Chapter 30

The list for the spring recruitment group was quickly announced and sent to the inboxes of department heads. By then, Ye Ji’an had already recovered and was sharp-eyed and clear-headed. He spotted his name at a glance, along with the two characters next to it: Liang Xiao.

He was not surprised. When Liang Xiao had spoken about this matter with eager anticipation, he had already guessed the outcome. Looking at it from another angle, Liang Xiao was young, had study abroad experience, and possessed excellent language skills, making him indeed suitable for the job. As a supervisor, it was reasonable for him to have Liang Xiao in his department, especially since there were many vacancies this year.

The route would start in Massachusetts, heading south through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, making a loop before going north, with the final stop being New York. The journey was set to begin in early April and was planned to last three weeks.

For someone like him, who had business trips at least three months a year, spending more than ten days away was nothing. The troublesome part was the preparation work. Although the company handled the visa applications and the General Affairs Department covered the flights and hotels, he still needed to clearly explain the ongoing work in his department to avoid any confusion while he was away, ensuring that his deputy wouldn’t be left in a muddle.

Packing was not easy either. Ye Ji’an set aside three nights to do this. Liang Xiao, on the other hand, took it easy, planning to buy anything he lacked once they arrived, appearing carefree as if he could just throw on a backpack and set off. But Ye Ji’an disagreed. He took a standing iron and ironed over twenty shirts, seven or eight suits, and about ten ties—half for himself and half for Liang Xiao—then neatly folded them and placed them in the suitcase.

“I might have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder,” he said, pinching the oversized waist of his pajamas, showing Liang Xiao, who had just finished showering, his results. “Otherwise, I can’t sleep.”

“Then I’ll go polish my shoes,” Liang Xiao volunteered.

“Why don’t you just get some sleep?” Ye Ji’an pulled him down onto the bed, facing each other, and they both bounced a little. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

The day before departure, Ye Ji’an held a brief meeting at five o’clock as usual, without scheduling any overtime. Everyone happily packed their things and went home for the Qingming holiday. The General Manager had recently been chatting with new hires, and it was Liang Xiao’s turn this time. Since he hadn’t returned yet, Ye Ji’an waited for him in the office.

At around five forty, he received a text message: “I’m in Beijing for a couple of days, staying at the Hong Kong Macau Center, diagonally across from your company. Can we meet?”

Sender: Ye Zhihong.

Ye Ji’an looked at his brother’s name, somewhat surprised. After thinking for a moment, he replied: “I’m going on a business trip tomorrow, only free tonight. How about six o’clock at the café downstairs?”

Ye Zhihong: OK.

Ye Ji’an exited the chat and sent Liang Xiao another message: “My brother is in town for work and might want to chat with me. If you don’t see me when you get back, I’ll be at the café downstairs.”

Liang Xiao did not reply, probably still being forced to have a long talk with the chatty General Manager. Ye Ji’an tidied his hair and collar in front of the glass wall, grabbed his bag, and headed downstairs.

He didn’t tell Liang Xiao, “Come find me later,” but he also didn’t say he couldn’t come, as he felt it should be Liang Xiao’s choice whether to meet his brother. Ye Ji’an didn’t know Liang Xiao’s thoughts on the matter, so he didn’t want to put him in a passive position.

In fact, Ye Ji’an planned to be quick about it. He didn’t have much to say to Ye Zhihong, and there was no need to have a meal together. He wanted to try the new Cantonese restaurant with Liang Xiao.

When he swiped his card at the turnstile and crossed the hall, he saw Ye Zhihong had already arrived, choosing a booth by the window and waiting for him.

After not seeing each other for over a decade, they could only gauge each other’s changes from photos. After greeting each other, they fell silent, spending at least several seconds observing one another.

“Still as busy as ever?” Ye Zhihong broke the silence, pouring fruit tea for Ye Ji’an.

“Not bad,” Ye Ji’an took a sip; it was too sweet and had a hint of Lipton flavor.

The two engaged in casual conversation about work holidays, their parents’ health, and children’s schooling. Ye Zhihong didn’t seem to have anything urgent to discuss. Perhaps after all these years, everything had faded, including his previous disdain for Ye Ji’an. As they reached the door, he remembered he had an older brother and began to ponder whether it was time to meet.

However, most of the time, Ye Ji’an was just listening, feeling little. It wasn’t until later that Ye Zhihong asked him, “Are you seeing someone? Or are you still single?”

“Haha, no,” Ye Ji’an set down his phone. Liang Xiao had just replied, saying “Got it,” and it was almost six-thirty. He looked up at his brother, “I’m with my colleague.”

Ye Zhihong appeared slightly surprised. “How old is he?”

“Twenty-seven, looks quite young,” Ye Ji’an laughed. “I have quite a bit of pressure.”

Ye Zhihong raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Then you should be careful. Make sure to bring him home to meet Mom and Dad sometime.”

Ye Ji’an confirmed he hadn’t misheard, but this was someone who wouldn’t even want to send money back home, wishing his family didn’t have someone like him. “Hey, are you serious?” he asked, still in a joking tone.

“They’re all eager to see you,” Ye Zhihong lowered his head, looking at his crossed hands on the table. “During the New Year, I was being foolish. The elderly, you never know when they won’t be around anymore. If you have time, you should take him back to ease their minds.”

Ye Ji’an didn’t respond, remaining silent as he sipped his tea.

He didn’t want to accuse anyone of being hypocritical or argue with anyone; he just lacked enthusiasm. Everyone has a desire to show off, like how well he was doing now, or how he had Liang Xiao. He certainly wanted to showcase that to the world, and he felt a responsibility to visit before his parents passed away. But to return to the city where he grew up, to that courtyard where he had lived since childhood, to that family housing building…

Ye Ji’an continued to drink his tea.

Ye Zhihong’s expression grew increasingly awkward. “Think about it carefully; isn’t that the truth?”

Ye Ji’an squinted. He didn’t want to make the other person uncomfortable, so he felt he should say something. Just as he opened his mouth, someone called out to him, “Senior!” Liang Xiao quickly walked over and stood beside the tea table.

“Fifty minutes of talking, the General Manager really can go on,” Ye Ji’an glanced at his watch and cleared a spot next to him.

But Liang Xiao wasn’t in a hurry to sit down. “Hello, my surname is Liang,” he bowed slightly and shook hands with Ye Zhihong across the table.

Ye Zhihong stood up, not straightening his legs, and casually shook his hand, quickly releasing it. “Your colleague?”

“Yeah, the twenty-seven-year-old,” Ye Ji’an lost his desire to speak again, directly grabbing his bag and standing next to Liang Xiao. “We have to go; if we’re half an hour late for the restaurant reservation, it will be automatically canceled.”

He also linked arms with Liang Xiao. “I’ll think carefully about going back. It will definitely be me and him together.”

Ye Zhihong was left dumbfounded.

Afterward, they exchanged farewells, still awkward and polite. But at least there was some progress, or perhaps improvement. Ye Ji’an walked side by side with Liang Xiao across the crosswalk, the sunset leaving only a sliver of light, the smell of exhaust mingling with the fragrance of locust flowers, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, with willow fluff flying about. He thought to himself that in the past, it was as if “home” had never extended an invitation, and he was not someone who would seriously consider returning home.

The next day, they nearly missed their flight. Ye Ji’an was annoyed with himself for not hearing the alarm. The first day of the holiday brought particularly heavy traffic on the Fifth Ring Road. Fortunately, Liang Xiao’s little car kept up, and he dropped it off at the airport parking lot, handing it over to the steward to arrange for someone to drive it back. They rushed through all the procedures and managed to sit down just five minutes before boarding time.

Both in first class, Ye Ji’an was seated according to regulations, while Liang Xiao had paid Xiao Li in advance. The surrounding seats were empty, with only the flight attendant coming by to check on them. At the boarding gate, there hadn’t been a single person in line; he attributed this to arriving too late, as everyone else had already boarded. Now, Ye Ji’an thought about it and realized it wasn’t surprising that this section of the cabin was empty. The other department members weren’t on this flight, and at this time, a flight from Beijing to Boston wasn’t a popular route. Direct tickets were expensive, and first class usually didn’t sell out. But wasn’t this better? With fewer people, it was convenient to do other things, almost like a private jet. Even if Liang Xiao kept holding him, being clingy, he wouldn’t have any concerns.

After all, with at least thirteen hours of flight time, it would be too miserable to spend it all working and sleeping.

After takeoff, Liang Xiao draped a blanket over Ye Ji’an’s legs while he focused on typing away at his keyboard. Ye Ji’an openly peeked at the screen from the side, and seeing that Liang Xiao was working, he felt embarrassed to slack off and pulled out the messy accounts from the planning department to browse through. Somehow, he vaguely sensed that Liang Xiao was happy, but this person always refused to smile, staring at the screen with a calm demeanor, which shook Ye Ji’an’s guess.

Minutes passed, then tens of minutes, and Ye Ji’an’s feelings grew increasingly strange. He kept wanting to turn his head to see the corners of Liang Xiao’s eyes and the occasional flutter of his eyelashes. The plane was so quiet that even with some distance from the back cabin, there was only a curtain separating them. How could there be no noise?

Getting up to go to the restroom, he thought that as soon as he lifted the curtain, he would see what was happening behind. Ye Ji’an planned to investigate. Liang Xiao raised his face to look at him, just squeezing his hand before letting him go. Ye Ji’an slipped his hands into his pockets and walked down the aisle—business class was empty.

Continuing on, he reached the front of economy class, and it was still completely empty.

Sure enough.

Sure enough, what? A terrifying flight? How could that be?

Ye Ji’an told himself that something significant was about to happen, something he had sometimes speculated about but never dared to think through. He should estimate it using risk control principles… No, how could he estimate this? He entered the restroom, checked himself in the mirror, washed his hands, and fished around in his pants pocket before pushing the door open.

Amidst the rows of empty seats, Liang Xiao stood in the aisle, indeed waiting for him.

“I’ve booked this plane,” he walked toward Ye Ji’an calmly, explaining softly, “because I need to do something important… so I didn’t want to be disturbed. I also know that I don’t need to say it; Senior would definitely notice.”

“What is it?” Ye Ji’an smiled, with still-damp water droplets on his hands. He even felt he could feel his own pulsing heartbeat, lingering there, in the transition between the two areas, next to the emergency exit, in front of a window.

Liang Xiao stopped in front of him: “I want to propose to you.”

He raised his hand, holding a small velvet box, elegant crab shell green, containing a broken snowflake.

Ye Ji’an held his breath.

“Senior, Ge,” Liang Xiao looked at him, enunciating seriously, his voice steady, “Will you spend the rest of your life with me, love me, and accept my love…”

“Will you be my bride?”

Ye Ji’an gasped, almost calling out. He thought to himself that it was over; he had actually been somewhat prepared for this, sensing something unusual before, or even earlier, from the first time they mentioned marriage and forever. But now his heart was racing too fast, more absurd than the rapid heartbeat from too much concentrated coffee. The impact was far greater than he had imagined, and he was genuinely afraid he wouldn’t be able to speak properly. Trying to appear calm and reliable, Ye Ji’an extended his left hand, spreading his fingers. “I do, of course I do,” his voice trembled slightly, “Go ahead!”

Liang Xiao held the small ring, his face flushed, looking nervous as well. “Oh, I need to kneel first—”

“Don’t!” Ye Ji’an grabbed his wrist, positioning himself, poking his fingertip in. “The last bit, you help me put it on.”

Liang Xiao looked deeply at him, obediently doing as he was told. The ring fit perfectly. He held it, tenderly rubbing it at the base of Ye Ji’an’s finger. Ye Ji’an breathed gently, blushing as he leaned against Liang Xiao, shifting his weight. They both leaned against the wall by the window, but he let his other hand drop into his pants pocket.

“Close your eyes,” he said.

“Senior?” Liang Xiao looked over suspiciously, seemingly displeased at being interrupted.

“Just close them. I’ll tell you when to open them.” Ye Ji’an clasped his fingers around Liang Xiao’s, gently nudging his nose. When he finally saw him obediently close his eyelids, he took out what he had from his pocket, grasping Liang Xiao’s hand and skillfully slipping it on.

The size was also just right.

He heard Liang Xiao’s breathing suddenly quicken, but Liang Xiao still kept his eyes closed.

“Okay, you can open them now.” Ye Ji’an’s right hand was underneath, supporting his palm, while his left hand rested on top, their fingers intertwined, holding it up to their faces. Liang Xiao’s first gaze landed on their tightly pressed ring fingers.

The broken snowflake had turned into two.

“Fortunately, I was worried you might get me one of those diamond rings that a Saudi tycoon would like, making mine look too shabby,” Ye Ji’an sighed in relief, standing on tiptoe to kiss his newly engaged lover.

Liang Xiao still looked a bit dazed, both ecstatic and speechless. He hugged him tightly and said, “I didn’t expect this… I thought it was a surprise?”

“It is a surprise; I almost cried just now…” Ye Ji’an buried his face in Liang Xiao’s neck, rubbing against him, his throat choking up as he spoke earnestly. “But do you remember? You told me that if I proposed first, you wouldn’t agree. But I thought, a proposal ring usually only has one, so what would you wear later? How could you leave it empty? Especially recently, I’ve had this feeling, walking down the street, you suddenly popping up and saying, ‘Let’s get married.’ So I had to prepare in advance. This small thing, I could carry it with me, checking now and then to see if I lost it. Now, I took it out after you, so you can’t refuse.”

“You can give me a surprise; I can’t give you one?” He lifted his eyelids, gazing steadily at Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao suddenly smiled, a smile full of tenderness, his dark eyes rippling with emotion, yet he said nothing, just tightened his embrace around Ye Ji’an’s waist, cupping his face, kissing him softly. The previous intimacy resumed, their bodies pressed together, the brand-new ring gently rubbing against Ye Ji’an’s cheek. Ye Ji’an wrapped his arms around him, feeling thirsty, dazed, and frantic, all at once. The kisses grew increasingly fierce, or perhaps lost in the moment, and Ye Ji’an’s breathing gradually lost its rhythm. At an altitude of a thousand meters, he felt dizzy, and the man in front of him even more so. He leaned completely against Liang Xiao, his back to the window, outside was the rushing wind, thin clouds, and the night of a foreign land.

“Just now, when you left, I followed you out and saw you here. I knew I had to ask you properly at this moment,” Liang Xiao paused to catch his breath, “Do you remember this place? On the plane, the connecting area, in front of the emergency exit—”

“Yeah, I remember, all of it,” Ye Ji’an whispered against his lips, his voice light as if sharing a secret, his hand gripping tighter, unable to help himself, perhaps drawn by the mutual attraction of the diamonds. “The place where we kissed for the first time.”

The End –