When Xin Dayi was twenty-four, he said something.

It was the funniest thing Ah Heng had ever heard before leaving for France, but the laughter turned to tears.

He said: “If I could time travel, I’d tell my grandmother not to give birth to my father. If she does have my father, she’ll get a chubby grandson, but it’ll cause her husband’s death from anger.”

This matter needs to be laid out properly.

Although people weren’t particularly fond of the Xin-Chen couple, finding them an annoying male pair, this story must be told for the plot to continue.

Well, let’s travel back many years, to when Xin Dayi was still a young man in his first year of high school, when he met a girl he admired – no, a boy.

This was a boy with a cross-dressing habit, who said he had an English name, called Rosemary.

A rose like Maria.

Xin Dayi wasn’t good at English, but in his childhood group of four, Lu Liu and Si Wan were exceptionally good. His grandfather also said, “You’re so close with your brothers, why don’t you learn that foreign language from them?”

Xin Dayi insisted: “Grandpa, this problem must be blamed on the beautiful Yan. He was the bad apple that spoiled the whole bunch. Beautiful Yan wasn’t good at English either.”

So, he always had an inexplicable complex about English and an even deeper complex about those who spoke it well.

Then, upon seeing Rosemary, his complex acted up, his first love was cast aside, and only later did he realize it was a dead-end road with no return.

Throughout his life, among the girls around him, besides Wen Si’er who was pretty but useless and loved acting spoiled, there was only Wen Heng who wasn’t pretty, didn’t act spoiled, and was equally useless.

Looking around, the girls were just so-so. In terms of looks, they couldn’t compare to Yan Xi’s big eyes; in terms of character, they weren’t as good at pretending as Wen Si Wan; as for cooking, forget about it – among today’s girls, except for those like Wen Heng, how many weren’t just waiting to be served by their husbands?

At seventeen or eighteen, he went with some buddies from the compound to a high-class establishment – commonly known as a high-class brothel – to broaden his horizons. He learned about the ways between men and women, and looking back, realized that AV, BV, CV, and the like, whether Western or Japanese, were pure nonsense – the technical level was too high, not something normal humans could achieve.

So, the last line of defense crumbled.

Then, the path of women seemed to have reached a dead end.

When thinking this way, all that remained was a desk-mate rival-buddy first love, however, you wanted to define it. Just turn your head and there he was, with a face not much worse than Yan Xi’s, eyes that would flutter when he smiled, always hanging around with an arm over his shoulders, and didn’t even smell bad – how rare a person was that.

Xin Dayi always felt Rosemary was special, but exactly what made him special, he couldn’t say.

When Yan Xi went deaf, after that incident, he and Rosemary drank straight from bottles all night, drinking until they had style, talking about everything from Milu’s wrinkles to Clinton and Bush’s combined IQ of 250; drinking until emotions emerged – “Chen Juan, when I was young… back then, I think I liked you”; drinking until they ended up in the same bed.

Between men, who knows if responsibility is needed, or how to be responsible? Anyway, neither was married, so they just made do.

They did all the foolish things – sat on the curb watching stars, only to encounter Beijing’s sandstorm; ate Häagen-Dazs that young girls loved in winter while drawing architectural designs until their mouths went numb; set off fireworks in summer saying pretentiously “damn, it’s beautiful,” while mosquitoes could build nests on their arms.

They made do like this for two or three years, from when Yan Xi went deaf until he took a snowy train ride south to find Wen Heng, who wasn’t pretty, didn’t act spoiled, and was useless.

Yan Xi called him, saying: “Dayi, I just had pork rib noodles – the first meal I shared with Ah Heng.”

After so many years, what kind of memory was this, remembering so clearly?

In a blink, Rosemary was busy working on company proposals, head lowered, eyes gently lifted upward, clear and pure, just like that person called Rosemary he had seen many years ago.

Xin Dayi said, gods and Buddha, ancestors of time, I remember just as clearly.

Ah, what karma.

In 2006, he said: “Chen Juan, I’m going home for New Year’s, to be with grandfather.”

Grandfather Xin was a stubborn old man.

He remained fixated on Xin Dayi’s career choice, even though Xin Dayi had become a small-time millionaire worth hundreds of millions. The old man always felt that all those years of cultivation had been wasted.

He asked: “Xin Dayi, when are you going to bring me a daughter-in-law? If you like Ah Heng, just say so! Let me tell you, if you’re a man, go compete with that Yan boy. Damn it all, I don’t believe our Xin family can’t win against his Yan family!”

Xin Dayi twitched, thinking to himself, don’t make trouble here – if Yan Xi found out, how could I go on living? Lu Liu and the Wen family were enough for him to handle.

Someone knocked at the door.

This was normal, as the fifth day of the lunar new year was when relatives and friends visited. But the timing wasn’t right – it was the middle of the night.

Xin Dayi opened the door and frowned – it was Chen Juan.

He asked: “Why are you here?”

Chen Juan’s face was red, strangely red as if he were sick.

Old Xin inside called out asking who it was. Dayi hardened his heart, pretending not to see, and said: “I’ll go back after the eighth.”

Chen Juan struggled to take out a bag from his chest: “You left your winter coat at the company. I came to the hospital here for a cold, thought I’d bring it by while I was in the area.”

Xin Dayi’s heart ached: “Chen Juan, you call this ‘in the area’? There’s a hospital right by your house, but you walked thirty li to come here?”

Chen Juan looked exhausted and said: “I’ve been tired from working on proposals these past few days. Let me rest for a bit, I’ll leave soon.”

Xin Dayi felt terrible and hugged Chen Juan, saying nothing more.

In winter, Old Xin’s legs weren’t good. Seeing his grandson not answering, he walked to the entrance with his cane, but his mind exploded.

His precious grandson was embracing a man at the door, holding him just like he used to hold his wife!

The old man had lived most of his life, how could he not understand? He cursed “little beast” and raised his cane to strike his grandson and that degenerate man in his arms.

Dayi protected Chen Juan, saying: “Grandpa, it’s not what you think!”

Old Xin was so angry his veins bulged: “Pah, shameless thing, you turtle spawn, you’ve completely ruined my life’s face!” He raised his cane and struck the two viciously.

Chen Juan had been neglecting his illness while working on designs at home for several days. Dizzy and feverish, he stumbled and fell in the snow.

Xin Dayi panicked: “Grandpa, what are you doing?” He snatched the old man’s cane and threw it aside, then picked up Chen Juan and ran toward the hospital.

Old Xin’s eyes blazed red, his whole body trembling with anger as he gasped: “Xin Dayi, I’m telling you, if you leave with this man today, you’re no longer my grandson this lifetime!”

Xin Dayi had always been stubborn, and he gritted his teeth: “Then I won’t be! You’ve never approved of me anyway, I’ve had enough of being your grandson!”

He thought, this time even if Yan Xi and Ah Heng tried to persuade him together, even if you added Lu Liu and Wen Si Wan, he wouldn’t go home! But he didn’t look back one more time to see his grandfather who had already collapsed by the door from anger.

After Chen Juan got his injection, Xin Dayi received a call from Nurse Xiao Zhao saying Old Xin was in emergency care.

Xin Dayi received the call at 2:03 AM.

Old Xin passed away at 2:10 AM.

At that time, he was still on his way…

Well, they would never be grandfather and grandson again.

Xin Dayi knelt in the hospital room crying as if blood would come from his throat. He touched Old Xin’s hand, which was already growing cold.

He had raised him his whole life, only to produce such a grandson.

Xin Dayi was heartbroken – the sky had fallen!

Grandpa, grandpa, grandpa!

The grandfather who always held his hand, no matter how busy with work, always led him to kindergarten and elementary school with those callused hands; who made him hats from grass in the park and told him stories about the Self-Defense Counter-Attack Against Vietnam; who, when others said “Xin Dayi, why are you so much uglier than your brothers,” would spray spittle as he cursed “Get lost! My grandson is the most handsome, the Yan, Wen, and Lu families are nothing!”

He had no father or mother, only a grandfather.

Grandfather equaled father and mother – no, he was closer than anyone who existed or had passed away.

Xin Dayi fell gravely ill, nearly losing half his life.

Old Yan, hearing of his old friend’s death, almost couldn’t catch his breath and rushed back by plane.

Seeing his friend’s memorial photo in the funeral hall, and seeing Yan Xi who had stayed with Dayi for three days and nights without sleep or food, his anger reached its peak. In front of many members of the Yan and Xin factions, he violently slapped his grandson, saying: “You little beast, did you corrupt Dayi? Next step, will you only be satisfied after driving me to my death?” Then he shot a vicious glare at the Lu grandfather and grandson.

The Lu family and Yan faction were at daggers drawn, ready to explode.

Behind Old Yan stood Advisor Zhang and his son. Zhang Ru’s lips carried a subtle smile as he coldly watched Yan Xi.

Behind Yan Xi stood Ah Heng. Ah Heng said: “Grandfather Yan, what are you doing?”

Old Yan looked into Ah Heng’s eyes with unfathomable depth, as if pouring a bucket of ice water over her, and said: “Ah Heng, this has nothing to do with you.”

Old Wen, however, remained steady-eyed, showing no excess emotion.

Several people mourned their friend with bitter tears.

After helping Dayi through Old Xin’s funeral rites, Old Yan threw a passport at Yan Xi, saying: “Come with me, back to America!”

Yan Xi shook his head, saying very seriously: “I want to be with Ah Heng.”

But Old Yan was utterly disappointed. He said: “Are you still using Ah Heng as a cover?”

He said: “Yan Xi, I’ve groomed you all my life, thinking you were intelligent by nature, wanting you to take over my work, but for the sake of a man, you’ve disappointed me too much.”

Yan Xi’s gaze was clear as he said: “I want to be with Ah Heng, it has nothing to do with Lu Liu.”

But Old Yan had already believed the words of his old subordinates and the rumors circulating in Beijing’s upper circles. Yan Xi’s lone voice couldn’t possibly overcome the mighty chorus of public opinion.

As they say, public opinion is fearsome.

Old Yan looked at his grandson’s ears and sighed: “Little Xi, stop being the boy who cried wolf. Even with Ah Heng, look at Old Wen Third’s attitude – he doesn’t want to marry his granddaughter to you. Come back with your grandfather, okay? Grandfather will find you a good doctor to look at your ear condition.”

Yan Xi shook his head, saying: “I want to be with Ah Heng, I want to marry her, I want to have a family.”

But Old Yan hardened his heart and said deeply: “Yan Xi, I give you two choices: one is to come with me; two is to sever all ties with the Yan family!”

He believed his grandson was deceiving him. He absolutely couldn’t allow him to be with a man, making the Yan family a laughingstock. The heir he had groomed for so many years wasn’t some actor.

Yan Xi looked at the sky and suddenly smiled: “If there’s no third option, I choose the second. I want to have a family.”

No more loneliness, no more solitude, no more betrayal, no more abandonment, having someone to protect and someone to protect him.

Old Yan turned away in anger, leaving by plane, and subsequently froze all of Yan Xi’s credit cards.

The high and mighty Yan family no longer had anything to do with Yan Xi.

Before returning to school, Ah Heng had a long talk with her grandfather all night. The next day when family members asked about it, Old Wen held his birdcage and pretended not to hear.

Ah Heng’s test scores were first in the entire college, earning her qualification to study in France.

She asked if she could bring family members.

The college leaders said yes, but it would have to be self-funded.

Ah Heng called and said: “I’ll wait for you in H City. Wait for you, hmm… three days, until the last second before the plane takes off.”

Yan Xi smiled, that smile was truly beautiful, like a child’s.

He said: “Okay.”

On the first day, something happened to Dayi – he was charged with tax evasion amounting to millions. With Old Xin’s body barely cold, Dayi was taken to detention.

Yan Xi asked him: “Did this happen?”

Dayi shook his head: “The accounts were always managed by Chen Juan.”

When they found Rosemary, he was laughing and chatting with Lu Liu.

Yan Xi knew what had happened and found it absurd: “Are you in league with Lu Liu? Was your relationship with Dayi fake?”

Lu Liu smiled – victors always maintain a high posture.

Chen Juan lowered his eyes, his voice bitter: “Yes, I was. You know, I’ve always liked Lu Liu.”

Yan Xi laughed loudly: “This move is brilliant. Was Old Xin’s death also part of your plan? Demolish the Xin family, while the Yan family’s reputation is ruined because of my scandal, leaving only the Lu family standing unmoved. Brilliant, truly brilliant!”

Lu Liu narrowed his eyes and said: “Yan Xi, I told you, I won’t make wedding clothes for others.”

But Yan Xi lifted Chen Juan’s chin, looking down at him with ice-cold eyes, gritting his teeth: “Chen Juan, are your ears deaf like mine? Did you hear? For someone like this, you hurt Xin Dayi who was by your side for eight years!”

Lu Liu cast a bland glance at Chen Juan.

Chen Juan, still sick, began coughing violently: “Yes, what is Xin Dayi anyway? What does his death have to do with me?” Yet his hand gripped the table corner to steady himself.

Yan Xi asked: “Lu Liu, what do you want?”

Lu Liu smiled, asking in return: “Yan Xi, do you have anything left that’s worth my attention? You’ve trampled your soul, put the soul I spent half a lifetime nurturing into someone else – you’re completely useless now. As for Wen Heng, I underestimated that woman, she ruined my life’s work. Didn’t she say she wanted to be with you? I’ll make sure you two can’t be together.”

Yan Xi’s eyes brightened as he laughed: “Lu Liu, when did you become so stupid? Only able to think of such B-grade TV drama plots. It’s just Wen Heng, what’s she worth? So stupid – can Young Master Lu look upon her favorably?”

He made a phone call, right in front of Lu Liu, his gaze burning, his bearing noble: “Wen Heng, you should go. The one I like is Lu Liu. Don’t come back, and stop deceiving yourself. I’ve changed my mind, I won’t go abroad with you.”

Ah Heng was silent, only breathing.

After a while, she said: “I understand.” Then hung up.

Two days remained until the last second before her plane took off.

On the second day, Xin Dayi’s ten million was paid in full, the case was withdrawn, and the prosecutor’s office dropped all charges. Chen Juan disappeared, whereabouts unknown, and all the construction company’s assets vanished with him.

On the third day, Xin Dayi was safely released. Yan Xi took him for a Korean barbecue; between the two brothers, they had less than a hundred yuan.

After the meal, their so-called privileged life vanished like smoke.

Yan Xi’s tone was very gentle, worth the twenty-five years of friendship with Dayi. He patted his shoulder: “Dayi, I have to go see Ah Heng now. Take care of yourself.”

Dayi was suspicious: “Aren’t you afraid Lu Liu will harm Ah Heng…”

Yan Xi smiled, saying: “I’m not afraid. I want to be with Ah Heng, I want to have a family.”

He said: “Live well.”

He drove his wine-red sports car onto the highway.

At 180 kilometers per hour, he let go of the hands beneath his white shirt.

He smiled, so composed.

The car flew like a phoenix of fire, soaring high and far.

He had to see Ah Heng, the Ah Heng who once sang mountain songs for him.

How did that song go again?

If people have wisdom… they match for a hundred years.

If people have wisdom, they match for a hundred years.

What was approaching from the distance?

He closed his eyes, the smile at the corner of his mouth looked just like brilliantly blooming peach blossoms.

In the darkness, blood dripped from his head, his heartbeat growing weaker.

Yan Xi suddenly remembered that his Ah Heng perhaps only wanted a simple “I like you.”

Stumbling through so many years, his little lover never knew how much, how very much he “liked her.”

In just an instant, space and time spun, blood-red scattered across the car window.

On the third day, the ring Ah Heng had always worn close to her heart, the one Yan Xi gave her, the one he thought she had lost, broke its chain.

She gazed one last time at the land they had shared.