DASFAM_31

—Bang!

The manually twisted firework popped open, followed immediately by electronic firecrackers going off nonstop. Qiu Yi led the studio members in shouting auspicious phrases at Bai Xu:

"Wishing you a prosperous opening!"

"May the studio go smoothly in all things!"

"Boss Bai, make lots of money, and give us raises in the future!"

Bai Xu smiled and accepted their wishes, "Thank you all for your trust and for joining us. From today onwards, we'll be counting on everyone to work hard together at our Ning Ceramic Studio!"

"Sure!"

"Of course!"

Qiu Yi presided over the proceedings, "Alright, first hang the plaque, then cut the ribbon!"

Bai Xu took the studio's custom nameplate from her hands, "Okay."

The original host had always been a loner, without any close friends, and Bai Xu also disliked grand, elaborate opening ceremonies, so only Zhang Changning—who had wanted to come and show support—was invited.

Beyond that, Shang Queyan, at Shang Yanxiao's prompting, had sent over ten custom high-end flower baskets, arranged neatly in two rows in the front courtyard.

Zhang Changning spotted the brand-new nameplate and immediately went over to admire it, "Wow, made from ceramic?"

Bai Xu nodded, "Mm. It was Sister Qiu's idea. Fits our studio's vibe, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it looks great."

Zhang Changning was generous with his praise, and pointed something out, "You know, this studio and I are meant to be—Ning, written in pinyin, isn't that my 'Ning'? Why don't I invest a little and buy in?"

Qiu Yi chimed in, "That would be great!"

Bai Xu smiled and hung the nameplate up securely, then handed Zhang Changning a pair of scissors, "Come on, cut the ribbon together with me and Sister Qiu? Let you have a taste of it?"

Zhang Changning had never done anything like this before, "Sure."

"Three, two, one!"

Snip! The ribbon-cutting was a success!

The ceramic trade was different from traditional brick-and-mortar shops—on the first day of business, there was no need to chase after some opening-day sales figure.

After the excitement, everyone returned to their individual workrooms—designing what needed designing, creating what needed creating, ordinary and relaxed.

Bai Xu, having nothing to do, was nudged into the lounge of one of the workrooms by Zhang Changning, and couldn't help laughing, "I say, Young Master Ning, look at how at home you make yourself. Who exactly is the owner of this studio, you or me?"

"Hey, I'm here to talk serious business with you."

"What is it?"

The two sat down on the sofa.

Zhang Changning took a tablet out of his backpack and scrolled through it to pull up a series of design drawings, "An artist friend I met overseas wants to commission a batch of mini ceramics as exhibition giveaways, quite a large quantity. Can your studio take the order?"

"......"

Bai Xu hadn't expected Zhang Changning to actually be here on business, and his expression turned serious, "Hold on a moment."

He wasn't as knowledgeable in this area as the original host, so he had no choice but to call Qiu Yi over on WeChat.

Qiu Yi, upon hearing the news, quickly came to the lounge, "Let me see the design drawings."

Zhang Changning handed them over, "Here."

Qiu Yi went through them attentively and replied, "Not particularly difficult. For large quantities, I've worked with a kiln factory through Taojing before. I can give them a call and get back in touch. It's just the pricing and costs..."

Zhang Changning cut in, "My friend cares about precision. The cost is no issue. He's not short on money, otherwise I wouldn't have referred him to you."

Bai Xu smiled, "Since he's your friend, our studio certainly won't set some unreasonable price."

Zhang Changning had no doubts about that at all, "Mm."

Qiu Yi added, "How about this, I'll handle it myself and make a free sample batch based on the design drawings first. If the client is satisfied, we can work out the specifics after."

Zhang Changning answered on his friend's behalf, "No problem. I'll send you the design drawings a bit later."

Qiu Yi said, "Alright."

The lounge door closed again. Bai Xu turned to Zhang Changning and sincerely said, "Changning, thank you."

Zhang Changning grinned, "Don't mention it, we're friends. Of course I'd support your opening. Besides, I wasn't joking just now."

Bai Xu caught on, surprised, "You really want to invest?"

Zhang Changning nodded, the curls on his head bouncing along with the motion, "I studied art and design after all. Ceramic falls within my field, just not something I'm especially skilled at."

"My grandmother's health has been getting worse these past two years. I talked it over with the family and we decided I'd stay in the country for the time being."

The Zhang family wasn't short on money, and Zhang Changning had no such worries as finding a job.

"I'd just be sitting around idle anyway, and I can find inspiration to create anywhere. I really can't stand the hassle of things. Since you have a ready-made studio right here, mind if I take the easy way and attach myself to it? The investment money is no issue."

Bai Xu understood Zhang Changning's thinking, but still reminded him, "This investment isn't guaranteed to make money. What if it all goes down the drain someday."

Zhang Changning spoke with an innate confidence, "Is that so? I've got quite a few connections, and my eye for these things is sharp. Your studio has a long future ahead. If it ends up making money, just share a little with me, and if it doesn't—"

His already lively round eyes darted around playfully, "Then I'll have Third Brother pay off your debts. You two are practically family anyway."

"......"

Family?

Him and Shang Yanxiao?

This out-of-nowhere remark made Bai Xu pause for a moment, and when he spoke again there was a faint petulance in his voice that even he hadn't noticed, "It's my own studio. I'm not about to have Shang Yanxiao take responsibility for it. It will make money."

Every project he had ever set his sights on had yet to lose money.

Things had already come this far. Turning away a shareholder who had come knocking of his own accord would just seem pointless.

Bai Xu agreed, "Since Young Master Ning is so eager to board this 'pirate ship' of his own free will, I'll welcome you with open arms then?"

Zhang Changning tilted his chin up, "Now that's more like it."

The two chatted in the lounge for a while longer, until Bai Xu received a WeChat message from Sister Qiu: "Bai Xu, come out for a second. Someone is asking for you by name."

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, "Someone's looking for me. I'll step out for a moment, make yourself at home."

Zhang Changning didn't feel the least bit neglected, "Sure."

...

Bai Xu stepped out of the lounge and spotted Qiu Yi from a distance, attending to a young woman in office attire whom he didn't recognize at all.

"Sister Qiu."

He walked over steadily, his gaze settling on this young and unfamiliar woman.

She met his scrutiny and introduced herself politely, "Hello, Mr. Bai. I'm Yang Ya, assistant to Chairman Sun Miaochun. Here is my business card."

Bai Xu's eyes narrowed slightly as he took the card, "Chairman Chun?"

Yang Ya said, "Chairman Chun heard that your studio was opening today and sent me especially to deliver an opening flower basket. She also said that she was a poor host at the banquet last time, and hopes Mr. Bai will forgive the oversight."

"......"

While opening the studio hadn't been kept a secret, Bai Xu had never gone around broadcasting it. Had Sun Miaochun sent someone specifically to look into his affairs?

Bai Xu took her business card, "Chairman Chun is far too kind."

Yang Ya had come with a mission and pressed on, "Mr. Bai, Chairman Chun would like to commission a private order of ceramics from your studio. The total budget is this figure, who should I speak with to discuss the details?"

"......"

Qiu Yi caught sight of the number Yang Ya gestured and couldn't hide her shock.

First Zhang Changning had used his industry connections to bring in business, and now Yang Ya had arrived on behalf of her director with a custom order request? Less than an hour since opening, and the orders coming in were a bit overwhelming, weren't they?

Qiu Yi didn't dare act on her own judgment and turned her gaze toward Bai Xu.

Bai Xu caught her silent plea, his eyes shifting slightly, "Thank our Chairman Chun for being willing to support our studio's business."

This was not some elite banquet, and his studio had even less to do with the Shang family.

Sun Miaochun was a shrewd person—she should have understood at the banquet that he would not help broker any connections to the Shang family. Even so, she had still sent her assistant to convey both an 'apology' and a 'gesture of goodwill'.

That being the case, Bai Xu was willing to accept it.

After all, once you open your doors for business, no one turns away money.

Bai Xu didn't agree outright and still left some room, "Sister Qiu, would you mind taking Miss Yang to the office for a proper chat, see whether our studio has the capacity to meet Chairman Chun's custom order requirements."

"Of course."

Qiu Yi gestured politely, "Miss Yang, please follow me."

Yang Ya let out a quiet breath of relief, gave Bai Xu a small nod, and followed Qiu Yi into the inner office.

...

The first day of business went exceptionally smoothly.

To mark everyone's support for the studio, Bai Xu had specially booked a private room at a hotel and treated Qiu Yi and the rest of the staff to an opening banquet.

Zhang Changning, as the newly minted investor, naturally joined in the festivities.

After several rounds of drinks, the group finally began thinking about wrapping up.

Bai Xu gently steadied Zhang Changning as they stepped out of the elevator, and looked up to find Zhang Changxu climbing out of a black car.

The two came face to face, "Dr. Zhang? What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for him."

Zhang Changxu took hold of the slightly dazed Zhang Changning with practiced ease, "He sent me a message saying he'd invested in your studio and was here for a dinner gathering."

Bai Xu heard this and wasn't surprised.

After all, this pair of Zhang brothers—one an obsessive older brother, the other an obsessive younger one—had been famously so in the novel. Brought into reality, the bond between them had only grown stronger.

Bai Xu asked, "So do you approve of him investing, Dr. Zhang?"

Though Zhang Changning was a little drunk, he perked up the moment he heard this, "It's my own savings! I make my own decisions!"

The sweeping gesture he made with his arm was too broad, and his center of gravity tipped again.

Zhang Changxu quickly pulled him in closer, and a fleeting trace of indulgence and exasperation crossed his usually cool features, "Alright, your decision. No one's stopping you from investing."

Bai Xu laughed despite himself.

Zhang Changxu caught the quiet laugh and turned his gaze back to Bai Xu. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else around, he said, "Yanxiao is set to leave next week. Are you going with him?"

Bai Xu turned the question back on him, "Is everything ready?"

Zhang Changxu kept it brief, "Mm. I've already explained the situation to the Old Master, and once we're in Singapore, there will be trusted people to coordinate on that end."

Bai Xu felt a vague unease, "What if someone back home gets suspicious..."

Zhang Changxu had some knowledge of the Shang family's affairs and spoke plainly, "The ones who were ever going to be suspicious never stopped being so. Whether Yanxiao is awake or not, their plans won't come to a halt."

Though if Shang Yanxiao were away from the country and away from the group, it would actually remove a certain threat from their perspective and make it easier to carry out their schemes behind the scenes.

Zhang Changxu pressed the question on his friend's behalf, "So are you going?"

Bai Xu came back to himself, "Why is Dr. Zhang so concerned about whether I go or not?"

A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Zhang Changxu's mouth, "I just have a feeling that Yanxiao really hopes you'll go."

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Zhang Changxu left it at that and deliberately didn't spell it out, "Of course. After all, if you went, he'd have one more sharp person by his side to help keep up appearances."

Zhang Changning was starting to doze off, stifling a yawn as he squinted over, "Second Brother, are you two done talking?"

"Done."

Zhang Changxu immediately dropped the subject and gave Bai Xu a meaningful look, "We'll head off first. If anything comes up on Yanxiao's end, contact me anytime."

Bai Xu agreed, "Will do."

Not long after the Zhang brothers left, Qiu Yi, having settled the private room bill, came down in the elevator, "Bai Xu, you haven't left yet?"

"Just about to."

Bai Xu replied, and didn't forget to mention, "Sister Qiu, charge today's expenses directly to my personal account at the end of the month."

Qiu Yi waved the receipt in her hand, businesslike as ever, "Got it. It's quite a sum, so I won't fight you on it."

Bai Xu smiled, and once again thanked her sincerely, "Sister Qiu, thank you."

Qiu Yi smiled back, "Between the two of us, let's skip the formalities. Besides, the salary you're paying me is no small amount. Even for my own sake, I'd want to run the studio well."

Bai Xu could tell the second half of that was said in jest, "Mm, looks like I'll need to give you a raise, though that'll have to wait until I'm back."

Qiu Yi asked, "Until you're back? Where are you going?"

"Singapore," Bai Xu didn't want to reveal too much about the Shang family's affairs, "Something's come up at home. I need to go along for a trip. Three months at the shortest, half a year at the most?"

Bai Xu gave a rough timeframe based on how the events were described in the novel.

"If anything comes up with the studio, we can communicate online anytime. Besides, Singapore isn't far. If something truly urgent comes up that can't be handled, I can always fly back."

Qiu Yi thought it over and nodded, "It's fine, go take care of your own affairs. I've got things covered here at the studio."

She hadn't been in this industry for just a year or two. Routine order matters were all well within her ability to handle.

Bai Xu felt a slight easing in his chest, "Thank you, Sister Qiu. Shall I have the driver drop you home on the way? It's getting late."

Qiu Yi didn't turn it down this time, "Alright."

...

Bai Xu hadn't involved himself much in the arrangements for Shang Yanxiao's overseas 'treatment'. It wasn't until the private plane touched down in Singapore that it finally hit him, in a daze, that he had actually left the country.

—Thud!

The dedicated pickup car door shut, cutting off the view of the unrelated ground crew outside.

Once Chen Yufe had driven the car up onto the elevated highway, Xie Qi in the backseat let out a quiet breath of relief, "Third Young Master, no outsiders now."

Bai Xu heard this and looked over at Shang Yanxiao lying on the portable stretcher bed.

"......"

Shang Yanxiao slowly opened his eyes, catching Bai Xu's gaze with ease, and made no effort to conceal his exhaustion.

Bai Xu noticed the fatigue and stiffness around his brow and eyes, and couldn't help saying with a smile, "Third Young Master must have a thoroughly stiff back after lying flat the whole way, no?"

Shang Yanxiao let him joke, took the warm water Xie Qi handed over and moistened his throat, "How long until we reach where we're staying?"

Xie Qi answered, "Two hours by car."

Bai Xu was taken aback, "Two hours? Aren't we going to Yasheng Private Hospital?"

Xie Qi caught the look of surprise on Bai Xu's face and let out a low laugh, "Young Master Bai, going to the hospital for treatment is only what we tell the outside world. Now that Third Young Master is here, there's no way he's going to keep being confined to a hospital bed like before."

"We've already made arrangements with the private hospital—they'll have people standing in to simulate Third Young Master's daily treatment routine. Xiao Deng and Brother Fei will take turns keeping watch over there, and I'll drop by from time to time as well."

The act still had to go on, for as long as it could hold.

After all, they were abroad, and it wouldn't be so easy or convenient for the first and second branches to investigate the truth. And back home, there was Shang Queyan keeping an eye on things.

Shang Yanxiao's time abroad had been glossed over in the novel with only a brief mention, so Bai Xu had no idea what was actually going on behind the scenes, "So where are we going now?"

Shang Yanxiao replied, "A separate private residence."

Xie Qi nodded, "The servants and housekeeper over there are all foreign nationals. Everything has been arranged."

Bai Xu gave a noncommittal hum, "It seems it doesn't make much difference to Third Young Master whether I came along or not. And here I thought you still needed me to help keep up appearances."

Shang Yanxiao said, "Since you're here, rest for a few days first. There will indeed be places where I'll need your help with cover after that."

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Is that so?"

Shang Yanxiao didn't spell out an answer, and instead turned it back on him, "Are you tired? Do you want to sleep for a bit?"

Bai Xu concealed the trace of fatigue in his eyes, "I'm alright. I'll rest once we get there, can't sleep properly on the road."

Shang Yanxiao paused for two seconds, then said offhandedly to Chen Yufei, "Drive as fast as you can."

"Yes, Third Young Master."

...

They arrived at the new residence just past seven in the evening.

A standalone duplex villa—smaller in area than the Shang family estate, but more than making up for it with refined furnishings and quiet surroundings. Xie Qi had looked into it specifically—

The residents in this area were all either wealthy or well-connected, and day-to-day privacy was excellent.

The newly hired housekeeper was a British man in his early thirties who stepped forward steadily to greet them, "Good evening, gentlemen. I'm Allen. It's a pleasure to be at your long-term service."

Allen didn't understand Chinese, which was something Xie Qi had arranged deliberately.

Shang Yanxiao gave a slight nod. Before he could respond, Bai Xu spoke up first, "Is dinner ready? I'm hungry."

Fluent and polished British English, delivered with a particularly pleasing sound.

Allen's eyes lit up, "Of course, Mr. Bai. Your accent is impeccable."

Bai Xu tilted his head slightly and teased him easily, "If you let me eat first before I speak, I could make it even more impeccable."

Allen broke into a smile.

From the car, Shang Yanxiao watched this brief exchange between the two, something deepening in his gaze. He stepped out on his long legs, passed Allen without stopping, and said, "Let's go in."

Not a single unnecessary pause in his stride—his cool, sharp expression radiating a commanding presence.

Allen immediately sensed that he was the one at the center of this whole group, and felt a jolt of awareness, "Of course, Mr. Shang."

Bai Xu also caught the flash of coldness from Shang Yanxiao and furrowed his brow. He looked over at Xie Qi and Chen Yufei beside him, "What's gotten into him?"

"......"

Xie Qi pushed up his glasses, "Third Young Master is always like this with outsiders. Shall we head in as well, Young Master Bai."

Bai Xu tucked away that vague, inexplicable feeling and followed them inside.

Perhaps in consideration of it being Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu's first night at the house, dinner had been prepared particularly lavishly.

Bai Xu's body had been somewhat motion-sick from the flight, and with the added fatigue of two hours on the road, now that he had finally settled in at home, the aroma naturally stirred his appetite.

Bai Xu took a bite of the salmon and avocado on the table and looked over at the servant beside him with pleasant surprise, "Mm, this is really good."

The delicateness of the fish paired with the well-balanced sweet-and-sour of the avocado mash—very tasty.

The servant was busy ladling soup for them and, upon hearing Bai Xu's compliment, quickly said, "Mr. Bai, this was made by Allen."

Allen explained, "The avocados we bought today were very good. If you enjoy them, Mr. Bai, I could make you an avocado milkshake as well?"

"Sure, thank you."

Bai Xu smiled and agreed, then looked over at Shang Yanxiao, "Would you like one?"

Shang Yanxiao scooped a spoonful of soup, and replied flatly, "No."

Bai Xu caught the faint coolness tucked into his tone and furrowed his brow slightly, then looked back at Allen, "Just the one then, thank you~"

His naturally soft and gentle voice, carrying an almost built-in coaxing lilt.

"......"

Shang Yanxiao set his soup spoon quietly down in the bowl, "Xie Qi, come with me for a moment."

Xie Qi watched Allen's retreating figure head into the kitchen, pushed his glasses up lightly, and said, "Take your time eating, Young Master Bai."

Bai Xu paid no particular mind to his words, just fixed his gaze on Shang Yanxiao's hastily departing figure, and the inexplicable feeling settling in his chest expanded a little more.

He set down his chopsticks absently, "What? What's gotten into Shang Yanxiao today?"

Chen Yufe met his questioning look and shook his head.

Bai Xu looked at Shang Yanxiao's bowl and utensils, barely touched, and suddenly found he had lost much of his appetite too. He waited until Allen brought the avocado milkshake back, then took it from him and headed upstairs.

Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs.

As Shang Yanxiao and Xie Qi came out of the study, they happened to catch sight of Bai Xu carrying his milkshake up the stairs.

Their eyes met—not a trace of warmth on either side.

Bai Xu took a sip of his milkshake, and with a petulance he himself hadn't noticed, looked over at Xie Qi, "Which room is mine?"

Xie Qi darted a quick glance at Shang Yanxiao, then quickly pointed, "Over there! Right next to Third Young Master's bedroom!"

He seemed to remember something and offered helpfully, "Oh right. Third Young Master, Young Master Bai, there's also a small connecting door between your two rooms. If anything comes up at night, you can look out for each other?"

"......"

Bai Xu climbed the remaining few steps, closing the distance between himself and Shang Yanxiao without quite realizing it, "Third Young Master is perfectly capable, what could possibly come up?"

Shang Yanxiao noticed the difference in his tone and the tension between his brows tightened a little more.

Bai Xu saw that he still wore that same cool, detached expression and found it suddenly tiresome, "Carry on. I'll head to my room and rest."

"......"

So close, and yet they passed each other by—not even a basic 'goodnight' exchanged.

A trace of sullenness surfaced between Shang Yanxiao's brows, only to be swiftly concealed, "Xie Qi, get to what I asked of you as soon as possible."

Xie Qi saw right through it, "Understood, Third Young Master."

...

That night.

Bai Xu lay curled up on the bed, half asleep and half awake, a trace of indescribable suffering written across his face.

At some point, a dry, painful sensation had begun rising in his throat, and beyond that, a fierce burning feeling surged in his stomach—the slightest movement caused the skin in contact with the sheets to prick with stinging pain.

"……"

Bai Xu tried to endure it for a while, but the pain grew heavier and heavier, driving away what little drowsiness remained.

Forcing himself through the discomfort, he sat up—but before he could even get out of bed to pour water, the dizziness from rising sent his stomach lurching, and he rushed straight to the bathroom to retch for quite some time.

—Splash!

Cool water to rinse his mouth, to wash his face—the cold sensation jolting his burning nerves.

Bai Xu raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes had already reddened quickly from the distress, and itchy red spots had appeared on the side of his neck and along his arms as well.

—An allergic reaction? How could that be?

Bai Xu gasped in disbelief, yet his body's instinctive response had already confirmed the fact. His stomach, now completely empty, still cramped with spasms of pain, cold sweat and hot sweat washing over him in waves.

Bai Xu had always been strong-willed. He dragged his weakened steps out of the bathroom, intending to use warm water to ease his discomfort—but he had sorely underestimated the severity of this allergic reaction.

"Ugh."

Suddenly, his stomach gave a sharp cramp, his hand trembled, and the glass came crashing to the floor, the sound ringing out with startling clarity in the dead of night.

"……"

Bai Xu had no strength left to deal with it. He held himself up against the small bar counter at the edge of the bedroom, waiting for the wave of pain to pass.

Then, without warning, a knock sounded at the tightly shut room door, "Bai Xu?"

It was Shang Yanxiao's voice, "What happened?"

Bai Xu adjusted his breathing, his voice a little faint and unsteady, "It's nothing, I accidentally knocked over a glass."

Shang Yanxiao didn't believe him, "Open the door."

Bai Xu gritted his teeth, "I'm fine, you–"

—Bang!

The small door, which hadn't been locked to begin with, was simply pushed open by Shang Yanxiao.

Shang Yanxiao took one look at Bai Xu's far-from-normal complexion, and his expression immediately filled with tension, "What's wrong with you?"

"……"

Bai Xu's breathing trembled with pain, yet he stubbornly refused to let a single word of it pass his lips, "Seems the soundproofing in this room really isn't great."

Shang Yanxiao noticed the red spots on his skin and reached up to press his palm to Bai Xu's forehead, "An allergic reaction? Or is something else hurting?"

The slightly cool touch of his palm against his forehead drew an involuntary low sound from Bai Xu, "Shang Yanxiao?"

Shang Yanxiao could see he was having trouble staying on his feet and quickly steadied him, "Hm? I'm here."

Bai Xu leaned against Shang Yanxiao's chest without any guard left in him. The scent on the other person—familiar enough by now—wrapped around him completely, and the mental defenses he had been forcing up crumbled without resistance.

"Shang Yanxiao, it really hurts."

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