The road conditions on the way home were still poor, and the air remained dry. Lu Sili had no idea whether it would snow again tonight.
His mood was much better than when he had left home that morning. After getting back and taking his medicine, he still did not feel sleepy, so he put on a movie.
It had been a long time since he had lounged on the sofa and watched a movie this leisurely.
At first, Lu Sili was oddly unaccustomed to it. One moment he sat cross-legged, the next he lay on his side; one moment he checked his phone, the next he glanced toward the door, like a middle-schooler with terrible concentration.
As if he had homework to do, yet somehow managed to do everything except the homework.
The film was a French drama about a loving elderly couple. When they were both over eighty, the wife suddenly suffered a stroke and became hemiplegic, putting their love at that age to the test.
The two actors gave moving performances. The film was minimalist and restrained, deeply accomplished, unfolding image after image with quiet patience. It was despairing and suffocating, yet filled with a delicate tenderness almost impossible to put into words.
A good film could pull a person completely inside it. That was also how Lu Sili had first become interested in cinema.
The summer he was eighteen, after differentiating into an Omega, Lu Sili stayed home day after day and refused to go out. He suffered from insomnia for a long time and was in terrible shape.
He still remembered the day it happened. There had been a torrential downpour. It was the third night after his parents divorced. His mother had already left for the base, his father’s subordinate had come to collect the few belongings he had left behind, and Grandma had spent day after day crying over both Lu Sili’s differentiation and his parents’ divorce.
Lu Sili stayed curled up in his second-floor bedroom, sleeping and waking in fits until thunder jolted him awake.
So he opened his computer and idly browsed a forum. That person messaged him again, an unfamiliar account with a white jade cup for an avatar. The account had already sent him many private messages. Every time Lu Sili came online, the person appeared to ask how he was feeling, whether he had eaten, and even sent links to music. Boring, but stubbornly persistent.
White Jade Cup asked Lu Sili why he was still awake.
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled outside. He was the only person living on the second floor of such a large house, so it was hard not to feel afraid. Bored, Lu Sili finally replied.
Star Continent: [It’s thundering.]
White Jade Cup replied instantly: [Are you scared?]
Star Continent: [Who are you?]
White Jade Cup: [An online friend.]
Star Continent: [Why do you keep messaging me?]
White Jade Cup: [No particular reason. Want to watch a movie? If you get absorbed in it, you won’t be scared anymore.]
Star Continent: [No.]
But the other person sent him a link anyway.
In the end, Lu Sili clicked it. It was one of those playback windows inside a chat room. He still remembered the movie: The Intouchables.
It was a famous film, but before then Lu Sili had never been very interested in movies. He had only watched some Hollywood blockbusters and Hong Kong films.
Lu Sili spent 112 minutes with that stranger online.
On many nights afterward, whenever Lu Sili felt low, he would log in. White Jade Cup was always there, and the two of them watched many movies together.
Until Lu Sili, who had been told he needed to change majors, decided to study abroad.
He logged in to find White Jade Cup.
Star Continent: [I’m going abroad.]
White Jade Cup: [Congratulations.]
Star Continent: [I want to leave my current environment, leave the friends, classmates, and family I know, and start over somewhere unfamiliar with a new life.]
White Jade Cup: [You can definitely do it. I support you.]
Even his comfort and encouragement were this boring.
Star Continent: [Can I add you somewhere else? Once I get busy, I probably won’t use this forum anymore.]
White Jade Cup did not reply.
Star Continent: [Is it inconvenient?]
White Jade Cup: [Mm.]
White Jade Cup: [Hope you enjoy studying abroad!]
Later, Lu Sili went overseas. Life was even busier than he had imagined. He completed degrees in both management and art history. It was difficult, but little by little, he came out of that period and began accepting and embracing his life as an Omega.
As for White Jade Cup from that forum, Lu Sili gradually forgot about him without even realizing it.
Years later, after finishing tonight’s movie, he suddenly remembered him again. Perhaps because he felt that the path leading to his current profession had begun with The Intouchables on that stormy night.
By the time the movie ended, it was already past midnight, into the early-morning hours when Su Yuan had said he would come home. But he still had not returned.
Lu Sili curled up on the sofa while the television automatically started another French arthouse film packed with dense dialogue. Watching it, he eventually drifted off to sleep.
He woke to the sound of a car locking outside. Lu Sili opened his eyes and checked the time. It was almost three in the morning.
Lu Sili hurried to the window and looked down. Su Yuan was back.
How was he supposed to explain sleeping in the living room in the middle of the night? Su Yuan was not going to think Lu Sili had been waiting for him, was he?
The trip upstairs was so short that Su Yuan would be opening the door any second. After a moment’s thought, Lu Sili immediately turned off the television, grabbed the little blanket, and rushed back to his own room.
Standing behind the door, Lu Sili listened to Su Yuan come in. Su Yuan quietly poured himself a glass of water, opened the refrigerator, closed it again, and finally shut his bedroom door.
“…”
Lu Sili had no idea why he had done any of that. But now that Su Yuan was safely home, sleepiness washed over him again and he soon fell back asleep.
Su Yuan stayed busy for three straight days, and the two of them barely had time to eat together.
The private chef Su Yuan had arranged was still delivering meals to Lu Sili every day, so his diet remained fairly regular. Lu Sili patiently communicated with Situ He’s people several times, but Situ He continued refusing direct contact. Lu Sili finally issued an ultimatum: if he still refused, Lu Sili would call the police.
There was only one day left before the holiday. At F&A, almost the only people still holding down the fort were Lu Sili, security, and the cleaning staff. Many jobs in the film industry had flexible schedules, and if the work was done, people could leave early.
Around five that afternoon, Lu Sili sat in his office drafting the Spring Festival greeting email to the entire company. Fiona usually handled this every year, but she had gone traveling. Lu Sili wrote and rewrote it, unable to get it right.
Just as he was getting frustrated, Su Yuan called.
“Hello?” For some reason, Lu Sili was quite happy.
Su Yuan said, “Things finally calmed down on my end. A few senior doctors in the department adjusted the rota and let me start my holiday early. I just went grocery shopping and realized I’ll pass your company on the way home. Are you finished?”
“Mm… I still have a little work.”
“Then keep working. I’ll go home and start dinner.”
“Forget it.” Lu Sili hurried to stop him, then immediately felt embarrassed by how urgently he had reacted, as though terrified Su Yuan would hang up. He cleared his throat. “I’ll finish it at home. I don’t have any inspiration right now.”
“Inspiration?”
“Mm. I’m writing New Year messages for the employees and the higher-ups at headquarters. Headquarters takes Spring Festival pretty seriously.”
Su Yuan laughed on the other end. “I see. Then I’ll come pick you up and we can go home together.”
“Sure.”
A little over ten minutes later, the two of them stared at each other in the parking lot.
“…”
Su Yuan said, “I forgot. We both drive to work.”
Lu Sili scratched his head. “Right.”
Lu Sili turned to look at Su Yuan. The moment their eyes met, both of them burst out laughing.
In the end, they had no choice but to drive home separately, one car following the other.
Once home, Lu Sili took a call from Parker. By the time it ended, Su Yuan had almost finished cooking. The weather was cold and both of them had been tired lately, so he had simply made a quick chicken soup and stir-fried two easy dishes.
Lu Sili remembered that he had brought home the company’s New Year gift box the day before. There were drinks inside. Seeing that they were sparkling water, he took some out and prepared to pour two glasses.
The cabinet beside the dining table for storing cups was convenient. There were about thirty cups inside. It did not look like many, but considering how small Su Yuan’s old place had been, buying that many meant he really liked this kind of thing.
Lu Sili knew nothing about materials or design, so he casually chose two simple glass tumblers.
“Sparkling water?” Su Yuan carried the dishes over and saw what Lu Sili was doing.
“Mm. The company gave them out for New Year. There’s fruit and candy too.”
Su Yuan sat across from him, still wearing the moonlight apron Lu Sili had given him. People who regularly did housework seemed too lazy to take aprons off right away. Uncle Zou at Grandma’s house was the same.
“There are four days left until New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow I should go buy some New Year goods too.”
“New Year goods?” Lu Sili sat down and pushed a glass of sparkling water toward Su Yuan. “Who are you buying them for?”
“My aunt’s family is going back to their hometown for New Year, so I’ll buy some things for them to take. We should buy some for Grandma too, and for our own home. It’s New Year, after all. At the very least, we should decorate a little.”
Lu Sili had never handled things like this, but silently nodded anyway. “Okay. By the way, Grandma’s been asking us to come home for dinner.”
Su Yuan thought about it. “Then tomorrow. We can bring the New Year gifts over at the same time.”
The food was simple, but both of them had good appetites. During dinner, they talked about Lu Sili’s greeting letter. Su Yuan said that if Lu Sili did not mind, he could take a look.
“You? You understand social niceties and wording better than I do?” Lu Sili asked skeptically.
Su Yuan took a sip of soup and thought for a moment. “For this kind of greeting, sincere and enthusiastic should be enough, right? Thank the employees for their hard work this year, say something about looking forward to next year, and wish them a happy New Year. If I were an employee, that’s what I’d want to receive.”
Lu Sili thought about it and realized Su Yuan had a point. The world and work were already complicated enough. A New Year greeting could be simple and sincere. Who wanted to read a leader’s long-winded essay over the holidays?
Having found inspiration, Lu Sili smiled and thanked him.
At that moment, his phone rang. It was Situ He. Lu Sili answered.
“Lu Sili.” Situ He did not sound particularly warm. Lu Sili hummed and waited to hear what he wanted.
Su Yuan quietly drank his soup. He could hear a little of Situ He’s voice through the phone.
Perhaps because rumors had been spreading through the industry over the past few days, Situ He sounded displeased. “I’m calling to apologize. Those days were too busy and I forgot my suppressant. The blocking patch also wasn’t sealed properly, so…”
“I told you I want you to apologize to me in person, on your knees,” Lu Sili said flatly.
“Is that really necessary?” Situ He was a person with a strong sense of superiority. There was no chance he would kneel to an Omega. “If this gets out, it won’t do either of us any good. You’ll get dragged through gossip too. I have projects competing for awards next year. Give me a break, Lu Sili.”
There was no respect in his words at all, so Lu Sili smiled. “If you haven’t apologized by the end of Spring Festival, I’m calling the police.”
Situ He said, “What good is calling the police? You know perfectly well what my family does. You’ve got some clout in the entertainment industry, that’s all. Don’t play with fire.”
Lu Sili guessed that Situ He’s family must have pressured him too, and now he was getting anxious.
If Lu Sili actually reported him or leaked the story to the media, Situ He’s family would clean up the mess, but no one liked having to do that kind of work. Lu Sili had heard from Li Ya that Situ He’s grandfather and parents were decent people overall. They had simply spoiled their only son rotten.
Lu Sili said, “Then you should know you’re the one playing with fire.”
“You didn’t even end up hurt!” Situ He roared through the phone. “If you really call the police, it’ll get suppressed anyway! Your husband and those two Beta directors won’t have an easy time either!”
“You won’t either,” Lu Sili said.
The call disconnected.
Lu Sili set down his phone and looked up to find Su Yuan tense.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Yuan glanced at the phone. “What happened to him?”
“He cracked.”
After saying it, Lu Sili grew a little worried too. He had assumed Situ He would understand how serious the matter was. Now he was starting to think the man was simply an arrogant Alpha with nothing underneath that arrogance, someone who might genuinely go crazy over his pathetic sense of superiority.
Even though Lu Sili spoke lightly, Su Yuan had actually heard most of the conversation. What surprised him was learning that Lu Sili had never told anyone in the film industry about his family background.
Everything Lu Sili had now, his work and his connections, had been earned through his own effort.
Su Yuan smiled and lowered his eyes to take a sip of soup.
Proud of him, and aching for him.
The next morning, Lu Sili got up to work the company’s final day before the holiday. The heads of Production and Exhibition had both started their leave early. Lu Sili figured at least one senior executive should still be around, and he could send out the email while he was there.
He had assumed Su Yuan, finally getting a break after several exhausting days, would sleep in. Instead, Su Yuan still got up early and made breakfast.
The two sat facing each other over breakfast. Lu Sili placed his laptop between them and asked Su Yuan to look over what he had written the night before.
“You probably don’t need to list all the projects we finished last year here,” Su Yuan said.
“Why not?”
“It’s a greeting email. Just send greetings. Listing all of this makes it sound like an annual commendation report, and employees who didn’t participate in those projects might feel pressured.”
That made sense. Delete.
After cutting and revising, the word count dropped considerably, but the result was concise and covered the greetings properly. Lu Sili was quite satisfied.
Lu Sili picked up his briefcase. “I’m going to work.”
Su Yuan was wearing an apron and clearing the dining table. “Okay. See you tonight.”
* * *
On the last workday before the Spring Festival holiday, Lu Sili had expected to leave around four or five in the afternoon. Instead, something suddenly came up, and he did not get off work until almost eight. He drove over as fast as he safely could.
He had expected Grandma to give him a thorough scolding. Instead, the moment he walked in, he saw Su Yuan and Grandma looking through her porcelain collection. Su Yuan knew a little about it and was excellent at talking to elderly people. His compliments landed with uncanny precision, and Grandma was laughing so loudly that she did not even hear Uncle Zou tell her that Lili was home.
Lu Sili shook his head helplessly, smiled at Uncle Zou, and told him to go back to whatever he was doing.
The villa was large. Grandma’s old friends and former students visited often, and because she liked showing off her collection, she had commissioned an enormous display cabinet against the wall beside the living-room bookcase. Nearly a hundred pieces of porcelain were arranged inside.
Not all of them were valuable. If she liked how something looked, even an inexpensive piece could earn a place there.
Lu Sili walked over. “Grandma, what’s making you so happy?”
When Su Yuan saw him arrive, he naturally shifted aside to let Lu Sili stand closer to Grandma.
“You brat, you’re finally off work.” Grandma looked Lu Sili up and down twice. “You really do look much more energetic. Xiao Su wasn’t lying to me.”
Lu Sili met Su Yuan’s eyes and understood that Su Yuan had arrived first and said plenty of good things on his behalf.
So Lu Sili followed Grandma’s lead. “Of course. How could I break a promise I made to you? I eat and take my medicine exactly the way the doctors told me to, and even my sleep has gotten much steadier.”
“Good, good, good. See how much better this is? I told you to get married.” Grandma was delighted. No sooner had she finished speaking than Uncle Zou called for her to come check the soup.
Grandma left, leaving Lu Sili and Su Yuan alone.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Grandma this happy,” Lu Sili told Su Yuan.
Su Yuan gave a small nod, smiling shyly as he looked up at Lu Sili. “Grandma has always been wonderful. Before, she was simply too worried about you. Concern made her lose perspective.”
Su Yuan’s gaze was too sticky with affection. Lu Sili looked away and casually touched a bowl nearby. “You know porcelain too?”
“A little. I like tableware, remember?”
“Anything here you like?”
“This one.” Su Yuan shifted slightly to the right and pointed out a bluish-white porcelain cup with an unglazed rim. “This one is beautiful.”
Lu Sili came closer to look. He could not tell good from bad, only that it looked simple and elegant. “Ask Grandma to give it to you.”
Su Yuan hurriedly waved his hands. “No, it’s part of Grandma’s collection.”
“She likes you so much. If you ask, she’ll definitely give it to you.”
They went back and forth several times. Su Yuan insisted he could not take something Grandma treasured, and Lu Sili finally gave up for the moment.
Once dinner was ready, the four of them ate together. Uncle Zou had been the family’s housekeeper for many years and always ate with them, though he was not much of a talker.
Grandma still did not know about Lu Sili’s suppressant failure. She simply assumed that now the young couple was married and helping each other restore their health, Lu Sili’s condition and energy had improved.
When she mentioned that many of her former students, now prominent figures in Licheng, would visit during New Year, she said she wanted Su Yuan to meet them too.
Naturally, Su Yuan agreed.
“Oh, right. We should also visit your aunt’s family for New Year,” Grandma said.
Lu Sili, gnawing on a pig trotter beside them, occasionally joined the conversation. “Su Yuan’s aunt’s family is going back to their hometown for New Year.”
“Yes,” Su Yuan explained. “They’ll probably come back around the eighth day of the lunar New Year.”
Grandma said, “Good, then we’ll visit them afterward. If your aunt isn’t here, you two should stay at home with me for a couple of days during New Year. Your mother can’t come back anyway.”
Only then did Lu Sili learn that his mother would not be coming home for New Year either. The tiny flicker of disappointment on his face disappeared almost immediately. He smiled. “Sure.”
Lu Sili had not remotely considered what it meant for a married couple to stay together at the family home over New Year until Grandma added, “I’ll have your room cleaned tomorrow. No one’s slept in it for ages. I’ll put on a nice new four-piece bedding set for the two of you.”
“Huh?”
“What? Or do you want to sleep on that old ragged set you used to love?”
“No, anything’s fine.”
“What old ragged set?” Su Yuan asked.
Grandma burst out laughing and explained that Lu Sili had once loved a set of bedding so much that he refused to throw it away even when it was nearly worn through.
The atmosphere was so good that when Grandma brought out her homemade peach-blossom wine, Lu Sili got greedy and asked for a glass.
Grandma worried about his health and wanted to refuse, but Su Yuan spoke from beside her. “A little is fine.”
He was a doctor and usually so reliable and steady that once even he said it was okay, Grandma poured Lu Sili a glass.
“Thank you, Grandma.” Lu Sili occasionally acted spoiled too.
Grandma laughed. “Thank your husband.”
Lu Sili turned to look at Su Yuan. He could not get the words out. Forget it.
They ate until nearly ten. Later, Lu Sili coaxed another glass of wine out of Grandma, making two in total. The homemade wine was fairly strong, and he ended up pleasantly tipsy.
Su Yuan had not drunk. After helping Uncle Zou and Grandma tidy the kitchen, he drove Lu Sili home.
It had been a busy day, and Lu Sili had drunk as well. The moment he got into the car, he settled comfortably into the passenger seat and began dozing. His long thick down coat swallowed him almost whole. A faint flush colored his fair cheeks, his breathing was even, and whenever the car rolled over a speed bump, he would hum softly and shift.
Su Yuan was in an excellent mood and drove as smoothly as possible.
New Year was almost here. The neon lights on many office buildings along the road were dimmer than usual, while little colored lights and lanterns hung from the roadside trees, all glowing red with a festive warmth.
Lu Sili was resting peacefully beside him.
A night like this had actually come true.
An hour later, they arrived home. Lu Sili’s alcohol tolerance was not bad, and he had sobered up somewhat. He was only a little dazed as the two got out and went upstairs together.
The moment they entered, Lu Sili saw two large bags beside the coffee table in the living room.
“What’s all this?” Lu Sili asked.
“Spring Festival decorations. Couplets, fu characters, things like that.”
Lu Sili laughed as he stood on the heels of his shoes to slip them off. “Nice. When I was studying abroad, there was one New Year when I missed home terribly and decided to go buy some decorations. My wallet got stolen on the way, and I ended up walking home for two hours.”
“That must have been awful.”
“It was fine. I was so tired from walking that I got home and slept like a rock.”
Su Yuan smiled. “Go wash up and rest.”
“Mm.” Lu Sili unzipped his down coat, then suddenly remembered something. “Right, this.”
He reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a cup.
Su Yuan took one look. Wasn’t this the bluish-white porcelain cup with the unglazed rim from Grandma’s collection?
“You…”
Pretending not to care, Lu Sili shoved the cup into Su Yuan’s hands. “Ahem. I stole it. Don’t ask. Just use it.”