Thank you @Ellie-Marie for the Kofi~ (1/2)
For the past two days, Shan Yu hadn’t been sleeping well. Firstly, he couldn’t sleep in a new place, and secondly, he hadn’t seen Yue Lang and the others for years. Although he had been avoiding them, now that they had actually met, there was still a lot to talk about.
Just like before, after dinner, the group went back to the hotel and lazed around on the bed and sofa, drinking and chatting.
“You’ll be stationed in that small town from now on…” Xiao Lu leaned back on the sofa, frowning.
“Hey,” Yue Lang, lying on the bed, pointed at him. “Don’t just banish him like that. Believe it or not, he’ll just go along with what you say and not come back.”
“I do have to stay for a while,” Shan Yu said, sitting in the armchair by the bed, squeezing a beer can in his hand. “The shop is just set up. Business was okay during the last long holiday. It’ll definitely be busy when it starts snowing soon.”
“So you’ll be busy until the New Year before you come back?” Da Kang asked.
Shan Yu paused for a moment, then nodded. “Mmm.”
Yue Lang glanced at him. “Are you going home for the New Year?”
Shan Yu turned his head away, looking at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
This hotel wasn’t close to his home, but from the room on the fortieth-something floor, he could still see the location of his home—the brightly lit residential complex across the street from the square.
“Let us know in advance if you’re coming back or not,” Yue Lang said. “In case my wife and I have nowhere to go for the New Year, we’ll come to your place to celebrate the Spring Festival.”
“We’ll go too,” Xiao Lu said.
Shan Yu looked at him and Da Kang, not speaking for a long time.
“Not welcome?” Xiao Lu also looked at him.
“Didn’t I say before, we should all be well on our own,” Shan Yu said. “You guys should just do what you’re supposed to do…”
“Then how come Brother Lang doesn’t have to be well on his own?” Xiao Lu frowned, a little annoyed.
“I’ve been well on my own for several years too,” Yue Lang said.
“He’s different from you guys. He’s an old fox, he won’t easily get himself into trouble,” Shan Yu said. “You guys are still young. It’s not that there will definitely be trouble, but it’s just better to keep a distance.”
“So we’re not even friends anymore,” Da Kang stood up, walked a few steps, opened the door, and left. “We were friends who hung out together for so many years. Even if I was just a lackey, I shouldn’t be treated like this…”
“Fuck, is that what he means!” Yue Lang shouted. The door was closed. He had to point at Xiao Lu. “You, hurry up, follow him.”
“Mmm.” Xiao Lu sighed and got up to chase after him.
“I’ll say this kind of thing from now on,” Yue Lang looked at Shan Yu. “Those two really see you as a big brother.”
“Mmm.” Shan Yu tilted his head back and finished the beer in the can. He crushed the can in his hand and tossed it into the trash can in front of him.
“Actually, you don’t have to be so… draw a clear line,” Yue Lang said. “I’m even afraid you’ll draw a line with me one day.”
“I won’t. And I won’t with them either,” Shan Yu turned his head away and continued to look out the window. After a moment of daze, he rubbed the corner of his eye with his fingertip. “I’m just afraid they’re not far enough from trouble.”
“They’re doing fine at their jobs now,” Yue Lang said. “I’m here watching over them.”
“You didn’t even invite me to your wedding,” Shan Yu said.
“My wedd…” Yue Lang was stunned for a moment, then pointed at him and cursed, “You son of a bitch! Where the fuck were you when I got married?”
Shan Yu smiled.
“When are you going to give me my wedding gift money?” Yue Lang said as he got up to get a mint from the coffee table and put it in his hand. “Have some wedding candy.”
Shan Yu put the candy in his pocket.
“Get some rest early,” Yue Lang lay back on the bed. “You still have to take a bus tomorrow after having lunch with Qian Yu.”
Shan Yu went to take a shower. His leg could finally get wet, but his hand had to be held up, and it was his right hand.
He hadn’t held his hand up so seriously in school except when he had to go to the toilet.
After showering, he glanced at his phone charging on the bedside table.
“It hasn’t rung,” Yue Lang said with his eyes closed.
Shan Yu smiled without saying anything and fell onto the bed.
“Do you have any idea about this kid? Has he even thought about it that way at all?” Yue Lang said.
“You worry a lot,” Shan Yu said.
“Aren’t you six years old?” Yue Lang said. “It’s better to make these things clear from the beginning, don’t make it too strenuous.”
“I made it clear,” Shan Yu said.
Yue Lang turned to look at him. “What was his attitude?”
An attitude not worth recalling.
“He slapped me,” Shan Yu said.
“You’re…” Yue Lang was stunned and sat up in bed. “How did you make it clear?”
Shan Yu didn’t speak.
Yue Lang stared at him for a while, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Fuck, that’s hilarious.”
“Have some manners, will you?” Shan Yu said.
“So he didn’t quit? Still working there?” Yue Lang lay back down and asked again.
“Mmm,” Shan Yu replied.
“Then there’s a chance…” Yue Lang said.
Shan Yu sighed.
Yue Lang fell silent with him, then started laughing again.
“How much did you drink?” Shan Yu couldn’t help but turn to look at him. “No wonder your wife gets annoyed with you.”
“She doesn’t get annoyed about this,” Yue Lang said, still laughing. “If she knew about this, we could laugh for a whole day.”
“Fuck,” Shan Yu turned back and closed his eyes.
Perhaps because he was going back tomorrow, and had drunk a lot, Shan Yu slept quite well that night.
And he slept until almost noon. When he woke up, Xiao Lu and Da Kang were sitting on the sofa.
“You two…” Shan Yu glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. “Did you not go home, or did you come back again?”
“Didn’t go back,” Xiao Lu said.
“Where’s Yue Lang?” Shan Yu sat up.
“He’s on a video conference in the hallway,” Da Kang said.
“Having meetings while on annual leave,” Shan Yu said. “This foreign company is no good either.”
“But the pay is pretty good,” Xiao Lu said.
There was still breakfast on the table, probably brought back from the restaurant by the two of them.
Shan Yu got out of bed, walked over to them, and stood for a while without speaking, just patting them both on the head.
After washing up, he grabbed a sandwich and finished it in a few bites. “Yue Lang has my new number. Have him give it to you guys later.”
“Mmm,” Xiao Lu replied.
“Let’s go,” Yue Lang came in from outside. “The car the hotel called will be here soon.”
“Is President Yue done with his meeting?” Shan Yu said.
“It was so damn annoying,” Yue Lang said. “President Shan has it good, just throws the shop there and acts like he doesn’t even know the manager.”
“Get lost,” Shan Yu glanced at him.
Yue Lang had booked the restaurant. It was just across the street from their hotel. They arrived twenty minutes later than the agreed time.
Qian Yu was already standing at the restaurant entrance waiting. As soon as Shan Yu got out of the car, he came up to greet him. “Long time no see, Xiao Yu.”
“You’re probably hoping never to see me again,” Shan Yu said.
“What are you saying,” Qian Yu smiled. “That’s impossible.”
The driver brought over Shan Yu’s suitcase. Qian Yu immediately went to take the suitcase. “Why not stay a few more days? You’re leaving already?”
Da Kang pulled the suitcase to his side without saying a word.
“Hurry up, let’s go in,” Yue Lang said. “I’m hungry. We still have to take a bus this afternoon after eating.”
“Let’s go, let’s go, inside,” Qian Yu said with a smile, walking in.
It was noon, so there weren’t many people in the private rooms; most were empty. Their room was at the very end. By the time they got there, it was already very quiet.
The waiter who wanted to follow them in to take their order was stopped at the door by Yue Lang.
“Kang,” Yue Lang tilted his head at Da Kang.
“Mmm.” Da Kang went out and said to the waiter outside, “We’ll order at the front desk.”
The private room door closed, leaving only the few of them inside. Shan Yu sat down in the main seat, and the atmosphere immediately changed.
“Xiao Yu…” Qian Yu pulled out the chair opposite Shan Yu.
Just as he was about to sit down, Shan Yu pointed to the chair next to him. “Sit here.”
“Alright.” Qian Yu walked over and sat next to him.
Yue Lang sat in the seat one away from Qian Yu, turned sideways, and looked at him.
“No,” Qian Yu smiled, then glanced at Xiao Lu standing by the door. “What’s this for? You think I can run away?”
The waiter knocked on the door from outside. When he pushed it open, Xiao Lu blocked it with his foot, leaving only a crack.
“Give it to me.” Xiao Lu took the tea from the waiter’s hand and placed it on the table.
“It’s not like you haven’t run before,” Shan Yu said. “Just taking precautions. My leg just healed, I can’t outrun you.”
Qian Yu gave a dry laugh and glanced at his bandaged hand.
“Let’s settle this,” Shan Yu said.
Yue Lang pulled a printed sheet of paper from his bag and placed it in front of Qian Yu. “Boss Qian, take a look first. The outstanding debt and the guesthouse’s valuation.”
“No need to look, no need to look…” Qian Yu said, but still picked up the paper and looked at it carefully.
Qian Yu had nothing to say about the guesthouse’s valuation. He was the one who had asked Yue Lang to find the architects. Qian Yu stared at the numbers on the paper, looking back and forth, with nothing to say.
“If Shan Yu doesn’t take over the guesthouse, it’s impossible for you to sell it to pay back the money. No one wants that broken place,” Yue Lang said. “This is already considering your difficulties.”
Yue Lang had probably already talked to Qian Yu before. Qian Yu didn’t make any more excuses this time, just nodded. “I really can’t come up with this much money right now…”
“Then sign the IOU,” Yue Lang took out another piece of paper. “We’ll deduct the money you can give today.”
“The money I can give today…” Qian Yu glanced at Shan Yu.
“The hundred thousand you owe Chen Dahu, the utilities you owe, the employee wages you’re behind on, and various repair costs,” Shan Yu said. “Two hundred thousand.”
“Where did Chen Dahu get a hundred thousand from!” Qian Yu shouted.
Shan Yu didn’t speak. He reached out, cupped the back of his head, and slammed it onto the table.
With a “thud,” the cups on the table jumped.
Qian Yu covered his nose, tears of pain welling up in his eyes. “Can’t we talk this out properly!”
“No, I’m in a hurry,” Shan Yu said.
He hadn’t used much force this time. Qian Yu was not Fang Xu, after all.
But when Qian Yu let go of his hand, his nose was still bleeding.
Shan Yu sighed and handed him a tissue.
Yue Lang took out his own pen and placed it on the IOU. “You didn’t have to take that hit. Why bother? You know what kind of person he is. If you’re soft, he’s easy to talk to. If you’re hard, he’ll beat you senseless.”
Qian Yu stared at the IOU for a good half minute before finally picking up the pen.
There was a knock on the private room door.
Xiao Lu opened the door. Da Kang walked in carrying the dishes he had just taken from the waiter and placed them on the table.
Qian Yu signed the IOU and was even forced to press a thumbprint in his own nosebleed on his name.
“Couldn’t you just borrow an ink pad from the restaurant? The finance department must have one,” Yue Lang frowned with disgust.
“In a hurry.” Shan Yu took out his phone and placed it on the table. “Transfer the money, Boss Qian.”
There were still no new message notifications in his phone’s message bar.
Does this manager not want to work anymore!
Qian Yu covered his nose and took out his phone.
The food was served quickly. Da Kang came into the room and sat with Xiao Lu opposite Qian Yu.
Shan Yu didn’t speak, just served himself rice and started eating.
Qian Yu’s nose was a bit prone to bleeding. After a couple of bites, it started bleeding again. He simply put down his chopsticks and sat there in silence.
Yue Lang, Xiao Lu, and Da Kang, however, were eating cheerfully, chatting as they ate, and even made plans to go sing karaoke at night.
The moment Shan Yu put down his chopsticks after finishing his meal, Qian Yu stood up. “Gentlemen…”
“If Boss Qian has something to do, please go ahead,” Yue Lang said. “Thanks for your trouble today.”
Qian Yu didn’t say anything more. He looked back at Shan Yu once, then quickly walked out of the private room, as if afraid he’d be dragged back to headbutt the dishes on the table if he were a second slower.
The IOU and the money. The mission for this extra day was considered complete.
Yue Lang and the others originally wanted to see Shan Yu off at the station, but he refused. “Don’t be so dramatic with the farewell. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”
“Your…” Yue Lang patted his arm. “The side account is the side account. For your main account, delete the people you don’t want to keep. You should use it when you need to.”
“Mmm.” Shan Yu smiled.
When he left the small town, it hadn’t felt that far. Now, on the way back, it felt very arduous. The train to the bus, and the bus was always so chaotic.
He was in an extremely foul mood.
When he got on the bus, he sent a message to Chen Jian. The distance from the station to the guesthouse wasn’t far, but dragging a suitcase and walking there was a bit ridiculous.
[Fa Dan Ke Chen] Arriving soon. Pick me up at the station.
When he got off the bus, Chen Jian hadn’t replied. There was no one at the station.
What the fuck kind of manager is this?
Finally, he called the guesthouse’s front desk. “This is Shan Yu.”
“Boss Shan?” Hu Pan shouted in pleasant surprise. “Why are you calling the front desk?”
“Have someone come over to the station to pick me up. I just got off the bus,” Shan Yu said.
“San Bing is here. He’ll be right over,” Hu Pan said.
“Where’s Chen Jian?” Shan Yu asked.
“Manager Chen took leave today,” Hu Pan said.
“Leave?” Shan Yu was stunned. “What happened to him?”
“He didn’t say. He went back to the village last night,” Hu Pan said. “Maybe something came up.”
The manager ran off?
The limping boss finally got his leg healed, and after a few days away, came back with his hand lame. The few people at the guesthouse were all shocked.
“What happened?” Zhao Fangfang looked at his hand.
“Cut by glass, it’s nothing,” Shan Yu dragged his suitcase into the elevator. “It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
“Have you had dinner?” Hu Pan asked.
“Ate,” Shan Yu said.
After the elevator door closed, he took out his phone and dialed Chen Jian’s number.
Chen Jian had never taken leave before, not even necessarily on his rest days. Suddenly running back to the village was really strange.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service…”
Shan Yu was stunned for a moment, then sent a voice call to Chen Yuluoyan.
No one answered.
“Fuck.” Shan Yu stood in his office for a few minutes, then turned and walked out again.
“Where are you going?” San Bing looked at him. “It’s about to get completely dark.”
“Getting some air,” Shan Yu got on San Bing’s motorcycle. “Haven’t breathed fresh air in days.”
“Your hand…” San Bing was worried.
Before he could finish, Shan Yu had already driven out of the courtyard gate.
The temperature in the small town was several degrees lower than in the city, and the wind was stronger. By the time Shan Yu drove to the village entrance, he felt his hand was numb from the cold.
He parked the motorcycle at Xiao Dou’er’s house.
Xiao Dou’er was drawing in the yard with a piece of chalk. When he looked up and saw it was him, he shouted in pleasant surprise, “Brother Boss!”
“Where are your grandpa and grandma? Are you alone?” Shan Yu got off the motorcycle, entered the yard, and looked around to find no one. Chen Jian wasn’t there either.
“Grandma is sleeping. Grandpa went to watch people play cards,” Xiao Dou’er said.
“Where’s Brother Chen Jian? Isn’t he here?” Shan Yu asked.
“He went to his godmother’s place,” Xiao Dou’er said. “He’ll be back in a bit.”
Chen Jian has a godmother?
This “in a bit” was quite long.
In the meantime, Xiao Dou’er even got tired of playing and went to sleep.
Shan Yu sat in the yard, lost in thought.
When he heard the sound of a motorcycle, he stood up and walked out of the yard.
A motorcycle was coming from the direction of the mountain. When its headlight hit him, the motorcycle suddenly slowed down.
The motorcycle stopped a few meters away from him, and then Chen Jian jumped off.
He took a few steps forward and asked, as if in disbelief, “Shan Yu?”
“Are you night-blind?” Shan Yu said.
“What happened to your hand?” Chen Jian quickly walked up to him.
Shan Yu didn’t speak.
Chen Jian didn’t speak either. His gaze slowly moved from his bandaged hand back to his face.
The night wind blew, and the hair on Chen Jian’s forehead swayed, covering half of his eyes, making his expression unreadable.
It was very quiet all around, with the occasional bark of a dog. You could hear the sound of the river flowing in the distance.
And the sound of Chen Jian’s breathing.
Don’t move.
Shan Yu, don’t move!
…
To hell with it.
Shan Yu was silent for a moment, then still raised his arm and hugged Chen Jian.
