"Aru. Why aren't you going in yet?" Lexi found Shilu half an hour later. At that moment, he was leaning against the sink smoking, looking helpless.
"It's too stuffy in there, I came out for some fresh air." Shi Lu forced a smile, unaware of how forced and lewd the smile was.
"Phew..." Le Xi forced a smile, leaned against the sink and exhaled, "It is indeed quite stuffy."
"Is he the older brother you mentioned before?" Shi Lu asked.
"Yes, that's right. Doesn't it look like it?"
"No, it's just that he seems much older than you."
"Really? I'll be 30 next year, that's really old?"
"He's much older than you, you're only 19 this year!"
“He is much older than me,” Lexi said slowly after a long while, “but he takes good care of me.”
“When I was little, my mother passed away and my father left home. I lived with my maternal grandmother,” Le Xi continued slowly.
“My maternal grandmother was very old, and we were very poor at the time, barely able to survive on relief. Later, my brother and his mother, who is also my godmother, came to help us. My brother has always cared for and helped me in my studies and daily life.”
“He treats me very well, like an older brother. He used to study at a university in this city, which is why I feel so connected to this city.”
“My brother is outstanding and has always been my role model,” Le Xi smiled shyly and sniffed. “So my current efforts can be described as wanting to become someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him.”
"No wonder you study so hard." Shi Lu smiled in agreement, but felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
“You like him very much.” After a while, Shi Lu commented.
"I like it... I really, really like it..."
"Is it love?" Shi Lu asked tentatively, feeling a strange palpitation in his heart, as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
Le Xi paused, turned her head to look at him, and slightly opened her mouth, a little dazed: "Love?"
What exactly is love?
When the two returned from outside, Qi Hui was drinking with Chen Song, glass after glass. Qi Hui was always a very calm and self-controlled person, and he could be said to never drink outside, but when Le Xi saw him, he was already slightly drunk, and his face was flushed.
"How much have you drunk?" Lexi whispered to Zijie.
Zijie helplessly pointed to the empty 500ml bottle of 53-degree liquor on the table and commented, "Very good, very powerful."
"When did you start drinking it?" Le Xi frowned.
"About fifteen minutes ago, when you hadn't come in yet, Qi Hui was acting like he was possessed, drinking and toasting with Chen Song."
The secret in my heart
"Teacher Shi, come, let me toast you." Qi Hui poured a full glass of wine, stood up, and presented it to Shi Lu, staggering slightly as he stood up. Le Xi quickly stood up to support him, saying with concern, "Brother, don't drink anymore."
"Baby, do you know how happy I am today? Let me have a drink with Teacher Shi." Qi Hui stopped, reached out and patted Le Xi's head, then turned and handed the wine glass to Shi Lu.
"Teacher Shi, I really, really want to thank you. My son, Lexi, was studying alone in L City before, and thank you for taking care of him. He's always been unwell, and I heard you were there with him during his surgery; thank you so much. I've been such a bad older brother, causing him so much suffering. I feel so ashamed, truly ashamed. But I promise I'll repay him many times over in the future, so please rest assured, Teacher Shi." Qi Hui spoke with a faint smile, fueled by the alcohol. Although he was toasting Shi Lu, he didn't look at him once, his gaze fixed intently on Lexi. This strange scene caused everyone present to stop what they were doing and exchange bewildered glances.
"Brother, that's enough. You're drunk." Le Xi smiled wryly and prepared to take the wine glass from Qi Hui's hand, but unexpectedly, Qi Hui grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, taking advantage of the alcohol to hug her tightly.
“Teacher Shi, my son Lexi was the apple of both my eye and my late mother’s eye. We cherished him so much. I had only recently returned to China, and I was too busy with company matters, family memorial services, and so on. I couldn’t find the time to take good care of him. I was always worried that he would be bullied by others in L City, but I never expected him to meet so many kind people. I am very grateful to you, and to your mother as well.” Qi Hui took another cup, poured a small glass, raised it, and looked down at Lexi in his arms, saying, “Baby, come, toast Teacher Shi and Mother Shi to thank them.”
“Brother…” Le Xi looked at Qi Hui with difficulty, then at the extremely embarrassed Shi Lu, and whispered, “No, don’t drink anymore.”
"Heh, Teacher Shi, look, my Lexi has grown up so much now, she doesn't even listen to me anymore. I'm so sorry to have to make you laugh. How about this, I'll punish myself with three drinks, consider it drinking for my baby." Qi Hui raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then refilled two more glasses and drank them down in one go.
The dinner party ended quickly. Yan Shuang drove Shi's mother home, Chen Songzi and Jie rode in another car, Qi Hui was too drunk to drive, and Le Xi didn't have a driver's license, so Shi Lu "volunteered" to drive Qi Hui back to his apartment. It was assumed that Le Xi would drive Qi Hui back to school with him, but unexpectedly, Qi Hui said he was planning to cancel Le Xi's rental of the small apartment and have her stay with him for the time being.
As Shi Lu opened the door of the Audi A8L 6.0, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The car appeared unassuming and plain, yet it carried a considerable price tag. Just like the feeling he had towards Qi Hui—restrained, his every move seemingly casual, yet capable of exerting an invisible pressure.
Le Xi helped Qi Hui into the car. Just as she was about to close the door and sit in the passenger seat, Qi Hui grabbed her wrist: "Baby?" Le Xi sighed, glanced at Shi Lu in the driver's seat, and awkwardly sat down next to Qi Hui.
The three of them remained silent on the way. Upon arriving at the apartment, Qi Hui hadn't even been seated for ten minutes before he began to dismiss them. Shi Lu glanced at Le Xi, and the three of them stood there awkwardly in the living room for a moment. Le Xi sighed softly and told Qi Hui she would see Shi Lu downstairs. Qi Hui sat on the sofa, squinting as he smoked, staring into Le Xi's eyes, and slowly said, "Be careful. Don't stay outside too long." As Le Xi and Shi Lu approached the door, he added, "It's cold outside, come back quickly."
Le Xi saw Shi Lu downstairs, and the two chatted in the lobby for a while. It was half an hour later when they returned. Opening the door, she found the living room dark, the quiet emptiness echoing even the faintest sounds. Le Xi looked around, then let out a soft sigh; the tension that had gripped her all night could finally be released.
She took off her shoes and coat, tiptoed into the bathroom to turn on the water for a shower, and just as she turned on the tap, she turned around and saw Qi Hui leaning against the door watching her. Le Xi was startled and almost screamed.
"Why did you take so long?" Qi Hui asked casually, his tone relaxed. Only his tightly clenched, slightly sweaty palms betrayed his secret, but Le Xi didn't see it.
"Oh, we chatted for a while downstairs." Le Xi looked down at her feet. Just now, Shi Lu had asked her if she would be living with her brother from now on. Anyone with a discerning eye could see what Qi Hui's purpose was at today's dinner. Although Shi Lu's question was tactful, it carried a deep unease. These two people—one was her brother of thirteen years, her only support; the other was her teacher and friend who cared for her during her most helpless times. Either of them was the most important part of her life.
"It's good that you're back." Qi Hui nodded, then turned his head away with a sigh, his voice barely audible. "I was waiting in the living room the whole time. I thought you had left with him and wouldn't be coming back."
"Huh? Bro, what did you just say?"
"It's nothing, go wash up and go to bed early." Qi Hui shook his head and smiled. "I'll look at some documents in the study for a while. Call me if you need anything."
"Oh, okay." Le Xi nodded obediently, and after Qi Hui turned around, she let out a long breath, feeling relieved.
"Hello?" Le Xi locked the bathroom door, sat on the bathtub, covered the phone with her hand, and whispered to Shi Lu on the other end of the line, "Are you home yet?"
"Yeah, I'm here. I'm changing now. Where are you?" It was Shi Lu's cheerful voice on the other end of the phone. You could imagine him tilting his head and buttoning his shirt while making the call.
"I'm in the bathroom now, getting ready to take a shower and go to bed." Le Xi smiled, her toes playfully wiggling back and forth.
"Hehe, a beauty emerging from the bath! I didn't even get to see her." Shi Lu's smile deepened, and he whispered, "I'm changing my pants now, want to see?"
"Get lost!" Le Xi raised her voice and cursed, "Zi Jie said you're a big pervert, and he was right!"
"Hehe, why are you saying that about me?"
"Don't you know? There's a saying, 'Long leg hair, you...you're strong...you...with such long leg hair...you're just...you know...you know..." Le Xi stammered.
"What? What are you talking about?" Shi Lu laughed so hard his voice was distorted.
“Long leg hair, um… strong sex drive… you… um…” Le Xi blushed.
“Lexi,” Shilu suddenly spoke, interrupting Lexi’s stammering words, “Lexi, I love you.”
"……Um."
"Um?"
"...I...I understand..."
"You know? That's it?"
"……I……"
"What?"
"Baby?" Qi Hui's voice suddenly came from outside the door. "Baby, are you alright? You've been inside for so long, why aren't you done washing yet?"
"Oh, almost done." Lexi was so startled she could barely hold the phone. She whispered a few more words to Shilu before hanging up. She quickly stood under the shower, rinsed herself off, changed into her pajamas, opened the door, and went out.
“I heard no sound from inside for a while, and I was afraid you had fallen. So I asked.” Qi Hui frowned as he looked at Le Xi’s wet head, took a towel and wrapped it around his head to dry his hair. “Do you remember that time you fell in the shower and twisted your ankle? You were limping for half a month, and I had to carry you to school.”
"Hmm...I remember." Le Xi stood up obediently, bowing her head so that Qi Hui could wipe her hair.
“You’ve always been so absent-minded. I really don’t know how you’ve managed to get by here. You used to always kick off the covers when you slept, and no matter how I reminded you, it didn’t work. You’re so old, but you’re still like a child.” Qi Hui exerted a little force and laughed when he saw Le Xi’s swaying figure. He sighed, “Baby, I’m getting old.”
“No, I’m not old.” Le Xi grabbed Qi Hui’s arm to steady herself and looked at him earnestly. “Really.”
"Heh, don't you know the term 'premature aging'?" Qi Hui laughed.
“This word has nothing to do with my brother.” Le Xi shook her head.
"Brother is really getting old... Look, I can't even guess what you're thinking now. Before, I knew what you were thinking just by frowning. Now, it's really different."
"...I...I didn't, I wasn't thinking anything..."
[Bonus Chapter] The Past of City C (Part 1)
October 1st, clashes with the Dog (Renxu), unfavorable direction is south. Lunar August 21st, Wuchen day. Auspicious for sacrifices, travel, moving into a new house, removing mourning clothes, putting on mourning clothes, moving a coffin; inauspicious for building bridges, capping ceremonies, building houses, digging wells.
The plane tickets were booked two weeks ago. Qi Hui thought about it for a long time before finally deciding to tell Le Xi about going back to City C together. The 3rd, which is the day after tomorrow, is the first anniversary of his mother's death. He shouldn't force Le Xi to go back with him, after all, his parents' deaths had greatly traumatized him. However, his mother always liked Le Xi, and even in her final days, he was the one she missed the most.
Qi Hui clutched the two plane tickets, lay back on the office sofa, and sighed heavily—what would it be like if the two of them went back together?
Dinner was at home. The nanny we hired was quite skilled, and Lexi loved the food she made. The sweet and sour flavors were something Qi Hui usually avoided, but seeing Lexi smacking her lips as she ate made him very happy. It was really strange that this child, born in a city famous for its spicy hot pot, loved sweet and sour flavors.
"Baby, come here, I have something to tell you." After watching Lexi help the auntie clear the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen, Qi Hui patted the sofa and said to Lexi.
"What is it?" Le Xi sat down obediently, looking at Qi Hui with her big, dark eyes. Her well-behaved appearance made it seem as if she had always been a happy and content child. Qi Hui sighed inwardly again and slowly said, "I bought a plane ticket back to City C for tomorrow... You know, the 3rd is the anniversary of my mother's death."
Le Xi paused, then lowered her head and remained silent. After a long while, she raised her head, her eyes misty with tears, and her voice trembling slightly: "Yes, brother... I'll go back with you."
I thought he would run away, would back down. But he agreed without even a single excuse. The child who used to cry out in pain even from a tiny cut on his pencil sharpener now always hides his emotions, making it impossible to see his true thoughts. This feeling is really unpleasant. It's like being a puppet wearing a mask, completely at my mercy. On the surface, he may appear calm, but in reality, his heart has already drifted away.
The roar of the airplane engine echoed across the sky. Le Xi sat by the window, intently gazing at the sky outside. The sky over this city was an endless expanse of azure, a deep blue that seemed to draw one in. In the airport waiting area, he saw Shi Lu running towards him from the entrance, bringing a refreshing breeze. Shi Lu had brought several motion sickness medications and carefully explained the usage and dosage to Le Xi, giving meticulous instructions again and again. The way Shi Lu held Le Xi's hand reluctantly at the end, as if he were leaving and never returning, carried a strange sadness.
Last night, because she had to catch an early morning flight, Lexi stayed at Qi Hui's apartment. Lying in the master bedroom on her large bed, Lexi heard Qi Hui loudly berating his subordinates on the phone in the guest room next door. Even her usually calm and collected brother could become agitated at times like this.
In the early hours of the morning, Le Xi received a text message from Shi Lu, who asked about his plans for the National Day holiday. After a long pause, Le Xi typed out, word by word, that he was going back to City C to visit his godmother's grave.
After a long time, Shi Lu's replies came one after another. He said, "Le Xi, when are you coming back?"
He said, "I had planned for us to visit Labrang Monastery together. We finally had the National Day holiday, but you're leaving again."
He said, "Lexi, aren't you prone to motion sickness? Remember to take some motion sickness medication before boarding."
He also said, "Lexi, you must spend the next holiday with me!"
So many text messages, it was overwhelming.
In fact, everyone is afraid.
The plane flew through the clouds, getting further and further away from L City. Surprisingly, Lexi's motion sickness wasn't too bad after taking the medicine Shi Lu gave her. However, she felt heavy-hearted, her mind filled with images of the past.