UAAG CH63

Early summer winds blew across the Huangpu River. On the open-air observation deck on the upper floors of the skyscraper, it was precisely time for UAAG’s afternoon tea. The five-star hotel chef delivered exquisite pastries and cakes to the company. Paired with Lina’s Hermès tea set and Ceylon Highgrown black tea kept at the office, everyone enjoyed a pleasant break.

“I remember the last time I had afternoon tea with you, it was already a year ago,” Mr. Romain said, looking at his daughter with a kind smile.

Lina reminded him, “Yes, a year ago, in Milan.”

Mr. Romain sighed, “You never come home.”

Lina: “Papa, I have my own career too.”

“Your career is following Reid, flying chaotically all over the world. Look at my Honey, you’ve gotten tan and thin.”

“Because we just got back from Dubai last week.”

“You never suffered like this before.”

Lina smiled helplessly, “Papa!”

Mr. Romain still felt very distressed.

The three UAAG members held their teacups, observing the father-daughter affection.

Su Fei: “Doesn’t Lina call home every two or three days? Why does it seem like they haven’t seen each other for ten years. Hey, Old Joseph, aren’t you Westerners supposed to be super independent? Throwing kids out once they’re adults and never caring about them again?”

Old Joseph sipped his black tea: “That’s just talk. You little kid with no hair on your chest yet, how could you understand the hearts of us parents? Just like me, I chat with my daughter every day too, asking how she is recently, when she plans to marry John. Did you know about that?”

Su Fei: “…”

Su Fei turned his head to look at Fu Cheng: “People with children are terrifying!”

Fu Cheng paused: “…Mn.”

Zhuo Huan listened to their conversation and sneered. He looked at Romain: “Why did you suddenly come to Shen City?”

Hearing this, Mr. Romain looked up at him and smiled, “I just happened to have some business to attend to, so I came to see my precious daughter. What, Reid, are you perhaps a strict boss who doesn’t allow a subordinate’s father to visit his poor daughter who lives in dire straits every day?”

Zhuo Huan turned his head to ask Lina: “Are you in dire straits?”

Lina held the tea set, smiling gently: “If you could make me worry a little less, I think I could answer you ‘sure not’ without hesitation. But after considering it now, I can answer you, Reid, I’m actually quite happy.”

Lord Zhuo huffed lightly.

Mr. Romain said he was just passing through Shen City for business, so he came to see his daughter. But he had already booked a restaurant and invited everyone from UAAG to dinner.

There weren’t many Michelin French restaurants in Shen City; they required advance reservations and formal attire. But when power reached a certain height, there was no need to deliberately dress formally. As soon as work ended, Mr. Romain and the UAAG crowd went directly to the restaurant. Su Fei was even wearing a pair of cool black AJ sneakers.

Mr. Romain was a talkative and approachable person, without any airs, and was knowledgeable and well-traveled. No matter what everyone talked about, he could contribute a sentence or two.

Mr. Romain sat at the head of the table, and the others sat down in turn along his left and right.

When the third appetizer was served, Fu Cheng looked up and saw a certain man looking down at his phone with a displeased expression. Soon, Zhuo Huan put his knife and fork aside, looked up, and said to Mr. Romain, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Ten minutes later, he returned to the table. Only his brows were tightly knit, and a low pressure like a Pacific summer hurricane surrounded him intensely. Even Mr. Romain noticed his abnormality and asked, “Reid, did something terrible happen?”

Zhuo Huan wiped the corner of his mouth and said indifferently, “Nothing, a small matter.”

Mr. Romain looked at his daughter: “Does Reid give you this terrible face every day?”

Lina said innocently, “Yes, Father.”

“My daughter is too pitiful. Why don’t you come back with Papa? You can do whatever you want.”

Lina smiled softly: “Because this is my dream, Papa.”

The phone on the table rang. Zhuo Huan clicked his tongue and picked it up. Seeing the name on the screen, he raised his eyes to scan Fu Cheng before opening the message.

[Fu Cheng: Roger 318?]

His gaze lingered on these few short words for a long time. Zhuo Huan leaned back in his chair, the corners of his mouth hooking up.

[Zhuo Huan: Why?]

[Fu Cheng: Isn’t it?]

[Zhuo Huan: It is. Can’t find it this time either, but you reminded me. I didn’t find it, but I accomplished something else.]

Fu Cheng was stunned. He stared at the words on the phone screen, pondering for a long time, then suddenly realized. His lips pursed instantly. Fu Cheng placed his phone face down on the table and continued eating expressionlessly.

Zhuo Huan waited for a long time but didn’t get a reply from the young man. He looked up and saw Fu Cheng with his eyes lowered, eating earnestly.

Under the long tablecloth, the man’s foot extended confidently and nudged Fu Cheng’s calf.

Fu Cheng ignored him.

Zhuo Huan gently hooked him a few more times, but Fu Cheng ignored him every time.

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow slightly, calmly took out his phone, opened the contacts, and dialed a number. The next second, Fu Cheng’s phone suddenly rang. Everyone looked at him in unison. He also froze, flipped over the phone face down on the table, saw the flashing name, and quickly hung up.

Su Fei leaned over curiously: “Who is it? Not answering?”

Fu Cheng’s tone was indifferent: “Harassment call.”

Zhuo Huan tsked and laughed.

After dinner, parting was inevitable.

However, Mr. Romain did not go to the airport but said, “I still have some matters in Shen City, so I’ll stay for a few more days.” So, he left in a car with Lina, heading towards Lina’s home.

Usually, whenever a UAAG group activity ended and everyone went home, Zhuo Huan would hitch a ride with Lina. But this time, Lina was with her father, and Zhuo Huan didn’t go with her. At first, Su Fei didn’t think anything was wrong, only thinking: No matter how thick-skinned RIP is, he wouldn’t be embarrassed enough to hitch a ride in front of someone’s dad!

Unexpectedly, after the car stopped at the residential complex entrance, Zhuo Huan actually got out of the car with Fu Cheng.

Su Fei asked in surprise, “RIP, are you going to walk back?” Why not just continue taking that car home?

Hands in his pockets, Lord Zhuo said lazily, “I live here.”

Su Fei: “Hah???”

Old Joseph explained, “Hey, I forgot to tell you. Su Fei, Reid lives with Fu now. He sold that river-view penthouse apartment. As for the reason, you know, salvaging a plane in the Pacific Ocean is really too expensive.”

Su Fei wasn’t like Old Joseph; he never even considered why Zhuo Huan didn’t have Lina arrange an apartment for him, perhaps living in the UAAG dorms like him and Old Joseph, maybe even across the hall. He nodded, accepted this explanation directly, and was very concerned about another matter: “Then doesn’t this mean that when it’s my birthday at the end of the year, we can’t go to RIP’s mansion for a meal? I can never take photos to show off on my Moments again?!”

Everyone: “…”

Old Joseph grabbed the punk boy, dragging him back to the UAAG dorms speechlessly.

Just as Su Fei and the other had walked barely ten meters away, in the cool, noisy night wind, Zhuo Huan’s careless voice sounded: “Fu Cheng, is my call called a harassment call?”

Fu Cheng turned his head and looked at him quietly. After a while: “Doesn’t it count?”

Zhuo Huan laughed upon hearing this: “Oh, but don’t you welcome me harassing you very much?”

Fu Cheng glanced at him and walked away. When he reached the bottom of his building, he turned around only to find that the man hadn’t followed. He waited a while longer, still no one. Fu Cheng frowned, holding his phone, unable to resist calling him.

“Teacher Zhuo, where are you?”

“I got lost.”

“…?”

He didn’t believe for a second that Zhuo Huan, who could write out a bunch of physics formulas without blinking and calculate high-level arithmetic within three seconds, would get lost!

Zhuo Huan: “I’m at the convenience store at the entrance. Come pick me up.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

After hanging up the phone, Fu Cheng stood there for a while, but eventually walked back to the residential complex entrance.

At the entrance of the chain convenience store with the blue and white flashing sign, the lean, tall man held a plastic bag casually in one hand, a cigarette in his mouth, standing under the yellow streetlamp, smoking quietly. Amidst the swirling smoke, he turned around, saw Fu Cheng, and raised his chin at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Fu Cheng walked over, looking curiously at the plastic bag. He somewhat wanted to know why Zhuo Huan suddenly bought a big bag of stuff in just five minutes. But after seeing clearly what was in the bag, his face turned dark, wishing he hadn’t been nosy enough to look.

Zhuo Huan leaned down slightly, close to his ear: “You bought so few last time.”

Fu Cheng heard his own voice, trying to be restrained: “There are still some at home.”

Zhuo Huan: “Oh, but not enough.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

So you bought every single condom in this convenience store?!

On the way back.

Zhuo Huan rummaged through the plastic bag, making rustling noises: “What flavor do you like?”

Fu Cheng: “…”

“Wow, there’s strawberry flavor.”

Fu Cheng finally couldn’t bear it anymore. He turned around and asked with a smile, “Teacher Zhuo, you seem to really like strawberry flavor. In Helsinki, you drank my strawberry yogurt. How come you like strawberry flavor?”

Zhuo Huan froze abruptly.

He looked at the young man who rarely fought back. After a while, he pinched Fu Cheng’s chin and kissed him forcefully.

“You really need to be fucked!”

Fu Cheng actually didn’t like strawberry flavor. specifically, he didn’t like any flavor. He also didn’t understand why those things were designed with various flavors. Would anyone eat that kind of thing? No matter how you look at it, that kind of thing doesn’t seem like something the mouth would touch.

That night, as if to prove his preference for strawberry flavor, Zhuo Huan insisted on opening that box of strawberry-flavored ones.

Zhuo Huan kissed his eyelashes wet with sweat, laughing in a low voice: “Do you like the strawberry flavor?”

Fu Cheng gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and didn’t answer him.

The next evening, after work, Zhuo Huan had to go back to that penthouse apartment by the river. Because the sales contract for that apartment was formally signed today, Zhuo Huan had to go back to sign the contract with the buyer in the house.

Fu Cheng: “I thought you would find some random person, like asking Lina to handle this for you. Anyway, she seems to know you’ve already sold that house.”

Zhuo Huan looked at him, raising an eyebrow: “That house is worth 120 million.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Evil capitalist!

Zhuo Huan: “You think something worth 120 million isn’t worth me making a special trip to sign a contract?” He laughed: “Fu Cheng, my money doesn’t come from the wind either, okay?”

Fu Cheng didn’t speak again, but he remembered in his heart, didn’t someone say a year ago that money falls from the sky?

The car stopped at the residential complex entrance. Fu Cheng didn’t follow him in: “I’ll go to the nearby coffee shop to sit for a bit. I happen to be a little thirsty.”

Zhuo Huan was noncommittal.

The two separated at the complex entrance.

Watching the man walk into the magnificent glass doors, Fu Cheng slowly looked up at the towering, beautiful building. After a long time, he turned around, walked into the coffee shop across the street, ordered a black coffee, and waited silently for Zhuo Huan.

Melodious, soothing blues music echoed in this private coffee shop. Fu Cheng sat by the window, stirring with a small spoon while looking down at his phone.

“…Fu Cheng?”

The light was blocked by a shadow, and a gentle female voice sounded from in front of him, tinged with astonishment.

Fu Cheng looked up subconsciously and saw a glamorous woman in a long dress with red straps standing before him. She carried a brand-name bag starting with H, wore beautiful rings and bracelets on her hands, and had exquisite makeup on her palm-sized face, enhancing her already eight-out-of-ten features to a ten. Almost everyone in the coffee shop was staring at her, suspecting she was a celebrity.

A name surfaced from the depths of distant memories.

Fu Cheng: “Su Qiao?”

The beautiful young woman extended a snow-white hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. When she smiled, her bright eyes turned into lovely crescents: “Can I sit down?”

Fu Cheng froze for a moment: “…Of course.”

After sitting down, Su Qiao ordered a cappuccino. Her gaze lingered on Fu Cheng’s face for a few seconds, smiling: “Long time no see. I just passed by the entrance and saw you, thought I saw wrong. You haven’t changed at all, Fu Cheng, exactly the same as ten years ago.”

Fu Cheng glanced at the woman’s bright vermilion nails, his voice calm: “You haven’t changed either.”

Su Qiao: “Why are you here?”

Fu Cheng: “Accompanying a friend, he came to handle some business. And you?”

Su Qiao smiled sweetly. She turned sideways and pointed to the apartment across the street: “I live here.”

Fu Cheng looked in the direction her finger pointed.

In the coffee shop, the music echoed softly. Fu Cheng didn’t know what to say, but just like ten years ago, this woman, the girl from back then, would always find various topics to actively talk to him.

“What are you doing recently? I heard you seem to have retired, not in the Air Force anymore?” Like her outstanding appearance, her voice was also very moving. “Fu Cheng, your WeChat settings don’t allow group chats to add friends. Let me add you.”

It was really hard to refuse. Fu Cheng took out his phone, and both sides added each other as friends.

Fu Cheng hummed softly: “I retired, working outside now.”

He didn’t mean to say more. Su Qiao gazed at him. After a moment, she smiled even more charmingly: “You’re the same as before, not fond of talking. I’m really happy to see you today. There have been too many things recently; seeing you is probably the best news I’ve encountered.”

Fu Cheng looked up at her: “What happened?”

Su Qiao smiled cheerfully: “Going through divorce procedures recently, just a bit annoying.”

“…” He didn’t know what to say.

The woman tucked back the hair falling on her forehead: “Speaking of which, are you married?”

Fu Cheng: “No.”

Su Qiao laughed: “Dating someone?”

“…”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Su Qiao: “By the way, do you remember that little delinquent who fought with you back then, named Qiu Mingjie?”

“Mn.”

“I saw him at the class reunion last year, unfortunately you didn’t come then. He got fat in his twenties. Now he smiles at everyone he meets, completely different from before.”

“Mn.”

“And Zhang Yang, the one who was your deskmate for half a semester.”

“Mn.”

“He told me the last time he saw you seemed to be five years ago. You were in the army and could never attend our class reunions. Everyone wants to see you again.”

“Mn.”

Long silence. No one spoke.

Su Qiao laughed helplessly: “Fu Cheng, do you actually not want to see me?”

Fu Cheng looked up at her: “No.”

Gazing earnestly at the person before her, she revealed a smile, but not a happy one: “About that matter back then, I’ve always owed you an apology. Fu Cheng, I’m sorry. At that time, because of vanity, I also wanted to buy a new phone, buy those things…”

Her voice stopped abruptly. Su Qiao sighed softly: “Why am I saying this?” She laughed again: “But there’s one thing you don’t know. You are the only boy I’ve ever chased in my life.”

Looking at the woman smiling like a flower in front of him, Fu Cheng’s lips moved, but he didn’t speak.

At this moment, the phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name on the screen, Fu Cheng was slightly stunned. He subconsciously looked towards the residential complex entrance across the street but didn’t see that man.

He answered the call.

“Teacher Zhuo.”

“Where did you go? How come I don’t see you.”

“I’m in the coffee shop across the street. You don’t need to come out, I’ll go over to find you.”

Hanging up the phone, Fu Cheng raised his head, his tone a few degrees lighter when he spoke again: “I have some business, so I’ll leave first.” Saying so, he put two bills on the table, “Coffee is on me.”

Su Qiao froze: “Fu Cheng?”

Fu Cheng stood up: “My friend doesn’t like waiting for people. Leaving first.”

Su Qiao looked at him, slowly smiled and nodded: “Okay, chat next time.”

Pushing open the coffee shop door and crossing the road, Fu Cheng found Lord Zhuo, who was already waiting impatiently, in the lobby on the first floor.

Zhuo Huan looked him up and down and chuckled lightly: “Why do you seem to be in a good mood, Fu Cheng?”

Fu Cheng: “…Is there?”

Zhuo Huan: “There is.”

Fu Cheng didn’t reply.

When they took the car home, it was already getting dark.

Shadows of trees danced in the residential complex. It seemed it would rain tomorrow; the wind broke flowers, and leaves rustled loudly. Getting out of the car, Zhuo Huan lit a cigarette. Fu Cheng glanced at him and didn’t speak. The two walked into the building. Before taking the elevator, Zhuo Huan extinguished the cigarette in the fine white stones at the elevator entrance.

The apartment was one unit per floor. When they reached the door, Fu Cheng took out the key to open the door, and Zhuo Huan stood behind him.

Click.

It was a lighter.

Fu Cheng turned his head to look at him.

Zhuo Huan wasn’t smoking, just playing casually with the lighter’s flint.

Fu Cheng turned back and continued to open the door, but heard the man’s lazy voice from behind.

“Who was that woman, Fu Cheng?”

The hand holding the key paused slightly. Fu Cheng turned around slowly to look at him.

“My ex-girlfriend,” he answered calmly.

Zhuo Huan laughed. He lifted Fu Cheng’s chin, approaching him, and asked in a low voice, “Are you really fucking straight, Fu Cheng?”

Fu Cheng was silent.

Zhuo Huan stared at him fixedly, a laugh escaping his nasal cavity: “Why don’t you say no?”

Fu Cheng looked up at him: “Then are you straight?”

Zhuo Huan: “What do you think? I like men.”

Fu Cheng gave a calm “Oh” and asked back, “Then what about me?”

Are you straight?

I like men.

Zhuo Huan stared at him unblinkingly. The next moment, he reached out and patted Fu Cheng’s cheek, then lowered his head to kiss him.

Behind him was the cold metal door panel; in front of him was the man’s fiery kiss, overwhelming and surging over him. Two meters away, the elevator suddenly moved. Someone seemed to have pressed the button to take the elevator.

Lips intertwined fiercely. In his infatuation, Fu Cheng seemed to hear the laughter of a family of three from the elevator. A little girl called out sweetly, “Mama, want kiss.” And in front of him, this man held his jaw, forcing him to open his mouth.

The hoarse voice carried an undeniable command: “Kiss me.”

Fu Cheng looked up and kissed him, extending his tongue to grind and entangle with this person.

“Go inside…” he gasped in the intervals of the kiss.

Zhuo Huan bit his lower lip: “No, outside.”

Fu Cheng gritted his teeth: “No condom.”

Zhuo Huan: “Don’t wear one, let me do it once, Fu Cheng…”

The man’s almost coquettish tone nearly made Fu Cheng nod, his rationality collapsing. But he hardened his scalp, holding the key with trembling fingers, and opened the door.

As soon as the door closed, all sounds from outside were blocked by the thick door panel. They kissed passionately, not even changing shoes, kicking them off casually in the entryway. After pressing the young man against the wall by the door and kissing for a long time, Zhuo Huan couldn’t hold back. He picked Fu Cheng up and headed for the bedroom. But just as he picked Fu Cheng up, his arm suddenly went unsteady, and the two almost fell together.

Fu Cheng looked up at him. Because of the prolonged lack of oxygen just now, he was a bit dazed, his gaze blurred.

Zhuo Huan increased his strength, swearing first to cover up the embarrassment: “You look so fucking thin, how come you have some weight.” Saying so, he carried the person to the bedroom, threw him on the bed, and then pressed down on him.

From the slight discomfort of the first time to knowing each other like the back of their hands now.

Early the next morning, Fu Cheng woke up in a daze. The discomfort was long gone, replaced by the laziness after a night of indulgence. He looked down slightly and saw Zhuo Huan holding his waist, burying his head in his shoulder, asleep.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Fu Cheng gently pushed him away, slowed down his movements, and left the room quietly.

At eight-thirty, Fu Cheng went out alone to the company.

Lord Zhuo never had to arrive at the company on time. He felt Fu Cheng didn’t need to go before nine either. But Fu Cheng always arrived at the company on time, never late. No matter how late they went at it, he would still wake up.

At nine o’clock sharp, Fu Cheng, Su Fei, and Old Joseph all arrived. They looked at each other in surprise.

Old Joseph: “Lina actually didn’t come?”

Su Fei was also puzzled: “No way, it’s fine if RIP is absent every day, but even Lina is like this?”

Fu Cheng thought for a moment and took out his phone to call Lina. However, the next moment, the sound of familiar high heels rang from outside the door, accompanied by a hearty male voice.

…This scene seems a bit familiar?

In just a few seconds, Lina and Mr. Romain appeared at the entrance of UAAG together.

Lina glanced around and said helplessly, “Reid indeed didn’t come.” She turned her head and said, “Papa, I can’t decide this matter. We have to ask Reid; he has to agree. Do you want to wait for him here, or should I ask him and then tell you his decision directly?”

Mr. Romain smiled: “To show my sincerity, of course, I will wait for him here.”

Su Fei’s eyes widened: “What? What is this for?”

Fu Cheng frowned slightly.

Lina arranged for her father to be in the conference room. When she walked back, Fu Cheng asked, “Lina, does Mr. Romain have some business?”

Lina laughed: “Yes, indeed there is business. Actually, I was wondering before what exactly Papa came to Shen City to do. In fact, my Conte family hasn’t invested in any industries in Shen City. In my impression, there are no partners in Shen City special enough to require him to come in person. Today he finally told me. He actually came to invite UAAG…”

“McFly has a pre-flight inspection and hopes UAAG can help perform the final check.”

Author’s Note:
Fu Chengcheng: Why design various flavors for that kind of thing? No matter how you think about it, the mouth can’t possibly touch it.
Zhuo Rest-In-Peace: Next time, I’ll let you know.

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