The next day, New Year’s Day, He Xiaoyuan wore the new clothes Lu Chen had gifted him—bright, festive, and cheerful—and went to the zoo with Lu Chen.
This outing had been planned by Lu Chen the night before, insisting that He Xiaoyuan was like a little kid, and little kids should go out to play.
He Xiaoyuan hadn’t visited a zoo in many years, especially one that had been fully rebuilt with multiple themed sections.
Inside, he truly behaved like a child—“Wow!” at the flamingos, “Wow!” at the peacocks climbing trees, and “Wow!” at the ostriches being fed cabbage at the fence.
Lu Chen acted like a guardian, taking care of directions, buying water and food, and photographing every moment.
At the small petting area, Lu Chen bought ten feeding packs at once, letting He Xiaoyuan feed rabbits, goats, horses, and cows in front of envious real children.
While feeding the horse, Lu Chen stood nearby, reaching through the wooden fence to pat the little horse, looking very fond of it.
He Xiaoyuan, feeding the horse, asked, “Can you ride a horse?”
“Mm,” Lu Chen replied.
He Xiaoyuan guessed from Lu Chen’s background: “Are you a high-tier VIP at the stables?”
Lu Chen laughed, then corrected He Xiaoyuan: “Clubs usually just charge a membership fee.”
Hearing “membership fee,” He Xiaoyuan immediately guessed: “You don’t happen to have your own horse, do you?”
“Almost,” Lu Chen replied.
He Xiaoyuan: “Is keeping a horse expensive?”
“Not sure. It’s a personal investment. Chen Jun handles that part,” Lu Chen said.
He Xiaoyuan caught the key point: “Investment? You’re not actually keeping horses yourself… it’s the stables, right?”
Lu Chen confirmed.
Excited, He Xiaoyuan fed a horse with one hand while pretending to pinch his own philtrum with the other.
Lu Chen, amused, reached to stop him and said calmly, “It’s just a stable—it doesn’t cost that much.”
He Xiaoyuan thought to himself: “Doesn’t cost that much? You’re already a top-tier professional, yet you spend like this? Ordinary people don’t even keep horses, let alone a whole stable!”
Facing the little pony, he said sincerely, “You should’ve said earlier! We could’ve gone straight to the stables and saved the zoo entrance and feeding-pack money.”
Lu Chen chuckled: “Saved how much?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Even a little counts.”
Lu Chen smiled. They exchanged glances, both in high spirits.
On the second day, Lu Chen arranged another trip—this time to the horse stables they had talked about yesterday.
The stables were vast, with both indoor and outdoor arenas. There were outdoor tracks where He Xiaoyuan rode alone, and another horse he rode with Lu Chen. He tried riding fast, shouting with excitement.
Lu Chen pulled the reins to slow the horse and jokingly asked what all the shouting was about.
“I’m happy!” He Xiaoyuan exclaimed.
He added, “It must be great to be rich—I want to invest in stables too.”
“Profitable?” he asked.
“No,” Lu Chen said.
He Xiaoyuan immediately backtracked: “Alright, then I’m not qualified to invest.”
Lu Chen couldn’t help but laugh.
He Xiaoyuan turned and asked: “What’s so funny?”
Lu Chen held the reins with one hand, the other looping from He Xiaoyuan’s waist to the front, holding the saddle for support, and said: “Just thinking about what goes on in your head all day.”
He Xiaoyuan, matter-of-factly, asked: “If it doesn’t make money, why invest?”
Lu Chen replied naturally: “If money isn’t spent, what’s the point of leaving it there?”
He Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but marvel at how Lu Chen spent money—so freely, and in so many different ways.
At that moment, he didn’t even realize why he was paying so much attention to how Lu Chen spent, or whether the investments might fail.
During a break, his professional instincts kicked in, and he even discussed stable management and daily cash flow with Lu Chen, to make sure it wouldn’t run at a loss.
After confirming the stables genuinely didn’t make money, losing each year, He Xiaoyuan sighed quietly.
Lu Chen laughed: “Feeling sorry for my money already?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Aren’t you worried about it yourself?”
Lu Chen replied calmly: “There will always be times we take a loss.”
He Xiaoyuan: This man is a real spendthrift.
Later, in the stables, they brushed and bathed the horses. He Xiaoyuan completely forgot about the money lost on the stables, having the time of his life.
On the third day, Lu Chen arranged a trip with Yang Yun and Guan Xingping to the countryside for fishing.
This wasn’t simple shore fishing—they took a boat to the middle of the lake.
He Xiaoyuan learned to add bait, cast the line, and reel it in, and even caught a big fish, experiencing the joy of fishing firsthand.
On the fourth day, they went to a theme park based on his favorite movies.
They explored each themed area. Despite the crowds and lines, He Xiaoyuan had an amazing time.
Because there was a fireworks show in the evening, they stayed after playing to have dinner and then reached one of the viewing spots.
By the time they arrived, the area was crowded—everyone was standing.
It was a clear night, and the cold wind quickly crept over them. Nearby couples shared coats to keep each other warm.
He Xiaoyuan noticed and looked again. Lu Chen turned to him: “Cold?”
He Xiaoyuan redirected his gaze from the couple, looking at Lu Chen: “Not cold.”
A blue-toned firework exploded above them.
He Xiaoyuan lifted his head, and Lu Chen followed. Around them, people exclaimed, “Wow!”
Fireworks burst one after another. The view, different from the previous night, was even more mesmerizing.
He Xiaoyuan’s hands naturally fell to his sides.
At some point, Lu Chen’s warm hand reached over, covering He Xiaoyuan’s cold fingers, gently holding them and leading them into the pocket of his coat.
He Xiaoyuan felt the warmth spread from Lu Chen’s hand along his arm into his chest. His heart raced, and his awareness, like fireworks, exploded in color and sensation.
His gaze, focused on Lu Chen, carried a passion he hadn’t fully realized in himself.
“Boom, boom.”
The fireworks continued above. He Xiaoyuan felt as if each burst was igniting in his heart.
Lu Chen squeezed his hand slightly, tilting his head, and said: “Like it? If you do, one day I’ll take you somewhere and let you set off as many as you want.”
He Gaoyuan looked at Lu Chen, his eyes darting like a startled fawn.
Gaoyuan smiled, his expression fully focused on the man before him, his pupils reflecting the colorful fireworks.
“Sure,” he said softly.
After the fireworks show ended, Gaoyuan and Lu Chen followed the crowd toward the amusement park exit.
Along the way, Lu Chen received a call from Yang Yun: “Where are you guys? Finished at the park? Want to continue the night with some fun?”
Gaoyuan happened to be holding his phone and saw that in the small group chat of just him, Lu Chen, Yang Yun, and Guan Xingping, Guan Xingping had tagged him, asking if they wanted to hang out tonight.
Gaoyuan cradled his phone, typing: Where? Late-night snack?
Guan Xingping replied: Will there be drinking?
Lu Chen, hearing Guan Xingping mention drinking from Yang Yun over the phone, knew that Yang Yun couldn’t decide for everyone, so he hung up without saying anything further.
Walking beside Gaoyuan, Lu Chen didn’t check the group chat, but leaned closer to glance at Gaoyuan’s phone and asked, “Where are they planning to go?”
Gaoyuan moved the phone closer to him, their shoulders brushing.
“Guan said drinking, at a winery on Jinshan Road.”
He paused, then asked, “Do you know the place?”
Lu Chen scanned the chat and replied casually, “Yeah, been there.”
Gaoyuan hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to go—not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t drink.
“Should we go?” he asked Lu Chen.
Lu Chen lifted his gaze from the phone to look at the boy beside him. “You don’t want to go?”
Gaoyuan laughed. “I can’t drink.”
He thought for a moment, then decisively said, “Let’s go. I’ve never seen a winery before—might as well check it out.”
So they drove toward Jinshan Road.
At one point during the drive, Gaoyuan found himself glancing at Lu Chen a little longer than he realized.
Noticing, Lu Chen tilted his head slightly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Gaoyuan froze for a moment, then realized he had been staring and quickly looked away. “Nothing.”
He felt a bit guilty, though he wasn’t sure why.
When they arrived at the winery Guan Xingping and Yang Yun had mentioned, Gaoyuan checked the location on his phone and glanced at the entrance the car was passing through. He realized it was actually a resort complex with a hotel and attractions.
Curious, he searched for the resort’s hotel online and confirmed it matched the address.
He looked at Lu Chen, surprised and confused: “I thought it was a winery.”
Lu Chen replied calmly, “It’s a complex.”
Gaoyuan didn’t think much of it at first, assuming it was just a place to have fun. But as the car drove further in, he saw peacocks strolling on the nearby lawn and immediately thought of Lu Chen’s horse ranch. Stunned, he turned to Lu Chen: “This… isn’t someone’s investment too, is it?”
Driving calmly, Lu Chen said, “Guan Xingping likes peacocks, and Old Yang invested to please his wife.”
Gaoyuan’s jaw dropped. “So the winery is actually private property?”
Lu Chen, with his usual tone: “There just happened to be a place here, so I had Chen Jun store some wine here.”
Meaning, the winery belonged to him.
Gaoyuan went quiet for a moment, then started clapping.
Lu Chen glanced at him, amused. “What’s so funny now?”
Gaoyuan admitted openly, “This is pure luxury without any restraint.”
Lu Chen laughed.
They parked and got out. Gaoyuan looked around and noticed lush greenery all around, with shrubs blocking the outer road to create a secluded area. At the top of a slope stood a two-story detached villa.
The courtyard had lights, a cobblestone path, and a shaded outdoor seating area in front of the villa. Decorative lights glimmered, creating a cozy, atmospheric vibe.
Yang Yun and Guan Xingping hadn’t arrived yet, so Lu Chen led Gaoyuan inside. The interior was fully European in style, luxurious and grand, with a fireplace burning warmly.
Gaoyuan reached to take off his coat, but Lu Chen stopped him, saying the basement was cold and he should keep it on until they came back upstairs.
They descended the stairs, and Gaoyuan asked, “Are all the wines downstairs?”
Lu Chen: “Yeah, in the wine cellar.”
The word “wine cellar” instantly made Gaoyuan picture the dark redbrick, barrel-lined wine cellars he’d seen in documentaries.
But when they arrived, Lu Chen’s cellar was completely different:
Modern, sleek racks leaned slightly forward or formed individual compartments along the walls, all filled with wine bottles. Every visible space was lined with wine. Bright LED strips highlighted the racks, creating an elegant ambiance.
It was Gaoyuan’s first time seeing so much wine, and he was impressed.
“How many bottles are here?” he asked Lu Chen, not daring to touch any, only looking.
Lu Chen, casually picking up bottles like shopping, replied: “A few thousand, I guess.”
Gaoyuan thought to himself: must be expensive. Anything Lu Chen owns is probably not cheap.
At the same time, he felt he had gained more knowledge and experience just by coming here.
Gaoyuan didn’t know much about wine, only recognizing some letters and words on the bottles, partially comprehensible but mostly foreign. Were these all for collection?
Wouldn’t they drink them? He was puzzled.
Lu Chen, walking ahead, held two glasses in one hand and a corkscrew in the other. He came over to Gaoyuan, set the glasses and corkscrew on an empty shelf, scanned the nearby racks, picked out a bottle, removed the foil, and used the opener to pull the cork.
He poured a small amount—just enough to cover the bottom of the glass—and handed it to Gaoyuan.
He Xiaoyuan took the glass, puzzled. “Just like this?”
“Red wine usually needs to breathe first, right?”
Lu Chen said calmly, “Yeah, just like this.”
The cork wasn’t put back in; the bottle sat open on a small round table nearby, face-to-face with Gaoyuan.
“Try it,” Lu Chen said.
Knowing Gaoyuan couldn’t drink, he hadn’t poured much. He’d deliberately chosen a bottle with low alcohol content and a sweeter flavor, thinking the boy could handle it.
Gaoyuan held the stem, lifted the glass to his lips, and sipped quietly.
Lu Chen, curious, asked, “How is it?”
Gaoyuan pursed his lips, tasting, then gave a vague “Not bad.” He couldn’t really describe it—he didn’t drink, let alone red wine.
Lu Chen selected another bottle from the rack, opened it the same way, poured a little into another empty glass, and handed it to Gaoyuan.
After tasting, Gaoyuan said, “This one feels a little fuller than the first one.”
Lu Chen picked a third bottle, poured a little into a glass: “Try this one.”
Gaoyuan sipped again, taking more time to savor it, but his verdict remained, “Slightly different, but I feel it’s all pretty similar.”
Lu Chen watched him closely.
Gaoyuan pressed his lips together and concluded: “Wine isn’t very tasty.”
Lu Chen smiled, not taking offense, nor judging Gaoyuan’s lack of experience. He nodded, understanding, and said, “I know, compared to wine, you still prefer coconut juice.”
“Just let you taste a bit,” he added, purely to pass the time and give Gaoyuan some experience—much like taking him to the zoo.
By now, Gaoyuan had grown curious about the wine itself, asking:
“Are these organized by brand or type?”
“Is older wine always better?”
Lu Chen poured himself a little, using the same glass Gaoyuan drank from, one hand in his pocket, sipping as he answered, “It’s both—by brand and type. Not necessarily better with age. The cork isn’t perfectly sealed, so some wines are fine after two or three years, but if stored too long, the alcohol evaporates and affects the taste.”
Gaoyuan peered between the wine racks. “All red wine?”
“Yes,” Lu Chen confirmed.
Gaoyuan thought of something: “Like a 1982 Lafite?”
Lu Chen walked over to a rack, paused, scanned the labels, and handed a bottle to Gaoyuan: “This one?”
Gaoyuan examined it. The slightly aged paper label showed a château illustration, and the ornate foreign writing included “Lafite,” though the vintage wasn’t 1982—slightly later.
Looking down, he heard Lu Chen’s voice: “This wine isn’t really for drinking anymore—mostly for collection. Even opened, it won’t taste great.”
He added, “I don’t like wines that are too old. There’s probably no ’82 here; I’ll have Chen Jun look, we should be able to find it.”
Gaoyuan looked up, holding the bottle, and asked, “Expensive?”
Lu Chen replied calmly, “Yeah, a bit.”
Gaoyuan handed it back, amused by Lu Chen’s unshakable composure in all things.
Lu Chen then handed him another bottle: “Same age as you.”
Gaoyuan looked and saw the vintage matched his birth year.
A bottle the same age as him. He found it amusing and smiled.
Lu Chen asked, “Want to try it?”
Gaoyuan chuckled, joking: “No, let it keep ‘living.’”
He knew older wines weren’t meant to be drunk—it was mostly for collection.
He teased, “If I don’t come, it can stay; if I come, someone’ll drink it.”
Lu Chen heard the phrase “someone’ll drink it” and smiled to himself.
Later, when Yang Yun and Guan Xingping arrived, they found the place empty except for Lu Chen and Gaoyuan, who were already playing a wine-tasting game:
Ten glasses were set on a wooden table, each with a bit of wine. Opened bottles were pushed aside in the corner. Gaoyuan stood by casually, while Lu Chen sipped, guessing the type and vintage of each wine.
When Yang Yun and Guan Xingping arrived, the first four glasses were already nearly empty, Lu Chen tasting the fifth.
Seeing them, Lu Chen looked up briefly, and Gaoyuan turned to greet them: “Teacher Guan, Mr. Yang.”
Yang Yun looked over, full of interest: “Oh!”
Guan Xingping approached Gaoyuan, placed a hand on his shoulder, and asked with a curious glance how he was doing.
Gaoyuan covered his mouth slightly, whispering so as not to disturb Lu Chen: “Got the first four right.”
Yang Yun exclaimed again, and Guan Xingping smiled softly, intrigued.
He leaned closer to whisper to Gaoyuan: “He knows. There are courses for this; you can learn.”
Gaoyuan whispered back: “Courses too?”
Guan Xingping nodded.
Yang Yun circled the table toward Lu Chen, eager to join, reaching for the wine in Lu Chen’s hand: “Should I guess too? Must it take this long? I’ll do it.”
Lu Chen moved the glass away, holding it out of reach.
“You stingy thing,” Yang Yun muttered.
He grabbed another untouched glass from the table, drank it all in one gulp as if it were a soda, and then said, “Grapevine wine! From last year!”
Guan Xingping had been talking to He Xiaoyuan, but upon hearing Yang Yun’s exclamation, she looked over and laughed, scolding, “Go on!”
Lu Chen spoke up at that moment: “Malbec, five to seven years old.”