TPIL - 10

“So,” Qi Xiaochuan’s expression looked as if a bayonet was pressed against his spine, yet there was clearly no one behind him. This made his awkwardness all the more apparent. “Would you like to have dinner together?”

Even with observational skills that approached the speed of light, it would be hard to detect any hesitation on Luo Andi’s face. She smiled and replied, “Sure.”

She probably didn’t realize that the moment she uttered the word “sure,” his heart soared as if he had won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics — assuming Tokyo could successfully host the games.

“I know a decent place around here...” Qi Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief, already preparing to bring out the highest standard restaurant suitable for entertaining guests — both Chinese and Western cuisine, appropriate for all ages. However, Luo Andi seemed to suddenly think of something else.

“Ah!” She was like a high school girl rushing forward after school, only to encounter a red light at the crossroads. In an instant, she asked, “Can we go to my place?”

After growing up and mingling in society for so long, Qi Xiaochuan had encountered plenty of such people. Using his father’s drunken scolding of corrupt officials on TV during his layoff days: “Having a bit of money makes them think they’re something special.” At that time, Qi Xiaochuan was preparing for his middle school exams and merely complained blandly, “You’re disturbing my reading,” never imagining that one day he would become someone with so much money.

And only after truly becoming wealthy did he realize it wasn’t that having money made you think highly of yourself, but rather that when you had money, others treated you differently.

Men did, women did; countless individuals had said this to him.

Intimate settings often seemed to accelerate relationships between the opposite sex rapidly. A simple invitation could carry numerous implications of push and pull among adults, filled with ambiguous and mature atmospheres. But the person in question was Luo Andi.

The Luo Andi who watched the deleted scenes of “Titanic” with friends while smiling and not averting her gaze.

Qi Xiaochuan asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Mm,” Luo Andi replied, “I found an injured kitten a while ago, took it to the veterinary hospital, and then had to bring it home... I planned to buy ingredients for cat food today.”

He wasn’t surprised at all because it was Luo Andi speaking. There was no need to furrow his brow or suspect anything untoward. Qi Xiaochuan said, “Then I’ll accompany you.”

He drove her to a members-only department store. Luo Andi picked things up while Qi Xiaochuan carried them and paid.

He said, “It was me who suggested treating you to dinner.”

She smiled and didn’t stand on ceremony, revealing her affluent upbringing through these subtle actions: “The little cat thanks you too.”

If not for seeing it with his own eyes, it would be hard to imagine Luo Andi living in such a place now. It wasn’t terrible conditions; just a regular residential neighborhood. But compared to the memories of the girl always wearing princess dresses, it was worlds apart.

The last time he heard about the Luo family was during his university years, one autumn deep into the season. Qi Xiaochuan rarely went home, regularly sending money back instead, sums that were astronomical for someone his age. The amount was so large that his father suspected he was either running an underground □□ or working at illegal establishments. Once, he even secretly called Qi Xiaochuan’s university counselor, only to learn that his son frequently skipped classes, nearly causing him to call the police out of shock.

That time he returned because his mother was diagnosed with multiple kidney stones and needed surgery while bedridden. The hospital’s efficiency was low, and Qi Xiaochuan’s father was beside himself with worry. Qi Xiaochuan arrived just in time, efficiently arranging a transfer and subsequent follow-ups, hiring a caregiver, and looking after his mother until she was discharged.

He had just turned twenty, quietly standing by the hospital room door, head bowed, listening to the doctor’s instructions. In reality, the situation wasn’t optimistic; laser treatment might not be enough, and they had to prepare for the worst. But he remained calm, walking to his mother’s bedside and saying steadily, “It’s okay, it will get better.”

During that period, he occasionally accompanied his father for fresh air. On one hand, Old Qi wanted to assert his patriarchal authority and share life experiences to educate Little Qi. On the other hand, Little Qi worried that Old Qi would suffocate staying in the hospital all day.

They bought croissants from the convenience store in the hospital and aimlessly walked along the riverside. Suddenly, his father said, “Do you know? Boss Luo failed in business, and the Luo family went bankrupt.”

“What?” Qi Xiaochuan hadn’t eaten all day. At that time, he was still selling women’s clothing, shuttling between factories and office buildings, plus needing to visit the hospital, sleeping less than three hours a day, with two-thirds of that being fragmented sleep. Under such circumstances, going hungry was commonplace. For instance, at that moment, he was wolfing down a dry croissant, very thirsty, yet still managed to speak with a hoarse throat.

“Your mother heard it from their former housemaid. They were planning to emigrate to Norway after finishing this deal, sounds nice, right? Who would’ve thought it would happen so suddenly...”

Qi Xiaochuan frowned, instinctively seeking a reasonable explanation: “What do you mean? Was it due to cash flow issues?”

“Who knows. I don’t understand these things,” his father had worked as a driver his whole life, skilled in accelerating and decelerating vehicles, most adept at reversing into parking spaces with his eyes closed. “Anyway, everything is gone.”

In theory, with such a large family business, it shouldn’t collapse so easily.

At that time, Qi Xiaochuan thought so.

But later, not only did Luo Andi disappear, but the entire Luo family vanished without a trace. He gradually recalled past events and judged the rumors might be true, feeling a mix of emotions.

The world is vast; not meeting is normal. Just as he thought this, he unexpectedly met her at the handmade shop downstairs from his company.

Luo Andi opened the door with her keys, and a three-legged cat darted out, its black fur brushing against her ankles, emitting soft calls.

She bent down to pat the cat’s head first. Qi Xiaochuan followed behind, noticing loose threads at the cuff of her shirt sleeve. Though he said nothing, he couldn’t help but stare for a long time.

Luo Andi found this kitten in the stairwell, not knowing if it had been in a car accident or what, but its front leg was already bloody and mangled. She had just finished work, followed the sound, and was startled upon seeing it.

At the pet hospital, since it was a stray cat, great efforts were needed to perform surgery, which resulted in amputation, costing her half a month’s salary.

But what could she do? She couldn’t leave the injured kitten by the roadside. She had to take it home.

Luo Andi enjoyed making meals for the cat — finely chopping chicken and carrots, then steaming them. She came out of the kitchen to find Qi Xiaochuan idly leaning against the windowsill, looking at the orchids she grew in Nissin cup noodle cups. The three-legged cat circled around him, seemingly wanting to attract this newcomer’s attention.

From afar, she smiled and said, “Alexander McQueen really likes you.”

“Who?” Qi Xiaochuan didn’t seem to like associating himself, or others, with the word “like.”

“McQueen.” As Luo Andi spoke, the cat jumped into her arms. Despite having only three legs, its movements were indistinguishable from those of a normal cat.

He approached and seriously asked, “Why this name?”

“Alexander McQueen designs beautiful black and white clothes.” She answered, her cheeks’ smile reminiscent of fluttering angels.

Most of the cat’s body was black, with only its paws and sides of its face white, appearing comical yet adorable.

“Speaking of which, good timing you’re here.” Luo Andi suddenly had an idea, running back into the room where moving sounds could be heard. Qi Xiaochuan went in to find her struggling to push out a sofa. “Help me, just pull it out. It’s hard for one person to move.”

Almost reflexively, he lent a hand. With assistance, it went much faster. Moving it out brought new challenges. The stairwell was too narrow, and the apartment had no elevator. While adjusting directions, Qi Xiaochuan stood in the gap formed by the wall and sofa, almost getting crushed.

“The previous tenant left it. I used it for a while. The other day, I spilled soybean paste noodles on it while eating and reading—” Luo Andi explained apologetically as Qi Xiaochuan had already spotted a brown sauce stain on the sofa.

The two rested intermittently while carrying the sofa downstairs before continuing.

Resting against the sauce-stained sofa, Qi Xiaochuan panted and asked, “What book were you reading?”

“A novel.” She smiled, her bangs damp with sweat but not looking disheveled at all. Instead, her eyes appeared brighter. “What books does Xiao Xiao usually read?”

“Not for a long time.” He told the truth, looking up. Qi Xiaochuan disliked lying, especially under Luo Andi’s gaze, mostly reading group manuals and the like.

By the time they placed the sofa at the garbage collection station and returned home, both were drenched in sweat and exhausted.

Without the sofa, they could only stand. Luo Andi brought out the prepared dishes, and Qi Xiaochuan was surprised to find that the food in all three plates was identical.

Luo Andi placed the cat food on the ground, gently calling “Meow meow” to lure Alexander McQueen over to eat. Qi Xiaochuan picked up his portion, hesitating little, expressionless, directly picking up a spoon to eat.

“Hold on,” she stopped him, carefully adding soy sauce, then smiled and said, “Alright.”

The two of them, by the windowsill, ate dinner similar to the cat’s meal alongside the cat.

Unexpectedly, it was quite tasty. Qi Xiaochuan tried to recall the last time he properly ate a meal but kept interrupting his thoughts with memories of catching a subordinate using the office microwave to cook glutinous rice balls. He had wanted some then too, but his sudden appearance scared them off, leaving him to drink concentrated soup from a teacup.

He looked up to see her face almost buried in the bowl. Qi Xiaochuan said, “What dream did you have?”

“What?” She looked at him, lips glistening with fragrant oil.

“You said last night you had a dream and then ran into me afterward.” He wanted to wipe the corner of her mouth or tuck her bothersome hair behind her ear, but merely straightened his fingers beneath the plate briefly. “What dream was it?”

She took a handkerchief herself, gently wiping it clean, folding it, and tilting her head with a smile, “I dreamed of grasslands.”

“Grasslands?”

“Mm. Grasslands under the sun,” Luo Andi smiled, as if closing her eyes, speaking softly, “The wind blew, so I covered my face with a hat. Xiao Xiao and I sat together, shoulders touching, and you told me a joke—”

Frowning, he replied, “I don’t tell jokes.”

“No? You must have.” She came again with that signature, irresistible voice, that look making anyone hesitate. Luo Andi said, “Anyway, it was very happy.”

Did she want to go to the grasslands? Qi Xiaochuan’s first thought was this. Where nearby was a grassland free from disturbances? He had never taken a vacation and knew nothing about leisure spots. But delegating the investigation to his secretary would suffice. If she wanted to go somewhere like that, any weekend could be arranged.

He wanted to ask if they could meet again and was confident she wouldn’t refuse. Luo Andi was like that, naturally doing gentle things, though it was undeniably terrifying for someone like Qi Xiaochuan.

He prepared to speak.

Just at that moment, a sound came from the entrance.

The door opened, and a pale young man walked in, backpack slung over his shoulder, removing his baseball cap, casting suspicious and guarded glances unreservedly.

“Oh, Shì Wēi,” Luo Andi got up, smiling unchanged, “You’re here.”

For the same woman, the two men who met for the first time had no good impressions of each other. Zhong Shiwei scrutinized Qi Xiaochuan up and down. He asked, “Who is this man?”