“Remember, my name is Shen Xuchuan”
Xu Qingchen was woken by a rustling sound of movement. He suppressed his morning grumpiness, first went to the bathroom to wash up, and after coming out went straight to the living room.
The place he lived in was very large and spacious, the most upscale independent apartment building in the city center. The living room had a row of floor-to-ceiling windows, and every morning was flooded with sunlight. Although there were not many pieces of furniture, the decor was quite charming. Apart from the paintings, the most eye-catching things in the room were African crafts: several statues about a meter high, each depicting a bronze-skinned man holding a stick in one hand, his expression stern and sharp.
There was also a huge cushion in the middle of the room. Xu Qingchen sometimes sat cross-legged on the floor to create when he got tired from standing.
Besides painting, he also had to eat every day. A square dining table had been left by the window. At this moment, there were already some cod cakes that he liked and a cup of iced lemon tea on it.
He walked over at an unhurried pace and sat down leisurely.
Just as he picked up the cod cake, an auntie with a kind-looking face sat down opposite him, looking at him with a helpless expression.
auntie was the hourly worker he had hired. She was nearly fifty, a bit overweight, but full of energy. Xu Qingchen would not take the kindness others gave him for granted. He had once praised auntie for having a heart of gold, and after hearing that, auntie was deeply moved, becoming even more involved in his life and starting to care about his routine and health. This made him very uncomfortable, but he also did not want to hurt auntie’s feelings, so from then on he never dared praise auntie again.
“Mr. Xu.” auntie spoke, her tone still fairly gentle.
Xu Qingchen thought she was about to lecture him again, so he mumbled an acknowledgment and kept stuffing food into his mouth, not lifting his head at all.
auntie continued, “There is a phone call for you.”
“Mm…” Xu Qingchen nodded his head. “Who is it?”
“A mister with the surname He. He called last night. I saw that you were already resting, so I did not disturb you. I told him you might call back this morning,” auntie deliberately glanced sideways. “Of course, I did not act on my own. I mean you might call back.”
“I’ll call back now.” Xu Qingchen put down his utensils and stood up neatly.
He called back from the living room landline. While waiting for the call to connect, he turned back and looked by the window, and saw that there was an extra bag of luggage by auntie’s feet.
At that moment, the call connected, and a sexy yet hearty male voice came from the other end. “Brother Xu?”
“Hello,” Xu Qingchen searched through his memory for this voice. “I am Xu Qingchen.”
“Brother Xu, I’m He Jinyue, the alumnus who invited you to the preview exhibition. Do you remember me?”
“Oh, Mr. He, thank you.”
Xu Qingchen knew there was such a person. The first person he met after returning to the country was this Mr. He, who claimed to be his alumnus and arranged some business dinners that Hester thought would be beneficial to him. Hester told him that Mr. He was a man with assets, ran a pharmaceutical company, and as a side business was involved in art development, attending or investing in all opening-night performances and private preview exhibitions.
“Are you in a good mood?” He Jinyue seemed a little nervous, speaking with a slight pause. “That day was such a pity, I didn’t know you would really go. When they called to tell me, I was in City S for a meeting, and by the time I rushed back, you had already left.”
Xu Qingchen did not know what to say. He looked back at auntie again, an inexplicable irritability rising in his heart.
He Jinyue was still speaking. “Brother Xu, is there any work you like?”
At last he had brought up a topic Xu Qingchen could respond to.
“There was one painting,” Xu Qingchen thought for a few seconds. “Steve’s work, I think it was pretty good.”
“That painting? I wouldn’t have expected that,” He Jinyue was slightly surprised. “I’ll have someone send it to you right away. I didn’t expect you to be interested in impressionism.”
Although Steve and Xu Qingchen were both representative painters of contemporary oil painting, their styles were very different. The former was a combination of romanticism and Baroque style, while the latter was both a representative of abstract art and a controversial figure in black-and-white painting, his brushwork enough to be shocking at a glance.
Xu Qingchen flatly refused at once. “No need, thank you.”
“Brother Xu, don’t stand on ceremony with me.”
“I’m not being polite with you. That painting would look very jarring in my home, it would become out of place. Better leave it to someone who truly needs it.”
“I understand. Then can I treat you to dinner?”
“I don’t have time.”
He Jinyue was not discouraged. He had long since gotten used to his way of speaking, and with no temper at all he smiled. “Then I won’t disturb you, Brother Xu.”
After hanging up, Xu Qingchen returned to his seat and continued eating the chilled breakfast.
auntie silently looked at him for two minutes, then suddenly said, “Sir, I want to resign.”
Xu Qingchen was not surprised at all and directly asked, “When are you leaving?”
auntie had originally prepared a whole pile of explanations, but unexpectedly none of them were needed. The corner of her mouth twitched a little. “I won’t be coming tomorrow. Hire another hourly worker, it’s easy to find online.”
“OK,” Xu Qingchen said. “Ask Hester about the salary, she’ll settle it for you.”
“Alright,” auntie sighed while shaking her head. “Before I leave, I have to nag you a few times. After I’m gone, remember to eat. If it really doesn’t work, you can order takeout. Ordering food is very convenient in the country, and if you’re missing anything you can also buy it online. And also, and also, remember to lock the door when you go out, don’t forget the password again, you need to be careful, what if a thief gets in?!”
“There’s nothing worth stealing here.”
“You may not care, but I was on edge the whole time, afraid I’d fail in my duty and have no way to answer to miss Hester. Anyway, take good care of yourself. If you can’t find something you use, you can call me and I’ll tell you.”
Hearing this, Xu Qingchen lifted his handsome face, the corners of his mouth gradually relaxing, a smile beginning to take shape. “I know.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” auntie pointed at him in surprise. “You should smile more. Let me nag you one more thing, don’t be insecure because of the color of your hair, it’s nothing major. It’s a diverse world now.”
Aside from nodding, Xu Qingchen did not know what else to say.
Five minutes later, auntie carried her luggage bag and left the room she had worked in for three months.
Xu Qingchen’s ears were finally freed.
That evening, Xu Qingchen ordered Japanese food online, and also got hooked on online shopping, buying a large pile of drawing paper and all sorts of useless little things.
Takeout arrived much faster than auntie cooked. After the order was placed successfully, it was delivered twenty minutes later.
Xu Qingchen walked over to open the door, only briefly glancing outside, then took the bag handed over from outside the door and was about to close it.
The next second, he saw a slim yet powerful hand blocking the doorframe, and then by his ear rang a surprisingly pleasant voice.
“Can’t you look up for once?”
Xu Qingchen raised his head at the words, and what came into view was a striking face. The other person was half a head shorter than him, wearing a black outfit similar to cycling clothes, with a cool baseball cap on his head, a few strands of hair sticking up by his ear, and playful smiles in both the corners of his mouth and eyes.
“You are…”
Xu Qingchen found him a little familiar, but could not remember for a moment. “You are…”
He was still searching through his memory when the person opposite had already sized him up completely.
Unlike their first meeting, when he had been serious, today Xu Xian’er was very homely, wearing a loose cotton and linen set. His hair was not combed straight back with a hair out of place, but casually falling over his forehead. He had lost a bit of his gentlemanly air, but looked several years younger.
“We only met a few days ago, at the museum across the street.”
After the reminder, Xu Qingchen had some impression and nodded thoughtfully. “Oh, it’s you…”
“Forget it, you seem like a koala. Too bad you’re not as cute as one. Have a pleasant meal.”
The delivery man got impatient first and helped him close the door.
With a click, the door was locked.
The world returned to silence.
Shen Xuchuan touched his chin and stood at the door in a daze for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more unpleasant it felt, he just thought it was strange.
“Why isn’t he curious at all about why I turned into a delivery guy? Doesn’t he have even a little curiosity? Is he really a normal person?”
He is not, he has a problem.
After reaching that conclusion, Shen Xuchuan made a face at the tightly shut door and quickly slipped away.
Because Xu Qingchen had become obsessed with online shopping that night and bought quite a few things, couriers kept coming to the door over the next few days.
He kept opening the door and closing it, and the face outside the door was indeed hard for him to ignore.
The food delivery guy had turned into a courier again. If it were someone else, he might have already surrendered, but unfortunately this person was Xu Qingchen. In Shen Xuchuan’s heart, he had firmly established the image of a wooden man.
Yet another collision. The apartment door was opened from the inside, and Shen Xuchuan offered the delivery box with both hands, flashing a big smile. “Cold and aloof Painter Xu, this is your package! Can I…”
“Thank you.” Xu Qingchen took the item and closed the door.
“Hey, you…”
Shen Xuchuan, infuriated at being ignored, planted his hands on his hips and made an international gesture at the door. “What is this!”
Who else could possibly run into such a hard-to-handle rival.
By the time the doorbell rang again, it was already the next morning, three days later.
Xu Qingchen went to the door in slippers, his hand on the doorknob, silent for a long time without moving.
Only when the young man outside called his name impatiently did a fleeting smile spread across his lips, and then he opened the door.
“Xu Qingchen! Painter Xu! Great Old Ma…”
Shen Xuchuan’s chatter cut off the moment the door opened.
Xu Qingchen brushed aside the white hair falling over his forehead. Looking as if he had not woken up, his eyes flashed with a weary hawk-like gaze.
Shen Xuchuan’s hands were empty, and the stupid blue jacket he had worn was gone too. He fixed his gaze on Xu Qingchen’s eyes. He meant nothing else, he just wanted to come ask whether Xu Qingchen had remembered him.
“I’ve delivered packages to you for several days. What impression do you have of me?”
He asked very seriously, and Xu Qingchen also answered in a serious tone. “You seem to change jobs quite often.”
“……” Shen Xuchuan slapped the doorframe and leaned forward a little. Just when Xu Qingchen thought he was about to curse, he unexpectedly smiled sweetly. “Painter Xu, I heard you’re hiring an hourly worker?”
Xu Qingchen did not show any reaction.
Shen Xuchuan’s smile grew even sweeter. “What do you think of me?”
Xu Qingchen answered without hesitation. “You can give it a try.”
At this, Shen Xuchuan froze on the spot, his smile stiffening at the corners of his mouth from shock, a special expression appearing on his face.
Xu Qingchen subtly curved his lips, then stepped back, giving up the space at the door, and said, “Come in.”
Shen Xuchuan walked into the house as if possessed, turned past the entryway, and the empty, bright living room occupied his view. He subconsciously examined the decor style of the room, his gaze drifting to the walls.
Various carvings, woodcuts, and bronze artifacts with the distinctive style of some unknown ethnic group. Many huge framed and unframed oil paintings were piled in the corners, and at first glance, there were mostly black-and-white colors.
After quickly looking around once, Shen Xuchuan’s attention returned to that man.
Xu Qingchen walked further inside, moved an inconvenient drawing board aside with his foot, and stopped by the dining table. Without even looking at the person behind him, he said, “The job content is very simple, just cook for me. I rarely eat hot dishes, mainly cold food, and like Japanese food and French cuisine. One thing you need to pay attention to is, just put the food on the dining table after you finish making it. I’ll eat it when I see it, you don’t need to deliberately call me. Also, I like quiet. You’d better avoid making noise when you work….”
“Hey, wait!” Shen Xuchuan stopped him in exasperation. “Brother, you’re talking, talking, talking, and I haven’t even said anything yet.”
Things were progressing much faster than planned. Shen Xuchuan had only used one third of his mischievous ideas, which made it impossible for him to take the initiative for a moment.
“What do you want to say?” Xu Qingchen picked up his words and asked, his tone quite serious.
Shen Xuchuan secretly curled his lip and muttered under his breath: “Nothing, let’s just leave it at that. It’s much easier than I imagined.”
“It’s indeed not hard,” Xu Qingchen turned around and poured himself a cup of coffee, revealing a barely visible smile. “All the aunties who worked for me said it wasn’t hard.”
Shen Xuchuan rolled his eyes at his back, thinking: It’s not that the work is easy, it’s that stepping into your house is so easy.
“Are you coming tomorrow?” Xu Qingchen turned around and asked while drinking coffee, “The pay is triple the market rate. If possible, Hester will contact you.”
Shen Xuchuan had an unreadable smile on his face as he shrugged. “Where else would I find a second employer this straightforward and generous?”
“Then see you tomorrow.” Xu Qingchen hesitated, then added, “I want sashimi and charcoal-grilled chicken tomorrow. You’d better prepare in advance. The probation period is one lunch meal.”
“…….”
I think you’d be sleeping on the floor by the toilet, not far from shit!
Shen Xuchuan cursed fiercely in his heart, smiling sweetly on the surface.
After settling the start date, Shen Xuchuan did not stay any longer. For some reason, he wanted to kick the door open and rush out, then get into his own car and stomp the gas pedal until the engine noise was at full blast. The ideal result would be to piss this freak off to death.
He ultimately did not do that. Before leaving, he suddenly thought of something, changed to a slightly more serious tone, and said to Xu Qingchen, “My name is Shen Xuchuan, remember it.”
He had a strange desire, to imprint his own name into Xu Qingchen’s head.
Xu Qingchen silently repeated that name three times. A trace of light reflected in his gray-green pupils as he said, “I remembered it.”
Shen Xuchuan raised the corners of his mouth, left behind a look that said, “That’s more like it”, and then left this room.