In the blink of an eye, it was the end of January, with only about ten days left until the New Year.

Qi Wang was flying to France, and Yu Nian didn’t originally intend to see him off. They weren’t a loving couple, so there was no need for such clingy concern.

Moreover, Qi Wang had his own driver and a dedicated car, so Yu Nian didn’t need to worry about him.

But in the end, he showed up at the airport in his car, with Qi Wang sitting in the passenger seat.

Qi Wang was wearing a loose-fitting coat that day, with an old scarf draped over his hand.

It was the birthday gift Yu Nian had given him.

The scarf didn’t quite suit Qi Wang’s current style, but he still wore it whenever he traveled from north to south.

“I’ll let you know when I arrive,” Qi Wang said, his hand resting on the car door but hesitating to get out.

People were inherently greedy. He had also survived the past eight years without seeing Yu Nian.

But now, after only reuniting for two or three months, his former calm and rationality had shattered like delicate powder. The brief separation had made his bones numb, making it as unbearable as being poisoned.

But staying would also mean parting.

In a few days, Yu Nian would join his older brother and sister, flying on a private plane to Yu Xinli’s private island in the Caribbean for vacation.

The family planned to rejuvenate themselves on the island and spend the Spring Festival there.

Thinking of Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao, Qi Wang’s heart couldn’t help but sink.

He had promised Pei Zhao and Yu Xinli he would leave, but now he had broken that promise. And if he wanted to stay with Yu Nian for a long time, dealing with family would be a hurdle he couldn’t avoid.

He had no parents, his former family now only consisted of himself, and the only close person he had was Zeng Nanyue. However, Zeng Nanyue himself was a wanderer and would never interfere with him.

But Yu Nian was different.

Yet all the thoughts crossing his mind now couldn’t be expressed to Yu Nian.

Qi Wang didn’t dwell on it further and just murmured, “I’ll be back after the fifth.”

“Okay.”

Yu Nian lowered his eyes slightly, showing no particular expression. Instead, he glanced at the time and urged, “Your flight must be going through security soon, don’t be late.”

A faint disappointment rose in Qi Wang’s heart, but he didn’t show it on his face. He just nodded slightly. “Alright.”

He pushed open the car door, with only an 18-inch leather suitcase with a copper lock clasp in hand.

Before leaving, he bent down again, one hand holding the back of Yu Nian’s head, and his lips met Yu Nian’s.

A brief kiss.

“Happy New Year in advance,” he said.

Yu Nian watched Qi Wang walk away from inside the car.

Since he had accompanied Qi Wang to the airport, he had remained calm, as if Qi Wang’s departure was inconsequential and wouldn’t cause any ripples in his life.

But as he watched Qi Wang disappear, his shoulders began to tremble slightly, his fingertips gradually becoming cold. This chill climbed through his veins, spreading over his body. Despite being in the warm car, he felt like he was in an icy cave.

Many, many years ago.

Qi Wang had left his life in the same manner.

He hadn’t witnessed Qi Wang’s departure in person, but he had seen that blurry footage.

The person he loved had packed his bags and boarded the train. After that, he had come and gone like a spring fog, leaving nothing behind.

And now Qi Wang had disappeared from his sight once again.

Yu Nian stared ahead with empty eyes, the darkness enveloping him. His temples throbbed faintly, and the tranquility he had just managed to find seemed to be crumbling, threatening to drag him back to those years of despair.

In fact, at the moment when Qi Wang pushed the door open to leave, he had almost reached out to grab his hand and say, “Don’t go.”

But he couldn’t.

Reason stopped him.

He wasn’t a child anymore, unable to cry and beg his lover to stay on the phone like he did years ago.

The price of growing up was learning to look ahead and pretend nothing was wrong.

Yu Nian chuckled self-deprecatingly. He glanced again at the entrance, where there was no sign of Qi Wang.

He didn’t delay any longer, started the car, and left the airport.

Qi Wang’s landing at the airport in France had happened thirteen hours ago.

At this time, it was already past five in the evening in France.

He sent a message to Yu Nian first after getting off the plane, then found the car sent by Zeng Nanyue to pick him up.

The driver was a local Frenchman named Noah, in his thirties, with soft brown hair and a cheerful smile. He spoke both Chinese and French, but his Chinese was a bit stiff.

He had been with Zeng Nanyue for almost ten years, so he was familiar with Qi Wang as well. Unlike other staff members, he greeted Qi Wang warmly, “Good to see you again, LIDIO.”

Lidio was Qi Wang’s English name given by Zeng Nanyue. He didn’t care about it himself; the name was just a code for him with no real attachment.

But when he first gained fame in the art world, he used it as his signature, and it wasn’t until he became well-known that the name Qi Wang became familiar to people.

Qi Wang responded with a simple “hm” and greeted Noah back.

On the way to Zeng Nanyue’s villa, Qi Wang looked out at the scenery. There were many cafes lining the streets, with the sunset casting a rosy glow on the pointed roofs and the forever gentle and romantic Seine River. Street performers casually played the guitar, and the whole city seemed, as Hemingway said, like “a movable feast.”

Yu Nian replied to his message with just two words, “Got it.”

Qi Wang’s fingers fiddled with the surface of his phone. He understood that Yu Nian didn’t intend to have a deep conversation with him.

Instead, Noah kept chatting non-stop, switching between Chinese and French, driving away the dullness in the car.

When the car stopped at the entrance of Zeng Nanyue’s house, Noah got out to take Qi Wang’s luggage from the trunk and was about to leave.

But he hugged Qi Wang warmly before leaving. “It’s really nice to see you.”

Qi Wang was accustomed to his warmth and remained calm.

When they first came to France for vacation at the age of 22, encounters with people like Noah, who were naturally outgoing and boundaryless, always made him want to avoid them, feeling very uncomfortable.

But now, after five years, he had surprisingly adapted.

“I’m glad to see you too,” he said calmly, taking out a souvenir from his suitcase. “It’s almost Chinese New Year, and this is a gift for your wife.”

Inside were a set of scarves and a purple clay teapot.

Noah laughed, “Thanks.”

Qi Wang climbed the black steps alone, rang the doorbell, and waited.

After a moment, the door opened, and a spirited old man in a white shirt and a brightly colored waistcoat walked out, holding a pipe. His neatly trimmed white hair gave him a dignified appearance, his eyes were not dull, but bright and calm.

It wasn’t until this moment that Qi Wang showed a relaxed and sincere smile.

“Mentor.”

With a cold wind from outside, Qi Wang stood on the steps of this three-story villa, holding his luggage, looking dusty.

Yet he received a hug from an elder.

“You little rascal,” Zeng Nanyue’s voice was hoarse. “You’ve been wandering around and finally decided to come home.”

Qi Wang smiled and lifted the suitcase, following Zeng Nanyue into the house.

He hung his coat on the coat rack by the door.

These days, Zeng Nanyue had given the household staff some time off, so there were only the two of them in the house.

Zeng Nanyue, holding his pipe, scrutinized Qi Wang up and down, as if inspecting his own creation, with a critical gaze.

But in the end, he nodded in satisfaction and commented, “Your spirit and energy are not bad. Looks like you haven’t mistreated yourself while you were away.”

Qi Wang sat down on the sofa familiarly and poured himself a cup of tea.

The hot tea rolled down his throat into his lungs, dispelling the fatigue from the journey. As Qi Wang returned to his familiar abode, he felt his spirits relax, his demeanor becoming lazy, no longer as tense as a rock.

He remarked casually, “I’ve been taking good care of myself, as I’ve been told.”

Zeng Nanyue scoffed.

He sat down opposite Qi Wang, like any elder engaging in casual conversation. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I gave the chef the day off, so either we go out to eat or you cook.”

Qi Wang teased his mentor, “As soon as the student lands, he’s asked to cook. Isn’t that a bit exploitative?”

“Oh, come on,” Zeng Nanyue retorted with disdain, giving him a sideways glance. “You only slept on the plane. Don’t make it sound like you’ve traversed an entire tropical rainforest.”

“After I finish this cup of tea,” Qi Wang raised his cup, “I’ll make sweet and sour ribs and lion’s head meatballs for you.”

Zeng Nanyue’s face lit up with joy immediately.

Being from the South, he preferred dishes from his hometown. Although he had hired a Chinese chef, sometimes having the student cook himself felt more intimate.

He looked proudly at Qi Wang. “Having a student like you is really good.”

Qi Wang rested at Zeng Nanyue’s place for a day and then went to inspect the hotel he had invested in the next day.

He had a brief meeting with the other two investors, and because of his status, the design and appearance of the hotel were mainly based on his opinions.

Including a series of furniture in the hotel, room styles, down to the patterns on the tableware and the shapes of the faucets, were all approved by him.

This was his first venture into the hotel industry, delving into a new field. Except for the first day, he was almost too busy to see anyone.

Zeng Nanyue had originally wanted to enjoy family happiness, but now he was like a lonely old man. He couldn’t help but complain to his friends when they gathered, “I don’t know why he’s working so hard. He’s so money-minded, nothing like my carefree self. He doesn’t even have a partner. It doesn’t sound like my disciple.”

He was already seventy years old and still received kisses from the landlady when he went to restaurants.

But Qi Wang, on the other hand, didn’t fit in with the romantic atmosphere of Paris, seeming aloof and almost like he was going to become a monk and retire from the world at any moment, yet he was a workaholic.

He was not as popular as Zeng Nanyue.

Other old friends knew his temperament, so they joined in criticizing Qi Wang, but anyone else who tried would be scolded. So, no one echoed Zeng Nanyue’s complaints, just some perfunctory responses, continuing to talk about Dunhuang murals.

Despite the complaints, in the evening, Zeng Nanyue drank his fill, bid farewell to his friends contentedly, and left the small tavern.

Passing by the corner bakery, he greeted the gentle shop owner and bought two croissants and a baguette, which Qi Wang liked.

As he stepped into the house, he found that Qi Wang had actually returned, but it seemed like he had just arrived. There were no lights on inside, and Qi Wang stood by the window with the curtains open, the distant lights flickering, streaming into the room like water.

He wanted to greet Qi Wang, but when he listened intently, he furrowed his brows oddly.

He couldn’t hear what Qi Wang was saying clearly, but he could sense an unprecedented gentleness in his tone.

It seemed that when talking about something interesting, Qi Wang even laughed. Although his voice was very low, the pleasure was evident.

Zeng Nanyue, feeling disrespectful to his age, thought to himself. He could swear on his fifty years of romantic history that this was not Qi Wang’s normal state.

After being his mentor for seven or eight years, he had never heard Qi Wang speak so gently and softly, even a bit cautiously, as if coaxing someone.

He was taken aback for a moment, then silently chuckled, shook his head, and walked away with a smile.

Incredible.

Iron trees do bloom.