Chapter 58
“Hello, hello, Brother Lu, did you see? Alright! Grandpa, come quickly!”
Shen Yu set up the equipment on the coffee table and helped his grandfather sit down: “Just wait here for a moment, you’ll be able to meet your old friend soon!”
The single-patient room had a foldable table attached to the bed. Lu Yao opened the table, adjusted the bed’s angle to help the old man sit up comfortably, and then set up the tablet on the table.
A promise that had been cherished for so long, and now the two old men were finally meeting through the screen.
As people age, their emotions often run deeper, yet they are less likely to express them with strong emotions.
Two pairs of cloudy eyes looked at each other, and wrinkled faces showed smiles of reminiscence as they greeted each other with familiar old terms and a warm “long time no see.”
There were no tears streaming down, no trembling excitement, just a sense that the past years had been a continuous cycle of meeting, parting, and looking forward to reuniting.
Since there was still a next time, today’s farewell seemed trivial.
Shen Yu slipped back into his room, and Lu Yao quietly left the ward, giving the two old friends space and time to catch up and reminisce.
Shen Yu: [By the way, Brother Lu, I need to tell you something.]
Lu Yao sat down on a public bench in the hallway: [What’s up?]
Shen Yu: [My grandpa also had a comrade-in-arms who might have had an appointment with Grandpa Lu. His surname was Zhang, Zhang Lizao. He passed away due to illness last winter.]
Shen Yu: [I’m just letting you know in case Grandpa Lu asks about it. If he doesn’t, just pretend you didn’t hear. I didn’t tell my grandpa because his health is already poor, and I’m afraid it might upset him.]
Lu Yao: [Got it, I understand.]
Yu Le also sent a message asking about the situation: [Did you meet?]
Lu Yao: [Still busy?]
Yu Le: [Was earlier, now it’s not.]
Lu Yao called directly.
Yu Le, who was sitting in the office drawing sketches, answered the phone as soon as it rang, asking, “Aren’t you with Grandpa? How come you have time to call me?”
Lu Yao: “They’re talking inside; I stepped out.”
Yu Le: “How is it? Is Grandpa particularly happy?”
Lu Yao: “Yes, he’s very happy.”
Yu Le smiled, his pencil spinning on his desk: “Hey, brother, I have an idea.”
Lu Yao leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes relaxedly: “What idea?”
Yu Le: “Since Grandpa still has comrades he hasn’t found, why don’t we take this opportunity to promote it? Maybe it’s a similar situation to Shen Yu’s grandpa, and he might remember.”
Lu Yao thought about what Shen Yu had said earlier and paused for a moment before changing the subject: “Lele, do you want to hear some good news?”
Yu Le was in a good mood: “What is it? Tell me.”
Lu Yao: “Lao Mao went to find his girlfriend.”
Yu Le was surprised: “Did he go to apologize or to reconcile?”
Lu Yao: “Both.”
Yu Le hurriedly asked: “And the result?”
“He got beaten with a broom by his girlfriend,” Lu Yao said. “Then they reconciled.”
Yu Le laughed heartily. He had noticed Lao Mao’s comedic talent when they had dinner together that day.
Lu Yao remembered that morning when Lao Mao took a leave and was on his way to his girlfriend’s house while crying on the phone, expressing how he would treat her well for the rest of his life. He couldn’t help but laugh.
With this distraction, Yu Le completely forgot his sudden idea from earlier.
Outside, people were discussing the fish head hot pot at Wuxiang Food City. Hearing this made him hungry, so he asked Lu Yao: “Shall we go for hot pot tonight?”
Lu Yao: “Sure, what time?”
Yu Le thought about it. Since he could leave work around three or four, he said: “What time do you finish work today?”
Lu Yao estimated he wouldn’t get to the company until after noon and roughly calculated: “It should be around six.”
Six o’clock… Yu Le drummed his fingers on the table, suddenly coming up with an idea: “How about I pick you up after work?”
Yu Le followed through on his word. Shortly after four, he left the studio and arrived at Lu Yao’s company.
Although he had passed by the main entrance several times, it was his first time going inside. His boyfriend’s workplace looked interesting with a filter of familiarity.
He walked to the reception desk. The staff, busy with something, didn’t notice him approaching right away: “Hello, are you here for an interview or to find someone?”
Yu Le replied: “Looking for someone.”
Staff: “Okay, do you have an appointment—”
When the staff looked up and saw who it was, they were momentarily stunned and lost their words.
Yu Le remembered: “I don’t have an appointment, but can I make one now for six o’clock…”
“No need,” the staff’s eyes lit up. “You must be Mr. Yu, right?”
Yu Le nodded.
The staff’s smile became even brighter: “If it’s you, no appointment is necessary. Please follow me, I’ll take you upstairs.”
The staff led him to the CEO’s exclusive elevator, but Yu Le couldn’t distinguish it. He thanked her politely: “Thank you for your trouble.”
“No problem, it’s my pleasure.”
With a smile, the staff watched the elevator doors close, then immediately went back to the reception desk to dial the CEO’s assistant, reporting that Mr. Yu had arrived. She then opened a group chat in the administrative department:
[Report report, first-hand news: the CEO’s spouse is here for a visit!]
In the elevator, Yu Le was still debating whether to call Lu Yao or ask someone for directions. However, as soon as the elevator doors opened, someone was already waiting at the entrance.
“Mr. Yu, hello.”
The person was a young man, neatly dressed and with a refined appearance, exuding a professional demeanor: “My surname is Liu, and I’m Mr. Lu’s assistant. Mr. Lu is currently in a meeting and will be done in about half an hour. Would you like to wait in the office or would you prefer I show you around?”
Yu Le: “We can still tour around?”
Assistant Liu smiled slightly: “Of course. Which department would you like to visit first?”
Yu Le wasn’t sure what to expect; he was unfamiliar with the internal structure of such a large organization. Eventually, he followed Assistant Liu’s recommendation and walked into the Technical Department.
Inside, he ran into an “old acquaintance.”
The person who greeted him was the same R&D staff member who had explained the functions of the glasses during the last video conference: “My surname is Zhou, Zhou Kui. Just call me Old Zhou.”
There were many people in the Technical Department, almost all of whom knew Yu Le. They were curious but also found it impolite to stare at him directly, so they tried to sneak glances while pretending nothing was happening.
Old Zhou proudly pulled out an item: “Come, come, Little Yu, let me show you something cool!”
Old Zhou was about the same age as Lu Yao, a few years older than Yu Le. Given that Yu Le looked young, resembling his younger brother in college, the formal address “Mr. Yu” seamlessly shifted to “Little Yu” after a few conversations.
“What is this?” Yu Le asked, examining the object at the table: “A flying device? Or a drone?”
As soon as Old Zhou brought out the item, others gathered around, seemingly eager to see what was going on.
“This is Old Zhou’s treasure.”
“Yeah, he rarely shows it to anyone. Last time we wanted to take a look, he stubbornly hid it from us.”
“Come on, you just wanted to look at it, not appreciate it. I couldn’t even correct the misconceptions you all had!”
“Teach?” Yu Le didn’t understand: “Does it understand human speech?”
“Of course,” Old Zhou said, turning on the switch. “Watch closely.”
The lights on the wings lit up, and the device actually started flying, circling around Yu Le according to the flight path set by Zhou Kui.
Yu Le: “So it really is a drone.”
“Yes,” Zhou Kui said, “I’m a happy drone. You can call me Caca; that’s the name my dad gave me, and I love it!”
Yu Le: “??? It can talk?”
And it could interact with him?
Caca: “Not only can I talk, but I can also sing. Do you want to hear a song? How about ‘Yunnan Moonlight’? Ready? One, two, three: ‘Oh, a beautiful jasmine flower…’”
Yu Le found it amusing, “Is there a small AI assistant inside the drone?”
“Not quite,” Zhou Kui laughed. “It’s a robot designed to look like a drone. It has strong learning abilities, can communicate easily, and expands its knowledge base while interacting with people.”
“It can even deliver milk tea to the admin department girls and recite cheesy lines!” Someone raised a hand to share: “I saw it with my own eyes. After delivering, it even asked for the girl’s WeChat.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Am I that kind of person? I clearly delivered coffee!” Zhou Kui said.
He kicked the person and then said to Yu Le: “Its intelligent system is quite fun. Let me show you, Caca.”
Caca: “Yes, Daddy, I’m here.”
Yu Le couldn’t help but laugh at the ‘Daddy’ comment.
Zhou Kui: “What do you think of this older brother in front of you?”
Caca stopped in front of Yu Le for a few seconds, its small screen displaying heart-shaped eyes. “Wow, such a handsome older brother. You could be ranked second in the world!”
“Second?” Not being narcissistic, Yu Le was just curious, “Who’s first?”
Caca’s heart-shaped eyes started blinking. “It’s our great handsome boss, Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu is number one in the world. No one is as handsome as Mr. Lu. Compared to Mr. Lu, everyone is less handsome. Mr. Lu is always the most handsome!”
Someone asked, “What if your dad and Mr. Lu were compared? Who is more handsome?”
Caca: “Hmm… I know I should say my dad is more handsome, but Dad, I’m sorry, I can’t go against my conscience. Let’s break off our father-daughter relationship for three minutes.”
The office burst into laughter, and Yu Le couldn’t help but laugh too. This drone was even a fan of his boyfriend.
Zhou Kui rolled his eyes, “It’s all these people teaching nonsense. Caca used to be very innocent. It didn’t even know what ‘handsome’ meant.”
Caca: “I know, I know. An older brother like Mr. Lu is just called handsome! Zoom!”
Zhou Kui: “……”
Others: “Hahahahaha!”
Suddenly, someone called out “Mr. Lu,” and people naturally made way. Yu Le looked up and saw someone walking towards him, dressed in a sharp suit—none other than the “world’s number one” in Caca’s eyes.
“What’s everyone gathering for?” Lu Yao asked.
He usually had a good temper and didn’t harshly criticize his subordinates. Since most people had finished their work for the day, he wasn’t feeling guilty. “Mr. Lu, we’re just admiring Old Zhou’s little drone that flatters you.”
Lu Yao glanced at Caca, understanding the situation.
Seeing Lu Yao, Caca’s eyes lit up with hearts, and it flew enthusiastically around him. “Good afternoon, Mr. Lu! Would you like to marry Caca today? Navigation has started. We’re 13 kilometers from the civil affairs bureau. The elevated road is congested, and driving will take 30 minutes…”
Yu Le was delighted, and a faint smile appeared in Lu Yao’s eyes. “Sorry, Miss Caca, I’m already married. You’ll have to find another older brother.”
Caca was momentarily disappointed but quickly regained its spirits, turning to Yu Le. “Pretty older brother, what about you? Would you marry Caca?”
Yu Le, trying to stifle his laughter, “Sorry, Caca, I’m also taken. If possible, could you find someone else?”
People from the neighboring department came to check out Mr. Lu’s partner, only to see Zhou Kui comforting the drone, “Hey, where is everyone? Where’s the person?”
“Late, buddy.” Someone waved from behind a computer. “The person was just picked up by Mr. Lu himself.”
—
Lu Yao took Yu Le back to the office. Yu Le had planned ahead, squeezing in first and, as soon as the door closed, pinned Lu Yao against it, succumbing to his mischievous side, and planted a firm kiss on Lu Yao’s lips.
Lu Yao showed no resistance. Once Yu Le was done, he leisurely asked, “Feeling particularly enthusiastic?”
Yu Le held onto his tie, genuinely admiring, “Brother, you look so handsome in a suit.”
Because of their different work schedules, Yu Le rarely had the chance to leave with Lu Yao. Even when he did, Lu Yao would casually drape his coat over his arm. This was the first time Yu Le saw him in a full, formal suit.
Elegance and charisma combined perfectly, outlining his flawless figure. The image of a suave businessman fit him perfectly, causing Yu Le’s heart to race. He’d been holding back all the way but couldn’t contain it any longer.
Fortunately, this person was his, to do as he pleased.
Otherwise, he might have been envious.
Lu Yao couldn’t help but smile, then lifted Yu Le and placed him on the desk, leaning on either side of him with a smile, “Take your time to look. Once you’re done, I’ll get back to work.”
Yu Le, satisfied, swung his legs, resting his arm on Lu Yao’s shoulder, “Why do you always like to put me on the desk?”
Lu Yao: “I can’t always make you look up at me; it’s hard on your neck.”
Yu Le: “Wow, how considerate!”
Lu Yao politely said, “It’s nothing.”
Yu Le smiled with his eyes crinkling, enjoying this level view. As he looked, he couldn’t resist pulling Lu Yao’s neck to kiss him.
“Boss Lu,” Yu Le said, pressing his forehead against Lu Yao’s, occasionally pecking at the corner of his mouth, seemingly addicted to kissing, like a kitten begging for food. “Can we discuss something?”
Lu Yao indulged his affection. “Sure.”
Yu Le blinked, “You’re agreeing just like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll extort you?”
Lu Yao: “I’m afraid you won’t.”
Yu Le was about to laugh again. He sighed and hugged Lu Yao, “Why do I always want to laugh when talking to you? It makes me seem so immature.”
Lu Yao didn’t see it that way; he was always like this.
“Go ahead,” Lu Yao said, ruffling his hair. “What do you need?”
Yu Le looked up, “It’s not about needing something. I need you to help me with a favor.”
Lu Yao: “Sure, what favor?”
“Our Mr. Lu is so perfect, it would be a waste not to use him properly.”
Yu Le looked at him with bright eyes, “For the next fashion show, how about you be my closing model?”
