Chapter 37.2
Wang Wenyan affectionately leaned on Su Hui’s shoulder and said, “Aren’t soldiers just so cool? Did you see the mountain fire the other day? Boss Lu seems to know a lot of soldiers. Hey, do you think he’d help us get to know a couple of them if we asked?”
“Wenyan,” Su Hui bit her lip and finally mustered the courage to ask, “What did you mean by what you said that night?”
“Hmm?” Wang Wenyan responded with a lazy tone, “What do you mean? Didn’t you ask your fiancé?”
Su Hui: “I did ask. He said it was just a joke. When I pressed him a bit more, he said he was busy and not to take a joke too seriously.”
Even if he said it was a joke, Cheng Xiwu’s reluctance and evasiveness made Su Hui concerned. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, to the point where she started to think Cheng Xiwu’s reaction seemed guilty.
Su Hui: “I’ve been feeling uneasy these past few days, even nauseous, but I haven’t said anything. I feel like… things aren’t as comfortable between us as they used to be.”
Wang Wenyan: “Just uncomfortable?”
Su Hui: “Maybe more than that… I don’t know. I’m so confused. Wenyan, I’m not very smart and tend to overthink things. Can you just tell me directly what you want to convey?”
“There’s nothing to be confused about.”
Wang Wenyan chuckled lightly, her gaze indifferent as she looked towards Cheng Xiwu. “I’ve already been very direct about what needed to be said. What more do you want me to say?”
“Sweetheart, you might not imagine how dirty trash can be, but you have to accept their existence. Sometimes, the things that shatter your worldview are the closest to the truth.”
It happened to be lunchtime, and Cheng Xiwu, holding back his frustration, wanted to call Su Hui back. However, Su Hui had already left the inn to go back and rest, saying, “I’m a bit tired, so I’m going back to rest now.”
Her figure quickly disappeared outside the inn’s main door. Cheng Xiwu, her fiancé, didn’t go back with her but stayed at the inn to have lunch with everyone.
Wang Wenyan had only taken a couple of bites before setting down her chopsticks.
Yu Le, noticing she was about to go upstairs, asked, “Not feeling well with just this little bit?”
Wang Wenyan: “No, Shui Cai is sitting next to me, and I can’t eat with that dog around.”
Yu Le: “…”
After Wang Wenyan left, Yu Le bent down to pat Shui Cai on the head. “Good boy, don’t listen to her nonsense. You’re the cutest and the best to have around.”
“Woof woof!” Shui Cai didn’t understand him but thought he was playing, happily rubbing against his hand, tail wagging like a propeller.
Lu Yao, seemingly ignoring Cheng Xiwu’s dark expression, tapped the table to remind him. “Eat properly. Finish eating before you pet the dog.”
Yu Le: “Oh.”
Yu Le finally patted Shui Cai’s head, and when he looked up, he noticed Cheng Xiwu’s unwell appearance. “Senior Brother, are you feeling unwell?”
Cheng Xiwu forced a smile. “I’m a bit tired. Worked too late last night and didn’t get enough sleep.”
Yu Le: “You’ve worked hard. Finish eating and get some rest soon.”
Cheng Xiwu nodded, then seemingly casually brought up another topic. “Le Le, do you remember the Chinese restaurant we often went to when we were studying abroad?”
Lu Yao raised his eyes slightly, and Yu Le responded without missing a beat, “Yes, the owner was from Xuan City too. Why?”
Cheng Xiwu: “I heard they closed down and returned to their home country to take care of their grandson. Chinese students still in school have searched everywhere nearby, but no restaurant matches their authentic taste.”
Yu Le: “That’s too bad. They were old and needed to enjoy their family time. It’s a pity for the juniors, haha. Luckily, we graduated early.”
Cheng Xiwu: “It’s okay. There are so many restaurants near the school, and many have good flavors. You don’t remember? We’ve been to almost every one of them.”
He was reminiscing about the past that only involved the two of them, glancing at Lu Yao who seemed like an outsider, quietly eating.
Yu Le smiled. “Of course I remember. I might forget other things, but I can’t forget the food.”
He accidentally picked up a strip of green pepper with his chopsticks and made a face. Out of habit, he quickly placed the pepper into Lu Yao’s bowl.
Lu Yao glanced at him, and Yu Le, with a smile, assured him for the umpteenth time. “Next time, I promise.”
“If you’re picky again, I’ll make a whole meal of green peppers for you,” Lu Yao said, eating the green pepper himself.
The back-and-forth between them seemed as natural as ever, even in front of others.
Cheng Xiwu: “…”
He took a deep breath and said, “Le Le, I heard your design draft submitted to Mr. Song was rejected?”
Time had passed, and Yu Le had accepted the reality and wasn’t as angry as before. He responded calmly. “Yes, Mr. Song’s standards are too high, and my skills didn’t meet them.”
Cheng Xiwu: “A friend of Mr. Song and I had worked together before, and he owes me a favor. If you need, I can ask him to speak with Mr. Song on your behalf.”
Yu Le was taken aback and looked at Cheng Xiwu uncertainly. “Senior Brother, are you saying…”
Cheng Xiwu: “Le Le, I can help you with your work.”
Yu Le was surprised to hear such words from Cheng Xiwu and didn’t know how to respond.
Cheng Xiwu: “Our professions and fields are the same. Whether it’s work content or connections, I can—”
“No need, Senior Brother.” Yu Le, feeling a bit awkward, said, “I appreciate your willingness to help, but frankly, I don’t need that kind of assistance.”
“Working with Mr. Song is a dream for almost every junior in the fashion design field. Because it’s so valuable, it requires the most passionate and sincere approach.”
“If you use connections to help me, not to mention whether Mr. Song would accept it, even if it does work, if I can’t satisfy everyone, it would be unfair to other competitors and a waste of Mr. Song’s effort.”
“Senior Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but this is something I need to handle myself.”
After a while, Cheng Xiwu nodded, saying nothing more, his smile looking somewhat pale.
Lu Yao lowered his gaze to hide his faint smile and pushed the green peppers from the twice-cooked pork to the side.
In the afternoon, it rained for a while, and by evening, the sunset emerged, with a rainbow hanging high over the mountains and the golden sun casting its glow over half of Daiwa Mountain.
Shui Cai was happily rolling in the muddy ground. Once the sun came out, Lu Yao caught him and took him to the yard for a bath. Using a gourd ladle, he poured water over Shui Cai, making muddy water drip down.
Yu Le came back from outside with an ice pop, finding no one in the hall and continuing to the backyard. He immediately saw Lu Yao washing Shui Cai by the well.
Just a few steps away, Lu Yao called out, “Don’t come over yet.”
“Why?” Yu Le asked in surprise, eyes wide with disbelief. “Do you find me annoying?”
Lu Yao: “What?”
Lu Yao: “…What?”
As Yu Le was about to speak, the water dog, now clean of mud, vigorously shook itself off, splashing water everywhere. Lu Yao turned his face away and waited until it finished before saying to Yu Le, “Alright, come over.”
Yu Le, realizing he had misunderstood, happily ran over and crouched next to him.
Lu Yao was wiping the water dog with soapberry water, and spoke to Yu Le: “Am I bothering you?”
Yu Le, feeling a bit embarrassed, touched his nose and said, “I always like to be around you. I thought you might be annoyed with me.”
Lu Yao smiled.
Yu Le: “Are you laughing at me?”
Lu Yao: “No.”
Yu Le: “Then why are you laughing?”
“Because we think alike,” Lu Yao said. “I also like it when you stay close to me.”
Yu Le paused, mid-bite of his ice cream.
Lu Yao gently lifted his elbow with his arm and said, “Your ice cream is about to drip.”
“Oh no!”
Yu Le quickly took a bite from the bottom and even tried to cool his hot face with the ice cream.
Lu Yao: “Eating ice cream right after a meal might upset your stomach.”
Yu Le: “I took a ten-minute break. The sweet and sour fish you made, Boss Lu, was so delicious that I ate a bit too much. My mouth is too salty and needs some sweetness to balance it out.”
Lu Yao: “Is it my fault then?”
“Of course not,” Yu Le said with a grin. “I’m praising you. It’s really delicious, even better than the now-closed restaurant outside my school.”
This was an experience Yu Le hadn’t shared before in his life. He smiled and remained silent.
But Yu Le suddenly asked with bright eyes, “Do you know what I was thinking about when I talked with my senior about our school days?”
Lu Yao: “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking about you,” Yu Le said, not noticing the brief pause in Lu Yao’s actions. “I was thinking it would have been great if you were there back then. We could have attended classes together, had meals together, and explored all the fun spots around school.”
Lu Yao: “You were thinking that?”
“Yes, but it seems unlikely since you were probably still in the army back then.”
Yu Le continued with a smile, “No worries. If we get a chance in the future, I’ll take you to try all the places I’ve been to.”
Lu Yao was still working with the water dog and after a while, asked, “Are you saying you might go back to work there?”
Yu Le: “No, at most it would be a business trip.”
Lu Yao: “With your senior?”
“Of course not, we’re not in the same studio.”
Yu Le added, “Honestly, I was quite surprised that he said those things today. After all, using connections and shortcuts is quite…”
Some adjectives felt inappropriate to use on a friend, so Yu Le cut himself off.
“When he said he could help me with work, you were the first person I thought of.”
Yu Le finished his ice cream and played with the stick on the ground. “Maybe it sounds a bit sentimental, but you’ve given me a lot of experiences I haven’t had before. They’ve become a breeding ground for inspiration, and it’s you who brought them to me.”
Lu Yao looked up at him. Yu Le met his gaze and suddenly had a flash of insight. “I think I haven’t thought of you as much today…?”
Lu Yao’s eyes flickered slightly. “Hmm?”
Yu Le, like a pampered child, said what he felt, unafraid of any reprimand: “Actually, besides these, I also secretly compared you to my senior.”
Yu Le knew this was quite impolite, but he couldn’t help himself, so he said with a hint of apology: “You won’t be upset, will you?”
Lu Yao, of course, was not upset: “And the result?”
“You won,” Yu Le said with a smile. “Both objectively and subjectively, you won.”
Lu Yao followed up: “What’s the objective part?”
Yu Le: “Objectively, you’re more capable. You’re Boss Lu, the all-rounder, and being a soldier who protects the country adds extra points.”
Lu Yao: “And subjectively?”
Yu Le looked down, pressing his lips together: “Subjectively, it’s not very comparable. Do you want to hear it?”
Lu Yao nodded, intrigued.
Yu Le: “…I’m a bit biased towards you.”
Without needing any additional competition, Lu Yao had already won in Yu Le’s eyes.
Yu Le felt a bit shy: “Is it a bit childish? You won’t laugh at me—”
Lu Yao: “I feel the same way.”
Yu Le was interrupted, not following Lu Yao’s train of thought: “You’ve compared me to others too?”
Lu Yao: “Not really.”
Yu Le: “Then what?”
“I’ve thought about you a lot,”
Lu Yao continued with a casual tone as if discussing an everyday matter:
“When you’re out of my sight, I wonder what you’re doing. When you’re in view, I think about when you’ll come over, and once you’re here, I think about how to make you happy and how to spend more time with you.”
The water dog got its head wet again. Both owners were present, so it didn’t dare shake too vigorously, but it still splashed a few drops of water onto Yu Le’s face.
Lu Yao smiled and wiped it off, though it left a damp spot with his warmth.
“Le Le, if there’s any laughing to be done, it should be you laughing at me.”
“After all, compared to you, I think of you much more often.”
