Tan Xiao understood too. He knew why Zhang Xingchuan had wrapped a small, kind lie around the gift.
Tan Xiao himself rarely gave presents. The reason went back to middle school.
A girl in his class had a birthday. She was cute and cheerful.
Earlier, on Tan Xiao’s birthday, he had brought cake for the class. This girl gave him a handmade birthday present.
Wanting to repay the kindness, and carrying the faint, confused affection of a boy just entering adolescence toward a cute girl, Tan Xiao decided to give her something for her birthday too.
He attended an international school. His classmates’ families were at least middle class. Taking that into account, Tan Xiao went to a department-store boutique and bought a moderately priced bracelet. It was not even made with real gems, only imitation crystal suitable for a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl.
The moment she opened it, the girl went pale and immediately returned the bracelet as though avoiding a flood or monster.
Tan Xiao was completely confused.
He discreetly asked other classmates and eventually understood. Under 2014 prices and social expectations, a middle-class middle-school girl might use a four-thousand-yuan phone. She would not wear a four-thousand-yuan bracelet.
Later, the girl sent Tan Xiao a several-hundred-character message. The first half sincerely advised him to spend money rationally.
Near the end, she wrote very tactfully: Tan Xiao, maybe I accidentally did something that gave you the wrong idea, but I really only think of you as an ordinary classmate. Our current task is to study hard. I wish you smooth sailing for the rest of your life.
Tan Xiao had been mortified at the time. Looking back now, he thought she had been a very good, upright little girl.
He no longer remembered her exact face or full name. But after that incident, he never dared casually give people gifts again.
As he got older, he gained a clearer understanding of his family’s industries and wealth and became more self-aware. He also deliberately kept some distance from female classmates. If affection accidentally developed when there could never be any future, he would only harm someone else and himself.
That was all background. In the present, he fully understood why Zhang Xingchuan had used the “making up the order” excuse. He wanted to give Tan Xiao something good but worried the price might burden him.
Tan Xiao’s family circumstances were too unusual to explain lightly.
And his friendship with Zhang Xingchuan existed entirely because their personalities fit. It had nothing to do with family background.
As long as Tan Xiao kept the matter to himself, it remained his private secret. If he told Zhang Xingchuan, it might instead become a burden Zhang Xingchuan had to carry.
“This must have been expensive,” Tan Xiao said anyway, because that was what someone in his student identity ought to say. “Don’t buy me anything this expensive again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Zhang Xingchuan said.
He understood something important: when he selected and gave a present to Tan Xiao, the first person whose emotional needs were being satisfied was himself.
If Tan Xiao also felt happy receiving it, then everyone won.
Zhang Xingchuan casually joked, “Do you know how much money I have? I literally can’t spend it all.”
The joke was meant to remove Tan Xiao’s concern. And it was also true.
Under normal circumstances, the wealth Zhang Xingchuan already possessed could not be exhausted in several lifetimes. He was only in his thirties, and his wealth would continue growing.
Tan Xiao had complicated feelings hearing that. If he continued the topic, he would start sounding ridiculous, and that would be disrespectful to Zhang Xingchuan too.
“Stop flexing your wealth,” Tan Xiao said. “Can I put on my new jacket right now?”
“Of course.”
Tan Xiao removed the jacket he was wearing and changed into the new one inside the car.
When he had seen it in the catalogue, he had thought the design was ordinary, even faintly tacky.
Now that Zhang Xingchuan had placed it in his hands, it suddenly seemed rather good. He might actually like it.
“Does it look good?” Tan Xiao turned slightly for Zhang Xingchuan’s judgment.
“Very good,” Zhang Xingchuan said honestly.
“I really like it.” Tan Xiao’s sweet-talking skill activated automatically. “As expected, Brother Xingchuan has excellent taste.”
The jacket truly did suit him. On Tan Xiao, it carried the freshness of a spring breeze.
Zhang Xingchuan looked for a while and also concluded his taste was excellent.
“I’m paying for lunch today,” Tan Xiao said. “I just received a paper honorarium. More than three thousand yuan.”
Zhang Xingchuan smiled. “No need. Save it as pocket money.”
Wasn’t this a ready-made source to plagiarize from? Tan Xiao copied his line on the spot. “Do you know how much pocket money I have? I literally can’t spend it all.”
“Stop flexing your wealth,” Zhang Xingchuan supplied the matching line, then said, “I invited you out. There’s no reason for you to pay.”
“You bought me clothes. Obviously I should buy you lunch.”
“Fine, then you pay.” Zhang Xingchuan abandoned the meaningless fight over the bill. He could find an excuse to send Tan Xiao money later. “If you ever run out of money, come find me.”
Tan Xiao thought: Brother, wait. Even if I really were a poor student, what kind of sugar-daddy fiction line is that?
Zhang Xingchuan also realized the sentence sounded strange.
Tan Xiao had never “come out.” Zhang Xingchuan also disliked assigning people labels. During their interactions, he deliberately or unconsciously ignored the possibility that Tan Xiao might be gay.
He obviously had no such intention. Zhang Xingchuan thought of Tan Xiao as a younger brother. If a younger brother still in school ran out of pocket money, what was wrong with the older brother dropping a few gold coins for him?
Tan Xiao had never doubted Zhang Xingchuan’s orientation. Zhang Xingchuan was obviously a gentle straight man. Besides, there was supposedly that white moonlight of his far away in America.
So the strange idea flickered through Tan Xiao’s mind only once and disappeared.
Zhang Xingchuan patched the statement. “You’ll be busy graduating this semester and won’t have time for side work. I’m worried you won’t have enough spending money.”
Tan Xiao let out a noise. “Hah???”
Zhang Xingchuan knew Tan Xiao sometimes performed internet absurdity and looked confused anyway. “What kind of noise is that?”
“I’m Wudaokou Usagi,” Tan Xiao said. “How could I ever run out of money?”
Frequently sampling corporate-slave life, family assets and property holdings unknown, with enough certificates to wallpaper an entire wall.
Tan Xiao: a genuine Wudaokou Usagi.
Zhang Xingchuan worked in an industry built on the internet. He spent plenty of spare moments online too, following young travelers’ needs and monitoring public discussion around WenCheng. He was usually extremely online and quick on internet slang.
But naturally there were areas he did not encounter. Very young-skewing anime IPs, however, happened to be outside his usual range.
Right now he guessed this Mr. Wu might be some newly popular celebrity.
He did believe Tan Xiao was not short of money.
Tan Xiao had little consumer desire and a relaxed temperament. Presumably his mother had done an excellent job raising him, and the household was financially comfortable enough that he could grow into this kind of person.
But people were like this. Once someone entered your heart, you always started trying to find ways to be good to them.
Zhang Xingchuan wanted to be good to Tan Xiao now. The only problem was that he had not yet figured out what Tan Xiao actually needed.
For the moment, he could only spend a little money on him.
After lunch, Zhang Xingchuan had Tan Xiao driven back to school. Tan Xiao got out, waved, and the business van pulled away.
They had not gone far when Zhang Xingchuan noticed the jacket Tan Xiao had changed out of still lying in the car.
Tan Xiao had just entered campus when he realized too. He messaged Zhang Xingchuan: I left my jacket in your car.
The reply came quickly. Zhang Xingchuan: Hard to turn around. I’ll give it back next time we meet.
Beneath the surface meaning, the sentence contained a cheerful agreement that there would be a next meeting.
Tan Xiao caught it and replied with a tilted-head smiling-dog sticker.
Before that next meeting, he wanted to give Zhang Xingchuan a present in return.
One week later, at WenCheng’s office building.
The administrative employee responsible for deliveries received a special courier package addressed to the President’s Office. After conducting the required safety inspection, Administration sent it upstairs.
Administration in the President’s Office checked the information again, then handed it to Zhang Xingchuan’s assistant.
The assistant confirmed that it really was addressed to the president, but… the junior assistant could not understand the situation and had to go find Special Assistant Jiaxin first.
Finally Jiaxin made the decision. Holding a small potted phalaenopsis carefully in both hands, she delivered it to Zhang Xingchuan.
Zhang Xingchuan had just returned from outside and was preparing to eat lunch while squeezing in an episode of something.
He saw Jiaxin carrying the flower and looked confused. “Did Property Management send another plant? It’s pretty, but I don’t have anywhere to put it.”
He did not like keeping plants in his office. Other people rarely entered the room, which meant any plant there would fall to Zhang Xingchuan himself to maintain. Within days, it would die.
Even so, he looked more carefully at the orchid. It really was exceptionally beautiful. One elegant stem, pale blue flowers. Blue flowers were already comparatively rare. Looking closely, the petals faded through gradients of blue, almost impossibly lovely.
Property Management usually sent things like red anthuriums, pink anthuriums, or money trees. They occupied space and were not especially beautiful. Why would they suddenly send such a lovely phalaenopsis?
“It isn’t from Property Management,” Jiaxin said, also puzzled. “Someone sent it to you personally. It was inspected. Nothing is wrong with it. There’s a card, but no signature.”
The president took the card. One line was written on it:
For Mr. Zhang Xingchuan: Less water, less sun. Remember those seven Chinese characters, and it’ll survive.
Zhang Xingchuan knew who sent it within one second.
Doctor Tan’s dissertation had already gone out for blind review. While he waited for the result, he had become much less busy.
In the library, he sat by a window lazily preparing his defense slides. His mind kept wandering. Every so often he picked up his phone.
Had Zhang Xingchuan received the flower yet?
Why had he not replied?
At least say whether you like it. The president had no manners.
Buzz. At last, a message from Zhang Xingchuan arrived.
He sent a photo of the orchid sitting on his office desk.
The president’s desk was always uncluttered. Aside from his computer, the only fixed decoration had been a custom jade ornament in the shape of WenCheng’s mascot. Now the orchid stood beside the mascot.
Tan Xiao thought, What had this flower done to deserve the prime spot beside the company mascot? At the same time, he felt unbearably pleased with himself.
He had known Zhang Xingchuan would like it.
Zhang Xingchuan was a serial flower killer, yes, but someone who had specifically converted part of his home into a garden obviously loved plants.
Once Tan Xiao decided to send him a flower, he spent several hours reading flower forums until he saw this particular phalaenopsis. The moment he saw it, he decided it was the one.
The phalaenopsis itself carried a wonderful meaning. This cultivar also possessed the calm, gentle blue of the sea, which matched Zhang Xingchuan in every direction. There could hardly be a more suitable gift.
And the orchid Tan Xiao had chosen was not ordinary.
There were blue phalaenopsis on the market produced by artificial methods such as LED-assisted dyeing or genetic engineering. Some would bloom white again in their next flowering cycle.
The pale-blue phalaenopsis Tan Xiao sent was not one of those artificially altered varieties. It was a natural mutation. Its flowers naturally opened in gradients of blue. The variety was rare and valuable, not normally circulated on the market, and no specimen had appeared at auction recently either.
Tan Xiao contacted a specialist collector who owned one and sincerely negotiated until the collector finally agreed to part with this pot.
Naturally, Tan Xiao would never tell Zhang Xingchuan how rare the flower was. That would sound like asking for credit.
He understood the same principle Zhang Xingchuan did. When you chose a gift for someone you valued, the first person made happy by it was often yourself.
Tan Xiao replied: Do you like it? Isn’t it beautiful?
Zhang Xingchuan: Extremely beautiful. I love it.
Tan Xiao was selecting the most smug reaction sticker available.
Another message from the president arrived.
Zhang Xingchuan: Ula ya haya ha ula.
“…”
Tan Xiao collapsed laughing onto the desk, desperately suppressing all sound. He nearly became the first Finance PhD candidate in Qing University history to suffer oxygen deprivation because he was trying not to laugh in the library.