Meet New
That afternoon, Lu Ziyi drove Xu Yan to the entrance of the "Safe Haven." The car stopped, Xu Yan unbuckled his seatbelt, and was about to open the door when Lu Ziyi leaned over and straightened his collar, which wasn't messy at all.
"Call me before you finish and I'll pick you up." His movements were natural, but his tone carried a non-negotiable tone.
"No need to be so troublesome, I can do it myself..." Xu Yan subconsciously wanted to reject this overprotection.
"It's not a problem." Lu Ziyi interrupted him, his eyes falling on a faint red mark on the side of his neck, and his fingertips gently touched it, "I want to pick you up."
Xu Yan's cheeks grew slightly hot. He knew what he was looking at, and understood the silent declaration. He no longer insisted, muttered "OK," and hurriedly pushed the door open and got out.
Pushing open the familiar wooden door of "Safe Haven," the wind chimes chimed. The bar hadn't opened for the afternoon yet, and only Gu Yan was behind the bar, sorting the newly arrived bottles.
"Here?" Gu Yan raised his head, his gaze lingering on Xu Yan's face for a moment. A knowing smile flashed across his insightful eyes, but he didn't say anything. He simply pointed with his chin at a few unopened wooden boxes nearby, "The new guys are all over there, waiting for you to taste them."
Xu Yan nodded, took off his coat and hung it up, rolled up his sleeves, and walked to the bar. He tried to appear as focused and professional as usual, but just as he stood still and was about to bend down to move the wine box, a clear feeling of soreness in his waist made him freeze suddenly, and his brows frowned almost imperceptibly.
This scene happened to be seen by Lin Shuyin who came out from the kitchen. She blinked, and a mischievous smile immediately appeared on her face. She moved closer to Xu Yan, nudged him lightly with her elbow, and lowered her voice:
"Hey, our Yanyan's walking posture today is... a little different?" She drawled out her words, her eyes moving meaningfully around his waist and neck. "It seems... the battle was quite intense last night?"
Xu Yan's ears immediately turned red, and even his neck was covered in a thin layer of pink. He glared at Lin Shuyin awkwardly, but in return, she only smiled even more smugly.
"Stop talking nonsense." He retorted in a low voice, but his tone lacked confidence. He had no choice but to turn around and pretend to concentrate on opening the wine box, trying to cover up the embarrassment with work.
Gu Yan watched from the side, smiled helplessly and shook his head, gave Lin Shuyin a look that said "enough is enough", and then said to Xu Yan: "Don't worry, take your time. Some wines do need to... wake up, then they will taste better." There was something else in his words, with a kind of teasing.
Xu Yan's face turned even redder. He felt like a bottle of wine that needed to be sobered up, his entire body emitting a certain afterthought, an unconcealable aura, clearly seen through by his closest friends.
This afternoon was spent with Lin Shuyin's occasional winks, Gu Yan's subtle concern, and Xu Yan's forced calm at work. As evening approached and the bar began to open, Xu Yan's phone rang on time. It was Lu Ziyi.
He picked up the phone, whispered "I'll be right there," and breathed a sigh of relief.
As he left the "safe haven," the sun was setting. He immediately spotted Lu Ziyi's old SUV parked on the curb. A man leaned against the door, looking down at his phone. As if by telepathy, the moment he looked over, Lu Ziyi also raised his head, his gaze across the street, fixed squarely on him.
He quickened his pace and walked towards the person who was waiting for him.
The southern sun brought a moist warmth. Xu Yan led Lu Ziyi through the streets and alleys where he had lived for two years, pointing out the markets he often visited, the bookstores where he bought books, and the riverbank where he ran in the early mornings. They walked aimlessly until a burst of laughter caught Xu Yan's attention.
Not far away was an elementary school. It was the end of the school day, and the children were pouring out of the gates like birds out of a cage. Two little girls, about ten years old, with ponytails and bright, carefree smiles on their faces, ran in front. They chased each other, their clear laughter filling the air.
Xu Yan looked at them, his eyes momentarily dazed, as if he saw some distant and blurry shadow through them. The girl in the pink sweatshirt in front of him turned around and laughed with her companions while running backwards, not paying attention to what was behind her -
"oops!"
She crashed into Xu Yan's arms, not hard, but enough to make her lose her balance. Xu Yan almost subconsciously reached out and firmly grasped the little girl's thin shoulders.
"You're not hurt, are you?" He lowered his head, his voice so gentle that he didn't even notice it.
The little girl raised her head, revealing a red, sweaty little face. Her eyes were as bright as black grapes soaked in water, and she felt a little embarrassed after getting into trouble: "I'm sorry, brother, I accidentally bumped into you. I'm fine!" She spoke quickly and energetically.
At this moment, the intricately woven red string on her wrist suddenly broke, and the smooth beads on it scatter to the ground with a crackling sound.
"Ah! My beads!" the little girl exclaimed, and hurriedly squatted down to pick them up, mumbling aggrievedly, "Why are they scattered..."
Seeing this, Xu Yan immediately squatted down to help her pick it up. His fingertips touched a cold bead, and he subconsciously picked it up - the word "rui" was clearly engraved on it.
His movements froze instantly.
This bead… he was so familiar with it. It was the amulet he had worn for years, the one he had finally plucked from a frail wrist in that dilapidated courtyard in the north and given to that silent little girl… a peace charm.
He looked up suddenly, looking at the other beads the little girl was holding carefully in her hands - the same material, the same remnants of the weaving method. There was no doubt that this was his string.
"Li Xin! Hurry up! You can never catch up with me!" At the school gate, another little girl stomped her feet and shouted towards this side, with an intimate urging tone in her voice.
Li Xin...
This name was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of dusty memories. The little girl hiding in the corner, communicating with pen and paper, her eyes as timid as a fawn, overlapped with the lively, cheerful, and clear-voiced girl before her.
It really was her. Li Xin, the autistic, silent girl. It turned out the boss's wife had brought her south with her... It turns out time can truly change a person so drastically.
"Brother," the little girl's voice pulled him back from his turbulent thoughts. She stretched out her hand, her big eyes looking expectantly at the bead he was holding. "Can you give that bead back to me? It's very important to me."
Xu Yan came to his senses, suppressed the lump in his throat, and without hesitation, gently placed the bead engraved with the word "rui" back into her small palm. "Of course, take it." His voice was a little hoarse.
"Thank you, brother!" Li Xin smiled brightly, clutched the beads tightly in her palm, turned around and ran towards her friend like a happy little bird, "Here I come!"
Xu Yan slowly stood up, his gaze following the figure in the pink sweatshirt as she skipped away, unable to move. The little girl who'd made him crouch down to speak had grown up; the closed world he'd once lived in was now filled with sunshine and laughter. A warm feeling of relief, emotion, and a touch of sadness washed over him, and his eyes flushed uncontrollably.
A warm and broad palm quietly covered the back of his slightly cold hand, and then held it firmly.
Lu Ziyi had been standing quietly beside him, taking in everything that had just happened. He didn't ask "what's wrong" or say "don't be sad", he just held Xu Yan's hand tightly, silently accompanying him and telling him: I'm here.
Xu Yan withdrew his gaze and turned to meet Lu Ziyi's deep, calm eyes. There was understanding, tolerance, and a strength that steadily absorbed all of his turbulent emotions.
He took a deep breath and shook the hand back, firmly. "Let's go," he said softly, his voice now calm.
"Yeah." Lu Zi also responded.
Xu Yan let Lu Ziyi hold his hand as they walked in silence. The scene at the primary school gate just now was like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart, causing ripples to spread out layer by layer and linger for a long time.
"Li Xin..."
He silently recited the name in his mind. The little girl in his memory who hid in the corner, communicated with crooked handwriting, and had eyes as timid as a frightened deer, could now laugh so brightly and run so fast.
It turns out... I'm not the only one who has changed.
He thought of the cold tombstones in the northern cemetery, his mother's hand holding his before she died, Lu Yu's office filled with power and indifference, and the check that seemed light yet weighed a thousand pounds... He once thought that he was the only survivor abandoned by fate in the ruins, trudging alone in the long darkness.
But it turned out that in the place he couldn't see, the flow of time never stopped.
The little girl he'd once had to crouch down to talk to had grown so tall; the world he'd once thought would remain forever silent was now filled with sunshine and bustle. Even the red string he'd worn for years, stained with despair and fleeting warmth, finally bore witness to the meaning of peace on another living wrist.
In the past few years, so much has changed.
He was no longer the Cheng Xiaorui who could only passively endure and flee in panic. He had become Xu Yan, who could mix drinks that made people smile. He had a partner he could rely on, and now he had someone who held his hand tightly, who allowed him to face the past.
The wind blew through the streets, bringing with it the faint sound of distant waves and the reassuring presence of the person before him. Xu Yan slightly tightened his grip on Lu Ziyi's.
Everything has changed.
Lu Ziyi led him into an elegant restaurant, where a window seat afforded a view of the street lights just coming on. After ordering, while waiting, Xu Yan watched Lu Ziyi across from him meticulously wiping the dishes with wet wipes, and a long-held question surfaced in his mind.
He hesitated for a moment, but still spoke: "Lu Ziyi, you... don't have to go to school now?" He remembered that they were the same age, and at this age, they should be on a university campus.
Lu Ziyi didn't stop moving. He placed the cleaned dishes in front of Xu Yan. He looked up at him and said calmly, as if he was discussing the weather: "I didn't go to college."
Xu Yan was slightly stunned.
Lu Ziyi saw the clear surprise in his eyes, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on the corner of his lips as he explained, "That's what the old man meant. He felt that spending four years in an ivory tower learning theoretical theories was too inefficient."
He leaned back slightly, the light casting a slight shadow on his chiseled face. His tone was the calmness of someone accustomed to control. "For the past two years, I've been rotating through the group, starting with the most basic projects and working my way up to independently managing mergers and acquisitions. At the same time, I took private lessons from several top consultants. Finance, management, negotiation... these things are learned much faster in the real world of business."
He paused, his eyes fell on Xu Yan, and the sharpness in his eyes softened quietly: "Besides, this way you will have more freedom in terms of time." Otherwise, how could he give up everything and stay in the south for so long, just to stay with someone who might never look back.
Xu Yan listened quietly. He understood. For ordinary people, university is a bridge to the future; but for someone like Lu Ziyi, his path was paved differently. It wasn't dropping out; it was a more efficient, "atypical" elite education that better suited his identity and responsibilities.
He lowered his head, gently fiddling with the food on his plate with his fork. He couldn't quite place the feeling within him. A sense of realization, but also a hint of indescribable bitterness. Their lives had, from very early on, taken completely different directions.
"What's wrong?" Lu Ziyi keenly caught his subtle emotional changes.
Xu Yan raised his head and shook it. "Nothing." He paused and added, "It's just that I feel... like we really live in two different worlds."
Lu Ziyi frowned slightly when he heard this. He reached out his hand, crossed the dining table, and gently held Xu Yan's hand on the table. His eyes were calm and focused:
"There is always more than one world. But now, I am in your world."
"That's enough."
Xu Yan felt the firm strength coming from the back of his hand, and looked at the unquestionable seriousness in the other person's eyes. The subtle sense of estrangement in his heart seemed to be quietly smoothed out by these two simple sentences.
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