Lin Sitao compared the 90% new black coat and the slightly worn blue coat for a while before ultimately choosing the latter. As long as it was clean and neat, it would suffice. He didn’t want to appear too eager about He Xian’s invitation, nor did he want to seem like he had high expectations.
Besides, he hadn’t even decided whether he would accept He Xian’s invitation or not.
He Xian scheduled the meeting for Friday evening, and Lin Sitao continued with his usual work routine. He received the package on Wednesday but kept postponing his response, thinking he would address it on Thursday, and then, Friday morning came.
By the time noon arrived, he still hadn’t been able to muster the determination to decline the invitation.
After lunch, He Xian’s email arrived, “I will pick you up at the design institute at 7:00 p.m.”
Lin Sitao had been busy until after working hours, and with just 15 minutes to spare before 7:00 p.m., he shut down his computer. He tidied up his desk, locked the drawers, and greeted his colleagues who were still working overtime before leaving the office and heading downstairs.
When he stepped out of the design institute, it was exactly 7:00 p.m.
He Xian’s car was parked across the street, with him sitting in the driver’s seat, waving to Lin Sitao through the open window.
As Lin Sitao walked towards him, he contemplated how to bring their personal relationship to a satisfactory conclusion today.
He didn’t want to entertain the idea of furthering his relationship with He Xian, but at the same time, he couldn’t afford to offend him. If he offended He Xian, all it would take was a single word from him, and Lin Sitao would be forced to leave his current workplace. He Xian had the power to make him roll as far away as possible. Lin Sitao felt that he had made significant progress—he had overcome the “He Xian” obstacle and was now thinking about practical matters.
When they arrived at the restaurant, it was during mealtime, and it was already crowded – with no available tables. However, as soon as He Xian entered, the restaurant’s manager personally came over to serve them and guided them to a reserved prime spot—a private room with a fantastic view. The manager then proceeded to take their orders. They decided to have steak for the evening. The manager inquired if they would like to have wine with their meal.
“The bottle of wine you sealed here previously hasn’t been finished yet,” the manager mentioned.
He Xian paused for a moment before responding, “Let the kitchen staff enjoy that bottle. We’ll open a new one today.”
Lin Sitao kept his eyes downcast, trying to maintain an indifferent demeanor as if the conversation didn’t concern him.
During their meal, an elegantly dressed woman approached He Xian and greeted him. She appeared stunning, like a person on the cover of a fashion magazine. As they exchanged pleasantries, her gaze inadvertently fell upon Lin Sitao. He Xian naturally introduced him, praising Lin Sitao as a rising star in the design institute and a future pillar of the industry. Everyone accepted the introduction with smiles, and one of them remarked, “Next time, when I renovate my house, I’ll definitely seek your help.”
Lin Sitao wished he could explain that he wasn’t involved in interior design, but before he could speak, He Xian had already accepted on his behalf, saying, “Sure, you must definitely seek his assistance.” The enchanting woman departed, satisfied with the response.
After another five minutes, another person approached He Xian to greet him. Once they left, Lin Sitao couldn’t help but ask, “Do all the people who come to this restaurant know each other?” The idea seemed implausible given his understanding of the vastness of Beijing.
He Xian replied, “Some may have only heard each other’s names before.” Lin Sitao impulsively blurted out, “Being a socialite must be exhausting.”
He Xian burst into laughter.
Lin Sitao didn’t quite understand what made He Xian laugh, assuming it was probably because he seemed like a naive country bumpkin. But he didn’t care anymore. After all, He Xian’s image in his heart had already diminished, and he no longer needed to worry about maintaining his own image in He Xian’s eyes. Let them think he was unsophisticated. He was originally from a small town, and he was nearly petrified when he first encountered the crowds at the Beijing subway.
Meanwhile, He Xian found Lin Sitao to be innocent and adorable and looked very easy to deceive.
He genuinely regretted his actions from that day.
“I’m sorry,” He Xian said gently, “for what I did that day. It was foolish of me.”
As the dishes arrived and the wine took effect, the atmosphere became pleasant. With delicious food as their companion, it was the perfect time for conversation.
Lin Sitao only responded with a noncommittal “Mm-hmm,” and He Xian continued, “I believe you must have reservations. You might not believe me if I told you this, but that day was the first time I did something like that. It was like I was possessed by a ghost.”
“Don’t blame it on a ghost,” Lin Sitao replied.
“I’m serious,” He Xian insisted.
“Why did it happen then? Don’t say it was a ghost; that’s not scientifically sound,” Lin Sitao said, feeling a sense of danger. He seemed to have inadvertently engaged in flirtatious banter with He Xian. This was not right.
He Xian pondered for a moment before saying, “It’s a long story. Would you be willing to listen?”
Lin Sitao replied, “I’m willing.”
He Xian thought for a moment and said, “Someone very important to me left. I’ve been pondering over it for these past few months, trying to understand why it happened. Both of us were serious individuals. We started our relationship seriously and spent our time together in earnest. But in the end, it was the outcome that I found most difficult to accept. I suppose we were just too serious, so I wanted to try a different approach, or rather, a different attitude.”
He looked at Lin Sitao, who was listening attentively and continued, “I’m sorry. That day, I just wanted to do something foolish, and unfortunately, you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, thinking back, if I had actually gone through with it, I would have regretted it.”
He paused and Lin Sitao asked at the right moment, “Why?”
He Xian said, “I’ve figured it out. It’s not a grave mistake, but it’s just not in my nature. I can’t change overnight.”
They stared at each other.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the wall of the private room. He Xian set down his knife and fork—deep down, he really wanted to throw the knife away and let the person apologize properly.
Someone partially poked their body inside and said, “Hey, Lao He, long time no see.”
He Xian looked up and was stunned speechless. The newcomer was still a beauty, wearing a stylish sweater of an unknown high-end brand, exuding a seductive aura.
Lin Sitao glanced at He Xian, then at the newcomer, wearing an innocent expression, quietly observing the situation.
Song You, holding a glass of red wine, plopped down next to Lin Sitao and introduced himself, saying, “My surname is Song, and I’ve been an old friend of General He for many years.”
Lin Sitao said, “I know you. You’re the anchor Song from the financial news program, right?”
Song You smiled graciously and said, “That’s me. I didn’t expect to be recognized even when I’m off-screen.”
Lin Sitao remarked, “You’re the same as you are on TV.”
Nine years ago, he saw Song You on TV, so you could say he’d known Song You for nine years. However, neither He Xian nor Song You recognized him. Lin Sitao wondered, “What’s the situation now?”
Lin Sitao thought to himself, ‘I know He Xian, and I also know Song You. He Xian knows me and knows Song You, but he doesn’t know that I know Song You. Song You only knows He Xian, doesn’t know me, and also doesn’t know that I know him, plus he’s aware of his past romantic relationship with He Xian.’
Huh. Lin Sitao suddenly realized that at this very moment, he had become the top of an intelligence chain.
Seemingly impeded by Lin Sitao’s presence, Song You exchanged a few vague words with He Xian, then said, “It’s been a long time since we’ve met. You didn’t come to the last class reunion, and I was quite disappointed. We used to have the best connection. Let’s hang out when you’re free.”
He Xian replied, “Let’s talk about it next time.” Song You gave a half-smile and glanced at Lin Sitao before leaving.
Lin Sitao asked, “Are you and Song You classmates?”
He Xian replied, “Not exactly.”
After a moment of silence, he said, “Actually, he’s my ex-boyfriend.”
Lin Sitao hadn’t expected him to be so candid. He wasn’t anyone special to He Xian, so there was no need for He Xian to reveal his private matters to him.
“He’s the person who was important to you?” Since He Xian had mentioned it, Lin Sitao had to show some interest. Otherwise, it would be quite disrespectful to He Xian.
He Xian appeared to be a bit embarrassed, “Not really.”
He struggled to remember, “We broke up many years ago, about nine years, almost ten.”
“Time really does fly,” he added with a hint of nostalgia.
The feeling of awkwardness lingered. He Xian swore in his heart that he would never come to this restaurant again, and he never wanted to see Song You, that idiot, again—having fond thoughts about an ex-boyfriend was a plus. But just as he finished reminiscing about his former boyfriend, another ex-boyfriend popped up. It was a disaster, a complete disaster.
At this point, saying something like, “I actually only have two ex-boyfriends,” felt quite feeble.
Maybe he should change partners. He Xian thought.
Indeed, a change of partner was necessary.
Lin Sitao bowed his head.
He needed to organize his thoughts. He Xian’s words could still be logically understood; there were no contradictions between them. He and Song You had broken up nine years ago, so it was normal for him to have had other boyfriends in the meantime. After all, over nine years, it would be perfectly normal for someone like him to have had three or four boyfriends.
However, he understood now that He Xian’s successive changes of boyfriends, whether serious or not, had nothing to do with him at all. Because he wasn’t part of the picture.
That’s how it was, he didn’t care anymore.
Lin Sitao glanced at the dishes again. The upscale restaurant’s steak and red wine didn’t have the same fragrance as the memories of eating at the small restaurant back in the university district.
As they ate, both of them grew increasingly silent.
After finishing their meal, He Xian settled the bill while Lin Sitao grabbed his coat and swiftly walked out of the restaurant. He Xian had to jog to catch up with him.
“Xiao Lin!” He grabbed onto him.
Lin Sitao looked at him. He Xian let go of him and simply said, “Follow me.”
They took the elevator up to the top floor of a building. There was an observation deck on the rooftop.
When Lin Sitao reached the top, he found it empty except for him and He Xian. Lin Sitao had already seen what He Xian wanted him to see—
This was the perfect height, the best angle to admire the building across.
It was the first project Lin Sitao had been involved in after graduating. Even though he was just a low-ranking assistant at that time, he distinctly remembered the day the building was completed.
He Xian spoke softly, “You are intelligent, ambitious, and have a strong character. I shouldn’t have treated you that way. I’m sorry.”
Lin Sitao stared at him.
“…And also so adorable. You’re the cutest person I’ve ever met.”
He Xian leaned in slightly closer to Lin Sitao, reaching out to stroke his hair, “…I’m sorry.”
