The scooter shuttled through the silent and cold streets, and this black night was just like every other black night, nothing out of the ordinary.

The pressure of running the restaurant did not allow Yu Zi to indulge in this kind of emotion. Every morning, he had to face a huge interest payment, which made his scalp tighten.

Even though he had a not-so-decent confrontation with Xu Zhuo, Yu Zi still didn’t give up on finding other companies to cooperate with. However, he and Xie Dongcheng, barehanded and empty-mouthed, were still rejected by many companies.

Although the main focus of Sheng Chuan’s family business was no longer in North City, their social circle was still extensive. Knowing that Yu Zi’s business was not going well, Sheng Chuan sent him a message saying that there was a cocktail party at the Southern Garden Hotel in the suburbs that weekend, and representatives of many emerging companies would attend.

Sheng Chuan was busy with company affairs and couldn’t make it, so he gave the invitation to Yu Zi, hoping he could find opportunities there.

Yu Zi readily agreed.

In the past, many business deals for the Yu family were made at cocktail parties. Although contracts were not necessarily signed on the spot, expanding their network of contacts increased the chances of signing major clients.

If they wanted to survive this bitter winter, they had to find one or two companies willing to cooperate with them.

However, one problem followed another. The suitcase Yu Zi brought didn’t contain any clothes suitable for the cocktail party, not even a decent suit.

As for Xie Dongcheng, it was even worse; he always wore the same few outfits, especially during winter when he alternated between two down jackets.

They couldn’t dress too casually for the cocktail party, but Yu Zi was tight on budget and couldn’t afford luxury brands. After much thought, he dragged Xie Dongcheng to a thrift store.

Thrift stores sold second-hand luxury items pawned by others, usually at half the price of new ones.

In the cold December, the shop assistant didn’t expect their almost deserted thrift store to suddenly welcome two customers.

As soon as Yu Zi entered, he was drawn to a deep peacock blue suit jacket. He used to have a similar one, even with a diamond brooch. Unfortunately, they had all been sold out later. He didn’t expect to see the same style again in a thrift store after so long.

The shop assistant noticed Xie Dongcheng’s broad shoulders and narrow waist and found a pure black suit from the inventory that hadn’t been tried on for a long time, insisting that he try it on. Xie Dongcheng could only take the clothes and enter the fitting room.

Yu Zi had never seen Xie Dongcheng wear a suit before, and he was surprised when he looked up.

The suit seemed tailored for him, fitting his waist better and making him look more upright than usual.

“I didn’t expect this,” Yu Zi said, walking up behind him and patting his lower back.

Seeing the two of them in suits in the mirror, the shop assistant couldn’t help but clap his hands, “It’s perfect.”

Yu Zi didn’t know if he was referring to the clothes or the two of them.

No matter how sweet-tongued the shop assistant was, it couldn’t stop Yu Zi from bargaining hard. After a few rounds, he negotiated to an ideal price and happily took away the two suits.

Before departing for the cocktail party that night, Yu Zi took out the Swiss watch from the suitcase and put it on.

Riding an electric bike to the cocktail party was not appropriate. According to Yu Zi’s instructions, Xie Dongcheng booked an old-model Mercedes V-Class online and drove the two of them to the Southern Garden Hotel in the suburbs.

When Yu Zi got out of the car and walked into the hotel garden, he smelled the familiar coppery smell.

Next to the piano at the cocktail party venue were several glass-covered diamond jewelry pieces. Yu Zi suddenly realized that it was another trick to hype up the prices of gemstones at the cocktail party and make a profit. It was all the tricks he had left.

It was Xie Dongcheng’s first time attending such an event, and he was even more nervous than going to the police station. Both of his hands were clenching at his sides, not knowing where to put them.

“Get yourself a drink,” Yu Zi noticed his nervousness and pushed him gently from behind.

Xie Dongcheng nodded and walked to the central long table at the party to choose a beverage.

Ten seconds later, when Yu Zi turned around, he saw Xie Dongcheng holding a glass of orange juice. Full and golden.

Who comes to a cocktail party to drink orange juice?! Yu Zi wanted to knock his head.

Before he could say anything to Xie Dongcheng, he saw a familiar figure walking in from outside. The wristwatch on his wrist was still so eye-catching.

Damn it, it’s Xu Zhuo again.

Yu Zi immediately sent a flurry of messages to Sheng Chuan: “You didn’t say Xu Zhuo would be here?!”

Two minutes later, Sheng Chuan replied, “Huh? He’s not on the guest list.”

Damn it. Yu Zi didn’t want to have any interaction with him again, so he pulled Xie Dongcheng and walked towards the inner hall. Most of the attendees at the cocktail party were representatives of emerging technology companies in North City, and it seemed that both middle and senior management were present. Yu Zi needed to find someone he could talk to.

Soon, he locked onto a woman with short, ear-length hair in the crowd. At first glance, she looked a bit like Sister Lin. Yu Zi believed in the concept of chemistry, so he picked up his glass and walked towards her.

By the time Xie Dongcheng came to his senses, Yu Zi had already started chatting with someone.

In such a large cocktail party, he didn’t know anyone. He could only find a secluded corner to stand in. After a while, he felt that the perfume in the room was too strong and decided to wait for Yu Zi outside in the garden.

He had joked with Yu Zi before that he wanted to wear a black suit and drive a Bentley, but today, even though he wore a black suit, he didn’t feel comfortable at all. He was a little confused about the reason.

The outdoor air was very cold, and there were only security guards and hotel attendants around. Xie Dongcheng felt much more comfortable here than inside, at least he didn’t have to worry about his appearance while drinking orange juice.

“How coincidental,” a voice suddenly came from behind Xie Dongcheng.

When Xie Dongcheng turned around, he realized it was Xu Zhuo.

He felt annoyed as soon as he saw this person and subconsciously prepared to turn and leave.

“Why do you have such animosity towards me?” Xu Zhuo frowned.

Xie Dongcheng remained calm on the surface, thinking to himself if Xu Zhuo could stop asking such nonsense questions.

“I don’t like talking to strangers,” Xie Dongcheng shifted his gaze away.

“But you weren’t like this the other day, your fist almost hit my face,” Xu Zhuo extended his right hand in a gesture of being punched.

Xie Dongcheng looked at him inexplicably, thinking to himself, “You know that, so aren’t you afraid of getting punched today?”

Xu Zhuo seemed to understand what he was thinking and chuckled, “With so many people here today, I don’t think you dare to embarrass Yu Zi.”

Xie Dongcheng didn’t want to engage in word games with him, “What do you want? Spit it out.”

“I have nothing to do, just wandering around out of boredom.”

The two stood in the cold air for about ten seconds without speaking. Xu Zhuo stood beside him stubbornly.

Xie Dongcheng couldn’t bear it any longer and lifted his leg to leave.

“How long have you been together?” Xu Zhuo suddenly spoke up.

Xie Dongcheng stopped in his tracks, “We’re not together.”

“If you’re not together, why do you follow him around every day?”

“What’s it to you?” Xie Dongcheng retorted.

Xu Zhuo chuckled lightly, as if he had heard a joke.

He straightened his tie and then looked at Xie Dongcheng, “I’m just giving you a friendly reminder. Be careful with Yu Zi.”

Xie Dongcheng found the man ridiculous, coming out of the party just to tell him this nonsense.

“My private affairs are none of your business.”

Xu Zhuo suddenly stepped forward, standing directly in front of Xie Dongcheng, his eyes fixed on his face, “You don’t think Yu Zi will stay with you forever, do you?”

Xie Dongcheng was stunned by his question, unable to respond.

“Yu Qing went overseas, you should know that. His stepmother’s family also has some industry overseas. So the You family will rise again, it’s just a matter of time. Will he still stay here and run this crappy restaurant then?”

With that, Xu Zhuo laughed, “Yu Zi is the kind of person who can do whatever it takes to get what he wants. You should know that better than me.”

Xie Dongcheng’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, finally looking back into Xu Zhuo’s eyes. He clenched his fists uncontrollably, not knowing what he was angry about.

“No,” he only answered with one word.

Xu Zhuo sighed, “I won’t say more. Remember to tell him that in the future, don’t wear last season’s clothes to such events.”

Then he turned and walked away, back into the circle of light cast by the spotlight, where people were raising their glasses, their faces filled with smiles.

When Yu Zi came out of the party, he already smelled of alcohol. He didn’t know how many glasses he had drunk inside.

Xie Dongcheng hurried forward and supported his body.

They didn’t hire a car to go back, instead, they walked to the roadside not far away and called a taxi.

Xie Dongcheng sat in the back seat, and Yu Zi’s body felt a bit weak, leaning against his shoulder. It was a coincidence that this taxi was also a Corolla. Yu Zi rubbed his temples and seemed to be back to the time when they first met.

At that time, the weather was just getting rid of the summer heat and preparing for autumn. Xie Dongcheng, a tall man, drove around the city in his small car, taking him everywhere, even to the night market to drink sweet drinks and treat him to fifteen-dollar street-side steaks.

Although only a few months had passed, it felt like a long time had passed.

This night’s socializing didn’t go smoothly either. Yu Zi held a few exchanged business cards in his hand, but other than that, he gained nothing.

He carefully smoothed out every crease on the business cards with his fingers.

Xie Dongcheng seemed to feel his movement and turned his head to take a look. However, the back seat of the taxi was too small, and his chin unavoidably touched Yu Zi’s hair.

Xie Dongcheng hadn’t drunk any alcohol, and his clean breath swept over Yu Zi’s face. The alcohol was clouding his judgment, and Yu Zi felt alternately cold and hot.

Suddenly, there were scattered specks of snowflakes on the taxi’s window, making the scenery outside blurry.

“Is it raining?” Yu Zi lifted his eyelids and asked.

Xie Dongcheng took a deep breath and replied, “No. It’s snowing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the snow outside the window started falling more and more heavily. The snowflakes merged into one, covering the sky and the earth. The speed of the car also slowed down.

Yu Zi leaned against the seat, and a card slipped out of his suit pocket, falling conveniently within reach of Xie Dongcheng’s hand.

He picked it up and saw that it was the invitation to tonight’s party. One invitation could admit two people, and this was the first time Xie Dongcheng had seen this card today.

There were two words written in gold powder: Sheng Chuan.

Xie Dongcheng gently put the card back into his pocket. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, but in the end, he kept his lips tightly closed and turned his head to look at the snowflakes floating outside the car window.

When the car arrived at the entrance of the residence, it was close to eleven o’clock in the deep night. Xie Dongcheng carried Yu Zi out of the back seat and walked into the heavy snow.

Fortunately, the snow had just started, and there was no snow accumulation on the ground, just a bit slippery.

Xie Dongcheng felt the snowflakes falling on his face and quickly melting. His mind seemed to be blank.

The heating had been on in the house for a while, but Xie Dongcheng still slept in the bedroom without moving out. Yu Zi didn’t mention it either, and the two of them slept back to back every day. It seemed that there was an invisible boundary on the small bed, and no one dared to cross it.

Xie Dongcheng carried Yu Zi up to the fifth floor. Perhaps because he had been blown by the cold wind downstairs, Yu Zi looked much more awake after returning home.

He took off his clothes and took a shower. Xie Dongcheng was a bit worried that he might faint from the heat in the bathroom, so he stood outside and asked a few questions. After receiving affirmative answers, he walked away.

Half an hour later, Yu Zi came out of the shower and Xie Dongcheng went in.

When Xie Dongcheng came out again, Yu Zi was already lying on the small bed in the bedroom. The house was extremely quiet, with only occasional sounds of cold wind blowing outside the window. The snowflakes covered the outside of the glass, and a little white reflection seeped into the room.

As usual, the bedroom door was left slightly open. Xie Dongcheng’s footsteps paused for a moment, then he walked over and pushed the door open. Yu Zi looked towards him in response.

Xie Dongcheng walked to the side of the bed, but instead of lying down, he picked up his pillow. Yu Zi didn’t understand what he was doing, so he propped himself up on his arm and watched him.

Xie Dongcheng’s eyes were somewhat evasive. “The heating is on. I’ll sleep in the living room.”

Yu Zi didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He lay down, turning sideways with his back to Xie Dongcheng standing by the bed.

Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Xie Dongcheng picked up the pillow and started to leave. When he opened the bedroom door again, the metal hinge made a creaking sound.

“I’m cold,” Yu Zi suddenly spoke up.

“What?” Xie Dongcheng turned back.

“Never mind. I’m cold,” Yu Zi seemed to be a little intoxicated, his voice buzzing and somewhat unclear.

Xie Dongcheng didn’t understand why he was feeling cold when the heating was already on, and the radiator wasn’t even being used. He speculated that perhaps when a person is drunk, their body temperature fluctuates.

He could only put down the pillow, sit on the bed, and slowly lie down beside Yu Zi.

Yu Zi felt the warmth behind him, so he leaned back, inadvertently ending up against Xie Dongcheng’s chest.

Xie Dongcheng dared not move, his arm still open, hanging in the air.

He paused like this for a moment before slowly lowering his arm and gently embracing Yu Zi’s shoulder. Now Yu Zi’s whole body was in Xie Dongcheng’s embrace. The two warm bodies pressed tightly against each other, fitting perfectly.

Through the thin clothes, Yu Zi could feel Xie Dongcheng’s heartbeat, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. This heartbeat seemed to resonate with his own heart, which also started beating irregularly.

They were like stray cats huddling together in the cold winter. But unlike cats, they embraced each other in complete silence.