He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Tell me, if I told Zhizhi about this, would he still acknowledge you as his older brother?"
Yan Heqing calmly took his phone from his pocket and opened a video-a five-minute video of Lin Fengyi kissing a man passionately the night before.
Yan Heqing's expression was cool. "With you like this, he'd probably be even less willing to acknowledge you."
Lin Fengyi panicked when he saw the video. "If you dare send that, I won't let you get away with it!"
"That depends on you." Yan Heqing put his phone away. "Do we stay out of each other's way, or go down together?"
Lin Fengyi clenched his teeth. He stared at Yan Heqing, his facial muscles twitching. "You're ruthless, I'll give you that!"
He turned and stormed off.
With one small problem settled, Yan Heqing took another bite of his flatbread.
He needed to finish his breakfast before entering the subway.
Meanwhile, Xie Yunjie went up to the private room on the second floor. He knocked. "Old Lu?"
"Come in."
Xie Yunjie pushed the door open and entered. The lights were on, making the room as bright as day. Lu Lin was alone, and the sofa was tidy, showing no signs of any intense "action."
Xie Yunjie asked curiously, "Where's Xiao Yan?"
Lu Lin put on his coat. "He left."
Xie Yunjie's expression was quite a sight. "...You two didn't do anything?"
"No."
Now Xie Yunjie was confused. "Then last night, what were you...?"
Lu Lin was no kindhearted philanthropist. Although Lu Group made the philanthropy rankings every year, helping that young bartender last night had been completely out of character. Xie Yunjie didn't believe there was nothing else behind it.
Lu Lin neither confirmed nor denied it. He straightened his cuffs and headed out of the private room. "I'm off."
The first subway train was already packed with office workers, the crowd seeming to squeeze even the air thin.
Yan Heqing stood in a corner, quietly listening to Russian vocabulary through his earphones.
He had more than twenty stops to ride, then another line to transfer to. By the time he reached the café, it would be nearly eight.
He was the first to arrive. He wiped down the counter and cleaned the place again. With time still to spare, he took out his cytology book and stood at the register, absorbed in reading.
At nine, Zhang Qing rushed into the café with one second to spare. Despite the bitter cold, she had worked up a sweat on her forehead.
Having clocked in successfully, Zhang Qing let out a heavy sigh of relief. She glanced at the book Yan Heqing was reading and couldn't understand a word.
She clicked her tongue. "Xiao Yan, do you have forty-eight hours in a day? Working and studying-you must be exhausted!"
Since it was time to start work, Yan Heqing put the book away and gave a faint smile. "It's not so bad."
Zhang Qing shook her head. "You're the most hardworking person I've ever met." She grinned. "Wasn't there that popular saying a while back? Someone who could make a living off their looks insists on relying on their ability instead. I think that fits you perfectly."
Yan Heqing didn't respond. Zhang Qing smiled and stopped chatting, heading into the kitchen to get to work.
Seeing that it was about time, Yan Heqing picked up his phone and sent Lin Fengzhi a text.
[Are you coming to pick up your things today? I'm at work. I'll be home around seven tonight.]
Lin Fengzhi was still asleep when his phone vibrated on the bedside table. He fumbled for it groggily, but the sight of Yan Heqing's name woke him in an instant. He sat up and opened the message.
After reading it, Lin Fengzhi sighed in relief.
Oh, so it was just that.
He quickly replied, "I played ice hockey all day yesterday. I'm exhausted, so I'm taking today to rest. Can I pick them up tomorrow? You're not working tomorrow, right?"
"No, I'm not."
After replying, Yan Heqing put down his phone. Judging by Lin Fengzhi's reaction, Lin Fengyi indeed hadn't mentioned what had happened last night.
Business was slow on Saturday. They sold fewer than ten cups of coffee all morning.
The café didn't provide lunch. Zhang Qing had brought her own lunchbox and heated it in the microwave for a few minutes, filling the air with its aroma. She turned to look for Yan Heqing. "Xiao Yan, I brought egg dumplings. Do you want...?"
The café's phone rang. Yan Heqing gestured for Zhang Qing to wait and answered it. "Two caramel lattes, one mocha, three cappuccinos, and three slices of tiramisu. The fifty-sixth floor? All right."
After hanging up, Yan Heqing told Zhang Qing, "Go ahead and eat. I'll make the delivery."
Zhang Qing pursed her lips. Since Yan Heqing had arrived, delivery orders had surged, and none of those customers were really after the coffee.
Once everything was packed, Yan Heqing carried the order next door.
The lobby was much quieter on Saturday, with only one receptionist on duty. She already recognized Yan Heqing and came out readily to swipe him through to the elevators.
Yan Heqing thanked her with a smile and stepped into the elevator.
The ride was smooth, and he soon reached the fifty-sixth floor. The vast office was quiet, with only a few people holding a meeting in the conference room. Yan Heqing contacted the person who had placed the order and waited quietly by the elevators.
Before long, a woman jogged over and took the order with a smile. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." Yan Heqing gave a slight nod and entered the elevator.
The elevator descended slowly, stopping on the fortieth floor. When the doors opened, Yan Heqing blinked. "Mr. Lu?"
Lu Lin hadn't expected to see Yan Heqing again so soon. His gaze swept over Yan Heqing's café uniform.
He'd just worked through the night, and now he was at work again?
Lu Lin stepped into the elevator. "Morning."
Yan Heqing smiled. "Morning."
The doors closed, and silence settled over the elevator again. The young man stood at the very back, his slender, tall figure reflected in the bronze-colored mirror of the elevator doors.
Lu Lin looked openly.
He had put on a little weight since that time in the lake, but he was still far too thin and frail.
"Still not better?" Lu Lin suddenly asked.
It took Yan Heqing a moment to react. He curved his lips in a polite smile. "Almost. I just cough occasionally."
Lu Lin asked another question. "You like fishing?"
"Yes." Yan Heqing nodded. "At first, I just fished for fun. Then I discovered its appeal, and there was no stopping me."
Lu Lin's brows shifted slightly.
"Before you cast your line, you don't know what you'll catch, but you believe you'll come back with a full haul."
Yan Heqing's eyes curved slightly. "I like that feeling. If you believe in yourself, the possibilities are endless."
If I believed in myself, I could change my predetermined fate.
He refused to die at twenty-one. He wanted to admire all the flowers of spring, listen to all the rains of summer, taste all the fruits of autumn, and see all the snows of winter.