The shop assistant hesitated. “Sir, the cake you mentioned is our signature item. Aside from VIP pre-orders, we only stock twenty per day. We’ve already sold quite a few today.”
“I’ll take whatever is left,” Xu Yanghe said.
“I’m sorry, what do you mean?” The assistant, momentarily confused, maintained a professional smile.
Xu Yanghe was already scanning the payment code. “It means nobody else gets to buy one.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.” The assistant headed to the kitchen to check.
At that moment, Xie Chun returned to the shop. “Hello, I’d like to buy another Lemon Basque cake, please.”
There was no one at the counter, but a voice called out from the back: “One moment, please!”
Xie Chun seemed to sense something was off and shot a glance at Xu Yanghe, who was standing there acting nonchalant.
Xu Yanghe met his gaze and winked.
The assistant quickly returned to verify the order, then composed their expression to address Xie Chun. “I’m so sorry, sir, but this… uh…”
“Speak up,” Xu Yanghe prompted.
“He bought all the remaining Lemon Basques. You’ll have to discuss it with him.” The assistant couldn’t stop staring at the two of them.
Xu Yanghe stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning his head to watch Xie Chun’s reaction while his fingers rubbed the tube of burn ointment in his pocket.
Xie Chun glared at Xu Yanghe, his eyes flashing with blatant irritation. He turned on his heel and walked out.
“Where are you going?” Xu Yanghe shouted.
“To tell Zhou Lan,” Xie Chun replied.
“Wait a minute!” Xu Yanghe grabbed him.
As Xu Yanghe reached out, Xie Chun instinctively tried to block him. Instead, Xu Yanghe ended up snagging the shoulder of his shirt.
Xie Chun: “?”
Xu Yanghe said, “Can’t we just… negotiate?”
Xie Chun’s expression brightened slightly. “Are you going to compensate me with one?” He hadn’t expected Xu Yanghe to have that much self-awareness.
“I can’t…” Xu Yanghe started.
Figures. Xie Chun turned to leave again.
“I told you to wait! Let a person finish,” Xu Yanghe grabbed his hand again. For some reason, his throat felt tight talking to Xie Chun. “Unless you add me on WeChat.”
Xie Chun held his phone suspiciously. “Apologize first.”
Xu Yanghe pulled up his QR code. “Apologize for what?”
“You smashed my cake.” And it was intentional.
Xu Yanghe: “No.”
Xie Chun: “Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Then no WeChat.”
Xie Chun shoved his phone back into his bag.
Xu Yanghe said, “The WeChat is happening.”
Xie Chun: “No.”
Xu Yanghe: “Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Then I’m not replacing the cake.”
…How despicable.
Xie Chun finally presented his QR code. Xu Yanghe pulled his back.
After scanning, he ordered, “Accept it. Now.” He watched Xie Chun until the request was approved.
…
Xu Yanghe stuffed half the cakes into his fridge and took the rest to Yu Dashan’s place.
“Ten-day shelf life. Eat as much as you can.”
Yu Dashan grabbed one and took a bite. “No problem.”
“Hey,” Yu Dashan called out from the sofa. Receiving no response, he turned to see Xu Yanghe wiping dust off the refrigerator door.
“Stop cleaning, Mr. Janitor,” Yu Dashan asked. “How are things going for you?”
Xu Yanghe looked stressed. “Don’t ask. The old man froze all my accounts. I’ve only got two million left and I’ve inherited a massive mess…”
“I wasn’t asking about that!” Yu Dashan gestured wildly. “I meant you and that guy?”
“Oh. Just added him as a friend.” Xu Yanghe showed him the chat interface.
The add-time was two hours ago. Not a single message had been sent.
Yu Dashan sighed. “I really don’t get you…”
“I came here for serious business.” Xu Yanghe detailed his plan to Yu Dashan. “What do you think?”
“I’m in,” Yu Dashan supported him unconditionally.
Xu Yanghe felt a twinge of guilt. “What about that Sun Bin guy…”
“That jerk used me to set you up and got me a beating from Yu Tianhe. Forget him!” Yu Dashan said.
Xu Yanghe frowned. “If Yu Tianhe is watching you this closely, surely…”
“Don’t worry,” Yu Dashan smiled. “This time, I’m using my own connections. It’s staying outside the Yu family.”
Xu Yanghe went out to buy a bunch of daily necessities, planning to stay holed up at home for a few days.
As night fell, he remembered to message Xie Chun.
Xu Yanghe: What brand of laundry detergent do you use? Xu Yanghe: Or laundry powder? Xu Yanghe: Bleach? Xu Yanghe: Reply. Xu Yanghe: You’re not at work yet, are you?
[22:00] Xu Yanghe: You must be at work. Remember to reply when you finish.
[00:00] Xu Yanghe: I remember Blue Ocean doesn’t confiscate staff phones. Xu Yanghe: Did you block me?
In the middle of the night, Xu Yanghe woke Zhou Lan with a phone call.
“Block me on WeChat for a second so I can send a few messages, then unblock me. I want to see if I can still see my own messages.”
Zhou Lan blocked him. And did not unblock him.
Xu Yanghe fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, clutching his phone. Neither Xie Chun nor Zhou Lan had replied.
Waking up at noon, Xu Yanghe ate cake while checking WeChat.
Zhou Lan: Who do you suspect blocked you?
“Hah.” Xu Yanghe didn’t reply.
Xie Chun: [Photo.jpg]
It was a photo of a well-known, budget-friendly brand of laundry powder in a massive ten-kilogram bulk bucket.
Xie Chun: Sorry, I had it on silent. Sometimes I miss messages. Xu Yanghe: Turn on vibrate. It won’t affect your work. Xie Chun: No. Xu Yanghe: Yes.
Perhaps having learned his lesson, Xie Chun didn’t argue further. Xu Yanghe, having slept off his grumpiness, forgot about it too.
He browsed the news—nothing major, just a forecast for a cold snap and the first snow—then went to the supermarket to buy the same laundry powder Xie Chun used.
The clothes he’d worn back to the Xu residence were quite white, but they were stained with blood and tea. He’d left them sitting there, originally intending to just throw them away.
Xu Yanghe spent half an hour scrubbing in the bathroom with the powder.
According to his personal testing, the powder Xie Chun recommended didn’t have any miraculous cleaning powers; it stung his hands and the scent was overpowering.
The image of Xie Chun’s fluorescently white shirts flashed through his mind…
Clearly, the variable was the person. Xie Chun was something else!
Xu Yanghe tossed the brush into the sink, confirming he had just wasted 39.90 yuan.
Looking at the time, it was already 11:00 PM.
With zero regard for social etiquette, he messaged Xie Chun.
Xu Yanghe: That laundry powder is useless. Xu Yanghe: [Photo of bloodstained shirt looking like a crime scene.jpg]
He didn’t expect a reply and put his phone down. Three seconds later, it rang.
Xu Yanghe raised an eyebrow. It was Xie Chun.
“Hello?”
“Hello,” Xie Chun shouted over the line.
Something was wrong. Xu Yanghe could hear a howling wind in the background.
“What are you…”
“Can you find out where Zhou Lan is?” Xie Chun asked urgently.
Xu Yanghe went quiet. “I can’t,” he said. “Zhou Lan and I aren’t on good terms. I beat him up in front of everyone, and he blocked me yesterday.”
“Okay, sorry to bother you.” Xie Chun’s teeth were audibly chattering.
“Don’t hang up!” Xu Yanghe yelled.
Xie Chun stayed on the line. “Is there something else?”
Xu Yanghe felt an inexplicable pang of distress. “What’s going on? Where are you?”
“I’m outside,” Xie Chun sniffed. “Outside the East Gate.”
“It’s going to snow tonight, didn’t you know? What are you doing there?” Xu Yanghe started putting on his shoes and grabbed his keys. Xie Chun was like a tube of toothpaste—you had to squeeze him to get anything out.
Xie Chun said, “K-University is locking down for the holidays tonight. I’m outside the East Gate with my and Zhou Lan’s luggage. I can’t reach him. No matter how many times I try.” The wind roared, and the sound of a large truck passing by drowned him out.
Xu Yanghe’s phone pinged. The high school group chat was blowing up with embarrassing photos of a drunk Zhou Lan. He knew where Zhou Lan’s house was.
But Xu Yanghe still ran downstairs. “Send me your location.”
With the university closed, the edge of the city felt desolate. Several streetlights were broken, leaving the blocks looking like holes where the night had fallen through. Haicheng rarely saw snow like this—fine, relentless flakes swirling in the freezing wind like willow catkins.
Xu Yanghe found Xie Chun by a pedestrian bridge near the East Gate. He was huddling by a bridge pier next to four large suitcases belonging to Zhou Lan.
Xu Yanghe was glad he hadn’t just given him Zhou Lan’s address and told him to walk.
He parked, grabbed a thick coat, and walked over angrily. “You’re packing Zhou Lan’s bags? Why? Are you his little wife or something?”
“No,” Xie Chun said.
Xie Chun’s curls were damp and matted. White mist puffed from his mouth with every breath. Xu Yanghe was speechless; he threw the coat at him.
It was a long down jacket. “Thank you,” Xie Chun said.
Xu Yanghe realized that Xie Chun only ever answered the last question asked.
“Why are you packing for him then?” Xu Yanghe asked again.
Xie Chun replied, “He pays me.”
Xu Yanghe: “…”
“He said he’d be here by ten at the latest to pick them up,” Xie Chun added.
“Let’s go!” Xu Yanghe gestured. “We’re finding him.”
Xu Yanghe knew exactly where Zhou Lan was.
Their high school class held a gathering every year before the New Year. They had invited him yesterday, but he’d declined due to the plans with Yu Dashan. Looking at the chat, Zhou Lan had clearly been knocked out by a few “depth charge” cocktails. The guy couldn’t hold his liquor; once he drank, he slept.
Xu Yanghe drove Xie Chun to the hotpot restaurant where the party was being held.
Despite the snow, the place was packed. The warm orange lights made the snow outside look like it was melting into a soggy mess. The air was thick with the scent of beef tallow and chili. Inside, the noise was deafening, heat rising in waves.
Xu Yanghe parked and gave Xie Chun a complicated look, weighing the feasibility of letting him go in alone to fetch Zhou Lan.
The thought was dismissed before it fully formed.
Xu Yanghe buttoned his coat, put on a baseball cap, and fished a face mask out of the glove compartment.
Xie Chun stared at him. Xu Yanghe snapped, “What are you looking at? I’m cold.”
Then he instructed, “Follow me. Don’t wander off, okay?”
“Oh.” Xie Chun was used to not understanding Xu Yanghe’s behavior.
Xu Yanghe entered. They hadn’t booked a private room, just two large tables on the first floor. Most of them were still eating and drinking noisily. Zhou Lan was passed out ungracefully on two long benches against the wall.
Someone recognized Xu Yanghe immediately. Since they were boxed in by the table, they could only point a long arm at him. “Hey!”
Xu Yanghe ignored them, pulled his cap lower, and whispered to Xie Chun, “Go pick up Zhou Lan.”
“Oh.” Xie Chun squeezed through.
“Xu Yanghe?” A classmate sitting on the outside turned around.
Xu Yanghe pressed his mask down and deepened his voice. “Not me.”
Xie Chun shook Zhou Lan a few times and woke him up.
The guy was a sleeper, but luckily he sobered up quickly once awake. Zhou Lan blinked dizzily. “Xie Chun?”
“What about Xu Yanghe?” someone who hadn’t seen him asked. “Is Xu Yanghe here?”
The group began a chaotic, nonsensical back-and-forth about “Xu Yanghe.” Someone checking their phone suddenly shouted, “Holy crap, Xu Yanghe really is here!”
Xu Yanghe’s heart tightened. He barked, “Zhou Lan, get your ass out here now!”
“Coming, coming.” Xie Chun pulled Zhou Lan along as he scrambled to grab his coat and phone.
Someone else asked, “Where is Xu Yanghe?”
“He’s all over the trending topics on Weibo! ‘Arrogant rich second-gen street racing,’ ‘Who is Xu Yanghe’s father?’, ‘Private use of Xiaoyoushan public land,’ ‘Ranking 10 stars who died young’… you click on any of them and it’s his face!”