But the car had already pulled up to the restaurant door, and Zhang Yunyao and Ying Quanshen were waiting inside. Even if it was the Feast at Hongmen, Yu Nian had to go tonight.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, but after several seconds of getting out of the car, he didn’t see Qi Wang getting out. He bent down and looked into the car, “What are you sitting there for?”

The car engine was off.

Qi Wang sat in the car, his neatly tailored trench coat slightly wrinkled from sitting.

He looked sideways, not saying anything else, just picked up the car keys, “Let’s go.”

As they walked together towards the restaurant upstairs, in the dim corridor, Qi Wang wondered what Yu Nian’s friends would think when they saw him.

Of course, he knew Yu Nian would have communicated and reassured them in advance. No one would embarrass him.

But putting himself in their shoes, if he were Yu Nian’s friend, he probably wouldn’t want to see Yu Nian reconcile with an ex-lover like him. After so many years, Yu Nian had been deeply hurt, and now he was healing.

In just a few minutes of contemplation, they had already arrived outside the private room.

The waiter opened the door, and the bright lights illuminated the predominantly black and white decoration style. In the center was a black square table with several branch-shaped candles on it. Next to it was a beige sofa, where two tall men were already seated.

Qi Wang first saw Zhang Yunyao, as he had known him for some years. Compared to the slender and delicate appearance of years ago, Zhang Yunyao hadn’t changed much, just taller now and no longer looking frail.

But the man on the left was more striking. With silver streaks dyed into his black hair, his features were handsome and deep, casually playing with a black lighter in his right hand. He smiled somewhat absentmindedly, proud yet reckless.

This was obviously Yu Nian’s childhood friend, Ying Quanshen.

Zhang Yunyao and Ying Quanshen heard the noise and turned their heads, both showing smiles on their faces.

Yu Nian hurried forward and was enveloped in a hug by Ying Quanshen, who had already stood up.

In the years in London, not only had Yu Nian grown taller, but Ying Quanshen had also grown for the second time, reaching a height of 1.85 meters, still slightly taller than Yu Nian, looking like Yu Nian’s older brother.

He was already a few months older than Yu Nian, and when he saw Yu Nian, he smiled, looked him up and down, tousled Yu Nian’s hair, and then scolded, “You brat, didn’t you want to see me? How heartless.”

Zhang Yunyao, seeing them hug for quite some time, kicked Ying Quanshen from behind with dissatisfaction. “Can you make some room? Is there no place for me?”

Ying Quanshen graciously made way for him.

Yu Nian hugged Zhang Yunyao briefly and then turned to introduce Qi Wang.

He cleared his throat, “This is Qi Wang. You all know him, so I won’t introduce him further.”

Then he said to Qi Wang, “These are my two best buddies. You know Zhang Yunyao, and this is Ying Quanshen beside him. I’ve mentioned you to him many times.”

Qi Wang and Ying Quanshen locked eyes.

Although they had heard about each other from Yu Nian, they had never met before.

Their eyes met, and Ying Quanshen’s smile faded slightly, imperceptibly.

Qi Wang took a step forward first.

Extending his hand towards Ying Quanshen, he friendly said, “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard Yu Nian mention you before, but you’ve always been abroad, so we haven’t had the chance to meet.”

Ying Quanshen lowered his eyes and, under Yu Nian’s watchful gaze, shook Qi Wang’s hand.

“Hello,” he said, his gaze slightly ambiguous. “I’ve heard your name for a long time, Mr. Qi.”

Although Ying Quanshen appeared amiable, Yu Nian couldn’t help but feel a hint of tension in the air.

After Qi Wang exchanged pleasantries with Zhang Yunyao as well, he pulled everyone to sit down.

“Alright, enough standing around. Let’s sit down and get ready to eat. I’m starving.”

They sat around a rectangular black marble dining table, with Qi Wang naturally sitting next to Yu Nian, and Zhang Yunyao and Ying Quanshen sitting opposite.

Although the initial meeting was a bit awkward, the atmosphere relaxed during the meal.

Yu Nian and Ying Quanshen hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and there were many things to catch up on. Qi Wang wasn’t talkative, but when Zhang Yunyao asked questions, he answered politely and appropriately.

Zhang Yunyao had a cousin who also graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and after some twists and turns, their study times were similar to Qi Wang’s. They could barely be considered alumni and classmates.

Using this as a topic, Zhang Yunyao chatted quite a bit with Qi Wang. Unlike Ying Quanshen’s straightforward temperament, Zhang Yunyao always appeared gentle and calm, regardless of his inner feelings.

Just as they were halfway through the meal, Zhang Yunyao suddenly smiled and said, “Thinking back, it’s really nostalgic. You came to my house for the first time to teach me piano, and it was Qi Wang who brought you. At that time, you were so young, I had just started high school, and you had just come of age, yet you were trying so hard to be my little teacher. Looking back now, it’s like a different world.”

This was the first time they had brought up the past at the dinner table today.

Yu Nian’s chopsticks paused.

Qi Wang also recalled the scene from back then. Later, when he picked up Yu Nian, he waited indoors several times. The two elegant and refined young men playing the piano side by side, even if you didn’t listen to the music, it was as beautiful as a painting.

He nodded, still polite, “I remember back then, Yu Nian was hired by your uncle. He used to be a regular at Morning Ten. Is he doing well these years?”

Zhang Yunyao also smiled, “He’s doing great. He’s still energetic in middle age. A few years ago, he had a little cousin for me, she’s very cute.”

As he said this, he proudly took out his phone to show off pictures of his adorable little cousin.

Yu Nian couldn’t stand him, “You’re showing off more than her real parents.”

Zhang Yunyao shrugged, “I’m just showing off. You guys envy it, anyway, neither of you have sisters.”

Ugh.

Yu Nian and Ying Quanshen grabbed some fruits from the table and threw them at him.

But Qi Wang still went over to look at the pictures of Zhang Yunyao’s little cousin.

She was a seven or eight-year-old girl, wearing a black little princess dress, indeed as cute as a bright and round pearl.

“Very pretty,” Qi Wang commented sincerely, “She looks like your uncle.”

Zhang Yunyao was very pleased to hear that.

The dinner ended without incident, at least for Yu Nian.

He had prepared himself to be questioned and criticized, but neither Zhang Yunyao nor Ying Quanshen brought up anything specific, except for discussing a bit about his and Qi Wang’s past.

However, after dinner, they all went to a familiar bar together to have some drinks.

Yu Nian was chattering with Zhang Yunyao, and even started talking to the tattooed bartender behind the bar about parenting methods for Tasson.

Ying Quanshen sat with Qi Wang, watching the two of them like two loyal background boards.

Ying Quanshen opened his cigarette case and asked Qi Wang, “Want one?”

Qi Wang glanced at him and didn’t refuse.

Ying Quanshen clicked open the lighter and handed it to Qi Wang’s cigarette.

But after lighting the cigarette, there was nothing more to say between them. Although they had exchanged pleasantries just now and talked a bit about Qi Wang’s hotel and Ying Quanshen’s winery, Qi Wang was naturally silent, and although Ying Quanshen was outgoing, they just couldn’t seem to connect.

If they were at school, they would probably be the type of classmates who passed by each other without a glance, treating each other like air.

Ying Quanshen raised his glass and took a sip, feeling the atmosphere a bit awkward.

In fact, he intentionally asked Zhang Yunyao to take Yu Nian away so he could have a chat with Qi Wang.

With his straightforward personality and his protective attitude towards Yu Nian, he should have warned Qi Wang not to hurt Yu Nian.

But after glancing at Yu Nian not far away, he remained silent for a moment before saying to Qi Wang, “Actually, before today, I didn’t really like you.”

Qi Wang turned his head.

Ying Quanshen continued to play with the lighter, his fingers long and powerful, his profile calm and sharp under the ambiguous light.

He didn’t look at Qi Wang, his tone casual, “But there’s nothing I can do. I’m Yu Nian’s childhood friend. This guy grew up under my nose since childhood. I only have one brother at home, he’s really fierce, he used to beat me up for no reason, but Yu Nian is obedient and cute. Although he also makes me angry sometimes, I really treat him like a little brother.”

Ying Quanshen chuckled at this, but soon his tone turned cold again. “But the only time in my life I’ve ever seen him stumble was because of you.”

He finally looked at Qi Wang. He remembered when Yu Nian first met this person, they were chatting incessantly on their phones, although they started off disliking each other, they grew closer and closer, until they were deeply involved.

He said, “Actually, I’m not unaware of your story, how you fell in love, and how you were separated by families… after so many years apart, you never came back to see him. I saw it all.”

“So it’s hard for me to have any goodwill towards you,” Ying Quanshen frowned, shaking the cigarette in his hand over the ashtray, “You probably don’t know, but Yu Nian’s weight was only 105 pounds at his lightest in these years. For a guy who’s over five feet seven inches tall, to be only 105 pounds, you can imagine how thin and weak he must have been, yet he still searched for you all over the place.”

Ying Quanshen recalled this matter, still harboring a deep-seated anger in his heart, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

During those years when Yu Nian was searching for Qi Wang, the hardships and difficulties were not something that could be summarized in a few words. It was a series of hopes followed by disappointments, but at that time, Qi Wang was overseas, closed off as a disciple of Zeng Nanyue.

Ying Quanshen calmed his mood, trying to speak calmly to Qi Wang. “You may not know, but I also helped Yu Nian look for you. I begged my brother to lend me a hand, searching everywhere you might have gone, but we didn’t find you. I was so desperate that I almost went to burn incense and pray… Oh, speaking of which, we could say we have a bit of a relationship.”

Qi Wang listened silently, his chest rising and falling slowly in the noisy bar, even finding it difficult to breathe.

He had always known how Yu Nian had suffered during those eight years, far beyond what could be expressed in just three letters. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

There was much more pain and suffering, which Yu Nian hadn’t told him about.

He said softly, “You’re right. I was once too self-righteous and caused Yu Nian a lot of suffering…”

But Ying Quanshen shook his head at him.

“You don’t need to tell me that. This is between you and Yu Nian,” Ying Quanshen extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, calmly telling Qi Wang, “I’m telling you this just to let you know that Yu Nian has had a really tough time these years, yet even in his suffering, he never truly hated you. So you should treat him well and not let him get hurt.”

“As for me…” Ying Quanshen paused, pondering carefully. His silver-gray highlights were quite conspicuous in the bar, his handsome face sharp and deep, almost a bit arrogant, yet when he spoke, he revealed a rare calmness, “I actually don’t have a stance. Yu Nian’s stance is my stance. If he’s heartbroken because of you, then I dislike you. If he likes you, then I can only accept you.”

Ying Quanshen sighed, thinking he might really owe Yu Nian from a past life. Initially, when he accompanied Yu Nian to look for someone, he almost memorized Qi Wang’s information.

He lifted the tall glass on the table, gently raising it to Qi Wang, trying to be as friendly as possible. “Here’s to peaceful coexistence between us.”

This was the greatest sincerity he could offer.

He couldn’t forget when he was in the hospital taking care of Yu Nian, how Yu Nian looked like a handful of snow, burning with a fever, still calling out Qi Wang’s name.

But what could be done about it?

Throughout the whole night, Yu Nian sat beside Qi Wang, though not overly intimate, his eyes and smile were full of joy. Compared to his pale and thin appearance in the past, he looked much healthier now.

He was just a bystander. Even if he had grievances, even if he had once felt that Yu Nian deserved better, he still had to respect Yu Nian’s choice.

Qi Wang didn’t expect Ying Quanshen to be so lenient towards him.

He looked at Ying Quanshen seriously for a moment before clinking his glass with his. “Thank you,” he sincerely said, “I’ll take care of him.”

Ying Quanshen shook his head, not saying more, just finishing the rest of the drink in his glass.

“Alright, let’s go find Yu Nian and Zhang Yunyao. These two guys never seem to stop chatting,” Ying Quanshen looked towards the direction of the bar, then frowned, “No, why is that big-armed guy rolling up his sleeves towards Zhang Yunyao? What’s the point of getting so close to look at tattoos?”

With a few words, he rushed over, standing behind Zhang Yunyao like a protective mother hen, pinching the back of Zhang Yunyao’s neck like a kitten.

“What are you looking at, smiling so foolishly?” he whispered.

Zhang Yunyao almost rolled his eyes, turned around, smiled insincerely, and squeezed out a thin voice from the corner of his mouth, “Mind your own business, stop bothering me, can’t you see I’m building a relationship with someone?”

Ying Quanshen glanced at the tattooed bartender and sneered, “Your taste is getting worse and worse.”

His gaze was unfriendly, although the tattooed bartender didn’t hear what he said, he was still tactful, smiling at Zhang Yunyao and then calling other regular customers over. Weibo: lazy sprout fofo

Zhang Yunyao was furious and kicked Ying Quanshen directly.

Yu Nian, holding a glass, laughed heartily. Suddenly feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around and saw that Qi Wang had somehow appeared next to him.

The noisy music in the bar had been replaced by an old song at some point.

Yu Nian hummed a few lines lightly, smiling as he met Qi Wang’s gaze. He watched as Zhang Yunyao began stuffing ice cubes into Ying Quanshen’s collar without stopping him, but instead applauding with a smile.