Chen Jian’s dad stood at the entrance of the small motel, a look of confusion on his face.
Shan Yu didn’t know what Chen Jian had just been discussing with his dad, but judging by his dad’s current state, it probably wasn’t anything major. Likely just about why he moved here, why he didn’t tell him, and so on.
How could these topics suddenly make Chen Jian decide to come out right now?
And with such a look of grim determination.
Those two repetitions of “I’m going to say it” were less about informing him and more like pumping himself up, steeling his resolve.
This was the first time since the cast came off his leg that Shan Yu needed to move with such speed. Thankfully, the track star wasn’t running at the moment, just striding forward with grim purpose.
“Chen Jian!” Shan Yu caught up to Chen Jian in a few large strides and grabbed his arm.
Chen Jian was brought to an abrupt halt and turned his head.
Over there, Father Chen also looked over in surprise, seemingly wanting to come towards them.
“What are you doing?” Chen Jian lifted his arm, trying to break free from Shan Yu’s grasp.
“Don’t be rash, listen to me first,” Shan Yu held onto his arm, not letting go, while simultaneously smiling at Father Chen and raising a hand to signal that everything was fine and he should please wait there.
Father Chen hesitated and stopped.
“You can talk later. I need to finish talking to my dad first. If I don’t say it now…” Chen Jian frowned. Being on a public street, he couldn’t struggle too much.
“If you don’t say it now, you won’t be able to say it later,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian looked at him.
“Then don’t say it,” Shan Yu said. “The consequences of an impulsive act may not be something you can bear.”
“Courage or impulse, the consequences are probably not that different,” Chen Jian said. “I…”
“I’m going to let go now,” Shan Yu looked at him. “Promise me you won’t go over, that you’ll hear me out. If you dare to go over the moment I let go, I’ll knock you out in less than half a second, and I guarantee you won’t be able to dodge it.”
Chen Jian was silent for two seconds before replying, “Okay.”
Shan Yu released his hand and turned to walk towards the car. “Come here.”
Chen Jian looked at his dad, who had a worried expression. After all, he only knew this was the boss, but he didn’t know what was happening. Now the boss was getting physical, would he lose his job…
It’s fine. Chen Jian mouthed the words to his dad before following Shan Yu back to the car door.
The car blocked his dad’s line of sight. The moment he was out of his father’s gaze, the courage to say everything dissipated by more than half.
He suddenly felt dejected and wronged, but hidden beneath these tangled emotions was also a sense of relief from being forced to retreat.
When he realized this, he felt even more dejected.
He looked at Shan Yu in silence.
“Some things can be done on impulse,” Shan Yu said. “Some things require careful consideration, groundwork, and maybe even avoidance for protection.”
“I don’t understand,” Chen Jian’s voice was muffled.
“How are you going to tell him? That you’re dating your boss?” Shan Yu asked. “And then what? Is the New Year celebration over? OK, you’re not celebrating, I’m not celebrating, are you going to stop your dad from celebrating too? What’s his situation right now? He lost his job, right? The apartment he was renting is gone, and he’s living in this place. At a time like this, you’re going to tell him not to celebrate the New Year?”
“He’s always felt that I’ve had it too hard, that my life isn’t good, that he’s a burden on me. He’s afraid I’ll lose my job, afraid I’ll offend my boss,” Chen Jian’s voice trembled uncontrollably when he talked about these things, and he had to lower it. “I just want him to know that I’m doing well, that the boss won’t give me a hard time, that he can work without worry, and that he can tell me if something’s wrong, so he doesn’t have to live so miserably… He hasn’t even been paid, and he still deposited four thousand yuan into the repayment card this month…”
“Then let him see,” Shan Yu looked at him. “See what your workplace is like, what your boss is like, what your colleagues are like, how you work, and how you live.”
Chen Jian sniffled and didn’t speak.
“I can’t explain everything to you right now,” Shan Yu opened the car door and took out the New Year’s goods from the back seat. “I’m going to go talk to him now.”
“What?” Chen Jian came back to his senses and quickly reached for the goods. “I’ll go.”
“You stay here. Come over in two minutes,” Shan Yu said. “I don’t quite trust you right now. You’re like someone who’s eaten a poison mushroom.”
Chen Jian didn’t know what Shan Yu was planning to do, but his own sudden outburst needed some kind of explanation for his dad.
At times like this, Shan Yu was someone he could trust one hundred percent.
“Excuse me, Uncle,” Shan Yu said, walking up to Father Chen with the New Year’s goods and greeting him. “I’m Chen Jian’s boss, Shan Yu.”
“Ah, hello, boss,” Father Chen rubbed his hands together nervously. “Chen Jian, he…”
“He and I had a little work-related disagreement, so we argued a bit,” Shan Yu glanced at the small shops nearby—a bubble tea shop, a barbecue joint… then pointed to the lottery store. “Uncle, let’s sit down and chat for a bit.”
“Ah, yes, okay,” Father Chen quickly nodded, but was still confused. “Chen Jian, he…”
“Chen Jian has been doing a great job as the manager,” Shan Yu said as he entered the lottery store and sat on a stool by the door. “Please sit, Uncle.”
Father Chen sat down.
“But he just told me he wanted to resign,” Shan Yu said. “I definitely can’t agree to that…”
“He’s doing so well, why would he want to resign?” Father Chen immediately became anxious.
“He’s still a bit worried about you,” Shan Yu said. “He’s thinking of coming to the city, feeling that being closer to you would be more convenient for taking care of you.”
“What’s there to take care of with me?” Father Chen said at once. “I don’t need him to take care of me, boss, I…”
“Uncle, here’s the thing,” Shan Yu said. “I don’t want this manager to leave either. It’s not easy to find an experienced person right now, and recruiting in a small town is already difficult…”
“How could he do this?” Father Chen wrung his hands. “How could he, with such a good job.”
“So, Uncle, I need your help with this,” Shan Yu said.
“Tell me, boss,” Father Chen looked at him.
“If anything’s going on, don’t hide it from Chen Jian,” Shan Yu said. “The more you try to hide things to keep him from worrying, the more worried he’ll be… You didn’t tell him when you got injured before, and you didn’t say anything this time either. He can’t work with peace of mind like this.”
“Sigh,” Father Chen sighed.
“His income is pretty good now. Besides his salary, our guesthouse also has holiday bonuses and other benefits for festivals,” Shan Yu said. “If he really resigns, it’s a big loss for him, and a big loss for my inn too…”
“I know, I know,” Father Chen nodded quickly. “I… I’ll tell him if anything comes up. This time, I was just thinking that since I have to help out at the inn for the New Year, I’d tell him then…”
Chen Jian leaned against the car for a while before walking into the lottery store.
The store was quite crowded. Some people were staring at the TV, some were huddled together discussing numbers, and others were just chatting.
His dad and Shan Yu were sitting on stools by the door, talking. It didn’t look like a casual chat, though. The difference in demeanor between his dad and Shan Yu was too great; it looked more like a job interview at a labor market.
Seeing Chen Jian come in, his dad waved. “Chen Jian, don’t you think about resigning again…”
Resign from what?
Who’s resigning?
Is the boss resigning?
He was baffled by his dad’s opening line and glanced at Shan Yu.
“Uncle,” Shan Yu placed the New Year’s goods next to his dad’s hand. “These are from the inn. Chen Jian was thinking that since you’ll both be at the inn for the New Year, you wouldn’t be able to eat this much…”
“Oh, okay, okay,” his dad patted the bag, a little embarrassed. “Thank you, boss, for giving us so much.”
He then looked at Chen Jian. “Should I give this to Old Zhong? He’s always been a great help to me.”
“Yeah,” Chen Jian nodded. “You decide.”
“Then you two chat for a bit,” Shan Yu stood up. “I’ll go back to the car.”
“Take care, boss,” his dad said. “Thank you.”
After Shan Yu left, his dad seemed much more at ease. He picked up the bag of goods and looked inside. “So much. It’s a shame to give it all to Old Zhong…”
Chen Jian smiled. “There’s more at the inn. Don’t be stingy.”
“I’ll give it all to him,” his dad also smiled. “I won’t be stingy.”
“What did our boss say to you?” Chen Jian asked.
“It seems you really are doing quite well,” his dad said. “I was always afraid you were just comforting me. You’ve been reporting only the good news and hiding the bad since you were little…”
“Aren’t you the same?” Chen Jian said.
His dad sighed, wanting to say something, but after holding it in for a moment, he only said, “I’ll call you in a couple of days when I’ve chased down my wages.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian replied. “If you can’t get it, let me know too. We’ll figure something else out together.”
“Alright,” his dad nodded. “Alright.”
His dad carried the New Year’s goods and went into the motel. Chen Jian watched him go up the stairs to the second floor before walking back to the car.
Shan Yu was in the driver’s seat, on the phone. He waved at him.
He opened the door and got into the car.
“This should all be traceable in the system. As the management company, you can’t just take the station’s word for it,” Shan Yu said on the phone while reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “Yes, I hope this can be resolved as soon as possible. The New Year is almost here, and wage arrears are a very sensitive issue… Okay, yes, please give me some feedback when you have a result.”
When Chen Jian realized what this was about, he was stunned and turned to look at Shan Yu.
After Shan Yu finished the call, he immediately asked, “Who were you calling?”
“The headquarters of their area’s delivery station,” Shan Yu said.
“To complain?” Chen Jian asked.
“Complain about what,” Shan Yu said. “Just some legal aid inquiring about a certain station’s wage arrears.”
“…You can do that?” Chen Jian was surprised.
“Who knows,” Shan Yu said. “If it’s not resolved, I’ll call again with a reporter’s identity to schedule an interview.”
“You’re really…” Chen Jian started to laugh.
Shan Yu fastened his seatbelt, opened the navigation, and drove off.
“What did you say to my dad?” Chen Jian asked.
“Just that you suddenly wanted to resign because he never tells you when something’s wrong, and you wanted to come to the city to take care of him,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian turned to look at him.
“And then I talked about how great our guesthouse is,” Shan Yu said. “Lots of money, few tasks, great colleagues.”
“…Not that few tasks, are there?” Chen Jian laughed.
“When you’re bragging to outsiders, you have to disregard the facts a little,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian was silent for a moment before sighing softly. “My dad always thought my job was decent, but not as good as I made it out to be. He thought I was just comforting him. With my education and work experience, how could I find a job like this…”
“And you still planned to go and tell him just like that?” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian didn’t make a sound.
It was indeed impulsive.
His mind was only just now starting to clear up. When Shan Yu asked that question, he felt a sudden jolt of alarm.
“You have to let him see why you were able to land this job, through your abilities,” Shan Yu said. “And also, what you used to land the boss.”
Chen Jian waited for a moment, but Shan Yu didn’t continue.
“With what?” he asked.
“Your beauty,” Shan Yu said.
“Fuck,” Chen Jian laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“And your curly hair,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian clicked his tongue.
“Some attractions are inexplicable. The things that can be explained are always the most superficial,” Shan Yu said. “Falling for someone might happen in an instant, but falling in deep is a very complex process.”
“Yeah,” Chen Jian closed his eyes.
Yes.
He couldn’t explain it either.
He couldn’t explain why he had fallen in deep.
Except for beauty.
Oh, right, and money.
His reasons were even more substantial than Shan Yu’s.
Chen Jian smiled.
“Still want to say it?” Shan Yu asked.
“The impulse has passed now,” Chen Jian said with his eyes closed.
“One step at a time. Let him see that you can live well, that you can be responsible for your choices,” Shan Yu said. “And… at least let him see what kind of person I am.”
“You are a very good person,” Chen Jian said.
“Yeah,” Shan Yu replied.
“How did you tell your parents?” Chen Jian asked.
“When my dad asked if Yao Yi was my girlfriend,” Shan Yu said, “I just told him.”
Chen Jian opened his eyes and turned to look at him. “Yao Yi?”
“Yeah, we were on good terms back in school. My dad saw us together on the street twice,” Shan Yu said.
“You just told him directly?” Chen Jian asked.
“Yeah, my family’s situation is different. They’re more understanding about this stuff,” Shan Yu said. “And… my state back then was what it was. Compared to getting injured, hospitalized, detained, and so on, this probably wasn’t even that shocking.”
Chen Jian sighed softly.
“Don’t treat this as a burden. It’s not a step you have to take right now,” Shan Yu said. “For you, saying it might bring the relief of having thrown caution to the wind. For your father, it would most likely be hurtful.”
“Yeah,” Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu.
After driving for a while, Shan Yu suddenly clicked his tongue.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Jian asked.
“Do you know where to buy yarn?” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian was taken aback, then started to laugh. “Are you going to buy it here?”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to find good yarn back in town,” Shan Yu said. “Then they’ll start saying I’m playing favorites again.”
“Make a U-turn at the intersection ahead,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “Go back a bit, turn at that intersection, there’s an old shopping mall. The fourth floor used to be all yarn sellers.”
“Alright,” Shan Yu said.
“How long will it take to crochet eight scarves?” Chen Jian asked.
“It won’t take too long. The simplest kind, a bit short, and crocheted a bit loosely…” Shan Yu pondered. “For a skilled worker like me, from morning till night… probably about a week. There’s enough time.”
The fourth floor of the old shopping mall was still full of yarn sellers. Most of the people buying yarn here were aunties and older sisters. Occasionally, you could see a few young girls. At a glance, besides the shop owners, they seemed to be the only guys there.
“What color, Manager?” Shan Yu asked.
“Red? For the New Year,” Chen Jian said.
“It’s hard to match with clothes,” Shan Yu said.
“You care about whether it matches clothes?” Chen Jian said. “It’s for the festive spirit.”
“I’m going to crochet these few scarves, my hands will be crippled, my eyes will be blind, just for some festive spirit?” Shan Yu said. “It has to be worth it for them to be able to use it for the whole winter.”
“That’s true,” Chen Jian felt the boss was right.
“How about this dusty pink?” Shan Yu pointed to some yarn displayed at the entrance of a shop.
“It’s pretty,” Chen Jian went closer to look. The yarn was mostly gray with a very subtle hint of pink.
Shan Yu picked up the yarn and held it under Chen Jian’s chin.
“What are you doing?” Chen Jian asked.
“Seeing if this color works for a guy,” Shan Yu said, looked for a moment, then put the yarn down. “Never mind, let’s pick another one.”
“It doesn’t look good?” Chen Jian asked.
“I can’t tell,” Shan Yu said. “With your face, even a ball of shit-yellow wouldn’t look bad.”
The shop owner was an older sister. Hearing this, she immediately picked up that ball of yarn, turned around, and shouted to the man sitting inside, “Honey, come here.”
The man walked over, and the sister held the yarn under his chin. “Let’s see it like this.”
“Huh?” the man was taken aback.
Shan Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
“It doesn’t seem to work,” the sister picked up a ball of gray-blue yarn. “How about this one?”
“This one looks a bit okay,” Chen Jian said, laughing.
“Knitting a scarf?” the sister asked. “How old is the boy?”
“About his age,” Shan Yu pointed to Chen Jian.
“But not as handsome as him, right,” the sister said while searching through the rows of yarn.
“Right,” Shan Yu nodded.
Chen Jian greatly admired Shan Yu’s mental state of being so shameless in any situation.
In the end, with the sister’s help, they chose a color that was a bit bluer than the previous gray-blue one.
Back at Dayin, Shan Yu began the production of the Dayin uniform.
Previously, Chen Jian didn’t have a clear understanding of his phrase “from morning till night,” thinking it was just a figure of speech.
But he didn’t expect it to be a literal description.
The next day, when President He and his group returned to Dayin at Shan Yu’s invitation, Shan Yu was still sitting in the cafe, crocheting a scarf.
“Boss Shan, this is…” President He looked at him in surprise.
“A New Year’s gift for the employees,” Shan Yu stood up and smiled. “Please sit, President He.”
“A New Year’s gift?” President He laughed and came over with great interest to touch the scarf. “Boss Shan, I have to say, I’ve been to so many places on this trip, but your place is still the most interesting.”
