chapter 42

Chapter 42

Du Island.

Lu Qianque walked through the circular corridor on the second floor, hearing soft voices in conversation.

He stopped by the railing and looked down. In the first-floor atrium, a young member of the expert team was speaking with Uncle Kang. The setting sun streamed through the windows into the atrium, casting long, stretched shadows of the two figures on the floor.

He saw Uncle Kang politely refuse the other’s request, and the young man, embarrassed, didn’t insist further. After Uncle Kang left, the young man stood there for a moment, glanced up at the dimly lit upper floor, then turned and walked away.

From their opposing angles, the young man didn’t notice Lu Qianque quietly standing, hidden in the darkness. Lu Qianque, with his keen insight, easily saw through the young man’s intentions-it was nothing more than another person wanting to meet Guan Heng.

Years ago, Lu Qianque had already seen too many people drawn to Guan Heng, so he was no longer surprised and didn’t take it to heart.

Except for that meeting a few days ago, Guan Heng hadn’t appeared before the group again, citing poor health. Lu Qianque had only arranged for the expert team to talk once at night, and had redrafted suitable terms.

It was just that there were too many outsiders in the mansion. Although they were all accommodated on the other side of the first floor, far from the bedrooms on the second and third floors, the noise still seeped through the thick floors and walls.

Fortunately, these people would leave tomorrow and wouldn’t return until next month.

Lu Qianque left the railing and headed up to the third floor.

The third floor was much like the second, no different from usual: curtains tightly drawn, extra panels blocking out the light. The small hall with double doors beside the corridor was lit. Lu Qianque entered and saw Guan Heng sitting on the sofa, holding his phone.

Lately, neither of them had been able to sleep during the day. Guan Heng looked listless, but his mood seemed decent. “All sorted?”

Lu Qianque nodded slightly and placed the documents on the table. “Yes, the second draft of the agreement is ready for your review. Gu Yu and I are leaving tonight. If there’s anything unsuitable, please mark it now and I’ll revise it according to your instructions.”

“So soon?” Guan Heng asked, tossing his phone aside and picking up the stack of documents.

“Children have to go to school,” Lu Qianque said. “At that age, they’re a nuisance wherever they go.”

Guan Heng had already heard about Gu Yu’s kitchen antics that even made Granny Bai wary of him, so he didn’t try to keep them, only quickly scanning the documents.

Guan Heng was always strict when it came to work.

In recent years, things had stabilized, and Guan Heng seemed easier to get along with. In earlier years, his moods were hard to read, making it difficult to guess his thoughts.

But Guan Heng had always trusted Lu Qianque’s work, so there was nothing to mark.

He only raised a few questions, which Lu Qianque answered respectfully, standing by the sofa.

Guan Heng’s phone vibrated, but he didn’t look at it.

Seeing that the review was nearly done, Lu Qianque smiled and asked, “Is it Little Puppy?”

Guan Heng’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes softened a little. He gave a quiet “Mm,” closed the documents, and finally picked up his phone.

Lu Qianque relaxed completely and sat down on the sofa beside him. “I heard he’s going to Sujing soon for the entrance exam?”

“He’s already there,” Guan Heng replied. “The exam is tomorrow.”

Not only had he arrived, but he kept sending photos nonstop.

The smooth, snowy clouds outside the plane window, the futuristic Sujing airport, the intricate, crisscrossing overpasses, the bustling city buildings, the eye-catching red taxis on the city roads, even the transparent elevator in the hotel-he sent them all, every detail.

“Mr. Guan, look!”

-These photos were often prefaced like this, making it clear how eager he was to share.

This time, Ning Qiuyan sent a photo of the hotel suite’s entryway, with a caption: [There’s a huge touch screen here! Such an advanced control system.]

Guan Heng: “…”

Lu Qianque asked, “Since he’s applying to Suojing Conservatory of Music, do you need me to make a call to help?”

Guan Heng replied, “No need.”

Lu Qianque teased, “You seem quite confident in him.”

“He’ll get in,” Guan Heng said calmly. “It’s not difficult.”

The third floor was quiet. Once everyone left, the entire mansion would be even quieter.

A thought occurred to Lu Qianque, and he asked, “Next time he comes, it’ll be the last time. Have you considered letting him stay by your side?”

Guan Heng, tall and imposing, was now lounging on the sofa in a lazy, casual posture. His black robe almost blended into the sofa, making it hard to tell them apart. Hearing Lu Qianque’s question, he lifted his eyelids, his phoenix eyes unreadable.
The subtle pressure of someone in a higher position seemed to fill the air; Lu Qianque suddenly felt a bit intimidated, but seeing that the other party wanted to listen, he went on to explain: “What I mean is… Ning Qiuyan is a good kid. He’s very pure, has a good temperament, a clean background, and he’s different from ordinary people.”

This difference, of course, was in relation to Guan Heng.

Even if there wouldn’t be any occasions requiring daytime appearances for a while, having such a special blood supply nearby was certainly a precaution.

“What’s rare is that you actually enjoy your time with him.” Lu Qianque suggested, “As long as you ask, he’d definitely be willing to stay by your side forever.”

Guan Heng withdrew his gaze and said, “How old are you, to still believe in forever?”

“You’re too hard on yourself,” Lu Qianque said. “I think even if there’s no such thing as forever, a moment’s brilliance is still very beautiful.”

*

Meanwhile, Ning Qiuyan finished examining the touch screen at the entrance and officially entered the room.

It was a very large suite, with a separate lounge, bedroom, and even a dedicated dining and kitchen area. There was a fruit basket and fresh flowers on the table, and the hotel had even left a card that said, “Welcome, and good luck with your exam,” which felt quite warm and personal.

Ning Qiuyan had never stayed in such an upscale room before.

Room service soon brought up his luggage. Ning Qiuyan thanked them shyly, hesitating over whether he should tip like people do abroad, but they left promptly.

Having rarely traveled since he was young, Ning Qiuyan lacked some social experience and felt a bit at a loss.

He sat on the sofa and carefully opened the guitar case to check his instrument. This time, he’d brought the one Guan Heng had given him, and he’d been careful to avoid any bumps along the way.

Guan Heng had said that an instrument only has value when it’s played.

Now, sitting in the room Guan Heng had booked, holding the guitar Guan Heng had given him, it felt as if everything around him was wrapped in Guan Heng’s presence.

After a moment, Ning Qiuyan put away his inexplicable feelings and got up to walk around the room.

He’d already checked on the way here; the hotel was very close to the school. Standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, he tried to make out which area in front of him was the school.

Tall buildings stood densely outside. He took a picture and sent it to Guan Heng: [Look, the night view of Sujing must be beautiful.]

Guan Heng still didn’t reply.

It was early evening, not yet dark, and Ning Qiuyan guessed that Guan Heng hadn’t woken up yet.

The airplane meal from earlier had long been digested. Ning Qiuyan returned to the touch screen by the entrance to try ordering food, but every price made his jaw drop, so he quickly picked up his phone to search for restaurants nearby.

As a boy from a small town, Ning Qiuyan felt very self-conscious standing alone in front of a restaurant, so he turned instead to a convenience store.

The items in convenience stores are pretty much the same everywhere.

Still reeling from the shock of the hotel dinner prices, Ning Qiuyan swept through the shelves, loading up a full bag to bring back.

When he returned to the hotel, he quickly got a call from room service asking when it would be convenient to deliver his meal.

It turned out Guan Heng had already thought of this and arranged all his meals for him.

A variety of options and flavors, all waiting for him to choose.

Having already made instant noodles, Ning Qiuyan was speechless.

Why didn’t anyone say so earlier?

The noodles were ready, and not wanting to waste food, he only selected a pudding from the touch screen menu.

The one who knocked was actually a delivery robot.

It had a round white head, with a glowing smiley face on display. Ning Qiuyan found it fascinating and couldn’t help but snap another photo to send to Guan Heng.

Ning Qiuyan: [!!! It’s so smart! After it came in, it even asked me which table I wanted to eat my pudding at!]

This time, he got a reply almost instantly.

Guan Heng called him on video.

As soon as Ning Qiuyan picked up, he hurried to the door.

He glanced out at the corridor, then looked at the camera with some regret: “Mr. Guan, if you’d called a little earlier, the robot would have already been gone.”

Guan Heng: “…”

Night had fallen.

The light was on where Guan Heng was, so Ning Qiuyan could see his face clearly.

Guan Heng didn’t seem disappointed about missing the robot.

As always when seeing Guan Heng, Ning Qiuyan’s heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, “Or I could order again…”

Guan Heng said directly, “Show me the night view.”

Ning Qiuyan was wearing a simple gray sweatshirt. The dim lighting added grain to the image, making him look soft on screen. His expression was innocent and a little lost: “Hm?”

“The night view of Sujing,” Guan Heng’s voice was deep. “You said it would be beautiful.”
“Oh, right!” Ning Qiuyan suddenly remembered the message he had sent to Guan Heng earlier that evening. He responded immediately, turned the camera around, and went to the floor-to-ceiling window. “Here, this way!”

As the capital, Sujing was undoubtedly the most bustling city. Standing on the fifty-somethingth floor of a tall building looking out, even Ning Qiuyan couldn’t help but catch his breath.

Endless streams of cars, dazzling neon lights.

The floor-to-ceiling glass shut out all the noise; in the silence of this room, they overlooked the thousands of lights across the city.

After not coming out to the outside world for more than a hundred years, Guan Heng’s expression was quite calm. Perhaps seeing the world through a phone video was not so different from looking at it online.

Ning Qiuyan naturally adjusted the angle, trying his best to show Guan Heng all the sights of Sujing in his eyes.

His hand was steady, the footage only trembling very slightly.

“Sujing is huge. We’re not even in the city center right now, so it’s not the liveliest place,” Ning Qiuyan said. “Last time I came with my friends and stayed for a few days, each day we stayed in a different area, but I still think the place I’m staying in this time is the most beautiful.”

The youth’s voice was bright and clear. Perhaps from not sleeping well, the tail end carried a slight hoarseness.

“Look over there.”

A slender finger touched the glass, the nail round and clean, the sleeve habitually tugged down to cover half the back of his hand.

“Do you see that tall tower lit up over there? That’s the famous Sujing Iron Tower. Everyone who comes here takes photos there, but you can’t climb it, you can only look from afar. The tower is red, and it’s actually quite beautiful even in the daytime without lights. It’s right by the school.”

He introduced a few other things, and Guan Heng listened patiently.

After he finished, he asked, “Mr. Guan, have you ever thought about coming out to have a look? This time coming out, I’ve realized how much the outside world has changed.”

“Coming out” meant leaving Du Island, leaving Wutong.

Guan Heng: “No.”

Ning Qiuyan replied with a dry “Oh,” turned around, and the phone’s camera swept across the room.

Guan Heng asked, “What’s on the table?”

Ning Qiuyan looked, and answered a little embarrassed, “I just went to the convenience store and bought some food.” He explained, “I didn’t know you had arranged meals at the hotel.”

Guan Heng said, “You bought so much.”

“Mm.” Ning Qiuyan walked over, half-kneeling on the carpet, rummaging through the snack bags on the low table for Guan Heng to see. “There’s instant noodles, bread, drinks and stuff. I even planned out breakfast for tomorrow… and bought snacks. I don’t usually eat snacks, so I didn’t know which were good, so I just bought a bit of every package that looked nice.”

“Ning Qiuyan.”

Amid the O O @ @ sounds, Guan Heng spoke.

Those three words seemed to have magic; whenever Guan Heng called his name like that, Ning Qiuyan always felt the illusion of closeness between them.

Ning Qiuyan stopped rummaging. “Hmm?”

Guan Heng said coolly, “That’s a condom.”

“What?”

Ning Qiuyan picked up the colorful little box with a strawberry drawn on it at hand. Looking closely, he felt mortified.

There were no obvious markings on the packaging, but at the bottom, the large English word was written: condom.

Guan Heng finally said, “Rest early and do well on your exam.”

The video call ended.

Ning Qiuyan stiffened into a stone sculpture in front of the low table. After a long while, with a dull “thud,” he knocked his head against the table.

A condom.

A-con-dom…

Ning Qiuyan was already eighteen, yet had never had the opportunity to use one. His daily life was so simple he’d never even come into contact with one. Now that he thought about it, he did wonder at the checkout why it was so expensive.

He knelt on the carpet and opened the package.

There were only three inside.

Really expensive.

With a pang, Ning Qiuyan took one out and tore open its jagged packaging. A strong smell of rubber mixed with fragrance poured out.

He was alone in the room.

Out of curiosity, he took it out, and almost involuntarily slipped the ring over his index finger, rolling it down by hand. The rubber was very thin, and he just felt it was greasy and slippery. When the ring reached the bottom, the tip weirdly ballooned up a little, its surface rough and covered in bumps, filled with air inside.

He pinched it, added another finger, then another.

The slippery rubber wrapped around his fingers, not too tight, like an oversized glove-it could fit even bigger things.

“Ning Qiuyan.”

Those three words echoed in his mind, played over and over in Guan Heng’s pleasant voice.

Ning Qiuyan looked at it, and his cheeks began to burn hot.