After everyone had taken their seats, the elders asked one by one about He Xiaoyuan’s current job, his income, and where he was living. They sighed with emotion that he had now found a good job, gained real capability, and no longer needed people to worry about him. If his mother knew in the afterlife, she would surely be very happy.
“Management trainee—what does that count as? Training for management?” Eldest Uncle asked.
He Xiaoyuan replied, “More or less. It’s a management track.”
Younger Aunt asked, “Then you’re not already in management now, are you?”
He Xiaoyuan answered, “No, I’m currently following projects.”
“The income is decent, right?”
He Xiaoyuan said, “It is. Pretty good.”
…
He Xiaoyuan could clearly feel that everyone’s attitude toward him had changed. They no longer treated him like a child, no longer asked about grades or whether he had enough spending money the way elders used to.
When his uncles and aunts spoke to him now, whether in expression, tone, or content, it leaned more toward an equal conversation than that of elders to a junior.
His own state was different from before as well. To put it simply, he used to feel a kind of psychological pressure when chatting with elders—he would answer when asked, but wouldn’t say much on his own.
Now not only was that pressure completely gone, his heart felt light. When he looked at his uncles and aunts, he no longer had the upward, deferential perspective of a junior toward elders from childhood. He could converse naturally and even initiate topics himself.
He Xiaoyuan knew very well that all these changes had begun when he found a good job, earned his own money, became independent, and could stand on his own.
He understood it all.
He adapted to these changes and was grateful for them, grateful that they allowed him to sit here naturally, without awkwardness, facing everyone’s inquiries and concern.
When they had first sat down, things had indeed been a bit awkward. Everyone seemed unaccustomed to this shift. But as they talked, it gradually became natural—chatting about everyday matters, saying this and that.
In the middle of it, He Xiaoyuan received a message from Lu Chen, asking: 【Did it go smoothly?】
He Xiaoyuan replied: 【Pretty good.】
Lu Chen sent: 【Big dinosaur pats little dinosaur.jpg】
At that moment, Auntie came out of the bedroom wearing one of the coats He Xiaoyuan had given her. She showed everyone how it looked and received unanimous approval.
“Not bad.” “Looks really good.”
Auntie beamed. “I just searched it—this coat sells online for several thousand.”
He Xiaoyuan turned to look and smiled. “Then we came out ahead.”
Auntie laughed. “Ahead—way ahead.”
Happily she said, “I don’t even need to buy clothes for the New Year anymore. I really benefited from Xiaoyuan this time.”
At noon, Uncle-in-law, who was a chef, took charge in the kitchen, and everyone gathered to eat together at home.
During the meal there was laughter and conversation, a warm atmosphere—the kind of big-family harmony He Xiaoyuan had hoped for.
After the meal, Younger Uncle and Eldest Uncle went to the north balcony to smoke and called He Xiaoyuan along.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t smoke, but the three men stood together talking.
At first they chatted casually. His uncles asked how the past half year had been for him and whether work was going smoothly.
Then the conversation turned to the matter of Auntie taking back He Xiaoyuan’s small room earlier and giving it to his cousin as a study room for exam preparation.
Younger Uncle’s view was that this really had been Auntie’s fault—she had originally promised his mother to keep a room for him.
After they found out, they all blamed Auntie for being in the wrong and the cousin for being inconsiderate. They told He Xiaoyuan not to blame Auntie and not to take it to heart.
Eldest Uncle said, “You also worked hard yourself—found a job and moved out, so you didn’t have to squeeze in together anymore.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled and said, “I don’t live there anymore. An empty room is still empty—letting my cousin use it is no big deal.”
Eldest Uncle said, “That may be so, but what should have been given to you, what was promised back then—if it wasn’t done, then it’s the fault of the one who failed to do it.”
“Your generosity is your generosity. Not holding it against anyone is your good nature. We all know that.”
Younger Uncle then comforted He Xiaoyuan. “It’s fine. In the future, you’ll be buying a place too. A man—of course you’ll need to buy a home to get married.”
“When the time comes, the few families can pool together, chip in some money. At the very least, we can help you put together one bedroom, so you won’t be wronged.”
He Xiaoyuan’s heart, which had already settled, sank firmly into place once again.
Pooling together for a bedroom—did he really lack that money now?
Of course not.
What does a person live for, when it comes to relatives?
Of course, nothing material at all.
But having those words, having that attitude, made He Xiaoyuan feel at once that today’s visit home had not been in vain.
He thought about how, over the years, his relatives hadn’t treated him exceptionally well—but they had never treated him poorly either. In his early years, they helped scrape together tuition and living expenses; during holidays, they showed concern and gave red envelopes.
At the end of the day, they were all ordinary wage earners. Raising one extra child was clearly a burden. That he had grown up safe and sound, smoothly and steadily, was due not only to his own grit and effort, but also to the real contribution and hard work of his relatives and elders.
Even without talking about repayment, he ought to be grateful.
His earlier hesitation about whether to come back and how to face his relatives made him seem, in hindsight, somewhat like an “ungrateful white-eyed wolf.”
He Xiaoyuan was glad he had thought it through.
He even went to take a look at the north room—his former small bedroom from years ago. Although the layout and furnishings had all changed and there wasn’t a trace of how it used to be, the wallpaper, the cabinets, and the windows were still the same as before.
Seeing the place before his eyes stirred memories of the past for He Xiaoyuan. Thinking about how he had lived here for many years, he felt a swell of emotion. He raised his phone, took a photo, and without much thought, sent it to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen: 【Hm?】
He Xiaoyuan: 【Showing you the place where I grew up.】
Lu Chen didn’t say much, only asked: 【Do you feel attached to it?】
He Xiaoyuan: 【No.】
He Xiaoyuan: 【Just felt a bit emotional seeing it.】
Lu Chen: 【What kind of emotion?】
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment, then replied mischievously: 【Not telling you.】
A little after two in the afternoon, He Xiaoyuan sent Lu Chen a message saying he was about to leave.
Before he left, the cousin who had once insisted he would never get into Sipru asked him, “Is it hard to get into your company?”
He Xiaoyuan teased him. “You’ll need to get into a 985. A 211 won’t cut it.”
The cousin, knowing he was in the wrong, let He Xiaoyuan get a jab in. He slung an arm around He Xiaoyuan’s shoulder and sighed. “I want to take the exam earlier too. My mom brings you up every day now—my head’s about to explode.”
Then, gossiping, he asked, “Can you make five hundred thousand a year now? I heard Sipru pays their management trainees really well.”
More than five hundred thousand.
It really was high.
But He Xiaoyuan didn’t say it outright. When everyone had asked earlier about his salary, he had been very conservative, only saying a little over ten thousand before tax.
Now that his cousin asked, he still didn’t reveal the truth. “You’ll know when you get in.”
The cousin said familiarly, “Remember to give me an internal referral then.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled. “You should pass your graduate exam first.”
Leaving Auntie’s place, He Xiaoyuan felt light all over.
It was completely different from what he had imagined—his family’s attitude, the overall atmosphere, and his own state of mind.
Standing in the elevator, He Xiaoyuan smiled to himself, thinking this was pretty good, smoothly wrapped up and complete.
When he walked out of the building, the X7 was already waiting at the entrance. He pulled open the passenger door and got in, his tone light and cheerful. “That fast?”
He had just sent the message and it was already there. He’d thought he’d have to wait a while.
Lu Chen had actually been nearby, not far away, so he arrived quickly.
He didn’t explain much. He glanced at the passenger seat, saw the young man’s expression, and knew everything had gone smoothly today.
They didn’t immediately talk about He Xiaoyuan’s visit home. Instead, they chatted idly about this and that, then confirmed where they were heading.
Lu Chen said, “My place?”
He Xiaoyuan asked first, “Eat out tonight, or eat at home?”
Lu Chen, driving, replied, “Either is fine.”
He Xiaoyuan glanced at Lu Chen’s steering wheel and suddenly thought of something. “Why don’t we go check out a used car market?”
Lu Chen turned his head. “Hm?”
So for a good part of the afternoon, Lu Chen accompanied He Xiaoyuan around the used car market.
Unlike a 4S dealership, the car lots had all kinds of brands. The cars were displayed in brightly lit showrooms, their paint gleaming, spotless and dust-free, even covered with white protective film to prevent scratches—looking just like new cars.
The salespeople and owners talked smoothly and confidently, giving the impression that buying a used car was the sensible path of life. If He Xiaoyuan hadn’t known little about cars and hadn’t always been conservative about spending money, he might have been tempted to pull out his wallet on the spot.
They saw so many cars—B-segment sedans, SUVs, joint ventures, German makes, BBA brands—that it was dizzying, no different from accompanying Xu Ruomeng on a bag-shopping spree.
Walk, walk, walk. Whether to buy or not could wait—no rush anyway.
That was He Xiaoyuan’s final thought.
Turning his head, he noticed Lu Chen looking at a white four-door Porsche.
Does he like it?
He Xiaoyuan waited to the side.
Lu Chen looked over the car and chatted with the owner for a bit. Before long, he turned and walked back to He Xiaoyuan.
As they left together, heading outside, He Xiaoyuan asked, “You like that one?”
Lu Chen replied, “I think it’d suit you to drive.”
He Xiaoyuan’s eyes widened. Him?
BBA brands weren’t even within his consideration, let alone a Porsche.
He Xiaoyuan shook his head and muttered, “Too expensive.”
Lu Chen glanced at the young man beside him and said nothing.
When they reached the parking lot and walked up to the X7, Lu Chen draped an arm over He Xiaoyuan’s shoulder and guided him toward the driver’s side. “You drive.”
He Xiaoyuan: Huh?
Getting into the car and sitting behind the steering wheel, the much higher vantage point compared to the driving school cars felt unfamiliar—and yet exciting, probably because men all liked cars.
After adjusting the seat and gripping the steering wheel with both hands, he started the car. As it moved, He Xiaoyuan turned his head happily, with a bit of excitement, to look at Lu Chen. His expression clearly said: It’s moving, it’s moving, it’s moving!
Lu Chen watched him with a smile. “Practicing at driving school and actually driving on the road are different. The road conditions are more complicated—pay attention yourself.”
Then he added, “Don’t be afraid. Drive boldly.”
He Xiaoyuan kept his eyes on the road, hands steady on the wheel. His expression was composed, but there was unmistakable excitement and nervousness in his eyes.
Once the car really got going and the speed hit sixty, He Xiaoyuan let out a soft “Mm,” then said to Lu Chen in the passenger seat, “This is way easier to drive than the driving school car.”
Lu Chen smiled. After a while, he asked, “Do you like it?”
He Xiaoyuan turned to look at the passenger seat, thinking Lu Chen meant whether he liked driving. He answered happily, “I like it.”
Back at Yanlan Bay, after dinner, the two of them took a ball and went to the court.
They played until they were drenched in sweat. After finishing, Lu Chen leaned back on a bench to rest and drink water, while He Xiaoyuan sat beside him wiping the sweat from his neck with a tissue.
As the weather grew cooler, the court was often empty at night.
The nearby streetlights cast dim light, while the buildings in the distance were brightly lit.
Everything around them was silent—the hoop, the chain-link fence, the shadows of trees all still.
After sweating through a workout and then sitting quietly like this, He Xiaoyuan felt both physically refreshed and inwardly calm.
He liked nights like this.
Leaning back against the bench, he immersed himself in the quiet for a while, savoring it, before casually chatting with Lu Chen about the day.
He told him that when he walked in, he had already prepared himself to muster the courage and take the initiative first; that his aunts and uncles had all been very warm; that everyone had deliberately come because they knew he was returning, and that their words showed genuine concern, asking him many questions; that the atmosphere was excellent—the kind of harmonious, warm big-family feeling he wanted—and that it had all gone better than he had expected.
After finishing, He Xiaoyuan paused, then turned to Lu Chen and, in a tone of self-reflection, said, “Though, when I was little, I did have my opinions about them.”
The young man spoke directly, without hesitation. Perhaps the night made him more willing to open up, or perhaps it was the familiarity he felt with Lu Chen.
Lu Chen remained quiet, sitting and listening.
He Xiaoyuan continued, recalling, “Back then, living with Auntie and my cousin, even when there was fruit on the table, I had to think twice about whether I could eat any of it.”
“When Auntie and Uncle and my cousin were talking in the living room, I couldn’t fit in. I could only retreat to my little room.”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t give more examples—he just stated it plainly, without showing emotion while speaking. He summed it up: “At that time, I felt none of them really treated me as part of the family. Both uncles, my aunt, and Auntie each had their own family. I was always an outsider wherever I was.”
Lu Chen listened attentively and, when He Xiaoyuan finished, spoke gently, “You felt very disappointed, didn’t you?”
He Xiaoyuan nodded slightly. “Yeah.”
It was more than just disappointment—it hurt, especially back when he was little, just after his mother passed away. Living with Auntie’s family, instinctively wanting to rely on those around him, only to feel like an outsider, was particularly painful.
“But it got better later, when I grew up a bit and understood that I really wasn’t part of their immediate family,” he said, his tone light.
But Lu Chen could sense how much hardship, endurance, and loneliness underlay that lightness.
He hadn’t experienced these things himself, so he couldn’t fully empathize, but he understood and felt quietly protective.
He Xiaoyuan continued his self-analysis: “When I was little, at school, I really hoped my aunt and uncles would treat me like their own child, with care and attention.”
“I didn’t get that. Honestly, it made me sad.”
“From my perspective at the time, I felt they weren’t treating me well.”
Lu Chen listened patiently, guiding him: “And now?”
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment, responding rationally and calmly: “Now, I realize I wasn’t their child to begin with. Raising an extra child—especially for Auntie’s family, with their ordinary income—is not a small burden.”
“They never scolded me, never hit me, never turned me away. They gave me a place to live, food to eat, a chance to go to school, and I grew up safe and sound. Over the years, that’s not easy at all.”
“It’s not that I thought they were treating me poorly, so they were actually bad people.”
“I had expectations, and they had limitations and hardships in life.”
“I’ve grown up, and they’ve contributed in their way.”
“Now that I’m independent, earning my own living, I don’t owe them anything, but I still feel gratitude and want to give back—bringing gifts on holidays, visiting them, spending time together.”
Lu Chen listened, quietly marveling at the young man’s mature and rational mindset.
It was rare—he had seen too many young people stuck in rigid thinking, unable to let go, feeling the world owed them something.
He Xiaoyuan’s analysis and self-reconciliation showed wisdom and emotional intelligence far beyond his years. He neither exaggerated generosity nor neglected reality—he simply allowed himself to understand.
Lu Chen admired it, and at the same time felt tender concern.
He said nothing, only placed a hand on He Xiaoyuan’s back, a gesture of comfort and reassurance.
He Xiaoyuan turned to look at Lu Chen. “What do you think? Am I right?”
Lu Chen met his clear gaze and finally spoke: “It’s not about being right or wrong—it’s about your own heart.”
“Is this the state you want? If it is, others’ opinions don’t matter at all. Follow your heart.”
“If it isn’t, then don’t force yourself under any circumstances.”
“Grand principles are empty. Your own feelings are what’s real.”
“If you feel wronged, don’t want to see someone, don’t force yourself.”
“If you feel happy, think it’s nice to gather together, then do what feels right.”
Lu Chen continued: “Life isn’t work. If work doesn’t go well, you can avoid it, quit, or change jobs. Life doesn’t have to be perfect or perfectly managed either.”
“It’s about following your heart and being happy.”
He Xiaoyuan had received much guidance from Lu Chen at work before, but this was the first time it extended beyond professional advice.
Follow your heart? Be happy yourself?
No one had ever said that to him before.
Not even someone as close as Xu Ruomeng, whose birthday wishes and holiday greetings always revolved around making money, getting rich, buying property.
Follow your heart… be happy…
Looking into Lu Chen’s eyes, He Xiaoyuan realized this was Lu Chen’s gentle reassurance.
It was perhaps the purest kind of gift one person could give another.
Warmth spread through He Xiaoyuan’s chest.
He met Lu Chen’s gaze with clarity, thinking: How could Lu Chen not know more practical, realistic ways to advise me?
But he hadn’t said that. He said “follow your heart, be happy,” because all along, he had been too kind, too gentle with him.
This man—experienced in life, skilled in his career, wise about human nature—was still willing to patiently listen to the immature, naive analysis and confessions of someone so much younger.
This downward-compatible tenderness was like a towering tree providing shade for a small plant.
Like the starry sky dotting the night around a lone lamp.
Deep inside, He Xiaoyuan was profoundly moved.
He had initially just wanted to chat casually, to analyze his feelings and vent a little.
But he hadn’t expected to receive such pure, comforting care in return.
In the end, it was Lu Chen who soothed and comforted him.
He Xiaoyuan turned to look at him, his low voice tinged with a hint of bewilderment, murmuring, “Why are you so good?”
Lu Chen smiled, his gaze dark and focused under the dim light, his hand still resting on the young man’s back.
He Xiaoyuan murmured again, “Are you always this good to the people around you?”
Lu Chen: “Not really.”
“You saw in the office—my temper isn’t great, and everyone’s afraid of me.”
He Xiaoyuan wanted to know—what about others? Friends? Are they treated the same way?
Lu Chen slowly leaned closer, lifting his hand on He Xiaoyuan’s back to gently pinch the delicate, slightly sweaty nape of his neck, which looked pale under the dim light. His voice was soft and tender: “Only with you.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked, looking obedient and a little shy.
Lu Chen guided gently: “If I treat you like this, and someone treasures you, you have to take care of yourself too, understand?”
“Learn to let things go, but never let yourself be wronged.”
“The world doesn’t revolve around you—so you must be kind to yourself.”
“Got it?”
He Xiaoyuan nodded firmly, obediently: “Mm.”
Lu Chen smiled, squeezed the slightly damp neck again, and ran his palm over the back of his head before withdrawing.
He Xiaoyuan quietly glanced at Lu Chen, rubbing his neck, feeling moved but also sensing something a little unusual.
?
He Xiaoyuan didn’t quite figure it out—he just felt, like He He, that Lu Chen’s gentle touches were pleasant, especially emotionally.
As the two of them walked back with the ball, their shadows stretching long on the ground, He Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered something and looked to the side, puzzled: “Why are you so good to me?”
Lu Chen replied calmly, turning to him with a composed expression: “Because I like you.”
He Xiaoyuan froze in place.
Lu Chen smiled, spinning the ball on his fingertip, light and teasing: “You don’t like me?”