Evening Stars Chapter 44
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 44
The first birthday banquet for Xu Nanheng's cousin's child was in the evening, while his school's pre-semester meeting was at three-thirty in the afternoon. So he came straight to the meeting in his newly tailored suit, saving himself a trip home to change later.
At the end of August, Beijing's sun hung high and fierce. The city was dry, and the heat came in waves like an oven. After parking, Xu Nanheng left his suit jacket in the car. If he wore it outside in this weather, the jacket would be no different from the lotus leaves wrapped around a beggar's chicken while it baked.
“Oh wow, Teacher Xu came all dressed up for the meeting!” The colleague walking towards him was Teacher Cheng, who had just seen off the graduating class before the summer break.
Xu Nanheng smiled. “You flatter me, Teacher Cheng.”
As soon as they reached the fourth floor of the administration building, they could already feel the cool air conditioning in the corridor. Xu Nanheng's outfit wasn't flashy, just a white dress shirt, tie, and suit pants. But the entire set had been custom-tailored based on the precise measurements. The tailor had taken into account the exact shape of his shoulders and the drape of the collar, even asking which side he usually preferred for his trouser pocket. The fabric was high quality, and on him, it looked anything but ordinary. One glance was enough to tell the difference.
The door of the conference room stood wide open, and the air conditioner inside was vigorously blowing cold air out into the corridor. In the past, Xu Nanheng had never thought much about how wasteful it was to run the air conditioner with the door open. Given his family background, it was just a little extra in the electricity bill. But things felt different after his trip to Tibet.
All his life, he could remember the power going out only once or twice, when he was very young. Back then, when too many people on the same street turned on their air conditioners, the voltage would dip and the power would cut. He would sit in the courtyard with his grandfather, fanning themselves.
But in Tibet, he learned that there were still places where water and electricity outages happened every few days, and that there were so many people who had to stretch every single yuan.
He stepped aside to let Teacher Cheng go in first, then followed and closed the heavy door behind him. It shut with a loud thud, causing the chatting teachers inside to look at him in unison.
Xu Nanheng met their gazes calmly, scanning the room. In the corner, Teacher Tan waved at him, signaling for him to sit over there.
“I've been annoyed by that open door for a while,” Teacher Dai, who was in the front row, turned back and said quietly, “Everyone sitting here is a people's teacher, preaching students about energy conservation, but they'd practically set the AC out in the street to cool the whole neighborhood if they could. Some people really love to show off.”
Sitting next to Teacher Dai, Su Yu joined in. “Exactly. Remember Director Fu's office? Door and windows wide open, air conditioner and humidifier both running. He said it's to keep the air flowing, so his potted plants won't wilt. Thinks his office is some kind of imperial study.”
Xu Nanheng chuckled twice, then lifted his wrist to check the time. “Wasn't it supposed to start at three-thirty?”
“When is Director Fu ever on time for a meeting?” Teacher Tan yawned, resting his chin on his hand. “See? Only us juniors show up on the dot.”
Xu Nanheng nodded. That made sense.
A few minutes later, the meeting room door opened. In came Director Fu, the same one Su Yu couldn't stand, holding a teacup, followed by a few other teachers. He glanced around at the scattered seating and smiled. “Sitting so far apart. Can you even hear me clearly like that?”
The four of them exchanged looks, gathered their things, paper notebooks, iPads, Pencils, and moved toward the center seats. Director Fu added with a grin, “I wondered why the door was closed when I came by. Thought I'd walked into the wrong room.”
He said it jokingly, but everyone knew what he meant. An open door created a brighter, more transparent space. Teachers preferred it because they could see what the students were up to inside. The higher-ups operated on the same mentality, only their gaze was directed at the younger staff.
At that moment, a teacher quipped, “Teacher Xu was the one who closed it. He probably didn't want to waste electricity.”
Half the people in the room turned to look at Xu Nanheng, who cut an impressive figure. That evening, his family was hosting a dinner, but his parents had also invited some of their close business associates. Before heading out, his mother had arranged for a hairstylist to come to their home. His hair was styled, his eyebrows trimmed, and because Beijing's air was so dry, she even made him put on a hydrating face mask.
He sat there idly twirling his pen.
When people looked over, he stopped twirling his pen, leaned back slightly, and said casually, “Yeah, wastefulness is shameful. Didn't we all learn that as kids?”
He also said it with a smile and downcast eyes, essentially conveying, ‘You joke, so I'll joke too. Let's not take this too seriously.’
The teacher was choked by the retort, sat up straight, and fell silent.
Director Fu gave two dry laughs. “Ah, yes, Teacher Xu is right. No wasting resources.”
Another teacher, sitting next to a senior colleague, chimed in from the side. His tone was just loud enough for everyone to hear. “Hey, Teacher Guan, did you hear what Teacher Xu said? If the principal's office leaves the air conditioner running with the door open tomorrow, he might as well buy the whole school himself.”
Teacher Guan gave him a sidelong glance. Xu Nanheng heard it, and he didn't want to pretend he hadn't, so he also said in a voice that was neither loud nor quiet, “Why not, Teacher Lei? If I really bought it, you'd be teaching at a private school.”
“Oh, come on……” Teacher Lei gave a strained, insincere laugh. He looked to Teacher Guan for support, but the latter simply turned his face away to fuss with his clothes.
From the front, Director Fu stepped in to smooth things over. “Alright, alright. Our Teacher Xu just came back from volunteer teaching. He's seen the conditions in remote mountain areas. Of course it leaves an impression, right, Teacher Xu?”
Director Fu had always been the diplomatic type. After his promotion, his teaching workload had lightened, and he often socialized with officials from the Ministry of Education. Initially, Xu Nanheng had kept a low profile, so no one knew about his family background. That was until someone accidentally discovered he lived in a siheyuan. Naturally, Director Fu had asked around, and ever since then, his attitude toward Xu Nanheng had been nothing but polite.
The meeting dragged on endlessly. When Xu Nanheng instinctively reached up to scratch his head, he remembered he'd styled his hair with wax, so he settled for scratching the back of his neck instead.
Beside him, Teacher Tan leaned over and whispered, “Wanna grab some hot pot skewers after this?”
From the front, Su Yu leaned back in her chair and said, “With Teacher Xu dressed like that, you want him to sit in a hot pot skewer shop? He looks like he's on his way to a blind date.”
Tan Xi blinked in realization. “Oh right! I just noticed you look like a celebrity today. Did you even get your hair done?”
Teacher Dai joined in, leaning back too. “Teacher Xu, when you finally buy the school, I want a four-day workweek.”
Xu Nanheng: “……”
He didn't know whether to turn down Teacher Tan's invitation first, or to explain to Su Yu that he wasn't actually going on a blind date. As for buying the school, he said, “If I really bought it, I'd make everyone work 24/7 to become the private school with the best college admission rate in Beijing..”
“……”
The three of them looked at him. Capitalist!
The meeting finished close to six o'clock. Xu Nanheng hurried to his car and drove toward the hotel. Once inside, he sent Fang Shiyou a WeChat message, asking what time he'd arrive.
His family had told him to bring Fang Shiyou along to the birthday banquet, seeing it as an opportunity for him to meet the family during the gathering. Dr. Fang had the day off, and whenever he wasn't working, he replied quickly. He said he would be there in fifteen or sixteen minutes.
So Fang Shiyou would arrive first. Xu Nanheng started the car, one hand on the steering wheel as he eased out of the parking spot. Pressing the voice button, he said, “Alright, I'm heading out now. If the traffic's light, I'll be there in thirty minutes. If not, tell them to save me some food.”
The evening's family dinner involved several relatives and a table of business partners. Inviting Fang Shiyou to such an occasion meant the Xu family clearly took him seriously. Because of that, Dr. Fang had been on edge the entire day. His aunts had even come over to help him choose what to wear and what gift to bring.
Professor Gu had gone to work early in the morning and hadn't taken part. Not that his opinion would have helped much anyway.
Xu Nanheng was lucky. There was no traffic, so he made it in thirty minutes. After parking, he picked up his suit jacket and went upstairs. His family had reserved the entire twelfth floor of the hotel, including a few banquet halls and private rooms. He walked around a bit and found the main table.
His grandpa and grandma were seated at the head of the table, with the one-year-old baby being held by his grandma. Next to his grandma sat his cousin's paternal grandmother. The two elderly ladies were smiling and talking, and next to his grandpa…… next to his grandpa sat Fang Shiyou.
Xu Nanheng almost laughed out loud, thinking, ‘Well, look at you. Already made it to the main table.’ He walked over, greeting everyone around first, then looked down at Fang Shiyou.
“Dr. Fang.”
“Yeah, Teacher Xu.” Fang Shiyou stood up.
As soon as he did, a few sharp-eyed relatives noticed something. The suit jacket draped over Xu Nanheng's arm and Fang Shiyou's tie shared the same base color and the same subtle patter. They were clearly made from the same fabric.
Xu Nanheng's aunt smiled. “Well, aren't you two matching nicely today?”
That remark was deliberate.
Xu Nanheng admitted it readily. With a light touch of his fingers beneath Fang Shiyou's tie, he smiled and said, “One doctor, one teacher, two salaried workers. We can't waste the leftover fabric from the suit, right?”
That earned a round of laughter from the table.
When the laughter died down and he looked back at Dr. Fang, his expression shifted slightly. Fang Shiyou's gaze did the same. Looking at Xu Nanheng in a formal suit and tie, his throat tightened for a brief moment.
Dr. Fang had also dressed meticulously today. His fringe was waxed and swept back, leaving two small strands to frame his temples to soften his sharp features. With his whole face exposed, the clean lines of his bone structure stood out even more.
All in all, Teacher Xu was very satisfied.
So he gave a small approving nod.
Seeing that, Fang Shiyou was puzzled. “Hm?”
“Not bad,” Xu Nanheng said evenly, his tone calm but sincere as he met his eyes. “Tonight, carry yourself into my Yangxin Hall.”
(T/N: he was speaking like an emperor here)
Fang Shiyou: “……”
Before coming, Xu Nanheng's family had already told him not to bring anything, saying he just had to come and join the fun since it was only a child's first birthday. But of course, Fang Shiyou wouldn't come empty-handed. He brought sea cucumber for the grandparents, a red envelope for the birthday baby, and gifts for Xu Nanheng's parents as well.
That night, they were back in the same hotel room that cost fifteen thousand a night.
Xu Nanheng really did like the place. He'd only booked it before because all the other hotels were full, but after staying three nights, he'd been quite satisfied.
This time, Fang Shiyou was the one who paid. When Xu Nanheng tried to stop him, Fang Shiyou said, “You told me to carry myself into your Yangxin Hall. How could I let you pay after that?”
Xu Nanheng had no idea how much Fang Shiyou earned in a month. When he came out of the shower, Fang Shiyou was sitting at the desk, going through some imaging reports on his laptop.
Xu Nanheng walked over and leaned against the desk, watching him. “Don't tell me you spent your whole month's salary on tonight?”
Fang Shiyou smiled. “Not quite.”
Then he looked up. “And if I did?”
“I'd take care of you,” Xu Nanheng said, pinching his chin.
Fang Shiyou shook his head. “My family's doing fine, actually. Professor Gu earns quite a bit.”
After finishing his work, he took a shower. Then the two of them came together, bodies entwined, making love. Having both dressed meticulously today, they were already quite excited the moment they locked eyes in the hotel room.
They were growing more in sync with each passing time, and the experience of making love felt better and better.
Even this usually composed, gentlemanly doctor had become shameless in bed, praising him for being so juicy.
The next morning, Xu Nanheng had another meeting. This time, it was at the Department of Education instead of the school. His dress shirt was too wrinkled to wear, so he hastily bought a plain white T-shirt from a delivery app, threw it on, and rushed out of the hotel.
Both of them were in a hurry because they'd overslept a little.
They shared a quick kiss at the hotel entrance, then ran off in opposite directions toward their subway stations.
That morning, Fang Shiyou also had a meeting at the Haidian branch hospital. Before bed the previous night, he'd jotted down a few notes about the surgical plan in his notebook.
When Xu Nanheng arrived at the Department of Education's conference hall and pulled out a blue pen with the name of a Beijing hospital printed on its barrel, he realized that a certain poor doctor in Haidian would be pulling out an Apple Pencil at his meeting.