The customer continued: “But maybe it is that his work is too busy. Those internet industry jobs are so damn brutal—not just 996, but 007. Maybe it’s the extreme pressure causing it?”
Xu Zhinan responded with difficulty: “It’s possible.”
Lin Qingye had no idea what Xu Zhinan was thinking right now. He had already arrived at Chuanqi Entertainment Company.
He truly wasn’t good at various communication and networking tasks, so it was better to entrust these matters entirely to a professional team. As things gradually fell into place, he decided to sign a new contract with Wang Qi.
The album had seven songs in total, including “Acacia,” while the other six had been revised. Lin Qingye went into the recording studio to re-record them.
Wang Qi sat outside listening.
He had to admit that those two and a half years had given Lin Qingye more depth to his storytelling.
Before, his voice had been clear and resilient, very distinctive, with a feeling of lingering around people, yet he was also cool and distant—the contradiction created an attraction.
Now, when he sang, it was more like narrating a story, with painful struggles and also growth toward the light.
He just stood in the recording booth singing, his expression relaxed, singing with ease, but Wang Qi, listening outside, had moist eyes.
He truly had been through too much.
After finishing the recording, Lin Qingye went to the office with Wang Qi.
“There’s a music promotion show that has invited you,” Wang Qi said.
“The previous one?”
Before his imprisonment, his album had been about to be released, and there had also been a music promotion show that had invited him.
“No, that one only ran for one season that year, then it was canceled. The project was directly pulled by the TV station.” Wang Qi placed the information sheet for this show in front of him. “This one just had its first season last year, now it’s the second season. Although the viewership isn’t top-tier yet, I still have high hopes for it. This show seriously focuses on music, so I sent them your demo earlier. They were very satisfied and sent us the contract directly.”
“Fine, go ahead and sign it as you see fit.”
Wang Qi: “You trust me that much? You’re not even going to look at the appearance fee?”
Lin Qingye laughed: “That’s not the small sum I’m after.”
Wang Qi was startled.
“By the way, there’s another matter. I had professionals evaluate your album, and the results were excellent—high quality with great potential for widespread singing. You also generate a lot of buzz. With Shen Linlin already warming up the pot for you, the effect should be good. But our company still hopes to take it to the next level, straight to the top.”
Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.
“Later, we plan to organize a tour, not exactly a concert—concerts require too much preparation and energy, which takes too long—but something similar to a band music festival, for promotional purposes.”
Halfway through Wang Qi’s words, Lin Qingye’s phone vibrated. He glanced at it.
[Xu Zhinan: Qingye, I’m buying groceries now. Is there anything you’d like to eat?]
He smiled and replied “anything is fine,” then said to Wang Qi: “Alright.”
Wang Qi was surprised: “You’ve agreed?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I’d have to persuade you several times.”
Lin Qingye laughed: “Was I that difficult before?”
“More than difficult! You were self-centered, just like your name—too wild.”
He waved his phone casually: “I have to support a family now, can’t compare with before.”
Wang Qi laughed along: “This is good. Your personality needs someone to tame it.”
Xu Zhinan took advantage of the tattoo shop’s lunch break to go to the market.
She rarely cooked for herself before. The tattoo shop kept her busy from morning till night, and most of the time she would order boxed meals or takeout with everyone else, only occasionally cooking during her time off.
This morning, when she saw Lin Qingye making hangover soup and looked in the refrigerator, she realized it was almost empty.
And lately, he often needed to stay up working until dawn. Always eating takeout seemed too unhealthy, so she took this opportunity to go to the market.
Her hair color was distinctive enough to leave an impression. Although she didn’t go often, the vegetable vendors remembered her.
“Young lady, take a look, what would you like to buy?”
“Please weigh some baby cabbage for me.”
The auntie weighed the baby cabbage: “Take a look at the other things too. How about some of this okra? It’s very fresh. This weather is like a tiger in autumn—easy to get heatstroke. You can buy some to cool down. Plus, it nourishes the kidneys and replenishes yin energy. Do you have a boyfriend, young lady? This is very good for the body.”
The older woman didn’t mean anything by it; she was just being helpful since Xu Zhinan didn’t look like a regular customer.
But having just heard the customer at the shop talk about this for quite a while, Xu Zhinan felt awkward as soon as she heard “okra,” “nourish kidneys,” and “replenish yin.”
“No need, no need, this is enough.” She took the baby cabbage.
She also bought some beef and ribs, circled, and already had a full bag that was quite heavy.
Xu Zhinan stood at a vegetable stall, took out her phone to search for recipes to see what else she could add, and unexpectedly found a “fatigue-relieving, energy-restoring” recipe.
She clicked on it, and the first item that popped up was steamed okra egg custard. The picture looked nice, yellow and green, very healthy-looking.
Xu Zhinan continued scrolling down and saw goji berries, chives, and the like.
It was quite a coincidence that they matched what that customer had mentioned. Probably these ingredients had similar effects.
Xu Zhinan hesitated for a moment but then thought it was fine. Lin Qingye was so busy every day; he should eat some “fatigue-relieving, energy-restoring” foods. She was already at the market—how could she not buy them just because they had a second function?
So Xu Zhinan returned to the vegetable auntie’s stall: “Auntie, could you please weigh some okra for me?”
“I told you earlier, this okra is very good! The weather has been getting hot again recently, so many people are buying it. These just arrived, very fresh.” The auntie couldn’t stop talking once she started. “Do you live alone or with your family?”
“Two people.”
“Oh, then I’ll weigh a bit less for you. It would be a waste if it spoils before you can eat it all.”
“Good, thank you, auntie.” Xu Zhinan looked around and saw that her stall also had chives and goji berries, so she said, “Auntie, can you also weigh some of those for me?”
“Chives?”
“Yes, and goji berries too.”
Although Xu Zhinan was completely innocent, buying these things just to help Lin Qingye relieve fatigue, saying all three together made it hard not to think of other implications.
The auntie had a knowing smile: “Living with two people, with your boyfriend, right?”
Xu Zhinan nodded blankly, confirming it.
The auntie was older and didn’t find anything strange about this. She nodded approvingly: “Yes, yes, yes, men should eat these kinds of things. Some supplements are always good. When they’re good, we women are good too, isn’t that right?”
“…”
She paid and left the market carrying her vegetables, feeling like she was escaping from the auntie’s knowing expression.
Having bought so many things, Xu Zhinan didn’t dare to bring them directly to the shop. She went back to the rental apartment first, washed everything, and filled the refrigerator before returning to the shop.
“Master, have you been busy lately?” Li Ye asked as soon as she entered.
“What’s the matter? Is there something at the shop?”
“No, I was just asking. I feel like you’ve been busy with other things lately.” Li Ye was just making casual conversation. “It’s fine if there’s nothing.”
That evening, Xu Zhinan finished drawing several design drafts for clients and clocked out.
[Xu Zhinan: Qingye, are you coming home for dinner today?]
[Qingye: Yes. Are you cooking today?]
[Xu Zhinan: Yes.]
[Qingye: Leave it. I’m finishing early today; I’ll do it when I get back.]
[Xu Zhinan: It’s fine, I’m already home.]
After replying, she stepped out of the elevator.
Back home, Xu Zhinan began cooking rice and vegetables—all home-style dishes. Though she hadn’t cooked often before, she could manage. It was just that she had never cooked okra before.
She followed the recipe for steamed okra egg custard. It wasn’t difficult, and once cooked, the light fragrance of okra spread out. It smelled quite nice.
After finishing cooking, she set the dishes and tableware on the table. Lin Qingye still wasn’t back.
Xu Zhinan checked the time but didn’t rush him. She sat on the sofa and continued drawing on her tablet.
She hadn’t been drawing for long when Lin Qingye returned.
He took off his mask and hat, hanging them in the entryway. Only then did Xu Zhinan think of a question: “If we keep living here, might people recognize you?”
“This neighborhood has mostly older people. I come back late and rarely run into anyone, so it should be fine. No rush to change locations; we’ll see later.”
The neighborhood was old, indeed mostly populated by elderly people, which was why the rent was relatively cheap.
Xu Zhinan thought it might be too early to consider changing apartments. Lin Qingye’s career hadn’t restarted yet, and he was still selling his previous apartment. With his personality, he probably wouldn’t want her to pay, so she let it go.
Lin Qingye changed into slippers and walked to her side: “How long have you been cooking?”
“Not long. The food is still hot.” Xu Zhinan stood up. “The rice is ready too; I’ll go serve it.”
He pushed her back down: “I’ll go. You finish the rest of your drawing.”
He went to the kitchen and served two bowls of rice, and they sat facing each other at the dining table.
This was the first time Xu Zhinan had properly cooked for him, and she felt a bit uncertain: “I don’t know if it tastes good. It’s all very ordinary.”
Lin Qingye scanned the table, his gaze pausing when it passed over the steamed okra egg custard.
“You used to praise the dishes I made. Why are you so modest about your own?” he teased.
“Well, eat quickly. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
“Mm.”
They chatted while eating, and Lin Qingye told Xu Zhinan about all his progress.
“The album will be released so soon?” Xu Zhinan was surprised.
Lin Qingye smiled: “What did you think I’ve been busy with all these days?”
“Will you be able to relax a bit afterward?”
“I’ll be busy for a while longer. After the album goes online, I’ll immediately go record for a music stage show, and later there will probably be several promotional music festivals, visiting several cities.”
Xu Zhinan nodded.
The album’s release meant Lin Qingye was officially making his comeback, beginning to face all-around online attacks and criticism.
He was so busy, with so many upcoming activities, yet he still had to deal with those embarrassing insults. Xu Zhinan found it heartbreaking; just imagining it made her ache.
Lin Qingye could tell what she was thinking from her expression. He tapped his chopsticks on the bowl.
Xu Zhinan looked up.
He leaned back lazily in his chair: “Do you trust me?”
She nodded: “I trust you.”
Lin Qingye raised his chin slightly, casually saying: “Then there’s nothing to fear.”
Those words were like a stabilizing anchor, settling Xu Zhinan’s heart.
He had been busy with work lately, under a lot of pressure, and usually didn’t eat much. Today, however, he ate a lot, finishing one bowl and then serving himself another full one.
Xu Zhinan remembered that he used to be quite picky about food. In other areas, you couldn’t see any trace of his wealthy upbringing, except in this one aspect of food, where his standards were quite high. So she had been somewhat worried about this meal, but he seemed to have eaten almost everything quite quickly.
Only one dish remained: the steamed okra egg custard.
“Aren’t you going to eat it?” Xu Zhinan asked.
“I’ll eat it later.”
After finishing his meal, Lin Qingye served two bowls of the custard and drank them all at once.
Xu Zhinan was amazed, looking at the table where the “clean plate” campaign had been thoroughly implemented.
She got up to clear the bowls but was stopped by Lin Qingye: “I’ll do it.”
“It’s fine, I’m just sitting around anyway.”
“How can the person who cooked also wash the dishes?”
Lin Qingye collected the bowls and went to the kitchen to wash them.
Xu Zhinan was indeed idle, so she followed him and stood at the kitchen door, watching him wash the dishes.
The man stood at the sink. Because he was so tall, the sink’s height wasn’t suitable for him, requiring him to bend down more. His hair had grown a bit longer than before, with bangs in front like raven feathers.
He had a pair of beautiful hands, slender and bony, with veins that became prominent as he moved.
Soon, Lin Qingye finished washing the dishes, dried them, and put them in the cabinet.
“Would you like some fruit?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s in the refrigerator. I just bought it today.” Xu Zhinan said, “Are you free later?”
“Yes, the album work is done. I can rest for two days.”
Lin Qingye opened the refrigerator door to see red and green fresh fruits with water droplets still on them, looking tempting.
Suddenly, his gaze paused as he saw a bundle of chives on the upper shelf.
It inevitably reminded him of the other green vegetable on the dinner table earlier.
Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow, took out some fruit, cut a fruit platter, and casually scanned the kitchen counter. In a glass jar, he saw goji berries, also newly appeared today.
Okra, chives, goji berries.
Very good.
Lin Qingye turned around, leaned against the edge of the counter, and called out: “Zhinan.”
“Yes, what is it?”
He asked gently: “Have you been dissatisfied with me lately?”