“An ice cream shop?” Yu Xiang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at Yang Kexin.
“Yes, it is a handmade ice cream shop. It is quite famous, with branches in Pengcheng and Yunjing. It opened in Jindou this summer,” Yang Kexin said, flipping through her phone to report the investigation results.
“There is also a local dessert shop called Suxiang Pavilion that specializes in Chinese-style sweets like mung bean cakes and walnut cookies. These dessert shops all have a good reputation. I have compiled the specific addresses and the information for the Siamese restaurant and sent them to you.”
“Good, thank you.” Yu Xiang held his phone as if it were a multi-billion dollar contract, his expression hesitant. “Is it considered appropriate to treat someone to ice cream in this weather? Will I be rejected?”
Yang Kexin paused for a moment. “If it is a girl, perhaps, but for a boy, it really depends on their personal preferences.”
Yu Xiang nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Did you buy the down jackets?”
“I did. One long-style and one short-style, purchased in the brands and sizes you like, and they are hanging in the wardrobe. Additionally, I picked out two cashmere sweaters and casual trousers for you, which pair well with the down jackets.”
Remembering that his suitcase was filled with nothing but suits and coats, Yu Xiang thanked her sincerely. “Thank you. You can arrange your time freely for the next few days. I will contact you by phone if something comes up.”
“Understood, Mr. Yu. I will not disturb you further.”
After Yang Kexin left, Yu Xiang opened WeChat and looked at the freshly pinned avatar at the top of his chat list, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
It was a silhouette of a man squatting on a beach against the backdrop of a sunset-filled sky.
Because of the backlight, Yu Xiang could not see the man’s face clearly, but based on the build alone, he could tell this person was not Yan Hui.
Yet, Yan Hui used this person’s photo as his avatar.
Perhaps, in Yan Hui’s WeChat, there was also such a pinned chat, with a profile picture of Yan Hui’s silhouette.
The two avatars corresponded, just like the couple avatars that appeared in everyone’s friend circles.
Yu Xiang thought about this in an almost masochistic way as he tapped into the pinned chat box.
Xiang Ye: Forgot to ask for your current phone number. Mine is still the old one; it hasn’t changed.
When the WeChat message arrived, Yan Hui was helping Yan Sheng review his schoolwork.
Yan Sheng’s grades were decent, especially in subjects like math and science that required logical thinking and were taught in an engaging way. He almost always scored full marks.
However, in contrast, his English and Chinese were poor.
It was ironic that Yan Hui was a somewhat well-known author; having his own son fail Chinese was, to him, a great shame.
“Say that again?” Yan Hui narrowed his eyes, his expression terrifyingly serious.
Yan Sheng shrank his neck, yet he still argued persuasively, “But I really can’t hear it! The Red Head was already swallowed into the cow’s stomach!”
“Is that the point?” Yan Hui tapped on the desk. “This is a fairy tale! Fairy tales are not reality!”
“But I still can’t hear it.” Yan Sheng muttered stubbornly.
Yan Hui rubbed his temples, suppressing the urge to beat the child, and after a moment of thought, asked Yan Sheng, “Doesn’t your stomach growl when you are hungry?”
“It does, but that is not a stomach growl; it is borborygmus,” Yan Sheng explained to Yan Hui with a straight face. “Dad, borborygmus cannot be used to explain how the cricket is talking through the stomach. If the Red Head reached the cow’s intestines, it would be dead and couldn’t come out.”
“I should not have bought you that set of Ten Thousand Whys.” Yan Hui glanced at his phone, stood up, and said, “I will give you ten minutes. If you do not write down all the reasons why the Green Head and the Red Head are good friends, you are dead.”
After speaking, he walked out of the second bedroom, closed the door, took a deep breath, and opened WeChat.
Seeing the message from Yu Xiang, the resentment Yan Hui felt instantly vanished, and he even revealed a faint smile.
He leaned against the door, crossed his legs comfortably, typed his phone number into the box, and hit send.
Within two seconds, Yu Xiang called him.
Yan Hui raised an eyebrow slightly and answered the phone. “Calling so quickly? Are you afraid I would give you a fake number?”
The slightly rising inflection and the familiar teasing tone brought Yu Xiang back to ten years ago in an instant.
Back then, Yan Hui was just like this, fond of joking with an ambiguous tone, which led to rumors about them spreading throughout the Yunjing business circle.
Everyone said the young master of the Yan family was crazy about the second young master of the Yu family, but only Yu Xiang knew that Yan Hui had never said the word like.
After a brief silence, Yu Xiang said softly, “No, I just wanted to ask if you have time this weekend. This morning was too rushed, and we did not get to talk properly.”
“Ah, oh, I see,” Yan Hui stood up awkwardly and switched the phone to his other hand. “This weekend might not work, but weekdays are fine.”
A single dad had no weekends; he only had time to breathe once his child went to school.
“Oh,” Yu Xiang stared at his own reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, saying the scripted lines without a hint of emotion, “Will that interfere with your work?”
Yan Hui looked at the decorative painting on the wall, distracted. “No, I am a freelancer; I am free at any time.”
A freelancer, yet busy on the weekends.
Yu Xiang lowered his eyelids, trying his best to make his voice sound cheerful. “Then is tomorrow okay? I will treat you to lunch tomorrow. There is a very delicious Siamese restaurant that I think you would like.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Hui’s heart stirred. His lips moved, but in the end, he only responded lightly, “Okay.”
After agreeing on the time and place, Yan Hui hung up the phone and stayed in a daze for a while before turning to enter the room.
Hearing the movement, Yan Sheng looked over timidly. Yan Hui ignored him, walked straight to the desk, and scanned the homework book.
“You only wrote two points?”
Just as Yan Sheng was about to quibble, he heard his usually stern father say, “Fine, let us analyze the text.”
Huh?
Huh, huh, huh?
Yan Sheng widened his eyes, looking at his stern father who had sat down in confusion. “Dad, are you not angry?”
“What is there to be angry about? It is not like your Chinese has only been bad since today.” Yan Hui looked down at the illustrations in the textbook, his brow slightly furrowed. “Alright, focus your attention. Look at the book, not at me.”
Yan Sheng: “Oh.”
Soon, the sound of analyzing the text word by word filled the room.
At first, the voice was calm, but it soon collapsed and erupted amidst Yan Sheng’s stubborn arguments.
Yan Hui’s angry roar pierced through the window and echoed in the neighborhood. The elderly man passing by downstairs shook his head helplessly.
“What a tragedy.”
The next morning, Yan Hui slept until 10:00 AM as usual. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to check his phone for the photos sent by the delivery person.
Only after confirming that Yan Sheng had entered the school gate on time did he wash up and go to the kitchen to prepare the groceries that were delivered when the delivery person picked up the child.
After the vegetables were picked and washed, and the meat was sliced and marinated, he would be able to start cooking as soon as he got home from picking up the child later, saving time and effort.
By the time he finished, it was almost 11:00 AM. Yan Hui took off his apron and walked into the bathroom to wash his hands.
While washing, he subconsciously looked up into the mirror. As he looked, his brow furrowed. He dried his hands, took out a hairdryer and a comb, and began to blow-dry his hair.
But after drying for only a moment, he stopped, shoved the items into the mirror cabinet, turned, and left.
It is just a reunion, do not think too much.
Admonishing himself inwardly, Yan Hui went downstairs and hailed a taxi.
The Siamese restaurant Yu Xiang reserved was located on a commercial street where parking was extremely troublesome and traffic congestion was common. Even though Yan Hui was farsighted enough to take a taxi, he was still stuck in traffic for over ten minutes.
By the time he arrived at the restaurant, it was past 12:00 PM. Yu Xiang had long since arrived and was sitting in a four-person booth by the window.
This time, he was not wearing his flashy suit; he had changed into a black turtleneck sweater and matching casual trousers. This did not diminish the serious, professional aura he carried but instead made him appear even more composed.
He was a completely different person from the youth he once was.
Yan Hui stood where he was, watching him for a long time, before pushing the door to enter under the curious gaze of the waiter.
“Sorry, have you waited long?” Yan Hui walked to the seat opposite Yu Xiang and sat down, unzipping his down jacket.
“No, I just arrived as well.” Yu Xiang watched Yan Hui with an almost greedy intensity. Only when the other party took off his coat and looked over did he shift his gaze and hand over the menu.
“I ordered the seafood pot, pineapple fried rice, and grilled pork neck that you like. See if you want to order anything else.”
Yan Hui looked at him and smiled as he took the menu. “I am impressed you still remember. But this is enough; we can order a dessert at most. This place serves large portions; if we order too much, the two of us won’t be able to finish it.”
Yu Xiang picked up the teapot and poured tea for Yan Hui. “Have you eaten here before?”
“Yes. You know I love Siamese food. I came here when this place first opened. For two people, four dishes plus dessert, we ended up packing three take-out boxes in the end.” Yan Hui took the cup. “Thank you.”
“Oh,” Yu Xiang lowered his eyes and picked up his own cup. “Had I known you had already eaten here, I should have chosen another place.”
“No need, this is quite good. I have not been here for a long time either.”
“That is good.”
After a brief silence, Yu Xiang took the initiative to start a conversation. “You said earlier that you are a freelancer. What exactly do you do?”
“Just some writing work.” Yan Hui sipped his tea with a guilty conscience.
“Self-media?” Yu Xiang asked again.
“Hmm.” Actually, it is boy-love novels. How could Yan Hui say that out loud? He quickly changed the subject. “What about you? I remember you always used to say you wanted to be a professional race car driver. How did you end up in your family’s company after all?”
Yu Xiang paused. “Fate, I suppose. Do you remember Chu Zizhen?”
Yan Hui nodded. “I remember. That youngest son of the Chu family who wanted to be a star.”
“He joined his family’s real estate company. He is on the construction site every day, tanned as dark as a lump of coal.”
“Are you serious? He treasured his face so much; he was actually willing to work on a construction site?”
“The man is already married and expecting his second child. You would never guess who his wife is.” Yu Xiang paused deliberately for a moment. “Lu Junyan.”
“That tomboy Lu Junyan?!” Yan Hui widened his eyes. “Wasn’t she and Chu Zizhen arch-rivals?”
“That is a long story.”
The two chatted while they ate, becoming more engaged as they talked.
Gossiping about mutual acquaintances not only eliminated the awkwardness of not seeing each other for ten years, but also allowed Yu Xiang to stop being so tense; he let his guard down completely.
Seeing the atmosphere was harmonious, Yu Xiang asked a question he had been harboring for a long time while the waiter cleared the plates and they waited for dessert:
“Have you been in Jindou all these years?”
Yan Hui nodded. “I stayed here after graduating from university.”
“Did you make any friends?”
“Mostly university classmates. Freelancing sounds nice, but it really just makes you a shut-in.”
Yu Xiang nodded, then changed the subject. “The person at the hospital that day, was he your classmate, too?”
Yan Hui made a sound, drank some tea as a tactical delay, and did not answer directly. “He is still in school.”
“A junior? Or a Ph.D. student?” Yu Xiang did not let this topic go and pressed further.
Yan Hui put down his teacup and asked with a smile, “Are you very curious about him?”
Yu Xiang looked away. “I just did not expect your boyfriend to be so short.”
Yan Hui frowned slightly. “How is he short? He is 1.7 meters tall.”
Yu Xiang sneered. “Eight centimeters shorter than you, isn’t that short?”
Hearing bad things about his “son,” Yan Hui instantly transformed into a protective hen.
“So, what if he is short? Did he eat your rice? Besides, our Sheng-sheng is still young; he will definitely grow taller than you in the future!”
What is with the baby talk? How childish!
A flash of malice flickered in Yu Xiang’s eyes, and he mocked, “Still young? He is at least twenty, right? That is as tall as he is going to get. Still thinking he will grow taller than me? Keep dreaming!”
“Twenty? What twenty? Sheng-sheng is only ten.” The rest of his words came to an abrupt halt. Yan Hui regained his senses, looking at Yu Xiang with a strange expression.
Yu Xiang did not notice it at all and continued to turn up the heat. “Ten? Maybe even eighteen, no matter how young he is? Or are you so unprincipled that you would even go for a minor?”
These words were very mean, but Yan Hui not only did not get angry, he began to laugh.
He leaned back in his chair, propping his chin with one hand, his phoenix eyes sweeping up toward Yu Xiang.
“Yu Xiang, whether my boyfriend is tall or short, fat or thin, an adult or a minor, what does that have to do with you?”