Chapter 32

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Shuo’s gaze fell on Xi Yu. “Long time no see.”

Xi Yu’s expression remained cool; she only gave a slight nod.

Zhao Xiaolan naturally pulled Chen Shuo over to sit on a chair and chat about everyday family matters, while Chen Ming very sensibly went upstairs to find Xi Yao.

“I heard Xiao Yu has been doing well at Xiaolan Technology lately; even the news has reached us here.” Kang Qiuxia’s expression was relaxed as she curved her eyes at Xi Yu. Xi Yu followed her lead and walked toward the second floor.

“It’s because the whole team works in harmony and is practical and diligent. I only did what I was supposed to do.”

Kang Qiuxia slowed her steps a little and quietly studied Xi Yu’s solemn, somewhat dull-looking face. Then she sighed. “If Chen Shuo were like you, I’d feel even more at ease in the future.”

“You flatter me. I still have a lot to learn. Besides, everyone’s situation is different; finding the pace that suits you best is what matters.”

The air went still for a few seconds. Kang Qiuxia gave an mm and then turned around, strolling forward at an unhurried pace. “I still remember when you children were very young; you were the steadiest and most sensible one. Chen Shuo and Xi Yao always liked following behind you. Back then, you’d even blush at a few words of praise from the adults.”

“Now it’s completely different from before; you’ve grown up.”

Xi Yu said nothing and followed quietly behind her.

“Does Xiao Yu have someone she likes?” Kang Qiuxia suddenly asked.

Xi Yu’s steps faltered. Her lips pressed together instinctively. Kang Qiuxia glanced back at her, her face blooming into a smile again. “Nervous? Aunt Kang was only asking casually; just take it as a joke and listen to it lightly. I know you’re all busy with work; where would you have the time to think about such things?”

“It’s different from our time now. Kids have their own ideas, their own things to do; if they want something, they still have to fight for it themselves.”

A faint crease appeared between Xi Yu’s brows; her face grew colder.

When they entered a small study on the left, Kang Qiuxia looked at the misty and elegant landscape painting on the wall and kept praising it with a smile. “I didn’t notice before, but there’s actually such a beautiful piece here.”

“I heard Xiao Yu is also fairly knowledgeable about art?”

Xi Yu said, “I’m only a little interested.”

Kang Qiuxia waved her hand and laughed. “Still being so modest in front of Auntie. Chen Shuo has also gotten interested in this kind of thing lately; I heard he’s been worrying about not finding anyone to accompany him to exhibitions. With you as an expert, that’ll be much more convenient for him, I’m sure.”

From downstairs came Zhao Xiaolan’s voice calling everyone down for dinner. Kang Qiuxia patted Xi Yu’s arm and went downstairs first with a smile.

Xi Yu stood perfectly straight in place. Kang Qiuxia’s footsteps gradually faded away, while lively conversation continued below.

At the dining table, the elders were talking with great enthusiasm. Chen Jingsheng had brought a bottle of fine liquor he’d treasured for a long time, and Xi Huanian also had a smile on his face that had not been seen in a long while.

Xi Yao sat in the seat least likely to attract attention at the table; whenever she was mentioned, she would cooperate with a smile, and the rest of the time she kept her head down and ate.

Zhao Xiaolan seemed to be chatting happily with Chen Shuo; every few sentences she said something about him, from what developments or plans he had afterward to daily life and hobbies. Occasionally, amid the laughter, she would bring Xi Yu into the conversation as well. The four elders traded remarks one after another, looking at Xi Yu and Chen Shuo with eyes full of affection and satisfaction.

Xi Yu sat upright in her seat. Across from her, Chen Shuo kept casting especially attentive glances her way, his face full of smiles.

“Since getting married and having children, I’ve come more and more to feel that family is the most important thing.” Kang Qiuxia used the serving chopsticks to place food into Xi Yu’s bowl. Xi Yu nodded her thanks. “Success in one’s career is one thing, but if the family isn’t happy, then it’s all for nothing.”

Everyone who had been chatting and laughing paused at once; their gazes fell neatly on Xi Yu and Chen Shuo.

“I admire Sister Zhao the most; she’s successful in her career, happy in her family, and her two children are smart and beautiful too.” Kang Qiuxia smiled and said to Zhao Xiaolan, “I heard that no matter how busy Xi Yu is every week, she still comes back to visit; that shows there’s family in her heart.”

Zhao Xiaolan immediately laughed and glanced at Xi Yu. “Yes, I’m most satisfied with Xi Yu. She’s never been a worry to us.”

Xi Yu stared at the food in her bowl for a few seconds, then looked up at Kang Qiuxia. “Thank you, Aunt Kang.”

Chen Jingsheng let out an “oh dear”; the more he looked at Xi Yu, the more he liked her. He and Xi Huanian and Zhao Xiaolan praised her for a long while, and laughter at the table never stopped.

Seeing Xi Yu’s utterly unruffled expression, Xi Yao set her chopsticks on top of her bowl, politely greeted the elders, and went upstairs first.

The two families reminisced for quite some time before Kang Qiuxia and Chen Jingsheng finally prepared to take their leave.

They had originally wanted to let Chen Shuo and Xi Yu spend some time alone outside, but Xi Yu’s phone call interrupted that plan; she said she had something to do and her tone left no room for refusal.

Kang Qiuxia said nothing more; she looked at Xi Yu deeply, smiled to show her understanding, and only then did the group finally leave.

Zhao Xiaolan took the opportunity after Xi Yu left to give a few more instructions, then let Xi Yu go first. Xi Yao, meanwhile, had already disappeared somewhere.

-

When Xi Yu entered the private room, she happened to see Lin Yan holding a wine glass and leaning lazily against the sofa.

She raised an eyebrow and lifted her glass, the reddish-brown liquid swaying with the motion.

“You’re here?”

Xi Yu sat down on the sofa, and the waiter lowered his head to pour her wine.

Lin Yan tilted his head to study Xi Yu’s face. After looking at her for a while, he laughed. “Not happy?”

“I just got back from Shenzhen not long ago, and after finally seeing you, this is the expression you’re wearing. What’s wrong? Still Chen Shuo?”

Xi Yu said nothing and took the glass, bringing it to her lips for a sip.

“Mhm. Today they had a family meal.”

Lin Yan gave an oh and nodded. “I know. Just the usual back-and-forth chatting between elders; I know that kind of scene. It’s the most boring thing ever, with every sentence tied to their children. I hate that kind of thing the most.”

“I just didn’t expect it to land on you so quickly. If you don’t do something soon, it’ll be hard to clean up.”

Xi Yu said, “I know.”

Lin Yan looked at Xi Yu’s serious face, casually took a cigarette from the box on the table, lit it, and squinted with a roguish smile. “You’re just too indirect. If you were like me, changing the people around you all the time, how would someone like Chen Shuo even get a turn to hold your attention? He’d have disappeared without a trace long ago.”

Smoke drifted through the room; Xi Yu’s face was hidden in the dim light, gradually blurring.

As if thinking of something, Lin Yan joked, “Of course, Chen Shuo’s conditions are still decent. If you don’t have any other ideas right now, you could try getting along and seeing how it goes; who knows, maybe you two would suit each other?”

Xi Yu lowered her head and lifted her glass again, taking another sip. She set the glass down on the table with a bang, the sharp sound ringing out.

“Boring.”

Lin Yan laughed, staring at Xi Yu’s face. “Such a big reaction; do you have someone you’ve been paying attention to lately?”

Xi Yu turned to look at him. Lin Yan ignored the especially direct gaze, bent down to tap ash from his cigarette at random, and smiled with narrowed eyes. “Looks like I was right?”

The private room stayed quiet for a long time before Xi Yu’s very soft voice was heard. “No.”

Lin Yan curved his lips, unconcerned. “Fine, fine; whatever you say. Let’s not talk about those annoying things. I finally came back, so keep me company and drink a little.”

……

Ceramics.

Yu Nianyi had nothing to do on Sunday. After lunch, she ran over to Xu Ruoyan’s shop; her tea set still wasn’t finished, so she needed to spend a little more time on it.

It was a little after five in the afternoon when Xi Yao finally called.

“So boring. I cooperated through the whole meal and then came out; I really couldn’t stand staying at home anymore.” Xi Yao’s dissatisfied voice came through the phone. In the background, there seemed to be Luo Yiran asking her whether she wanted something to eat.

Yu Nianyi paused her work, all her attention drawn over. “Where’s Sister Xi Yu?”

“She said she was busy with work; after seeing everyone off, she left too.”

“So busy.”

“I don’t know. Maybe that was just an excuse. Although I really like Aunt Kang, listening to the things she said at the table, I did feel a bit sorry for my sister at times.”

“What did she say?”

“Something like family should come first, and that whole line about supporting your husband and raising your children. My sister has always focused on work; how could she possibly do that kind of thing?”

Yu Nianyi frowned unconsciously, even her breathing growing lighter as she listened to Xi Yao muttering to herself on the other end.

“On top of that, my sister couldn’t even say anything, since they’re all important friends and partners of Mom and Dad; she still had to go through the motions properly.”

Xi Yao fell silent again. She seemed to be eating something, gnawing and chewing for a while, and in the end she even whined to Luo Yiran for a bit.

Yu Nianyi was getting anxious over here and couldn’t help asking, “What else?”

“What else is there?” Xi Yao swallowed the food before saying, “That’s all. I told you everything I knew. Wasn’t I considerate?”

Yu Nianyi froze. “That’s all? So little? What about the rest? What does Sister Xi Yu think?”

“Nothing else. Aunt Kang dragged her upstairs and talked for quite a while; I don’t know what they talked about. I just know my sister didn’t come back down until a long time later. I couldn’t tell whether she was happy or not... Forget it, I’m not talking anymore. Luo Luo and I still have things to do; we’ll chat later.”

The screen returned to its original interface. Yu Nianyi wiped her hands and opened Xi Yu’s avatar; the last message was still from several days ago.

She tapped the input box and typed for a long time, the same words she’d used for the last invitation, asking whether Xi Yu was free tomorrow.

After staring at the two lines for a long time, Yu Nianyi took a deep breath and deleted everything. Xi Yu probably wasn’t in a very good mood right now; she should ask later instead.

Yu Nianyi turned her phone face down, propped her arms on her thighs, lowered her head, and let out a heavy sigh.

“What’s this? Something bothering you?” Xu Ruoyan suddenly appeared at the doorway and asked softly.

Yu Nianyi looked up and saw Xu Ruoyan sit down beside her.

“Nothing.” Yu Nianyi raised her usual smile, her gaze falling on the pottery wheel in front of her. “The size and shape of the last teacup seem a little different from the ones before.”

Xu Ruoyan gave an mm and lowered her head to examine it. “The earlier steps were all measured strictly, so there shouldn’t be a problem. You should know that during this process, differences in concentration will also affect the final result.”

She bent down slightly, signaling for Yu Nianyi to wet her hands and get into position, her voice gentle. “Do it again.”

Yu Nianyi nodded. She reached her left hand inside, used her right hand to steady the outer wall, and the wheel slowly began to spin.

Xu Ruoyan lowered her head a little more, standing at Yu Nianyi’s right rear side as she watched her right hand. “Don’t push outward with your right hand; go in a straight line.”

As she spoke, she reached out to support Yu Nianyi’s hand and nudged it inward a little.

The clay body visibly became taller and slimmer.

“Good; steady it a bit more.” Xu Ruoyan said.

Yu Nianyi nodded, her eyes fixed tightly on the rim of the cup. She gently eased off the pressure, looking down at the shape in her mind until a trace of a smile finally appeared.

Her right hand supported the rim of the clay body; using three fingers, she pressed lightly to shape and refine the edge. Finally, she used a sponge to gently wipe away the excess water inside; only after finishing all that did she let out a long breath.

“Not bad.” Xu Ruoyan said with a smile.

“Indeed not bad; Boss Xu teaches so carefully.” A strange woman’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.

The two of them instinctively looked up. At the door stood an unfamiliar woman with black curly hair and smiling eyes, and beside her was another woman dressed in a black overcoat, her hair neatly and carefully arranged.

The two seemed to have been standing there for quite some time; only after seeing Yu Nianyi finish did they speak.

Yu Nianyi looked straight at the woman at the doorway, who said nothing and wore a calm expression.

Xu Ruoyan naturally walked over, her tone familiar. “You’re only just here? We’ve been waiting for you for ages.”