Shoutout to Alinaza for the commission!
After watching the sunrise, Jiang Se returned to Xiangshu Lane, changed into her pajamas, and slept deeply.
Her phone had been off from midnight until she woke up. When she turned it on, a string of missed calls appeared on the screen, all from Guo Qian.
Jiang Se glanced at the time: 12:20.
It was time to go to Liyuan Street for lunch.
And…
He should have returned to Beicheng by now.
Jiang Se opened WeChat, and indeed, the top two messages were from Lu Huaiyan:
[Arrived.]
[Awake yet?]
Jiang Se didn’t rush to reply. She got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, even took a shower, tidied herself from head to toe, and only then went downstairs slowly.
She replied to Lu Huaiyan: [Awake, on my way to my parents’ place for lunch.]
After sending the message, she called Guo Qian. In the U.S., it was wintertime, so it was about 2 a.m. there. But Jiang Se knew that without this call, Guo Qian definitely couldn’t sleep.
Sure enough, as soon as the phone rang, the other side immediately picked up: “You heartless thing, finally remembered me? Did something urgent just happen?”
“When you were on the phone, Lu Huaiyan was right outside my door.”
Guo Qian: “!”
Guo Qian: “And then?!”
“We went to the temple to offer the first incense, and along the way watched the sunrise.”
“Just like that? Didn’t do anything else? He even stood up the gathering my brother had organized, just to take you to light incense and watch the sunrise?”
Guo Qian simply didn’t believe it. Someone like Lu Huaiyan, who was cunning from head to toe, would surely have some ulterior motive for flying all the way to Tongcheng. Just to offer incense and watch the sunrise, who would believe that?
Jiang Se’s expression remained calm. “Really nothing else. If he had come for something else, I would have—”
Her words stuck.
“What would you have done?”
She would have been even freer, less burdened.
Jiang Se pushed open the iron gate on the first floor, shook her head, and said, “Nothing. Ask your questions quickly; I’m going to my parents’ place to eat.”
From Xiangshu Lane to Liyuan Street, Guo Qian fired dozens of questions in one breath, all revolving around Lu Huaiyan, her speed like a machine gun.
No wonder she was so curious.
Although their group had grown up together, compared with others, Guo Qian was not very familiar with Lu Huaiyan. As a child, she even felt a little intimidated by him.
She was the type who could climb walls anywhere, yet every time she went to the Lu family, she would behave like a quail.
Lu Huaiyan had never been easy to get along with. In Guo Qian’s impression, he was a cold, indifferent man, a cold-faced Yama from childhood.
She could hardly imagine what it would look like for such a person to fall in love.
Guo Qian’s curiosity was so extreme that she even asked questions like, “How many minutes can Little Lu last each time?”
“Sese, do you still remember what you said after your coming-of-age ceremony?”
“What did I say?”
“You said you looked forward to the day when Lu Huaiyan’s lofty face would be trampled mercilessly into the ground.”
“……”
Jiang Se squinted. “The third day after my coming-of-age ceremony?”
Guo Qian: “Yeah, at that time your thing with Fu Jun was settled, right? I asked if it meant you no longer liked Lu Huaiyan.”
Guo Qian still remembered how cold Sese’s tone had been: “I don’t like him anymore. But—”
“But what?”
Eighteen-year-old Cen Se sipped her lipstick-coloblack tea and said lightly, “I was actually quite looking forward to seeing that lofty face of his trampled into the ground.”
“……”
“Sese, now isn’t the chance here?” Guo Qian, enjoying the scene, gave her a mischievous suggestion. “Do you want to take a few kicks to his face while he’s asleep?”
Jiang Se: “……”
Perhaps eighteen-year-old Cen Se would have.
She had always been very proud by nature.
From childhood to adulthood, there was nothing she couldn’t do; she excelled at everything, stood out in everything.
When she wanted someone, she naturally planned everything step by step. Within less than two years, she had won Grandpa Lu’s favor, and with Auntie Han who had liked her since childhood, she had secured the two people Lu Huaiyan cared most about.
She was confident that in a few more years, she could win Lu Huaiyan too, becoming the one standing by his side.
Until that day, when she heard what he said outside the study.
That she was bland and flavorless.
That no matter how good she seemed to others, to him she was nothing special.
If those words had come from others, Jiang Se wouldn’t have even spared a glance.
But Lu Huaiyan was different to sixteen-year-old Cen Se.
Those words shattered not only her pride but also the self-deception she had lived in.
The person she thought could save her was just an illusion.
No one could save her.
Save yourself.
Jiang Se lifted her eyes.
The sky was a clear, washed blue, and a plane slowly dragged a cotton-white streak behind it.
Last year, when she came to Tongcheng, she had been on the same flight as Lu Huaiyan, sitting in the front and back seats.
Their eyes had even briefly met mid-air.
Back then, the eyes behind his lenses were cold and indifferent. The gaze he gave her was the kind reserved only for someone “not worth noticing,” someone he had no desire to intersect with.
At that moment, a fleeting thought flashed through Jiang Se’s mind: a kind of regret, for not being able to see this man’s pride shattered.
Lu Huaiyan always said she held grudges, and especially loved holding grudges against him.
He wasn’t wrong.
Who told him to be the one she had once placed her hopes in, only for him to ruthlessly shatter her pride.
Five years ago, when she walked step by step out of the study’s long corridor, she thought they would never cross paths again.
Five years later, when the two met on the plane, she also thought there would be no connection anymore.
Who could have thought that in just a few short months, they would become so entangled as they were now.
Guo Qian’s last question that day was, what was their current relationship? Lovers?
Jiang Se looked at that white mark, remembering that kiss after the sunrise ended, when he rested one hand on the windowsill, leaned down, and touched her lips with a kiss that carried no desire at all, her tone calm: “Sort of.”
—
Because of the New Year, all the bars on Fuchun Street were closed.
Cen Mingshu’s first night here, she drank on Liyuan Street.
Yu Shiying brought up a jar of aged liquor from the wine cellar. Cen Mingshu had originally been regretting not being able to go to a bar and get drunk, but the moment that jar was opened, the aroma hit her and she immediately no longer regretted it.
She held her liquor well; even after finishing a whole jar she was only slightly tipsy.
Back at the apartment, she refused to drink the honey water Jiang Se made, saying: “I’m not even drunk, what do I need to sober up for.”
She sat on the sofa, giving Jiang Se a sidelong glance: “Your parents said you received quite a few red envelopes this year. Hurry up and say something nice, your auntie will give you one too.”
Jiang Se went with the flow: “Then I wish you smooth sailing in everything after you return to America, and money flowing in.”
Cen Mingshu was returning to America on the sixth day. She had companies on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley: one finance, one tech. In Chinese circles she was a legendary iron-blooded businesswoman.
“Don’t think that just because I’m going back to America, you can slack off and skip seeing the doctor.” Cen Mingshu crossed her legs, her right index and middle fingers hooking as she pointed at her own eyes, then at Jiang Se. “I’ll be watching you.”
Jiang Se picked up that cup of honey water that Cen Mingshu especially despised and drank it slowly: “Got it.”
Cen Mingshu stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly said: “Your complexion is pretty good lately. Found someone to date?”
“Cough.” Jiang Se almost choked. She slowly swallowed the honey water in her mouth, looked at Cen Mingshu and nodded, “But I won’t tell you who it is.”
Cen Mingshu snorted: “What? Afraid I’ll scare him off? Don’t worry, your Little Aunt won’t meddle in your other matters, whether it’s that man of yours or the thing you’re investigating.”
She paused here. “How’s that matter going?”
Jiang Se put down the cup, her expression light as clouds: “There’s been some progress.”
Whenever she brushed people off, she wore this expression.
Cen Mingshu looked at her, but didn’t continue asking. Instead she switched topics: “A few days ago I met Fu Yun at the He family banquet. He said he’s coming to Hucheng on a business trip, and will stop by Tongcheng to taste ‘Wangchuan’s’ alcohol. The Fu family has been getting close to the Zhu family lately. Fu Yun will likely get engaged to that Zhu family girl who’s always at odds with you. Keep some distance from him, lest you get dragged into something messy for no reason.”
“Zhu Mingli?” The only Zhu family person who was always at odds with her was her. Jiang Se, calm and leisurely, said, “Don’t worry, she’s never beaten me at anything since we were kids. As for Fu Yun, even when we had a marriage engagement we weren’t close. Now that there’s nothing anymore, there won’t be any interaction.”
Cen Mingshu nodded: “Just stay away. The Fu family probably won’t have a peaceful year. Uncle Fu’s health…”
She shook her head with a sigh. Getting old meant all sorts of problems. Old Master Fu had been diagnosed with malignant cancer at the end of last year, and no one knew how long he could hold on.
Jiang Se didn’t have much impression of Old Master Fu. He was unlike Grandpa Lu, though he looked gentle and elegant, when he looked at people it always felt like he was evaluating the value of a commodity.
Hearing Cen Mingshu mention his health now, she didn’t think to ask more. She simply responded, “Mm,” and slowly finished the honey water.
Jiang Se accompanied Cen Mingshu around Tongcheng for two days and sent her to the airport early in the morning on the sixth.
Walking out of the airport, she unexpectedly received a call from Fu Yun.
The man’s voice was still gentle as water: “Sese, I’m in Hucheng. Would it be convenient if I came to Tongcheng to see you tomorrow?”
Jiang Se hadn’t paid much attention to Fu Yun coming to Tongcheng. A few days ago when she learned Old Master Fu’s health had taken a turn, she thought Fu Yun wouldn’t come.
Lu Huaiyan and Han Yin were returning on the evening of the seventh. After thinking for a moment, Jiang Se said: “I’m free tomorrow at noon.”
“Then shall I come find you at noon?”
“Mm. ‘Wangchuan’ will open tomorrow afternoon, I’ll treat you to a drink.”
Fu Yun let out a gentle laugh: “Alright.”
The next day at noon, just past twelve, Jiang Se received Fu Yun’s call. She went to the entrance of Fuchun Street to pick him up.
Once February passed, spring returned. Even if Tongcheng’s chilly wind was still cold, it couldn’t hide a hint of spring.
The man wore a shirt and knitted sweater, topped with a light camel-colored coat. The gentle, jade-like temperament he carried suited the spring breeze perfectly. He didn’t look like a businessman at all, more like a professor studying some scholarly field.
Jiang Se didn’t feel any particular joy about a friend coming from afar. But since he had taken time to see her, she had to act as a proper host. After picking him up, she asked with a smile: “Anything you want to eat?”
Fu Yun’s lips lifted in a pleasant, gentle smile: “I’ll follow your lead.”
“Then I’ll take you to try Tongcheng’s specialty dishes, just nearby.”
The restaurant Jiang Se mentioned was on the street opposite Fuchun Street, on the other side of the Fuchun River.
The two walked slowly across the stone arch bridge in the middle of the river. After spring arrived, the ice beneath the bridge gradually thawed, and the sound of flowing water trickled beneath their feet.
While crossing the bridge, Fu Yun seemed to think of something and glanced sideways at Jiang Se.
The restaurant was a local eatery, the dishes leaning toward sweet and sour flavors. Not knowing his preferences, she handed the menu to him and let him choose.
Fu Yun lowered his eyes, glanced briefly over the menu, then quickly pushed it back, gentlemanly: “I’m not familiar with Tongcheng’s dishes. Sese, just pick whatever you like.”
“Alright.” Jiang Se took out her phone and began scanning the code to place the order.
Fu Yun sat across from her, his gaze slowly sliding down from her brows and eyes, and very soon fixed itself on the water glass on the table.
The glass was half full, the dark green glass wall reflecting a blurry, distorted face, but no matter how blurry, one could still make out that it was a very beautiful hibiscus-like face.
He stared intently at that face, his gaze not moving away for a long time.
The dishes were served shortly after. The two quietly ate. When they were almost finished, Jiang Se’s phone on the table suddenly rang.
Fu Yun glanced over it without changing expression, the screen showing the sliding characters “Boss Zhang.”
Jiang Se raised a brow, picked up her phone, and said to Fu Yun: “Sorry, I’ll step out to take a call.”
Fu Yun said with a warm smile: “Please.”
Jiang Se got up and left the restaurant.
The wind chime hanging at the restaurant door chimed “ding ling ling.” Fu Yun waited a moment before tilting his head slightly, looking through the window at the girl leaning against the stone railing, talking on the phone.
People are always sensitive to others’ eyes, especially someone as perceptive as her.
His gaze lingered on Jiang Se for three seconds before he appropriately withdrew it, dropping onto the menu stand propped on the table.
The blue glass stand faced the corridor outside, capturing the graceful figure entirely within.
Fu Yun picked up his napkin, wiping the corner of his lips as he looked at the glass stand, the gentle brows and eyes always holding a faint smile.
This call from Zhang Yue was about taking off her cast: “The doctor said my leg bone is almost healed. Whenever you want to see the sunrise, just tell me.”
Zhang Yue’s words made Jiang Se inexplicably recall that sunrise a few days ago, and the kiss Lu Huaiyan had dropped on her lips.
She smiled lightly: “Alright, when your leg is fully healed, I’ll take you somewhere good for watching the sunrise.”
Zhang Yue hummed softly: “And one more thing. A couple of days ago, I don’t know why, I suddenly dreamed of something strange from the past.”
She paused. “It was the night Ah Cheng left Jiangcheng. He looked at that bottle of beer and said some very strange things.”
Jiang Se’s brows moved: “What did he say?”
“He asked me if I believed in fate. After that, he asked whether fate is something determined from birth, like a rat living in a sewer can only ever live in a sewer its whole life, doing the filthiest things.”
A rat in a sewer?
After hanging up, Jiang Se looked at the black screen of her phone, her brows slowly furrowing.
She had given that bottle of beer to Fang Shang, and had also sent its information to Zheng Huan, telling her to investigate the brewery in Bai County.
She kept feeling she had heard the name Bai County somewhere before.
Lost in thought, her phone rang again.
Jiang Se lowered her eyes, and upon seeing the name on the screen, her furrowed brows relaxed. She picked up the call: “Lu Huaiyan.”
“Mm, what are you doing?” Lu Huaiyan asked.
Jiang Se instinctively glanced through the glass opposite her; inside, Fu Yun was propping his chin and looking at his phone.
She withdrew her gaze, her voice calm and flat: “I’m having dinner with Fu Yun.”
