There were countless galas of every size in the entertainment industry. People always dressed up for public appearances, and Lu Sili owned plenty of clothes himself.
Men’s clothing might not be as varied as women’s, but suits alone were enough to keep designers studying them for centuries.
Lu Sili mentally went through the brands he often wore, trying to decide which one would suit Su Yuan’s temperament best.
But that raised another question: what exactly was Su Yuan’s temperament?
Seeing Lu Sili stay silent, Su Yuan lowered his head slightly and smiled to himself. “Even though I’m not that good-looking…”
“No,” Lu Sili quickly objected. “I’m just thinking about what you should wear.”
He had not actually denied the first part of Su Yuan’s sentence, and the smile at the corner of Su Yuan’s mouth froze.
A few seconds later, it lifted again, though the bitterness in it was obvious enough that even Lu Sili noticed.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Sili said, “Don’t worry. Leave the clothes to me. I’ll have Fiona look around.”
Su Yuan gave a helpless sigh. “All right. Sorry to trouble you.”
Lu Sili could not figure him out. Why was he sighing? He genuinely did not understand.
“Wipe your mouth.” Su Yuan handed him a tissue, then gathered the dishes and went back into the kitchen. As he loaded the plates and bowls into the dishwasher, he could not stop himself from smiling.
Lu Sili, with a white ring around his lips and his fingers at his chin while he thought, had simply been too cute.
Su Yuan had heard Lu Sili’s entire phone call with his grandmother. They would be going home for dinner together the following night.
It was now January, with four days left until the gala.
The weather was getting colder too. There had been a light snowfall half a month ago and none since, leaving the gray city wrapped in dry, bitter cold.
Lu Sili had lunch with President Xia of Jiaqing that day. President Xia had been in the mood to drink, so Lu Sili accompanied him for two glasses.
It was not much, but the baijiu was strong, and Lu Sili felt unwell while working that afternoon.
For once, Lu Sili finished his work first and went to the hospital with Fiona to pick up Su Yuan.
The car was parked outside the surgical building. Fiona got out to smoke, while Lu Sili reclined the passenger seat and rested.
Ever since getting married, he had to bring Su Yuan along for the weekly family dinner. Lu Sili was actually quite happy about that, because when Su Yuan was there, he chatted with Grandma and Lu Sili could relax a little.
Sleep without medication was always short and full of dreams. When Lu Sili woke, the car was still empty. He checked the time and realized he had slept for only eight minutes.
He raised the seat and looked out the window. Su Yuan and Fiona were standing together beside a trash bin.
Fiona still had a cigarette between her fingers, probably her second one.
The two of them said something Lu Sili could not hear, then laughed together.
The temperature was still below freezing. Su Yuan wore a long black down coat and a pale-gray scarf wrapped twice around his neck.
Not especially stylish, but very practical.
Lu Sili lowered the window. Before he could say anything, both of them looked over.
“Let’s go,” he heard Fiona say.
Fiona drove, while Su Yuan sat in the back seat.
“Sorry to make you wait so long.” As he spoke, Su Yuan took off his scarf and set it aside.
Lu Sili had just been sleeping, so his voice was still a little muffled. “It’s fine.”
Then he remembered what he had agreed to during the phone call with his grandmother the day before. He turned toward Su Yuan. “I promised Grandma I’d start getting my health back on track after the gala.”
“Mm. I know,” Su Yuan said.
“If she…” Lu Sili stopped halfway when he saw how composed Su Yuan looked, as though they were merely going to his own grandmother’s house for dinner.
“Forget it. You’re better at this than I am.”
Su Yuan smiled and deliberately asked, “Better at what?”
Lu Sili said, “Making Grandma happy.”
The old family home was in an excellent location, quiet despite being in the city, beside a mountain park. At the foot of the hill was the bustling commercial district of the old city.
It was property Lu Sili’s maternal grandfather had left behind.
Grandma was an excellent cook, but Lu Sili could not eat much. He could manage a little soup, and after one bowl he was already full, picking at two vegetable dishes.
He wanted to check work on his phone but was afraid Grandma would scold him, so he could only listen to the other three people at the table chat.
Flowers, health, pastries, weather, pets, television dramas.
Lu Sili was bored nearly senseless. How did Su Yuan know about all of this and manage to chat with Grandma so happily?
Does he actually like these things?
And why can Fiona join in too? She never said she liked soap operas. Since when did she have a kitten?
Lu Sili began to suspect that although he was sitting right beside them, he actually lived in another world.
“Oh, right.” Fiona had finished eating and seemed to remember something. She took a tablet from her bag. “You asked me to find something for Su Yuan to wear to the gala. The sales rep sent over a few options.”
Grandma was interested too and leaned closer. “Let me see.”
“These are brands Lili wears all the time.” She looked up at Lu Sili. “Come over here.”
Lu Sili dragged his chair over and sat beside Su Yuan to look at the tablet.
They all looked good. The fabrics felt high quality, and the tailoring had enough designer thought to keep them from being boring. They were exactly the sort of clothes Lu Sili would like.
After Fiona swiped through all of them, she went back to the second image. “What about this one? The sales rep says it’s a new release.”
Su Yuan turned to Lu Sili, silently asking what he thought.
Lu Sili was about to tell him to choose for himself when Grandma spoke first.
“This doesn’t suit Xiao Su.” Grandma swiped the screen. “No, no. These luxury brands are too flashy and superficial. They don’t match him.”
Lu Sili, who regularly wore those very brands: “…”
Grandma stood up and pulled Su Yuan to his feet with her. She took a couple of steps left and right around him, examining him from every angle, squeezing his arm, pinching his waist, then studying his face thoughtfully.
Su Yuan grew embarrassed under the scrutiny and looked at Lu Sili for help.
“…” Lu Sili immediately lowered his head to look at his phone.
Privately, he was laughing at Su Yuan’s awkward expression as Grandma “manhandled” him.
“Xiao Su, you’re gentle, healthy, well-built, and handsome. Your eyes are like an autumn sunset, soft and warm.”
Grandma had once been a teacher and had read widely. When she was not scolding people, she spoke rather poetically.
Lu Sili had rarely seen her like this in the past two years. Suddenly interested, he looked up and asked, “Then what are mine like?”
All three of them looked at him. Fiona looked surprised, while Su Yuan looked thoroughly intrigued.
Grandma thought for a moment. “You are good-looking. Those peach-blossom eyes of yours are seductive when you smile, but…”
Lu Sili said, “Like peach blossoms in spring?”
Grandma said, “Like a flower bud clinging to a branch during a late spring cold snap, refusing to bloom no matter what.”
Lu Sili: “…”
Everyone held themselves back, not daring to laugh.
“Then Grandma, give me some advice. What should I wear to the gala so I don’t embarrass him?” Su Yuan asked, unable to suppress the gentle smile in his voice.
Grandma sat back down, smiling. “As the saying goes, a husband’s good looks are his wife’s glory. That’s not wrong.”
She poured herself some water, completely missing the flush on Su Yuan’s cheeks. Then she picked up her little teacup, took a sip of flower tea, looked up at Su Yuan, and said proudly, “Tomorrow, Grandma will take you to the best tailor in Licheng. We’ll have something made to measure. I know him well, so I’ll ask him to rush it for us.”
Su Yuan was a little surprised. After all, most people thought big-name designer clothes looked more impressive.
Lu Sili caught Su Yuan’s uncertain look. He knew which shop Grandma meant. Among the older generation, custom tailoring was considered the height of luxury. Some master tailors had schedules booked a year in advance and were celebrities in their own circles.
Of course, the prices were just as impressive. Outsiders simply could not tell by looking.
Thinking it through, Lu Sili actually felt Grandma’s choice was quite good.
Everyone in Licheng already knew who had money. There was no need to force Su Yuan into some luxury brand that did not suit him just to put on a show.
“Then let’s listen to Grandma,” Lu Sili said.
Naturally, Su Yuan followed his lead.
Grandma brightened at once. Her daughter was absent almost the whole year, her grandson was a stubborn, overworked mule, and the old woman had few hobbies of her own. In truth, she was lonely.
She linked arms with Su Yuan. “There are so many details to a suit. A millimeter more or less changes the entire cut. Grandma guarantees you’ll have the strongest presence of anyone at that gala.”
Once the matter was settled, Lu Sili stopped interfering. After resting for a while, the three of them left together.
On the way, Fiona asked, “Director Lu, what about your outfit?”
Lu Sili said, “I’ll wear the collection Ying Xue endorses.”
Ying Xue was an actress signed by the Artist Management Division that year. She was considered one of the rising young actresses of her generation and was a strong performer, having won Best Supporting Actress for her debut work.
Actors who focused on acting tended not to have enormous fanbases. The company had helped secure her luxury-brand endorsement, and it was also one of the brands Lu Sili regularly wore. As her boss, it was perfectly normal for him to give one of his own artists a little support.
“Oh, right.” While thinking about his own clothes, Lu Sili suddenly remembered something and turned to Su Yuan. “Don’t buy the tie and shoes from the tailor.”
Su Yuan said, “Okay.”
He did not know why, but he should agree first.
As Lu Sili turned away, he muttered, “At least wear a few branded pieces. Otherwise people will think I, Lu Sili, mistreat my newlywed husband.”
Fiona burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at? You’re wearing CHANEL at minimum. Of course he needs something expensive too. Help him find something.” Lu Sili sounded irritated.
Fiona was not offended and did not stop laughing. She simply soothed him like a child. “All right, all right. I know.”
Lu Sili stopped paying attention to the clothing arrangements after that.
As the gala approached, social obligations multiplied. Lu Sili came home very late every day and barely had time to spend with Su Yuan.
The red-carpet interviews on the day of the gala went smoothly, much more smoothly than expected. Nothing serious went wrong, and the media cooperated well.
Several major stars who had appeared on the cover of F&A Film Times attended as a favor. With a powerful company behind the event, even though there were not many awards, the ones given still carried some prestige.
The gala began at eight.
As the most influential executive in F&A China, Lu Sili never had an empty space around him. He chatted with the chairman of the Film Association for a while and had only just managed to catch his breath when Situ He arrived.
Plenty of people in the industry knew Situ He was interested in Lu Sili.
Situ He came from a wealthy family. Even though he treated the entertainment industry as a hobby, he had still amassed a huge fanbase. His acting was competent enough, and every so often he crossed paths with a good director and picked up an award.
He liked Lu Sili and also believed his own circumstances were superior to Lu Sili’s. So while quietly pursuing him, he radiated an unmistakable sense of superiority.
His pursuit was never particularly overt, and Lu Sili had naturally brushed him off with equally light, polite refusals.
“It’s been a long time.” Situ He wore haute couture, makeup, and meticulously styled hair. Even in a venue full of stars, he drew the eye.
Lu Sili gave him a faint smile. “It has.”
By the time Su Yuan arrived, the gala had already begun. His surgery had not gone smoothly and had run nearly an hour over schedule.
Figuring Lu Sili would definitely be busy, he called Fiona and asked her to come meet him.
Fiona’s official title was assistant, but everyone knew she was effectively second-in-command in the Distribution Division, so plenty of people wanted to speak with her too.
“I saw him talking to the chairman of the Film Association just now. I don’t know if they’re finished yet.” Fiona led the way, occasionally answering greetings from people they passed.
Su Yuan said, “It’s fine. If they aren’t finished, I’ll just wait nearby.”
The moment he finished speaking, they turned a corner by the bar and spotted Lu Sili. The man beside him was not the Film Association chairman, but a tall, handsome man.
Su Yuan recognized him. In gossip reports, the man had openly said he “admired” Lu Sili and called him the person who had recognized his talent.
Fiona did not know Su Yuan recognized him.
She leaned toward Su Yuan’s ear and explained quietly, “Situ He. He’s interested in Director Lu in that way. Kind of… you know.”
“What about him?”
“What?”
Su Yuan asked, “Lu Sili’s feelings toward him…”
Fiona said seriously, “His romance nerve was surgically removed, so… I’m going back to work. Make yourself comfortable.”
Su Yuan finally smiled and said all right.
“You really got married?!” Situ He demanded.
Su Yuan looked over. Situ He was staring at Lu Sili in disbelief. Lu Sili wore the polite smile he used for social occasions and nodded. “Yes.”
Situ He looked half unconvinced and half unwilling to accept it.
Su Yuan lowered his eyes with a faint smile, then stepped forward to stand beside Lu Sili and said politely, “Sorry I’m late.”
When Lu Sili saw that Su Yuan had arrived, the false smile on his face became a little more genuine. He reached out, hooked an arm around Su Yuan’s, and pulled him closer. “My husband, Su Yuan.”
In a ballroom full of luxury formalwear, Su Yuan wore a handmade suit with simple tailoring that fit him perfectly. It was not eye-catching, yet every detail highlighted his build and temperament.
Even his tie was an ultra-luxury collector’s piece, understated but far from ordinary.
Situ He nearly failed to suppress a sneer. “A Beta?”
Lu Sili’s gaze turned colder. “Yes. A Beta.”
Su Yuan wore silver wire-rimmed glasses today, and his hair had been styled as well. His gentle, scholarly air stood apart from the surrounding glamour.
He smiled lightly and held out a hand to Situ He. “Hello. Su Yuan.”
The corner of Situ He’s mouth twitched. Then he smiled and extended his hand. “Situ He.”
The slight extra force in his grip was betrayed by the naked challenge in his eyes.
Lu Sili frowned and was about to intervene when Su Yuan spoke first.
“You’re squeezing too hard,” Su Yuan said frankly.
Lu Sili turned his cold gaze toward Situ He. The meaning was obvious when he looked at someone like that: don’t go too far.
This is my husband.
Situ He looked a little embarrassed and loosened his hand.
Su Yuan withdrew his hand and smiled as he offered Situ He some advice. “If you have tenosynovitis, Mr. Situ, you should avoid putting this kind of force through your wrist whenever possible.”