Zuo Chi didn’t have much hope for Sheng Li’s promise not to bother him. He thought that someone like Sheng Li wouldn’t learn to “know when to advance and retreat.” But in the following month or so, Sheng Li indeed did not appear in his line of sight and seldom sent him messages. The three messages he sent were very brief. One was “It’s getting cold, remember to wear more clothes,” another was “Take care and rest.”
The last one was “I miss you.” At that moment, Zuo Chi happened to be holding his phone, ready to respond to a work group message, when he saw Sheng Li’s message pop up and then get deleted.
Zuo Chi thought, this really isn’t like his style.
Although they hadn’t met, being in the same circle, it was impossible to completely block out news about Sheng Li. Besides, they had many mutual friends, and Sheng Li’s name would inevitably come up. Some people genuinely didn’t understand the entanglement between them, while others might have been intentionally probing to satisfy their curiosity.
“Hey, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Sheng Li. What has he been up to lately?”
Zuo Chi said, “I don’t know.”
“He hasn’t contacted you? Last time I saw Zhang Xiaoyun, he said Sheng Li was really out of touch, not having meals or drinks with them for months. Even if he’s busy with work, it shouldn’t be to this extent. Doesn’t hIS father have only one son? It’s all his anyway, no one to compete with. Why work so hard?”
Zuo Chi didn’t think Sheng Li’s changes were because of him; he couldn’t bear that responsibility. “Yeah, we haven’t been in touch for a while. I’m not sure.”
He was also very busy. His new company had just been established, with many rules to set and areas to organize. He had to recruit, acquire business, and negotiate collaborations. Although he couldn’t handle everything personally, he still couldn’t let go.
He had already moved forward and was trying to accept Qin Xu. There were many Alphas around him, but he had never thought about developing anything beyond friendship with them before, so this was a new stage for him. Unfortunately, work took up most of his life, leaving little time for them to be together.
Sometimes, Qin Xu would wait for him at the company for two or three hours. Zuo Chi felt bad and asked him not to wait, suggesting they meet at a restaurant instead. But even then, Zuo Chi couldn’t find time to watch a movie, and during the meal, he took two work calls.
Although Qin Xu said he didn’t mind, Zuo Chi still felt guilty. Several times, when Qin Xu was enthusiastically sharing his experiences abroad, the phone would ring, leaving Zuo Chi unsure of how to handle the situation.
Qin Xu would say, “Go ahead and take the call, it’s okay.”
But after the call, they often forgot the previous topic and couldn’t regain the previous atmosphere.
Now that the company hadn’t yet established a foothold in the industry, Zuo Chi couldn’t afford to neglect his work for the sake of developing a relationship.
His engagement with Qin Xu had been canceled, but they hadn’t announced it publicly, probably because the reason for the cancellation was his separation from the Zuo family. Zuo Yi felt that Zuo Chi’s independence reflected poorly on his parenting.
The collaboration between the Zuo family and the Qin family continued, but without the added layer of a marriage alliance, making the partnership more uncertain.
Zuo Chi heard about the collaboration from Qin Xu. Since cutting ties with the Zuo family, he had stopped following their updates.
Shu Qingyu called him twice, asking if he had come to his senses. She said, “It’s not too late to come home and admit your mistake now. If you wait and regret it later, it’ll be too late.”
Even through the phone, Zuo Chi could imagine her condescending expression from her tone.
He didn’t want to talk much with her. “No need. If I regret anything, it’s that I didn’t leave this so-called home earlier.”
Shu Qingyu, unaccustomed to Zuo Chi speaking to her this way, took a sharp breath. “Zuo Chi, don’t be ungrateful. Running a company isn’t child’s play; it’s not that easy.”
Precisely because it wasn’t easy, Zuo Chi was more determined to achieve something. He wasn’t doing it for anyone else; he wanted to prove it to himself. Regardless of his secondary gender, he wanted to earn his living through his own abilities.
He maintained a high-intensity work schedule until the end of December. On Christmas Eve, he surprisingly got off work early and decided to meet with Cheng Xiangwan, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, for dinner.
Cheng Xiangwan chose a niche Southeast Asian restaurant. Arriving early, he ordered a Thai milk tea and waited while drinking it.
Zuo Chi followed the navigation around the block before finding the restaurant. He parked the car and looked through the glass door, pausing when he saw Cheng Xiangwan.
Cheng Xiangwan was wearing a white down jacket, his soft black hair framing his face. Sipping a drink through a straw, he looked young and innocent, like an eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school.
Seeing Zuo Chi through the glass, Cheng Xiangwan waved at him.
Zuo Chi walked over and sat down. “Have you ordered?”
“Happy Christmas Eve, long time no see.” Cheng Xiangwan opened the menu. “Not yet. I thought if you came later, the food would get cold. The weather has been strange. I was wearing a sweater a few days ago, and now it’s freezing.”
They discussed and picked out five or six dishes, handing the menu to the waiter. The waiter smiled and gave each of them a packaged apple.
Cheng Xiangwan weighed the apple in his hand. “Why aren’t you spending Christmas Eve with your boyfriend?”
Zuo Chi corrected him, “Qin Xu isn’t my boyfriend yet.”
Cheng Xiangwan asked, “After all this time, you haven’t made it official?”
Zuo Chi said, “It hasn’t been that long.”
Cheng Xiangwan innocently remarked, “In that time, I could have met someone, kissed, slept together, and broken up.”
Zuo Chi: “…”
Cheng Xiangwan asked, “What kind of person is he?”
Zuo Chi thought for a moment. “He’s great—gentle, considerate, caring, and generous with compliments. He brings positive energy.”
“High praise,” Cheng Xiangwan said, resting his chin in his hand. “No flaws?”
Zuo Chi shook his head, unable to think of any. “I don’t know.”
Cheng Xiangwan said, “There are no perfect people in this world. If you think he has no flaws, there are a few possibilities. First, he’s acting, creating a perfect facade…”
Zuo Chi responded, “Qin Xu doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“Oh, you’re defending him now, huh?” Cheng Xiangwan teased. “I haven’t finished yet. Even if he is acting, performing perfectly is still difficult. Second, you might be blinded by your feelings, but seeing how focused you are on work, that doesn’t seem likely. Third, you might not know him well enough yet, meaning your relationship needs to progress further.”
Zuo Chi admired Cheng Xiangwan’s analysis, “I’ve just been too busy with work lately.”
“Given your current situation, it’s understandable to prioritize work,” Cheng Xiangwan said. “But you can take the initiative a bit more. Even sending a few more messages counts as giving him signals.”
Zuo Chi pondered this and made a mental note of Cheng Xiangwan’s advice.
They enjoyed their meal, and afterwards, they wandered around the mall aimlessly to digest. They parted ways by the Christmas tree at the mall entrance.
Zuo Chi offered to drive Cheng Xiangwan home, but Cheng Xiangwan smiled, “Someone’s coming to pick me up.”
Zuo Chi asked, “New boyfriend?”
“No, it’s the mixed-race guy I mentioned before,” Cheng Xiangwan said. “His school doesn’t allow students to go out on Christmas Eve, so he’s coming after the dorm check.”
Zuo Chi was surprised, “He’s a student?”
“Yes,” Cheng Xiangwan replied. “He’s over four years younger than me.”
Zuo Chi didn’t ask further. He told Cheng Xiangwan to let him know when he got home, then drove home himself.
At his doorstep, Zuo Chi saw a gift box hanging from the doorknob.
Inside the box was a bouquet wrapped in red paper, tied with a beautiful black ribbon and fairy lights. In the middle, besides the baby’s breath, there was an apple.
The orange lights glowed softly in the dim environment. After a moment’s hesitation, Zuo Chi took the gift box inside.
Who sent it?
He had an idea.
After taking a shower, Qin Xu called with a voice message to wish him a happy Christmas Eve.
Qin Xu shared his day’s activities, “I had dinner with Qin Yanren and the others, then visited Qin Rui at the hospital.”
Zuo Chi asked, “How is Qin Rui?”
“The doctor said the eye movements of a vegetative patient are not conscious actions but instinctive neural responses, so it doesn’t indicate a potential awakening,” Qin Xu explained.
Zuo Chi sighed.
“But there’s still a bit of hope,” Qin Xu added. “What about you? How was your day? Did you eat any apples?”
Zuo Chi glanced at the two apples on the coffee table, “I had dinner with a friend, Southeast Asian cuisine. It was pretty good, the spicy mango shrimp was delicious. I didn’t eat any apples, I was too full.”
“Is that so?” Qin Xu laughed, “Actually, I’m downstairs in your apartment complex with a bag of apples. It’s fine if you can’t eat them now, you can save them for later.”
“Oh,” Zuo Chi said, “I’ll come down now.”
“No need, I’ll come up. Just open the door for me,” Qin Xu replied.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Zuo Chi opened the door, and Qin Xu stood there, handing him an apple from the bag.
Zuo Chi took it, puzzled, thinking: Isn’t the whole bag for him?
“Wish you peace today,” Qin Xu said, handing Zuo Chi another apple, “and peace tomorrow.”
“Peace every day,” Qin Xu placed all the apples in his arms.
“Thanks,” Zuo Chi noticed Qin Xu was wearing a thin gray-green coat and asked, “Aren’t you cold?”
“No, it’s warm in the house and car,” Qin Xu said. “I won’t disturb your rest any longer.”
“Wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
Zuo Chi went to the living room, put the apples in the fruit basket, and grabbed the apple given by the restaurant waiter.
He handed the bright red apple to Qin Xu, “I wish you peace too.”
Qin Xu took the apple, “I’ll eat it when I get home.”
Zuo Chi said, “It looks very sweet.”
Qin Xu repeated with a smile, “Yes, you look very sweet.”
“…I was talking about the apple!” Zuo Chi realized the ambiguity.
“I know,” Qin Xu checked the time on his phone, “It’s getting late. Are you working overtime tomorrow, Saturday?”
“I’m not going to the office, but I have a meeting in the afternoon to discuss investments,” Zuo Chi recalled Cheng Xiangwan’s advice and proactively said, “I’m going to the hospital in the morning, if you’re free… could you come with me?”
Qin Xu had offered to accompany Zuo Chi to the hospital before, but Zuo Chi, being independent, hadn’t specifically asked him to come.
“I’m free,” Qin Xu said. “What time are you going?”
“Around 8:30 in the morning. If we go later, there’ll be a lot of people. Is that too early? If you can’t make it, it’s okay.”
“No problem,” Qin Xu said. “I’ll pick you up at 8:00?”
“Your place is closer to the hospital, I’ll pick you up,” Zuo Chi offered.
Qin Xu paused, then smiled, “Alright.”
After Qin Xu left, Zuo Chi realized they had been talking at the door for a while and thought he should have invited Qin Xu in for a drink.
Having already washed up, Zuo Chi didn’t plan to eat any apples. While putting them in the fridge, he lingered on the beautifully packaged apple. After a moment of hesitation, he unwrapped it and placed it in the bag with the others in the fridge.
The apple did nothing wrong.
