ve never blamed anyone in my heart, and I can understand your father’s decision.”

　　“I’m leaving now, to find my mother.” An Qiqi turned to look at Su Tianyu. “I’ll wait for your call!”

　　“I… I’ll take you.”

　　“No need, you go back, your friend is still waiting for you.” An Qiqi shook her head. “Tell me before I leave.”

　　With that, An Qiqi turned and left smartly.

　　Su Tianyu stood in place, watching her back, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

　　…

　　Half an hour later, An Qiqi was walking alone on the pedestrian street, her eyes gazing at the surrounding neon lights, gazing at the wandering crowd, her heart both lost and very lonely.

　　Su Tianyu and An Qiqi’s relationship had been smooth sailing all the way, but today… the two of them had simultaneously reached the most difficult crossroads.