edited, April 22, 2024
When Xia Wan came back upstairs after saying goodbye to Huo Yu, he saw Xia Chengzhang waiting in the living room.
“Hey,” Xia Wan chuckled, “You haven’t been secretly spying on us, have you?”
Xia Chengzhang smiled, not saying yes or no. Instead, he seemed happy and said, “Xiao Yu is a good guy. He’s mature, stable, and most importantly he treats you nicely.”
“Okay, But how can you know he treats me well after only meeting him once?” Xia Wan asked.
“Dad has met many people in his life,” Xia Chengzhang confirmed, “he can judge people well.”
Xia Wan held back a smile, knowing how mistaken he was this time. But rather than correcting him, he proudly lifted his head and said, “Don’t worry, I picked this person myself.”
Xia Chengzhang was amused by his response and chuckled, teasing, “You have no shame.”
“Dad,” Xia Wan took the opportunity to hold Xia Chengzhang’s hand, “Your surgery is on Monday. Are you nervous?”
“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” Xia Chengzhang assured him. “I wish the surgery could have happened sooner.”
“Yes,” Xia Wan nodded in agreement.
Seeing his son’s sincere expression, Xia Chengzhang comfortingly patted the back of his hand, saying, “Dad has lived to this age; there’s nothing to fear anymore.”
“You’re not that old,” Xia Wan replied softly.
“Everything is about how you look at things,” Xia Chengzhang smiled, but then his smile disappeared. “I remember when something happened to my legs in the past, I truly felt like I wouldn’t make it.”
Back then, he was young and excelling as a top student in a well-known university’s architecture department. He had just started an architectural design company with his most trusted relatives and friends. He felt full of energy and ambition, but the accident completely changed everything for him.
Xia Chengzhang couldn’t help but feel emotional. Even though eighteen years had gone by, his eyes still teared up a bit whenever he thought about the past.
Xia Wan felt uneasy and pressed his lips together, his gaze falling on Xia Chengzhang’s dropping trousers.
After all these years, this was the first time Xia Chengzhang had brought up the accident on his own.
When he was a child, the original owner also asked, but Xia Chengzhang never directly responded. Instead, he would dismiss the question with a simple “accident.”
As the original owner grew older, he came to realize that whenever the accident was brought up, Xia Chengzhang would feel sad and troubled.
Gradually, the topic became taboo.
“It’s all in the past,” Xia Chengzhang said, a small smile appearing on his lips. He continued with emotion, “It’s fortunate that you’re always by my side,” Otherwise, I don’t know how my life would turn out.”
“Hmm,” Xia Wan replied quietly. He didn’t say anything more, but he held Xia Chengzhang’s hand a little tighter.
For many years, father and son relied on each other. Even though life was tough, Xia Chengzhang never let Xia Wan suffer.
To the extent that his hands were soft and delicate, unlike those of a child from such a background at all.
Xia Wan’s eyes sparkled with purity and innocence, gleaming like precious gems as he gazed at Xia Chengzhang with deep admiration.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xia Chengzhang suddenly felt a pang of guilt deep within his heart. He averted his gaze unconsciously, and his eyes carried a weariness that weighed heavily on him.
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The canvas was filled with large patches of yellow, giving the impression that the earth and the sun were merging into a single color.
In a golden ocean, there spread a blue-black mountain path, slender and seemingly endless. It was dotted with a distant waterfall reflecting sunlight.
In the middle stood a girl, raising her head slightly, watching the birds pass by under the sunny sky through her fingers. The fiery red rose wreath and the pure, bright smile suddenly brought the entire painting to life, making it vivid and radiant.
Xia Wan wished for the remainder of Xia Chengzhang’s life to be free from pain and filled only with flowers and smiles.
Since Huo Yu didn’t need to send Xia Wan to school today, He arrived at the office early in the morning.
He thought arrived early, but someone had beaten him to it. On the same floor, Li Congmeng’s office door was partially open.
“Teacher Li,” Huo Yu knocked on the door, “didn’t we agree that you would take a few more days off before returning to work?”
“Being idle is no fun,” Li Congmeng quickly vacated her seat for Huo Yu and smiled, “It’s better to come to work early.”
This place was where Li Congmeng’s dreams had begun, the first step in his career.
Returning here now rekindled his enthusiasm. Not only today, he also came quietly once when he returned to China for business a few years ago.
However, at that time, Yan Yu had already ceased to exist, and its former vitality had long faded away.
He had assumed that in a few years, Yan Yu would fade away entirely from this world. He never expected it to be reborn.
“I was reviewing the data from previous years,” Li Congmeng said. “Considering Yan Yu’s current situation, it might take a while to regain the prosperity it once had. You need to be mentally prepared for that.”
“I know,” Huo Yu replied. “I’ve already considered that.”
Li Congmeng nodded and then noticed the ring on Huo Yu’s left ring finger. “Is this the ring your father left for you?”
Huo Yu nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“This set of rings was designed by your mother herself,” Li Congmeng said, his voice carrying a hint of nostalgia. He paused for a moment, as if reminiscing about the past, and a faint smile crept onto his lips. “Your mother’s ring was a soaring swallow. I still remember it vividly, how beautifully it looked on her hand.”l
Huo Yu was briefly lost in thought upon hearing this. In his mind, he pictured a pair of slender hands that were of Xia Wan.
“If your parents could see who you’ve become today,” Li Congmeng said emotionally, “they would be immensely proud of you.”
Huo Yu smiled but remained silent. After a moment, he took out a document from his bag.
“This is a set of jewelry design sketches. Please take a look at it, Teacher Li,” Huo Yu said, handing the drafts to Li Congmeng.
“You have the sketches so quickly?” Li Congmeng was surprised. “Were they leftovers from before?”
He had seen the previous product design styles and hadn’t found anything particularly useful.
“No,” Huo Yu replied, “These were designed by my partner.”
From the moment Li Congmeng saw the ring on Huo Yu’s hand, he had a suspicion. So when Huo Yu mentioned having a “partner,” he wasn’t too taken aback.
“Is your partner also studying jewelry design?” Li Congmeng asked.
“No,” Huo Yu answered with a smile, a gentle curve forming at the corners of his lips. “He studied painting, but he’s quite serious in his artistic pursuits, so he dabbles in other creative areas.”
Li Congmeng opened the file and smiled, “Then he must care deeply for you to create an entire set of designs in such a short time.”
Huo Yu pursed his lips, his smile remaining.
“Love” This word seemed to suddenly rise to the surface of his thoughts, catching him off guard because he had never deeply contemplated it before.
He didn’t know whether he would succeed or fail in the future, and this uncertainty made romance seem inappropriate.
However, when Li Congmeng brought it up, he couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of introspection and reflection.
As Li Congmeng unfolded the design draft and examined it page by page, his initially casual expression gradually turned serious. He raised his eyes to look at Huo Yu and asked, “Are you absolutely sure that your partner isn’t studying jewelry design?”
His reaction was exactly how Huo Yu had anticipated. He nodded slightly and said, “I was also quite surprised by his talent. That’s why I wanted the teacher to take a look at it.”
Li Congmeng carefully reviewed the design draft again and then asked, “Are you certain that he created these designs after you took over the company?”
Huo Yu nodded firmly.
“It’s like the younger generation surpassing the older one,” Li Congmeng sighed, “Even I would find it challenging to create such exquisite designs in such a short time.”
Huo Yu inquired, “Does the teacher have any other opinions?”
“Some of these elements aren’t very new,” Li Congmeng remarked slowly, “but his combination is quite exquisite. If there had been such an outstanding piece before, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.”
“He’s indeed very talented,” Li Congmeng added with a sigh.
“Teacher, I have a proposal,” Huo Yu leaned back, his deep eyes fixed on Li Congmeng.
“Say,” Li Congmeng said.
“I want to focus on developing this collection as our main set to support our other new items and release the autumn collection ahead of schedule,” Huo Yu said thoughtfully and earnestly. “But before doing that, I’d like to hear your opinion.”
Huo Yu expected that someone of Li Congmeng’s stature might be hesitant to work under someone else’s direction, but to his surprise, Li Congmeng readily agreed. “I was thinking along the same lines.”
“Yan Yu is essentially starting from scratch now, and we need high-quality product designs to support it,” Li Congmeng explained. “I can’t bring my previous design drafts, so creating a new collection was absolutely necessary. If I were to create a new set of high-quality products, I had to prioritize this and overlook other aspects. For us, these sketches are truly a lifesaver.”
Huo Yu looked at the set of drawings, and his heart trembled slightly.
“Master,” Xia Wan’s drunken words rang in his ears again, “I won’t let you lose again.”
He absentmindedly touched the ring on his finger, and a warmth slowly spread through his heart.
Suddenly his phone suddenly rang, and he saw Xia Wan’s name on the screen.
“Thank you, teacher,” he told Li Congmeng, “you can go on with your work.”
After walking out of Li Congmeng’s office, Huo Yu answered the phone.
“Eldest Master,” Xia Wan’s voice came, “I want to ask you for a leave.”
“What leave?” Huo Yu asked, entered his office, and put the drawings and bags on the desk.
“I have to do my homework in the past two days, so I won’t go back to your place, okay?” Xia Wan asked.
“No.” Huo Yu said.
The opposite side obviously choked, and then even the voice became softer, with a hint of coquettishness: “Please, eldest master.”
“What will you do in return?” Huo Yu took the design drafts and put them on the seat. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, but he spoke casually.
“I think about it.” Xia Wan said quietly.
“Not being sincere.” Huo Yu said with a half-smile.
“How about I help you draw the design drafts again?” Xia Wan suddenly said.
Huo Yu paused for a moment and said, “Finish your homework first, and then let’s talk about the design draft.”
“Thank you eldest master,” Xia Wan said happily, “Eldest master is the best.”
Huo Yu listened to his voice and laughed lightly, Even after the call ended, a faint smile lingered on his lips.
In the afternoon, Huo Yu traveled to Imperial Capital to discuss a potential partnership with a medium-sized factory. This factory had over a decade of experience working with various brands, even though they couldn’t directly secure orders from major international brands. However, their experience and technology aligned perfectly with Yan Yu’s current needs. After signing the contract, it was already dark.
Huo Yu declined the factory manager’s invitation for dinner and drove straight to the Academy of Fine Arts.
The surgery had been ongoing for over three hours, and Xia Wan had been waiting outside for just as long. As he watched the sky darken and the streetlights cast their orange glow, he repeatedly checked his phone. It was half-past six when he was about to switch off the screen. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his hand.
Xia Wan picked up the phone with a tired, hoarse voice, saying, “Eldest Master.”
“Busy?” Huo Yu paused for a moment, his voice sounding somewhat distant. “Have you eaten yet?”
“I’ll eat later,” Xia Wan replied half-heartedly.
“No,” Huo Yu said firmly, “come down now.”
Xia Wan was taken aback for a moment and was about to respond when the lights in the operating room dimmed suddenly. He hurriedly got up and moved forward, speaking in haste, “I have something to attend to, so I’ll call you back later.”
Before Xia Wan’s voice could fade, the call was already disconnected.
Huo Yu furrowed his brows while gazing at his phone. He lowered his eyes and attempted to call again, but the other end didn’t answer.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Huo Yu dialed Shen Xing’s number.
Shen Xing picked up the call promptly, saying, “Brother.”
Huo Yu said straightforwardly, “Is Xia Wan with you?”
“Xia Wan?” Shen Xing hesitated briefly but then continued, “He requested Su Tang to take a couple of days off for him. Why? Isn’t he with you?”
Huo Yu fell into silence for a moment, gripping the phone tightly.
After a pause, he replied, “Alright, I understand.”
Thank You for the new chapter (⸝⸝⍢⸝⸝) ෆ
Thank you for your translation ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
oh no he looks mad lmao