During the three-day New Year’s holiday, Lin Hui did not allow He Jian Shan to work.
“Work can spare these three days,” Lin Hui declared importantly.
He Jian Shan thought about it seriously, “I don’t think I’ve ever taken such a long break before.”
He was reading a book when he said this. At 9 o’clock, he and Lin Hui got up to brush their teeth and wash their faces. Lin Hui ordered breakfast, and after they finished eating, the two of them lay back down on the bed.
The curtains in the suite were tightly drawn, letting no light in. He Jian Shan turned on the light and read his book on the bed, while Lin Hui lay on top of him playing with his phone. They chatted sporadically, turning day into night.
Hearing He Jian Shan’s remark, Lin Hui responded, “Well, your break starts now.” His tone was quite imperious.
“What shall we do then?”
“I don’t know. Do whatever comes to mind, or do nothing at all, just waste time.”
He Jian Shan thought for a moment, put down his book, and looked down at Lin Hui earnestly, “Then, can you tell me about the past?”
“Past” referred to the time when he had a secret crush. Ever since Lin Hui confessed his feelings a few days ago, He Jian Shan felt that he had changed, becoming clingier, especially fond of making Lin Hui talk about his crush days.
Lin Hui put down his phone, slightly amused, “Why do you want to hear it again? Are you really happy and proud about it?”
He Jian Shan shook his head, “Sometimes, it feels like we’ve been in a relationship for a long time, so I want to find clues to when I started liking you.”
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been your assistant for too long.” Lin Hui’s gaze softened, “Now entering the ninth year, President He.”
He Jian Shan flipped Lin Hui under him, his fingers slowly tracing Lin Hui’s eyebrows, eyes, nose, and finally stopping at his lips. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “President Lin.”
Lin Hui laughed, “Hmm?”
“Lin Hui.”
“Ah.”
“Lin Assistant.”
“Here, here, here.”
“In those times I didn’t know about, did you ever think we’d have a day like this?”
Lin Hui stroked He Jian Shan’s face, whispering softly, “I thought about it every day.”
“Then tell me more about things that clearly involved me, but I didn’t know about.”
Lin Hui chuckled and shook his head.
He Jian Shan persisted, “There must have been a moment, an unknown moment, when I was moved, but you didn’t know, even I didn’t know. I need to find it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it could have been when you were working, or when you smiled, or maybe while eating or talking…” He paused, then couldn’t help but repeatedly call out, “Lin Assistant… Lin Assistant…”
Lin Hui was going crazy, “Don’t call that—mmh—”
He Jian Shan bent down to kiss him.
The two of them frolicked on the bed until their stomachs growled with hunger. Only then did He Jian Shan and Lin Hui remember it was time for lunch. Lin Hui opened the food delivery app and browsed. Thinking that ordering would take too long but not wanting to go out to eat, he hesitated. Then, an idea struck him, and he told He Jian Shan, “Watch me perform magic and make a pile of food appear instantly.”
He pulled out his phone, opened a WeChat group named “Wan Zhu Pantry,” and sent a message: [Working overtime at the office today, don’t feel like ordering takeout. Does anyone have instant noodles? Seems like there’s none left on the 12th floor.]
“You want instant noodles?” He Jian Shan asked curiously.
Lin Hui smiled and shook his head, “Not eating instant noodles, just wait.”
Since it was a holiday, everyone was quite free. Right after Lin Hui sent the message, many people replied:
Xue Pei: [Lin Assistant, you’re working overtime today? There are two oranges at the front desk, on the table. Feel free to take them if you don’t mind.]
Annie: [Come check our eighth-floor pantry, lots of food in the fridge. @Liu Yun Remember to restock some fast food on the 12th-floor pantry.]
Zhao Xiao Xiao: [Lin Assistant, there’s lots of snacks in the left drawer of my desk, and some really tasty tomato-flavored biscuits!]
Meng Haixia: [Lin Assistant, there are dumplings and noodles in the fridge on the 8th floor, and a small electric stew pot in the cabinet next to it.]
Liu Yun: [@Annie Got it. Lin Assistant, there should be some instant noodles left on the 6th floor, try looking there.]
…
Soon, the screen was filled with continuous WeChat notifications. He Jian Shan read through each one, feeling a bit sour, “Lin Assistant, you’re really popular.”
“You just tell me whether you want to eat or not.”
He Jian Shan hinted delicately, “Let’s keep lunch simple, and tonight when we go back, I’ll cook something nice for you.”
Lin Hui smiled, got dressed, and scavenged the eighth-floor pantry. When he left, he had empty hands; when he returned, he carried lots of stuff, big bags and small, even a bottle of chili sauce.
“I’ll just snack on something. You don’t eat snacks, so I grabbed a bag of dumplings. I remember Xiao Xiao has a little cooking pot.”
“Let’s go to the supermarket this afternoon and restock the fridge for our beautiful ladies on the eighth floor.”
Wan Zhu’s General Management Department and the General Office are on the eighth floor, which has the most girls, and everyone knows the pantry’s fridge there is never empty.
He Jian Shan smiled, “I’ll follow your lead.”
Thus began the New Year, with the top leaders of Wan Zhu relying on their employees’ “help” to successfully scrounge a meal.
In the afternoon, they tidied up to head home. When He Jian Shan habitually thought of taking some documents with him, Lin Hui grabbed his hand, “We agreed no work.”
“I forgot.” He put down the items, and casually rolled up Lin Hui’s sleeves. Lin Hui’s clothes were unfit to wear, so he ended up wearing a spare shirt of He Jian Shan’s from the office, a size too big. Watching his usually immaculate assistant enveloped in his own clothes, a secret sense of satisfaction made He Jian Shan involuntarily smile.
“What are you smiling at?” Lin Hui curiously looked at He Jian Shan. This man really loved to smile now. Just yesterday at the annual meeting, he had heard people whispering, wondering if it was normal for the boss to be so happy, not at all like his usual self.
“I don’t know—” He Jian Shan actually gave it some thought, “I just feel like smiling.”
Lin Hui also smiled, “Then keep smiling, it’s attractive.”
After shopping at the supermarket, they also picked up a box of LEGO: a vintage-style typewriter selected by He Jian Shan, which looked very exquisite and beautiful. Lin Hui mentioned that since they were doing nothing at home, they could assemble it and place it in the Jade Cloud Mountain. Before, he had noticed a vacant stand in the living room corner, and this would fit perfectly there. Upon hearing this, He Jian Shan suggested they might as well cook there, since Jade Cloud Mountain had all the necessary spices and also wine.
Lin Hui nodded, “Then drop me off at home to grab some clothes. We’ll stay there for the next few days, no need to run back and forth.”
He Jian Shan looked at him, “Would you like to live there?”
When they first got together, He Jian Shan wanted Lin Hui to move in, but Lin Hui disagreed. He Jian Shan didn’t insist, but also didn’t want to be apart, so he ended up staying at Lin Hui’s place. Now, however, Lin Hui easily agreed.
Lin Hui knew what he was thinking and smiled, “Back then, I was still getting used to it. Now, I’ve grown a thick skin, and I want to live in a big house.”
“Let’s pick a day to shop for a new one, and design it the way you like.”
“I really like the one at Jade Cloud Mountain, no need to buy another.”
“The study is still not good enough. We could redesign the new house and work face to face.”
Lin Hui was stunned, “He Jian Shan, are you sure a study designed for us to sit face to face and work is still called a study? That’s an office cubicle, okay?”
He Jian Shan burst into laughter.
After returning home, Lin Hui started assembling the LEGO on the carpet. It was supposed to be a collaborative effort, but after a while, He Jian Shan kept distracting him with kisses, seriously hindering their progress. Lin Hui had no choice but to send him off to cook dinner.
While He Jian Shan was busy in the kitchen, Lin Hui put down the LEGO pieces and sent a WeChat message to He Jian Chuan: [Do you have a performance in the next couple of days?]
He Jian Chuan replied quickly: [Yes, I do tomorrow. Bro, are you coming to watch?]
Lin Hui: [Have you thought about inviting your own brother to watch? And maybe invite me along too.]
He Jian Shan: [???? Ah?]
Lin Hui: [Yes, that’s right.]
He Jian Chuan: [……I don’t think my brother would come.]
Lin Hui, puzzled: [Why? Aren’t you protected by him in your music career? It’s only reasonable to invite him to a live show, and besides, didn’t you call me to get you out of the police station once, even though you didn’t think it was weird then?]
He Jian Chuan thought about it and agreed: [Oh, okay then.]
Lin Hui, remembering something, added: [Arrange a more private spot for us.]
He Jian Chuan: [Got it, bro.]
Lin Hui put down his phone and continued with the LEGO. After a while, he heard He Jian Shan call out, “Lin Hui, dinner’s ready.”
“Coming, coming.” He put down the pieces and quickly walked to the dining table.
He Jian Shan had made steak today, and the plating was meticulous; he even opened a bottle of red wine. Lin Hui looked around, turned off the living room lights, leaving only the dining table light on, creating somewhat of a candlelit dinner atmosphere.
The two settled down, Lin Hui took a sip of wine, and said earnestly, “Thanks to you, I think I can now tell the price of red wines.”
He Jian Shan signaled for him to perform a taste test.
“Divide into two categories: expensive, very expensive. The first time I came to your place, that must have been very expensive, today’s is just expensive.” Lin Hui tasted it again, realizing something was off, “He Jian Shan, why has the quality dropped?”
He Jian Shan laughed, “Mainly because today’s steak isn’t that great, it doesn’t match a very expensive wine.”
Lin Hui slowly cut into his steak, “You’re the best.”
“Don’t just talk about me. How’s the LEGO coming along?”
“Without your interruptions, progress is quick.”
He Jian Shan tried to defend himself, “I consider that encouragement, not interruptions.”
“10 minutes for 3 tiny pieces, that encouragement is a bit too time-consuming.”
They talked and laughed, and He Jian Shan’s phone lit up. He glanced down at it, and his expression subtly changed.
Lin Hui noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“He Jian Chuan invited me and you to his performance tomorrow, as a thank you for inviting him to perform at the annual meeting.”
Lin Hui pretended to be oblivious, “Do you want to go?”
He Jian Shan didn’t respond.
“It’s not at the familiar bar, and there might be a mix of people, maybe we shouldn’t go?”
“He said he arranged a more private spot for us.”
Lin Hui cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, “You want to go.” He used a definitive tone.
He Jian Shan looked at Lin Hui, “Did you tell him?”
“If I wanted to go, why wouldn’t I just tell you directly? Why make it so complicated?”
He Jian Shan tapped his fingers on the table, a habitual gesture indicating he was thinking. Lin Hui watched his hand, cut another piece of steak, and was about to put it in his mouth when he heard He Jian Shan say, “Then let’s go and see.”
Lin Hui smiled.
The first day of the holiday, from soy milk and dough sticks in a blue takeaway bag in the morning to steak and red wine in the evening, ended beautifully. At night, He Jian Shan and Lin Hui sat on the couch watching a movie. As they watched, Lin Hui lay on He Jian Shan and began to doze off. Despite being able to work for long hours without feeling tired during workdays, the holiday made him lazy.
He Jian Shan held his hand and pulled the blanket up, calling out, “Lin Assistant, Lin Assistant?”
“Hmm…” Lin Hui tried to respond a few times, his eyes still couldn’t open, “…said no more calling…”
“One last time—”
Lin Hui frowned slightly, silent, seemingly asleep.
He Jian Shan smiled again, leaned down, and kissed Lin Hui softly, whispering:
“I love you so much, Lin Assistant.”
Author’s Note:
I wrote this chapter while on a business trip. In other words, while I was traveling, I arranged a sweet holiday life for the young couple.
Let me see, who’s crying? Oh, it’s me.
