"Uncle?" Once he saw the man at the kitchen island clearly, Lu Muchi was even more surprised.
Lu Lin's head was slightly lowered, his jade-sculpted fingers holding a bottle of Campari.
Old-fashioned glasses stood neatly arranged on the island.
"Out this late?" Without looking up, Lu Lin poured liquor into a glass.
"Something came up," Lu Muchi said vaguely. He stepped closer. "What put you in the mood today?"
Lu Lin rarely drank, let alone mixed his own drinks.
Lu Lin recalled the taste from that night. It had been a Negroni that suited his palate perfectly.
He liked bitterness.
Adding a little more Campari, Lu Lin took another sip. Still not right.
He set down the glass and turned toward the liquor cabinet. "Go to bed. It's late."
Lu Muchi had no desire to sleep. His gaze followed Lu Lin, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he managed to speak. "Uncle, is there any news of her..."
With the Lu family's influence, if they couldn't find an ordinary woman, his grandfather must have been obstructing the search, and that woman must have been deliberately hiding, never once intending to come back to see him.
Resentment at being abandoned surged through him, and Lu Muchi stiffly changed his words. "Can you withdraw the bodyguards? I don't have any privacy."
Lu Lin returned with a bottle of Regans' No. 6, his blade-sharp jawline devoid of warmth. "Your grandfather ordered it."
"I know, but..." Lu Muchi's voice was very low. Now, Lu Lin called the shots for the entire Lu family.
If Lu Lin said a word, his grandfather would certainly agree.
"A bodyguard's duty is to protect their employer." Lu Lin poured a little Regans' No. 6 into the glass. "That doesn't extend to private matters."
In other words, the bodyguards wouldn't report on Lu Muchi's private affairs.
Lu Muchi's lips moved a few times, but in the end, he didn't dare say any more. "I'm going to bed. You should get some rest soon too, Uncle."
Lu Lin gave a faint response. "Good night."
"Good night, Uncle."
Lu Muchi went upstairs.
Left alone, Lu Lin calculated the proportions carefully, stirred the mixture evenly, and made another Negroni.
He lifted it and took a sip. The bitterness was close, but still a little off.
Lu Lin poured it out, fetched another old-fashioned glass from the freezer, and continued mixing.
Time passed amid the quiet sounds of stirring. As dawn broke, Lu Lin took another sip of his freshly mixed Negroni.
The rich, layered bitterness was the same as that glass that night.
His dark eyes flickered slightly.
That young bartender had added two extra drops of olive brine to the recipe.
Chapter 9: 009
Yan Heqing got up at six on the dot.
He turned on the light and was about to get out of bed when he caught a glimpse of white outside the window. He turned back.
It had snowed.
Snow had begun falling at some point during the night, leaving a thick layer on the window ledge.
Yan Heqing crawled to the edge of the bed and pushed open the window. Snow fell to the ground with a soft rustle.
Cold air instantly flooded the room, mingled with a faint scent of plum blossoms. A plum tree somewhere in the residential complex must have bloomed.
Light snow was still falling outside. Yan Heqing reached out and held his hand palm up for a while. A few snowflakes drifted onto his palm, cool against his skin.
No fishing today.
The ice-fishing gear he had bought was still on its way.
Yan Heqing closed the window. A little cold, he draped a thin blanket over himself and got out of bed.
After washing up, he cooked himself a bowl of tomato dough-drop soup, sliced a few pieces of silken tofu into it, ladled it into a bowl, and scattered a few bits of bright green scallion on top. Its aroma filled the room.
Yan Heqing ate his breakfast quietly. Just then, his phone buzzed.
Yan Heqing glanced at it. It was a message from the bar's WeChat group, so he left it alone. Only after finishing even the soup did he set down his chopsticks, pick up his phone, and open it.
[Oxygen staff group]
Manager: Christmas theme today. There'll be performances and gifts tonight. Come if you can!
Bartender A: I'm coming!
Chef Wang: I made Boston lobster. Save some room for dinner!
DJ Little Prince: The boss is generous! Even invited a few celebrities to perform!
Server Duanduan: Who's coming?!
Yan Heqing exited WeChat. It was Monday, not one of his workdays.
Yan Heqing gathered the bowl and chopsticks to wash them. Once they were clean, he wiped the bowl with a dry cloth and put it back on the dish rack.
After returning to his room to work on practice problems for a while, Yan Heqing went out.
It was cold, so he put on a scarf and changed into a pair of nonslip ankle boots.
The boots were fur-lined and very warm.
They hadn't been cheap, but Yan Heqing had paid without hesitation.
Every winter from now on, he would have the scent of plum blossoms and warmth.
Yan Heqing had never been to T University. It ranked about five places below Beijing University; one was in the south, the other in the north.
Yan Heqing changed between three lines, taking two and a half hours to reach T University.
Classes were in session, and the entrance to T University was fairly quiet. The snow had stopped, and the snow on the pavement had quickly melted. Only beneath the roadside trees were piles of snow of varying sizes.
Yan Heqing stood beneath a tree to the left of T University's main gate, quietly watching the entrance.
Lin Fengzhi only had three morning classes today. They would be over soon.
Yan Heqing's memories of Lin Fengzhi stopped at the way he had looked as a five-year-old child.
When Lin Fengzhi appeared, Yan Heqing still recognized him at first glance.
He was a few centimeters shorter than Yan Heqing, his face like a freshly peeled egg, his smile carrying the air of sunshine.
Lin Fengzhi was sensitive to the cold. The temperature had plummeted today, and early that morning, while he was still asleep, Lu Muchi had called.
"It's gotten colder. Thermal pants, cashmere sweater, down jacket, snow boots, scarf, hat, gloves-put them all on. Don't sacrifice warmth to charm girls. If you dress too lightly and catch a cold like last time, your punishment will be no strawberries for a day."
"You nag so much..." Lin Fengzhi said.
But he had obediently bundled himself up like a little bear anyway.
Lin Fengzhi walked past Yan Heqing with two or three classmates, chatting as they went.
"No classes this afternoon. Let's play ice hockey. It's been ages. I'm itching to play."
"Next time. I've got something to do in a bit."
"Oho, something's going on!"
They walked away, talking and laughing.
Yan Heqing stayed where he was, calmly watching Lin Fengzhi's retreating figure.
After crossing the sidewalk, Lin Fengzhi suddenly stopped and looked back. The boy wearing glasses beside him stopped too. "What's wrong?"