Chapter 41 New Year's Eve
At the Chu family's old mansion, a massive crystal chandelier illuminated the banquet hall like daylight. A long, mahogany dining table, covered with a crisply starched, snow-white tablecloth, was laden with delicacies symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. The air was filled with the aroma of premium ingredients, the richness of aged wine, and, even more profoundly, the reserved aloofness of a prominent family.
Chu Yan sat in the back, looking across at the well-dressed, elegantly dressed middle-aged couple—his parents. Their gazes met in mid-air, but there was no excitement of a long-awaited reunion, no tender affection, only a subtle awkwardness and the insurmountable barrier of years. The three of them sat in silence, a silence like Cambridge tonight.
"Dad, Mom." Chu Yan spoke first, breaking the deadlock. His voice was calm, as if he was calling two familiar strangers.
"Yeah, I'm back." Father Chu Mingyuan nodded slightly, his tone calm, his eyes swept over Chu Yan. They hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Mother Lin Wei just hummed softly, her eyes fixed on the delicate little plate in front of her, and she was concentrating on using a silver spoon to stir a plump caviar.
There was another suffocating silence.
At this moment, a hand gently rested on the back of Chu Yan's chair. Chu Yan turned his head and met Chu Yu's gaze.
"Ayan," Chu Yu said in a low voice, "Come with me and say hello to the old man."
This was simply the sound of nature! Chu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, barely able to contain the gratitude in his eyes. He quickly stood up and, facing Chu Yu, blinked his left eye quickly and naturally, a look of youthful cunning and relief in his eyes.
Chu Yu was visibly stunned. Seeing Chu Yan's eyes and eyebrows suddenly come alive, seeing the little bit of pride and dependence on his face that he couldn't hide, belonging to an eighteen-year-old boy, the corners of Chu Yu's stern mouth twitched upwards in a rare moment, and a very faint, yet genuine smile flashed across his face. It turned out that this cousin, who was so impeccable and calm in the business world and family, could also have such a childish and lively side. This realization, like a pebble dropped into a deep pond, caused subtle ripples in Chu Yu's heart. He turned around calmly, motioning Chu Yan to follow, but his pace seemed a little lighter than usual.
However, the atmosphere at the head table was no more relaxed than before. The old man of the Chu family sat at the head of the table, vigorous and sharp-eyed. Chu Yan, following behind Chu Yu, once again cast his impeccable mask of gentleness as he accepted the scrutinizing, probing, and falsely enthusiastic greetings from his uncles and aunts. He had to deal with various indirect questions about his studies, the "Cloud Intelligent Control" project, and his "social status." Every answer was flawless, every smile perfectly timed. He was like a consummate diplomat, effortlessly at ease amidst the clinking of glasses, yet also emotionally and physically exhausted.
Time flowed slowly amidst the clinking of glasses and the cajoling of flattery. As the banquet entered its latter half, everyone was drunk and their attention gradually dispersed. Chu Yan seized an opportunity and quietly slipped out of the noisy banquet hall.
On the rooftop terrace of the old house, a chilly breeze instantly blew away the stench of alcohol and cosmetics. The city lights spread out beneath my feet like an inverted galaxy. In the distance, scattered fireworks eagerly shot up into the night sky, exploding against the inky sky in fleeting yet dazzling displays of red, green, and gold, accompanied by a dull, distant crackle.
Chu Yan leaned against the cold railing, took a deep breath of the crisp air, and felt his tense nerves finally relax. He took out his phone, clicked on the familiar profile picture, and made a video call.
The video connection was quickly connected. The scene on the screen was completely different from the bustling and noisy scene on Chu Yan's side. The background was the dark night, with the vague outlines of tombstones and the silhouettes of distant mountains faintly visible. Gu Ye's face appeared in the center of the screen, illuminated by the light of the phone screen, with obvious surprise.
"Chu Yan?" Gu Ye's voice came through the receiver. It was particularly clear in the silent cemetery, with a barely perceptible hoarseness. "Don't you want to have dinner?"
Chu Yan turned the camera towards himself, the background a dazzling cityscape and scattered fireworks. He curled his lips, making an exaggerated "get away" expression: "I slipped out. It's too stuffy in there, just boring socializing." He shook the phone so Gu Ye could see the background behind him. "It's nothing like here, with its vast expanse of sky and earth."
Gu Ye watched Chu Yan's lively expression on the screen and the twinkling lights in the distance. His lips, tense all day, relaxed unconsciously, a faint smile forming. The two of them, separated by a screen, one at the top of a bustling city, the other on the hillside of a quiet cemetery, chatted idly. Chu Yan complained about the pedantry of a certain great-uncle at the banquet, while Gu Ye whispered that he had brought his mother her favorite white plum blossoms.
"...It's almost twelve o'clock." Gu Ye suddenly reminded, looking towards the direction of the city at the foot of the mountain.
Chu Yan then noticed the movement of people in the Chu family courtyard downstairs. The housekeeper and servants were busy moving boxes of fireworks to an open area. Relatives of the Chu family also emerged from the warm hall in twos and threes and gathered in the courtyard. The air was filled with the restlessness of anticipation for the New Year's bell.
Dong-dong-dong-dong
The deep and melodious bell sounds seemed to come from the center of the city, penetrating the night sky and echoing clearly in the ears of the two.
"Gu Ye," Chu Yan pointed the camera of his phone at himself. The light of the fireworks flickered in his deep eyes, reflecting a pure, warm smile. His voice clearly penetrated the airwaves, "Happy New Year."
Almost at the same time as the words fell, from the direction of the Chu family courtyard, as if receiving a signal, countless dazzling lines of fire screamed towards the night sky!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A deafening roar erupted instantly! Countless brilliant balls of light blossomed layer upon layer in the night sky behind Chu Yan! Gigantic, flaming flowers filled the entire sky, illuminating Chu Yan and the city behind him as bright as day! The dazzling light flickered wildly, reflecting on Chu Yan's smiling face and, through the small screen of his phone, transmitted unreservedly to the silent Nanshan Cemetery thousands of miles away.
Gu Ye's screen was instantly filled with this ultimate feast of light and shadow. Deafening explosions and the faint cheers of the crowd assaulted his eardrums through the phone. And in the center of the screen, beneath a sky filled with fireworks, was Chu Yan's face, smiling and saying "Happy New Year" to him.
At that moment, the world was split into two extremes. On one side was the cold, silent cemetery, with only the whimpering of the wind across the tombstones; on the other side, across the screen, came the deafening clamor and dazzling brilliance of Chu Yan's world. The immense sound seemed to carry a scorching heat, penetrating the small screen and crashing fiercely into Gu Ye's cold, lonely chest.
He stared blankly at Chu Yan's smiling eyes, illuminated by the fireworks on the screen, and listened to the cheers and explosions that threatened to lift the roof off the other side. He felt his heartbeat, in this extreme contrast of noise and silence, become incomparably clear and loud. Boom! Boom! Boom! It pounded against his eardrums and chest like a drum, numbing his fingertips and making it difficult for him to breathe.
An inexplicable urge surged up my throat.
"Chu Yan," Gu Ye's voice, with a hint of subtle tension, suddenly sounded, interrupting the clamor on the other side of the screen, "Where's my New Year's present?"
Chu Yan seemed stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows. The camera zoomed in, and his handsome face almost took up the entire screen. He said with a hint of joking: "Isn't my blessing a gift?"
Gu Ye looked at the enlarged, smiling eyes on the screen, and his heart beat faster. He licked his dry lips, his eyes were extremely serious, and he said word by word, "It's okay. Your blessing is the best gift I've received in these years."
After the words fell, both ends of the screen fell silent for a moment. In the background, only the deafening roar of fireworks from Chu Yan's side continued. The playfulness on Chu Yan's face slowly faded, replaced by a deeper, softer smile, as if he saw through the heavy earnestness and hidden emotions in Gu Ye's words. Gu Ye also looked at Chu Yan, his eyes filled with a frank warmth, illuminated by the light of the fireworks.
Silent smiles spread across their faces simultaneously, a tacit understanding that required no words. As they smiled at each other, the sky filled with fireworks became the most magnificent backdrop of this moment.
At that moment, a tall figure silently walked onto the rooftop and stopped a few steps away from Chu Yan. Chu Yu had also left the bustling courtyard and found this place without knowing when. He looked at Chu Yan's profile, smiling intently at the phone screen, and saw that relaxed yet genuine smile, and he paused.
He didn't say anything to interrupt, but quietly walked to the railing and, imitating Chu Yan's example, placed his arm on the cold metal railing, his gaze fixed on the seemingly endless fireworks that continued to bloom in the distance. The night wind blew the strands of hair from his forehead, and his stern profile, cast in the flickering light and shadow, seemed somewhat deep and unfathomable.
Chu Yan spoke to Gu Ye for a few more words before hanging up the video with a smile. The screen went dark, and the brilliance and noise in the sky seemed to fade away.
"Who?" Chu Yu's voice sounded low, with a subtle hint of inquiry. He recognized that the voice on the other end of the line didn't have the magnetic and calculating tone of a mature man like Gu Xu. It was younger, with a feeling... something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He couldn't understand why, on this special occasion, on New Year's Eve, Chu Yan didn't video call Gu Xu.
Chu Yan put away his phone and turned to look at Chu Yu, the warmth from their earlier conversation still lingering on his face. He saw Chu Yu's questioning look and understood. Someone like Chu Yu, with a blank emotional world and a focus on career and family responsibilities, probably couldn't understand the tactics of "fishing" and "flirting."
"A friend." Chu Yan used the safest and most vague word, speaking in a natural tone.
Friend? Chu Yu's brows knitted slightly. What kind of friend was worth sneaking out to video chat with just as the New Year's bell rang? He was about to ask, but Chu Yan got there first, a bright smile on his face, and said loudly to him:
"Brother Yu! Happy New Year!"
The blessing was clear and loud, carrying the youthful vigor and vitality that are unique to young people, and instantly drowned out the lingering sound of fireworks in the distance.
All the questions Chu Yu was about to ask were silenced by this sudden, direct blessing. He was slightly startled, looking at Chu Yan's eyes, which were particularly bright under the reflection of the fireworks, and his heart felt like it was gently bumped. He suddenly realized why he had subconsciously searched for Chu Yan in the courtyard below, amid the thunderous cheers and brilliant fireworks, and why he was so inexplicably anxious. It turned out that he just wanted to hear this person say "Happy New Year" to him at the first second of the transition from the old year to the new year.
He was silent for a few seconds, his deep gaze lingering on Chu Yan's face for a moment, then he nodded slightly, his voice low and clear:
"You too. Happy New Year."
He wanted to say something else, perhaps about that "friend" or something else. But the phone in Chu Yan's pocket rang again at an inopportune time, the ringtone being particularly harsh on the empty rooftop.
Chu Yan took out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. The caller ID showed "Shan".
Chu Yu's face darkened almost instantly, a chill even colder than the winter night's wind. He looked at Chu Yan, his eyes filled with undisguised displeasure and a kind of pent-up frustration bordering on "anger at someone for not fighting back." He didn't even wait for Chu Yan to answer the phone; he turned around and strode towards the stairs. Against the backdrop of the fireworks, his tall figure revealed an indescribable sense of grievance.
Chu Yan watched Chu Yu leave with a noticeable depression in his face, and touched his nose helplessly. He pressed the answer button, and Gu Yu's voice came with a lazy smile:
"Yanyan, Happy New Year. I was just being forced to watch the fireworks by the old man. I was so annoyed that I just slipped out. Tsk, it seems I'm not the first one to send you blessings?"
Chu Yan's lips curled up in his usual, slightly teasing arc, and his voice sounded particularly magnetic through the receiver: "Happy New Year. It doesn't matter whether you are the first one or not." He paused deliberately before adding slowly, "But you are the one I am most looking forward to."
There was a noticeable silence on the other end of the line. Gu Xu probably hadn't expected Chu Yan to say something so blunt on New Year's Eve. He cleared his throat, a subtle tension and tentativeness in his voice: "Are you hinting at something?"
"A hint?" Chu Yan chuckled softly, his laughter was low and a little breathy, tickling people's hearts. "I thought I had already hinted."
Gu Xu's breathing seemed to hitch a beat. Through the airwaves, Chu Yan could almost imagine him clutching his phone, his Adam's apple rolling, his eyes darkening. A moment later, Gu Xu's voice rang out, much deeper and hoarser than before, carrying a suppressed urgency and a certain certainty: "Then what about us...?"
"Mr. Gu," Chu Yan interrupted him with a smile, a hint of joking reminder in his voice, "Are you sure you want to tell me this on the phone? Hmm?"
Gu Xu was speechless, then he laughed softly, with a hint of understanding in his laughter: "You're right. I was impatient." The flame of ambiguity was ignited, and the two of them tacitly skipped this dangerous and provocative topic and instead chatted about some insignificant gossip.
After hanging up the phone with Gu Xu, Chu Yan once again cast his gaze into the distance. He suddenly laughed softly, his laughter carrying a sense of joy and anticipation that came from being in control of the situation.
Everything went smoothly. Gu Ye entered the Gu family, Chu Yu's attitude subtly shifted, and Gu Xu's ambiguity was under control... The chess pieces were in place, the chessboard was laid out. For the next five years, life in this world looked like it would be very, very exciting.
"System," Chu Yan said to his cold partner in the depths of his consciousness with a relaxed smile, "Happy New Year. This should be the first relatively good year we've had since we became partners."
The only response he got was the continuous and grand roar of fireworks in the distance.
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