Rosalind fell into silence, meeting Ulric’s gaze.
“Are you doubting your own abilities?” he asked.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. After a moment, she mustered a grateful response, “Thank you for your trust, Mr. Walters. I will give it my best.”
Unable to fully comprehend Ulric’s intentions, Rosalind decided to let go of her doubts. If she couldn’t understand it, there was no use dwelling on it. The opportunity presented itself, and regardless of Ulric’s motives, it was ultimately a positive development for her.
With the project progressing smoothly, she could alleviate her worries about repaying Ulric within a year. Additionally, her mother’s medical expenses would be taken care of.
“Please stop at the intersection of Sereneway Road,” Ulric directed the driver.
The driver nodded and found a suitable spot to halt the car.
As they came to a stop, Rosalind recognized her alma mater nearby.
“Would you like to take a walk?” Ulric raised an eyebrow.
She nodded, saying, “Sure.”
Middle school held few vivid memories for Rosalind, but Ulric remained one of the most distinctive figures in her recollections.
Walking along the road in front of the school, she couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. She took out her phone, capturing a photo, and carefully saved it in her cloud album.
“Do you still play basketball?” she asked, her thoughts drifting back to Ulric’s past.
Observing the newly constructed playground at the school, memories flooded her mind.
While other boys would return drenched in sweat after a basketball game, Ulric would never perspire. Even if it meant missing class, he would rush to the public showers in the dormitory area to clean himself.
At the time, she was unaware of his obsession with cleanliness, which led to a few incidents where she accidentally dirtied his school uniform.
“I still play occasionally,” Ulric replied, walking beside her with his tall figure casting a shadow under the moonlight.
Suddenly, Rosalind’s gaze fell upon the fast-food restaurant across from the school gate.
To her surprise, it was still open. During her middle school years, she had worked there. The establishment was run by a friendly couple from the northeast who always wore smiles on their faces.
After evening self-study sessions, she would often find solace in this place, savoring her only sit-down meal of the day.
“I want to go take a look!” Rosalind exclaimed, her excitement propelling her towards the restaurant before Ulric could respond.
Inside, she discovered that the owners hadn’t changed-it was still the same couple. They were in the process of cleaning the floor, preparing to close for the day.
“Excuse me, could I have one more bowl of hot noodle soup?” Rosalind asked, hesitating for a moment before approaching them.
If she missed this chance, she didn’t know when she would have the opportunity to return to Jingtown again.
“Of course, please have a seat and wait a moment,” the lady boss replied, pointing to an available seat. As she was about to fetch utensils, she suddenly paused. “Hey? You look so familiar!”
Rosalind smiled and squinted, saying, “I’m Rosalind. I used to help out here during middle school.”
“Oh, I remember you now! You were that little girl!” The lady boss’ enthusiasm was palpable as she engaged in conversation. “You must have graduated from college by now!”
“It’s been many years since I graduated.”
“You’ve become even more beautiful! I always told my husband that you would grow up to be a beauty, and here you are, proving me right!”
Rosalind smiled, appreciating their warmth. Despite the years that had passed without seeing each other, there was no sense of distance or unfamiliarity.
“Do you close up this early now? I recall you used to stay open until after the middle school’s evening self-study ended.”
“We’ve always closed at dusk,” the lady boss replied, pausing for a moment before recalling something. “Oh, wait! Back then, a tall and handsome young man gave us some money to stay open until 10 PM every night.”