Chapter 35.2

When Wen Xiaohui went to work the next day, Liu Xing happened to be there and he called him into the office to ask about his training. Wen Xiaohui finally agreed to it since it was such a great opportunity. It was the kind opportunity that others could fight until their heads split open, but still not have a chance, so there was no reason for him to refuse.

Liu Xing said, "Great, then you need to start preparing for your visa. I’ll give you the contact details. Give her a call and she’ll instruct you on what to do."

"That’s great, thanks Liu Xing. Do you know roughly when I’ll be leaving?"

"Around June or July."

"That’s only a month or two away. It’s so soon."

"A year will go by even quicker, so try not to worry too much. Just treat it as a holiday, but don’t forget to pick up some new skills before you come back."

"Yes."

Wen Xiaohui avoided going to Luo Yi’s house for a few days by making up an excuse. They stayed in contact via calls and text messages, but Wen Xiaohui was still worried about seeing him, and so he put it off a day at a time.

—-----------------------------------

Li Shuo invited Wen Xiaohui out for dinner that day. He chose a stylish restaurant that served western food.

When they met, Li Shuo said in surprise, "You look a bit tired. Are you really busy?" He smiled cheekily. "Or are you not wearing any makeup?"

Wen Xiaohui chuckled, "I’m actually not wearing any makeup today. I didn’t have enough time. I’ve been really busy recently."

Li Shuo laughed, "Your skin's amazing. You don’t actually need that stuff, you just need to make sure you get enough rest."

"It’s a good time to be busy because my boss is recruiting senior stylists and makeup artists. I can relax if we can find someone who is capable."

"It’s a good sign - it shows how much your boss values you"

"Yeah." Wen Xiaohui stretched his body. "Li-ge, I have some good news to tell you."

"What’s the good news?" Li Shuo personally poured Wen Xiaohui a glass of wine.

"I'm going to the US to train."

"Oh? Is your company paying for it?"

"Yeah, my boss said that I was under-qualified, so I need further training. I should go since it’s such a rare opportunity. Isn’t that right?"

"People should make the most of such opportunities, of course you should go."

Wen Xiaohui blinked. "That means you won't see me for a year."

"Not necessarily, I go back to the US a few times a year. Will you be in New York?"

"Oh, I forgot that you’re from the US. Yeah, I’ll be in New York. That means we can still see each other."

"Of course. If you have time, I can be the guide and take you out for food and to places that are fun."

"Wow, that sounds amazing."

Li Shuo stared at Wen Xiaohui’s cheerful smile and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

After dinner, they strolled down the pedestrianised street. On both sides of the street were shops filled with handicrafts and local speciality shops. As a local, Wen Xiaohui rarely walked around this area, but he was even willing to visit a bookstore with Li Shuo.

Li Shuo lackadaisically bought a Buddhist bead bracelet made from white clamshell for Wen Xiaohui. The little trinket cost over 300 yuan. Although it couldn’t be considered expensive, it looked beautiful. It was the kind of present that wouldn’t make the recipient feel under pressure and Wen Xiaohui liked it a lot.

They chatted a lot that day, getting to know each other’s family, how they grew up, and their life experiences. In comparison to Li Shuo, Wen Xiaohui felt that his life was too monotonous, consisting only of studying, growing up and working, just like everyone else around him. Li Shuo, who graduated from an Ivy League university, had organised protests for democracy, travelled to many countries around the world, worked as a teaching volunteer in Africa, hiked up a snowy mountain, and returned home to set up a business. In the short period of 20 plus years, he had experienced more than the typical person in 40 to 50 years. Such a handsome, refined, mature, and wise man was so captivating. It was impossible for Wen Xiaohui not to be tempted by Li Shuo, but he felt that his heart had already been imprisoned by something. He no longer felt the same as the first time he met Li Shuo, the sort of carefreeness and freedom of getting acquainted with him.

He was aware that the thing imprisoning him was called ‘Luo Yi.’ Luo Yi was now like a gloomy cloud drifting above his head, making him feel unsettled and unable to think about anything else.

After their date ended, Li Shuo took Wen Xiaohui back and dropped him off outside his apartment building.

Wen Xiaohui said, "Thanks, Li-dage."

Li Shuo smiled as he looked at him. "Do you remember how many dates we’ve had?"

"It’s… the third?"

"Yeah, this is our third date. Wouldn’t it seem rude if I don’t give you a kiss?"

Wen Xiaohui was somewhat startled. His face began to burn from embarrassment under the gaze of Li Shuo’s profound and beautiful eyes. At first, he’d wanted to tease using a few flirtatious words, but he found that he’d underestimated Li Shuo’s charisma and overestimated his own ability to react under pressure. The result was that he was unable to say even a single word.

Li Shuo smiled and he leant his body over to give Wen Xiaohui a peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, Xiaohui."

Wen Xiaohui had the feeling that smoke was billowing from the top of his head. "Good… Goodnight." He opened the door of the car and dashed out.

Wen Xiaohui could help but groan as soon as he got home. Feng Yuehua shouted from the bathroom, "What’s up?"

"I’m fine. Just shouting for no reason." Wen Xiaohui rushed back to his room; his body was overstimulated and it was trembling. This was the first time he experienced the joy from the long-awaited feelings of love towards Li Shuo1.

—------------------------

It had been ages since Wen Xiaohui last visited Luo Yi’s house. Despite the fact that they kept in touch daily, with how intelligent and perceptive Luo Yi was, he sensed that something was up. One day he appeared at Juxing without any notice, giving Wen Xiaohui a fright.

"How come you’re here?"

Luo Yi smiled and said, "You’ve been too busy recently, so I’ve brought some herbal soup over for you. It’s not store-bought, I made it myself."

Wen Xiaohui immediately felt his heart softening. "Why did you bring it over specifically? I could have gone to yours to drink it."

Luo Yi’s voice revealed that he felt a little wronged. "Do you have time to visit? You haven’t been over for half a month - we've never gone that long without seeing each other."

"I’ve been really busy during this period of time. Aren’t I in charge of the beauty department? I still need to learn a lot. Every week, I have to take people out on five occasions."

"Congratulations, Xiaohui-ge. You’re becoming more and more responsible."

Wen Xiaohui smiled and replied, "Wait here for a moment, I’ll go back with you to have soup." He had hidden for two weeks and finally, he was able to face Luo Yi calmly.

Suddenly, Luo Yi grabbed Wen Xiaohui's hand. "Who gave you this bracelet?"

Wen Xiaohui was shocked. "How could you tell that someone gave it to me?"

"You wear either designer brands or imitation designer brands, and there isn’t anything as cheap as this bracelet in your jewellery box. You wouldn’t wear it unless someone special gave it to you." Luo Yi smiled a little. "Someone who doesn’t know what you like, but you care enough about them to wear what they give you. Let me guess… Could it be Li Shuo who gifted it to you?"

Wen Xiaohui’s palms were sweating, his heart was also racing. He didn’t know whether he should respond, because he knew would be found out if he tried to lie.

Luo Yi’s expression showed that he knew he was right. "So it really is from Li Shuo?" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "He’s already started to give you presents, your relationship must be progressing well."

Wen Xiaohui’s wrist suddenly felt sore and he automatically retracted it. Luo Yi quickly responded, "I’m sorry, did I hurt you?"

"It’s fine." Wen Xiaohui felt indescribably flustered. "I'm going to work first."

Luo Yi stared at his retreating back view, his expression almost immediately turned frosty.

After finishing work, Wen Xiaohui sat on Luo Yi’s bicycle on the way home. They barely said a word to each other.

Luo Yi laid out the soup and food on the table once they got home, inviting Wen Xiaohui to eat dinner and appearing considerate like normal.

During dinner, Luo Yi noticed that Wen Xiaohui’s wrist was completely empty. "Why aren’t you wearing your bracelet? It looked very nice."

Wen Xiaohui felt a bit apprehensive2. "I was just wearing it casually."

"If I give you one that you like, would you wear it?"

"Of course, why wouldn’t I wear it?" said Wen Xiaohui as he pretended to be chilled.

Luo Yi glanced at him: "Xiaohui-ge, would you be busier than you are now if you had a boyfriend? You’d have even less time to see me."

"I’m not sure. Li Shuo and I are just friends at the moment, so it’s too early to say."

"You’re so busy with work that you’d have to set aside some dedicated time if you were dating, so I’d get to see you less often. I really don’t want you to be in a relationship when I think about this."

Wen Xiaohui didn’t know how to continue this conversation - his brain was completely occupied by Luca, Raven, Director Luo, and Sydney’s ex-husband. The more he watched Luo Yi, the more frightened he became. Why? He didn’t want to be frightened of Luo Yi because he liked and cherished him. He treated Luo Yi as someone who was just as important as a member of his family and he didn’t want his feelings towards this youth to turn to fear.

"Xiaohui-ge?" Luo Yi looked at Wen Xiaohui’s stiff facial expression and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to touch him.

Wen Xiaohui’s brain didn’t even have time to react, but his conditional reflex meant that he’d already dodged Luo Yi’s hand by taking a step backwards.

Luo Yi's hand paused mid air and an awkward silence completely filled the void.

Luo Yi retracted his hand and he quietly stared at him. He asked in a low voice, "What’s the matter?" His tone of voice conveyed a sense of indifference.

Wen Xiaohui wiped his face. "There’s something I’ve been too scared to tell you, but I still have to let you know."

"What is it?"

Wen Xiaohui said quickly, "Liu Xing’s planning to send me to the US to train for a year and I’ll be in charge of the beauty department when I return."

Luo Yi was quiet for a couple of seconds before he suddenly laughed. "I thought it was something more serious. Isn’t this a good thing?"

Wen Xiaohui felt a sense of relief. He came very close to asking about Sydney’s ex-husband and Luca just now, but luckily he was able to hold it in. He forced himself to smile. "Yeah, it’s such a great opportunity, but I’m worried that you’ll miss me…"

"Of course I’ll miss you. I even want to go with you, but I still have to attend university. However, a year is a very short period of time, and I’ll be able to see you during the holidays." Luo Yi grabbed Wen Xiaohui’s hand and rubbed it against his cheek. "I’ll definitely miss you lots and lots, but I can’t hinder your career progression."

"That’s good. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle the news, so I never mentioned it. My mum’s also supportive. I need to start preparing my visa."

Wen Xiaohui forced himself to smile, and he said, "Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it too."