Xu Yu took a pair of new shoes from the shoe cabinet for Su Yuanjiu and made way for him to enter.
Once inside, Su Yuanjiu inquired, “Are you living alone?”
Xu Yu nodded. “Yes.”
“Alone in Lincheng?” Su Yuanjiu asked again.
Xu Yu thought for a moment, “I might have some family.”
The word “might” made Su Yuanjiu glance at Xu Yu, sensing something unsaid, but he didn’t press further and changed the topic to “Just showered?”
Xu Yu’s hair was still damp. “Yes.”
Su Yuanjiu’s gaze dropped to Xu Yu’s pants. “Did the wound get wet?”
Xu Yu shook his head, “No, I was very careful.”
Su Yuanjiu nodded.
Xu Yu led Su Yuanjiu further inside and asked, “What would you like to drink? Coffee or tea?”
“No need,” Su Yuanjiu shook his head. “I have something to do later; I can’t stay long.”
Xu Yu nodded and agreed, but still had Su Yuanjiu sit down, then went to the dining area and took a bottle of water from the fridge.
Returning from the dining area, Xu Yu saw Su Yuanjiu sitting on the sofa, looking at the Lego set on the coffee table that Xu Yu had finished assembling yesterday but hadn’t yet put away.
Xu Yu scratched his chin.
What should he do next?
Xu Yu rarely had unexpected visitors who came up to sit for a few minutes and then left. As a host, he felt a little lost.
Not wanting to keep Su Yuanjiu waiting too long, Xu Yu didn’t think too much and went straight to the living room.
He opened the bottle of water and put the cap back on before placing it in front of Su Yuanjiu, but he didn’t sit down; he just stood nearby.
Su Yuanjiu picked up the water, planning to open it and drink it, but paused and set it down again.
“What’s wrong?” Su Yuanjiu asked.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Yu echoed.
Su Yuanjiu chuckled. “I feel like I’m on a home visit. Why do you seem so restrained?”
Xu Yu gave an “ah” and then sat down on a single sofa beside him.
Su Yuanjiu was technically his boss, so saying it was a home visit wasn’t entirely incorrect.
While Su Yuanjiu drank water, Xu Yu watched him and thought to himself, If there’s nothing to do, should I disassemble and reassemble the Lego set again?
However, once Su Yuanjiu finished drinking the water, Xu Yu felt that the idea was too childish.
“What would you be doing if I hadn’t come?” Su Yuanjiu asked.
Xu Yu said, “I don’t know, maybe watch TV or go to the music room.”
Su Yuanjiu nodded and looked at his phone. “I won’t stay long, about ten minutes.”
Xu Yu nodded in agreement.
Su Yuanjiu tilted his head and looked at Xu Yu. “You seem relieved.”
Xu Yu quickly shook his head, “No, I’m not.”
Su Yuanjiu said, “Then I’ll stay for another half hour.”
Xu Yu nodded. “That’s fine; you can stay as long as you want.”
Su Yuanjiu laughed, “Just kidding.”
Xu Yu hummed in acknowledgment, then added, “I wasn’t relieved.”
Su Yuanjiu suddenly said, “Alright. This home visit is mainly to ask you a few questions.”
Xu Yu blinked and was stunned. “Huh?”
Su Yuanjiu looked down and laughed. Xu Yu realized he was joking and laughed too, playing along. “What questions do you have, Mr. Su?”
Su Yuanjiu said, “Ten minutes, what should we do?”
Xu Yu suddenly felt disoriented.
The dream he had yesterday featured this exact sofa and this exact person.
Unconsciously, Xu Yu’s throat moved.
He followed Su Yuanjiu’s lead and asked, “What do you want to do?”
Su Yuanjiu asked, “Anything is fine?”
Xu Yu’s palms felt hot, and he mentally scolded himself, but outwardly, he remained calm and didn’t dare look Su Yuanjiu in the eye.
Xu Yu nodded. “Anything is fine.”
Su Yuanjiu thought for a moment, “Sing a song for me; is that alright?”
This time, Xu Yu truly felt relieved.
Xu Yu said, “Sure, what do you want to hear?”
Su Yuanjiu glanced at the guitar leaning against the sofa. Xu Yu followed his gaze, picked up the guitar, and casually strummed the strings.
Xu Yu asked again, “What do you want to hear?”
Su Yuanjiu said, “The Snail and the Oriole.”
Xu Yu was slightly surprised. “A children’s song?”
Su Yuanjiu nodded. “Yes, is that okay?”
Xu Yu nodded. “Sure.”
Xu Yu raised his hand to start playing, but Su Yuanjiu suddenly interrupted him and took out his phone, asking, “Can I record it?”
Xu Yu tilted his head slightly, thinking that maybe Su Yuanjiu genuinely liked his singing.
“Sure,” Xu Yu said with a smile.
He seemed a bit happy. Su Yuanjiu placed his phone on the coffee table, and Xu Yu saw him press the start button, so he began to play.
Perhaps feeling a bit shy, Xu Yu didn’t look at Su Yuanjiu the whole time, focusing instead on the guitar and his hands.
Xu Yu played and sang earnestly, while Su Yuanjiu listened attentively.
And he watched Xu Yu intently.
Xu Yu’s freshly washed hair was soft, with some strands sticking up. His lowered gaze made his eyelashes appear very distinct, long, and thick.
Xu Yu’s singing voice was different from his speaking voice, carrying a certain charm that made people unconsciously engrossed. His mouth moved with the cheerful song, giving off a playful vibe. His hair covered part of his ears, and whether it was from the shower or something else, they were slightly red.
Further down, Su Yuanjiu’s eyes focused on a small mole beneath Xu Yu’s earlobe.
The memory was so distant that Su Yuanjiu struggled to merge the two fragments together. Apart from the mole, everything else was blurry, and he couldn’t form a clear image in his mind.
“Once I climb up, it will be ripe～” Xu Yu sang the last line, looked up, and smiled at Su Yuanjiu, then reached over to stop the recording.
Xu Yu looked obedient, “Done.”
Su Yuanjiu clapped lightly. “That was great.”
There was no insistence on staying exactly ten minutes. After Xu Yu finished the song, Su Yuanjiu put away his phone and thanked Xu Yu, standing up.
Xu Yu stood up as well.
Su Yuanjiu said, “I’m leaving. The company people are waiting for me downstairs.”
Xu Yu nodded. “Alright, be careful on your way.”
Xu Yu saw Su Yuanjiu at the door, thanked him again for bringing the medicine, and they said their goodbyes.
Back in the living room, Xu Yu, imitating Su Yuanjiu, also recorded himself singing “The Snail and the Oriole.”
After recording, he listened to it again, then went upstairs.
Before going to bed, he received a call from Zheng Xue, who asked how “My Song, Your Song” was going.
He added, “The last time you came and sang a song, many people asked me about you, wanting to know when you’d come again. I told them you went to record the show. Have you finished recording?”
Xu Yu replied, “It’s done.”
Zheng Xue was pleased. “When will it air?”
Xu Yu said. “At 8:10 PM on the 8th.”
Zheng Xue exclaimed, “That’s next week; not long to wait. I’ll be watching TV then.”
Xu Yu felt a lump in his throat but finally said, “Okay.”
Zheng Xue then asked, “How did it go? Did you get the chance to sing a duet in the later rounds?”
“No,” Xu Yu said self-deprecatingly, “I had the lowest votes.”
“Ah, don’t worry,” Zheng Xue said. “These shows are like that. Votes and talent don’t always match up. Whether you sing a duet or not isn’t a big deal.”
Xu Yu smiled, changing the subject. “I don’t have much to do tomorrow. I’ll come find you in the evening.”
Zheng Xue was excited. “Great, come and sing!”
Xu Yu thought of something and suddenly laughed. “I’ll sing a children’s song for everyone.”
Before bed, Xu Yu browsed Kaoyou Network, checked what he wanted to see, and finally opened Kapow Network. But he didn’t search for anything; he just scrolled through the homepage and logged out.
Then he repeated three times to himself not to dream about Su Yuanjiu.
In the following days, he started working on the studio with Yun Jie, discussing upcoming work, songs to be made, and the recruitment of new members for the studio.
In the evening, when Xu Yu had nothing to do, he would go to Zheng Xue’s place to hang out. Sometimes he just drank, and sometimes he sang a song or two, never more than that, just enough to enjoy himself before stepping off the stage.
Tonight was the same. It was getting late, and after Xu Yu finished his last song and returned to Zheng Xue, Zheng Xue handed him his phone.
Zheng Xue asked, “Someone named Mr. Su is looking for you. What happened? Are you hurt?”
Xu Yu took the phone and saw a message from Su Yuanjiu, someone he hadn’t been in touch with for a long time.
Mr. Su: Is your injury better?
Xu Yu said, “I fell while shooting an ad a few days ago and scraped my knee.”
Zheng Xue was slightly surprised and asked, “Did you cry?”
Xu Yu glanced at Zheng Xue.
Zheng Xue didn’t joke and asked, “Are you better now?”
Xu Yu replied, “Almost. I’ll reshoot the ad in a few days.”
Zheng Xue responded, “Ah, it’s for that JSS ad.”
Xu Yu nodded and sent a message to Su Yuanjiu: It’s almost healed.
Zheng Xue’s tone suddenly became ambiguous, “So, who is this, Mr. Su?”
Xu Yu didn’t intend to hide it, “Su Yuanjiu.”
Zheng Xue was so surprised that the melon seed he was chewing slipped between his teeth, nearly knocking out a tooth. He exclaimed, “Who? Who? Su Yuanjiu? The one I know?”
Xu Yu nodded. “Yes.”
Su Yuanjiu sent another message: Is it convenient? Let me see the wound.
“Tsk tsk,” Zheng Xue saw the message too. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing much, it’s just a work injury. As my boss, he has to show some concern,” Xu Yu shrugged, “probably worried I’ll sue him for compensation.”
Zheng Xue threw the melon seed shell away. “I almost believed you!”
Zheng Xue leaned closer and asked, “Is he pursuing you?”
Xu Yu shook his head, “No.”
Zheng Xue asked, “Then why is he so concerned about you?”
Xu Yu, without blushing or his heart racing, said, “He was there when I fell during the ad shoot. It happened because of him.”
Zheng Xue, interpreting Xu Yu’s words in some way, suddenly understood and felt uninterested. “Oh, I see.”
“But,” Zheng Xue added, “if something happens between you two, that’d be interesting, haha.”
Zheng Xue imagined something again and started clapping his hands, laughing.
The wound was still bandaged, though not as heavily. Xu Yu lifted the gauze to reveal the injury.
Zheng Xue looked closer, “It looks serious. Did you really not cry?”
Xu Yu glared at Zheng Xue. “No.”
Zheng Xue laughed, “I still remember you crying when you fell at the high school sports meet.”
Xu Yu sighed. “You know that was in high school, and I hit my head on a rock. It was very painful!”
“Yes, yes,” Zheng Xue laughed. “I would have cried too.”
Xu Yu replied, “…No need to add that.”
Xu Yu took a photo of the wound, but on the camera, it looked worse than in reality—a bit dirty.
Xu Yu messaged Su Yuanjiu: It’s kind of gross. I better not show you.
Mr. Su replied: I don’t mind. Let me see it.
Xu Yu hesitated for a few seconds before sending the photo.
It was almost midnight, and Su Yuanjiu, who was out of town, was on his way back to the hotel.
After receiving Xu Yu’s photo, he first opened it to look, then zoomed in.
It had healed quite a bit but didn’t seem completely healed.
Su Yuanjiu exited the photo, found a contact named Chen Jinping on WeChat, and sent a message.
Su Yuanjiu: I have a friend who’s injured. Can you check if this wound is serious? Will it be okay to reshoot the ad in a few days?
He sent the photo.
Not long after, Chen Jinping replied.
Chen Jinping: Are you serious, Mr. Su?
Chen Jinping: It’s late at night; I’m almost asleep, and you sent me this?
Chen Jinping: Truth is stranger than fiction, indeed.
Chen Jinping: In my opinion, you should take the person to the hospital. Otherwise, the wound will just heal on its own.
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