The Long Night - Chapter 37

Yu Xing wore sunglasses and a mask, his entire face completely covered. The more he hid, the more conspicuous he became.

It was rush hour, and many employees stopped to curiously look at him. The number of people in the underground parking lot was visibly increasing.

Yu Xing hurried his steps, wanting to hide and leave this place, but he never said anything to stop any of the impolite behavior. Whether it was the composure of a celebrity or his kind and timid nature, his weak character was evident in these small actions.

“Come with me.”

Tang Shaocheng walked over to him, helping to block some of the prying eyes and flashes. Yu Xing felt a strange sense of trust in this stranger and only hesitated for a moment before hearing the commotion behind him grow like an avalanche. Without further hesitation, he said “Okay” and followed Tang Shaocheng quickly.

Ahead was the private elevator for senior executives, which went directly to the top floor. Tang Shaocheng swiped the temporary card Qin Li had given him, and the people behind them stopped chasing.

Once the air was quiet, Yu Xing took off his mask. “Thank you.”

Tang Shaocheng’s gaze was slightly complex. The pale, sallow face he remembered was replaced by a youthful, handsome one. The events that had happened to this person were terrifying even for a bystander, yet here in the slowly rising elevator, he watched helplessly as this person delivered himself to the top floor of Qin’s Group like a lamb to the slaughter.

The elevator slowly ascended. Yu Xing thought Tang Shaocheng was staring at him because he had seen him on TV. He pursed his lips shyly. When he smiled, a pointed canine tooth was faintly visible. “I snuck out by myself today… I came to see my friend. I haven’t told my manager yet. It would be bad if they found out.”

His eyes curved into crescents, looking like the perfect smile found after countless deliberate practices in front of a mirror. His features combined to form a very approachable expression, and even his canine tooth looked harmless.

Tang Shaocheng nodded. “I see.”

“Why are you here? Haven’t you learned your lesson from the last time you were photographed?”

When Qin Yun-qi saw the two people walk in, his dark eyebrows furrowed as his gaze fell on Yu Xing, and a look of displeasure showed in his narrow eyes.

Yu Xing seemed a little choked up. He subconsciously asked, “Why can’t I come?” He observed Qin Yun-qi’s expression and softened his tone. “He brought me here…” Yu Xing pointed to the silent Tang Shaocheng next to him. “It’s a good thing he was here. My face wasn’t photographed.”

Qin Yun-qi’s expression suddenly became even more unpleasant. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Tang Shaocheng. “Are you the new lawyer?”

After all, Qin Li had personally asked him to come and work, so many people in the company had heard his name.

“Yes.”

Tang Shaocheng’s expression was calm, and he didn’t show any surprise about the relationship between them.

Qin Yun-qi’s sinister gaze, however, was like a cold snake, crawling over him from head to toe. But it didn’t linger for too long, and he turned his head and stubbornly continued to ask Yu Xing why he had come.

Tang Shaocheng heard his tone from the side and suddenly felt that this person didn’t genuinely want a reason but wanted to hear an answer like “I missed you.”

Yu Xing looked a little embarrassed by the question, especially with someone else there. He didn’t know where to look, his long lashes fell and covered his beautiful eyes, and he stammered, “You promised you’d visit me on set last night. I was waiting for you.”

Qin Yun-qi was clearly the type of person who responded to gentle words, not harsh ones. When he heard this, he even explained, “I was called to an emergency meeting.” Then, as if he were scolding a subordinate at a company-wide meeting, he asked self-righteously, “Who told you to wait for me? How long did you wait?”

Yu Xing looked up and quickly glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say something but held back. He then suddenly looked at Tang Shaocheng and said awkwardly, “Lawyer Tang… thank you for bringing me up.”

Tang Shaocheng understood his hint and desire for him to leave. “You’re welcome.”

He said goodbye and left. As he made his way back, he heard a few sentences of conversation from behind. Yu Xing, with his good nature, was trying to calm Qin Yun-qi down, saying that he was able to come out today because the equipment in the water tank broke while they were filming, and the director gave them a half-day off. Since he was close by, he came to take a look.

Qin Yun-qi suddenly asked, “Were you hurt?”

“…No,” Yu Xing stammered, surprised to hear this. “I, I didn’t even get into the water yet.”

Qin Yun-qi looked at his reaction, as if he had seen something amusing. A subtle smile appeared on his usually expressionless face. “That’s good. Otherwise, I would be heartbroken.”

These words were said very quickly. Right as Tang Shaocheng closed the office door, a subtle silence fell behind him, and the atmosphere became intimate. He walked out without looking back.

The phone on the desk vibrated twice. Yan Liao slid open the screen and saw a WeChat message from Shen Yi-ran, asking if he was free this Sunday. The big boss of the company was treating them to a meal.

“That boss?” he typed slowly.

Shen Yi-ran replied, “My boss.”

Yan Liao had never met the so-called “big boss” of the company. Since he had time, he went. He thought it would be a room full of employees, but when he arrived, he found that it was just the three of them.

They had reserved a private room at a Japanese restaurant. Yan Liao and Shen Yi-ran were dressed casually in long-sleeved shirts and pants. Chen Zheng-xi, on the other hand, was dressed very formally and even wore a tie.

“Besides wanting to meet, I also want to talk to you about some events we’re planning. I wonder if you’re interested in any of these.”

Chen Zheng-xi pushed a folder over. Yan Liao flipped through two pages without much interest and raised his chin. “Old Shen usually handles these things. I’ll go if he thinks it’s suitable. I don’t have any specific ideas.”

Chen Zheng-xi smiled politely. “You don’t seem to like interacting with people much, which is very normal. Many artists are like that. Don’t mind me; I’m a straightforward person and I like to speak my mind.”

Yan Liao raised his eyebrows and looked at him for a while, a hint of impatience in his eyes. Shen Yi-ran quickly caught this signal and naturally and skillfully led the conversation to a topic Yan Liao would be more interested in.

Yan Liao poked the seafood porridge in his bowl with a spoon, feeling a little irritated. He had a natural sense for when his energy didn’t align with a person. “A straightforward person” was just annoying.

Yan Liao excused himself to go to the bathroom. He slowly walked to the window at the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall. His shoulder rubbed off some wall dust. The windows in the hallway were all open, and the cold winter wind would blow in fiercely from time to time.

He wiped the condensed mist off the windowpane. Outside was a bustling commercial street on a weekend. He put his hand into his pocket, squeezed a cigarette pack, and then let go. A moment later, he sent a WeChat message to Tang Shao-cheng. “I’m so bored.”

Yan Liao didn’t even have a 9-to-5 job, yet he felt like he had turned from a complete person into half a corpse since graduation. He couldn’t muster any energy for anything.

Outside the window, a group of people walked by, laughing and talking. The person in the middle was wearing a birthday hat.

Yan Liao suddenly remembered his birthday. He had dinner with Tang Shao-cheng at a Western restaurant by the river. The numbers the cake shop sent only included a “2,” so they couldn’t make “22.”

Tang Shaocheng had to use a match to light that lonely number two. Yan Liao posted a photo on social media, and a college classmate he hadn’t spoken to in a long time immediately commented in surprise, “Congrats, Bro Liao, your kid is two years old already.”

That day, he had just blown out the candle when he received a call from his mom. She was still beating around the bush, asking if he was in a relationship. It seemed she had given up on his career and was now worried about a different direction. She also earnestly told him, “Don’t stick to Little Tang all the time and ruin his good marriage.”

Yan Liao almost scoffed and said, “I am his good marriage,” but in the end, he could only joke with his mom to get through it.

His mom might be getting older; she recently liked to watch short videos of dramas that featured exaggerated but realistic family conflicts. Her favorite ones were about a malicious daughter-in-law abusing her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law’s dilapidated house would suddenly be demolished, and the story would reverse, requiring a payment to continue.

Or a kind and virtuous daughter-in-law who works hard but is ridiculed by her in-laws for not being able to have a son. Her daughter would be called a “money-loser” and named “Pandi” (meaning “hope for a brother”). The daughter-in-law would suddenly awaken and want a divorce, only to be mocked, but after the divorce, her life would turn around, her career would take off, and her ex-husband would come begging. The story would stop there, asking for a subscription. His mom’s account had already become a gold member.

That day, after his mom put down her phone, she suddenly spoke with a heavy and wronged tone about Yan Liao’s grandma.

“Every time your dad and I fought, your dad would just stand there and watch, not even daring to say a word.”

Yan Liao looked at her in surprise. Of course, he didn’t have any memory of this before he was born. He had always thought his parents were a model couple who loved each other and had no disagreements.

Even now, when this was brought up, his dad would get awkward and not know what to say. He was also like the invisible characters in those short videos, only clumsily bringing them tea and water to express his guilt or just to be a peacemaker. When he didn’t speak, no one knew what he was thinking.

Finally, Yan Liao’s mom said solemnly that no matter who Yan Liao married in the future, she would treat them well. It wasn’t until he came out at almost thirty years old that his mom, who desperately wanted a grandson, almost beat him into one. At that moment, Yan Liao suddenly remembered this conversation and used it as a “get out of jail free” card.

The five minutes of him spacing out flew by. Yan Liao’s face looked a little better when he returned to the private room. But the moment Chen Zheng-xi opened his mouth, his expression immediately fell like a drop tower.

“I just saw a photo on your phone wallpaper. Is that your friend? Can you bring him to meet us? He looks like the kind of guy young girls would like.”

He smiled teasingly, speaking without any boundaries or politeness, even making a bold suggestion.

Perhaps because he had spent too much time with Shen Yi-ran, Yan Liao had thought that the colleagues he would meet at work would all be like him, creating a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Now, he knew that there were so many strange people.

Even if he understood the principle of holding back when speaking as an adult, he had yet to master it. He was too lazy to even make a sarcastic comeback and said bluntly, “That’s none of your business.”

The dinner ended abruptly, thanks to Shen Yi-ran’s skillful control of the situation. Yan Liao just considered it a failed dinner party, not a long-awaited feast.

After Chen Zheng-xi got into his car and left, Yan Liao suddenly sighed. “Old Shen, you’re a good person.”

He had never been this direct with anyone before. Thinking about it, probably only Tang Shaocheng and Shen Yi-ran made him want to say that.

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?” Shen Yi-ran shook his head and smiled. “I’m a very selfish person.”

His tone was casual. Yan Liao just thought he was joking and teased, “Really? Why didn’t you admit it earlier?”

Shen Yi-ran walked beside him, his tone as serious as ever. “I didn’t think it was important to admit it before.”

“And now it is?”

Shen Yi-ran was still smiling. “Yes, it’s very important.”

His voice paused, and he continued in his usual gentle tone, “I was the one who wanted to bring him to meet you today, and I didn’t expect something unpleasant to happen. I apologize to you on his behalf.”

In fact, when he said this, Shen Yi-ran had already placed Yan Liao in an opposing position outside their common interests, but neither of them noticed at the time.

After his reputation grew, trouble came one after another.

Some of Yan Liao’s unauthorized works appeared everywhere: on stickers, home textiles, fridge magnets, and even mouse pads and phone cases. The pirated versions on online stores were also endless, popping up with lightning speed like a game of whack-a-mole.

Shen Yi-ran advised him not to waste his time and energy on these things. Yan Liao had always been quick to accept reality. Life had a set path. He felt that since he had fought against fate in some areas, he had to make peace with it in others. A person who had made peace with this part of his fate should not have any emotions other than calmness.

New Year’s Eve was on a Friday.

Tang Shaocheng didn’t get off work until almost eleven. His phone was on silent during a meeting, so he couldn’t answer any calls unless they were from his emergency contacts.

He slid open the screen and saw a missed call from Yan Liao. He called back, and the other person apologized first. “I can’t come back tonight. I have a book signing at nine in the morning tomorrow, and the organizers arranged a hotel for me tonight.”

He sounded as if he were entrusting a child. “The strawberries in the living room need to be put in the fridge. I put two pieces of clothing in the washing machine, but I haven’t washed them yet. And remember to open the game and sign in to get my gold coins. There’s only an hour left.”

Tang Shaocheng was walking toward a nearby mall. He heard the wind from his surroundings and from the phone. “You’re still outside?”

“Yeah,” Yan Liao exhaled a humid white mist as he spoke, which scattered like a small cloud. “I’m outside the exhibition hall. I need to go through the process one more time before I can go back to sleep.”

“That’s tough,” Tang Shaocheng felt a little relieved. “Did you eat dinner?”

The lights outside the exhibition hall were dim, and the cold wind was still blowing.

Yan Liao found a step to sit on and answered absentmindedly, “Yeah, I ate some pastry. The staff gave it to me. It was a strawberry-filled mooncake.” He was silent for a moment and continued, “The organizers said there will be a lot of guests tomorrow, and it might get crowded. So they asked me to come over tonight to get used to the environment. I can go back to the hotel and sleep after I go through the process one more time.”

It was rare for him to babble so much. Just as Tang Shaocheng was feeling a little warmth in his heart, he heard Yan Liao’s voice suddenly become urgent. “Don’t go to sleep yet.”

“Hmm?”

“Remember to check if I’ve completed the tasks in the game. Don’t miss out on the rewards.”

Tang Shaocheng was walking into the supermarket on the first basement floor of the mall. He was pushing a shopping cart. There weren’t many customers around, but they were all in pairs. He found it a little funny. “Aren’t you going to care about me?”

“I’m calling you right now,” Yan Liao said, holding the phone. The back of his hand was stiff from the cold. He sniffled his red nose. “Otherwise, why would I be out here in the cold wind instead of inside with the AC on?”

He made a lot of sense. Tang Shaocheng reluctantly accepted this explanation and then heard Yan Liao nagging again, telling him to make sure he did the tasks. Tang Shaocheng found his nagging adorable and couldn’t help but smile. Whether he was silent or talkative, he found him to be cute.

He stood in front of a beverage vending machine, and his reflection in the glass showed an expression that was gentle and almost affectionate.

Tang Shaocheng returned home and went online to the game to get his sign-in reward. He also looked up tutorials online and completed all the task cards. He saw that Yan Liao had not missed a single day of signing in since the beginning of the month, more diligently than clocking into work. Sometimes he would wonder if this person didn’t like being a freelancer at all.

At midnight, Yan Liao suddenly sent him a photo and said he missed him. Tang Shaocheng opened the photo. It was a picture of the hotel TV, which was showing a colorful fantasy drama. At the very bottom of the photo, two smooth, fair legs were casually stretched out.

Tang Shaocheng squinted and slowly typed, “Go to bed early.”

Yan Liao’s “typing” status lasted for several seconds, giving off a strange feeling of frustration. After a long while, he only sent back two blunt words. “Good night.”

At the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, people are prone to feeling sentimental.

Late at night, Tang Shaocheng opened the fridge and saw it was stuffed full, giving him a strange feeling. The two of them had been living together for so long that they had entered a mode like an old married couple. Sometimes, when they were doing their own things, it was so quiet that they wouldn’t even notice the other person’s presence. But when the house was truly missing one person, it felt like a sense of loss, as if the ground beneath him had given way.

It had been so long, and what Tang Shaocheng found surprising was that he had never had a moment of memory confusion. The past and the present were like two distinct worlds separated by a barrier, and he deliberately controlled himself from making comparisons.

Just as Yan Liao had whispered in the tent that day, “If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t be who I am now.” He also seemed to have left his original path and become a different person.

Many things had changed due to the intervention of people and events. Only the present could be controlled.

The next morning, the book signing venue was very lively. A long line had formed early in front of the guest table.

This time, Yan Liao didn’t have to give a speech. He just had to sit at a table and wait for people who had bought his art collections or posters to line up for a signature and a photo.

Yan Liao wore a pink shirt and white pants that made his legs look long. His hair was also meticulously styled. He was very satisfied with his outfit and hairstyle for the day and would stop to look at himself in any mirror he passed by.