Chapter 28

Xue Fu has a fiery, impulsive personality.

When Shu Shiran heard her tone regarding Ji Xi at the entrance of the restaurant, she assumed they would be at odds. To her surprise, only ten minutes later, Xue Fu was already calling him "brother-in-law" with enthusiastic familiarity.

Xue Fu was studying at NYU and had been there for less than half a year. When she heard that Ji Xi had previously lived in Manhattan, her eyes lit up, and she grilled him on everything from his lifestyle to beach vacations.

"I have houses in Santa Monica and Malibu," Ji Xi said. "I also have a yacht and a plane. You’re welcome to take your friends."

Xue Fu nodded happily. "Thanks, brother-in-law! I won't stand on ceremony—I'm going as soon as I’m on break!"

Ji Xi pulled out his phone. "I’ll push a contact to you. If you need anything in the States, you can reach out to him."

"Sounds good, brother-in-law. Let’s add each other on WeChat."

After connecting, Xue Fu added the contact card Ji Xi sent over. She pulled out her cigarette case and asked, "Do you smoke, brother-in-law?"

"No," Ji Xi replied.

Xue Fu glanced between him and Shu Shiran. "Are you guys trying for a baby?"

"..."

The mention of "trying for a baby" caught Shu Shiran completely off guard. She nearly choked on her food, and her face began to burn.

Xue Fu put her cigarette case away and said, "Then I won't either. I can't have my sister breathing in secondhand smoke."

"…That’s not it," Shu Shiran said.

Ji Xi looked at Shu Shiran’s reddened ears with a smile. "I’ve never smoked."

Noticing his teasing gaze, Shu Shiran gave him a subtle glare. "I’m going to the restroom."

Xue Fu stood up as well. "Sister, I'm coming too."

No sooner had they left the private room than Ji Xi’s phone rang. It was a voice call from Luke.

"Jaziel, it’s early morning. Why did you suddenly push such a beauty my way?"

Ji Xi replied, "Don't get any ideas. That’s my sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law?"

"My wife's younger sister."

"…Of course I know what a sister-in-law is. It’s not some obscure Chinese term. I mean, why didn't you introduce me to your wife instead of her sister?"

"She’s studying at NYU. It’ll be convenient for you to look out for her if anything comes up."

"NYU, huh? That’s not far." Luke agreed immediately. "Taking care of the little sister? No problem."

Knowing what Luke was like, Ji Xi warned him in a low voice, "Don't touch her. If my wife doesn't forgive me for it, I won't forgive you."

Luke clicked his tongue. "Got it, got it."

In the restroom, Shu Shiran and Xue Fu stood before the mirror. Xue Fu leaned toward her sister and nudged her with her arm. "Sis, I had no idea brother-in-law was this handsome. I approve of this marriage."

Thinking of her sudden change in attitude, Shu Shiran retorted, "Just because he’s handsome?"

"Brother-in-law isn't just 'handsome' in the usual sense," Xue Fu said.

He didn't have the kind of looks that you could sum up at a glance; there was a coldness to him, yet also a free-spirited, unbridled air. Every smile or lift of his eyes held a hint of nonchalance and ease. Xue Fu had noticed their exchange of looks earlier and knew that being with a man like him wouldn't be dull.

"Plus, he’s a match for you, sis. I wouldn't have accepted anyone who wasn't. You know how complicated I felt when I heard you got married? I couldn't even stand hearing Dad praise him."

Shu Shiran chuckled. "Alright, I know you’re a sweetie."

As they left the restroom, Xue Fu leaned in again. "Sister, I didn't quite catch it earlier—are you guys actually trying for a baby? I’m quite looking forward to being an aunt."

"..."

In their situation, how could she possibly become an aunt?

"We… aren't planning to have children for the time being," Shu Shiran said.

***

With Xue Fu back at school, the Lunar New Year was less than a month away. Many companies were holding their annual parties during this period, and Chunxiang’s was currently in the planning stages.

Wu Tianqi was very excited about the party. While dropping off some drawings, he asked Shu Shiran if there would be any performances.

"Performances?" Shu Shiran asked.

"Yeah, you know, programs put on by everyone."

If there were performances, given the atmosphere at Chunxiang, he might get to see the two bosses perform. He was especially looking forward to seeing Shu Shiran sing or dance.

Unaware of what Wu Tianqi was thinking, Shu Shiran replied, "No."

"Oh, I see."

The disappointment in his tone was quite evident. Shu Shiran glanced at him and said, "If you want to perform, we can add a solo spot just for you."

Wu Tianqi coughed lightly. "No, thanks." It would be too weird to be the only one performing.

Not long after Wu Tianqi left, Shu Shiran's phone rang. It was a voice call from Xue Fu.

"Sister."

"Not sleeping?" Shu Shiran asked. It was the middle of the night in New York.

"Pulling an all-nighter, so I thought I'd give you a call."

Xue Fu had been in the States for nearly a week, and they chatted for a bit about how things were going.

"Sis, I met that friend of brother-in-law's yesterday." That was the real reason for Xue Fu’s call. "I needed a favor, so I reached out to him. He’s a great guy, his name is Luke. He’s a biracial hunk and looks like he really knows how to have a good time."

Shu Shiran wasn't surprised to hear "knows how to have a good time." After all, he was Ji Xi's friend.

Xue Fu continued, "Sis, do you want me to grill Luke about brother-in-law’s past in the States?"

"No need." She would rather not know about all that messy stuff, and she didn't want to hear it.

Xue Fu let out an "Ah" and asked, "You don't want to know how many girlfriends he had in America?"

"He said he didn't date anyone while he was here."

Xue Fu was shocked. "For real?"

"Alright, I still have drawings to finish. Take care of yourself over there and try not to stay up so late."

"Got it. You get back to work then, I’m going to sleep now."

***

Chunxiang Studio only had a dozen or so employees, so their annual party wasn't like those of large corporations with stages; it was more like a team-building event.

On the day of the party, everyone was present. It was held in a private suite at a clubhouse that offered food, drinks, and entertainment.

In the morning, everyone organized and showcased the drawings they had produced over the year. Even though Wu Tianqi had only started in October, he had produced quite a few drawings, and his PowerPoint was rich in content. Afterward, Shu Shiran and Dai Jiao summarized the projects from the past year.

The afternoon was for leisure—some played cards, others played video games. The evening was a banquet, which included the highly anticipated lucky draw.

Since there were so few of them, they used the simplest method: all the draw slips were prepared in advance and placed in a box. Everyone took one, including Shu Shiran and Dai Jiao.

"I bet the grand prize and first prize are going to be snatched by Della and Sharon," someone joked.

"That would be hilarious."

"It would mean the whole thing was rigged!"

Dai Jiao laughed. "Don't worry, if Sharon or I actually win, we'll donate the prize back for another round."

When everyone finished drawing, they opened them together. Shu Shiran looked at her own slip and then at Dai Jiao’s. Dai Jiao had won the third prize—a hair dryer.

"What did you get, Sharon?" she asked.

"Consolation prize," Shu Shiran said. It was a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.

Dai Jiao clicked her tongue. "What kind of luck is that?"

Shu Shiran joked, "At least this proves the draw isn't rigged."

"I specifically added something special to this year's draw," Dai Jiao said. "There were only two consolation prizes; everything else was at least third prize. And you managed to pull one of them."

"..."

There were only two consolation prizes. The others were checking their results too. The person who won the grand prize and the two first prizes was met with envy.

Wu Tianqi looked at his slip. "How did I get a consolation prize? What even is the prize?"

"I think it's earbuds," someone else replied.

Hearing this, Dai Jiao said, "As expected of your top apprentice. One consolation prize each."

"..."

Wu Tianqi had initially thought the consolation prize was fine and that the draw was fun, but once he learned there were only two, he felt a bit cheated. He was participating in his first annual party draw, so why was his luck so bad?

After seeing what everyone else won—especially Yuan Yuan, who had actually won a first prize—he was so annoyed that he posted a picture of his consolation prize to his social media feed. No sooner had he posted it than he saw a notification: Feng Kuan had "liked" it instantly.

Someone next to him tugged at his sleeve. "Stop playing on your phone, come play games."

The banquet was winding down, but the drinks were still flowing. Everyone decided to play a round of "I’m Going on a Trip."

Wu Tianqi put his phone away. "Let's go!"

It was a simple game to get the atmosphere going; players couldn't take too long to think, and they couldn't repeat what the previous person had said. Anyone who stumbled or repeated had to drink.

Dai Jiao started: "What can you find in the Pritzker Prize? Pierre."

Wu Tianqi: "???"

What trip? Weren't they supposed to be going to the zoo?

Shu Shiran followed Dai Jiao: "Wang Shu."

The people after them chimed in:
"Zaha."
"Gehry."
"Tadao Ando."

It reached Wu Tianqi. He clapped along to the rhythm and said, "I.M. Pei?"

Everyone nodded. The Pritzker Architecture Prize was the industry's highest honor, and all the winners were masters. Everyone in the field knew these names well, unlike Wu Tianqi—knowing one or two was already impressive for him.

By the second round, he was stumped. "You guys are all professionals," Wu Tianqi protested. "That’s not fair to me!"

"I specifically left the easy ones for you earlier," the architect next to him said.

"That's still not fair!"

To be fair, they switched to "visiting" a zoo and a botanical garden. Wu Tianqi was drinking soft drinks, and after a few rounds, his stomach was bloated. He and the front desk/HR staff eventually bowed out, watching the architects play the "Professional Edition."

They moved on to architectural materials, Bauhaus, and architecture firms—anything was fair game. Watching them, Wu Tianqi realized something and said to Yuan Yuan, "Sharon hasn't lost once."

Dai Jiao, who had taken a break, heard him and said, "You don't know? Sharon is a legend at this game. She’s undefeated in our firm."

"For real?" Wu Tianqi was stunned. Shu Shiran seemed so gentle; she didn't look like a gaming shark.

"Of course it's real," Dai Jiao said.

As they spoke, a round ended, and the losers were drinking. Shu Shiran picked up her glass, took a sip, and looked at them. "Let's do CAD commands."

Wu Tianqi only knew that CAD was software for drawing construction documents. "How do you 'visit' CAD?"

"We list common commands," Dai Jiao said. "Offset, fillet, rotate, things like that."