Chapter 28

“Me?” Qi Yang couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

He looked Mu Yicong up and down, then let out a scoff from his nose. “I don’t think you’re all that.”

Leaving behind that rather sarcastic remark, Qi Yang went over, grabbed Qi Xing’s hand, and headed out of the yard.

Mu Yicong watched his retreating figure for a while from behind, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.

They had spent the whole afternoon together under the pretext of discussing the car rental, but neither of them had brought up the actual business even once.

On the way to drop Qi Yang home, halfway there, Qi Yang even called for Mu Yicong to pull over, got out, and bought a roasted sweet potato for Qi Xing.

A huge one—he had promised it to Qi Xing.

Mu Yicong continued watching the siblings through the rearview mirror. He saw Qi Yang peel back a bit of the skin, blow on it to cool it down, and then hand Qi Xing a small spoon so she could scoop it out and eat.

Qi Xing was still confused that her little snowman had turned into water. She raised her hand anxiously to show Qi Yang. “Ah.”

“It went home to find its brother.” Qi Yang wiped her hands, then eyed the wet patch on the genuine leather back seat, lifting his gaze to look at Mu Yicong.

Mu Yicong gave him a look that said it was fine.

“When we get home, Brother will make you another one.” Qi Yang pulled out some tissues to clean up the mess, then wiped Qi Xing’s jacket. “Eat up.”

Qi Xing halfheartedly scooped at the sweet potato a few times, then pursed her lips and turned her head away, signaling she didn’t want to eat anymore.

The remaining more than half of the sweet potato was wrapped up by Qi Yang to take back home to Zou Meizhu.

Mu Yicong drove back to the entrance of the neighborhood. Qi Yang got out with Qi Xing, thought for a moment, then took the initiative to say to Mu Yicong, “Wait a few minutes for me. I’ll take her home first, then treat you to a meal.”

“Huh?” Mu Yicong threw Qi Yang’s own words back at him. “Didn’t we say there’s no need to eat together?”

“Are you for real?” Qi Yang was annoyed.

Mu Yicong didn’t accept Qi Yang’s invitation.

He raised his wrist to check the time, then reached out the window and tapped Qi Xing’s nose. “I have something tonight. Some other time.”

Qi Yang stared at Mu Yicong with a fixed gaze for a moment.

Then he didn’t say anything else and simply walked away leading Qi Xing.

That “some other time” didn’t actually take too long.

After another three days of work, while preparing for the handover before annual leave, Qi Yang received a call from Sister Li.

The boss of Che Li was named Kong Li, ten years older than Qi Yang, and a very sharp and straightforward person.

The year Qi Yang dropped out of school, he started working. Back then, he was too young and had no education, so there weren’t many proper places that would hire him to make money.

So he did all kinds of odd jobs: waiting tables at a restaurant, handing out flyers for a phone store, watching the computers at an internet cafe, and even working as a server at a billiard hall.

He met Kong Li at that billiard hall.

That day, he was serving drinks to a customer when a commotion broke out in the hall. A couple that looked like they were dating had started arguing.

It was a one-sided quarrel. A sleazy-looking man with bleached hair was harassing a woman.

The woman was Kong Li. Back then, she also had bleached hair, thick straight bangs, a topknot bun paired with smoky eye makeup, and even in the dead of winter, she showed her belly button, with only a fur stole draped over her shoulders.

She grabbed her bag and headed straight for the manager’s office. The bleached-hair guy tugged at her fur from behind, alternating between spewing filth and begging Kong Li to forgive him.

Kong Li turned around and let loose a torrent of abuse at him, cursing even more foully than the bleached-hair guy.

The supervisor tried to mediate, not daring to pull either side apart, while a crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.

Finally, the bleached-hair guy was so humiliated by Kong Li’s scolding that he flew into a rage. He raised his hand and slapped her hard, grinding his teeth as he cursed, “Bitch! Almost thirty and still can’t get married. You really think you’re worth something!”

A gasp went through the billiard hall. The supervisor’s face turned white.

Qi Yang walked over with his tray, lifted his leg, and kicked the bleached-hair guy a meter away.

The next second, his shoulder was pushed aside as Kong Li grabbed a glass bottle from his tray and smashed it over the bleached-hair guy’s head.

The sound of shattering glass, accompanied by the guy’s scream, left everyone stunned, including Qi Yang.

“Throw him out.” Kong Li calmly discarded the broken bottle, pulled the slipping fur back onto her shoulder, and said to the supervisor, “Then you can collect your pay and go home.”

With that, she turned to Qi Yang. “From now on, you’re the supervisor of this place.”

At eighteen, Qi Yang started working for twenty-eight-year-old Kong Li.

What Kong Li’s background was, how much money she had, how many shops she owned in the town—Qi Yang didn’t know, and he couldn’t be bothered to ask.

This woman was free-spirited and wild, often acting on a whim. But she had a sharp business sense—whatever trend made money, she’d open a shop for it. Whenever she told Qi Yang to go help out somewhere, he would just go and learn on the job.

Over the years, her businesses had their ups and downs, but Kong Li didn’t really care.

After getting married last autumn, she traveled the world with her husband, leaving the car rental business in Qi Yang’s hands. She told him to handle everything himself, big or small, and not to contact her unless the shop was about to go under.

The last time he had received a call from Kong Li was months ago.

Now, seeing her name suddenly appear on the caller ID, Qi Yang thought there was something important, so he stopped what he was doing to answer.

“Yang,” Kong Li cut straight to the chase, “Is that M Company or whatever trying to rent cars from us?”

“Huh?” Qi Yang was taken aback. “They contacted you?”

“If we actually land this deal, it’s pretty big,” Kong Li said. “They’re even looking at a long-term partnership.”

“Yeah, okay.” Qi Yang acknowledged, lowering his eyelids as he lit a cigarette. “I’ll have Little Liu handle the coordination.”

“Forget Little Liu.” Kong Li laughed. “They specifically requested to talk with you. They’re even doing some kind of inspection… So just put in a bit of effort recently. When they come to you, cooperate more. Don’t always have that sour face.”

“Chinese New Year…” Qi Yang started to say he wouldn’t have time over the holiday.

“Alright, that’s it,” there was someone calling her on Kong Li’s end. “Land this deal! If you do, you’ll get a nice bonus.”

After giving her instructions, Kong Li hung up. Qi Yang sat in his swivel chair, biting his cigarette, his expression sourer than a cesspit.

He held back and held back, but in the end, he couldn’t resist picking up his phone and calling Mu Yicong.

“What do you mean by this?” Qi Yang demanded as soon as the call connected.

Mu Yicong’s tone was as if nothing was wrong, and he even asked back, “What’s the matter?”

“You didn’t have time to talk the other day, and now you’re pulling this ‘designated’ nonsense?” Qi Yang’s voice turned cold. “You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Mu Yicong didn’t respond to Qi Yang’s words. Instead, he changed the subject. “Ten minutes.”

“What?” Qi Yang furrowed his brows.

“I’ll be at the entrance of Che Li,” Mu Yicong said. “The meal you owed me the other day—you can make up for it today.”

In the ten minutes after the call ended, Qi Yang smoked two cigarettes while thinking about whether to have this meal with Mu Yicong.

He had a hundred ways to make Mu Yicong look bad. Even if he let the M&K deal go, Sister Li wouldn’t say much.

But his thoughts kept circling around, ultimately focusing on just one core question—it had nothing to do with Che Li, nothing to do with business.

It was only about “having a meal together with Mu Yicong.”

Did he actually want to or not?

Mu Yicong parked his car at the entrance of Che Li. He didn’t get out, nor did he call to hurry.

He waited quietly for a while, watching Qi Yang come out of Che Li, pause at the door, and then walk step by step toward his car.

Qi Yang’s demeanor was much more relaxed than during their previous meetings, and he no longer had the aggressive edge from the phone call.

Pulling open the passenger door of Mu Yicong’s car, he got in, looked at Mu Yicong, and asked directly, “What do you want to eat?”

“The one treating people to a meal hasn’t decided on a place in advance?” Mu Yicong examined him.

“Whatever I decide, you’ll eat?” Qi Yang stared back with his eyes.

Mu Yicong gestured for him to arrange it as he pleased.

“Then drive.” Qi Yang lowered the window halfway and bent down to fasten his seatbelt. “Go back to that neighborhood where you lived during school.”

The neighborhood where Mu Yicong had rented during school was just like Qi Yang’s neighborhood—rumors of demolition and renovation had been circulating for years, and by now, the surrounding areas had mostly been redeveloped, but there was still no movement on theirs.

Over the past ten years, many residents had bought new houses and moved away, but the restaurants on the street had never diminished in number.

For their first formal meal alone together after ten years apart, Qi Yang took Mu Yicong to the Pig Trotter Rice restaurant where they had eaten together for the first time over a decade ago.

How Mu Yicong felt about returning to this place, how mismatched his car, his outfit, and his entire demeanor were with this old, worn-down Pig Trotter Rice restaurant—Qi Yang didn’t care about any of that.

He walked into the shop. The boss saw him and greeted him directly, “You’re here? The usual?”

“Two servings. And a bottle of Erguotou.” Qi Yang held up two fingers at the boss, then sat down at a table near the door.

Mu Yicong’s face revealed no emotion as he sat down across from him.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Qi Yang pulled out a tissue from the box and wiped the table, deliberately asking, “Not happy with me taking you to eat Pig Trotter Rice?”

“Why did you choose this place?” Mu Yicong also pulled out a tissue.

“I have something to say to you.” Qi Yang tossed the tissue into the trash can, lit another cigarette, and leaned back in his chair.

There were many customers at this hour. The small restaurant was filled with the aroma of food and swirling smoke. Customers coming and going occasionally let in a gust of winter chill.

There were no strict rules in this kind of place. People drinking chatted loudly. At a table diagonally across from Qi Yang’s, there was a group of students—a few boys, loud and full of youthful energy, laughing as they discussed what drinks to get and whether to split the bill or take turns treating.

Qi Yang subconsciously glanced at their school uniforms—Affiliated High School students.

“The school hasn’t moved yet?” Mu Yicong also noticed the table.

“Yeah.” Qi Yang flicked his ash. “What’s meant to change changes. What can’t change never will.”

Mu Yicong withdrew his gaze and looked back at him.

“I don’t know what you meant by all those things you said to me before.”

Without any preamble, Qi Yang changed the subject. He didn’t specify which words he meant—he didn’t need to. Mu Yicong would understand.

He simply intended to stop holding it in and pour out all his recent confusion and frustration.

“I also don’t understand why, since it’s all in the past, you still felt the need to tell me.”

“Including your recent inexplicable attitude—occasionally suddenly contacting me and then being busy, not eating when I invite you, then turning around and playing this ‘designated’ game with my boss.”

“Maybe you want revenge on me for all the shitty things I did in school. Maybe you’re bored after coming back to the country and just want to kill time with me. Or maybe you simply want to disgust me.”

Qi Yang took a long drag of his cigarette, then crushed the butt in the ashtray.

“But I don’t have the energy to mess around with all that nonsense.”

He said to Mu Yicong.

“You and me, the two of us,” Qi Yang pointed at himself, “we’ve been two different kinds of people since school. In every aspect, we’re not the same.”

“Including that orientation stuff and all that. Whether you liked me or not is your own business.”

The last sentence came out mumbled from Qi Yang’s mouth. After all, this wasn’t a private setting, and discussing that kind of thing still made him uncomfortable.

“You treated me to this place before. This time, it’s my treat.”

The boss brought over the Erguotou and wine glasses. Qi Yang quickly opened the bottle and filled only the cup in front of himself.

“I haven’t drunk this in years. I’ll fill this cup and formally apologize to you for the past.”

He picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp.

“The car rental business is business. Other than that, don’t bother me anymore.”