Chapter 28 Magnolia Blossom

Chapter 28 Magnolia Blossom

Zhao Shengge had been standing upstairs for quite some time. Chen Wan stood alone among the glittering crowd. Though he might have preferred to join Tan Youming and the others, since he had been standing there for so long, Zhao Shengge finally spoke up.

The lanterns sparkled; one looked down, the other up, their eyes met, and neither turned away.

Zhao Shengge's face appeared gentle, but backlit, Chen Wan couldn’t be certain. He was more likely to think the beckoning gesture was just his imagination.

Until Zhao Shengge silently mouthed once more, "Come up."

Chen Wan, as though waking from a dream, promptly stepped onto the spiral staircase.

Zhao Shengge introduced Chen Wan to Felipe, saying, "This is Chen Wan." He didn’t mention his job or position, simply stating, "This is Chen Wan."

Luckily, the foreigner’s mindset was also unconventional. Felipe, devoid of any royal pretensions, eagerly shook Chen Wan’s hand and complimented the beauty of the East.

Chen Wan’s looks perfectly matched the traditional Western image of an Eastern beauty—gentle, elegant, and scholarly.

Though Chen Wan wasn’t entirely sure why Zhao Shengge introduced him, he responded with a polite smile.

Soon after, Tan Youming showed up with a large group, all old friends from their time studying abroad. Chen Wan quickly made space for them.

Zhao Shengge hadn’t come for the wine; his main goal was to meet Felipe.

While studying abroad, Felipe had warmly hosted them, and Zhao Shengge also held the Nordic energy market and shipping sector in high regard.

In Haishi, studying abroad was always in vogue, but even among the same cohort, there were hierarchies.

Back then, Zhao Shengge wasn’t the recluse he is today. Overseas, there was a natural bond and solidarity among compatriots. Zhao Shengge was the most esteemed and dependable pillar among the Chinese, far more connected and familiar with everyone than he is now.

But time alters many things.

The young masters who had studied abroad together now gathered, reminiscing about the past—rowing in the Rhine spring races, skiing in the Greater Caucasus during gap years, and exploring, fishing, and watching the aurora in the Baltic Sea during the coldest months...

Chen Wan, standing on the outer edge of the crowd, listened with a touch of envy.

His university years were monotonous and tiresome, racing to finish credits, starting from scratch in entrepreneurship, and enduring the harsh realities of the market and society earlier than his peers. He spent what should have been the best years of his life, the time to enjoy and squander youth, shuttling between drinking sessions and social engagements that led to gastritis and high fevers.

He didn’t find it difficult, nor did he regret it, but he had some regrets—wishing for his top-tier offer with a golden edge, and lamenting never having seen the spirited college student Zhao Shengge who rowed and skied.

As everyone reminisced with enthusiasm, Yao Jianan said, "Back then, those white students from King’s College looked down on us during the skiing competition. In the final race, when the captain led us to sweep the awards, their faces were contorted."

The captain he referred to was naturally Zhao Shengge.

Everyone laughed heartily, recalling the spirited days of their youth, and the atmosphere warmed up instantly.

Yao Jianan was the youngest among that batch of students studying abroad, everyone treated him like a younger brother. This year, he had just graduated with a master’s degree, with a baby face and peach blossom eyes, spoiled at home and very bold.

He hadn’t seen Zhao Shengge for several years. Times had changed, and so had people. Many relationships, friendships, and even the trivial camaraderie of the same period would change with time, interests, experiences, and choices.

After completing his studies and returning home this year, his visiting posts had never received a reply, whether sent in his private name or under the Yao family’s name.

He even suspected that the posts had never reached Zhao Shengge’s eyes.

Tonight’s gathering was a godsend, a timely rain. Yao Jianan’s gaze had subtly drifted towards Zhao Shengge from the moment he entered, but Zhao Shengge seemed to have already forgotten him.

"But after that spring race, the captain rarely took everyone out to play anymore."

Hearing this, everyone felt a bit regretful, agreeing that it was indeed a good time, youthful and spirited, unlike now, hustling and bustling without a moment’s rest.

Zhao Shengge gave a faint smile, offering no response, and then switched to English to converse with Felipe.

Felipe, lacking the pretensions of an old aristocrat, used to hang out with these international students back in the day, so the atmosphere remained warm.

A wine aficionado, he frequently took Tan Youming and a bunch of rich kids into the royal wine cellar during their school days. He asked Zhao Shengge, "Two rounds of wine have been served, which one do you like the most?"

Everyone looked over, and Zhao Shengge said, "The wine hasn't all been served yet. I can't make a judgment in advance."

"Haha, you're still as meticulous as ever," Felipe said, picking up a bottle of dry red with a concentric knot tied around its neck. "This one tastes like butterflies dancing on the tip of the tongue. I didn’t expect Chinese winemaking to reach such heights."

Zhao Shengge glanced at the knot on the bottle’s neck and agreed, "It’s quite good. I like it a lot."

He rarely expressed his preferences so openly in public, and the guests’ gazes instantly turned subtle, filled with envy and curiosity, wondering whose wine had won Zhao Shengge’s favor.

Until someone exclaimed, "Jia Nan, you picked a great wine!"

Chen Wan looked over, his gaze blank. The Mulan Duo he had painstakingly searched for was now prominently labeled with Yao Jianan’s wine tag.

Zhao Shengge also paused, looking at the bottle again, a faint trace of confusion in his eyes.

Chen Wan frowned slightly and quietly beckoned a passing wine steward to ask if he could check where the two bottles of wine he had brought were.

The wine steward quickly checked the system—the Mulan Duo had been placed in a blind box for anyone to pick, while the Chardonnay was on the wine rack for tasting.

They’d been mixed up.

Once in the blind box, whoever picked it owned it.

Whether it was an unintentional mix-up by the wine steward or someone deliberately switching them, it was impossible to tell at the moment.

Chen Wan only regretted not delivering his wine to its rightful place himself.

He shouldn’t have left it to someone else.

Chen Wan’s mind went blank for several seconds, his heart feeling as if it had been soaked in the icy wine vat.

Everyone loudly discussed and praised the rare and excellent wine, lauding its warmth, richness, and aromatic, mellow flavor.

Red berries, black plums, and fermented red fruits, like Chen Wan’s heart—soft and sour.

Yao Jianan hadn’t expected that a randomly picked blind box would catch Zhao Shengge’s eye, and he was overjoyed, as if the heavens were on his side. He smiled, "At the celebration party after we beat the engineering team to win the championship, the captain brought a bottle of dry red with a blackcurrant aroma."

This made it seem as if he had specially prepared it as a tribute to Zhao Shengge, evoking the spirited and exhilarating memories of their youth.

Chen Wan hid behind the crowd, head lowered, unaware of the subtle gaze pressing from the crowd’s center.

The carefully prepared gift had been claimed by someone else, and Chen Wan felt a pang of regret.

To find this Mulan Duo, he had scoured wine cellars big and small across the city, personally tasting over a hundred similar wines. His tongue went numb for days, unable to taste anything, and his skin seemed marinated in the scent of wine.

But Yao Jianan’s tacit acceptance wasn’t wrong either—such were the rules of the wine party. Whoever picked the blind box owned it.

It was Yao Jianan’s wine now.

In the business world, tea, wine, and cigarettes that please people are excellent icebreakers.

Yao Jianan had no reason to turn down this heaven-sent gift.

Chen Wan had no evidence that the wine steward had deliberately switched the two bottles; it might have been a simple mistake, and he certainly couldn’t stand up and claim it was his wine—it would be too undignified. He could only blame himself for not being careful enough.

But then he thought, if Zhao Shengge truly enjoyed it, then it wouldn’t be in vain. His original intention was simply to let Zhao Shengge savor a good glass of wine—a straightforward gesture.

When you care for someone, you naturally want to give them the best, and Chen Wan was no different.

As for who sent it, it didn’t seem so important anymore; after all, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

Felipe asked, "Zhao, considering a tag?"

Each guest at the wine tasting was given a sticker. When they encountered their favorite wine, they could attach it, and then the wine’s owner would choose among these tags, since giving wine is a matter of destiny and mutual choice.

Zhao Shengge glanced at the corner and repeated, "The wine hasn’t all been served yet. I won’t jump to conclusions."

Hearing this, Yao Jianan was somewhat disappointed, and Chen Wan also felt a bit regretful. It seemed that the rare find he had diligently searched for couldn’t entirely captivate Zhao Shengge.