Zhu Lianzhen had spent the entire day watching, fast-forwarding many of the videos at double speed, yet he still hadn’t caught up with even the first three months of content after their separation. Tan Qing’s life over the past two years had been packed with work, leaving no gaps at all. But this also gave Zhu Lianzhen a thorough chance to understand him.
Night had fallen, and the cat started meowing when it was time to eat. Zhu Lianzhen finally dragged himself off the couch, stretching his sore neck and limbs. After preparing canned food for Naisi, he opened a food delivery app and scrolled indecisively through the options.
Before he could place an order, a WeChat message popped up. Fu Rong had sent a location pin in the group chat, telling them to come over for dinner.
Zhu Lianzhen: “?”
In the entire entertainment industry… no, the entire living world, those who had had the rare privilege of sharing a meal with Fu Rong were few and far between. Everyone knew he was reclusive, cold, and harsh. A dinner invitation from him was most likely a one-way trip with no return.
However, Koty was already eagerly rushing toward his doom, live-updating his location in the group chat the entire way. Fu Rong hadn’t replied to him, likely having muted him long ago.
Zhu Lianzhen knew he couldn’t stop Koty, so he messaged him privately: “Stop by my place when you pass it.”
Koty did as asked and soon picked him up. They headed to the restaurant Fu Rong had sent. Only the two of them had accepted the invitation. Ji Yunting was still filming that dating show, and Tan Qing had simply said: “Got something going on, won’t make it.”
“I didn’t come for Fu Rong, I came for you, got it?” Zhu Lianzhen explained. “I was afraid you’d forget, so let me remind you—what did Fu Rong treat us to last time? In Yunnan! A full insect feast! You were crying while stuffing grasshoppers into your mouth!”
Koty kept his eyes on the road, responding confidently, “So what if I tried some local specialties? Those bugs are actually valuable medicinal ingredients. I just wasn’t cultured enough to appreciate them.”
Zhu Lianzhen: “And when Fu Rong tricked you into thinking raw centipede was a local delicacy? He literally picked that off the ground!”
“I didn’t eat it in the end, did I?”
“That’s only because the restaurant owner found out and rushed over to stop you!”
Koty remained unfazed, wearing the same look as if he were bewitched by Fu Rong. “He’s nice to us sometimes too. Has he given you a birthday present these past two years? No, right? But he gave me one.”
Zhu Lianzhen was baffled at how he could say that so proudly. “You mean the box of toy cockroaches he gave you, with a dozen real ones mixed in? That kind of gift?”
Koty’s expression didn’t change. “Maybe he knew I happened to be planning to move at the time.”
“Fu Rong’s birthday is on April Fool’s Day, but he likes to celebrate it himself,” Zhu Lianzhen said. “So, can you guess which day he’d consider the real day for fooling around?”
“My birthday?” Koty thought for a moment. “Well, isn’t that nice? My birthday has special meaning to him too.”
Zhu Lianzhen shut his eyes, speechless.
The car soon arrived at their destination.
The private restaurant was located inside a mansion in the city center. Fu Rong had the entire floor reserved as his personal dining suite. He was sipping tea, and when he heard the two of them coming up the stairs, he lazily lifted his eyelids and signaled to the server to bring the menu.
“I know this place,” Zhu Lianzhen whispered to Koty. He’d never come to try it because he disliked the overly ceremonial style of plating, which killed both his appetite and his patience.
Zhu Lianzhen saw Fu Rong hand a card to the waiter, probably some kind of identification, and couldn’t help but be curious. “So you actually like places like this?”
Fu Rong replied, “First time here. A perk from a brand. If I didn’t use it now, the offer would expire. Just treat it like a buffet.”
No wonder he’d invited them. Once the two realized Fu Rong had actually brought them to eat for real this time, they relaxed. Unlike Ji Yunting, who was stingy to the core, Fu Rong’s love of money meant he always made sure others lost out. Everything he ordered tonight was the most expensive on the menu, with limited edition items that usually sold for thousands being brought out one after another. The staff couldn’t say anything about it since Fu Rong wasn’t just any customer. The entire kitchen was operating solely for him tonight.
A classical musician was playing live, conveniently masking their conversation. Zhu Lianzhen whispered, “A few asparagus stalks and two drops of olive oil, and they dare call that a dish? Even if we do treat this like a buffet, they’re not losing any money.”
Fu Rong said, “Just eat. There’s seafood coming up next.”
All the meat dishes were handled by Koty and Zhu Lianzhen, since Fu Rong was extremely picky and wouldn’t touch anything with the slightest hint of a greasy smell. When it came to rare ingredients, even if he didn’t like them, Zhu Lianzhen would still put them in his mouth under Fu Rong’s cold, scrutinizing gaze.
After nicknaming him “Fudemort,” Zhu Lianzhen secretly gave Fu Rong a new title: “Snow White’s Stepmother.”
After nearly two hours of eating, a server informed them that the kitchen had used up all of today’s ingredients, leaving only desserts and ice cream. Fu Rong nodded without expression and took a hardcover booklet from the server.
It was actually the bill, with all the entries written in a fountain pen, giving it a strong sense of ceremony. He didn’t need to pay it; he just wanted to see how much the dinner was worth.
Fu Rong finished reading and handed the bill over to the two across from him.
The amount was written in formal Chinese numerals. After converting it in his head to Arabic numbers, Zhu Lianzhen couldn’t help letting out a “Whoa.”
Then, he watched Fu Rong pull out his phone and place a payment QR code in front of them. “You two split it.”
Zhu Lianzhen: “???”
He knew Snow White’s stepmother couldn’t possibly be that generous!
Koty offered to drive Fu Rong home, but unsurprisingly was met with a cold rejection. In the end, only Zhu Lianzhen was willing to get in the car.
They drove slowly, windows down. The summer night breeze carried the scent of silk trees in bloom.
While waiting at a red light, Zhu Lianzhen looked out toward the side of the road and spotted a familiar sports car in the distance. The license plate was blurry from where he was, but something told him it had to be Tan Qing’s car.
“Stop here,” Zhu Lianzhen said without thinking. When Koty asked, “What’s wrong?” he avoided eye contact and made up a reason, “Feeling nauseous. I don’t want to ride anymore.”
Koty immediately pulled over. “You’re going to walk home?”
“I’ll get some fresh air. Don’t worry about me.” Zhu Lianzhen waved him off.
Once Koty’s car was out of sight, Zhu Lianzhen walked toward the black sports car he had seen earlier. He got a clearer look at the license plate, and sure enough, it was Tan Qing’s car.
No one was inside. He had no idea where Tan Qing was. Zhu Lianzhen called him, and Tan Qing picked up quickly, asking if he’d finished dinner.
Zhu Lianzhen didn’t mention where he was. Instead, he complained about Fu Rong’s villainous behavior at dinner. After listening, Tan Qing asked, “If there’s a next time, would you still go?”
Zhu Lianzhen thought carefully for half a minute before answering, “Of course I’m going. And I’m dragging you along too. Otherwise, who’s going to collect Koty’s corpse?”
He heard Tan Qing laugh quietly on the other end, sounding unusually relaxed. Not knowing what personal plans Tan Qing had that night, Zhu Lianzhen was just about to ask when Tan Qing spoke first. “I have to hang up. I’m meeting someone, and she’s almost here.”
“Mm.” Zhu Lianzhen didn’t delay him. He slipped his phone into his pants pocket.
A pharmacy nearby was still open. Zhu Lianzhen went in and asked for a box of hawthorn pills. When he went to pay, he realized the phone call hadn’t actually ended—they had both forgotten to hang up.
He scanned the code to pay first, then stepped outside and finally switched back to the call screen.
He casually held the phone up to his ear and listened for a moment. On the other end, he could hear faint car horns in the background. Then came a woman’s voice, clearly audible, speaking just a few lines.
Zhu Lianzhen didn’t catch the content. He had no interest in eavesdropping, as it went against his principles. But still, meeting a woman this late at night wasn’t something that fit Tan Qing’s usual social habits.
Before Zhu Lianzhen had time to wrestle with the moral dilemma of whether he should keep listening, he realized the female voice was very young, clearly carrying the childishness of someone underage.
He immediately thought of Tan Qing’s half-sister, and his curiosity was naturally extinguished.
Still, he didn’t hang up.
He heard Tan Qing speaking clearly, “His body hasn’t fully recovered yet, right? Doesn’t he still need to rest?”
Tan Xiao replied, “He can’t stay idle. He said it’s exactly because of this surgery that he feels he should cherish every day he can still work.”
The evening breeze swept over the Lan River, brushing against their faces. Tan Qing’s gaze passed over Tan Xiao, scanning the pedestrians around them—many elders were playing with young children. A few kids ran back and forth, so to avoid being bumped into, Tan Qing led Tan Xiao down the steps and sat on the last one.
He held his phone, his forearm casually resting on his knee.
“Then,” Tan Xiao said a bit nervously, “my uncle came back from the United States. I met him for the first time. I’d never even seen a picture of him before.”
She stared out at the river. All she got from Tan Qing in response was a faint “Mm.”
It was clear she was hesitating, unsure whether to continue. Tan Qing asked, “How many of them came?”
Tan Xiao immediately answered, “Including him, four. His wife’s American, and they have two kids, both of whom are in college.”
She remembered all their details clearly, including that the woman used to be a model, where her two cousins studied and what their majors were, and which U.S. city they had lived in.
Tan Xiao thought Tan Qing would be interested in his biological father. But after she finished recounting everything, Tan Qing simply complimented her on how articulate she was.
Then he asked, “When are they going back?”
“Uncle’s probably staying in China. He seems to have some kind of business plans, but I didn’t quite understand, so I didn’t remember the details,” Tan Xiao said. “They were talking about it in the hospital… Oh right, I recorded it.”
Tan Qing replied, “No need to play it to me.”
Tan Xiao reluctantly tucked her phone away. After a moment, she added, “Uncle came back as soon as he got the news. Dad was really happy.”
Hearing that, Tan Qing suddenly chuckled and asked softly, “Then what about me? I got the news a long time ago, but never went to see him. Did he feel hurt?”
Tan Xiao froze, unsure how to answer. Honestly, she wasn’t good at reading adult emotions. Adults never wore their true joy, anger, sorrow, or delight on their faces. Some could even turn smiles and tears on and off like a switch, depending on the moment.
“I was joking, you don’t have to answer that.” Tan Qing looked at her. “Go on. They met in the hospital, and then made up like nothing ever happened?”
Tan Xiao said, “They both cried at the time.”
“What were they crying for?” Tan Qing asked. “Regretting the years of lost contact?”
“I don’t know,” Tan Xiao murmured thoughtfully, “Maybe they were just crying for show…”
Tan Qing’s smile didn’t fade, and his tone sounded teasing. “They’re blood brothers—how could they really turn against each other over an outsider? It’s just that they were too impulsive and prideful when they were young.”
He spoke as though it had nothing to do with him. Tan Xiao couldn’t tell whether the “outsider” he mentioned referred to his mother or himself.
“Let’s get to the point. What was it you originally came to tell me today?” Tan Qing turned his head to look at her.
Tan Xiao instinctively straightened her back. She now felt like a student suddenly called on in class by a teacher. Despite having mentally rehearsed what to say, she was too nervous to find her words.
After some hesitation, she handed him her phone and said, “Why don’t… you just listen to the recording?”
Tan Qing pressed his lips together lightly, took the phone, and tapped on the audio.
Although he hadn’t seen Tan Ruisheng in twenty years, as long as he watched TV or used the internet, Tan Qing still inevitably received updates about the famous director’s life, just as the other party could easily follow his career as a performer. Tan Ruisheng’s voice, ravaged by illness, had grown much older and no longer carried the strong timbre it once had when Tan Qing was a child.
The recording was from before Tan Xiao left, with Tan Ruisheng instructing her, telling her what to say and how to persuade Tan Qing. His words sounded very decent, saying he understood the hardships Tan Qing had endured all these years and acknowledged his capabilities. They knew Tan Qing might still care about the past and assured him that no one would force him to return to the family. But life only came once, and the chance to be a family was one of a kind. They also wanted to ask where Tan Qing had been spending Chinese New Year all these years.
The recording played through once. When it ended, Tan Qing returned the phone to Tan Xiao, his expression unchanged.
He asked calmly, “What do you think?”
Tan Xiao opened her mouth and stammered, “I don’t really know… But I think, if you pretend you never heard it, that’s fine too. I’ll just tell them you refused. You don’t need to feel guilty.”
“Don’t worry.” Tan Qing blinked. “Their intention is actually very simple. They’ve taken an interest in my future. If I’m willing to join them, it would bring considerable benefit to both sides.”
By the time Tan Qing said the last sentence, he couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips, letting out a soft laugh he barely noticed himself.
He found the idea of blood ties truly strange. The role of father had been absent from his life for so many years, and now, suddenly, he had two. Those two men had reconciled because of blood, and it was also because of blood that they now wanted to accept him—accept Tan Qing, the one admired under the spotlight, not the child born from an illicit relationship back then.
Those two fathers shared the same blood, and both avoided ever mentioning Ling Ni.
After a moment of silence, Tan Qing asked Tan Xiao, “He didn’t come to speak to me himself, and instead sent you to relay the message. Was it because he knew I would refuse?”
Tan Xiao curled up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees, quietly gazing at him. Then she shook her head.
Tan Qing asked again, “Then do you know why I came to meet you today?”
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the phone tightly gripped in his palm. The screen lit up at his touch, but he quickly turned it off.
Tan Xiao spoke hesitantly, “Do you want to come home with me, just once? To talk to them in person?”
As soon as the words were out, Tan Qing looked at her.
He smiled, his voice gentle. “I haven’t had a home in a long time, Tan Xiao.”
At his words, a flustered expression appeared on Tan Xiao’s face. She had begun to understand a bit about how the world worked, but it still wasn’t enough to deal with someone like Tan Qing.
“All right, time to get you home.”
Tan Qing’s fingertip brushed along the metal edge of the phone. Then he lit up the screen and tapped it twice quickly.
As a new recording was saved, the call duration in the upper-left corner of the screen disappeared along with it.
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