Lido No. 1
"Is a VLCC okay? My ship just arrived in Alto. If you can wait, it will take about two days..."
"Mr. Xu, Mr. Lin is here."
"jingle."
Jinnan recognized the sound of a small spoon dropping into a glass. Mr. Xu was used to holding something in his hand when he was busy, and the pen was in Jinnan's hands, so he had recently changed his role.
The person in the headset rustled and stood up to attend the distinguished guest. A car passed Jinnan, horn honking and flashing its hazard lights, followed by a long line of cars.
A phone call came in and the monitoring was forced to be interrupted.
Jinnan picked up the phone, and Lin Jiaze's lazy voice came from the other end: "Jinnan, your brother hung up on my brother."
The whistle continued, drowning out Jinnan's voice.
"Where are you? The soundproofing is so poor."
"On the bus." Jinnan said.
"Bus?" someone on the other end of the line yelled, "You're not going to charter another bus so early in the morning to see the sights? Are you crazy?"
Jinnan wanted to hire a car for the night, but unfortunately, the car was only available during working hours.
He sat in the middle of the second floor of the "Lido No. 1" sightseeing bus. Among the mottled shadows of the trees, the sun in the sky seemed within reach.
He remembered how Xu Zhiyuan reached over his hand and touched the leaves a few years ago.
"Master, you also take the bus?" Jin Nan smiled at him.
"There's no traffic jam on the subway." Xu Zhiyuan replied.
The sunlight filtered through the shadows of the trees and fell on Jinnan's eyelashes, stinging him. He then remembered that winter had not yet arrived.
The bus dropped Jinnan off at the entrance of Hualin Park. When the young master was squatting on the side of the road and calling his assistant, he happened to meet a business manager who was returning from an outing. He took the bus and gave the man a ride back to the headquarters building.
"Mr. Xu is in a meeting." The secretary poured Jinnan a cup of tea. "You've arrived just in time. There's a dinner party tonight that requires your attendance, and Mr. Xu was just about to let us know."
"Thank you."
The scent of perfume was very faint, perhaps not perfume at all, but just the smell of laundry detergent. Having not been here for a while, Jinnan noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces.
Lin Jiaze's news was flashing, the matter had been resolved, and there was no need to go to Nantes today.
People came and went, and apart from his secretary who followed him everywhere, there was no one else idle.
The office that Jin Nan inherited from Jin Licheng is on the top floor. He said it was old-fashioned and never came back. I heard that it is still under renovation recently.
The young master has nowhere to go.
He was reluctant to enter Mr. Xu's office, and the secretaries who were responsible for entertaining him knew this.
This trip wasn't just for Lin Jiaze's call. He wanted to see Xu Zhiyuan.
It seems difficult to achieve this now.
"Where are his car keys?"
"Mr. Jin, the dinner..."
"I want his keys now."
The beautiful fox eyes narrowed in a smile, but there was no smile in them.
The assistant was defeated.
There were two bodyguards who looked like gods standing at the door of Xu Zhiyuan's office. People in Hualin had gotten used to it in the past two months, but Jinnan, the instigator, was not used to it. He walked past the assistant and entered the office first.
Several documents lay spread out on Xu Zhiyuan's neatly arranged desk by the floor-to-ceiling window. Jinnan glanced at them and then walked familiarly toward his handbag, which was stored in the cabinet behind him.
Even if Xu Zhiyuan drove himself, he would have a bodyguard sitting in the passenger seat. Jin Nan knew better than Xu Zhiyuan where he had been and who he had met.
Mr. Xu was driving the E63 that Jinnan had bought for his 20th birthday. Jin Licheng had inherited a substantial fortune, and Jinnan had only a few cars left at the old house, all of which were now in Xu Zhiyuan's possession.
Jinnan held the key in his hand, feeling a little unhappy.
"Boss Jin, Mr. Xu has prepared a temporary office for you. The suits are also available. You can..."
"No thanks." Jin Nan flashed his signature smile, without any emotion. "I'm going to meet a friend this afternoon."
The secretary stopped talking, looking helpless.
Everyone knows how heartless this second-generation rich man is. Comparing the two, one can't help but feel sorry for Mr. Xu.
Jinnan was even so overbearing that he wouldn't allow those around him to call him Mr. Xu, even though Xu Zhiyuan was clearly the one handling all the work.
Jin Nanquan didn't care what others thought of him. He stayed in the office for more than ten minutes, then took the car key and drove away.
When Xu Zhiyuan came back, he could still smell a little bit of smoke left by Jinnan.
He bought the cigarettes for Jinnan, so he naturally knew the smell. Besides the cigarettes, he seemed to be able to smell the same scent of chemical detergent on the other person as he did.
Jinnan came here, but didn't see him. Why?
"Claire, help me check the surveillance footage for the next hour."
"Mr. Jin just came here." The assistant poked her head in. "Would you like the original high-definition film?"
"Yes." Xu Zhiyuan nodded.
Jinnan turned on the fresh air before smoking.
There are many people in the smoking area, and Jinnan doesn't like to join in the crowd. It's definitely not like his office outside. Is that what Jinnan thinks?
Maybe Jinnan just wanted to annoy him.
Xu Zhiyuan looked intently at the hand holding the cigarette and the slightly tired face hidden behind the smoke.
The cigarettes were not the kind he bought, and Jinnan didn’t get a good rest.
Unlike Jinnan who pays attention to him all the time, Xu Zhiyuan really hasn't seen Jinnan for two months.
I have never seen this set of clothes before. Was it made by that designer friend of his?
She hasn't been out much for two months. Her skin has become whiter and her hair has grown a lot longer than the last time I saw her. She looks very much like the painting at home.
She has lost weight, so much so that you can see through her empty neckline.
He's biting his cigarette holder. Are you upset?
Xu Zhiyuan stared closely, magnifying and depicting it inch by inch.
On Jinnan's monitor, he was just doing his work.
Jinnan looked at him like a prisoner, but did not interfere with his specific work, and even left him the privacy of the computer screen.
Very measured. Or just not interested.
"Did he say anything today?" Xu Zhiyuan asked.
"Mr. Jin said he was going to meet a friend this afternoon and stole your car keys. I've already informed you of the evening's activities."
"Didn't you say whether you were going or not?"
"Um."
Xu Zhiyuan couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
He understood that Jin Nan was afraid of him and didn't want to see him. It was normal for him to avoid him after such a big change.
But Xu Zhiyuan just wanted to see him. Even from a distance, not through a screen.
Two months. Had they ever been apart for such a long time since Jinnan returned to Lido?
Even when he was abroad, Xu Zhiyuan would video call Jinnan every week to help him with his homework.
No, we haven't seen each other for so long.
Xu Zhiyuan could no longer remember what Jinnan was wearing the last time they met.
Every day feels like a year.
*
8pm, Lido St. Pearlman Hotel.
Two invitations were given to Jinnan and Xu Zhiyuan respectively for the Entrepreneurs’ Dinner. Jinnan found out about this while on the way here.
Lin Jiaze, who had disturbed his peace in the morning, sat with him in the back seat, while Lin Jiayi, the legitimate head of the Lin family, condescended to sit in the passenger seat, preferring to squeeze in rather than ride alone.
Apart from his wife, the eldest brother of the Lin family loves his younger brother the most.
Lin Jiaze slept all day and was still yawning: "Where's Li Hongfang?"
"This kind of banquet is boring. He doesn't like to come."
"I don't like coming here either." Lin Jiaze said.
His current small company was opened for him to play around with by Lin Jiayi. Although it may not be a benchmark in the industry, it has at least begun to take shape in the past two years thanks to the Lin family's no-holds-barred projects.
This time, Lin Jiaze got the invitation letter under his own name.
Jin Nan couldn't help but wonder, why was it that he and Xu Zhiyuan were separated? Hua Lin hadn't split up, so why couldn't their names be written on the same letter?
He didn't care at all whether his wish was reasonable or not.
The first thing Jinnan did when he entered the venue was to look for Xu Zhiyuan.
It wasn't hard to find him. His tall and straight figure wasn't at all overshadowed by his black suit. The man was holding a drink in one hand and chatting with someone, his eyes occasionally looking towards the door.
Jinnan noticed him and immediately looked away, not letting him catch any clues.
"Zhiyuan is over there." Lin Jiayi kindly reminded.
"He's having a great time chatting," Jinnan said. "I won't bother him."
The butterfly landed quietly.
Jin Nan spent two weeks learning the social rules of Vanity Fair. Jin Licheng taught him that he didn't need to know anyone, that he should be polite when someone toasted him, and that he didn't need to start a conversation. Xu Zhiyuan was well trained.
Jinnan didn't come here often. He only learned to smile and clink glasses. He had no memory of who he had met or what kind of wine he had drunk.
Xu Zhiyuan was not often by his side.
Jin Licheng's idea turned out to be funny, and many people flattered Jin Nan in order to make friends with Xu Zhiyuan.
Jinnan no longer likes to show his face.
He hadn't planned to come today, but he hadn't seen Xu Zhiyuan for so long. Whenever he closed his eyes, he recalled the days in the past when he was suppressed underwater by Jin Licheng and secretly cared for by him, without letting anyone know.
When the weather gets cold, Xu Zhiyuan's appetite also decreases. Although he drinks ice wine and wears a thin suit, others don't know that Xu Zhiyuan is very afraid of the cold.
Xu Zhiyuan hadn't eaten much of the dishes ordered yesterday, and even after the bodyguards insisted, he only ate two-thirds. Jinnan had the chef cook just the right amount for Xu Zhiyuan's appetite.
Winter. Even before the first cold snap hit Lido, Jinnan already hated winter.
Countless eyes fell on Jinnan. He was drinking quietly. Those who didn't know him might mistake him for a rookie.
Few people knew that he had a special relationship with Xu Zhiyuan, and even fewer matched his face with his identity.
Jin Licheng was a low-key person, and not many people knew that he had a son, let alone had seen Jin Nan in person.
Most of the second-generation circles that Jinnan has formed in recent years cannot come here. Lin Jiaze was dragged by his brother to meet a partner. He stood alone by the window, looking so lonely.
It doesn’t matter. I came south today just to see Xu Zhiyuan.
See it.
"Mr. Xu."
Jinnan heard this voice, turned around, and found Xu Zhiyuan walking towards him.
Walking through the crowd, a pair of deep eyes stared at him, and the champagne in his hand shook steadily.
"Mr. Jin." The wine glass was handed to him.
"Mr. Xu." Jin Nan clinked glasses, addressing each other in a strange way that they had never addressed each other before.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
The bodyguards arranged by Jinnan are still guarding the sidelines, and his listening device is still attached to Xu Zhiyuan's clothes, and this happens every day.
How can it be considered a long time since we last met? Jin Nan even knows how many bites he took of breakfast.
Jinnan couldn't help but take a half step back towards the window, almost spilling his wine on Xu Zhiyuan. His lowered gaze was a silent rejection in Xu Zhiyuan's eyes.
Xu Zhiyuan distanced himself.
"Your things are still at home." Xu Zhiyuan whispered, "Do you want them to be sent to your place?"
There are several properties in Lido, and Xu Zhiyuan doesn't know where Jinnan lives now.
Jinnan didn't want him to know, so he just brushed it off. His eyes fell on Xu Zhiyuan's collar pin, and he suddenly laughed out of anger.
He didn't remember Xu Zhiyuan entering his room to take anything in the past two months, so this collar pin must have been in Xu Zhiyuan's hands earlier.
He has been coveting what belongs to him for a long time.
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