Wen Xiaohui’s face felt hot, remembering that he had just had lascivious thoughts for this young lad…

He in fact is Luo Yi?!

Cao Hai said: “Come in and sit down.”

Wen Xiaohui stiffly followed Cao Hai into his office.

Cao Hai let the two of them sit on the sofa: “This winery was invested in by myself and a friend of mine. It is used to occasionally have a private party and what not, can be considered a private interest of mine. I hope you two can relax a little bit here. There are no outsiders here.”

Wen Xiaohui nodded.

Luo Yi glanced at Wen Xiaohui. A teenage something boy’s eyes were unexpectedly profound and incomprehensible.

“Then, how about you two get to know each other first. From what CEO Luo said, you two have never met before.”

Wen Xiaohui glanced at Luo Yi, inexplicably nervous.

Luo Yi extended his hand relaxedly: “Uncle, I am Luo Yi.”

Wen Xiaohui stretched out his hand awkwardly and shook his: “Wen Xiaohui…you don’t need to call me uncle.”

The boy’s hands were dry and warm which made Wen Xiaohui relax a bit.

“Why?”

“You know that me and your mother were not related by blood to any extent.”

“Of course I know, but mother always thought of you as a younger brother.”

Wen Xiaohui felt a stab to his heart, sadly answering: “Just don’t call me uncle, I feel awkward hearing it.”

Luo Yi blinked concentratedly: “Then what do you want me to call you?”

“Call me Xiaohui Ge.”

“……Ok.”

Wen Xiaohui exhaled lightly. Although he didn’t want to be called uncle, he still wanted to appear somewhat like an elder in front of Luo Yi. He said, “How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

Wen Xiaohui rubbed his hands and said grimly: “My sister…how did she…” His tongue seemed knotted, unable to continue speaking.

Luo Yi lowered his gaze: “It’s better if you did not know.”

Wen Xiaohui didn’t want to get to the bottom of everything either. It was too cruel to ask a child to repeat how their mother died. He said: “What about the funeral?”

Cao Hai answered: “The funeral has already been held. It was very low-key. This was what CEO Luo wanted.”

“The letter my sister left me has a few parts that I didn’t understand.” Wen Xiaohui took out the letter, “What is with ‘shouldn’t go analyzing’ about…about the reason why she killed herself?”

Cao Hai replied solemnly: “Mr. Wen, this is something I have to emphatically advise you about. Please respect Chief Luo’s intention and don’t delve deeper into things. This is indeed for the safety of you and Ms. Feng.”

“What does this have to do with me and my mother’s safety?”

Cao Hai glanced at Luo Yi, and considered his words: “Luo Yi’s father and his father’s family are not any normal run of the mill family. I can only say so much.”

Wen Xiaohui searched his memory; he’d never had much information about the man that Yaya had chosen to follow. After all, he had been too young back then and by the time he’d grown up, he didn’t have much opportunity anymore to inquire about Yaya. He only knew that the man had both power and influence, could it be that there was some die-worthy secret here? Though, whatever the secret was, since both Yaya and Lawyer Cao have warned him like this, he will not risk both his and his mother’s safety. He nodded. “I understand.”

Cao Hai also nodded: “Mr. Wen, as for the purpose of you two meeting here today I believe Chief Luo had written clearly in that letter. It is about the upbringing of Luo Yi.”

“Mhmm.”

“Luo Yi has no opinion on Chief Luo’s arrangement. Does Mr. Wen have any thoughts in regards to the matter?”

Wen Xiaohui glanced at Luo Yi: “Do you think I can raise you? I’m not even 20 yet with a monthly salary of 1500.” He pouted and muttered to himself, “I was deducted 500 just yesterday.”

Cao Hai answered: “Don’t worry about this, Mr. Wen.  Chief Luo has already prepared enough living expenses for Luo Yi. Except for the inheritance left for you and Ms. Feng, Luo Yi’s living expenses are also allocated at your disposal, so you don’t have to worry about money as a problem.”

“It’s not just a question of money. First, I don’t know how to take care of children. I don’t know how to help you study, nor cook or wash your clothes…uh…just in essence, I have no clue how to raise you. Second, I can’t let my mother know, I don’t know what kind of reaction my mom will have.”

Luo Yi rested his elbow on the armrest of the sofa and supported his chin to looked at Wen Xiaohui with a faint smile: “First, I don’t need you to help me study, cook or wash my clothes. I can handle these all by myself. Second, my mother left me a house, Ms. Feng will not find out. “

“Then what do you want me to do?” Even though they had only known each other for less than ten minutes, Wen Xiaohui could tell that Luo Yi had a maturity far beyond his age; his speech and social intelligence seemed to be more stable than even himself. He fully believed that Luo Yi could take care of himself completely.

“Because my mother worried about leaving me alone and she only trusted you, she hoped to give me a close relative. This was her dying wish.”

Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled and slowly lowered his head.

Cao Hai said next to him: “Yes, Mr. Wen, while Luo Yi is more sensible than most children, he is in the end only fifteen years old. Only by entrusting him to you could Chief Luo rest in peace.”

Wen Xiaohui took a shuddering breath, and those three words rushed into his eardrum without warning, and severely struck a cord in his brain. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Rest, in, peace?”

Cao Hai was stunned.

Wen Xiaohui roared: “Rest in peace?!” He felt anger and depression in his chest that rushed through his body like a bullet, wrecking severe pain in his organs: “How can a person of suicide possibly rest in peace! If she couldn’t put down her worry for her child then why did she choose to die?! WHY?!” Why! Luo Yaya why the hell are you going to die!” Wen Xiaohui roar sobbing voice echoed throughout the entire winery.

In the next second, Wen Xiaohui suddenly felt a warm comforting hand rubbing his hair back and forth, fingertips swept across his ears before finally landing to cup the back of his neck, squeezing it reassuringly a couple of times.

Wen Xiaohui was startled, he didn’t turn to look; the hand on his neck was both large and warm, it didn’t look like a child’s hand at all.

Luo Yi whispered in his ear: “Don’t be sad, mother has gone to a very good place. A place where there is no pain, deception or despair. This was her choice. She is free now and I am happy for her.”

Wen Xiaohui’s body trembled and pinched his knees: “You, what makes you think so…she is dead, you will never see her again…”

Luo Yi’s eyes stared through Wen Xiaohui, looking straight ahead without focus. His pupils were like two bottomless black holes, faintly cold, but his voice was like a spring breeze: “I can’t make her stay in someplace that makes her miserable just because I want to see her. Don’t be sad, Uncle. You should be happy for her too.”

Cao Hai looked at Luo Yi’s tender face, his body shook unnoticeably, he nervously swallowed while his fingers unconsciously fiddled together.

Luo Yi noticed Cao Hai’s nervousness, and smiled at him slightly. His red lips were perfectly curved, an absolutely resplendent smile. Cao Hai returned with a stiff smile of his own.

Wen Xiaohui sucked in a few deep breaths. Although he could not read Luo Yi’s thoughts, that soft voice of his gradually calmed his impetuous mood. He whispered, “Why are you calling me Uncle again.”

Luo Yi chuckled lightly, “Momentarily forgot.” After speaking, he let go of him.

Wen Xiaohui sat back on the sofa and vigorously scratched his head a few times: “Lawyer Cao, I don’t know what I am supposed to do. Tell me, what am I supposed to be doing?”

“I have already completed all the documentation. You just need to look over them and sign them. In fact, you don’t need to do anything special, as long as you treat Luo Yi as family; I’m sure I don’t need to teach you how to do that.”

Wen Xiaohui looked at Luo Yi. He saw trust in the eyes of this young man. He closed his eyes and nodded with determination: “Give me the papers.”

He read the documents over once, but he couldn’t see any trickery as far as he could tell. The documents clearly stated him and his mother’s inheritance rights but required it required that Luo Yi turn 18 before anything could be implemented. During this period, Luo Yi’s monthly living stipend of 10,000 yuan was allocated at his discretion. If there was an emergency, he will be able to access the emergency funds. The emergency fund and Luo Yi’s inheritance were all in other documents, which Wen Xiaohui was unable to review since they had nothing to do with him.

Nonetheless, he was still curious about how much inheritance Luo Yi would get after he turned eighteen. After all, he had no clue whatsoever about how much and how Yaya had earned money for these past years.

He signed the documents after reading it, with his hand trembling a little during signing. At that time, he was too young and hadn’t thought about what signing actually meant before completing. He had only felt that he couldn’t disregard Yaya’s last request, and that a large sum of money plus a house was in no way a bad thing for him and his mother.

After taking a look at his signature, Cao Hai smiled and said, “Congratulations, Mr. Wen.”

“Ah….oh,” Wen Xiaohui glanced at Luo Yi, and he felt a little awkward and lost.

Luo Yi smiled and said, “Do you want to come see where I’m living? It’s not too far from here.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not that close. I’m going home and it’s on the way so let me take you guys.” Cao Hai offered.

“Okay, thank you Mister Cao.”

Cao Hai put Luo Yi’s bicycle in the back seat of the SUV and drove the two over to Luo Yi’s house.

Wen Xiaohui asked: “Luo Yi, which school are you at?”

“XX High School.”

“Eh, that’s not far from where I work.”

“Where do you work?”

“XX road.”

Luo Yi smiled and said, “Then I can go find you to play after school.”

“Okay.”

Attorney Cao interjected: “Mr. Wen, what work do you do?”

“Stylist. I’m doing an internship at Juxing.”

“Juxing, that’s quite a famous establishment.”

Wen Xiaohui was a little proud: “Mhm, one of the best modeling studios in Beijing.”

Cao Hai exclaimed in admiration: “Really impressive. Someone with dumb hands like me can only do boring kind of work like this.”

Wen Xiaohui seldom came into contact with elite figures like Cao Hai and immediately felt that he was worthy of being a lawyer; such a smooth talker, although he didn’t have an eight-packed abdomen, he couldn’t help feeling a little excited. He became humble and said: “It’s nothing too great. I had poor grades and couldn’t get into college. This was my hobby and it’s more suitable to me.”

Cao Hai replied: “Haha, no wonder you are worried that you will not be able to tutor Luo Yi. In fact, you really don’t need to worry about this. Luo Yi has a very high IQ. His grades in high school rank first in the city.”

Wen Xiaohui was surprised: “First?”

Cao Hai smiled and said: “Oh, I forgot to tell you that Luo Yi is now in his third year of high school and is about to take the college entrance examination. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether he takes the exam or not. He has received full scholarships and exam-exemption invitations from seven world-class universities. This doesn’t even take into account universities inside China.”

Wen Xiaohui stared at Luo Yi with his wide rimmed eyes, screaming in his heart. Fuck, a top student.

Luo Yi blinked at him, showing a cute smile. After the surprise, Wen Xiaohui’s heart became filled with digust that his heart began to ache again. He couldn’t imagine what could have happened to Yaya before she committed suicide on the eve of the college entrance examination for her only son? With such a beautiful and excellent son, what could have happened to make her want to leave this world?

________

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After getting off work, the two of them were called into the office for scolding, each being deducted 500 yuan. Their whole week’s work down the toilet.

Wen Xiaohui walked out of the studio, feeling his entire body devoid of energy, his every step like molten lead being poured, today is like his own Good Friday, suffering from the moment he opened his eyes till the present. Although he wanted to save money, he couldn’t help hailing a taxi.

Staggering back home, he lifted his nose and smelled the fragrance of cooked food floating in from the house. This ordinary, simple taste that would not attract his attention on any normal occasion, but at which this time particularly moved him. Because from this morning till now, his head had been completely filled with thoughts of that poor child whose father had died and whose mother had abandoned them: Luo Yaya, who had left home to work at age 18, whose life had ended so young. This kind of ordinary home life bliss was something she had deeply desired but could never attain.

He pushed open the door, and Feng Yuehua’s voice came yelling from the kitchen: “Rascal, take your shoes off when you come into the house!”

“I know.”

Wen Xiaohui changed into slippers and walked into the kitchen.

Feng Yuehua turned her head to look at him, her expression obviously a bit worried when she saw that he was not in the best spirits. Her eyebrows perked up: “What’s the matter with you? Are you sick?”

“No, it’s just the after effects of drinking alcohol.”

“You have the nerve to openly say this?”

Wen Xiaohui scratched his scalp: “My friend was having a birthday party.”

Feng Yuehua turned to look at him: “Crying nonstop since this morning, if I didn’t know better I’d have thought you were raped or something.”

Wen Xiaohui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Mom, do you have to be so forthright.”

Feng Yuehua snorted: “Then is it the pain of jilted love?”

“That’s not it.” Wen Xiaohui walked over and hugged Feng Yuehua’s waist, and said coquettishly: “I haven’t yet found a 180cm six packed macho fellow yet, where could this jilted love pain come from?”

Feng Yuehua rolled her eyes at him: “Shameless.” But her expression overtly relaxed after this statement.

Since young, him and his mother had always had an ‘anything is okay for talking about’ relationship.  His mother had always been more modern than her peers. Be it miniskirts, bell bottom pants, permed hair, eyebrow tattoos -anything that was fresh and new, she’d be a part of the first wave to try them. She was already forty plus in age but she still dared to dress and festoon; she maintained her figure pretty well too. So he had never felt the need to keep his interest in men from his mother, who had indeed accepted it calmly.

He put his face on his mother’s shoulder, feeling his emotions calm down a bit, tomorrow… can he really calmly face his nephew of which he’s never met before?

After leaving work the next day, Wen Xiaohui rushed to the address sent to him by Lawyer Cao.

He made a turn when he got out of the subway. He’d grown up in Beijing but he had never been to this section of it before.

After asking someone for directions, he headed south.

After walking for almost ten minutes, he still didn’t see the big building that passerby spoke about. He felt a little irritable and anxious because he was lost and late for the person he was about to meet.

From behind him came the sound of a bicycle, he turned his head around, intending to ask whoever it was for directions. When he looked back, he saw that the bicycle was right behind him. Four eyes met. Wen Xiaohui didn’t have time to see what the other party looked like, only remembering the look of shock in those pair of black and shiny eyes as both of them got taken by surprise. The bike jumped, his center of gravity was knocked off balance and Wen Xiaohui plummeted to the ground.

The bicycle’s emergency brake made the sound of an ear-piercing screech.

Wen Xiaohui lied on his stomach on the ground, for a moment filled with a sense of helplessness, though he didn’t feel any pain, he only felt that everything has not gone smoothly for him since yesterday to now, making him feel utterly exhausted.

“Sorry, are you okay,” a clear voice came from above his head, as soon as he heard it, Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled. It was an adolescent tone, somewhere between pre and post puberty. The voice had an ethereal vibe to it, like sunlight penetrating through air and sprinkling down onto the earth. It was pleasant to the point of numbing the person hearing it.

Wen Xiaohui couldn’t help looking up. First, he saw a pair of very clean white sneakers, then blue uniform sweat pants that were wrapped around a pair of long legs that were almost invisible to the eye, then it was the shirt tail of a snow-white dress shirt with simple shiny buttons done up, half rolled up shirt sleeves and finally it was a continuous collarbone and a protruding Adam’s apple. The white headphone cords which hung around the youthful boy’s neck dangled in front of his eyes, like a hypnotic clock, giving him a temporary out of body sensation. Wen Xiaohui felt his body getting a little hot and was too nervous to look up. Although he was already working, it had only been less than a year since he’d stopped wearing his school uniform; just this boy’s voice and physique was sending his thoughts into uncontainable disarray.

“Are you okay, did you hurt yourself in the falll?” The boy squatted down.

Wen Xiaohui raised his head and saw a pair of deep and beautiful eyes; he felt both a little disappointed and a little happy. What was disappointing was that this boy was only fifteen or sixteen years old, too young to date; what made him happy was that this boy’s physique and handsome face were utterly flawless: exquisitely smooth skin, jet-black thick hair, with eyelashes that looked like fans from the bottom up and particularly red lips. His entire person radiated the breath of youth and sunshine. Attractive to the point of being blinding.

Wen Xiaohui felt his heart pounding. Although he had always preferred mature bara hunks and was usually not interested in such green boys, this child was simply too good-looking -leading one’s imagination to inevitably run wild. Absentmindedly, he kept feeling like this young man was a bit familiar looking, yet in the moment, simply could not think of where he’d seen this boy before.

The youth’s eyes kept wandering across Wen Xiaohui’s face, his eyes are particularly bright.

Wen Xiaohui’s face grew hot from his gaze.

The boy helped him stand up.

After Wen Xiaohui stood upright, he found that the child was actually taller than him. Although he could not be considered as very tall, he was still average. This next generation was far too well nourished!

The boy apologetically said, “I’m sorry, I was listening to a song and got a bit distracted. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“It’s just a scratch, it’s okay.” Wen Xiaohui dusted off his pants for good measure.

“You really are okay? Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“No need, no need,” Wen Xiaohui waved his hand dismissively.

The boy looked at him steadily, as if not planning to leave.

Wen Xiaohui finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He took out his cell phone and showed the youth the text message: “Hey, do you know this place? I can’t find it.”

The boy glanced at the text message, his adam’s apple trembled a bit before he took a deep look at Wen Xiaohui: “It’s on the way for me, I’ll take you there.”

“Really, thank you.”

The boy patted the back seat of his bike: “Come on.”

Wen Xiaohui mounted onto the back seat and looked at the waistline looming vaguely under the white shirt of the young man. Immediately he thought: only a fool would not take advantage of this opportunity and so without formality he threw his arms around the youth’s waist, hugging him tight.

The boy’s body seemed to stiffen a bit before he quickly started riding the bike again.

Wen Xiaohui wanted to say something, but then he thought that hooking up with an underage boy was not such a good idea. After all, his preference was still mature machos. Not to mention the fact that he was hardly in the mood for dating right now, so in the end, he simply gave up on the idea of dating this youth.

The boy also did not speak and continued to ride his bike quietly.

A cool spring breeze blew across their faces, Wen Xiaohui closed his eyes comfortably, the faint scent of aftershave floated in the air before him, refreshing and permeating, making one’s heart relaxed and stress free. The boy’s white shirt also blew up from the wind. If one were to look at Wen Xiaohui’s cheeks, one would see the clear and fresh look of glowing satisfaction.

Many years later, this scene was still deeply engraved into Wen Xiaohui’s mind. He would still be able to smell that scent of aftershave mixed with sunlight inside that beautiful April warmth; warm, pure and completely enchanting.

Soon, the boy parked his bike in front of a small winery. The store front of the winery was not big but the pure European-style decoration was aesthetically tasteful and the fixings exquisitely crafted. The sweet aroma of red wine completely assaulted one’s senses.

Wen Xiaohui said, “Yes, this is it, thank you.”

“Go in.” The boy said.

“Well, bye handsome boy,” Wen Xiaohui took a deep breath and walked in with heavy revolving thoughts.

A man in his thirties walked out of the winery. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He was tall, wore compact gold-wired glasses. He appeared majestic and stately, a member of the elite class: “Mr Wen? Hello.”

“Hello, it’s Lawyer Cao, right?”

“Yes. It just so happens that you both came here at the same time.” Cao Hai looked behind Wen Xiaohui.

“Both?” Wen Xiaohui was stunned, turned his head, and found that that young man had also quietly followed in without a word.

A firework seemed to go off inside his head, striking him to the point that no thoughts at all circled through his mind temporarily. He suddenly remembered why this young man looked familiar, because he looked like Luo Yaya.

This young man stood straight behind him with his hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his delicate and youthful face. He said with that clear spring-like voice: “Hello, uncle.”

________

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