Yu Zi knew that revealing his vulnerability to others was extremely dangerous, but he did it anyway at this moment.

At this moment, he didn’t want to think about the various problems he encountered in business, nor did he want to deal with the sharp criticisms of people like Xu Zhuo. He just wanted to lean on this man’s chest and enjoy the calmness of this moment. Like a snail retreating into its soft shell.

Even if he didn’t understand, whether the embrace of the man behind him was out of pity or for some other reason.

The heavy snowfall lasted for more than a week, and business in their shop became increasingly sluggish.

The money in the account was burning day by day, and the companies Yu Zi contacted were all silent.

Xiao Liu, bored, learned a few signature Western desserts from chef Zhao, feeling quite proud. He said he wanted to show off to Boss Yu and Dongy, but almost set the kitchen on fire. Since then, chef Zhao never allowed him to enter the kitchen again.

Many roads were blocked due to heavy snow, including the route they used for deliveries.

A food supplier that used to supply them daily began saying that their truck couldn’t get out anymore and asked Xie Dongcheng to come and pick up the goods himself.

Yu Zi was a little angry when he heard the news and told Xie Dongcheng not to go, saying he would go and sort it out with them himself. However, Xie Dongcheng shook his head, saying it wasn’t worth getting angry with people over such trivial matters.

Although Yu Zi said he didn’t want to bother, early in the morning, he still went with Xie Dongcheng. They borrowed a small van and drove out into the snow.

When they arrived at the food supplier, Xie Dongcheng stood in front of the rolling shutter door and knocked a few times, but no one came to answer. He checked his phone and indeed had contacted the owner of the place half an hour ago.

“If they called us here, why aren’t they here?” Yu Zi’s patience was running out, and he turned to leave.

“I’ll give him a call.” Xie Dongcheng took out his phone in the cold wind and called the supplier.

The ringing tone quickly came from inside the rolling shutter door; the owner’s phone was left there, but there was no answer.

The cold wind gave Yu Zi a headache. “Let’s go. We’ll come back when the snow stops.”

Xie Dongcheng exhaled a puff of white breath and hung up the phone. “I don’t know what’s going on. You wait in the car for me.”

Unable to persuade him, Yu Zi opened the door of the van and sat in the passenger seat.

It wasn’t warm in the car either. After the engine was turned off, the air conditioning stopped working, and after a while, his legs felt a bit stiff. Yu Zi rubbed his hands together and touched his ears.

He waited in the car for almost half an hour and didn’t see Xie Dongcheng get in.

He couldn’t wait any longer, so he took out his phone and called Xie Dongcheng. It rang five or six times, but no one answered. He opened the car door and got out, only to see Xie Dongcheng running out from behind the shop’s back door.

“Call 911!” He shouted to Yu Zi.

“What’s wrong?”

“The old man fell and got injured in the backyard. I don’t know if it’s a fracture.”

…..

The ambulance arrived at the door of the food supplier fifteen minutes later. Xie Dongcheng helped the nurse lift the old man onto the ambulance.

Then he got on as well, and Yu Zi followed suit, leaving the small van parked at the shop’s door.

Finally, they went to the emergency room of the hospital, where it was confirmed that the old man had indeed fractured his coccyx. It seemed that he had accidentally stepped into a hole while moving goods in the morning and fell into the snow.

Xie Dongcheng paid for his medical expenses and made a phone call to let his relatives come as soon as possible.

In the bitter cold weather, Yu Zi watched him bustling around in the hospital.

He stood at the end of the hospital corridor, watching Xie Dongcheng’s figure come and go. Suddenly, a ridiculous thought popped into his head: So he’s good to everyone like this. That day, he was tossing and turning over a coat, while Xie Dongcheng was so busy.

Yu Zi suddenly felt a little ridiculous.

After the business slowed down, just after the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, Yu Zi closed the shop and let chef Zhao go back to spend the winter vacation with his children. The three of them stayed in the shop, cleaning up and tidying up the tables and chairs.

On New Year’s Eve, Xiao Liu said he didn’t have anywhere to go and asked Yu Zi if he could spend the New Year with them. Yu Zi agreed.

In the evening, the three of them took a taxi back to Xie Dongcheng’s small house in Fangjiayuan.

“It’s great. I used to spend New Year’s alone.” Xiao Liu was a bit excited all the way, chattering non-stop.

Yu Zi suddenly realized that he didn’t know much about Xie Dongcheng’s family and had never heard him talk about his family. Last time he asked about what happened on New Year’s Eve, Xie Dongcheng was also vague.

Although the three of them were busy in the restaurant shop every day, when it came time to have the New Year’s Eve dinner, none of them felt like doing anything. Xie Dongcheng went to the downstairs small restaurant to pack a few dishes and brought them upstairs.

Xiao Liu couldn’t stay still wherever he went. As soon as he arrived at Xie Dongcheng’s house, he took a broom and mop and cleaned the small house spotlessly. It didn’t look like his first time there.

“Wow, these fish have so many babies now?” Xiao Liu was wiping the TV cabinet when he looked up and saw the fish tank next to it. “Last time I was here, there were only a few fish.”

Xie Dongcheng nodded. “One of the mother fish gave birth to over a dozen, but unfortunately, some died halfway through, or else there would be even more now.”

“Uncle Wu also liked keeping fish when he was here.” Xiao Liu stared at the fish tank.

When Yu Zi heard this, he turned to Xie Dongcheng and asked, “Who is Uncle Wu?”

Before Xiao Liu could finish, Xie Dongcheng interrupted, “He’s just a relative of mine.”

It was the first time Yu Zi heard him mention relatives, so he immediately gave him a glance.

Xie Dongcheng added, “A very close one.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Xiao Liu hurriedly nodded in agreement.

“Yu Zi Boss, what about your family? Aren’t they spending New Year with you?” Xiao Liu put down what he was holding and asked.

“They’re not around, and they’re not celebrating the New Year,” Yu Zi didn’t intend to say much. He didn’t know how to explain these things to Xiao Liu.

“Really? Honestly, Yu Zi Boss, I thought you were from a wealthy family. How come even wealthy families don’t celebrate New Year?”

Xie Dongcheng patted him on the back of his head. “It’s none of your business.”

“Why are you hitting me?” Xiao Liu rubbed his head, looking pained.

Three lonely people inexplicably gathered together for New Year’s, but Yu Zi didn’t feel sad. At least at this moment, there was constant laughter in the small house, making it feel more like a New Year than any New Year he had spent since he was fifteen in the suburban villa.

The noisy New Year’s Eve gala was playing on the TV, and the host was introducing the next performing guest. Xiao Liu enthusiastically introduced them to Yu Zi, mentioning every hot male group and rising female star, as if he knew them all.

Xiao Liu said he used to work in an electronics factory, where the employees in the dormitory watched talent shows every night, and he almost memorized them all.

Yu Zi found chatting with Xiao Liu more interesting than watching the skits on TV.

Halfway through the program, Yu Zi remembered there was still a bottle of wine he exchanged points for and hadn’t finished drinking. Since it was a rare New Year’s Eve, he decided to open it and drink with everyone.

Xiao Liu rarely drank, so he poured a little into a tea cup and drank it with his canned coke. Most of the rest was consumed by Yu Zi and Xie Dongcheng.

Yu Zi watched the colorful singers on the small screen, and with the effect of alcohol, he felt a bit sleepy.

“I’m going to bed first.” He stood up, excused himself, then went into the bedroom.

Xiao Liu also felt tired, volunteered to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, then turned to Xie Dongcheng and said quietly, “Dongy, I’ll sleep outside. I understand!”

“What do you understand?” Xie Dongcheng raised his hand to give him a slap, but he agilely avoided it.

The countdown to the New Year hadn’t even started on TV, but in Fangjiayuan, a forbidden fireworks area in North City, even though it was late at night, only faint sounds of fireworks exploding in the distance could be heard.

When Xie Dongcheng entered the bedroom, Yu Zi was already asleep. His back was facing away from him, and his hair looked soft under the dim light.

Normally, Xie Dongcheng didn’t talk much at night, and now that Xiao Liu was staying in the living room, he was even more cautious and didn’t make a sound.

He quietly pulled the curtains closed and turned off the lights in the room, plunging the entire bedroom into darkness.

He lay down on the edge of the bed along the edge, and the bed suddenly felt crowded.

But before he could even close his eyes, a light appeared on the small table by the bed.

Xie Dongcheng looked up and saw Yu Zi’s phone.

Yu Zi’s phone started buzzing. Xie Dongcheng had to sit up straight again.

The phone continued to vibrate on the table, and the incoming call on the screen didn’t have a name, just a long phone number. The caller ID was not from within the country, but from overseas.

Xie Dongcheng picked up his phone and handed it to Yu Zi on the bed. “You have a call.”

Yu Zi buried his head in the pillow, hesitated for a few seconds before turning his head, but didn’t open his eyes. “Whose call?”

Xie Dongcheng replied, “No name.”

“Probably a sales call. Just hang up,” Yu Zi said.

Since he applied for a loan at the bank, he had received countless harassing calls every day, so he was used to it.

Xie Dongcheng could only hang up the call as he said.

But just half a minute after hanging up, the phone started vibrating again, tirelessly.

Xie Dongcheng helped him hang up again, but as soon as he hung up, the call came again. This repeated three or four times.

He asked, “Do you want to answer it?”

By now, Yu Zi had been completely awakened by the noise. He sat up from the bed, took the phone, and was about to press the hang-up button when he suddenly stopped.

He stared at the numbers for more than ten seconds, then suddenly got up with the phone, and went to the balcony.

And in that instant, Xie Dongcheng also realized who the caller was.

He looked at Yu Zi’s back as he walked out, then got up from the bed. Xie Dongcheng stood in the darkness, motionless for about half a minute.