Zhou Silan was not a person of great ambition. He studied accounting in university and joined V-Origin Biotech after graduation. He started in the finance department, but after three months, he left and joined the Group’s general office as Zhuang Xu’s assistant.
The reason for the transfer was complex; it was his father’s suggestion, but also his own wish.
Zhuang Xu’s mother had undergone six cycles of chemotherapy combined with targeted and immunotherapy the previous year. The results were acceptable, but her recovery was poor, and she struggled to meet the surgical standards for conversion therapy. Zhuang Xu didn’t have an assistant before and was unwilling to rely too heavily on his secretary for personal matters. This led Zhou Silan’s father to constantly worry that Zhuang Xu had no one trustworthy to help him in his daily life. He would often sigh at home, lamenting how a good kid like Zhuang Xu had such poor luck with family. Just as the group was at its most critical juncture, his father passed away suddenly. And just as he finally got the business on the right track, his mother’s old illness relapsed.
Not long after summer ended, Zhuang Xu’s mother was hospitalized again for a period. Zhou Silan didn’t know the full details, only that Zhuang Xu was either living at the hospital or at the company, and hadn’t been home in a long time.
One night in late October, his father called him into the study and asked if he was willing to go to the general office to temporarily help Zhuang Xu. Zhou Silan had always wanted to do more for the older brother he had admired since childhood, and he agreed immediately.
Once in the general office, Zhou Silan learned quickly, taking on many of the tasks previously handled by the secretary, staying by Zhuang Xu’s side every day to manage his personal affairs.
Perhaps because they had known each other since childhood and had always been close, Zhuang Xu was not as distant with Zhou Silan as he was with others. He was willing to say a few more words to him outside of work, though it was almost always about showing concern for Zhou Silan, never about himself.
On the day of Zhuang Xu’s twenty-fourth birthday, Zhou Silan accompanied him in a conference room at the laboratory building, listening to the annual work reports from the heads of various departments from morning till night, with barely a few minutes of rest.
Zhou Silan had prepared a gift, which he left in the car. But Zhuang Xu didn’t mention his birthday, acting as if he had no intention of celebrating, so Zhou Silan didn’t dare bring it out. It wasn’t until his father called Zhuang Xu and asked, “Are you free tonight after work? Want to come over for a get-together? I asked Yuanshuang, and she said she hasn’t been over in a while and wants to come too.”
Zhuang Xu thought for a moment and agreed.
By the time the reporting meeting ended, the sun had already set. Zhuang Xu took off his white lab coat, revealing a gray suit underneath. Zhou Silan folded the lab coat for him, and the two got into the car together.
Zhuang Xu’s birthday was in early January. Binhai Port had aged another year, and it had been four years since Zhuang Xu had taken charge of the group.
Sitting next to Zhuang Xu, Zhou Silan saw him looking down at a document on his phone out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly remembered the first time he had seen Zhuang Xu in a suit, right after Uncle Zhuang had passed away. Back then, Zhuang Xu was truly Brother Zhuang Xu, looking still very green. He was fair, tall, and thin, his face so young it was almost boyish, like a university student about to enter some speech competition.
And back then, Zhuang Xu still showed some emotion on his face. Zhou Silan remembered it very clearly.
Once, he went to Zhuang Xu’s house and ran into Li Shanqing, who had been brought home for dinner by Aunt Yuanshuang. The two were talking about applying to university. As soon as Zhuang Xu came in and saw Li Shanqing’s nonchalant demeanor, he immediately got angry, grabbed Li Shanqing’s wrist, and forcefully pulled him out.
Time really flew by. Zhou Silan thought to himself as he looked at the scenery outside the window and the watch on Zhuang Xu’s wrist, a memento from Uncle Zhuang.
Now, Zhou Silan had graduated from Binhai University, and Li Shanqing had become Noah Lee.
Zhou Silan constantly heard his father at home cursing NoaLume Biotech and the negative impact NoaLume was having on the social moral fabric. He would always see that stunningly beautiful face in industry news and magazines.
Meanwhile, V-Origin Biotech’s SyncPulse had been successfully approved for market in three continents, becoming the largest pioneer in the industry.
Zhuang Xu’s appearance was still handsome and refined. He treated people with politeness and grace. But Zhou Silan, at least, could no longer find a single trace of residual emotion in him.
Zhou Silan had heard that Zhuang Xu had been in a relationship. This was last month.
He was out for dinner with a university classmate who mentioned that a year ago, his uncle had tried to set Zhuang Xu up with his niece, but Zhuang Xu claimed he was already in a relationship.
“It was probably fake,” the classmate said. “Anyway, my uncle said he’d never seen or heard about him dating any young lady. If he were really dating someone, he’d surely bring her out, right?”
Zhou Silan knew Zhuang Xu wouldn’t lie about something like this. So, amidst his shock, he felt a sense of certainty: Zhuang Xu had indeed been in a relationship, but it was probably a short one, and they had now broken up.
What kind of girl could it have been?
After learning of this, Zhou Silan often couldn’t help but wonder whenever he saw Zhuang Xu. What type of person would Zhuang Xu like? How did they start dating? Who initiated it? Why did they break up?
It was because Zhuang Xu’s private life wasn’t so much a mystery as it was nonexistent. Zhuang Xu maintained a vast distance from everyone, as if separated by two galaxies, making it completely impossible for Zhou Silan to imagine what Zhuang Xu would be like actively or passively in love.
To fall for someone, to have intimate physical contact with someone, to be willing to build an emotional relationship without physical distance—it really didn’t seem like the Zhuang Xu he knew.
The driver steered the car out of the rush hour traffic and onto the winding mountain road. By the time they reached Zhou Silan’s house, it was completely dark. They walked in the door to find the chef had already prepared dinner, and Aunt Yuanshuang, a shawl draped over her shoulders, was sitting on the sofa with Zhou Silan’s parents.
As soon as Zhou Silan and Zhuang Xu entered, all three happily said, “Happy birthday, Zhuang Xu!”
Zhou Silan heard Zhuang Xu say “thank you” and turned to look. A very faint smile appeared on Zhuang Xu’s face, but it vanished after a few seconds.
A dinner with the five of them together like this was rare. His father was very happy and opened a bottle of wine.
Zhou Silan’s father came from a laboratory background and was a poor drinker. His face quickly flushed. As he talked, the conversation drifted to his trip to Licheng two weeks prior and his encounter with Li Shanqing. “He actually came up to greet me! Thank goodness Zhuang Xu called me right then, otherwise would I have had to make small talk with him?”
“Shanqing isn’t that bad,” Aunt Yuanshuang said. She called Li Shanqing her “fellow patient,” and whenever Zhou Silan’s father attacked Li Shanqing, she would come to his defense.
“Yuanshuang, you haven’t seen him in too long,” Zhou Silan’s father sighed. “You have no idea how bad that kid is now. Only those who’ve experienced it understand. Betraying investors, paying off the media to delete scandals, hiring a bunch of bodyguards to threaten protesters—no one gets the better of him. So young, yet so morally corrupt!”
“I heard he flew to Licheng this time in his new private jet. Posting all those photos of wasted resources on his social media,” his father grew more and more indignant as he spoke. “What kind of bad influence is that on young people? How far is it from Fancheng to Licheng anyway?”
Zhou Silan also followed Li Shanqing’s social media and didn’t think it was as exaggerated as his father claimed, but he didn’t dare to contradict him and could only lower his head and eat.
Unexpectedly, as he lowered his eyes, he happened to see Zhuang Xu’s hand, which was cutting a shrimp, pause for a moment after his father finished speaking, as if he wanted to say something.
But then, Aunt Yuanshuang spoke first. “Shanqing’s lungs are weak. When he went to university in Fancheng, I think he went by chartered plane.”
“I don’t know what the news says, I don’t understand these young people’s things,” she added. “But just a few days after my relapse the year before last, Shanqing came to see me. He seemed to have a project in Binhai Port at the time and came back for a few days. When he came to my hospital room, Shanqing himself was out of breath, and he even taught me how to play cards on a tablet.”
Zhou Silan saw that his father looked unconvinced, as if he wanted to argue a few more points. Just as the atmosphere was growing tense, the doorbell suddenly rang. No one should be visiting at this hour. They all looked towards the front door.
The housekeeper went to open the door and, a moment later, walked into the dining room carrying a very large box of roses, covered by a highly transparent plastic dome, saying someone had sent it.
The box was perhaps very heavy. As the housekeeper walked over, wobbling, Zhou Silan found it absurdly large. He didn’t know how many roses there were, only that there were hundreds of beautiful small red roses, packed densely together.
“Is there a card?” Zhou Silan’s father asked in surprise. “Who is it for?”
The housekeeper shook her head. “The delivery person didn’t say.”
The housekeeper placed the box of flowers on the counter. Everyone went over to look. Zhuang Xu pushed Aunt Yuanshuang’s wheelchair and stood behind Zhou Silan’s family.
Getting closer to the flower box, Zhou Silan realized it was a box of preserved flowers. There was no logo on the box, as if the sender wanted to remain anonymous.
“Could it be a birthday present for Zhuang Xu? Why would it be sent here?” Aunt Yuanshuang asked softly. “Or is someone pursuing Silan?”
Zhou Silan jumped. “Auntie, how could it be for me?”
He subconsciously looked at Zhuang Xu. He wasn’t sure if it was the lighting, but Zhou Silan thought Zhuang Xu’s face looked almost ashen. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was a look of shock he hadn’t seen on his face for years.
“Is it for Zhuang Xu then?” Aunt Yuanshuang smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re in a relationship and won’t tell your mother?”
Zhuang Xu immediately said, “No, impossible.” Then, probably realizing how stiff his tone was, he looked at Zhou Silan the next second. “Silan, are you in a relationship?”
“Me? No…” Zhou Silan, singled out for no reason, couldn’t have been more innocent. But seeing how serious Zhuang Xu was, his tone wavered. “I don’t think so…”
“Maybe it was delivered to the wrong address?” Zhou Silan’s mother interjected, trying to smooth things over. “We had a package delivered by mistake a few days ago. The house numbers in this villa complex are a bit confusing.”
“Then let’s just leave it there for now,” Zhou Silan’s father said. “Be careful not to damage it. Otherwise, if the courier comes back to pick it up and it’s a box of damaged flowers, it could easily affect some couple’s relationship.”
The elders returned to the table. They were almost done with dinner. Zhou Silan’s father wanted to open another bottle of wine, and since the housekeeper happened to be in the kitchen, he sent Zhou Silan to open it for him.
But Zhou Silan didn’t drink and wasn’t very good at opening wine. He fumbled with it at the counter for over a minute without success. Zhuang Xu noticed, walked over, took the corkscrew, and opened the red wine for him.
Zhou Silan was very embarrassed. He thanked Zhuang Xu and reached for the wine bottle. Somehow, his arm bumped the rose box.
The box was much lighter than he had imagined. Pushed by his elbow, it nearly fell off the counter. Fortunately, Zhuang Xu reacted with lightning speed and caught it, his right hand firmly supporting the bottom of the rose box.
Zhou Silan apologized profusely. Strangely, after Zhuang Xu shook his head slightly to indicate it was fine, he didn’t immediately put the flower box back. His right hand seemed to be fumbling at the bottom of the box. He pried at it, and two seconds later, Zhuang Xu pushed the box back onto the counter, holding a white card slightly larger than a business card in his hand.
There was writing on the card. Zhou Silan saw the handwriting of a dark blue ink pen, written in a flamboyant, cursive script: “Happy Birthday! Have you read the news about my success recently? It’s been a long time since you’ve been to Licheng, but I’ve been going often. Can exes really never see each other again?”
Zhou Silan was stunned. A moment ago, seeing Zhuang Xu’s resolute denial, he had been hesitantly filled with self-doubt, even mentally searching through his social circle of the past year, wondering if anyone had shown such strong interest in him.
Now, after reading the words on the card in a single glance, Zhou Silan had a sudden epiphany. He looked up at Zhuang Xu and saw that Zhuang Xu’s face could truly be described as ashen.
Zhuang Xu quickly flipped the card over in his right hand, gripping it tightly in his palm, as if holding onto some infuriating, yet unmentionable secret.
The three elders were chatting around the table, not noticing what was happening over here.
Zhou Silan couldn’t say a word. Zhuang Xu spoke: “Go pour the wine for CEO Zhou.”
“Ah, okay.” Zhou Silan picked up the wine, not wanting to miss anything, his eyes still fixed on Zhuang Xu.
He saw Zhuang Xu first glance at the nearby trash can. Zhou Silan thought he was going to throw the card away. To his surprise, Zhuang Xu’s hand moved, and right in front of Zhou Silan, he very quickly slipped the card into his own pants pocket.
Because Zhuang Xu’s actions were so bizarre and his expression had become so animated, Zhou Silan had an uncertain feeling, as if Zhuang Xu had just seen the one nightmare he wanted to see the least.
The nightmare gave Zhuang Xu a powerful shock, and a part of his robotic shell peeled away, revealing his soul. He became a normal person just like Zhou Silan, someone who could be happy, get angry, act on impulse, and make a whole bunch of wrong choices.
