Chapter 075　 Living to a hundred for sure.

  *

  Li Chengshi smiled. "It seems she really doesn't remember a thing."

  Su Xian also let out a sigh of relief. "It saves us a lot of awkwardness."

  "Will you dare to give reckless advice again in the future?"

  "I won't. But, if you felt it was inappropriate at the time, why didn't you warn me?"

  "I've always felt that beyond our romantic relationship, I shouldn't restrict any of your actions."

  Su Xian was delighted. She cupped his cheeks and said, "No wonder you were so drunk last night but still came down to supervise me so I wouldn't kiss Zhao Nanfeng, yet you allowed us to talk. You really have principles, haha!"

  *

  It was still raining outside. Zhao Nanfeng had stormed out, but he could only stand under the front porch and watch the rain.

  Honda saw him as soon as she stepped out and walked over excitedly. "(おはようございます。まさか社長がここへ来るなんて、嬉しいです。) Good morning! I'm so happy you came here, Boss."

  "(来てからもう２回合ったけど、全然覚えてないか？) We've already met twice since I got here. Do you really not remember at all?"

  "(ごめんなさい、まったく記憶ないです。何か失礼なことやったのでしょうか？) I'm so sorry, I have absolutely no memory of it. Did I do something rude?"

  "(いいえ、別に。) No, not really."

  "安心しました。(That's a relief.)"

  Seeing Zhao Nanfeng turn away to look at the distant trees, Honda didn't push the conversation. She stood quietly beside him, her eyes searching the surroundings for the little red bird she had seen yesterday.

  **

  They had booked a tennis court for the afternoon, but the rain grew heavier. After watching a horror movie to digest their food, Su Xian suggested a game of "balloon tapping" to get some physical activity.

  Zhao Nanfeng wasn't interested. He sat alone at the bar, opened his laptop, put on headphones, and caught up on his backlog of YouTube videos.

  *

  During dinner, Honda suggested, "明日は社長の誕生日です、みんなで盛大に祝おう！(Tomorrow is the Boss's birthday! Let's have a grand celebration together!)"

  Zhao Nanfeng looked at Su Xian. She quickly added, "もちろん、そうしよう。(Of course, let's do that.)"

  Li Chengshi shifted his gaze from Su Xian to Zhao Nanfeng. "What, is there a story here?"

  "Of course there is. It's the 8th anniversary of our breakup," Zhao Nanfeng said, looking at him provocatively.

  Su Xian gave a cold laugh. "Yes, truly unforgettable."

  Honda asked curiously, "何？何？(What? What happened?)"

  "八年前の誕生日会で、私は浮気相手を蘇の前に連れて来て、その場で、みんなの前で彼女と別れると宣告した。(At my birthday party eight years ago, I brought my mistress to Su and announced right then and there, in front of everyone, that I was breaking up with her.)"

  Li Chengshi had heard from Old Zhang that Zhao Nanfeng had cheated multiple times, but he hadn't expected something so outrageous. He glared fiercely at Zhao Nanfeng and took Su Xian’s hand, squeezing it firmly to give her support.

  Honda also spoke up: "社長、酷かった。(Boss, that was horrible.)"

  "そうだ。私、こんな男だから、気を付けて。(It was. I'm that kind of man, so be careful.)"

  Su Xian waved her hand to lighten the mood. "大丈夫だよみんな、本人こそはもう全然気にしないから。明日は盛大にやらなくても、普通に祝おう。(It's okay, everyone. I personally don't care at all anymore. Tomorrow, even if we don't do something 'grand,' let's celebrate it for him normally.)"

  "やらなくてもいい、求めてないし。(You don't have to. I'm not asking for it,)" Zhao Nanfeng muttered.

  Su Xian said firmly, "いえ、やりましょう。私たちは仲直りしたから、あなたも気にしなくていい。(No, we're doing it. We've made up, so you don't need to be concerned about it either.)"

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  So, they would celebrate. A person must eventually reconcile with their past self. But looking at the expressions on the three of them, Zhao Nanfeng asked suspiciously, "You guys aren't going to poison me, are you?"

  *

  Before bed, Li Chengshi stroked Su Xian’s hair and asked heart-brokenly, "How did you get through those days back then?"

  "I just cried every day. I cried for half a month, then General Manager Liang gave me a good project, and the bad mood vanished instantly. Later, every time I saw his career progressing, I’d go to General Manager Liang to vent and cry in front of her. She could always give me something to work on so I could make money."

  "No wonder you were willing to cooperate with him again when he reappeared—because there was money to be made."

  "Exactly. Money can numb any pain. Even if it felt like the sky was falling back then, after two or three years, you can treat each other with calm politeness. So, don't think I have lingering feelings for him. I don't."

  "Actually, I'm mainly jealous of the rapport between you two. You only dated for two years, but seeing you together years later, you still have that 'old married couple' vibe."

  "Professionally, I can keep up with his pace without stealing his thunder, so we cooperate well. In life, I was indeed heavily influenced by him because my feelings for him involved a lot of admiration. I copied his habits and way of thinking, which turned out to be quite practical, so I just kept them. When you combine those two things, that's probably the 'rapport' you’re talking about."

  "But you don't have that with me..." He began to whimper and act spoiled.

  "Who says I don't?" Su Xian flipped over and pinned him beneath her. "I can tell by that expression of yours that you're 'burning up' again."

  He crossed his arms over his chest to resist and declared solemnly, "Su Xian, don't you dare think you can solve every problem with this one move!"

  *

  A moment later, she asked, "Is it solved?"

  He said obediently, "Mhm."

  **

  Zhao Nanfeng’s ideal birthday involved a few like-minded designer friends, a very presentable female companion, a high-class bar, mocking recent boring architecture, and talking freely about their respective philosophies and goals. He had one like that once; he was madly in love with Mio then, and Wakui Ryo had booked a place in Shinagawa with four other designers.

  Now, those friends had all gone their separate ways. Wakui had snatched Mio away. He was sleeping alone on a sofa with his legs curled up, woken up early by the sound of Li Chengshi cooking. He couldn't even complain because Li was making "Long Life Noodles" for him.

  Honda was blowing up balloons and making paper streamers.

  Why did a 37-year-old man need balloons for his birthday?

  "Where's Su Xian?"

  "She went to buy a birthday cake for you," Li Chengshi said without looking back.

  He checked his watch. "It’s barely past nine. Most shops aren't even open yet, right?"

  "She said since we didn't pre-order, she was afraid she wouldn't find one. She planned to drive around and see if any shop could make one on the spot."

  "There's no need for all that trouble." He dialed Su Xian’s number, but she was likely driving and didn't pick up.

  *

  Li Chengshi served the Long Life Noodles.

  "This is one continuous noodle, exactly one meter long, symbolizing living to a hundred. One crab leg, two shrimp, three slices of sea bream, and four scallops represent: Smooth sailing, double happiness, prosperity, and peace throughout the four seasons."

  "You went to a lot of trouble. Thanks."

  "You're welcome. But be careful not to break the noodle while eating, or you'll die early."

  "Thanks for the reminder." Zhao Nanfeng sucked the entire noodle into his mouth in one breath. "There. Living to a hundred for sure now."

  *