Chapter 26

Although they lived in Satellite City, the large population meant that the nearby shopping venues were quite complete. There was a cinema on the top floor of a mall that Ye Ji’an and Liang Xiao had visited a few times on weekends. Ye Ji’an vaguely remembered that if they took the escalator down and turned a corner, next to an arcade, there was a small shop that specialized in selling puzzles.

He was indeed not mistaken. Before lunch, he went to browse the shop and found that, although small, it was well-stocked with both flat and 3D puzzles, featuring designs like the Eiffel Tower and the Eurasian continent. Finished products were displayed in glass cabinets, while a large number of unopened sets were piled high. The sales assistant was huddled at the checkout counter, engrossed in stock trading and hardly paying attention to customers. Ye Ji’an carefully observed the intricate little items. Unlike the rough and clumsy children’s toys he remembered, these professional puzzles were mostly the size of a thumbprint, with even smaller pieces that looked thin and fragile; if held too long, they might even start to curl at the edges.

Ye Ji’an thought to himself, no wonder his father-in-law was a man who could make a lot of money; he had the patience to deal with such things and even treated it as a hobby. If it were him, he might have wanted to give up halfway through—putting it more delicately, he would feel utterly miserable. However, since he was going to accompany his father-in-law in piecing together a puzzle, the more complex, the better. Ye Ji’an was prepared to be patient, envisioning a puzzle that had a large picture, beautiful colors, and ideally, some deeper meaning.

“Your dad must have done puzzles like Napoleon or Picasso’s Starry Night, right?” he asked Liang Xiao, “those kinds of enthusiasts.”

“Yeah,” Liang Xiao replied, hands in his pockets, tilting his face as he browsed the boxes, squinting, “actually, he’s done most of these, especially the famous foreign paintings. I’ve done quite a few with him when I was a kid.”

Ye Ji’an frowned, “What about Chinese ones? Along the River During the Qingming Festival?” He was staring at the largest box.

“That one’s too big; we wouldn’t have space to hang it at home,” Liang Xiao laughed, suddenly stretching out his arm to pull down a small white box from the top shelf and showed it to him, “let’s do this one.”

The box was covered in Japanese, but Ye Ji’an could understand some of it, including the title, “Pure White Hell.”

“It only has 1000 pieces, and it’s quite small when completed,” Liang Xiao said, looking at the cover.

Ye Ji’an swallowed hard, “…Are you sure? It’s all white; I might go cross-eyed.”

“My dad has always said he wanted to do this one, but he only talks about it and never takes action, even though it’s available online,” Liang Xiao pinched the flat little box between his fingers and turned it lightly, “this time he can’t escape!”

Ye Ji’an felt that the person in front of him was a bit gleeful about this.

But his smile was so innocent.

So was it that both angel and devil existed simultaneously, switching at will?

Suddenly, Ye Ji’an was taken aback by his own description. He chased after Liang Xiao to the checkout counter. Although it wasn’t an expensive item, he was visiting his father-in-law, so he couldn’t let Liang Xiao pay.

Aside from the devilish puzzle, Liang Xiao also picked a picture frame that was just the right size, saying it could help with assembly. After that, he held the gift for his father tightly in one hand and took Ye Ji’an’s hand with the other, feeling quite satisfied as they headed downstairs for seafood hot pot.

That afternoon, the team-building event began as scheduled, and its level of absurdity truly lived up to expectations. Starting at one-thirty, over a hundred employees trudged through the cold wind, and it wasn’t until just past six that they successfully completed a lap around the Olympic Sports Park. Ye Ji’an first stayed among the ministers and supervisors surrounding the General Manager, but after walking a short distance, he quietly returned to his own department. A few young colleagues immediately surrounded him, complaining as if they had been working overtime for half a month, and Ye Ji’an comforted them with heartfelt sympathy, distributing chocolates and hand warmers, while his eyes wandered elsewhere.

He spotted Liang Xiao about ten steps away, still dressed in the same outfit as when they set out, his Canada Goose down jacket reaching his calves, his face buried in a scarf below his eyes, and a deep red knit hat on his head. Perhaps due to his long legs, he walked leisurely, comfortably maintaining his position in the middle of the department’s group, not chatting with anyone, his gaze distant.

Ye Ji’an knew he had entered a state of emptiness, which he occasionally needed; he didn’t know what kind of thoughts were bouncing around in his head, perhaps a shared hobby among intelligent people. After observing him for a while, he noticed that Liang Xiao was also wearing a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Ye Ji’an had experienced the noise-canceling effect of those headphones; he could shout here, and Liang Xiao wouldn’t hear him. So, he handed the task of distributing supplies to Xiao Li from the General Affairs Department, squatted down to pretend to tie his shoelaces, and waited for Liang Xiao to walk by.

Liang Xiao noticed him, paused, and pulled down his headphones, “Senior.”

Ye Ji’an took the opportunity to walk alongside him, “Are you tired?”

“Nope, just the headphones are running low on battery,” Liang Xiao exhaled a puff of white air, “so boring!”

“Put your hands out.” Ye Ji’an nudged him with his elbow.

Liang Xiao obediently complied, and as he opened his palm, two chocolates fell into his hand, the metallic wrappers shining in the sunlight.

“Your favorite blueberry nut,” Ye Ji’an said softly, “there’s more after you finish these.”

The candies still held warmth from his hand. Liang Xiao unwrapped one; the chocolate bar retained its shape but had already softened, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m afraid of gaining weight! I just had hot pot for lunch,” Ye Ji’an said gloomily, “I always gain weight in winter; if I don’t control it, I’ll end up with a barrel waist, and that would look terrible in a shirt.”

As a lucky young man with a fast metabolism who never gained weight no matter how much he ate, Liang Xiao didn’t want to provoke envy. He nodded and silently ate the two heart-shaped candies, licking a bit of melted chocolate off the wrapper. After finding a trash can to dispose of the waste, he ran back to Ye Ji’an’s side, “Spring is coming, and besides, Senior, you haven’t gained weight; your waist is still slim.”

Ye Ji’an, mindful of the colleagues around them, whispered, “You’re just flattering me.”

Liang Xiao lowered his voice as well, but that didn’t stop him from being serious, “I can tell.”

Ye Ji’an shot him a gentle glare, but it seemed he was a bit happy.

Liang Xiao laughed, “It seems like you’ve gained a little on your backside.”

Ye Ji’an tucked his chin in, hiding his face in the high collar of his sweater, muttering, “Oh, thanks for the compliment!”

Saying such things in front of colleagues inevitably resulted in a flushed face that could only be hidden by the collar, but Ye Ji’an had to admit he felt a bit excited, wishing he could find a public restroom along the way and drag the culprit inside, at least to steal a couple of kisses.

At the same time, the tension that had been pressing down in his heart and floating around his forehead dissipated considerably.

This sense of relaxation continued until he actually arrived at the banquet location. In a small alley near Chang’an Street, there was a three-story building with a private courtyard, surrounded by large locust trees, next to a middle school, not far from their company. Even more astonishing, it was just a few steps away from the National Grand Theatre. The address itself was impressive; it could only be said that money could make the impossible happen, and they were neighbors with Zhongnanhai.

Liang Xiao, however, seemed unfazed, casually stopping the small cloth by a tree and turning off the music from the Oasis band. Butler Feng was waiting at the gate, pushing open the red door with nails, and Liang Xiao took Ye Ji’an’s hand, stepping over the threshold into the courtyard.

Several flowering trees were already adorned with numerous buds, resembling the yew leaf plums from the Summer Palace. Walking along the path, they passed a pond that hadn’t completely thawed, and Ye Ji’an arrived in front of the house. The building seemed unremarkable, but it had a hint of Republican style, perhaps an old structure that had been preserved. The surroundings were dark, making it hard to see clearly.

Butler Feng welcomed them and pushed open the door. Liang Xiao hurried inside, glancing around the living room but not seeing anyone. He shouted, “Dad! We’re back!”

No one responded, so Liang Xiao called out again, “Where are you?”

This time, footsteps immediately came from the stairs, sounding quite light. A little girl, about seven or eight years old, bounced down the stairs, “Xiao Xiao Ge!” She ran up and threw herself at Liang Xiao, but the down jacket was too thick for her to hug him easily.

“Xiao Guo!” Butler Feng scolded.

Liang Xiao smiled and playfully tugged at her little horned braids, “You’ve grown taller again.”

“Really?” The little girl tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Really! At least three centimeters.” Liang Xiao raised a hand to swear, then gently pried her short arms off him and took Ye Ji’an’s wrist to introduce him, “This is Xiao Guo, Uncle Feng’s daughter.”

Ye Ji’an had just been surveying the room’s decor, which was not as luxurious and extravagant as he had imagined, but rather a practical and comfortable minimalist style. The hollowed-out decorative cabinets on the walls were filled with books. Now that he was introduced to the little girl, he squatted down, seriously shaking her hand, “Hello, Xiao Guo, how old are you this year?”

“Seven!” Xiao Guo grinned at him, showing her gap-toothed smile, “Are you Xiao Xiao Ge’s boyfriend?”

Ye Ji’an was a bit surprised and nodded, “He’s mentioned me to you, huh?”

“He talks about you every time he comes home!” Xiao Guo held up her fingers and continued, “Hu-ma also said, my dad said, Uncle Chu also mentioned it, but Xiao Xiao Ge talks about you the most, and he said you are his dream lover!”

Liang Xiao corrected her, “It’s not that exaggerated.”

Ye Ji’an could hardly contain his laughter. Am I already a celebrity before even meeting her? he thought, ruffling the little girl’s messy hair, “It’s our first meeting, and I didn’t prepare anything. Next time, I’ll bring you something delicious.”

Xiao Guo nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling, seemingly already looking forward to the next gift, but Liang Xiao lost patience after chatting with Butler Feng for a moment, “Still outside?”

“Yeah, he went to 301 Hospital. An old friend is critically ill and might not make it through the night. Your dad needs to go see him,” Butler Feng neatly hung up their coats. Hu-ma also arrived, setting several plates of freshly cut fruit on the coffee table, warmly greeting Ye Ji’an, and then took Xiao Guo away with a beaming expression.

Liang Xiao didn’t seem very happy, “He should have told us in advance; we came all this way.”

“Well, he just left, and it’s unfortunate. He suddenly got a call saying his old friend is on the verge of death. He might not have had time to text you,” Butler Feng sighed, “I don’t know if he’ll be back tonight. Director Ye, you don’t have anything urgent, do you?”

Ye Ji’an quickly replied, “No, it’s fine. Tomorrow is the weekend, after all.”

Butler Feng politely suggested, “Then why not just stay the night? We can have a good gathering tomorrow. By the time the Old Master returns, he’ll surely be quite tired, and it’s getting late.”

Ye Ji’an had been waiting for him to say that. He thought it would be beneficial to adapt to the environment for his own performance. Having spent a night in this house, dining with his father-in-law at the same table wouldn’t be so awkward that he wouldn’t even have the heart to pick up his chopsticks. If he were asked anything, he should be able to answer well.

“That’s fine; I’m just adding to your trouble,” he said.

Butler Feng smiled, “Not at all; it’s our arrangement that wasn’t thorough enough—”

Liang Xiao interrupted this exchange of polite formalities, “We were planning to stay the night anyway; we weren’t prepared to rush back to the Fifth Ring at midnight,” he frowned, still looking unhappy, “Is dinner ready? We won’t wait for him.”

Butler Feng smiled wryly and led the two through a corridor to the dining room, where a table full of delicacies was already set. Liang Xiao didn’t hold back, sitting down on the sofa and patting the empty seat beside him, prompting Ye Ji’an to obediently sit next to him. Three bowls of soup were placed on the table, and there were three sets of utensils, with a total of over ten dishes. The mixed aromas were truly appetizing.

However, Ye Ji’an didn’t rush to pick up his chopsticks, “How about we take a little from each dish instead of diving in directly?”

Liang Xiao looked puzzled as he set down his soup spoon, “Why?”

Ye Ji’an thought for a moment, “I just… feel like I’m being a bit too much at home, isn’t that impolite?”

“You’re not an outsider,” Liang Xiao rubbed his shoulder, “and besides, if we don’t eat today, we’ll make new dishes tomorrow. All this will be taken to the yard to feed stray cats and dogs.”

Though this sounded like a waste, it couldn’t be denied that it was the truth. Ye Ji’an abandoned his pointless struggle, wiped his hands with a wet towel, and started peeling shrimp, “Do you want to dip it in vinegar or soy sauce?”

“Neither.” Liang Xiao leaned closer to Ye Ji’an’s hand, taking the piece of tender shrimp meat.

After dinner, Ye Ji’an asked Hu-ma for a few recipes for lamb dishes because he found his own too gamey and didn’t like eating it. Liang Xiao always graciously supported him, which was quite a task. Coming out of the kitchen, as soon as he entered the living room, he saw Liang Xiao sitting on the carpet, playing with a teacup, while Xiao Guo cheered him on.

Ye Ji’an rolled up his sleeves and sat cross-legged beside him. They played a few rounds, but got stuck on a level they couldn’t pass. Xiao Guo then piped up, “I want to play Ludo!”

Liang Xiao, still engrossed in the game, replied coldly, “I don’t want to play.”

Ye Ji’an, still in high spirits, softened his voice, “Xiao Guo, can you wait a bit, okay?”

Xiao Guo jumped down from the back of the sofa, angrily looking for Hu-ma.

Ye Ji’an leaned against Liang Xiao’s shoulder, “Oh no, we’ve scared her away.”

Liang Xiao stared intently, “I have to defeat this Medusa. I’ll play with her tomorrow.”

The intense battle continued until just past ten, but the Old Master still hadn’t returned. Liang Xiao, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself. He dropped the game controller and took Ye Ji’an upstairs, showing no intention of waiting any longer. The bedroom had an independent bathroom, but without a suite or oil, it wasn’t suitable for anything else. Ye Ji’an focused on taking a shower, changing into the clothes Liang Xiao had brought him. The surround sound system was still playing Oasis songs, and Liang Xiao was swaying on the hammock. When he turned to look at Ye Ji’an, his eyes lit up.

“Senior, red really suits you.”

Ye Ji’an tugged at the hem of the shirt, which was a bit too long, and smiled, “Isn’t it better without pants? You have a similar one at home; I wanted to wear it to show you last time.”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Liang Xiao seemed a bit shy and quickly locked himself in the bathroom.

Ye Ji’an continued to chuckle secretly, placing his hands on his hips and wandering around the room. He hadn’t had time to look closely before; this room was even larger than his own living room, yet it didn’t feel empty. Several shelves that had likely been used for gecko enclosures were now filled with well-cared-for plants. The walls were plastered with various posters, mostly of rock bands, interspersed with some Avengers members. There were also several tables piled with professional literature, detective novels, calculation papers, and comic books, with a few picture frames on the desk against the wall.

Ye Ji’an looked through them one by one, seeing Liang Xiao as a kindergarten kid with a silly smile, as a teenager with a rebellious look, as a newly arrived student standing at the entrance of an American high school with a disinterested peace sign, and as a graduate in a cap and gown holding his diploma, all of them forming concrete images in his mind.

His looks had always been stable; he was indeed the type who could model for advertisements since childhood.

He also saw the brother described in the photos, the one from high school, dressed in a suit with a name tag, standing at the school gate with Liang Xiao. Their facial features and eyebrows were eight parts similar, but Liang Xiao appeared indifferent, while he looked serious and impatient.

Next to them was their mother.

Ye Ji’an stared at the delicate, thin woman, observing her weightless smile for a while before sitting back down on the bed. He felt a bit uncomfortable, not out of mourning for a stranger, since they had never met or exchanged a word. He just felt that from this photo, from these three people, he could see Liang Xiao’s unhappiness.

Did he really feel happy in the later graduation photos?

Perhaps throughout his growth, Liang Xiao had experienced many happy moments, but the milestones he captured and displayed seemed to exclude them. Ye Ji’an wished he could see more of the others, but he knew he couldn’t. He stood up and paced around the room, constantly pondering how many events had occurred in this house that he couldn’t see, including half a year ago when Liang Xiao had just returned to the country; he must have lived here too, and it wasn’t something he possessed.

If Liang Xiao hadn’t taken the initiative to talk to him in the beginning, then none of this would exist now. Ye Ji’an suddenly felt guilty for his passivity. He thought, if only he had been more proactive, even just a few years earlier, or if he hadn’t been so greedy, even if it was just a few months or days earlier?

As he aimlessly looked around, Ye Ji’an’s keen eyes caught something. From the wear and tear, he noticed that the hammock was clearly used more often than the proper bed. So, he climbed up and swayed for a while. The sound system was playing “Wonderwall,” and after several songs had changed and his hair was almost dry, he jumped down from the hammock.

Standing on the carpet, he took off his sweatpants, and the red shirt still covered his backside.

When Liang Xiao emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, he caught sight of him and his gaze sharpened once again.

“You used to sit here reading and writing before moving in with me,” Ye Ji’an pointed to the writing desk by the door, “now sit down.”

Liang Xiao’s gaze remained fixed on him, looking somewhat entranced, his expression a bit unclear, but he obediently took a seat.

Ye Ji’an smiled and walked over, placing his hands on Liang Xiao’s shoulders, “It’s not even eleven yet.”

Liang Xiao nodded, “If Senior isn’t tired, we can watch a movie.”

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

“I’m fine with anything.”

“…Hey, you,” Ye Ji’an grew anxious, directly sitting on his lap, bending his knees with his feet dangling, and wrapping his arms around his neck, “If it’s because you didn’t prepare anything, I can blow you, right…?” He leaned close to Liang Xiao’s ear, “Oral doesn’t need oil or a condom.”