Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Nan Shuyi left the Liu family with the photograph featuring Liu Tan, Principal He, and Jiang Yuan in a three-person group.

As he drove past the street where he had once strolled with Jiang Yicen, he recalled their first visit to the Liu residence together—how he had precisely bought huangjiu, star anise beans, and peanuts to see Liu Tan.

Thinking back now, he had overlooked many details back then. He never asked how he knew Liu Tan's preferences. After all, the man was over ninety years old—how could someone who had spent years abroad know what he liked?

On his way back to Lincheng, Nan Shuyi dialed Zhou Yi's number again.

Zhou Yi: "What's up? Mr. Big Shot, lately you've been so swamped I can't even catch a glimpse of you."

Nan Shuyi could hear noisy background music on his end: "Where are you right now?"

Zhou Yi: "In Lincheng, haven't gone anywhere. My old man recently assigned an assistant to keep tabs on me—won't let me attend banquets, won't let me hang out with just anyone. It's driving me nuts. How can he call my friends sketchy people?"

Nan Shuyi would normally tease him about that, but he wasn't in the mood today.

"Perfect timing then. I'll be back in Lincheng in about an hour and a half. I'll come to your place for dinner—have the food ready."

Zhou Yi exclaimed on the other end: "Oh my god, you're actually not having dinner with your darling wife tonight, the one you're joined at the hip with!"

Nan Shuyi: "I've got something to discuss."

Zhou Yi could tell his voice sounded different from usual—serious. The last time he'd heard him speak like that was the day his father remarried.

Zhou Yi: "Come over, I'll wait for you. We haven't had a drink together in ages. I'll have the chef come over and prepare dinner."

Nan Shuyi: "Alright. There's something only you can help me with." Though his mind was tangled and his emotions complicated, Nan Shuyi was tackling things one at a time.

Zhou Yi: "What is it?"

Nan Shuyi: "I remember you attended a friend's gathering before, and Jiang Yicen was there too. Think you can get the surveillance footage from that night's banquet?"

Zhou Yi: "Banquets don't have surveillance cameras."

Nan Shuyi: "There's gotta be. Ask around—your friend is known for filming everything. It wasn't some hush-hush event; it was a birthday party. Someone would have recorded it on-site or installed cameras."

Zhou Yi: "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

Nan Shuyi: "Thanks."

He'd been running himself ragged over Jiang Yicen lately. At first, he thought Yicen was sick, but now he wasn't so sure. He wondered if the thought creeping into his head was correct—and if it was, what would he do? He wasn't scared of the situation—he was scared of losing him.

After that, he called Assistant Tang.

"Tang Ge, I'm out right now. Can you look into a family from the Republican era for me? I need every detail you can dig up."

"Sure, I'll dig up what I can, or I can consult professionals."

"The Jiang family. They used to be a big-name family in Lincheng, but after the war, the family just disappeared—no one knows why. Nobody talks about them anymore. Oh, and the curator of the war history exhibit at Lincheng University might know something—check with them too."

He recalled the list at the war history exhibition, which included a patriotic donor with the exact same name as Jiang Yicen.

Assistant Tang: "Boss, is this urgent?"

Nan Shuyi: "This can't wait."

He wanted an answer, even if it was the most insane, far-fetched one.

His heart was pounding, and he couldn't even face going home to Jiang Yicen.

·

An hour and a half was plenty of time for Zhou Yi to get the birthday video from six months ago from his friend.

After entering Zhou Yi's house, Nan Shuyi sat silently on the sofa, zoning out. The chef was busy in the kitchen, and the spicy, savory smell of chili chicken filled the room, but Nan Shuyi couldn't care less.

"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Yi walked over and heard Nan Shuyi's stomach growling. "You didn't eat lunch? You're gonna waste away. Even our actresses don't have your kind of stamina."

Nan Shuyi's head was all over the place. He had indeed forgotten to eat lunch today—had barely touched his water.

"Did you get the video?"

Zhou Yi was staring at his phone: "It's sending. Almost done."

Ding.

The whole video just came through.

Zhou Yi hadn't watched it either. He simply handed his phone to Nan Shuyi: "Here, take a look. What exactly are you trying to see?"

He couldn't see what was so interesting about the banquet Jiang Yicen had attended. He even wondered if Jiang Yicen had been showing off back then. Being pretty oblivious himself, he truly didn't understand—he figured it was just Nan Shuyi being territorial over his husband.

Nan Shuyi didn't answer him directly. Instead, he took the phone and eagerly hit play.

The video was ten minutes long. It starts with people milling around the banquet hall until everyone paired up and the room quieted down. Nan Shuyi spotted Jiang Yicen in the video, wearing a light blue suit.

From what he knew of the Jiang Yicen he'd married, that brightly colored suit definitely wasn't in their closet.

The video was super clear—Nan Shuyi could clearly see the expressions on people's faces.

In the video, Jiang Yicen occasionally laughed freely with others, waving his hands around when things got fun. Just as Zhou Yi had described on his blind date day, this Jiang Yicen talked with a very American vibe, throwing in English words left and right. The person sitting across from him wasn't discussing anything difficult, and the two seemed quite at ease.

It wasn't fair to say this "Jiang Yicen" was putting on airs—it was evidence of his six years living in America. Americans always exaggerate their expressions when speaking, and this Jiang Yicen was no different, unlike the more reserved way Chinese people converse.

If one were to say Jiang Yicen was a bit showy—in a setting full of Chinese people, the Jiang Yicen in the video did speak a bit loudly at times, which could come across as "pretentious," especially since many people present didn't have as high an education as he did.

Setting aside whether he was pretentious or not, this "Jiang Yicen" showed clear traces of having genuinely lived in America. His manner of speech and body language bore no resemblance to the Jiang Yicen he knew.

The "Jiang Yicen" in the video switched conversation partners, moving from the sofa to a bar stool. They had a bar at home too, but this "Jiang Yicen" placed both feet on the footrest after sitting down and spun the chair around, lacking the poise of a young master. The Jiang Yicen at home, however, would always brace one leg on the floor to steady the chair whenever he sat on a bar stool. No matter where he was, he maintained perfect posture and would never unconsciously spin a chair in front of others.

Nan Shuyi continued watching the "Jiang Yicen" in the video. He got up to go to the restroom, and the video captured his walking posture. His gait was different from Jiang Yicen's too—this "Jiang Yicen" had a slightly hunched back, shoulders rolled inward, and his spine wasn't held straight. From behind, he didn't look particularly spirited.

A moment later, "Jiang Yicen" returned from the restroom. Nan Shuyi observed his frontal walking posture—he walked with his head down, instinctively avoiding eye contact with others. He then found another sofa and sat down, crossing his legs.

But Jiang Yicen, anywhere outside their home, would never cross his legs if a third person was present. When they first got married, Nan Shuyi would come home to find him sitting with both hands placed properly on his knees while watching TV. Only after they grew closer did he relax his back, hugging a throw pillow as he leaned back on the sofa to watch TV—but he never crossed his legs.

In the ten-minute video, Nan Shuyi saw another "Jiang Yicen." If it weren't for the fact that the two shared an identical face, he would have thought this person wasn't Jiang Yicen at all. In fact, seeing someone wearing Jiang Yicen's face making exaggerated expressions felt deeply wrong to him. His Yicen always smiled with perfect restraint—never letting his features go wild or his expressions become overly dramatic.

It turned out that you really could discern a person's upbringing through their behavior, bearing, and manner of speech. Of course, he wasn't saying the "Jiang Yicen" in the video had no upbringing—just that he fell far short of the real Jiang Yicen. If he had met the "Jiang Yicen" from the video back then, he never would have developed any feelings for him.

Thanks to Jiang Yicen, Zhou Yi had been enjoying considerable prestige in his family lately. Previously, his family disapproved of his involvement in the entertainment industry—some uncles and cousins would even mock him behind his back. Now, they had to praise him whenever they saw him. His parents felt proud, his grandfather had softened considerably toward him, and he had even declared that no one in the family could speak ill of the entertainment industry anymore.

His standards had risen too. He no longer exchanged WeChat contacts with just anyone like he used to, and he approached things with real attitude. As his mother put it, he had grown up.

Previously, he had also followed the crowd in thinking Jiang Yicen's behavior was pretentious. Now, watching the video together with Nan Shuyi, he realized the Jiang Yicen in the video didn't seem all that pretentious—his expression was just more American-style exaggerated. Still, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whether the guy was pretentious or not, he felt the person in the video was vastly different from the Jiang Yicen he knew now. It was like a completely different person.

"How is it that he's changed so much?"

Nan Shuyi watched repeatedly, scrubbing back and forth through the video, trying to discern the personal habits of "Jiang Yicen" versus Jiang Yicen. You can't fake subconscious habits like that.

Half an hour passed...

Nan Shuyi was still watching.

Zhou Yi lounged sideways on the sofa, feeling that Nan Shuyi seemed off, almost fixated.

"Are you hungry? Why don't you eat something first, then keep watching?"

Nan Shuyi nodded. "Mm."

Once dinner was done, Nan Shuyi offered no comments and continued studying the video on his phone, his face as grim as if someone had swindled a billion off his stock portfolio.

It wasn't until Nan Shuyi got up to leave for home that Zhou Yi, who'd already passed out on the couch, gave a lazy wave.

After he left, Zhou Yi groggily scratched the back of his head. "He didn't even stay for one drink. What the hell is he up to?"

Eh, whatever. Since Nan Shuyi got married, he'd been acting plenty weird. He'd get used to it.

·

It was already 8 p.m. when Nan Shuyi left Zhou Yi's place, but he didn't head straight home. Instead, he made another trip to the Jiang family residence, chatted with the housekeeper for about ten minutes before finally returning home.

After all that detouring, Nan Shuyi didn't get home until nearly eleven.

Whenever Nan Shuyi wasn't home yet, Jiang Yicen would always leave the living room light on for him. He'd told him before that the porch light was motion-activated and there was no need, but Jiang Yicen insisted, saying that sometimes he couldn't stay awake, and the living room light could welcome Nan Shuyi home in his place.

He'd gotten used to it by now.

In truth, Jiang Yicen was a deeply romantic person in daily life, but his romance was inherently understated—classic, traditional—not love spoken in words, but love woven into every aspect of life, slowly enveloping a person in affection, like a spring breeze turning to rain, nourishing without a sound.

By this hour, Jiang Yicen was already asleep in his room.

Nan Shuyi went to his own room to wash up, but lying in his own bed, he couldn't fall asleep. After tossing and turning for two hours, still wide awake, he decisively got up, slipped through the walk-in closet, and quietly snuck into Jiang Yicen's bed.

He was quiet, but Jiang Yicen could feel the warmth getting closer, and since his mood had been low lately, he was a light sleeper.

Jiang Yicen mumbled sleepily to Nan Shuyi, "You're back?"

Nan Shuyi pressed up against his back, chin resting lightly on his shoulder. "Mm, go back to sleep."

Jiang Yicen seemed reassured and drifted back into a deep sleep. Nan Shuyi wrapped an arm around his waist, then kissed his neck, but Jiang Yicen didn't stir.

The next morning.

Jiang Yicen woke up because something big poked his thigh, and he shifted forward.

He couldn't help thinking, can't Nan Shuyi change his sleeping habits? At least wear some underwear?

He wanted to get up, but an arm was locked around his waist, and the second he moved, Nan Shuyi woke up.

He'd actually been awake all night and only dozed off near dawn, so he'd only slept about two hours.

Jiang Yicen patted his hand. "Why are you holding on so tight? It's so hot."

He was also at an age with a strong constitution, and cuddling for too long made him hot, especially since Nan Shuyi ran hotter than he did. Winter was fine—cuddling was warm—but in summer, a few minutes of it would have him sweating.

Nan Shuyi let go, his gaze following Jiang Yicen as he got up, watched him put on slippers, watched him walk into the bathroom, waited while he took care of business, then stared at him brushing his teeth and washing his face. He wasn't just watching; it was like he'd stepped into a whole new world where everything was brand new.

Jiang Yicen washed his face differently from others, including him. He moved at a leisurely pace.

He'd wring the towel until it was half-dry, then wipe it slowly from his forehead downward, lingering a bit longer on the corners of his eyes, then his cheeks. After one pass, he'd rinse it again, this time wringing it out completely, then spread it flat and press it gently against his face to absorb the moisture.

Jiang Yicen put away the towel and noticed Nan Shuyi standing at the doorway, staring at him without blinking the whole time.

He found Nan Shuyi's serious look funny, like he was cramming for an exam. "What are you looking at me for?"

Nan Shuyi said, "Some handsome guys look this good even just washing their face and brushing their teeth."

Jiang Yicen: "Enough with the flattery. Go wash up."

Nan Shuyi obediently went to wash up, and when he came out, Jiang Yicen had already changed in the walk-in closet.

Every day going to work was like a fashion show—even the same shirt could be styled differently, classical and elegant.

He wore his watch on his left wrist, and after putting it on, he'd carefully adjust the strap, straighten the cuffs, and button them, making sure there were no wrinkles on his shirt sleeves.

Last night, Nan Shuyi had studied the video of "Jiang Yicen," who wore his watch on his right wrist. He'd never once seen Jiang Yicen wear a watch on his right wrist.

Jiang Yicen noticed Nan Shuyi standing at the doorway again, watching him.

Usually, he might have come over to cling to him, but today his actions were notably restrained, and his eyes held an indescribable hint of scrutiny.

Jiang Yicen walked over, stood in front of Nan Shuyi, and tilted his head to look at him. "You're acting weird today."

But Nan Shuyi suddenly pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly, yet when words reached his lips, he couldn't utter a single one.

He was still a mess, unsure if the person in front of him was another personality of "Jiang Yicen"... or someone else entirely.