Chapter 60: HIS PREDICAMENT WAS TRULY TIRING

Yang Limo’s penthouse was on the thirty eighth floor of a building that had no reason to be modest about it.

Floor to ceiling windows, clean lines, the kind of space that said its owner had taste and the resources to act on it without needing to announce either.

He had been back in China for less than twelve hours and the place already felt like his again.

Three years in a student apartment in Los Angeles had not changed his instincts about space.

He liked the room.

He liked the height.

He liked being able to see the city from above and feel, in some small way, like he had the measure of it.

He was in the middle of unpacking when his father called.

He put it on speaker and kept going.

"Limo.."

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

-_-

"Unpacking. Again why did you buy me this apartment? I’m not that poor that I can’t afford to buy a penthouse.."

Yang Jiangming laughed, Limo looked like he was already done with his father.

"What’s wrong with getting my son a penthouse? If you don’t like it buy another one. Plus I just saved you a few bucks, you should be grateful and use that to invest. That’s how rich people get richer...they mush off the rich"

Limo lips twitched , so this was his father’s strategy.

"Anyways, here’s why I called. I had a meeting with Liu Liuxian, another meeting will probably will be scheduled after you take over my position. So be on your best behavior, you use that big business minded brain of yours and give me soemthing to brag about."

Limo sighed, he really didn’t want to suck up to Liu Liuxian but he really had no choice.

He was the biggest investor in the country.

"Alright. I got it."

"Wonderful! Your darling mother and your beautiful sister miss you dearly so you should create some time and come home for dinner."

"I got it. That’s all right? Bye."

Before his father could even reply, he ended the call.

Limo set the phone down.

He looked around the apartment.

Suitcases still needing to be unpacked.

A kitchen that needed stocking.

Three years of accumulated life waiting to be put somewhere.

He picked up a smaller box from the side table and opened it.

On top was a photograph.

He looked at it for a long moment.

It was his and Guiying’s first day of high school.

Guiying was in a uniform that fit properly, clean and pressed, because Limo had bought three of them without telling him, had shown up at the Xue household gates early that morning with them folded in a bag and handed them over like it was nothing.

He had not wanted to make it a bigger deal than it was.

He had just known, from the months of quiet complaints that Guiying never quite voiced directly, that his stepmother was going to find a way to make even the first day of school feel like something to be ashamed of.

In the photograph Guiying was smiling.

Not the careful, composed smile he wore around most people.

A real one, bright and slightly surprised, like something good had happened and he had not been expecting it.

Limo looked at it for a while.

It’s sad to see you married, he thought.

I want to be happy for you. I really do. But I can’t, not yet.

Was I too late? I was too late. If I had come back earlier, if I had called instead of writing that letter, if I had just said it clearly instead of hoping you’d find the words on a page you never received.

He would have married me instead.

He set the photograph down and sighed.

What could he do about it now?

Liu Liuxian was ten times the man he was by any metric that mattered.

His father had basically told him to ingratiate himself to the man.

There was no version of this where he came out ahead.

Guiying was no longer his to claim.

He had to accept that.

He looked at the photograph one more time.

He would be okay being just his friend.

The one who shows up.

The one who could always be relied on.

That was enough.

It had to be enough.

He put the photograph on the shelf where he could see it and went back to unpacking.

"I should probably order some groceries."

Being abroad, Limo had mastered the art of cooking, Chinese food just weren’t as authentic there.

So now he was used to cooking that ordering.

Though he loved to eat out when he couldn’t cook.

He opened his phone, he didn’t want to go supermarket, so Taojia was the next best thing.

He ordered everything, they had grocery lists suggested by aunties and mummies online so it was quite easy to order.

They had great suggestions.

After that, he dropped his phone, made the bed, kept all the boxes and suitcases in the closet.

Vacuumed again, cleaned the kitchen for dusts and lastly opened the windows to air out the place.

After that, he went to take a shower.

Meanwhile.

Guiying stared at the ceiling.

He had never been so bored in a while.

There was nothing for him to do and Liuxian wasn’t going to return until late.

So what was he supposed to do till then?

And it was only 2pm.

Ding! Ding!

He raised his head when he felt his phone vibrate.

It was a message from Limo.

"What are you doing?"

Guiying sat up, at least he had Limo to talk to.

"I’m dying of boredom. Let’s hang out, what’s your address?"

Limo didn’t reply instantly,

Then

"Why? Missing me already?"

-_-

Guiying sent a side eye sticker.

This was what he took forever to type?

"Yes. So send my your address.."

Limo smiled, he guess he could have Guiying over, the groceries had arrived as well as the cooking equipments so he could make lunch.

"Alright. You can come over for lunch. I’ll send the address link."

Guiying beamed, at least he and Limo could be bored together.

He got up and walked to the closet.

It took him at least thirty minutes to get his disguise on.

But today, he was only going to apply a light makeup, glasses and hope that no one would recognize him.

He couldn’t afford for people to recognize him as Xue Guiying or Tang XiaoYu.

His predicament was truly tiring.