“He has worked for this company for seven years and is also one of the stakeholders with five percent of the company’s shares.”

Chen Jinxuan’s fists tightened at his sides. That was right. They had worked for Xiuyan Real Estate for seven years and they had accompanied each other for six years. Compared to the loss the company would suffer, he knew best how painful it was to make this decision. His chest felt sore and numb.

“We have irrefutable evidence. It is with lawyer Liu, and she is preparing the demand letter.”

“Will he sign the paper?”

“He won’t.”

Chen Zhuoheng sighed and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Chen Jinxuan. Chen Jinxuan returned his questioning look with a cold gaze as if he was completely unbothered.

Chen Zhuoheng leaned on the sofa and rubbed in between his brows. He shut his eyes, wondering about the pros and cons of firing Fang Yaowei, their director of the finance department. Besides, Fang Yaowei currently handled the financial plans for several large projects including the executive apartment project. Laying him off at this time would stall the project.

As if he had guessed what his father was thinking, Chen Jinxuan added. “I have asked him to submit a financial plan for the on-going project. We only need to use it as a base.”

“Both of you came into the company at the same time. You have worked with him in groups and projects too. I believe you have prepared a ‘sensible’ explanation for him.” Chen Zhuoheng opened his eyes, eyeing Chen Jinxuan with a hint of warning. Even Chen Zhuoheng knew that Fang Yaowei was a good friend of Chen Jinxuan. In the company, no one befriended Chen Jinxuan for his cold demeanour and his position as the CEO. In addition to that, the fact that he was the son of the leading shareholder made him even more difficult to approach.

“Make sure to take back his share.”

Chen Jinxuan stared back at Chen Zhuoheng with no emotion. His heart had gone numb towards Chen Zhuoheng for so many years that he could not even remember the last time he acknowledged this middle-aged man as his father. What Chen Zhuoheng was in his eyes was merely a shareholder whose words he must conform to.

“Lunch is ready!” Chen Ling’s cheerful voice rang as she came out of the kitchen with two plates of food. Her interruption came at the right time and melted the ice between the father and son. Xie Linrong and Chen Ling had been observing from the kitchen. Clearly, it was not the first time this happened and even if the ladies hated the bone-piercing cold war in the house, there was no room for them to speak; not when Chen Zhuoheng was the head of the family.

Xie Linrong and Chen Ling placed the plates on the dining table. After that, Chen Ling went upstairs to call Chen Junhuan to join the lunch. The five of them sat at the table and had a quiet lunch.

“Junhuan, how is the food?” Xie Linrong broke the stillness. Her voice was gentle and soft, but her initiation was like a metal falling on the floor. The spotlight fell on her.

Chen Junhuan forced a smile and complimented, “Your skill has improved, but I can be certain Chen Ling did the tasting first.”

Xie Linrong and Chen Ling smiled. Then, in order to further warm the atmosphere, they turned their gaze to Chen Jinxuan.

Chen Jinxuan made a light nod. If Chen Jinxuan had an insoluble relationship with Chen Zhuoheng and Chen Junhuan, then to Xie Linrong, he harboured absolutely nothing. Not even a speck of disdain. Perhaps selective memory was true because the earliest memory he had about his mother was his mother leaving him at childcare for work every day until Chen Ling was born.

When Chen Ling was born, Xie Linrong stayed at home for a few years and resumed the role of a mother. It was brief and fleeting, but Chen Jinxuan missed those warm days. He could not turn back time and he could not admit it now that he was an adult. He could only seek warmth elsewhere.

The lunch was not too long, but it felt like an eternity. Chen Jinxuan finished eating and stayed at the table until Chen Zhuoheng and Chen Junhuan finished their meals. After they placed their spoons and chopsticks down, Chen Ling and Xie Linrong gathered the plates to the sink.

On days when Chen Zhuoheng assembled all of them, the maid was given a day off and the housekeeper only needed to work in the morning. The maid and housekeeper knew the relationship was complicated in the house of Chen, but they were outsiders, so they could not speak a word about it.

After cleaning up, Chen Jinxuan drove Chen Ling back to her dorm.

Chen Ling got off the bike and returned the spare helmet to Chen Jinxuan. She looked at Chen Jinxuan with concern, “Jin-ge… I am sorry.”

Chen Jinxuan put the helmet in a bag and hung it on his bike’s handgrip. “Why are you apologising? It is the truth that I did not protect you well.”

“They had the bigger number! It’s not your fault!” Chen Ling raised her voice.

Chen Jinxuan scoffed and grinned as he ruffled Chen Ling’s hair.

“Hey! I’m talking!”

“Get in before the gate is locked. See you.” Chen Jinxuan drove away.

As the night breeze brushed through his cheeks, Chen Jinxuan felt his heart calm down. He had been riding since he was a youth, and it felt the greatest when the wind caressed him gently. The sound of the blowing wind removed all worrisome thoughts and detached him from his world momentarily.

Passing through the central city, he saw a night bazaar where salesmen shouted their throats dry in their best attempt to sell their products. Posters in red were pulled up in front of stores and one of them had a particularly elegant design. Chen Jinxuan stopped his bike in front of the store and got off.

“Welcome, sir. Are you looking for a necklace, rings or earrings?” A woman dressed neatly in a black blazer and knee-length pencil skirt approached Chen Jinxuan the moment he stepped in. The attendant smiled brightly as she guided him to the counter where sparkling gems were displayed. Although Chen Jinxuan was dressed casually, she knew the aura he emitted was not one that came from people with no pennies.

“Rings.”

“For your girlfriend or for your mother?”

Chen Jinxuan fell silent for a moment before he made a small smile. “For a lover.”

“Would you like to have a look at our latest catalogue or if you have a design in mind, would you like to have some paper to sketch it out?” The attendant led Chen Jinxuan to a seat by the counter and stood next to him, ready to move according to his choice.

“I have a design in mind. Can it be customised? Carving names or initials on the ring, perhaps?” Chen Jinxuan responded plainly. At this moment, he felt a vibration coming from his pockets. There was a call. He took his phone out and saw the name on the screen—Fang Yaowei.

“Yes, it can be done. I shall get the catalogue ready for you, sir.” The attendant greeted and left.

Chen Jinxuan stared at the screen for a jiffy before picking it up. “Yaowei?”

“Xuan-ge, will you stay over at my place, or do you want to rest at your place? I will adjust.” Fang Yaowei’s cheerful voice rang from the phone. After speaking his part, he hummed a tune. There was a vague sound from the tv in the background.

How oblivious…

Chen Jinxuan’s eyes fell on a collection of rings for men—The Charles Tiffany Setting platinum engagement ring with diamond for men in particular. He imagined how it would look on Fang Yaowei’s ring finger and could not help but smile. “I will pack some clothes and documents.”

“Then, I will prepare dinner! What do you want to have tonight?” If Fang Yaowei had a tail, perhaps, it would have turned a propeller and flown into the air by now. “Fried rice with tomatoes and egg?”

“Alright.”

“See you later, Xuan-ge!” Fang Yaowei chirped, but he did not end the call.

“What is it?” Chen Jinxuan asked. Soon enough, the attendant came back and showed him the catalogue for custom rings. Chen Jinxuan set the catalogue aside and pointed at the ring he saw, beckoning for the attendant to retrieve two of the same design. 

“I miss you.” A sheepish laugh rang from the other end of the phone.

“It has not even been twelve hours.”

“I know. Still, I miss you.”

For some reason, Chen Jinxuan felt a squeeze in his heart. Perhaps, the closer you held someone to your heart, the more painful it would be when you knew the truth. It rendered any sweet words tasteless.

“See you.” Chen Jinxuan said and ended the call. He slid his phone back into his pocket and asked the attendant how much for two of The Charles Tiffany Setting rings was. The attendant was dumbfounded. She thought that he came to buy a ring for his girlfriend. Alas, it was a boyfriend instead. Who cared? As long as she did her job well and got paid, it did not matter to her.

“What about the design you had in mind, sir?”

“Never mind it. It’s not worth the money. I’ll have the two engagement rings for men.” Chen Jinxuan said as he flipped out a black credit card. The attendant swallowed the lump in her throat at the sight of the card. Deftly, she took the card and proceeded to swipe the card.

Chen Jinxuan brought along two boxes of engagement rings and left the store. He started the engine of his bike and rode to his condominium. He briefly looked into his cupboard and packed some clothes and documents, then drove to Fang Yaowei’s condominium.

Chen Jinxuan pressed on the doorbell as he stood in front of the door. Running footsteps came from inside and in the next second, the door was opened from inside. Fang Yaowei beamed at the sight of Chen Jinxuan. He pulled him close into a hug.

Chen Jinxuan saw a pair of slippers on the floor, near the shoe rack. “Did your mother come by?”

“Hm?” Fang Yaowei loosened his embrace and turned around to see in the direction Chen Jinxuan was looking at. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to put it away.”

Fang Yaowei bent down to pick the slippers and store them in the shoe racks. Then, he removed Chen Jinxuan’s jacket and hung it on the hanger next to the shoe racks. “Are you hungry? Dinner is almost ready.”

“I’m not very hungry. What is for dinner?” Chen Jinxuan put his briefcase on the sofa and sat down.

“Fried rice with tomatoes and eggs, and pork belly soup.” Fang Yaowei hummed as he went into the kitchen, checking the boiling soup. He stirred the soup and gave it a taste before deciding that it was ready to be served. He turned the electric stove off and poured two bowls of soup. Skilfully, he placed them on a tray and carried it to the dining table where the fried rice had been plated.

Seeing that the dinner was ready, Chen Jinxuan sat down at the table and waited for Fang Yaowei to join him.

Seeing how Chen Jinxuan was waiting for him, Fang Yaowei smiled as he approached. He stood next to him and caressed his cheek. He bent down and slowly let their lips meet. Chen Jinxuan slithered a hand to the back of Fang Yaowei’s neck, pulling him in for a deeper kiss. They forced air out of each other through fervent kisses, unsatiated no matter how deeper it became with each attempt.

Chen Jinxuan’s phone rang. A foreign number.

As if bothered by it, Fang Yaowei’s kisses became aggressive. He put his hand on the back of Chen Jinxuan’s head as if they were not close enough. Only when they found it hard to breathe did he stop and withdraw.

The phone stopped ringing, but quickly ensued.

Fang Yaowei licked his lips as placed himself sitting next to Chen Jinxuan. He glanced at the ringing phone, looking obviously annoyed.

Chen Jinxuan reached for his phone and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Jin-ge, why did you block my number?”