Chapter 52
His parents, still worried about their homestay, only took a short walk around the complex before returning.
Despite his assurances of Murong Yan’s culinary skills, they still insisted on cooking lunch themselves, relegating him and Murong Yan to zongzi-making duty in the living room.
They made a large batch of colorful zongzi.
The glutinous rice, washed and soaked, was divided into five portions, each dyed a different color. The most time-consuming part was preparing the flower-infused water for dyeing. Due to limited time, the rice only soaked for two hours, resulting in pastel hues rather than vibrant colors, but the flavor was unaffected.
“You two seem busy lately,” Xing Li said, as they sat down for lunch.
Murong Cheng nodded, glancing at Murong Yan. “Lots of work at the company,” he said vaguely.
He didn’t know the details of Murong Yan’s current projects, but it was probably related to regaining control of Guangyu. He hadn’t told his parents about his livestreaming career yet, wanting to wait until he had achieved some success.
“Xiao Yan is busy with work. You should help him. The homestay renovations can wait,” Xing Li said to Murong Cheng.
Murong Yan interjected smoothly, “Auntie, it’s fine. I can manage. Ah Cheng is working harder than me.”
Murong Maohua looked at his son. “If it’s too much trouble, just hire a renovation company. They’re professionals. We can afford it. By the way, haven’t we given you the money for the renovations yet? We’ve been so busy, we forgot.”
He reached for his phone to transfer the money.
Murong Cheng quickly stopped him.
“Dad, I have money,” he said, glancing at Murong Yan, then correcting himself, “We have money.”
Murong Yan nodded in agreement.
Xing Li and Murong Maohua exchanged a look. “Alright, Xiao Cheng. Let us know if you need anything.”
Murong Cheng smiled. “Okay, Mom.”
Xing Li: “When are you two planning to return to A City?”
Murong Cheng paused, looking at Murong Yan.
Murong Yan’s voice was calm. “No rush.”
Murong Cheng looked at his mother playfully. “Mom, are you trying to get rid of us?”
Xing Li smiled. “Of course not. We’d love for you to stay here forever. But you have to go back eventually.”
She placed a colorful zongzi in each of their bowls.
“Xiao Yan, we’re not trying to chase you away. Making five-color zongzi is a local tradition. They’re meant to be made and shared with family. Since you’re with Xiao Cheng, you’re family now.”
Murong Yan’s eyes softened. He picked up the zongzi. “I understand. Thank you, Auntie.”
After lunch, they helped with the dishes, and then Murong Cheng took two bags of zongzi, one for him and Murong Yan, the other for Chi Yu’s family, and left with Murong Yan.
They often shared food with Chi Yu’s family, especially during holidays and special occasions.
He hadn’t called Chi Yu beforehand, assuming his parents would be home. As they reached Chi Yu’s building, Murong Yan suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Murong Cheng looked around, confused.
Murong Yan frowned slightly. “I think I…”
“Think you what?”
Murong Yan shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
Chi Yu was home. He opened the door almost instantly, as if he had been waiting right there. He looked surprised to see them.
“Here, Yan-ge and I made some zongzi,” Murong Cheng said, handing him one of the bags.
“Thanks,” Chi Yu said, taking the bag, his mind seemingly elsewhere. “You…”
He looked at Murong Cheng, hesitating.
Murong Cheng: “What’s wrong? I’m not livestreaming today, so you don’t need to come over this afternoon.”
“Oh, okay,” Chi Yu nodded slowly.
“We’ll be going then. Give our regards to your parents,” Murong Cheng said, turning to leave.
They walked downstairs, hand-in-hand, towards the underground parking garage.
Murong Yan had the car keys, so Murong Cheng automatically got into the passenger seat.
“Chi Yu seemed a bit off today. I wonder what’s wrong,” Murong Yan said as he started the car. “I’ll ask him later.”
Murong Yan: “I think I saw Murong Jing downstairs at his place.”
“What? You saw who?” Murong Cheng sat up straight, his eyes widening.
Murong Yan’s expression didn’t change. “Murong Jing.”
Murong Cheng blurted out, “Are you sure?”
But Murong Yan was unlikely to mistake his own brother.
Murong Yan: “I’m not certain.”
Murong Cheng hesitated. “After removing you from Guangyu, didn’t Chairman Murong promote your brother?”
Murong Yan: “He’s the vice president of Guangyu now. Lü Zhaowei is still busy with Lingyu and doesn’t have much time for Guangyu. Murong Jing is managing everything now.”
Murong Cheng: “So he really did take over your company.”
He leaned back against the headrest, his shoulders slumping slightly.
“He’s on top of the world now. Why come to H City? He’s not here to gloat, is he?”
Murong Yan didn’t seem concerned. “He’s probably here to see Chi Yu.”
Chapter 53
Chi Yu’s relationship with Murong Jing was his own business. He had hesitated earlier, likely wanting to mention seeing Murong Jing, but since he hadn’t brought it up, Murong Cheng decided to let it go.
After delivering the zongzi to his parents, he and Murong Yan went to the beach.
It was the perfect time for foraging. He gathered a bucket, rubber gloves, crab tongs, and a shovel, and they set off.
The tide was going out, but the ideal foraging time, two hours before low tide, hadn’t arrived yet. They walked along the beach, found some beach chairs with large umbrellas, and lay down, intending to chat, but both fell asleep. They woke up just in time for low tide.
He hadn’t used the crab tongs in a while and felt a bit rusty. He used to catch crabs with his bare hands as a child, which he could still do, but he didn’t want Murong Yan to get injured, so he provided him with tools.
“Here, use these. Grab it here, firmly, yes, by the belly, and then toss it in the bucket,” he instructed, watching as Murong Yan caught his first crab.
The timing was perfect. They quickly filled their bucket with various sea creatures.
Freshly caught seafood, simply cooked, was incredibly delicious.
They gave Auntie Chen the night off and prepared the seafood themselves, adding a couple of vegetable dishes.
“Let’s eat while watching TV,” Murong Cheng said, turning on the television.
In A City, he rarely watched TV, preferring to binge-watch shows on his laptop at double speed. But lately, he had rediscovered the simple pleasure of watching whatever happened to be on.
The local news channel started with local news, then moved on to national and international stories.
They placed the food on the coffee table in front of the TV. The news was reporting on the prestigious World Science and Technology Association (WSTA) awards, the highest honor in the field of technology, recognizing both academic research and industry innovation.
This year’s academic award went to a scholar from a top university abroad, as expected. But the industry award went to a little-known research center in Munich, Germany, for its innovative smart home technology and its vision for the future of AI in everyday life.
The award instantly catapulted the small research center into the spotlight, attracting investors and potential partners eager to capitalize on the cutting-edge technology.
The WSTA awards always generated buzz in the tech industry. Domestic organizations often held their own events to coincide with the international awards, leveraging the increased public interest. The 20th annual Technology Exchange Conference, organized by the Science and Technology Development Committee, China’s leading authority in the field, would be held in A City next week, with the theme “Technology is the Future.”
“This research… seems quite useful,” Murong Cheng said, his hands busy peeling a crab, his eyes glued to the screen. “Has Lingyu considered collaborating with this Munich research center? This technology would be perfect for my smart homestay project. A central control system for all the smart devices. And it can be applied to other areas, not just homes, but also travel, food, clothing, creating a comprehensive user profile for targeted marketing. This would be a great opportunity for Huaqian Technology, wouldn’t it? Have you heard of this research center, Yan-ge?”
“Yes,” Murong Yan said, also watching the news. “Impressive technology.”
Murong Cheng took a bite of crab. “Were you invited to the conference in A City next week?”
Murong Yan nodded. “Yes.”
Murong Cheng: “Do you go every year?”
Murong Yan’s expression didn’t change. “I’ve been the keynote speaker for the past few years.”
Murong Cheng looked at him. “What about this year?”
Murong Yan: “They’ve invited the head of this research center to be the keynote speaker this year.”
Murong Cheng’s eyes widened. He pointed at the TV with a crab leg. “Isn’t this today’s news? The award was just announced! How do you know this already?”
Murong Yan: “The winners are selected weeks in advance. The announcement is just a formality.”
“Oh, I see,” Murong Cheng said, picking up some vegetables. “Are you going back to A City next week?”
Murong Yan looked down. “Not sure yet.”
Murong Cheng: “What? Such an important conference, and you’re not going?”
Then he realized. “Right. You were always the keynote speaker. This year, they’ve replaced you. No wonder you don’t want to go.”
Murong Yan smiled. “Didn’t you want to stay in H City for a while longer?”
Murong Cheng rested his chin on his hand. “You can come back after the conference. Or you can take me with you, haha. I’d like to attend. I wonder when I’ll be as important as you and Duan-ge… I remember my first time at an event like this, that charity auction, Duan-ge said, ‘CEO Murong and I don’t need invitations. Our faces are our invitations.’ So cool.”
He chuckled, and Murong Yan smiled.
“Where’s Duan-ge been lately? Haven’t seen him this week.”
Murong Yan: “He’s back in A City. He’ll be attending the conference.”
Murong Cheng finished his crab leg, wiped his hands, and checked his phone.
He froze.
Murong Yan, noticing his sudden stillness, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Yan-ge!” he blinked, double-checking the message, then showed his phone to Murong Yan. “I’m not dreaming, am I? They invited me to the ‘Technology is the Future’ conference! As a social media influencer! Look!”
Murong Yan read the message, a smile spreading across his face. “Yes. Are you going?”
“Of course, I am!” Murong Cheng exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “This is my first time being invited to such a prestigious event! And they invited me, not as your assistant, but as a social media influencer! Haha!”
“Congratulations, Ah Cheng,” Murong Yan said, his gaze filled with pride and affection.
He quickly finished his dinner, too excited to eat slowly.
“Yan-ge, will you come with me to the conference in A City?” he asked, blinking at Murong Yan.
Murong Yan nodded. “Of course.”
“Yay!” he cheered. “Let me reread my invitation. The conference starts next Wednesday evening. Returning on Tuesday would be too late. I might need to prepare some materials. And I want to buy a new outfit… how about we pack tomorrow and leave the day after?”
Murong Yan nodded. “Okay.”
The decision felt strangely surreal.
He had left A City in a hurry, worried about his mother, not expecting to return so soon.
It was as if he had never truly left, merely waiting for the right moment to return.
“Let’s pack tomorrow morning and visit my parents in the afternoon,” he said.
Murong Yan: “Okay.”
“We’ll tell them about our plans tomorrow afternoon,” he said, his excitement tempered by the thought of leaving his family again.
Murong Yan, sensing his shift in mood, stroked his hair. “We’ll come back after the conference.”
Murong Cheng took his hand. “Okay.”
He had returned to H City with Chi Yu. He should tell him about his plans.
That night, lying in bed with Murong Yan, he messaged Chi Yu.
[Cheng: I’m going back to A City. Are you coming?]
Although Chi Yu had returned to H City with him, it was still his home.
[Yu: When?]
Chi Yu replied quickly.
[Cheng: The day after tomorrow.]
[Yu: I’ll stay here for now. I have some unfinished business.]
[Yu: I’m organizing an art exhibition. It opens next month, for two weeks. I’ll leave after that.]
An art exhibition?! Murong Cheng’s eyes widened.
[Cheng: You’re having an art exhibition?! Why didn’t you tell me?!]
[Yu: It was just finalized today.]
[Yu: Will you be returning to H City after your trip to A City?]
[Cheng: Of course. I’m just attending a conference. I’ll be back afterwards.]
[Cheng: I’ll come to your exhibition.]
With Chi Yu staying and Duan Shao already in A City, it would be just him and Murong Yan.
He booked their flights.
The next morning, they packed their bags. After lunch, they bought some necessities and then went to his parents’ apartment.
Xing Li and Murong Maohua, hearing they were leaving, were understandably reluctant.
“Mom, weren’t you just asking when we were going back? Why are you sad now?” Murong Cheng asked, hugging his mother’s arm.
Xing Li’s eyes reddened. “You said you weren’t leaving yesterday, and now you’re suddenly leaving tomorrow? Did something happen in A City?”
Murong Cheng smiled. “No, we were invited to a technology conference. It’s a big deal. They invited both Murong Yan and me.”
Xing Li: “They invited you?”
Murong Cheng nodded proudly. “Yes, Mom. I haven’t told you yet, but I’ve been livestreaming about smart home renovations. It’s going quite well.”
Although not familiar with smart homes or livestreaming, his parents understood the concept.
“Xiao Cheng, they invited you to this event because of your livestream? Is it a legitimate event? Are you sure it’s not a scam?” Murong Maohua asked, worried.
“Of course, it’s legitimate!” Murong Cheng explained. “It’s a major technology conference. They invited Murong Yan too. He’s been the keynote speaker for several years. It’s not a scam! Right, Yan-ge?”
He looked at Murong Yan.
Murong Yan nodded. “It’s a legitimate event, Uncle, Auntie. Don’t worry.”
Xing Li sighed. “Your father and I wanted you to return to A City and pursue your careers. But now that you’re leaving, we’re reluctant.”
Murong Cheng looked at his mother. “Mom, we’ll be back after the conference.”
Xing Li held his hand, her brow furrowing slightly. “You’ll be busy in A City. Don’t rush back. And don’t overwork yourself with your livestream. Take care of yourselves. Both of you, Xiao Cheng, Xiao Yan, do you hear me?”
She looked at Murong Yan.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll take care of Ah Cheng,” Murong Yan assured her.
“Take care of each other,” Xing Li said, looking at Murong Yan. “I know you’re a capable young man, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You and Xiao Cheng, keep each other company, support each other. That’s what we, and your parents, want.”
Murong Yan nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Auntie. We’ll take care of each other.”
Murong Cheng added, “Mom and Dad, don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. You take care of yourselves too. Hire an agency to manage the homestay. Don’t overwork yourselves. And don’t rent out my room! I still need to finish the renovations.”
Xing Li chuckled. “Okay, we’ll keep it for you.”
