UAAG CH46

Vegetables were washed and cut into chunks. The meat was marinated with black pepper and cooking wine, then skewered one by one onto iron rods.

They started preparing the ingredients a little after five, working until seven in the evening. By the time the four men finally carried the roasting pans up to the open-air family dining area on the second floor, the sky was pitch black.

The evening breeze was gentle; with April approaching, it wasn’t cold, just cool and pleasant. The wind met them head-on, brushing against their cheeks, relaxing every pore and bringing an immense sense of comfort. Once all four large roasting pans were moved upstairs, Lina came up carrying a platter of cut fruit.

Su Fei set down his things and ran straight to the edge of the balcony, eyes wide, unwilling to even blink.

Below the high-rise, the winding Huangpu River flowed from the south, encircling the prosperous and extravagant banks on both sides. Puxi was a long, narrow street of golden hues; brilliant lights illuminated the plane trees lining the roads, and the old-style Western houses from the concession era dazzled amidst the glittering gold. Pudong was a grand show of neon, noble and atmospheric; skyscrapers stood in rows like scales on a dragon, their lights shining on the sparkling river surface, diffusing a kaleidoscope of colors.

The most beautiful night view of Shencity was panoramic.

Su Fei’s eyes almost turned red with envy: “Rich, really f*cking rich!”

Lina called out to him: “Someone said they were going to grill the meat. The charcoal is lit for you. Where are you?”

Su Fei immediately rubbed his hands together: “Coming, coming. To be honest, I love watching other people eat. When it comes to hot pot, I love to swish the ingredients; when it comes to BBQ, I love to grill. Have you ever seen an idiot like me? You won’t believe it, but I haven’t even seen one myself. Eating with me, you guys are truly blessed.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Su Fei really did have a knack for grilling. He skillfully placed the meat on the rack and brushed on a layer of glossy oil. Soon, the oil sizzled over the fire, and the aroma of meat and chili powder permeated the air, making everyone’s index fingers twitch with appetite.

In the darkness, enjoying the city night view while eating BBQ, Old Joseph, being an American, gazed at the architecture across the river with interest.

“What is that building for? It looks quite peculiar. I used to see these buildings often in various places, but I never knew what that one was. It looks really interesting.”

Fu Cheng, the only Shencity local present, asked: “Which one do you mean?”

Old Joseph: “That one, the one with the rectangular hole at the top.”

Fu Cheng: “That’s the World Financial Center.”

Old Joseph: “Why was it designed like that? Does it have any special meaning?”

This stumped Fu Cheng. He pondered for a moment before saying seriously, “I’m not clear on the meaning, but the utility is quite obvious. At least compared to the Jin Mao Tower next to it,” he laughed, “Old Joseph, you only noticed that one and completely missed the Jin Mao Tower.”

“Hey, you make a good point.”

Hearing this, Lina and Su Fei also got interested. The four of them chatted while grilling meat. Only “Master” Zhuo sat tepidly to the side, eyelids drooping, eating meat intermittently, with absolutely no intention of engaging with them.

The four chatted enthusiastically, while Zhuo Huan remained silent. Yet, the corners of his mouth held a sneer, and his manner was arrogant, as if he wasn’t the one being isolated, but rather that he alone was isolating the four of them.

Old Joseph turned his head and shouted to him: “Reid.”

Zhuo Huan bestowed a glance upon him: “Hmm?”

Old Joseph: “Do you have a house in Pudong?”

“No.”

“That’s a pity, we wanted to go to Pudong for a gathering and see the night view.”

“…”

Was his function just to provide a venue for their gatherings?!

Zhuo Huan let out a cold laugh, too lazy to deal with this group of retards.

A while later, Zhuo Huan stood up and went to the table to grab a drink. Su Fei and the other two didn’t notice, but when he sat back down, he didn’t return to his original spot far away from everyone. Instead, he sat next to Fu Cheng. The moment he sat down, Fu Cheng paused slightly, turning his head to look at him.

Zhuo Huan didn’t spare him a glance. He crooked his finger, hooked the tab lightly, and with a psshht, opened the soda can.

Su Fei: “I LOVE SH… The lights on that building keep changing. Is it advertising? Like a neon sign ad?”

Fu Cheng looked over and recognized the building: “That’s the Aurora Plaza. I suppose it is advertising; it’s a public advertising space.”

Su Fei scratched his head: “What is SH?”

Even Old Joseph figured it out: “Shencity (Shanghai)! Su Fei, I’ve noticed you’re getting stupider lately.”

Su Fei: “Holy sh*t, who knew someone would buy ad space to confess their love to Shencity!”

Everyone laughed heartily. Fu Cheng couldn’t hold back: “This probably isn’t a paid ad, maybe it’s city image promotion?”

Just as he finished speaking, Su Fei’s eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed at the distant skyscraper: “Then I know what this is, this definitely isn’t city image promotion… ‘Liu Xue Marry Me’! Holy sh*t, you can propose on that thing?!”

Fu Cheng turned to look upon hearing this. Sure enough, the LED screen on the Aurora Plaza suddenly changed to five large characters: “Liu Xue Marry Me.” Fu Cheng was surprised for a moment. He thought about it and said: “Generally speaking, people don’t buy this LED ad space for private purposes… I heard it’s very expensive. But I guess there’s no rule saying you can’t.”

Lina got interested: “How much?”

This time Fu Cheng was truly stumped. He opened his phone to check. Looking at the numbers on the screen, he fell silent for a long time. When he looked up again, his expression was solemn: “700,000 [RMB] an hour.”

Su Fei: “…”

Old Joseph: “…”

Lina rested her cheek on one hand: “So romantic! If someone confessed to me using this, I think I’d be moved.”

A cold male voice sounded softly in the night breeze: “Are you moved by the 700,000, or by this stupid LED confession?”

Lina turned to look at Zhuo Huan, flashing a charming smile: “The 700,000.” She had no intention of hiding it.

Zhuo Huan sneered: “Using something retard-level like this to announce one’s private affairs to the whole world. The IQ of someone who does this absolutely does not exceed 80.”

Su Fei said unconvinced: “RIP, just because you don’t understand romance doesn’t make you right.”

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow slightly: “You understand romance? Are you even an adult?”

Su Fei: “…”

“I’m f*cking going to be an adult in nine months!”

Old Joseph: “I understand love very well, and I understand that romantic and charming aspect of women. Reid, I have to agree against you this time. Loving a woman means making your love for her public, letting the world witness it. Don’t you think this is exactly the eternal and beautiful part of love that never changes?”

Zhuo Huan: “What never changes are mathematical theorems, not hormones and dopamine.”

Old Joseph: “…”

“Teacher Zhuo, do you have a girlfriend?”

His expression halted abruptly. Zhuo Huan turned around to look at the young man beside him.

Under the night sky, the handsome and pretty young man propped his chin on his hand, watching him quietly. Those eyes were as bright as stars, pupils reflecting the shimmering light of the Huangpu River.

Su Fei slammed the table: “You don’t even have a girlfriend, no wonder you don’t get romance!”

Zhuo Huan let out a cold snort, took a sip of his drink, and didn’t speak again.

After eating for a while longer, Lina suddenly remembered: “By the way, Reid, I remember you kept a few bottles of good wine in that villa. You sold the villa, is the wine still there?”

Old Joseph, who was already halfway through eating and drinking and feeling sleepy, instantly perked up: “Good wine?!”

Lina laughed: “I’ll tell you a secret. Last time I went to Reid’s villa, I saw a bottle of Louis XIII.”

Old Joseph: “F*ck!” He whipped his head around, staring expectantly at Zhuo Huan, his gaze explicit, as if looking at the world’s most enchanting woman.

Zhuo Huan: “…”

“You people come to my place, make me skewer meat for you, and then drink my wine?” Zhuo Huan reminded them, “Heh, today is my birthday.”

Old Joseph: “Reid, wait until my birthday, I won’t ask for a gift from you, okay! I haven’t seen Louis XIII in my entire life. Just let me have a sip, one sip… Reid, I’ve always thought you were the most handsome man in the world, but owning Louis XIII makes you even more handsome!”

Zhuo Huan: “…”

“Nonsense.”

Old Joseph paused, then realized.

You are the most handsome man in the world.

Nonsense.

Ah, Master Zhuo’s auto-reply mode.

Zhuo Huan: “The person using the LED to propose on that building is a retard.”

Old Joseph immediately understood: “Yes, absolutely a retard.”

Su Fei yelled: “One bottle of wine and you sold yourself out? Where is your conscience, Old Joseph!”

Zhuo Huan huffed lightly and stood up.

Old Joseph: “Reid, where are you going?”

“To get the wine.”

In that instant, Old Joseph looked like a believer seeing Jesus, watching Zhuo Huan’s retreating figure with a gaze bordering on worship. Only when Zhuo Huan went down the stairs and disappeared did he retract that infatuated look: “I declare, tonight Reid is my god. None of you are allowed to speak ill of him anymore. Especially you, Su Fei.”

Su Fei: “…”

“One bottle of wine makes you stop loving women and tells me I can’t curse at RIP? Was I cursing him? I was speaking the truth!”

Old Joseph looked at him幽幽ly: “In 2012, a bottle of Louis XIII was auctioned at Christie’s for one hundred thousand US dollars.”

Su Fei: “…”

The punk teenager shot up: “Where did RIP go? I really want to be friends with him! I just love a good man with such a genuine personality!”

Lina covered her lips and laughed lightly. Reid, Su Fei, and Old Joseph could actually get along so well, couldn’t they?

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw a shifting figure. Old Joseph and Su Fei were discussing what kind of friends Zhuo Huan liked. Lina looked up at Fu Cheng and called out to him: “Fu, where are you going?”

Fu Cheng stopped and smiled: “Going to the bathroom.”

Lina: “Oh.”

Going down the spiral staircase and bypassing a cluster of emerald green tropical plants led to a long, quiet corridor. He didn’t see Zhuo Huan, nor did he hear any sound. Fu Cheng looked around, still not seeing the man, so he walked toward the kitchen.

Abstract paintings that were hard to understand hung on the corridor walls. Strange, twisted lines and oddly shaped colored squares complemented the somewhat cold interior decoration of the house perfectly; everywhere was filled with a pure, rational beauty.

The wine cellar should be next to the kitchen; that was the logical thought process for a normal person.

Fu Cheng walked to the kitchen and looked around again, but still didn’t see a certain man’s figure.

…Where could he have gone?

Fu Cheng pondered for a moment, beginning to wonder if he had just missed him and if he had already returned to the open-air restaurant on the second floor.

Suddenly, the sharp, hurried sound of a door opening rang out beside him. Fu Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively turned his head to look. His gaze fell straight into a pair of clear, cold eyes. Before he could see the man’s face clearly, a pulling force came from his arm. He was yanked into the room, and the door closed behind him.

In the dim light, Fu Cheng panicked for a split second. He quickly composed himself.

This was a bedroom, with only a dim bedside lamp turned on in the corner. The warm, soft light shone on the man’s slightly long bangs, flickering like golden stars. Their eyes met, the distance extremely close, their breaths tangling as if becoming one.

There was a faint smell of smoke in the room.

Fu Cheng: “You were smoking?”

Zhuo Huan didn’t answer him: “You came down to find me?”

“I wanted to go to the bathroom.”

The man smiled maliciously: “There’s a bathroom on the second floor, more than one.”

Fu Cheng was silent for a long time: “I didn’t find it. I know where the one on the first floor is.”

Zhuo Huan drawled: “Oh.”

The man’s casual, dismissive voice pressed on his heart. Fu Cheng’s fingers gripped the small box in his pocket tightly. After a few dozen seconds, he made his decision. With a calm expression, he took a delicate small box out of his pocket and said simply: “For you. Happy Birthday, Teacher Zhuo.”

The nearly arrogant gaze was stunned for a moment. Zhuo Huan looked down at the small gift box in front of him.

He took it and opened it.

It was a pair of beautiful, exquisite cufflinks.

The circular face was inlaid full of tiny crushed diamonds, flowing with color and shining brightly. It was like the Milky Way filling the sky, falling down to gather its brilliant light in one place.

“Will you help me put them on?”

Fu Cheng looked up at him.

Zhuo Huan handed the gift to Fu Cheng, walked directly into the walk-in closet, and took off his casual T-shirt.

The man’s lean, beautiful torso instantly came into view. Smooth, long lines traced along his shoulder blades, outlining thin but not knotted muscles before disappearing below. Fu Cheng stood there, staring in a daze. Zhuo Huan pulled a white dress shirt from a hanger and put it on.

He turned and walked back, buttoning it up one by one. The top three buttons were left undone; the man’s bursting hormones came rushing at him like strong liquor.

Zhuo Huan extended his hands: “Will you button them?”

After a long silence, the black-haired young man took a cufflink from the gift box.

He lowered his head, carefully and meticulously fastening the cufflink into the shirt cuff.

Zhuo Huan lowered his eyes to look at the top of the young man’s obediently bowed head, taking a deep breath. It was a faint scent of verbena.

For some reason, the second button was harder to fasten than the first. As Fu Cheng tried for the third time, the man’s low, husky, and ambiguous voice sounded above his head: “Fu Cheng.”

With a click, the cufflink was successfully fastened.

Fu Cheng slowly raised his head.

Zhuo Huan tilted his head, smiling at him lazily: “Do I have a girlfriend? Don’t you know?”

Fu Cheng’s lips moved slightly.

The man’s narrow eyes curved slightly. Those smiling eyes, just as he had once said, bloomed with the endless stars of the universe.

Suddenly, faint footsteps came from outside the door; someone was coming down the stairs. The footsteps got closer and closer. Crossing the corridor and passing the kitchen door, Lina’s surprised voice rang out: “Hmm, are neither of them here?”

The heart beat violently in the chest; one second faster and it would leap out of the throat.

Fu Cheng raised his head, looking into Zhuo Huan’s eyes. Zhuo Huan’s gaze, however, slowly drifted downward, stopping on the young man’s slightly parted lips. After a moment, he lowered his head slightly, leaning in closer. It was just a sliver of distance, yet Fu Cheng suddenly understood his intent.

He should dodge, should open the door behind him to find Lina.

However, inexplicably, what he did was remain perfectly still, and even tilted slightly upward, meeting him by an imperceptible fraction.

In the next moment, lips touched lightly. Zhuo Huan closed his eyes, one hand pressing against the door panel, deepening this secret, silent kiss.

Outside the door, Lina didn’t seem to be looking for anyone specifically. After searching for a moment and finding no one, she walked toward the main door. A young, unfamiliar male voice came from outside; it was the cake delivery. Lina thanked him, then carried the cake, click-clacking past the corridor outside the door and up the stairs.

The tip of a tongue gently kneaded the young man’s mouth; the lips tasted as sweet as a kiss in the clouds. Breath and panting were tightly intertwined. Clearly starting from a light touch, it grew increasingly fervent.

Second floor, open-air family dining area.

After Lina brought the cake upstairs, Old Joseph slapped the table and looked behind her: “Reid hasn’t come back yet?”

Lina laughed: “You should be prepared. Reid likely doesn’t want to open the wine for you and has already fled. I didn’t see him downstairs.”

Old Joseph’s eyes went wide: “What?!”

Just as he spoke, footsteps came from the stairs. Old Joseph craned his neck full of hope. Upon seeing the arrival, his gaze immediately dropped, spotting the bottle of wine in Zhuo Huan’s hand at a glance.

Old Joseph lunged forward, eyes brimming with tears: “Louis XIII! Reid, you are my god. How can there be someone as lovely as you in the world? I love you so much!”

The corners of his mouth lifted in a mocking arc. Zhuo Huan tossed the liquor worth one hundred thousand dollars directly to Old Joseph: “Plenty of people love me.”

At this moment, Fu Cheng walked up the stairs from behind him and returned calmly to the dining table.

Old Joseph caught the precious liquor in a panic. He wanted to scold, “Reid, how could you be so rough? What if it broke?” but suddenly remembering that the man before him was his god, he immediately said in a gentle voice: “Okay, I’ll open the wine. Everyone have a taste, one sip is three thousand dollars. Minors shouldn’t drink, just get four glasses. It’s strong liquor, kids can’t drink it.”

Su Fei was furious: “I’m already eighteen! I’ll be an adult in nine months!”

Lina stuffed a bottle of cola into his hand: “Here, drink soda, you minor who still has nine months until adulthood.”

“…Damn it!”

Zhuo Huan walked to the table and sat down, picking up a skewer of grilled meat and taking a bite. However, the grilled meat, originally rich and spicy, suddenly didn’t seem so delicious anymore. He chewed it like wax for two more bites, then set it aside.

Su Fei suddenly took out his phone and inexplicably started counting down: “3, 2, 1… 0!”

Everyone looked up at him.

Su Fei: “Look at that building, the one with the proposal. I timed it, it’s been over an hour. This is too rich; they didn’t just buy one hour, they bought a second hour?”

Across the Huangpu River, on the LED screen of the Aurora Plaza, the five big words “Liu Xue Marry Me” remained.

Old Joseph lamented with genuine feeling this time: “This isn’t romance anymore. This way of spending money really is retarded. Giving it to me would be so much better.”

Su Fei nodded in agreement.

“It is a retard.” A faint voice spoke up. The voice was extremely low and light; only Su Fei, standing next to Fu Cheng, heard it. He made a confused sound internally and looked at Fu Cheng. Under the sleepless, brilliant night curtain of Shencity, Fu Cheng raised his glass and downed the strong liquor in one gulp. The wine was too strong; in an instant, his eyes turned red.

He said softly: “It really is a retard.”

After drinking wine and eating BBQ, next came cutting the cake, blowing out candles, and singing the birthday song.

After Lina put the candles on, Su Fei exclaimed in surprise: “RIP, you’re already thirty!”

Zhuo Huan gave him a faint glance.

Su Fei immediately shrank his neck.

Lina smiled: “Reid, make a wish. You can only make one, it only works if you make one.”

Old Joseph was curious: “Where is this rule from, only one wish?”

Lina: “My family always celebrates birthdays like this. If you only make one wish, it isn’t greedy, and it will definitely come true.”

Zhuo Huan looked at the candles on the cake, his brow indifferent, showing no emotion. Suddenly, he lowered his head and blew out the candles.

Lina was surprised: “Done already? What did you wish for?”

Zhuo Huan said lazily: “If I say it, it won’t come true.”

Lina shrugged helplessly: “Alright, let’s eat cake.”

Lina and Su Fei began to cut and distribute the cake, while Old Joseph, Fu Cheng, and Zhuo Huan sat by the table, waiting quietly.

Zhuo Huan sat opposite Fu Cheng this time. He propped his chin on one hand, tilting his head, looking clearly at the young man across the table. Fu Cheng stood up to take the cake passed by Su Fei: “Thank you.” Just as he sat down, something touched the crook of his leg. His body stiffened, and he looked up.

Zhuo Huan curled the corners of his mouth.

Old Joseph: “Hey, this cake is actually really nice. I haven’t liked cake for many years, but this one is really delicious.”

Lina: “I asked a friend I know to custom order it from France. If you like it, I’ll order one for your birthday next month.”

Old Joseph paused, then nodded and smiled: “Thank you.”

Lina winked at him: “You’re welcome. I remember all of your birthdays very clearly.”

With the cake distributed, they could finally sit back at the table. Lina remembered something: “By the way, Reid, why did you change your clothes? Where did you go just now? I didn’t see you in the wine cellar.”

Under the table, the man crossed his legs, nudging the young man opposite him every now and then.

Above the table, Zhuo Huan gave a soft “Oh” and said casually: “got my clothes dirty, so I went to the bedroom to change.”

“I wanted to say this earlier,” Lina revealed a gentle smile, “Your cufflinks, are they the new Bulgari ‘Starry Sky’? When did you buy them? They’re really beautiful. I never liked Bulgari cufflinks before, but this style is quite nice, it suits you very well.”

Zhuo Huan: “Birthday gift.”

Across the table, Fu Cheng’s hand holding the small cake fork paused.

Lina: “Oh? Besides me, someone else remembered your birthday? Who is it, do I know them?”

Zhuo Huan smiled.

“You don’t know him like that.”

Lina was stunned, then laughed: “Your words are getting more and more philosophical, I actually can’t understand. Old Joseph, did you understand?”

“Huh, what did you say? What time?” Old Joseph was already drunk. He said he’d only have one sip of Louis XIII, but after getting it, he drank half the bottle by himself.

Lina had to ask Fu Cheng: “I think this is probably another one of Reid’s bad jokes. Fu, what do you think?”

Fu Cheng ate his cake, thought for a moment, then said: “Then Teacher Zhuo’s joke is indeed very unfunny.”

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