LNTSWJLY Chapter 78

The wind after a late-summer rain should have been fresh and clear, carrying just a hint of coolness. Yet as it blew past him, Yu Zhi felt as though he could barely breathe.

From a great distance, he raised his head and gazed toward the person standing upstairs, looking down at them through a window. Their eyes met.

Or perhaps they didn’t. Maybe that person wasn’t looking at him at all, but at the person standing beside him.

At that thought, Yu Zhi tightened his grip on Sang Xingyun’s wrist.

“Fuck!” Sang Xingyun couldn’t hold back his curse. He yanked his hand free from Yu Zhi’s grasp. “Are you trying to kill me?!”

Yu Zhi closed his eyes briefly, composed himself, and then looked up again.

“Sorry. I was a little distracted just now.”

Sang Xingyun regarded him suspiciously. He was beginning to have second thoughts about hiring Yu Zhi as a tutor. Was this really a good idea?

After all, Yu Zhi was still practically a stranger. Sang Xingyun barely knew him. If he entrusted his younger brother to this man and Yu Zhi turned out to be some kind of devil, Sang Xingyun would regret it for the rest of his life.

“Um, about what I said earlier…”

“You mean tutoring your younger brother, right? I have no problem with that. From what I’ve learned from Wen Li, your younger brother performs equally poor in every subject. I can teach him all his subjects and guarantee a comprehensive improvement in his academic performance within a short period. Salary can be the same as Wen Li’s. However, since tutoring him will take up a considerable amount of my time, I really would need to live nearby. If you could arrange accommodation for me, that would be ideal.”

Yu Zhi didn’t give Sang Xingyun a chance to back out. He immediately answered the invitation Sang Xingyun had just made, and his response was both specific and extremely tempting.

Sang Xingyun didn’t have Yu Zhi’s resolve. After hearing his offer, he suppressed the doubts that had made him want to take back his invitation.

Still, he was very curious about Yu Zhi’s sudden change of heart.

“You turned me down just a moment ago. Why did you suddenly agree?”

Yu Zhi replied calmly, “Nothing in particular. I just suddenly realized that turning a hopeless student into someone successful could be incredibly rewarding. Your younger brother is an important target for me.”

Sang Xingyun: “…”

If Yu Zhi had said he was accepting because the terms Sang Xingyun offered were tempting, Sang Xingyun might have been suspicious. But hearing Yu Zhi give this reason, he found it perfectly reasonable. After all, Yu Zhi seemed like exactly the kind of person who would think that way.

Still, just listen to what he had said! It sounded as though Sang Liushui’s days of fooling around were numbered.

Sang Xingyun silently mourned his younger brother’s fate for a brief moment, then smiled and extended his hand toward Yu Zhi.

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

Yu Zhi didn’t care whether Sang Xingyun had any doubts about him. The only thing that mattered was whether the man agreed to his request.

He shook Sang Xingyun’s hand and said, “I’ll be counting on you to arrange my accommodation, too. I’d prefer to live somewhere close to your younger brother. It would make things much more convenient.”

Even now, he hadn’t forgotten to remind Sang Xingyun about the accommodation.

Sang Xingyun had been thinking along the same lines, so he replied, “That won’t be a problem. Leave it to me.”

There was more than one house in the area. Even in the worst-case scenario, he could arrange a room for Yu Zhi in one of his family’s villas.

“Xingyun, what are you two talking about?”

The sudden voice made Sang Xingyun turn his head.

The next moment, he smiled and walked over to the newcomer.

“Great-Uncle, what brings you downstairs?”

Sang Xiyin adjusted his glasses and smiled. “I saw you greet me, but you didn’t say anything afterward, so I came down to see what was going on.”

In the end, his gaze still fell on Yu Zhi. With a puzzled expression, he asked, “And who might this be?”

The confusion in his eyes had originally been feigned. He already knew who Yu Zhi was.

But the moment he actually looked at the young man, that feigned confusion turned into genuine bewilderment.

Why is this tutor looking at me so strangely?

It was hard to describe exactly what he felt. It was almost as though he felt nothing at all, yet, for some inexplicable reason, he sensed that beneath that seemingly calm gaze lay something deeply buried, something that could never be spoken aloud.

Ever since Sang Xiyin had come out, Yu Zhi had not taken his eyes off him.

Although he had been doing his best to restrain himself, he knew that paying so much attention to someone would inevitably arouse suspicion.

He lowered his eyes slightly, doing so without drawing attention to himself, and softened his gaze to conceal the emotions in his eyes.

Before Sang Xingyun could introduce them, Yu Zhi took the initiative and extended his hand. In a gentle voice, he said, “Hello. I’m Miss Wen’s private tutor. I’ve also accepted Mr. Sang Xingyun’s invitation to tutor his younger brother. May I ask who you are, Sir?”

Under the pretext of formally introducing himself, Yu Zhi took the opportunity to look up at Sang Xiyin openly and unabashedly, as though he had every right to do so.

The crane patterns embroidered on Sang Xiyin’s snow-white traditional Tang-style suit accentuated his slender yet upright figure, lending him an even more refined and elegant appearance.

Sang Xiyin was no longer young. Although he had taken good care of himself, faint wrinkles were still visible at the corners of his eyes and on his hands.

Only his eyes remained as clear and gentle as ever, their warmth tempered by a cool serenity, like still water. The faint traces of age and experience in them only added to their charm, giving them the quiet appeal of someone who had weathered the years.

Yu Zhi had seen his beloved look even older than this. He had never found that appearance unpleasant, nor had he ever thought that looking like that made his beloved any less worthy of being liked or loved.

What mattered between them had never been their appearances. It was not even their ages.

It was the disparity between them. It was the inequality that would become an obstacle standing in their way in this world. It would build a towering wall between them, one that would be difficult to cross.

Yu Zhi’s attitude was rather strange.

Whether in terms of age or social interactions, he clearly belonged to the same generation as Sang Xingyun. Meanwhile, anyone could tell at a glance that Sang Xiyin was Sang Xingyun’s elder. Yu Zhi should therefore have treated him with the same respect he would show an elder.

But look at his behavior. Listen to the way he addressed Sang Xiyin. Where was the deference one would expect from someone speaking to an elder?

Strangely enough, Sang Xiyin did not find anything wrong with it. Neither did he feel that Yu Zhi, a younger man, had offended him in any way.

On the contrary, Yu Zhi’s attitude somehow put Sang Xiyin at ease. A faint sense of joy quietly began to grow in a corner of his heart.

Almost without thinking, Sang Xiyin reached out and shook Yu Zhi’s hand.

“Hello. I’ve heard about you before. You’re a very capable young man. My name is Sang Xiyin, and I’m Xingyun’s Great-Uncle.”

Yu Zhi’s fingertips trembled slightly at this meeting that had come thirty years too late.

In his mind, he imagined a different scene: a younger Sang Xiyin, still carrying the sharpness and vigor of youth, reaching out to him. His eyes would be unable to hide his delight as he said, “Hello! My name is Sang Xiyin!”

They held hands for half a minute. To avoid arousing suspicion, Yu Zhi had no choice but to release Sang Xiyin’s hand and pretend to do so naturally. As he felt the other man’s warmth slowly fading from his palm, his own heart grew calmer and calmer.

“I’ve often heard Miss Wen mention you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Ah, Xiao Li. I heard that child has been working hard lately. Studying must have been exhausting for her,” Sang Xiyin said warmly.

Yu Zhi smiled. “It has been hard on her, but I’ve done my best to ease her stress and workload while helping her get the greatest possible results from her efforts. I spent several days putting together a study plan that I believe suits her very well. I’m confident that once I understand Second Young Master Sang’s situation, I’ll be able to come up with an equally effective approach for him, without making him work too hard.”

Sang Xiyin paused for a moment before smoothly picking up the conversation.

“Thank you for all your hard work, Mr. Yu. We’ll be troubling you with this.”

Sang Xingyun watched the exchange in utter confusion, his mind filled with questions.

Wait… Why did the conversation go from praising Xiao Li to praising Yu Zhi? Doesn’t anyone else find that strange?

What exactly is Yu Zhi trying to do? Why do I suddenly feel as though I’m watching a more advanced version of myself compete with my younger brother for Great-Uncle’s attention?

N-no, that can’t be right. Yu Zhi is meeting Great-Uncle for the first time. How could that possibly be what he’s doing?

It must be a coincidence.

Sang Xingyun dismissed the ridiculous thought and chuckled to himself.

As much as Great-Uncle is a likable person, surely no one would start subtly competing for his affection the very first time they met him.

Just how quick-witted and calculating did someone have to be to come up with that?

Yu Zhi didn’t even spare Sang Xingyun a glance. Once he had composed himself, he was able to speak to Sang Xiyin calmly and naturally, without appearing abrupt or strange.

“Speaking of which, I should thank you for last night, Mr. Sang. If you hadn’t helped me, I might have fallen ill today. I wouldn’t have been able to come here for my tutoring session, let alone accept Young Master Sang’s invitation.”

Sang Xiyin’s eyes shifted slightly. He hadn’t expected Yu Zhi to realize that he had been the person who helped him last night. But after thinking it over, he realized it wasn’t difficult to figure out.

However, if that was the case, then given Yu Zhi’s intelligence, he could probably also guess that Sang Xiyin had known his identity all along.

And what would Yu Zhi think of his own pretense of not knowing who he was just now?

“Great-Uncle, what’s going on?” Sang Xingyun was the only one who had absolutely no idea what was happening.

Sang Xiyin smiled. “It’s nothing. I saw someone getting soaked in the rain last night, so I invited him inside to take shelter. I didn’t expect it to be Xiao Yu. It was just a small favor, nothing worth mentioning.”

“I should thank you all the same. Mr. Sang, you did a good deed without seeking recognition, but when someone receives kindness from another, they should repay it. If I hadn’t remembered the flower pavilion I saw last night, I wouldn’t have guessed it was you so quickly. When I have the chance, I must treat you to a meal as thanks.”

Sang Xingyun hadn’t known any of this had happened. He looked at Yu Zhi, then at his Great-Uncle, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of crisis. He had a feeling that he was about to meet a rival.

Don’t tell me Yu Zhi is going to steal my Great-Uncle from me!

Repay him? For what? Does the Sang family look like it can’t afford to treat someone to a meal? Surely Great-Uncle won’t go soft on someone he’s only just met, will he?

Refuse him! He absolutely has to refuse firmly!

As expected, Sang Xiyin politely declined.

“You’ll be looking after Liushui from now on, so there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

Yu Zhi smiled. “Those are two separate matters. Teaching Second Young Master Sang properly is simply my responsibility. It can’t count as repaying you.”

For some reason, Sang Xingyun found Yu Zhi’s words rather high-minded and self-righteous. But to Sang Xiyin, they sounded very reassuring. After all, who wouldn’t like a sincere young man who took his responsibilities seriously?

So he replied warmly, “You’re a good young man.”

Yu Zhi’s mouth twitched slightly at those words, but he said nothing.

He lowered his eyes, making himself look obedient and well-behaved.

This was probably one of the qualities elders liked most in a young person.

Yu Zhi needed to strengthen his relationship with Sang Xiyin as quickly as possible. Whether that relationship was between an elder and a younger person or something else entirely did not matter so much.

After all, whatever their relationship might become, this issue would eventually have to be faced.

Sang Xingyun really couldn’t stand watching any longer. The friend he had originally intended to make was now becoming an eyesore to him. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Don’t you have something urgent to attend to? We’ve already taken up so much of your time. How could we possibly impose on you any longer? You should head home now.”

Is he leaving already?

Sang Xiyin adjusted his glasses once more. An unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes as he looked at Yu Zhi, but the movement of his hand concealed it from view. No one noticed.

“That’s true. Xiao Yu, you’d better head home early. Otherwise, if you keep running into situations like last night, you might get lucky and avoid falling ill once, but sooner or later, you’ll end up getting sick from the rain.”

Yu Zhi had been about to say something else, but he changed his words at the last moment. Although he was reluctant to leave, he still replied, “Thank you for your concern. I’ll take good care of myself. Please take care of yourself as well, Mr. Sang.”

Before leaving, he did not forget to remind Sang Xingyun, “And, Young Master Sang, please remember to arrange my accommodation as soon as possible. I’ll be counting on you.”

Sang Xingyun was left speechless, and a wave of deep regret washed over him.

He had made a mistake. He should never have invited Yu Zhi in the first place, let alone offered him such generous terms.

Only after watching Yu Zhi leave did Sang Xiyin turn to Sang Xingyun.

“Sang Xingyun, tell me. What was that all about?”

“Is this what I taught you about manners? To show your displeasure in front of an outsider?”

Sang Xiyin usually called Sang Xingyun by his full name in one of two situations. The first was when they were in front of outsiders, so that he could correct Sang Xingyun without damaging his public image……

The second was when he was angry and became serious.

When Yu Zhi had still been there, it had been the first. After Yu Zhi left, it became the second.

Sang Xingyun immediately straightened up and adopted a serious expression. “I’m sorry, Great-Uncle. It was my fault.”

He should have remained calm. He should have kept his emotions off his face. Yet, for some reason, the sense of crisis Yu Zhi inspired in him had robbed him of his usual rationality.

It was as though a voice were whispering reminders in his ear, warning him that he must not let that man get close to Sang Xiyin.

Absolutely not.

Otherwise, something would happen, something he would never want to see.

Sang Xiyin glanced at him and spoke earnestly. “Xingyun, as the future heir of the Sang family, you should always remain rational rather than let inexplicable emotions control you. I know how hard you work, which is why I never force you to behave a certain way or impose too many restrictions on you at home. But when you’re in front of outsiders, you should know how to conduct yourself.”

Although he had been reprimanded, hearing Sang Xiyin repeatedly refer to Yu Zhi as an “outsider” gradually put Sang Xingyun’s mind at ease.

That was right. No matter how outstanding Yu Zhi was or how captivating he might be, he was still an outsider.

Compared with his own family, Yu Zhi certainly wasn’t the person his Great-Uncle would favor.

He had simply let his own anxiety get the better of him and become blinded by appearances.

Sang Xiyin glanced in the direction Yu Zhi had left, adjusted his glasses, and said, “Find a time to arrange a medical checkup for me.”

Sang Xingyun immediately forgot his earlier displeasure. Concerned, he asked, “Great-Uncle, are you ill? I’ll take you to the hospital right away!”

Sang Xiyin shook his head. “Don’t be nervous. It’s nothing.”

He simply felt that whenever he looked at that young man, his heart would inexplicably beat faster.

An overwhelming urge to get closer to him surged through his heart.

Sang Xiyin did not consider any other possibility. That would be far too absurd.

After thinking it over from every angle, he could only reach one conclusion: he was probably ill.

After leaving, Yu Zhi did not go straight home. Instead, he went to the laboratory at the research institute he had rented, where the people he had invited to join him were already gathered.

He called everyone together for a meeting.

“Once you’ve finished the tasks you’re working on, put everything else on hold for now. I’m planning to change the direction of our first phase of research.”

“What direction do you want to change it to, Senior Brother?” someone asked.

“Age-related diseases and the aging process,” Yu Zhi replied. “I’ll put together a detailed plan within the next couple of days. I hope everyone can shift their focus accordingly.”

“But, Senior Brother, wouldn’t that mean all the progress we’ve made so far would end up benefiting someone else?” one person asked firmly. “Why are you suddenly changing our research direction? There has to be a reason.”

His tone made it seem as though they would refuse to accept the change unless Yu Zhi gave them a satisfactory explanation.

The atmosphere fell completely silent.

After what felt like a long time, Yu Zhi finally spoke. His voice was slow, yet heavy with emotion.

“Because I’ve just found someone very, very important to me. He…”

He did not finish the sentence, but everyone could guess what he had been about to say. That person must already be old, or on the verge of growing old. Yu Zhi was changing the direction of their research not for his own sake, nor even for profit. He simply wanted to preserve someone against the passage of time.

That person must truly mean a great deal to him.

Time could be tender and compassionate, granting people the quiet, peaceful years they cherished. Yet time could also be merciless. It carried everyone forward, relentlessly moving their lives along without ever turning back for anyone.

After returning to the place he had rented temporarily, Yu Zhi finally had some time to rest in peace after a long, exhausting day.

His mind had reached the point of fatigue, and he couldn’t help thinking about the matter he had deliberately set aside for the time being.

When he saw Sang Xiyin earlier that day, he had received information about this world’s plot and his mission.

This was supposed to be a period romance set more than thirty years in the past.

It told the story of a man and a woman born into two families that held a deep grudge against each other. Despite facing one obstacle after another, they remained steadfast in their love. They fought for their relationship and, in the end, finally got together and rose to the pinnacle of success in life.

Although their circumstances were full of hardship, the romance between the male and female leads was incredibly sweet. No matter what difficulties they faced, they stayed true to their feelings and never gave up on each other.

Written as a novel, this was the kind of sweet romance that could move readers to sob uncontrollably, then make them squeal with delight and cry out that they had witnessed a love worthy of the gods.

But many things did not hold up under closer thought and scrutiny.

The relationship between the two leads was sweet, yes, but that did not necessarily make it sweet for everyone else.

They never gave up on each other. That meant that whenever they had to make a choice, it was other people they gave up instead.

By the end of the entire novel, the male and female leads were doing just fine, having suffered no losses at all. However, their relatives and families had not fared nearly so well.

The female lead’s mother died because of them. Her younger brother was left disabled because of them, and her father lost the family head position he had once held securely because of them. Their entire branch of the family fell into decline, going from being part of the main family to a lesser branch that anyone could trample underfoot.

Meanwhile, the male lead’s career flourished rapidly, and he smoothly took over as head of his family. Yet he treated the woman who had originally been his fiancée with utter heartlessness. She also died because of him, and the female lead and her family became his enemy. The male lead had originally pursued a career in government, but because of the female lead, he was forced to abandon that path and turn to business instead.

The novel ended after the two leads had successfully overcome every obstacle, finally gotten together, and had a son.

But the future that the novel never described did not unfold so smoothly.

These two people were Wen Li’s grandparents. As far as Yu Zhi knew, they had already fallen out and begun living apart many years ago. They had spent years fighting against each other in various ways. It was only after their eldest son lost his life because of their conflict that the two of them finally came to their senses, stopped fighting, and maintained a superficial appearance of harmony.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Yu Zhi.

His original wish had been to help Sang Xiyin. However, as a friend of the male and female leads who was supposed to sacrifice himself for their love, Sang Xiyin had evidently escaped that fate. He no longer needed Yu Zhi’s help.

The mission was complete.

From then on, Sang Xiyin would simply be the person Yu Zhi loved, not a mission target.

He had arrived thirty years too late, but he would not be absent for the rest of their lives.

Yu Zhi arrived at the villa complex ahead of time. Thanks to his recent visits, he successfully persuaded the security guards to let him in.

He did not go to Wen Li’s house or Sang Xingyun’s. Instead, he headed to the flower pavilion he had seen before. This was Sang Xiyin’s home.

He looked over the villa. It was simple and elegant, just like Sang Xiyin himself.

It had been dark that night, but now that he was seeing the place again, Yu Zhi realized that the flower pavilion was made of transparent material. Anyone standing upstairs in the villa could easily see everything happening inside it.

—Including the people within.

“Xiao Yu, you’re here early.”

Sang Xiyin was wearing a Tang-style suit in the same style as the one he had worn the previous day, though in a different color. He walked out into the courtyard and spoke to Yu Zhi from across the fence.

He looked at Yu Zhi with a trace of bewilderment in his eyes.

The previous day, Sang Xingyun had been so worried about him that he had sent him to the hospital for a checkup. Fortunately, the results had shown that there was nothing to worry about. Aside from a few problems that naturally came with his age, his health was excellent.

So, what was so special about Xiao Yu?

Why did his body react involuntarily whenever he was around him?

Yu Zhi wanted to keep looking at Sang Xiyin, but he couldn’t stare at him constantly. So he alternated between looking at Sang Xiyin and admiring the flowers.

Before long, their conversation naturally turned to the flowers.

“Your flowers are all beautiful, Mr. Sang.”

Sang Xiyin was pleased to hear someone compliment something he had grown. Smiling, he asked, “Do you like them? If you do, I can give you some. You could give them to your girlfriend or someone you like.”

The words came out naturally. Whenever other people visited his flower pavilion in the past, he would say the same thing. Flowers were not merely meant to be admired and enjoyed; they were also a way to express one’s feelings to another person. There was nothing unusual about that.

What was strange was Yu Zhi’s reaction.

His smile faltered, and for an instant, the warmth in his expression gave way to a moment of stunned hesitation.

Puzzled, Sang Xiyin smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re like Xingyun—  still single since birth, without anyone you like?”

Under the sunlight, Yu Zhi’s complexion looked almost translucently pale, beautiful yet fragile. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He seemed to want to say something, but some words were simply too difficult to bring himself to speak.

Someone he liked?

Of course he had someone.

But he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t give them to him.

Who would believe that a young man blessed with both talent and good looks, with a bright future ahead of him, could fall in love with someone who was already halfway into his grave? Even the love-struck male and female leads from the original story would probably find it hard to believe.

Outsiders wouldn’t believe him. His family wouldn’t believe him. And the person in question… wouldn’t believe him either.

Yu Zhi could disregard what other people thought, but he couldn’t afford to disregard Sang Xiyin’s feelings.

He was afraid Sang Xiyin wouldn’t believe him.

The excitement of finally finding the person he had been searching for, along with the exhilaration of finally having a clear goal for his career, had stirred his mind into a frenzy. Now that it had finally settled, Yu Zhi at last realized something.

Arriving thirty years too late had done more than put their lives out of sync. The difference in their ages had also created a barrier in how they perceived one another, making the love between them fade into the background, hidden away where neither of them could see it.

He could be a younger man Sang Xiyin liked and cared for. He could be a close family member.

But he could never be his lover.

That was the true punishment for arriving thirty years too late.

A punishment that was both gentle and cruel.

“Mm. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

He smiled faintly, his expression seemingly as calm as ever.

“But could I take some of the flowers with me?”

Let’s just pretend they’re a gift from you to me.

A love that had remained unspoken for a lifetime.

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