Zhao Zheng and Chen Xue Yan first met around this time last year. Back then, Zhao Zheng hadn’t settled on a rental yet and had followed the landlord to view the apartment.
At that time, Chen Xue Yan seemed to be on the phone with someone, his tone intense and emotional. He was so absorbed in the conversation that he didn’t even notice their arrival.
Zhao Zheng didn’t need to strain to listen Chen Xue Yan’s voice simply drifted into his ears.
“Brother, I’m grown up now, not a kid anymore.”
“I’m begging you, okay?”
“…”
A few sentences in the middle were unclear, but piecing the words together, it was easy to deduce that Chen Xue Yan’s older brother was imposing strict control over him, even meddling in his friendships. Chen Xue Yan was clearly unhappy about it, but from the tone of the conversation, it was obvious the discussion wasn’t going well.
Feeling uneasy, Zhao Zheng politely declined their invitation to stay. As he escorted them downstairs, he only exchanged a few brief words.
Meng Jin, standing nearby, was looking down at his phone, his expression inscrutable. Once they entered the elevator, he slipped the phone into his pocket and casually joined the conversation as if making small talk. “Mr. Zhao, has your work been stable lately?”
If anyone else had asked, Zhao Zheng wouldn’t have thought much of it. But this was Meng Jin a man who exuded an aura of danger. Zhao Zheng immediately went on high alert, his heart sinking.
Since arriving in Nanning City, Zhao Zheng had already changed jobs three or four times. His current company was the one he’d stayed with the longest, and the benefits were quite good.
Swallowing nervously, Zhao Zheng wondered how Meng Jin knew about his job history. They had no prior connection at all! Had Meng Jin been investigating him?
“It’s been quite stable,” Zhao Zheng replied cautiously, sensing the underlying aggression in Meng Jin’s question. He chose his words carefully, leaving no room for doubt. “I just overheard you on the phone earlier, talking about how strict your brother is with you, even controlling your friendships. But you never mentioned your brother’s name or whether he’s your biological brother.”
Meng Jin’s eyes flickered, and he chuckled lightly. “Are you referring to this time last year?”
“Yes, how did you know?” A suspicion began to form in Zhao Zheng’s mind. “You’re not the brother, are you?”
“Around this time last year, we had a pretty intense argument,” Meng Jin replied evasively. “It’s a private matter, not something I can discuss.”
Something felt off. Chen Jiaojiao couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. He glanced suspiciously at Meng Jin, then noticed Zhao Zheng’s look of sudden understanding, which only deepened his unease.
“Ding!” The elevator arrived.
Before Chen Jiaojiao could press further, Zhao Zheng’s phone rang. A moment later, Zhao Zheng approached them to say goodbye. “Mr. Chen, there’s an urgent matter at the company. I need to head over now. Let’s catch up another time.”
“I’ve already taken up too much of your time today,” Chen Jiaojiao said apologetically, deciding not to push for answers. Instead, he suggested, “How about we exchange phone numbers?”
Zhao Zheng recited a string of digits. As Meng Jin noted it down, Chen Jiaojiao committed it to memory as well.
“Private matter?” Chen Jiaojiao nudged Meng Jin’s arm after Zhao Zheng left. “What private matter?”
To his surprise, Meng Jin pressed his lips tightly together, his expression turning sour. He clearly had no intention of discussing the “private matter.”
Chen Jiaojiao found it amusing Meng Jin actually had a childish side to him. With a tone of regret, he asked, “Really, you can’t tell me?”
Gritting his teeth, Meng Jin practically shoved Chen Jiaojiao into the car. His voice, however, remained eerily calm. “Because of someone, you distanced yourself from me.”
“Is it really that simple?”
“It really is that simple.”
Chen Jiaojiao found it hard to believe, but Meng Jin didn’t want to say more. It seemed that person had a significant impact on both of them. Sitting in the car, bored out of his mind, he began guessing the reasons one after another. “Is it because I wanted to be friends with him?”
Meng Jin didn’t respond, but the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
If he didn’t want to talk, then fine. It wasn’t as if Chen Jiaojiao was particularly eager to know.
He didn’t press further, but his expression turned cold as well. Did he not even have the freedom to understand his own past?
The cramped interior of the car suddenly felt suffocating, making it hard to breathe. He turned away and rolled down the window, letting the outside air rush in to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.
Meng Jin didn’t want to recall that period of time a gloomy, rainy season for both him and Chen Jiaojiao, endless and devoid of sunlight.
During a red light, he reached out to hold Chen Jiaojiao’s hand but was abruptly pushed away. When he looked up, Chen Jiaojiao was already staring out the window, refusing to meet his gaze.
Resting one hand on the steering wheel, Meng Jin tapped his fingers rhythmically against it, his voice devoid of emotion. “Because someone liked you, got close to you, and you joined him in bullying me.”
“I hated him, Chen Jiaojiao. Do you know? I loathed him.”
“How dare he take away the brother I raised with my own hands? How could he do that?”
This was the first time Meng Jin had so openly expressed his hatred for someone. Chen Jiaojiao turned to look at him just as the light turned green. Meng Jin withdrew his gaze and drove into the flow of traffic.
Chen Jiaojiao didn’t see the intensity of emotion in Meng Jin’s eyes and couldn’t imagine how he must have felt back then. He was just a little sad, why would he have joined someone else in bullying Meng Jin?
As they neared the city center, the traffic lights grew more frequent. Whether it was bad luck or simply an unlucky day, they seemed to hit every red light.
During another pause, Chen Jiaojiao’s gaze fell on Meng Jin’s forearm, tracing the veins down to his fingers and the conspicuous ring.
Ever since they exchanged rings, Meng Jin had never taken his off not even while showering.
Chen Jiaojiao reached out and placed his hand over Meng Jin’s, gently rubbing it before caressing the ring on his ring finger. The tension in the air softened.
“I’m sorry.” Meng Jin broke the silence after a moment, his voice low. He turned his hand to grasp Chen Jiaojiao’s. “It was all my fault.”
The matter seemed to end with Meng Jin’s apology, but like the wind leaving its mark, it left an imprint on Chen Jiaojiao’s heart.
He didn’t ask Meng Jin to stay in the country a few more days. Everything returned to normal, yet it felt different. At some point, it was as if they were in a cold war or more accurately, Chen Jiaojiao was giving Meng Jin the silent treatment for no apparent reason.
On Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas, Zurich was blanketed in heavy snow. Everything was white, as if the world had been enveloped in a layer of snow, suppressing all other colors.
The room was warm and cozy. Chen Jiaojiao burrowed into the soft blankets, unwilling to get up.
Meng Jin had an invitation from a business partner and had to go. When he woke up in the morning, he pulled Chen Jiaojiao into his arms, nuzzling him fiercely, his voice hoarse. “Baby, talk to me, please?”
“Don’t be angry anymore.”
Chen Jiaojiao, still deep in sleep, pushed him away and buried his head back under the covers.
Meng Jin stared at the person for a long while, unable to bring himself to wake him. Resigned, he took his clothes and went to the guest room to freshen up.
The moment the door closed again, Chen Jiaojiao, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was clear, without a trace of drowsiness. He casually wrapped himself in a piece of clothing and stood by the window for a long time, until the snow below was crushed by passing tires. Only then did he move to change his clothes.
“Ding dong ”
Chen Jiaojiao, dressed in heavy pajamas, stood at the door of Myers’ house, stomping his feet to shake off the snow from his shoes.
Myers had just woken up, his hair a mess. He stepped aside to let him in, not seeing Nian Gao. “Huh? Where’s Nian Gao?”
“I wanted to borrow your phone,” Chen Jiaojiao said, taking the hot water Myers offered and sitting on the sofa. “Is that okay?”
“Here.”
After receiving Myers’ permission, Chen Jiaojiao dialed the number he knew by heart.
“Beep, beep, beep ”
“The number you have dialed cannot be reached.”
No one answered. He tried again.
After a long wait, just as he was about to give up, the call connected.
“Hello, who is this?”
Chen Jiaojiao nervously gripped the phone and walked out into the yard, somewhat uncertain. “Hello, this is… Chen Jiaojiao.”
Li Dong hadn’t expected Chen Jiaojiao to actually call again and was utterly shocked. Remembering the instructions he had been given two days ago, his heart leaped into his throat. “Ah, it’s Young Master Chen. Is there something you need?”
“I wanted to ask about my past. Is it convenient for you to talk?” Chen Jiaojiao crouched on the ground, found a twig, and began doodling in the snow. “We didn’t have time to discuss it the other day.”
“Oh, that matter,” Li Dong forced himself to stay calm, pulling out a few printed papers from under his pillow. “It’s nothing major. Go ahead and ask.”
After writing the character “Chen” in the snow, Chen Jiaojiao stopped and asked the question he had always wanted to know the most. “Do I have any other names?”
“Other names?” Li Dong’s finger slid to the answer for the first question. He nervously joked, “I’m not sure. Everyone calls you Young Master Chen. Besides, when you first arrived, you were very cold and distant. When asked your name, you only said your surname was Chen.”
“Do you know what my brother’s name is?” Chen Jiaojiao continued writing, this time only writing the character “Meng.” “Could you tell me everything you know?”
Li Dong carefully flipped through the papers and rubbed his nose. “I only know that you and your brother didn’t get along well. You felt he was too strict with you. I don’t know much else.”
“Besides, you only stayed here for two months before leaving.”
Chen Jiaojiao didn’t get much useful information from Li Dong, but it helped calm his uneasy heart a little. “Thank you so much for today. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Young Master Chen.”
He moved the phone away from his ear but faintly heard Li Dong say two more words: “Xue Yan.”
Xue Yan?
“Well, that’s all for now. My little nephew is here.”
Listening to the busy tone on the phone, Chen Jiaojiao frowned. Were those two words his little nephew’s name?
On the other end, Li Dong’s heart was still racing after hanging up. Just before ending the call, he couldn’t help but call out Chen Jiaojiao’s previous name. He immediately regretted it Mr. Meng was powerful and influential. Offending him would only bring trouble upon himself.
“Beep beep!”
His phone rang again.
It was Young Master Meng.
He answered the call with trembling hands, fully expecting to be finished, but instead, the voice on the other end chuckled lightly and praised him, “You did well.”
Meng Qingye had shed all traces of immaturity, now bearing a striking resemblance to Meng Jin. The thought of Meng Jin and Meng Xue Yan living sweetly abroad made his blood boil.
Why? Why should my brother suffer in Japan?
He was determined to see just how long Meng Jin’s good days would last.
Recalling the address used in the call just now, a dark glint flashed in Meng Qingye’s eyes. He adjusted the recording, packaged it, and sent it to his dear brother, Meng Jin.