12 Chapter 12

Chen Xi saw Zhou Yanzhou again at her uncle’s birthday banquet.

That year, her uncle had just turned forty and was at the peak of his career. His family was blissful and complete, with a lovely son—truly a winner in life.

Her aunt took great care in preparing for the birthday celebration. She specially invited chefs from a five-star hotel and invited a large number of guests.

Chen Xi had just finished her final exams for the second semester of her sophomore year in high school and returned home, where her aunt assigned her many tasks.

One of them was to help package individually customized longevity bowls for each guest at the banquet.

The rectangular red gift boxes were adorned with extensive gold foil embossing on the cover, with a calligraphic character symbolizing longevity at the center. Inside, pearl cotton slots and burgundy silk lining cradled the contents.

Each box contained a porcelain bowl engraved with the character for longevity, a peach-shaped longevity bun, and a salted egg yolk pastry.

That day, Chen Xi wrapped over three hundred boxes, finishing the last one after midnight.

Exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open, constantly stifling yawns.

Her aunt was still busy with trivial details and, seeing Chen Xi slumped in a chair, rare compassion softened her tone as she urged her to go upstairs and rest—there would be a full day of work tomorrow for the actual banquet.

Following the order, Chen Xi placed the final box into a large carton, stood up, stretched her numb legs, and slowly climbed the stairs.

Just a few steps up, she heard her aunt speaking behind her to the housekeeper, “Just make some glutinous rice balls in the morning, nothing too complicated. The main event is at noon.”

“We must treat the important guests well, especially that one.”

Chen Xi paused briefly and glanced back to see her aunt standing by the dining table, carefully wiping a glass with a cloth. She pursed her lips and continued upstairs.

After washing up, Chen Xi returned to her bedroom, closed the door, approached her desk, opened the window slightly, and gazed quietly at the night outside.

A few scattered stars hung faintly in the sky, their faint light like the eyes of creatures in the dark.

Her final exam results hadn’t been released yet, and without a mobile phone, her homeroom teacher always called the family’s landline.

Her uncle had once asked if she wanted a phone, but before she could answer, her aunt interjected, “What’s the use of a phone for a high schooler? Won’t it affect her grades?”

“There are plenty of kids nowadays who drop to the bottom once they get a phone.”

Chen Xi understood the implication and smiled, saying she didn’t need one; after all, phones weren’t much use at school.

Her uncle hadn’t pressed the matter further.

Chen Xi had little desire for a phone—it simply didn’t serve much purpose for her.

But when Zhou Yanzhou casually asked her to save his number, she felt an unfamiliar embarrassment for the first time.

At that moment, she truly wished for a phone of her own, so she could confidently store Zhou Yanzhou’s number in her contacts.

Lost in thought, Chen Xi suddenly realized it had been over half a month since they last met, and she hadn’t heard a single word from him.

Their brief encounter seemed like a dream, leaving only a lingering emptiness upon waking.

He seemed to have become a rare remedy in her long, monotonous life, igniting a flicker of hope.

She sought through him a new direction, a choice powerful enough to change her fate.

—

A week earlier, Zhou Yanzhou had received an invitation from Xu Jingqian.

At that time, he had just established good relations with the local government leaders in Xiping and was preparing for the next phase of cooperation.

At the banquet, Zhou Yanzhou drank heavily and, feeling dizzy, fell asleep as soon as he got into the car.

Back at the run-down hotel, the front desk attendant handed him an invitation. Without a glance, he took it upstairs and tossed it onto the TV cabinet in his room.

After a shower, Zhou Yanzhou felt more awake.

His stomach churned violently, and sleep eluded him. He grabbed the remote to watch some variety shows to pass the time, but instead of flipping through programs, he noticed the invitation.

He picked up the burgundy envelope, tore open the outer cover, and pulled out the inner letter.

Seeing the name “Xu Jingqian” in the bottom right corner, a faint smile, unnoticed even by himself, flickered across Zhou Yanzhou’s face before he slipped the envelope back and tossed it onto the coffee table.

That night, Zhou Yanzhou suffered a rare bout of insomnia, tossing and turning until two or three in the morning. Still wide awake, he got up, opened a bottle of red wine, and downed two glasses.

When he finally opened his eyes again, it was already 4:30 in the afternoon the next day.

Groggy, Zhou Yanzhou grabbed his phone from the bedside table. Dozens of missed calls—all from Jiang Chi.

Massaging his aching temples, Zhou Yanzhou lay back and returned the call.

As soon as it connected, Jiang Chi shouted, “What are you doing, man? I’ve been calling all morning and you didn’t answer once. I was about to call the cops!”

Still half asleep, Zhou Yanzhou frowned at Jiang Chi’s frantic concern, turned on speakerphone, tossed the phone onto the bed, and went to the fridge for water.

Pulling out a bottle of mineral water, he unscrewed the cap and drained more than half.

Jiang Chi kept rambling about his new project this year, trying to convince Zhou Yanzhou to invest.

Zhou Yanzhou calmly screwed the cap back on, carelessly tossed the half-empty bottle on the sofa, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, slipped on slippers, drew back the curtains to reveal People’s Square in the distance, and suddenly recalled who Jiang Chi was.

He picked up the phone and flatly questioned Jiang Chi, “Does your project make money?”

Hearing the doubt, Jiang Chi defended himself, “If it didn’t make money, would I come to you? We grew up together, always had each other’s backs.”

He even swore, “If this project doesn’t make money, I’ll come after you.”

By then, the internet had become a defining trend of the era. Jiang Chi was starting a tech company, recruiting several PhDs from top universities to form a research team to develop medical devices, hoping Zhou Yanzhou would invest and become a partner.

Zhou Yanzhou majored in computer science himself and was somewhat familiar with the field.

After hearing Jiang Chi’s plan, he found it feasible and immediately invested five million yuan without hesitation.

—

But soon after, that money went down the drain.

After ending the call, Zhou Yanzhou lay back down and slept again.

When he woke up this time, it was already ten at night.

The room was pitch black; the scattered lights outside cast weak glimmers through the window like fireflies, barely noticeable.

Having slept too long, Zhou Yanzhou’s head ached.

He hadn’t eaten all day, and his stomach rebelled.

With no acquaintances in Xiping, he couldn’t find anyone to eat with.

Waking in the dead of night, Zhou Yanzhou, far from home, was suddenly overcome by loneliness.

Too lazy to go out, he called the front desk to order a steak, planning to just get by.

Halfway through eating, he suddenly remembered a string of numbers he had saved on the mountain that day.

On a whim, he grabbed his phone from the bedside table, opened the contacts, scrolled to the bottom, and stared at the unfamiliar number.

After hesitating a few seconds, he finally dialed it.

In truth, he was gambling: if Chen Xi answered, he would invite her to dinner.

He seemed to have forgotten it was Tuesday, and Chen Xi was still in school.

The call was answered by the housekeeper, who, not hearing a voice, confusedly asked, “Hello, who are you looking for?”

Realizing it wasn’t Chen Xi, Zhou Yanzhou hung up immediately, leaving the housekeeper bewildered.

Throwing the phone back onto the bed, Zhou Yanzhou lost his appetite, abandoned the half-eaten steak, grabbed his car keys, and decided to go for a drive.

Usually, Chen Huai drove; Zhou Yanzhou was unfamiliar with Xiping’s roads.

That night, he drove around aimlessly until he unexpectedly found himself in front of Xiping No.1 High School.

It was well past the end of evening study hours; students had either returned to their dormitories or left the school. The campus was silent, with no sign of movement.

Zhou Yanzhou parked at the intersection opposite the school, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette.

Halfway through, his restless, fiery heart gradually calmed. Gazing at the iron gate closing the school entrance, he suddenly realized how much like a reckless youth he felt tonight.

His mind felt trapped, as if caught in a door.

An inexplicable restlessness gripped him.