Both of them instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes. From their perspective, the light source was as blinding as the sun.
However, they could vaguely make out what it was: the lighthouse.
The old night watchman, holding a flashlight in one hand and a megaphone in the other, shouted in a thick Liangling accent, “You two! What are you doing!”
Xie Chun strained his voice to yell back, “Looking at the sea!”
The old man barked, “Looking at my ass!”
“The wind’s picked up and there’s a blizzard! Instead of sleeping at home, are you trying to commit double suicide?!”
“Cough, cough—” Xu Yanghe opened his mouth to say no, but swallowed a mouthful of wind and snow instead.
The light flickered. “Back up! If you don’t back up, I’m calling the police!”
They obediently retreated.
“Keep backing up! Further back!”
“Go home! If you come back, I’m calling the police!”
The old man, using the light meant for navigating life at sea, escorted them back to the car.
“U-turn! Drive back!”
The two sat in the car, and Xu Yanghe immediately blasted the air conditioning. The snowflakes on Xie Chun’s head melted at a visible rate; Xu Yanghe pulled out several more tissues to wipe him down.
The old man’s voice was distant now. “Drive away! Move it!”
Once the car doors were tightly shut, a sudden silence fell around them. The old man might have been shouting further warnings, but they couldn’t hear him; the high beams continued to illuminate them.
The snow fell silently, with occasional crosswinds whipping past.
Gripping the steering wheel, Xu Yanghe suddenly let out a laugh.
Xie Chun followed suit and laughed as well.
Xu Yanghe looked over; he suspected Xie Chun didn’t even know what he was laughing about. Xie Chun quickly suppressed his laughter. His fingers and cheeks were stiff, but his eyes held a very soft tenderness.
Ten minutes later, Xie Chun finally warmed up.
He turned to look at Xu Yanghe twice, looked forward again, dazed, and then turned back.
After two rounds of such hesitation, Xie Chun finally asked, “Xu Yanghe?”
Xu Yanghe replied, “Yeah?”
Xie Chun asked, “Are you trying to ‘keep’ me?” (As in a sugar baby/benefactor relationship).
Xu Yanghe: …
What exactly made you ask that to someone who couldn’t even manage to book a hotel room to your face?
Xu Yanghe said, “No.”
“Oh,” Xie Chun replied, his voice perfectly flat.
Silence fell in the car again. The hot air made Xu Yanghe’s eyes sting. He suddenly accelerated and swung the steering wheel.
Back to Tianyun. He was going to spend some money.
Before getting out, Xu Yanghe took off his overcoat and gave it to Xie Chun.
Xie Chun said, “I can’t fit into it.” He lifted an arm; between his padded jacket, sweater, and shirt, he was already bundled up like a radish.
Xu Yanghe said, “Cover up that head of curls.”
Xie Chun: “Oh.”
Walking back into the magnificent lobby, Xu Yanghe had an air of regaining his lost face. But he didn’t know how the Yu family managed things—in the short time they were gone, the lobby staff had actually changed shifts.
The front desk was no longer that blunt winter intern, but a man and a woman in crisp suits, wearing formulaic smiles. “Good evening, gentlemen.”
Xu Yanghe pulled out his card, rested one hand on the counter, and pondered.
Two seconds later, he still said, “I am a friend of your President Yu’s younger brother… Can I get a discount?”
…
Xu Yanghe booked a large suite with two bedrooms and a sitting room. The master bedroom was spacious, featuring a massive king-sized bed, a private bathroom, and a floor-to-ceiling window facing the sea.
He circled the master bedroom and came out to tell Xie Chun, “You sleep in this one.”
“Wow.” Xie Chun poked his head in. “Thank you.”
Xu Yanghe called room service. Before long, a table of late-night snacks was delivered, along with a large bowl of ginger soup. He stared at Xie Chun. “Finish it.”
After the wind and snow in Liangling, seeing Xie Chun with soaking wet hair made Xu Yanghe feel a strange sense of indignation and guilt for some reason.
Xu Yanghe watched Xie Chun finish the ginger soup and then hurried him off to bed.
At the bedroom door, Xie Chun suddenly became as restless as an animal. Xu Yanghe struggled to push him in, and the two of them ended up in a bizarre scuffle at the doorway. Finally, Xu Yanghe shoved him inside, but Xie Chun’s head popped back out, his hands gripping the doorframe.
Only then did Xu Yanghe notice a chest bag hanging over Xie Chun’s coat.
When did he grab that?
Holding the bag, Xie Chun asked a soul-searching question: “Are you sick in the head?”
Xu Yanghe: …
The audacity! You’re the one who’s sick!
The next day was perfectly sunny.
Snowplows were out on the roads clearing the snow, and the daylight was brighter than usual.
Xu Yanghe woke up early. After freshening up, he ordered breakfast and coordinated the specific time and place to meet Qin Zicheng via phone.
Later, he went to check on Xie Chun, only to find he was already awake.
The boy was by the large window, quietly watching the workers clear snow below.
His expression was so serious it seemed he shouldn’t be disturbed.
Xu Yanghe said, “I ordered breakfast, remember to eat.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Chun gave a slight, slow nod, his eyes still fixed on the scene below.
Xu Yanghe sighed and walked in. “I have some business today. Can you stay in the room? You can go out if you’re bored, but don’t go further than the hotel grounds…”
Perhaps because he said too much in one breath, Xie Chun couldn’t help but turn to listen to him.
“But don’t hang around the living room or that other room. I have a guest today; don’t run into him,” Xu Yanghe said.
Seeing Xie Chun remain silent, he cleared his throat and added as an afterthought, “Don’t overthink it.”
“I won’t,” Xie Chun said softly, returning his gaze to the window.
Xu Yanghe didn’t have time to ponder the strangeness of it.
Qin Zicheng, the man Xu Yanghe was meeting today, was a professional manager who had resigned just before the New Year. He had an excellent reputation in the industry and hadn’t left due to performance issues—he simply wanted to return to his hometown for a rest.
Xu Yanghe’s situation was unique. He didn’t seriously want to run a company; he just wanted to set a trap for the Sun family. The company was a shell that would eventually be handed over to Xu Jin. As a sophomore business student, he couldn’t help much with operations. Zhou Lan had asked around, and Qin Zicheng was the most suitable candidate.
But it was a big ask. Xu Yanghe was just a playboy “second-gen” with no real influence. No matter how he framed his offer, he felt ridiculous. The only reason the other man had agreed to a face-to-face meeting was out of politeness.
When the conversation reached its most difficult point, Xu Yanghe felt utterly embarrassed facing Qin Zicheng’s polite smile.
“So, who is the person you want to trap?” Qin Zicheng asked.
Xu Yanghe said it was Sun Bing.
Qin Zicheng agreed immediately.
Xu Yanghe: ?
Qin Zicheng said urbanely, “There is some personal history there.”
The two immediately launched into a profound discussion regarding the plan.
…
Construction signs stood on the main road, and workers with shovels were clearing snow, but a luxury car sped past on the other side. The car was pushing the speed limit, drifting slightly on the wet pavement.
Yu Dashan started braking as soon as he saw the gates of Tianyun, yet he still skidded quite a distance before stopping.
The attendant at the door was a veteran employee. Seeing the license plate, he started running.
“Second Young Master!”
Yu Dashan got out of the car, bundled in a down jacket, wool scarf, sunglasses, mask, and a large felt hat.
“Hiss… freezing to death.”
He tossed the keys to the attendant from a distance. “Park it for me.”
The two receptionists wore fixed smiles.
“Why is this profligate here again?”
“Didn’t they say he went abroad?”
The part-time worker glanced over: ?
a veteran employee explained to him: “That’s President Yu’s younger brother. A useless playboy. He plays with anything dangerous; he’s practically a reserve for prison. Nothing like his brother. Ever since our hotel opened, he has been cause trouble every two or three months. So annoying!”
The other added: “Let him play with death as he likes. Just report it upward; President Yu will handle him.”
Seeing Yu Dashan walk through the doors, the part-time worker put a finger to his lips. “Quiet.”
Yu Dashan saw the front desk and froze in place. He pulled down his sunglasses, squinted to confirm something, then put them back and muttered a few insults about Xu Yanghe being a dog.
“Lili!” He intentionally used a greasy, intimate tone that made people’s skin crawl. “Book a penthouse suite for this young master. One with a sea view.” It was the most top-tier room in Tianyun.
He leaned his arm on the counter, smiling without producing any money or cards.
The employee named Lili hesitated for a moment. The part-time worker tapped a few keys to check the system. “The penthouse suites are all full.”
Yu Dashan smiled. Forgotten already?
Lili sucked in a breath, looking at the part-time worker who might have just caused a disaster.
Yu Dashan said, “Then pick some unlucky soul, kick them out, and give the room to me.”
Clearly, this wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing. The Tianyun staff couldn’t defy him; even if they complained to Yu Tianhe, it would be after the fact. The anger of other guests would have to be borne by the staff.
“Alright…” Lili gave a forced laugh and pulled up the guest list to slowly pick someone—she had to find someone without power to offend.
Yu Dashan said breezily, “Hurry up, I’m starving. What’s the restaurant serving today? Pick a few expensive dishes and send them up.”
Lili complied, hiding a secret eye-roll.
Meanwhile, the part-time worker calmly and abruptly slid a room card onto the counter, smiling. “Your room.”
Strangely, Lili was stunned, and so was Yu Dashan.
He pinched the card and called out as he headed for the elevator, “Remember to send the food.”
Lili didn’t quite understand. She grabbed the part-time worker’s arm. “What room did you give him?”
The part-time worker replied seriously, “The room he wanted.”
This is so freaking weird. Yu Dashan stepped into the elevator and looked at the card again. “Wait, this isn’t the penthouse…”
…
It was evening by the time Xu Yanghe and Qin Zicheng finished their talk.
Xu Yanghe saw Qin Zicheng off. He was worried about how obedient Xie Chun was—he really hadn’t made a sound all day—but he couldn’t help smiling because the plan had gone so well.
He wondered if Xie Chun had eaten, if he was still hungry, and then he couldn’t help but smile again.
Xu Yanghe thought, I really am sick in the head.
Leaving the meeting room, none of the lights were on, and it was dark all around.
Xu Yanghe knocked on the master bedroom door. “Xie Chun?”
There was no answer. He turned the handle and found no one inside.
“Xie Chun!” Xu Yanghe searched all over the suite.
Xie Chun was gone.
He didn’t know when the boy had slipped out.
Just as Xu Yanghe was feeling frantic, the sound of a room card swiping came from the door.
He rushed over as the door was pushed open from the outside.
Xu Yanghe and the newcomer stared at each other.
Xu Yanghe: ?
Yu Dashan: ?
After a few seconds, Yu Dashan gripped his room card and let out a scoffing laugh. “Now this is interesting.”