With Yu Nian’s unwelcoming attitude, Qi Wang eventually left.

Yu Nian didn’t see him off, as if he didn’t care whether Qi Wang stayed or left.

But when he heard the sound of the door closing in the living room from afar, his heart trembled.

He extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray.

The scent of osmanthus in the room had disappeared almost completely, and the cold wind blew in from the window, but there still seemed to be Qi Wang’s breath lingering in the room.

Steady, heavy, like spices and wood burning together.

Yu Nian leaned back, his slender neck curving.

He still felt a bit sore; he hadn’t had any intimate contact with anyone for eight years, so last night was too stimulating for him.

But after intimacy, all that was left was emptiness.

Qi Wang asked him if there would be a next time.

He didn’t know.

Emotionally, he was pitiful, shameless, still longing for the warmth of Qi Wang’s body.

But even if they continued to entangle, what could he gain?

He just wanted to untie the knot in his heart.

The person who made him unable to escape from his nightmare was Qi Wang.

He wasn’t doing well.

So he also wanted to see Qi Wang suffer.

Just that.

But just as the sky darkened, he woke up from his sleep and met Qi Wang’s eyes.

His heart pounded, as if he thought he was dreaming again.

And when he realized this was reality, he felt very cowardly, and for a moment, he wanted to cry.

He knew better than anyone else.

For these eight years, he had never stopped loving this person.

But this was an unhealthy relationship, as his therapist had said. If he wanted to heal, he should learn to let go, not persist in delusion.

After that day, Yu Nian hardly ever opened his message list again.

He didn’t add Qi Wang on WeChat, and when Qi Wang occasionally sent him a text, he didn’t read it, pretending there was no such person. That night was like a traceless dream, leaving no ripples in his life.

But on Monday, he received a call from his brother, asking if he was coming home this weekend.

“You haven’t been back for so long, your sister and I miss you. Since you started working, you’ve been so busy, just like your sister back then. How come our family only produces workaholics?” Pei Zhao was wearing soft pajamas, cooking soup in the kitchen. Since he turned thirty-five, he gradually retired from the business world and focused on managing the rear for Yu Xinli.

He wasn’t very interested in doing business in the first place, although he had outstanding abilities. This wasn’t his passion, but he did it to help Yu Xinli.

Now the group was thriving, and Yu Xinli was killing it on the battlefield, fully capable of taking charge. He was happy to take a back seat and firmly prevent any power struggles within the group.

He got married to Yu Xinli a few years ago.

Yu Nian had seen it coming back then. His brother and sister, who had no blood ties with him, had deep feelings for each other behind his back, but on the surface, they still pretended to be dependent on each other.

A few years ago, these two finally stopped pretending, told their little brother the truth, and got married, holding a low-key and warm wedding.

Yu Nian chuckled as he drove, “I’m coming back. Aren’t I leaving you guys alone for a private world? One more person, and it’ll affect your date.”

Pei Zhao also laughed and said to him, “Don’t talk nonsense. When has anyone at home ever complained about you? If you come back, I’ll make you flower cakes. Didn’t you say they were delicious last time?”

He said this with a sigh, “You’ve really become thin now. Although the fashion industry produces a lot of skinny people, that’s not our family’s style. If you have time, come back and stay for a while. You need proper rest.”

Yu Nian just smiled.

After chatting with his brother for a while, he hung up the phone. When he arrived at the company and checked the samples that had been sent, he sat in his office and continued to read the reports sent by the marketing department. As he read, he drifted off for a while.

Suddenly, he wondered what his brother and sister would think if they knew he had been with Qi Wang recently.

On Friday, Yu Nian left work early and drove home. Yu Xinli had not returned yet, so only Pei Zhao was at home.

Over the years, Pei Zhao showed no signs of fatigue at all, still elegant and refined. He had a minor surgery a few years ago, removing a third of his stomach due to illness, which frightened Yu Xinli. But after being well cared for at home, he looked rosy and healthy, wearing a soft gray sweater and loose trousers. He wore a specially polished seashell bracelet given by Yu Xinli, his hair loose and flowing gently over his shoulders, exuding a gentle and warm aura.

When he saw Yu Nian, he immediately smiled and waved at him.

Yu Nian ran over and found Pei Zhao reading a book about Dunhuang murals.

In recent years, Pei Zhao had developed a liking for antiques, murals, calligraphy, and had become very refined.

Yu Nian didn’t understand these things. Although he was also involved in art, he and Pei Zhao were clearly on different paths.

Pei Zhao closed the book and pinched Yu Nian’s cheek, “You’ve grown up. I didn’t call, and you didn’t know to come back. You’re not as attached to home as you used to be.”

Yu Nian rubbed his head against Pei Zhao’s chest and coaxed, “No, it’s just that I’m too busy with work. Even if you didn’t call me, I would have come back.”

Pei Zhao laughed again and ruffled his hair.

The two of them talked for a while. Yu Nian complained about the unexpected situations he encountered during fashion week and the various problems with the manufacturers. Pei Zhao listened with concern.

It was truly a parental attitude.

Even though their work was much more difficult than before, they didn’t feel it. Now, Yu Nian only experienced a little setback, but Pei Zhao sighed and was full of reluctance.

But as children grow up, they have their own ideas. They couldn’t rely on him and Yu Xinli forever.

He could only pat Yu Nian’s hand and coax him like he did when he was a child, “I made red bean soup in the kitchen. Let me serve you first, but don’t eat too much. We’re waiting for your sister to come back for dinner.”

After Yu Nian had a small bowl of red bean soup, Yu Xinli came home.

She still had her usual powerful and capable demeanor, dressed in a white suit with her hair tied back. She looked very clean and simple, with only a string of seashell beads on her hand, giving off an extremely gentle vibe. Even though she looked gentle, there was still no trace of softness in her.

But when she saw Yu Nian, she smiled, walked over, and touched Yu Nian’s head, treating him like a child.

Yu Nian sighed helplessly. If his sister kept doing this, he’d end up being patted bald by her sooner or later.

During dinner, Yu Xinli also asked Yu Nian about his recent work situation. But as they chatted, she suddenly changed the subject and talked about attending a wedding recently.

She asked Yu Nian, “The wedding was for the second daughter of the Ding family. When you were a teenager, she used to come to our house with her mother quite often. The wedding was quite grand, and there were many guests. I unexpectedly met my high school classmate, Lin Pingxi. Do you remember him? He’s tall, has a good temper, and even helped you with your homework. But later, their whole family immigrated to Canada, and we gradually lost contact.”

Yu Nian vaguely remembered a cheerful and pleasing face.

He nodded, “I remember.”

But he looked puzzled, not understanding why his sister suddenly mentioned this person.

Apart from him and his brother, Yu Xinli’s mind was mostly occupied by work. She only cared about whether attending a wedding involved maintaining social relationships and if there were any benefits. She never cared about gossip, and her enthusiasm for meeting long-lost high school classmates should be limited.

But he soon understood why.

Yu Xinli took a sip of soup and calmly said, “In addition to him, there’s a younger son in their family, twenty-six years old, the same age as you. He showed me a photo, a handsome young man who is currently studying for a Ph.D. in the United States, specializing in archaeology. The most important thing is, he also likes boys.”

This time Yu Nian finally understood, almost choking on his soup.

“You…”

He was speechless, coughing lightly a few times and wiping his mouth with a napkin, looking at his sister in disbelief.

“Sister, when did you become a matchmaker? This doesn’t seem like you. Can’t you just let it go?”

Since he graduated, his brother and sister occasionally worried about his lifelong affairs, but they didn’t dare to force him and only hinted at it.

After all, there was a time when he and his family almost broke up, their relationship reached a freezing point, and he didn’t step into their home for a year.

Although he later reconciled and repaired the relationship, the psychological shadow he left on his brother and sister was not small, and he still had to be careful now.

He heard his sister say, “I’m not forcing you to meet. If you’re satisfied after seeing the photo and have some thoughts, you can ask him out for a meal. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. But this young man seems quite good, and his brother also has the same intentions. I just want to help you two get to know each other.”

Yu Nian didn’t respond, just said, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Yu Xinli shook her head helplessly and stopped persuading.

After dinner, Yu Xinli hurried back to the study for a video conference.

Pei Zhao and Yu Nian played snooker together at home, just to aid digestion.

After playing a few rounds, they moved to the nearby sofa and played chess together.

While playing, Pei Zhao showed his phone to Yu Nian again, “This is the guy your sister just mentioned. He’s really handsome. Don’t you like him?”

Yu Nian glanced at it and almost burst out laughing.

He knew why his sister was promoting him. Although the facial features were not similar, when standing there, the figure and temperament somewhat resembled Qi Wang.

Yu Nian’s expression was somewhat complicated for a moment, holding a “knight” in his hand, his face showing subtle emotions.

This preference of his was almost common knowledge.

The eyes of Li Lai who came to his bedside resembled Qi Wang’s. This time, it was even better, sending someone with a more similar temperament.

He expressed his indifference towards this person.

But this person’s presence still permeated his life.

He moved his chess piece horizontally and casually said, “No need, I don’t want to meet him.”

Pei Zhao took back his phone, his face somewhat embarrassed.

He seemed to want to say something but hesitated, not daring to speak easily.

Seeing him like this, Yu Nian sighed softly in his heart and smiled reassuringly at him.

“I really don’t want to meet him, there’s no other reason,” he said, “You and my sister don’t need to worry about me. Relationships rely on fate.”

Pei Zhao’s expression became even dimmer.

He looked at the chessboard and forced a smile, “Indeed, it’s all about fate.”

After hesitating for a while, his gaze fell from Yu Nian’s slender fingers to his face, and suddenly he asked softly, “Actually, I have a friend who runs an art gallery and knows many artists. It’s a coincidence that his father had some acquaintance with Zeng Nanyue. He mentioned wanting to host a party recently, inviting some artists to promote his newly opened art gallery.”

Yu Nian’s fingers holding the chess piece suddenly tightened, lifting his eyes.

His eyes, as black as the chess pieces, seemed to speak even when silent.

Zeng Nanyue was Qi Wang’s mentor.

^[1]Author’s Note: The part about Xiao Yu’s brother and sister will be explained later. Seeing everyone’s concerns in the comments, but I can’t spoil it. ~ Only Yu Nian … Continue reading