Time passed very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was November. Shen Leilei’s drama had long since finished, but she kept living in Hengdian; the connections she climbed were not few.
When Yan Yifan knew about this, it was Yike who said it. Yike seemed especially uncomfortable about him choosing Shen Leilei instead of her, always having something or nothing to mention Shen Leilei in front of him, either who she went out to play with today, or which director she went out to eat with tomorrow.
It is a pity that Yan Yifan listened and let it be, occasionally contacting Shen Leilei, and did not say anything more.
This day was Saturday, and tomorrow is a one-day holiday. When Bai Jiangnan came over, Yan Yifan was watching something, watching it with a giggle.
“What are you doing?” Bai Jiangnan patted Yan Yifan on the shoulder with one arm.
“Nothing!” Yan Yifan was startled and hurriedly put away his cell phone; he absolutely could not let Bai Jiangnan know that he was secretly writing domineering president-style romance novels on the internet.
Bai Jiangnan raised an eyebrow and said: “What are your plans for the weekend?”
Yan Yifan: “I have something to do and need to go home.”
Bai Jiangnan did not speak.
Yan Yifan explained: “It’s my little niece; her birthday is tomorrow.”
That evening, Yan Yifan went straight back.
When he arrived home, it was already 11:30, and his little niece, Yan Meng, was already asleep.
“Where is my brother?” Yan Yifan asked.
Aunt Li said: “Zihua hasn’t returned yet.”
Yan Yifan frowned: “Still haven’t returned this late?”
Aunt Li: “I heard the company has been very busy during this time; Zihua hasn’t returned on time for over ten days.”
Busy, busy, busy, which day is he not busy? Yan Yifan went upstairs to his little niece’s room. The room was pitch black. Yan Yifan quietly went in to take a look, then closed the door and stepped out.
The next day, Yan Yifan got up very early.
Yan Meng came down the stairs, sleepy-eyed, “Aunt Li, where is Dad?”
Aunt Li: “Dad went to work. Mengmeng, be good, come over and eat breakfast.”
Yan Meng was a bit unhappy; she walked over moodily, suddenly widened her eyes, and screamed: “Uncle!”
Yan Yifan walked over, picked her up, and spun her around, asking: “Happy birthday, Mengmeng!”
Yan Meng laughed, her small face blushing. She hugged Yan Yifan’s neck and said: “Thank you, Uncle.”
Yan Yifan carried her to the dining table. Yan Meng asked: “Uncle, are you and Bai Jiangnan together?”
Yan Yifan “ah-ed” and said: “We are in the same film crew, so we made friends. Hehe, are you very envious?”
Sure enough, Yan Meng’s eyes were shining bright, acting spoiled as she called: “Uncle!”
Yan Yifan listened to her call a few times, his eyes squinting with laughter, and said: “Sigh, knowing you like him, I specially begged for these for you.” He took out a few of Bai Jiangnan’s bookmarks from his bosom; they even had his signature on them.
This made Yan Meng extremely happy; she jumped and hopped as she put them away, and even kissed him on the side of his cheek, “Thank you, Uncle!”
That day, Yan Yifan took Yan Meng out to play for the whole day, and until returning in the evening, he even helped host her birthday party.
However, until Yan Meng had to sleep, Yan Zihua still had not returned—he was still working overtime at the company.
Yan Meng: “Uncle, does Dad not like me?”
Yan Meng’s voice was soft and wilted, with grievances, dejection, and sadness inside, immediately making Yan Yifan’s smile soften. He held Yan Meng: “How could that be? How could Dad not like Mengmeng? Mengmeng is the family’s little princess; who wouldn’t like her? Dad is just too busy. He has many, many things to do every day. Didn’t he just say on the phone a moment ago that he would be back in a while?”
Yan Meng slightly curled her eyes, lying in Yan Yifan’s arms, and said: “Uncle, Mengmeng also likes you. And also likes Dad.”
Yan Yifan held her: “Mengmeng is the most well-behaved and the cutest.”
Unfortunately, after a while, Yan Meng became sleepy. Yan Yifan watched her sweet sleeping face and gently placed her on the bed. When Yan Meng was tired and fell asleep, her mouth still carried a smile.
Yan Yifan walked out of Yan Meng’s room and checked the time; it was already ten o’clock. His brother still hadn’t returned, and Yan Yifan couldn’t help but call him again. The ringtone rang for three seconds, and Yan Zihua answered: “Already left, will arrive in half an hour.”
Yan Yifan hung up the phone and sat on the sofa with nothing to do, so he started playing a game absentmindedly.
His parents died early, and his older brother is ten years older than him, basically being both brother and father. Since he was small, Yan Yifan only listened to his brother and only feared him, but ever since his brother married and finally became a single parent raising a child, Yan Yifan felt his brother’s temper had become much more irritable. Yan Zihua dealt with all the big and small affairs of the company alone, and insisted on grabbing everything, often too busy to finish and having to work overtime; Yan Yifan would help look after Yan Meng.
Yan Meng is now ten years old, yet Yan Zihua seems to have not walked out of that marriage. Thinking of this, the heart of Yan Yifan, who only cared about playing and having fun, also surged with a bit of melancholy.
Playing with the game for a while, Yan Yifan didn’t pay attention to what he was playing, and was just about to close it. The door clicked, and Yan Zihua walked in.
Yan Yifan called out, “Brother!”
Yan Zihua wore a conservative and dull black suit, his usually sharp eyes carrying a few streaks of bloodshot red. He looked at Yan Yifan, his brow furrowed, “Why are you playing games again?”
Yan Yifan’s good mood upon seeing his brother paused. Yan Yifan casually closed the game and said: “Just playing casually.”
Little did he know, Yan Zihua disliked his “just playing casually” mentality the most, saying: “Playing casually, in the prime of your youth, not going to work hard and build a career, all day just playing casually, chasing girlfriends, playing games, holding parties—what are you thinking about in your brain all day?”
Yan Yifan was not too happy and said: “Brother, it’s not easy for me to come back once, why are you still criticizing me?”
Yan Zihua: “I don’t want to criticize you either, but you should also be enterprising!” He walked over and put his things away. Aunt Li came over and asked if he was hungry, serving a bowl of chicken porridge from the kitchen.
Yan Yifan stood up wanting to go up, but Yan Zihua rolled up his sleeves, “Stop, come over and sit for a while.”
Yan Yifan walked over, sitting on the sofa with an unhappy and slouchy look.
Yan Zihua: “How is that girlfriend of yours doing?”
Yan Yifan: “Pretty good?”
Yan Zihua: “Not broken up?”
Yan Yifan: “Break up over what? We are getting along very well, why break up?”
Yan Zihua looked down on Shen Leilei, believing that all the girlfriends Yan Yifan called were not decent, so he said: “Wang Ruihai’s youngest daughter, Wang Liu, just returned from abroad. She has high credentials and is smart, beautiful, and has a good figure. You go and meet her.”
Yan Yifan looked at him: “Why should I meet her?”
Yan Zihua: “You and her interact and see; if you think it’s okay, get engaged first.”
Yan Yifan was a bit dumbfounded: “Brother, are you crazy?!”
Yan Zihua frowned at him: “How are you talking!”
Yan Yifan closed his mouth, but was still a bit uncomfortable, saying: “I have a girlfriend!”
“What kind of girlfriends are those of yours?” Yan Zihua said angrily: “All day long outside climbing connections with others, fishing for exposure on the internet, a whole line of pointed-chins! Not one good thing!”
Yan Yifan: “Brother, that’s enough! How did they provoke you? What’s wrong with a pointed chin? Fan Bingbing has a pointed chin, isn’t she successful in her career?”
Yan Zihua: “Anyway, not one good thing!”
Yan Yifan looked unhappy: “I’m not going!”
Yan Zihua: “You’ll be twenty-five after the New Year, can’t you be a bit respectable? If you like girls, find a proper girlfriend. If you like writing things, just steadily follow Old An and work hard. After a few years, for the entertainment company acquired under the group, you go and be the general manager and supervise the company’s projects.”
Yan Yifan did not expect his brother to have thought so much for him and was a bit moved, but this kind of life was not what he wanted. Yan Yifan kept his head down and didn’t speak.
Yan Zihua: “Then you prepare, go over tomorrow.”
Yan Yifan: “Brother, I don’t want to go.”
Yan Zihua raised his eyebrows: “It’s not up to you!”
Yan Yifan: “Can you stop being so domineering! I’m not a robot! I have my own thoughts!”
Yan Zihua: “What thoughts do you have? What kind of thoughts are those? Gluttonous and lazy, wanting to fool through your whole life and be done with it?!”
Yan Yifan: “I just want to live comfortably for a lifetime, is that not okay? Brother, you earn so much money, are you happy? Aren’t you still frowning all day? Even Mengmeng’s birthday, you didn’t have time to attend! Brother, you don’t understand what I’m thinking, and I really don’t understand what you are thinking all day long?!”
Yan Zihua was so angry that his chest was gasping, “Don’t have the appearance of a man! You’re gluttonous and lazy and you’re still justified!”
Yan Yifan: “I’m not justified! Brother, you are always justified!”
The two were arguing endlessly. Aunt Li came over to mediate, “Aiyaya, you are brothers, how can you argue like this? Yifan, quickly apologize to your brother. Say sorry, how can brothers have hatred that lasts overnight?”
Yan Yifan covered his head and said in a deep voice: “Brother, you always don’t understand my meaning. I’m not saying I don’t want to work; I just want to enjoy life properly. Ever since Sister-in-law left, I watch the wrinkles on your forehead get deeper every day, you getting more serious every day. Brother, when I was little, you often took me out to play. Back then, although there were few people in the house, it was always full of laughter. But what about now? Mengmeng doesn’t see her mother every day, doesn’t see her father; how sad is she? Today is her birthday, you didn’t appear. Mengmeng asked me if you don’t like her. Just now, when she was sleeping, she was calling for you. And you, brother, this appearance of yours now, do you think you are happy? Are you blissful? You are wholeheartedly devoted to your career; are you actually realizing your own ambition, or are you avoiding the departure of Sister-in-law?! Do you know? Every time I see you like this, I get scared, scared that one day you will become a robot, not knowing how to stop, not knowing how to relax, not knowing how to rest.”
“Shut up!” Yan Zihua’s eyes shot out anger.
Yan Yifan: “Brother, wake up. Sister-in-law cannot come back—”
With a crisp sound of pa, all three were stunned. The room went quiet. Yan Yifan covered his face and looked at his brother with disbelief.
Yan Zihua still maintained the posture of reaching out. His brows were furrowed tightly, he moved his lips a few times, and voiced with a dry throat: “Yifan, listen to your brother; your brother won’t harm you.”
Yan Yifan did not expect that he was still thinking about this right now; he still was unwilling to face that matter. Yan Yifan’s heart surged with waves of powerlessness and grievance. He nodded: “Fine, fine, fine! It’s my problem; it’s all my fault.”
Yan Zihua did not speak.
Yan Yifan turned around abruptly and walked outward. The door closed with a “bang.”
Aunt Li sighed: “Sir, why must you do this? Yifan is also concerned about you.”
For a long time, Yan Zihua sighed.