Recognition
Another week passed, and he hadn't seen her, not even a single message on his phone. Su Wenxie came over and took him out for a meal again. He clearly knew that Su Wenxie represented her, but this vague formality made him feel the volcano in his heart begin to loosen.
On Saturday, someone came to deliver a suit to him, like packaging a clay figure—showy but impractical. At least he thought the man didn't deserve the surname Su.
The hotel chandeliers shone brighter than the stars outside, and everyone was dressed in formal attire, holding drinks in their hands. The banquet was lavish and grand, giving Su Anchi ample face.
He hadn't seen Su Yao yet, but he saw Su Wenxie standing with several people, talking about something. Various whispers filled the room, but he couldn't hear any of the words clearly. He was only thinking about the true host of today's banquet.
Seemingly having spotted him, Su Wenxie led the people around him to his resting room.
They didn't know where Su was either, otherwise Su Wenxie wouldn't have said, "My sister isn't here."
Su Anchi lowered his eyes, trying to minimize his presence. He shouldn't know so many people, or rather, all he wanted to do right now was find Su Yao.
The sound was noisy, but clear.
"Is this the child?"
"Yes, my sister insisted on adopting."
"Does this child have some extraordinary talent?"
"Pshaw, how could that be?"
He received countless looks, some scornful and some pitying, but he didn't react at all, leading some to wonder, "Is this child mute?"
He knew this situation wouldn't last long; if he continued to ignore it, they would eventually leave, having made a fool of themselves.
That way, he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of her.
But, "What are you doing?" that familiar voice appeared, and the boy who hadn't moved for a long time swayed slightly.
"Sister, we came to find you. Why are you so late?" He couldn't approach her and start a conversation as naturally as Su Wenxie.
"If you can't find me, you can leave, right? What are you still doing here? Trying to cause trouble?" Su Yao's imposing manner, though not angry, did indeed make Su Wenxie and his group of cronies bow and scrape as they left.
Before he could even strike up a conversation with Su, another group of people came in, and these people were no ordinary individuals.
"Su Yao, you've really gone all out today."
The man who entered was a stranger he didn't recognize, and a woman was holding his arm.
Following behind was a man in a hoodie who stood out from the crowd; he was the only one in the entire room not wearing a suit.
"What, are you jealous that I'm rich, Mr. Zhou?" Su could joke with anyone.
The man in the hoodie walked around to his side, sat down next to him, took out his phone, and started playing games.
"Shang Jiuqi, why don't you go outside to fight?" Su Yao frowned.
Shang Jiuqi leaned back on the sofa and said angrily, "No way, there's a bunch of women gossiping outside. What would I look like sitting next to them?"
Just as Su was about to speak, she was interrupted by someone who barged in again. "Sister!" The man waved to the woman next to President Zhou. "Brother-in-law, you're here too."
What are you doing here?
"I've come to see your son," Shang Jiuqi said, albeit somewhat cryptically.
That Mr. Zhou bluntly said, "Let's see which 'beauty' you're keeping hidden away."
"Zhou Qingran, if you want to cause trouble, you can leave now." Su made a gesture of invitation.
She felt more comfortable and relaxed with these friends than with him.
Hearing Jiao's words, his face flushed, and hearing Su Yao's reply, his chest flared up with a burning fire—a complex emotion, a mixture of sensitivity, inferiority, and jealousy. He didn't know when he had developed such a strong desire for Su Yao, but his reason was clearer: An Lan was not yet settled, and he could not act rashly.
He remained silent, secretly observing everyone present. The man beside him appeared nonchalant but was cautious in his actions; the man being linked arms with seemed to have a hidden agenda from beginning to end; and the woman linking arms with him exuded a sense of pressure no less than Su Yao's. The last man to enter showed him no pity, no teasing, only...
“An Chi, this is Xu Yangming, this is his sister Xu Jingsi, the one next to her is her husband Zhou Qingran, and the one sitting next to you is Shang Jiuqi. They are all my friends.”
"If you say that, your other friends probably won't be happy." Zhou Qingran was even more sarcastic than Su Yao, showing no seriousness whatsoever.
Shang Jiuqi was the first to greet him when the audio from his game started playing.
He was better than anyone at giving polite replies, greeting and responding to everyone. Su Yao must have liked seeing him like this, because Su Anchi felt gratified when he met that intense gaze.
"Pei Zhixi didn't come with you?"
"I also wanted to ask you if you've seen Ning Junyi?"
He couldn't join in their conversation at all, while Shang Jiuqi, who was beside him, had stopped playing the game and could occasionally chime in with a word or two.
He was like the smallest mosquito in a vast pond, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. He could still see the single lotus in full bloom, delicate and noble, perfectly embodying the phrase "to be admired from afar, not to be trifled with." When this somber creature of his stature intruded into the lotus's paradise, he would be driven away and disgusted.
A kind-hearted lotus happened to lend a hand, creating ripples in the water to provide him with a foothold, which then turned him into a crippled insect.
"Alright, you can go outside. I still need to say a few words to him." Seeing through his predicament, she began to shoo him away.
After everyone had left, she sat on the sofa and leaned closer, asking, "Are you nervous?"
He doesn't need to answer.
"Don't be nervous, I did the same when I had my baby's one-month celebration." Su Yao took off her high heels, and since she was really tired from standing, she put her feet on the sofa and crossed them up.
"Your full moon celebration?" An Chi asked.
Now that An Chi had accepted her joke, he no longer showed any surprise, which Su Yao found rather uninteresting.
“Yes.” She took out her phone and looked at the recent news.
"You're here again..."
"Just kidding," she answered for him, but then turned her head and whispered in Su Anchi's ear, "You child, have you been raised with such an old-fashioned mentality by Aunt Hong? So unflappable in the face of adversity."
Now, An Chi finally showed the surprised look that Su wanted to see, and kept avoiding her, saying, "No, you get used to joking around."
He never spoke this much at once when he was with others. Su squinted, trying to find a flaw in his words.
He suddenly lost his balance and fell onto the armrest of the sofa, supporting himself with his elbows. As he turned his face, his lips brushed against the sleeve of his shirt.
She slowly straightened up, saying sorry, but his mind was completely blank, offering no response, only her tightly pursed lips.
It has a tingling, slightly numb sensation.
It's still a little itchy, and I want to raise my hand to scratch or touch it.
He kept reminiscing about it, like barren land slowly growing into vast expanses of green. It wasn't a towering, majestic tree, but rather a thriving, flourishing growth. Before him, she was not a pure and elegant lotus, but a scorching, unbearable fire, burning that vitality with fierce flames.
"What are you thinking about? Come on, it's time to go on stage."
Su pulled at his collar to straighten it and reached out her hand to him.
As he stood up, he clearly felt someone holding his arm; it was Su Yao.
He stiffened. She was wearing high heels today, reaching up to An Chi's eyebrows. He heard the woman murmur, "I never realized you were so tall before."
Then, after taking a couple of steps, she pulled the doorknob with her fair hand and said to him, "Relax, I can handle everything."
His anxiety wasn't about hosting guests at the banquet, but about the people beside him—a reason he absolutely couldn't reveal.
With his head slightly lowered, he could greedily savor the delicate fragrance of the lotus petals, and he felt as if he had transformed from a wretched insect into a water nymph adorning the flower. That scent was an addiction he clung to, arousing his boundless desires and fantasies.
Once on stage, Su let go of his arm, took a step forward, and faced the guests with a dignified smile.
Her back was exposed to him, and the wide, three-dimensional sleeves on both sides made her look exceptionally elegant and charming.
"Everyone, I'd like to introduce someone to you all today." Turning around, Su waved to him, indicating that he should stand next to her. He stepped forward and said, "An Chi, my adopted son. He's a very smart and sensible child. Of course, as you can see, he's also very handsome."
All eyes at the banquet were on her, as dazzling as the lights. A burst of laughter stopped when she pressed down with one hand. The reflection in the wine glass clearly showed her bright red lips and the upturned corners of her eyes. Today, she looked like a thousand-year-old fox spirit. Even without standing with An Chi, she made him feel a burning pain all over his body. It was a prisoner's body wrapped around him with a fox tail. He couldn't struggle, and he didn't want to struggle.
She turned around, smiled brightly, and Ru Yan's face was reflected in his eyes. "An Chi, come on, say hello to everyone."
Her gaze finally shifted from the dark gown to the clinking glasses below the stage. "Hello everyone, I am Su Anchi. I hope you will all take good care of me in the future."
With a humble and unassuming demeanor, he raised the glass handed to him by the waiter beside him. Unaware that it was impossible not to drink in this situation, An Chi raised his glass in a toast. When he took the first sip, he felt something was wrong. It wasn't red wine, but... cola.
He swallowed a couple of mouthfuls casually, then stopped and looked at Su Yao beside him. She smiled and nodded at him, instantly realizing that she was the one who had done it.
He stepped back a bit, and Su Yao quickly took over, casually making a few sarcastic remarks about himself and An Chi before leading him off the stage.
"Cola?" he asked, following behind her.
He glanced sideways at the person behind him and said, "You drank it all, don't you know what you drank?"
"Thank you," An Chi said in a muffled voice.
“Our Su family isn’t that inhumane. Have you been drinking at home before?” Su Yao led him to the lounge they had just been in, took off her high heels, and rubbed her feet without any regard for the consequences.
"I've had a little." He watched her movements; her already reddened heels looked even more alarming against her fair skin.
Sue was simply used to wearing high heels and didn't care about the pain.
At that moment, An Chi seemed to forget his identity and took a step forward, saying, "Let me massage it for you."
Su was surprised for a moment, looking at those beautiful, downcast eyes with furrowed brows, her inner thoughts slowly being revealed as if unraveling a cocoon.
He sensed something was amiss and added, "I've massaged my mother's hands before, so I know a bit about these things. I noticed you weren't feeling well, so..."
The perfectly timed pause led Su Yao to assume it was genuine emotion, since Su Anchi hadn't made any mistakes so far.
"No need, I'm going to take you out to meet some people later. If you can drink, bring a glass; if not, the Coke from earlier is fine too." On stage earlier, we were far away, and Su Yao dared to openly offer Su Anchi Coke because of that. But once we got to the venue, some people were just more difficult to deal with.
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