Chapter 100: Won’t Be Apart (End)

Lin Hexi packed up everything in the apartment and sent it back to China. Time was tight, and he couldn’t arrange another meeting with Wells, so he had to send an email before leaving, informing him of his decision to return to China and inviting him to visit if he ever had the chance.

After returning home, the repaired watch had already been retrieved by You Chong from the repair shop, and Lin Hexi put it back on his wrist.

You Chong had suggested getting a new watch, but Lin Hexi declined. In his words, it was probably because the old watch held more sentimental value.

Moreover, this watch was a Christmas gift from You Chong during their first year together.

In the years that followed, they exchanged many more gifts on various holidays, and Lin Hexi kept them all well. Yet, he felt that this old watch held the most significance for him.

In addition, You Chong managed to retrieve his old phone from the assistant who used to work beside You Yueteng.

Lin Hexi also switched back to his old SIM card.

He submitted his resume to domestic clothing companies and soon joined one as a designer.

On his first day at work, Lin Hexi quickly realized, through the entire design department, just how large the proportion of people in the domestic fashion industry who like the same sex was, and how rare it was to find a top-level presence in the entire industry.

From the designers to the design assistants in the department, everyone looked at him with a predatory gaze.

At first, he thought it was due to the intense competition within the department, until that evening, during the welcome dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant after work. A senior designer, with painted brows and lips, cornered him in the restroom, pressing manicured fingers against his chest. Taking advantage of the alcohol, the designer asked him if he was a top, and only then did Lin Hexi realize what was going on.

After skillfully turning down the designer, Lin Hexi immediately took out his phone and called You Chong, firmly refusing to let him drive over to pick him up.

As the image of that designer’s nails and lipstick flashed through his mind again, Lin Hexi suddenly felt a significant sense of unease.

He definitely didn’t want to give anyone the chance to covet his boyfriend. Any potential crisis needed to be nipped in the bud.

Of course, not everyone was interested in him. Another designer in the department, who was at the same level as him, also seemed to be of the same orientation, but showed no romantic interest in him. Instead, there was a bit of a predatory rivalry in their gaze.

Lin Hexi quickly learned from the young female assistant assigned to him that there were two reasons why this designer was hostile and dismissive towards him.

First, there would be an opportunity for a promotion to senior designer by the end of the year. Second, that designer already had their own dream lover.

As for who that dream lover was, Lin Hexi had no intention of finding out; he just wanted to wrap up the department dinner quickly and go home.

However, while gathering information, Lin Hexi mentioned to the assistant with some surprise, “When I went to the HR department to complete my onboarding, they told me that I’d be assigned a male assistant.”

The young girl, who had just recently graduated from college, lowered her voice shyly, “I was originally assigned to work with someone else, but everyone else was fighting over the chance to work with you. It got so noisy in the office that it gave everyone a headache, so the director weighed the options and decided to reassign me here.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi’s lips twitched slightly.

The day after he started, the weekend arrived.

Lin Hexi spent the entire Saturday at home with You Chong, not stepping outside. Just like before, when they lived in their rented apartment, they lay on the couch in the screening room, watching movies.

An Alaskan Malamute lay at Lin Hexi’s feet, a cat nestled in his arms, and You Chong held Lin Hexi close.

In the movie, a handsome blond boy enjoyed a picnic with his family on the lawn of their villa’s garden on a sunny afternoon.

You Chong picked up his phone to check the weather forecast for the next day.

Although it was already November, the temperature was still mild enough for wearing just two layers, and the forecast showed clear, crisp autumn weather for the entire week.

You Chong asked, “Do you want to go for a picnic tomorrow?”

Lin Hexi tilted his head up to look at him. “Where to?”

You Chong replied, “To the seawall, the place we visited before.”

Lin Hexi nodded, recalling that kiss on the seawall under the night sky, flavored with sea breeze and a hint of alcohol.

After finishing the movie, they headed out to the supermarket to buy the ingredients and snacks they would need for the picnic the next day.

They didn’t want to make anything too complicated, as it would take too much time. They planned to bring some homemade sandwiches and a cake, buy some fresh fruit, and take the red wine and glasses directly from their wine cabinet at home. They already had plates and cutlery, as well as a nice picnic blanket and basket.

Of course, the idea of the nice picnic blanket and basket was Lin Hexi’s suggestion.

It was clear that, with You Chong’s straightforward perspective, he wouldn’t have thought of such details.

As they picked out the color and pattern of the picnic blanket, they both couldn’t help but recall the time they had picked out matching mugs together in the supermarket years ago.

After leaving the supermarket, You Chong received a call from Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan invited him and Lin Hexi to join him at the suburban horse ranch for horseback riding the next day, mentioning that Xia Chengfeng would also be there.

You Chong replied, “I have plans tomorrow, so I can’t make it.”

Zhou Xuan pressed, “What plans do you have?”

You Chong said, “We’re planning to go for a picnic by the sea.”

Zhou Xuan clicked his tongue repeatedly, his tone filled with envy. “Having a boyfriend really makes things different. How about this—we’ll join you at the beach instead.”

Hearing how casually he changed his plan, You Chong exposed him, saying, “I think you just wanted us to join you for horseback riding because you need our help with something, right?”

Zhou Xuan, caught off guard, cleared his throat awkwardly. “Isn’t it because we were hoping you’d bring Fang Qingning along too?” He sounded exasperated. “I’m just the middleman here. If you’re unhappy, go talk to Xia Chengfeng, not me. Honestly, I must have made poor choices in friends. I don’t even have a girlfriend myself, yet I have to endure the two of you constantly showing off your relationship, and now I even have to help Xia Chengfeng try to reconcile with Fang Qingning. What did I do in my past life—commit murder or arson?”

You Chong teased him a bit but didn’t outright refuse Xia Chengfeng’s request. Instead, he asked, “With her kind of career, always busy traveling around the country for appearances, Lin Hexi might not even be able to reach her.”

Zhou Xuan replied, “Don’t worry about that. Xia Chengfeng looked into it—she just wrapped up some work and is on vacation at home for a few days.”

You Chong agreed and then added, “Since everyone’s going, let’s invite Yang Juan too.”

After hanging up, he relayed the plan to invite Fang Qingning and Yang Juan to Lin Hexi.

Lin Hexi nodded, “Weren’t there four of you in your dorm?”

You Chong replied, “Yang Juan is still doing his graduate studies at A University, and Zhao Du isn’t from around here—he went back to his hometown after graduation.”

Lin Hexi didn’t ask any further.

Before returning to China, he had deliberately looked into the Lin family’s situation. The Lin family had fallen on hard times in recent years, with their company declaring bankruptcy the year Lin Tong graduated. Still, the Lin family managed to find a way to send Lin Tong abroad for further studies.

As for news about Yang Juan and Zhao Du, he truly didn’t know a thing.

On the way back, Lin Hexi called Fang Qingning.

Just as Zhou Xuan had mentioned over the phone, Fang Qingning was not only at home but also available, and she agreed to his invitation without hesitation.

The next morning, the two of them got up early to make sandwiches and a cake. Seeing that they had plenty of time, You Chong baked some egg tarts, while Lin Hexi, on a whim, used the molds they had bought to make seaweed rice balls.

The two of them busied themselves in the kitchen, while the cat and dog curiously watched from behind.

Lin Hexi picked up a rice ball and crouched down in front of the Alaskan Malamute, jokingly pointing at the rice ball and saying, “This is you. You’re a rice ball (Fantuan).”

The Alaskan first tilted its head in confusion, but upon hearing its name, its eyes lit up slightly. Then, it fixed its gaze on Lin Hexi’s finger pointing at the rice ball.

In the next moment, as if receiving some kind of signal, the Alaskan opened its mouth wide and took a big bite out of the rice ball that Lin Hexi was holding.

Lin Hexi was caught off guard and froze for a moment, then let out a sigh, half-laughing and half-helpless.

They left Fantuan and Shousi at home, packed everything else, and headed out. They made a detour to pick up Fang Qingning before heading to the seawall.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan and Xia Chengfeng were in charge of bringing Yang Juan along.

Despite it being a late autumn weekend, the scenic seawall still had few visitors, with only a handful of cars parked sparsely along the area.

For most people, this wasn’t considered a popular tourist spot in the city. Rather than viewing the sea from the seawall, most visitors preferred walking barefoot along the sandy beaches.

A few dozen meters away, a group of young women had also driven over to enjoy the sea and have a picnic, but fortunately, they didn’t recognize Fang Qingning.

Everyone brought their own picnic blankets, and they joined three of them together, laying them out under the shade of a large tree. The sea breeze, mingling with the sunlight, swept across one corner of the blankets. Lin Hexi sat down, pressing down on the edge of the blanket, and when he lifted his gaze, he could see the distant sea, shimmering like scattered gold and stretching out magnificently.

Yang Juan, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time, stepped out of the car carrying a bag of snacks. He still looked just like he did three or four years ago, with his short, curly hair, round black-rimmed glasses, and delicate features that gave him an air of innocence.

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. Among all the people he knew, most had changed in one way or another after graduation, but Yang Juan, who had stayed within the ivory tower, remained the same as before.

But to be fair, it wasn’t as if there were no changes at all. At the very least, when Lin Hexi called him “Juan Juan” with a smile, Yang Juan no longer blushed as easily as he used to.

They sat on the picnic blankets, eating and reminiscing about old times, with only Fang Qingning and Xia Chengfeng remaining mostly silent.

Yang Juan brought along a foreign literature book, all in English, to read.

Lin Hexi and You Chong poured red wine for everyone, and the six of them leisurely clinked their glasses together.

By noon, the temperature had reached its peak, and even the sea breeze brushing against their faces carried a slight warmth.

You Chong took off his jacket and tossed it beside him, then picked up the English book that Yang Juan had brought and began flipping through it.

Yang Juan and Zhou Xuan worked together to clean up the remaining food and drinks on the picnic blanket.

Fang Qingning offered to help, but Lin Hexi stopped her. “If you walk down from here, there’s another viewpoint closer to the sea,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. “The view of the sea is even better from there.”

She paused for a moment, then picked up the small sunshade resting on the picnic blanket. Standing up, she opened the parasol over her head and walked down the nearby stairs alone.

A few seconds later, Xia Chengfeng also stood up and quietly followed her.

Meanwhile, Yang Juan and Zhou Xuan went a few dozen meters away to throw away the trash, but a small incident occurred on their way back.

Zhou Xuan accidentally stepped on the edge of a skirt worn by a girl he didn’t know, leading to a bit of a dispute.

As the two walked back toward where Lin Hexi and You Chong were sitting, their conversation carried over on the wind.

“Isn’t it just an ordinary fabric skirt?” Zhou Xuan’s tone held a hint of annoyance. “She looks like she’s in her twenties but still likes to dress like a high school student, wearing a pink strawberry bunny skirt. It was clearly her fault for spreading her skirt too wide, but she turned around and blamed me, saying I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Yang Juan quietly explained, “It’s not that the skirt was too wide, it’s that it had a petticoat underneath.”

Not hearing him clearly, Zhou Xuan snorted again. “That skirt looks like it’s only worth a few hundred yuan. But she acted like it was some priceless treasure, insisting that I couldn’t afford to pay for it.”

Yang Juan’s voice grew a little louder, “That skirt originally cost ten thousand, and now it’s reselling for thirty thousand.”

Zhou Xuan scoffed, unconcerned. “Thirty thousand is still a small amount. Do you think I can’t afford that?”

Yang Juan replied meekly, “The skirt is already out of production.”

Zhou Xuan suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking displeased. “Why are you always contradicting me? Wait a second,” he said, casting a suspicious glance at Yang Juan. “How do you know so much about how much that skirt costs and whether it’s still available?”

Yang Juan froze, his eyes darting away nervously, unable to come up with a coherent response.

Lin Hexi perked up his ears to listen to their conversation, a relaxed and casual smile on his face.

You Chong put down the English book he was holding and reminded him, “There are music CDs in the car.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi got up from the picnic blanket and went to the back of You Chong’s car to find the CDs.

A moment later, he emerged from the car with a stack of CDs in his arms and, smiling, asked You Chong, “Which one do you want to listen to?”

Without looking up, You Chong replied, “The blank one.”

Lin Hexi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Relying on memory, he found the blank CD among the stack and placed it into the car’s CD player.

A familiar and gentle prelude began to play.

Lin Hexi paused for a second, momentarily caught off guard.

He returned to the picnic blanket under the shade of the tree, meeting You Chong’s amused gaze, and gradually, he began to smile as well.

Fang Qingning and Xia Chengfeng had not yet returned, while Zhou Xuan and Yang Juan had wandered off to explore. Lin Hexi sat down beside You Chong, then lay back on the soft picnic blanket, looking up at the interwoven green leaves above. Through the gaps, he could catch glimpses of the blue sky where light clouds floated.

With a contented sigh, he reached out and pulled You Chong down to lie beside him.

The sea breeze gently brushed across their foreheads and noses, carrying with it the soft rustling of leaves and the deep, husky voice of the singer.

Lin Hexi turned his face, his gaze settling for a moment on You Chong’s face, which was so close. Slowly, he leaned in toward him.

The moment his lips brushed against the corner of You Chong’s mouth, You Chong turned his face, meeting Lin Hexi’s lips with a kiss, while covering their faces with the open English book.

That day, there was no moonlight, nor the sound of waves.

But there was sunshine, and there was a gentle breeze.

The husky-voiced singer continued to sing, “Some are in love, some drive at night to see the sea.”

They hid beneath the open book, kissing, with the warmth from You Chong’s palm still lingering. The kiss carried a faint taste of the sea breeze and a hint of alcohol.

And beyond that, there was the sweet taste of cream.

In the lyrics, those who were in love eventually parted ways.

But Lin Hexi and You Chong, in love, would never part again.

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