Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Yu He has a fine waist, and he hung off the edge of the bed in a graceful posture.

With his narrow waist suspended in the air, his muscles were taut, outlining a beautiful curve.

Yu He encouraged himself to hold on: "Save me, Boss Fu!"

Fu Yunzhen did not expect that his kick would actually send Yu He off the bed, and he quickly bent down to pull Yu He back onto the bed: "Did you hurt yourself?"

Yu He, with one hand on his buttocks, grumbled in pain: "It hurts so much, rub it for me."

While saying this, he pulled Fu Yunzhen's hand onto his body, asking Fu Yunzhen to rub it for him.

Fu Yunzhen originally thought he had kicked too hard, but seeing Yu He's unserious demeanor, he knew he was pretending. When Yu He pulled his hand forward, Fu Yunzhen became even more certain of this thought.

His leg had just recovered; there was no way he had the strength to kick Yu He off the bed.

This little guy was trying to scam him.

"Has your butt moved to the front?" Fu Yunzhen asked: "Who is the one that loves to act coquettish?"

Yu He, without changing his expression, made up a story: "I pulled my groin."

Fu Yunzhen: "......"

Even though Fu Yunzhen had a strong will to stand up, after extensive, repetitive, and seemingly ineffective training, he inevitably experienced a period of burnout. He used the excuse of the busy New Year preparations to reduce his training time.

Yu He knew that rehabilitation training was a tough battle that required a prolonged effort. He was not in a hurry. When Fu Yunzhen was not training, he would live-stream, study, and give acupuncture to his cat. He was not sure if it was an illusion, but he always felt that his limping cat was not limping as much and its stiff front paw had become much softer.

Things in this world are just so coincidental. It’s like hearing an old song on the radio in the morning and then mysteriously hearing it in other places throughout the day. The name Qiu Yang, which had not appeared in Yu He's ears for two years, has recently been coming up frequently.

That day, Sean took annual leave to come to Yun Su for fun.

The period around the Spring Festival is the busiest time for Jinse Tai, the bar where they work. Many bars and nightclubs are closed for the holiday, but Jinse Tai stays open. Hence, it attracts an astonishing number of customers. To maintain normal operations, Jinse Tai offers high salaries to attract waitstaff to work during this time. Starting from the twelfth lunar month, they pay triple the usual daily wage, and for the seven statutory holidays, they pay five times the usual wage.

Xiao En had always been money-minded. Taking a holiday just when he could have earned triple pay was quite unusual. Yu He thought Xiao En was having a rough time at work and needed some air, so he took a whole day off specifically to accompany Xiao En.

Yu He bid Fu Yunzheng farewell and rode his motorcycle to the café where he had agreed to meet Xiao En.

Xiao En, clad in a camel-colored woolen shirt, was holding a cup of coffee. He smiled upon seeing Yu He: “Every time I see Young Master Yu, he is just as stunning as ever.”

Yu He also smiled, taking off his jacket and throwing it on a chair: “Why are you taking a vacation at this time? Not earning triple salary anymore?”

Xiao En called over the waiter to order an iced cola for Yu He, then said, “Manager Wang gave me time off, especially to relay a message to you. The person who had been inquiring about you at Jin Se Tai has returned to Fengcheng. Manager Wang repeatedly emphasized that you should not go to Fengcheng.”

Yu He asked, “Who is it?”

Sean answered, "Qiu Yang, President Qiu."

"That's quite curious," Yu He said, resting his chin on one hand. "Just a while ago, Mr. Fu mentioned him to me."

Sean sighed, "Better safe than sorry. Ever since the incident with Xiao Jin, all the colleagues became anxious as soon as they heard that President Qiu was coming back. But I heard that President Qiu only takes a fancy to the young ones. Manager Wang even gave a few of us a break."

Yu He was drinking a cola and choked upon hearing this, coughing twice.

Sean, infuriated and embarrassed, glared at Yu He and snapped angrily, "What’s the matter? Just because I started in this industry at nineteen doesn’t mean I can't choose to remain chaste, does it?"

Yu He shook his head vigorously, "No, no, no. I just think you're like a lotus flower that rises unsullied from the mud."

Sean furrowed his brows, his expression complicated. He asked curiously, "Why do all the nice words sound so strange when they come out of your mouth?"

Yu He raised his cola cup to toast Sean, not the least bit ashamed but rather proud. "You're not the first one to say that."

*

On the morning of Xiao Nian, Yu He and Fu Yunzheng were writing Spring Festival couplets in the study.

The inkstone was still the white fluffy Qinglong fish-patterned Duan inkstone.

The ink wasn't Ziyuguang. The two bars of Ziyuguang ink had been used up long ago. Fu Yunzheng had bought a big box of Wang Jinsheng-made Huangshan Tu ink. This box contained thirty-six bars of ink, stored in a black lacquer wood box with gold painting and dragon patterns, looking very expensive.

Fu Yunzheng was very tasteful. He said to Yu He, "This box of ink has thirty-six bars. In the future, we will use one bar every year specifically for writing Spring Festival couplets. By the time this box of Huangshan Tu ink is used up, I will just be 70 years old."

Yu He's index finger slid over the bars of ink, as if the next thirty-six years were just a flick of a finger.

Thirty-six years later, two old men would open this lacquer wood box, take out the last bar of ink, grind the ink in the inkstone with hands as wrinkled as tree bark, and then start writing.

The end of this life’s journey will be written.

"By then, I will be almost sixty years old," Yu He said, his eyes containing a soft, water-like smile. "I won't look as good as I do now."

"Let me see," Fu Yunzheng reached out, placed his index finger at the corner of Yu He's eye, pulled it down slightly to simulate the look of sagging eyelids from aging, looked carefully for a moment, and commented, "Still looks good."

Yu He didn’t realize before that happiness at its peak could also bring a tinge of sadness.

He felt conflicted, wishing time would rush forward so he could use the remaining thirty-six years of his life to prove his unwavering love. Yet, at the same time, he wished time would stand still at this very moment, turning this scene into eternity.

Unfortunately, time is impartial, flowing slowly like a long river, eventually rushing into the sea. It won’t fast forward to the final chapter, nor can it stay in the best of times.

But fortunately, as long as he is with Fu Yunzheng, it will always be the best of times for Yu He.

Yu He tilted his head, and his hair brushed against Fu Yunzheng’s face.

Fu Yunzheng moved his neck, "Your hair is really tough, like little steel needles."

Yu He not only didn't move his head away but instead leaned even more on Fu Yunzheng’s shoulder, “Fu Yao also said we're really clingy. Do you think we'll still be like this when we're sixty?"

Fu Yunzheng asked, "What does 'clingy' mean?"

Yu He explained, "It means being together every day and always having endless topics to talk about."

Fu Yunzheng thought for a moment and then fairly stated, "Who knows about that? If you still talk this much when you're sixty, then yes, we're clingy."

Yu He clicked his tongue, "You think I talk too much."

Fu Yunzheng used his palm to push Yu He’s head away, preventing the hair from prickling his neck, “I often regret that you're not mute.”

"How could I cheer up Mr. Fu if I were mute?" Yu He wrapped his arms around Fu Yunzheng's shoulders, "It's just the two of us here. If I don’t talk to you, you would be so lonely."

Fu Yunzheng finished grinding the ink, personally picked up a brush, and placed it in Yu He's hand, “You write the Spring Festival couplets first. After you finish, we’ll play a game."

The moment he heard they were going to play a game, Yu He's spirits lifted. Holding the brush in his right hand, his eyes gleaming mischievously, he glanced up and down, “What game? Is it the kind I'm thinking of?"

Fu Yunzheng, composed, answered unhurriedly, “Definitely not the kind you're thinking of."

Yu He’s enthusiasm dwindled significantly. He stood up, gathered his energy, and began to write, his initially lazy and laid-back demeanor instantly dissipating. His brush moved gracefully and powerfully, creating elegant and flowing thin gold calligraphy, and he wrote down two lines of characters.

[Spring fills the mortal realm with green mountains, luck brings peaceful seasons to the Cloud Observatory.]

The thin gold calligraphy was indeed elegant. Fu Yunzheng praised the writing and then asked, "What about the horizontal inscription?"

Yu He picked up the brush and confidently wrote four large characters: Prosperity Year After Year.

"Prosperity Year After Year." A subtle smile played in Fu Yunzheng’s eyes as he gently blew on the paper with the horizontal inscription written in gold on red, “That would be perfect.”

Yu He cleaned the brush and returned, placing the Spring Festival couplets on a rack to dry, and asked, "What game were you talking about just now?"

"Let’s make a bet."

"Bet on what?"

"I bet you can’t go an hour without talking to me."

Yu He scoffed, "An hour? I thought you were going to say a whole day. That would just mean taking a nap upstairs."

"Go ahead and sleep," Fu Yunzheng took out his phone and opened the timer app, "I’m starting the timer now."

Yu He made an 'OK' gesture, took three steps back, and turned to leave the study.

Fu Yunzheng tapped on the timer, “Xiao He.”

Yu He turned around, “What?”

Fu Yunzheng showed him the phone, expressionless, "Three seconds."

Yu He was infuriated, walked over, and reset the timer, "That’s entrapment; it doesn’t count."

Fu Yunzheng nodded amiably, "Then next time I talk to you, just ignore me."

Yu He lowered his eyebrows, looked down at Fu Yunzheng from above, "You’re just trying to tease me. If I talk to you and you ignore me, can you do that?"

Fu Yunzheng was left speechless; indeed, he couldn’t do it.

The game ended before it had even properly started. It was clear that Yu He had lost, even though Fu Yunzheng had played a trick.

Through this failed game, Yu He realized that it wasn’t about whether he talked too much or too little. He and Fu Yunzheng were like two resonant stones; as soon as one made a sound, the other couldn’t help but respond. So the result was obvious: they always had endless topics to talk about.

After drying the Spring Festival couplets, Yu He hadn’t had the chance to put them up when he received a call from an unknown number.

On the other end of the line was a gentle female voice: “Hello, is this... Yu He?”

In that moment, Yu He was suddenly struck by a strange sensation. He asked, “Who are you?”

The woman replied, “I am your mother, Xiao He.”

Yu He held the phone, momentarily dazed.

He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a unique connection between mother and child, as he experienced an extraordinary premonition the moment he heard the woman's voice.

Now, his premonition had come true.

His biological parents had finally appeared.

*

Half an hour later, Yu He stood beside a full-length mirror, dissatisfied after changing outfits several times. He sought Fu Yunzheng's opinion: “Is this okay? Is wearing a suit too formal?”

Fu Yunzheng looked at Yu He in the mirror and honestly responded, “You look good in anything.”

Yu He was extremely nervous. He loosened his tie and his gaze fell upon an old photo on the desk: “I wonder what my mom looks like now.”

Fu Yunzheng comforted him, “You're about to meet her, aren’t you?”

Yu He was restless, pacing back and forth: “What should I say when I meet them? Should I call them mom and dad right away? I'm afraid I won't be able to say it.”

Fu Yunzheng asked, “What did Yu Qingyan say?”

Yu He checked his phone: “He hasn’t called me back. He won't be upset about my parents finding me, will he?”

Fu Yunzheng frowned, concerned: “Call Yu Qingyan again. You two get along well; he shouldn’t be ignoring you over this.”

At this moment, Yu He had no mind to worry about whether Yu Qingyan was ignoring him or not.

Yu He had given up on the search for his biological parents a long time ago.

When he had first wanted to find them, he and Yu Qingyan were at odds. Yu Qingyan refused to tell him any information about his biological parents. Later, Yu Qingyan was willing to take him to meet them, but Yu He got cold feet as he approached, always thinking he needed more time to prepare. Then, just as the situation between him and Fu Yunzheng was becoming a hot topic and the internet was filled with slander against Yu He, the plans to meet his biological parents were shelved.

Unexpectedly, they had found him first.

His mother's voice sounded so gentle, exactly like how he had imagined a mother's voice to be.

Yu He bowed his head and dialed Yu Qingyan’s number once again.

After a long wait with the ringback tone playing, the call automatically disconnected.

Just then, Yu He's phone rang again, playing a pleasant ringtone. The screen lit up, flashing the word "Mom."

Yu He grabbed the coat from the hanger and hurriedly said, "They've come to pick me up; I have to go now."

"Xiao He." Fu Yunzheng moved his eyebrows, appearing as if he wanted to say something.

Yu He held his phone, turning to look at Fu Yunzheng.

For some reason, Fu Yunzheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He paused before saying, "Take it slow when you go out, don't rush."

Yu He flashed a radiant smile at Fu Yunzheng, answering the phone as he pushed open the villa's grand door.

The heavy armored door closed, blocking out the sunlight in the garden.

The entrance hall suddenly darkened.