Halfway through dinner, Uncle Gao arrived. Xu Yan never fully understood what exactly Uncle Gao did in the government, only that he was very powerful and had smoothed over many issues for people. The man in the baseball cap suddenly perked up, watching Uncle Gao intently as he talked to those around him. When they laughed, he laughed along with them.
After dinner, everyone moved to the side room for tea. Shen Jinsong and Uncle Gao went into another room, and the man in the baseball cap followed them. Shen Haoming said to Xu Yan, "He’s definitely going to ask Uncle Gao for help." Xu Yan asked, "Will he help him?" Shen Haoming replied, "I don’t know. Want to go see a movie?" Xu Yan said, "Leaving early will upset your mom." Shen Haoming said, "Who cares?" Xu Yan smiled, "You may not care, but I do." She led Shen Haoming back to the living room where the women were chatting. When Shen Haoming heard them talking about clothes and bags, he said, "I’d better go join the men."
Xu Yan sat next to Yu Lan for a while and noticed there weren’t enough fruit forks on the table, so she got up to get some. "Tell Peipei to open the sweet wine," Yu Lan said behind her. As Xu Yan passed the hallway, she noticed that Shen Jinsong and the others were still in the room, seemingly discussing something about real estate.
She was returning from the kitchen with the forks when she heard strange noises coming from a nearby room. It sounded like dry heaving, accompanied by faint whimpering. She knocked twice and pushed the door open. It was Shen Haocen, lying on the floor, crying. The room was rarely used and nearly empty, with only a bookcase standing against the wall. She crouched down and said, "You sure know how to pick a place." Shen Haocen ignored her, closing his eyes and continuing to cry. Xu Yan asked, "Is it just because we didn’t take you for ice cream?" Shen Haocen wiped his tears and said, "I’m used to it by now." Xu Yan asked, "Why don’t you invite your friends over to play?" Shen Haocen said, "If you change schools all the time, what friends would you have?" He shook his head and added, "Nobody in this house really cares about me." Xu Yan said, "Don’t rely on others. You need to grow strong on your own." Shen Haocen pouted, "But I’m just a kid." Xu Yan said, "So what if you’re a kid?" Shen Haocen pleaded, "Can you let me be alone for a while? I don’t want to go back to my room. Sister Huihui talks non-stop like a parrot."
Xu Yan closed the door as she left the room. She hadn’t really considered that Shen Haocen might be in any kind of pain. Being born into a family like this, shouldn’t he be smiling in his sleep? But now it seemed he might also be an unwanted child. His parents only had him to decorate their lives, but they no longer had the patience to raise another child. Yu Lan couldn’t give up her gatherings and trips with her friends, and Shen Jinsong couldn’t give up his golf games and social events. Shen Haocen was always left with the nannies, one after another. The ones he liked, his mom didn’t; the ones his mom liked, he didn’t.
Xu Yan returned to the living room and found that the cake box had been opened and left on the table, but none of the cakes had been touched. Two of the cakes had their frosting smeared against the box, turning into a mess of red mush, but the one with the dancing figure was still intact. The little figure stood on its tiptoes as if it was trying to climb out of a pile of rubble.
The man in the baseball cap appeared at the door, flashing a grin at Yu Lan. "I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving," he said. Yu Lan nodded, "Would you like the driver to give you a lift?" The man replied, "I’ve already called for a car, but it seems the driver got lost." Yu Lan said, "Why don’t you sit down and wait for a bit?" The man hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat on the sofa. Xu Yan moved her untouched glass of sweet wine in front of him and smiled at him.
"Go fetch your mink coat!" the short-haired woman said, placing her hand on Yu Lan’s shoulder. "And that rare lizard-skin one too," added the woman with the arched eyebrows. Yu Lan went to get the gray-blue mink coat and a few bags. The women eagerly stepped forward, some trying on the coat, others examining the bags. Only Xu Yan and the man in the baseball cap remained seated on the sofa. The man leaned forward, staring blankly at the items on the coffee table. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed the cupcake with the little dancing figure, and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
Qiao Lin walked to the center of the stage, the spotlight perfectly illuminating her face. She had an innate sense of where the light was. She moved gracefully, her long legs sweeping as her skirt twirled in the air. Each time her feet left the ground, Xu Yan felt a tightness in her chest. She wasn’t sure if she was worried or secretly hoping something would happen. It wasn’t until Qiao Lin bowed safely and received her applause that Xu Yan finally exhaled. Then, unexpectedly, a wave of sadness washed over her. She thought that years from now, no one would remember who hosted this event, but they would definitely remember Qiao Lin’s dance.
After ten o'clock, the guests began to leave. Xu Yan helped the housekeeper collect the wine glasses but was cornered by Shen Haoming at the kitchen door. He wrapped his arm around her waist, winked, and said, "How about you stay here tonight?" Xu Yan pulled away, her expression serious, "Tell me, how old were you when you first started inviting girls to stay over?" Shen Haoming raised an eyebrow, "Seventeen?" "Did your parents approve?" Xu Yan asked. Shen Haoming laughed, "They came into my room several times, probably to check if I had condoms." "Did you have any?" Xu Yan asked. Shen Haoming’s smile faded, and he adopted a solemn expression, "I need to confess something to you… actually, I have a… You know, when you’re young, you make mistakes…" He lowered his head, covering his face with his hands. Xu Yan tried to pull his hands away, but he dodged until he burst out laughing. Between laughs, he waved his hand, "I couldn’t hold it in anymore…" Xu Yan pushed him, "You think you acted well, don’t you?" Shen Haoming grinned, "If I really brought home a kid from outside, would you help me raise it?" Xu Yan said, "That depends on how good-looking the kid is." Shen Haoming said, "Good-looking, even better looking than me." Xu Yan said, "Sure, why not? It saves me from having to give birth." Shen Haoming wrapped his arms around her, "No way, you still have to have at least two." Xu Yan looked at him and smiled. "I’d better head back. My cousin’s alone at home," she said. Shen Haoming replied, "Alright, I’ll drive you two around tomorrow." Xu Yan said, "No need. She’s moody, and you’d just feel uncomfortable around her."
Xu Yan put on her coat, smoothed her hair, and turned to ask, "By the way, what did that man want from Uncle Gao?" Shen Haoming said, "A few years ago, he found some land in the suburbs to build a house. He signed a contract with the township government, but it wasn’t valid, so now the land is going to be taken back." "Is it a difficult situation to resolve?" Xu Yan asked. Shen Haoming said, "Yeah, but Uncle Gao’s going to see what he can do." Xu Yan asked, "So he’ll help him?" Shen Haoming replied, "What else can he do? The man needs somewhere to live, doesn’t he?"
On the way home, Xu Yan weighed the situation in her mind. Which was more difficult—dealing with the man’s land issue or handling her parents’ situation? If Uncle Gao was willing to help someone with a bad reputation, did that mean he could also help her? No, not her—her cousin Qiao Lin. She thought, "I’ll find another opportunity to meet Uncle Gao a few more times, to make him see me as part of the Shen family."
When Xu Yan returned to her apartment, she found Qiao Lin sitting on the sofa in the lobby downstairs. Qiao Lin looked up and smiled apologetically, "I forgot the code, and your phone was off." Xu Yan asked how long she had been sitting there. "Not long," Qiao Lin said. "I’ve been wandering around the courtyard and checked out all the open shops. This place is great—the people are so nice, and they even let me use the restroom."
Xu Yan looked at her and said, "Qiao Lin, could you stop making yourself look so pitiful?"
Qiao Lin jumped down from the tricycle, smiling as she said, "I brought your desk over. I won’t need it for studying anymore." Xu Yan looked at the desk; the stickers on the legs were peeling, but she remembered how bright and new the face of Zhao Yazhi looked when the stickers were first applied. She had long coveted that desk. Her grandmother had set up a wooden plank on the windowsill, where she had done her homework.
"Did your results come out?" Xu Yan asked. Qiao Lin stuck out her tongue, "I didn’t even get into that lousy coal-mining college." They moved the desk inside, and Qiao Lin dusted off her hands, saying, "I’ve already found a job. I start at Hualian Mall tomorrow. From now on, you’ll get employee discounts on Maybelline." Her fingers were painted with a pale pink nail polish, and she wore low-rise jeans, her long hair swaying across her chest. Her beauty was still growing, but she didn’t seem to care about it. That carefree spirit was something boys found irresistible.
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