Chapter 34
Wu Ye graduated when the catkins of the sycamore trees in Tsinghua University were falling.
The ceremony was packed with people. Li Ruiyuan wore an ill-fitting suit, his brows furrowed tightly. Li's mother held up her phone, snapping photos non-stop. Li Xuan jumped up and waved toward the stage.
"Brother! Brother Ye is looking this way!"
Wu Ye accepted his diploma on the stage, his gaze piercing the crowd, accurately locking onto the man with an impatient expression. He adjusted his bachelor's cap, a gentle smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
Li Ruiyuan clicked his tongue.
At dinner at Houhai that night, Wu Ye was forced to drink a lot of wine. Mother Li watched her son constantly pick up food for Wu Ye and said softly, "Drink less. You have an interview tomorrow."
That was the investment bank where Wu Ye got the offer. It was glamorous and met everyone's expectations of a Tsinghua graduate.
Li Ruiyuan put the peeled shrimp into Wu Ye's bowl and said nonchalantly: "What are you talking about? I don't think you really want to go..."
The whole family was stunned.
Wu Ye looked at him with drunken eyes: "What did you say?"
"I say," Li Ruiyuan wiped his hands, "If you don't want to go, come back. The supermarket is short of a cashier."
Mother Li wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed. Li Xuan burst out laughing, earning a glare from her mother.
But no one expected that one rainy night three years later, Wu Ye would actually quit his investment banking job. At that time, they had just bought a house in Beijing, and Li Ruiyuan's convenience store was just getting off the ground.
"Are you crazy?" Li Ruiyuan looked at Wu Ye who was soaked all over.
The young man slammed his resignation letter on the table, his eyes shining brightly: "I want to start a business."
That was the first time Li Ruiyuan saw Wu Ye's other side. No longer a docile stray dog, but a lone wolf who had smelled a business opportunity. He stared at Wu Ye for a long time, and finally just threw the towel at him:
"I give in. It's up to you then."
Starting a business was harder than expected. For six months, Wu Ye slept only three hours a night, and Li Ruiyuan's convenience store became a makeshift office. Account books and business plans were piled next to instant noodle boxes, and a calculator pressed against the convenience store's purchase orders.
When Li's mother came to Beijing to visit them, she almost didn't recognize her own son. Wu Ye was so thin that his cheekbones were prominent, and Li Ruiyuan had dark circles under his eyes.
"You two..." She stewed a pot of soup with red eyes.
The turning point came one early morning. Wu Ye suddenly stood up while answering the phone, his fingers tightly gripping the edge of the convenience store's cash register. Li Ruiyuan was counting the shelves when he heard him say in a hoarse voice:
“I’ve melted it.”
That was their first tens of millions of dollars in financing.
The celebration banquet was held on the rooftop of the China World Trade Center. Wu Ye, wearing a custom-made suit, mingled effortlessly with the investors. Li Ruiyuan slipped out mid-evening and leaned against the end of the corridor to smoke a cigarette.
When Wu Ye came over, he saw the man leaning against the French window, the lights of Beijing spread out behind him. He walked over and hugged him from behind:
"Why did you come out?"
"Boring." Li Ruiyuan put out his cigarette and looked back at him. "You look like a dog."
Wu Ye chuckled and kissed his earlobe: "Go home?"
It was their first time back in their newly bought villa. The entrance light hadn't been installed yet, and Wu Ye pressed Li Ruiyuan against the wall and kissed him, his suit pants rubbing against the wall dust.
"Wait..." Li Ruiyuan turned his head away, "Aren't you meeting a client tomorrow?"
Wu Ye bit open his shirt buttons and said in a vague voice: "Whatever."
It was the first time Lee Seo-yeon woke up in his own bed. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the financing agreement on the bedside table and the expensive suits scattered on the floor.
He kicked the person next to him and said, "Get up. I'm going to open the shop."
Wu Ye closed his eyes and pulled him back into his arms: "Sleep for another five minutes..."
Five years later, Wu Ye's company went public.
On the day of the bell ringing, Li Ruiyuan was not present. He was tidying the shelves at the convenience store while the live broadcast was being broadcast on TV. Li's mother called, her voice choked with tears:
"Yuanzi, have you seen it?"
He looked up and saw Wu Ye calmly answering reporters' questions on the screen. The once timid boy was now a rising star in the financial news.
"I've seen it." He said calmly, "Mom, I'm busy. I'm hanging up."
When Wu Ye returned home that night, the villa was quiet. He pushed open the bedroom door and saw Li Ruiyuan leaning against the bed, playing with his phone, wearing his old T-shirt.
"Why don't you turn on the lights?" Wu Ye loosened his tie.
Li Ruiyuan didn't even raise his head: "I'm too lazy."
The next second, his phone was snatched away, and he was pressed into the mattress. Wu Ye's alcoholic breath puffed on his neck, and his fingers expertly reached under his shirt.
"Today a reporter asked me a question," Wu Ye bit his collarbone. "What motivated me to start my own business?"
Li Ruiyuan snorted softly: "What did you say? To change the world?"
"I said," Wu Ye kissed him on the heart, "to be worthy of someone."
The air suddenly became quiet. Li Ruiyuan raised his hand and touched the young man's head, his gesture a little rude: "Silly dog."
That night they had a very violent affair. Outside the French windows was the dazzling lights of Beijing, but inside the room was only the sound of suppressed breathing. Li Ruiyuan was pressed against the glass window, his eyes red:
“Gentle…”
Wu Ye kissed away his tears, but his movements became more and more ferocious. This young CEO, who was always planning things outside, now only called out his name over and over again:
"Ayumi...baby..."
Like that rainy night many years ago, the soaked boy was waiting for him to go home at the alley entrance.
Afterwards, Wu Ye carried him to take a bath. In the bathtub, Li Ruiyuan leaned lazily in his arms and suddenly said:
"Mom called today and said Aunt Chen's daughter is getting married."
Wu Ye paused: "Hmm?"
"What's a suitable gift?" Li Ruiyuan closed his eyes. "We can't just give a red envelope like we did back then."
They all knew what "back then" meant. When Aunt Chen's daughter was admitted to university, they gave her a thick red envelope, but it was returned intact.
Wu Ye gently rubbed his waist: "It's up to you to decide."
Li Ruiyuan opened his eyes and looked at the steam rising from the bathroom. Over the years, the rumors in the alleys of his hometown had never stopped. Gradually, some people began to use their connections to try to get into Wu Ye's company, and some people inquired about investment opportunities indirectly.
Even Aunt Chen called last year and said her daughter wanted to apply for a position in their company.
"Give me a car." Li Ruiyuan suddenly said.
Wu Ye was stunned: "What?"
"Just send a car." He pulled up the towel and stood up, his back hazy in the steam. "Let those people in the alley see it."
Wu Ye watched him walk out and suddenly chuckled. His beloved was still the arrogant and childish Li Ruiyuan.
The next day, Li Ruiyuan went to the convenience store as usual to sort the goods. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and he dozed off at the cash register, not even looking up when the wind chimes rang.
"Boss, check out."
A familiar voice made him open his eyes. Wu Ye was standing at the counter, wearing a simple white shirt and holding a box of mints. He looked exactly like the boy he had met while working at a convenience store in Dongguan many years ago.
"Not going to work?" Li Ruiyuan raised his eyebrows.
"Skipping work." Wu Ye pushed the candy over. "I missed you."
The convenience store was so quiet that only the hum of the freezer could be heard. Li Ruiyuan scanned the code: "Ten yuan."
Wu Ye leaned closer and pecked him lightly on the lips: "Is it enough?"
"Get lost." Li Ruiyuan scolded with a smile, but his ears turned red.
The sun shone through the glass door, casting a warm glow on the two middle-aged people. The phone on the cashier's counter was lit, and it was a message from Li's mother:
"Auntie Chen received the car and she cried so hard. Are you coming home for dinner this weekend? Mom made soup."
Outside the window, Beijing's traffic never stops. But inside this small convenience store, time seems to have never moved on.
Wu Ye reached out and gently grasped Li Ruiyuan's wrist. The pair of plain rings on her ring finger gleamed in the sunlight.
"Go home?" he asked softly.
Li Ruiyuan clasped his fingers with his backhand, and raised his thick eyebrows slightly:
"Wait until the store closes."
＿End of the full text＿
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