Yan Hui looked at Yu Xiang in a daze, then followed his gaze to Yan Sheng, blinking after a long moment.
It was no wonder Yu Xiang had misunderstood.
Over the past two years, Yan Sheng had shot up in height, rocketing from just over four feet tall to nearly five feet eight inches. At first, Yan Hui would buy him new clothes, but by this year he had simply given up the struggle and decided to share a wardrobe with his son.
With Yan Sheng catching a cold, running a fever, and wearing a face mask, most of his youthful features were obscured. Did he not look exactly like a tall, regretfully youthful handsome man?
The misunderstanding was completely normal, but Yu Xiang’s words sounded a bit peculiar.
Yan Hui pressed his lips together to hide a smile, choosing not to explain right away, and instead vaguely changed the subject: “Never mind him. What about you? Why are you on an IV drip? Have you caught a fever?”
“Ah, um, the temperature dropped too quickly, and before I noticed it.” Yu Xiang instinctively put his hands behind his back, then suddenly realized the gesture was pointless, his fingers nervously clutching at the air.
Yan Hui smiled teasingly: “You must have let your guard down thinking you were still in the south. The temperature drops in Jindun without any pattern, and with the high humidity and no central heating, it actually feels colder than the north.”
As he spoke, he glanced downward, making Yu Xiang instantly straighten his spine and back.
“I suggest you buy a down jacket. Overcoats look nice, but they aren’t windproof. The moment the wind blows through, you’ll feel chilled to the bone.”
“Alright, I’ll go buy one later.” Yu Xiang’s eyes were gentle as he followed Yan Hui’s lead and asked, “What about you? Is anything bothering you?”
Yan Hui raised his chin toward Yan Sheng.
“He’s the one feeling unwell, also with a cold and fever. He ran a temperature of a hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit last night. I stayed up with him all night, and his fever wouldn’t break, so I brought him to see the doctor.”
“Oh,” Yu Xiang paused for a moment, then said flatly, “It was right to come and take a look.”
“Yeah.” If it hadn’t been mentioned, it was fine, but once brought up, Yan Hui’s mind was filled entirely with Yan Sheng’s fever. Too distracted to test the waters any further, he resolutely bid farewell: “Then take your time with the IV, I’ll be leaving first. The child… I have to go buy some things. Goodbye.”
Hearing this, Yu Xiang took a beat longer than usual to reply: “Goodbye.”
Seeing that Yan Hui was about to turn and leave, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Yan Hui’s arm, and asked as if to confirm: “Can we stay in touch on WeChat?”
Yan Hui was startled, glanced down at the large hand on his arm, and then let out a smile.
He had always possessed a youthful face, and when he smiled, it was just like the old days, leaving Yu Xiang momentarily dazed.
“Okay, let’s keep in touch on WeChat.”
Until the figures of Yan Hui and his boyfriend vanished outside the doors, Yu Xiang remained standing right where he was, completely motionless.
With such a tall and handsome man standing right in the middle of the pathway, it was hard not to draw attention, and whoever passed by couldn’t help but spare him a glance.
Yang Kexin watched her own boss turn into a popular tourist attraction, and refusing to believe it, she asked, “Do you really not know that man?”
Gu Mingyu shook his head: “I only became Assistant Gu after President Yu Jr. took over the company; I don’t know any more than you do.”
“What about photos? Have you never seen any?” Yang Kexin pressed on.
“No,” Gu Mingyu said decisively. “President Yu Jr.’s lifestyle habits are comparable to an ascetic monk’s, so where would any photos come from? You’re the lifestyle secretary, aren’t you clear on this?”
“It’s precisely because I am clear that something feels wrong! When have you ever seen President Yu Jr. act so impulsively? He rushed out the moment he saw him, even bending the needle!”
The more Yang Kexin spoke, the more agitated she became, her delicate face flushing slightly: “There might be a wealthy family feud hidden behind this!”
“A wealthy family feud? Weren’t they just ex-boyfriends?” Gu Mingyu asked, puzzled.
“Just ex-boyfriends wouldn’t cause a reaction like this!” Yang Kexin rolled her eyes at him, then looked back at Yu Xiang’s lonely figure. “If they hadn’t been torn apart by opposed families, how could President Yu Jr. be reduced to this?”
Gu Mingyu nodded in sudden realization.
After another moment, Yu Xiang finally snapped out of it and pushed his IV pole over toward the two of them.
“Mingyu, head back to Yunju according to the original plan to oversee the factory construction. If the group headquarters asks, you know what to say.”
Seeing Gu Mingyu nod in agreement, he paused for a second and added: “Communicate in time if anything comes up.”
Gu Mingyu: “Understood. Then President Yu Jr., I’ll go back to the hotel to pack my luggage first.”
The inspection team had originally planned to return to Yunju this morning, but who could have foreseen Jindun’s weather being so erratic? Everyone on the team had caught a cold one after another upon landing. Yu Xiang had pushed through until the very end before finally succumbing, becoming the worst-affected of them all. Their joint itinerary was thus delayed, forcing them to reschedule.
Yu Xiang let out a hum and turned to Yang Kexin: “Kexin, you can go ahead and do this.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Kexin eagerly jumped in.
“Don’t worry, President Yu Jr.! I’ll go check that gentleman’s personal information for you right now! You just need to tell me his name, or even better if you have his phone number!”
Yu Xiang: “Privately investigating a citizen’s personal information is illegal, so don’t get me into trouble.”
“Oh, oh, I thought… I’m sorry.” Yang Kexin lowered her head in awkward repentance.
Yu Xiang sighed: “It’s fine. Go cancel my flight tickets, extend the hotel booking, and look up well-reviewed Southeast Asian and dessert restaurants here in Jindun.”
“I hope his tastes haven’t changed.” Following a near-whispered murmur, Yu Xiang walked past the two of them, pushed his IV pole to find an empty seat, leaned back against the chair, and slowly closed his eyes.
“Dad, are you in a good mood?”
Yan Sheng half-lay across the supermarket cart’s handle, watching Yan Hui open the freezer and take out an ice pop.
“I’m alright. Why do you ask?” Putting the ice pop into the cart, Yan Hui raised his chin slightly. “Let’s go, time to check out.”
Yan Sheng pushed the cart behind him, muttering under his breath: “Whenever you’re happy, you want to eat ice cream, but every time you only buy one for yourself and won’t let me have any.”
Yan Hui directly ignored the latter half of his sentence and smiled: “Your observational skills are pretty sharp.”
Yan Sheng didn’t dwell too much on the ice cream, tilting his head to ask Yan Hui: “So who was that uncle? Were you that happy to see him?”
Yan Hui’s footsteps paused.
Was he happy? It seemed he really was.
“He’s an old classmate of Dad’s.” Finally finding a suitable identity for Yu Xiang, Yan Hui’s speech flowed smoothly. “We haven’t seen each other in many years, so of course Dad is happy to run into him.”
“An old classmate,” Yan Sheng chewed on the phrase. “Is he an old classmate like Big Dad, Second Dad, and Third Dad?”
“Ahem.” Yan Hui choked slightly on this chain of dads and said with a guilty conscience, “Something like that.”
By “something like that,” he meant that his three college roommates were godfather figures, whereas Yu Xiang was the real biological dad kind of “something like that.”
Terrified that Yan Sheng might blurt out something even more reckless, Yan Hui quickly changed the subject: “Sheng-sheng, how about Dad makes you some lotus root shrimp balls for lunch?”
“Okay!” Yan Sheng’s attention was instantly diverted, and he even began placing extra orders: “Can you make cola chicken wings too?”
Yan Hui glanced at him and ultimately softened: “Alright, but you can only eat one.”
“Yay!”
After purchasing the ingredients, they drove back home, and the white Audi Q3 soon turned into a rather aged residential community.
Built thirty years ago, the complex lagged behind the times in both architectural style and layout. All the green spaces had been cut down and paved over into parking lots to satisfy the residents’ growing parking demands, making the entire neighborhood look rather shabby.
Yet, despite this dilapidated and unassuming appearance, it was situated within Jindun’s most famous school district, making it truly a place where land was worth a fortune.
Of course, simply living within the school district didn’t guarantee admission into those prestigious schools, but it at least gave you a ticket to play the game. Therefore, even though the apartments were old and run-down, parents fought frantically over them, keeping housing prices consistently high year-round.
Returning to their apartment of under eight hundred square feet, Yan Hui watched Yan Sheng take his medicine before letting him go play, then plunged straight into the kitchen.
By twelve-thirty, three dishes and one soup were served punctually on the table. After pestering Yan Hui for a while, Yan Sheng ultimately ate an extra cola chicken wing, wiped his mouth in satisfaction, and went off to take a nap.
Once Yan Hui cleaned up the mess, he walked into the second bedroom to check if Yan Sheng had kicked off his blanket. Casually checking his temperature with a forehead thermometer, he discovered the fever had dropped somewhat and finally set his mind at ease.
Leaving the second bedroom, he returned to the kitchen, took the newly purchased ice pop from the refrigerator, unwrapped the packaging, and took a bite.
A wave of chilliness instantly pierced straight to his temples, though thankfully, a soothing sweetness comforted his taste buds. As that small patch of creamy texture melted, the rich fragrance unique to dairy products filled his mouth, evoking distant memories.
The very first dessert Yan Hui tasted in his life was ice cream; at the same time, ice cream was also the catalyst for his initial meeting with Yu Xiang.
Ever since birth, Yan Hui had lived with his grandparents. Since both elders suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, desserts were strictly forbidden contraband items. It wasn’t until he turned eight that his parents picked him up to attend a banquet.
On the surface, such banquets appeared glamorous with rustling silk and sparkling lights, but stripped down, they were just ordinary affairs. Everyone smiled genially while secretly competing with each other in everything, including their children.
Under his parents’ instigation, Yan Hui publicly showcased the results of half a year of bitter piano practice, and then stayed right by their sides, neither running around nor making a fuss, so obedient and well-behaved that everyone praised him.
At that time, Yu Xiang was running wild in the garden with his friends, occasionally letting out sharp shouts that caused the adults to frown in displeasure.
“That’s Second Master Yu’s son, Yu Xiang, right? Compared to his cousin, he’s a bit more mischievous.”
“He isn’t the heir anyway, a little mischief doesn’t matter.”
“It’s still better to keep him under control, otherwise sooner or later he’s going to cause trouble.”
That was the first time Yan Hui had ever heard of Yu Xiang. At the time, he didn’t know who was who, only watching them from afar.
Until that group of children came running into the house, heading straight for him.
Running at the very front was a tall, robust, wheat-skinned boy holding an ice cream cone, a strange glint flashing in the corners of his eyes.
Before Yan Hui could react, the two collided head-on. The boy was steadied by his little friends, while Yan Hui fell flat on his bottom, the ice cream sliding straight down his shirt and vest.
The previously dazzling piano prince instantly became disheveled and ruined, stripped of all dignity.
Yan Hui stared blankly as he raised his head, locking eyes with that boy, and heard the kids behind him cheering in whispers: “It worked! Let’s go, run fast! Yu Xiang, let’s go!”
For some reason, Yu Xiang didn’t leave, which meant the others couldn’t escape either, and they were caught red-handed by the rushing adults, forced to apologize one by one with their heads pressed down.
As the primary culprit, Yu Xiang went first.
“I really didn’t mean to. I just wanted to treat you to ice cream, but I ran too fast and couldn’t break in time. I’m sorry.”
Yan Hui knew Yu Xiang was lying, but when he went with the housekeeper to change his clothes, he found himself inexplicably recalling those words, and remembering the look in his parents’ eyes when they warned him to mind his image during his very first banquet.
Now, he didn’t have to worry about staining his clothes anymore.
So, he mustered up his courage and asked the housekeeper: “Before I change clothes, can I eat an ice cream?”
That was the first dessert Yan Hui ever ate: hidden from his parents, sitting on a guest room footstool, eating until his hands were covered in melted ice cream.