Chapter 17

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After leaving Sun Chen’s apartment, Liu Cheng didn’t immediately drive away. He returned to his car downstairs and sat there for several hours.

It had been 417 days—417 days of not being able to find Sun Chen—before he finally saw him again. The emotional turmoil he felt at that moment was incomparable. Only by sitting in his car, gazing up at the light spilling from Sun Chen’s apartment window, could he find a bit of calm amid his overwhelming anxiety. Liu Cheng sat in his car, staring at the light from above, and replayed his recent encounter with Sun Chen in his mind.

Sun Chen had changed. Liu Cheng could clearly sense this difference.

The Sun Chen who had returned was different from the one before he lost his memory, and also different from the one after. The old Sun Chen had been too cold, too guarded, perhaps too fearful, while the later Sun Chen had been too harmless, too innocent, and too naïve. But now, this Sun Chen was different from both. His coldness was no longer a weapon to protect himself, for he was no longer that frightened child who only knew how to guard himself. Nor was his calmness born of ignorance; it was the rationality of someone who had matured.

Liu Cheng felt that Sun Chen had “grown up,” at least more than his former self. He had learned to be brave. He was even willing to spend time facing Liu Cheng and listening to him speak. This wasn’t just about understanding human relationships; in fact, he had become reasonable and understanding.

Sun Chen’s willingness to take this step, to step out of his own world, meant that he no longer needed Liu Cheng at all. Liu Cheng had once worked so hard to clear up the misunderstandings that had caused Sun Chen to feel cursed by his own inferiority, but in reality, by the time he had the chance to do so, Sun Chen had already regained his confidence in the world. He didn’t need Liu Cheng to prove that he should have the courage to accept being liked by others. He didn’t need Liu Cheng to support him in truly seeing the world. He didn’t need Liu Cheng to do any of these unnecessary things.

Liu Cheng was happy to see that Sun Chen had become stronger, but at the same time, he couldn’t resist the feeling of being overwhelmed by a wave of disappointment.

He knew that he was drifting further and further away from Sun Chen.

Later that day, Liu Cheng waited until the lights upstairs went out but still didn’t leave. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, it was already daylight.

For a moment, Liu Cheng wasn’t sure if the scene of meeting Sun Chen was a dream. He impulsively thought about returning to the apartment to ring the doorbell again but ultimately decided against it.

Knowing when to stop was probably the only thing he could do for Sun Chen now.

He guessed that Sun Chen would be more satisfied if he disappeared completely, but no matter what, that was something he simply couldn’t do. He could only try to minimize his presence as much as possible.

As Sun Chen had mentioned, he quickly accepted the offer from the S network to resume work on Surviving Here. As a sponsor, Liu Cheng frequently visited the TV station, participating in the show’s planning and production process with an enthusiasm far exceeding that of any other sponsor. His sole purpose was to shamelessly see Sun Chen more often. However, he did have moments where he was genuinely helpful, such as when the show’s production team was deciding on the guest list.

Previously, Sun Chen had been against inviting the actor Lu Xiaoman to join the show, but this time, he advocated for it. Setting aside whether Lu Xiaoman’s return after the accident was positive or negative publicity, the fact was that Lu Xiaoman, who had been embroiled in a scandal six months ago and later exposed as mentally unstable, had been largely abandoned by the mainstream media and public. Despite the general sympathy and understanding for Lu Xiaoman’s situation, no one dared to hire him, and he had gradually withdrawn from the entertainment industry. Inviting him to the show was already a risky move, and securing his participation wasn’t easy. The other staff members and network executives were largely opposed to the idea.

So, Liu Cheng directly increased his sponsorship fee under the pretext of promoting Lu Xiaoman’s starring role in his movie, securing a spot for Lu Xiaoman in the show.

This foolish act earned Liu Cheng Sun Chen’s thanks, although Sun Chen’s way of expressing gratitude was simply by sending a text message—a message that only said “thank you”—and they didn’t even have each other’s WeChat. When Liu Cheng received this two-word message, he stared at his phone for a long time, editing and discarding dozens of drafts before finally sending a dry reply: “I’m just worried Lu Xiaoman might not take the job.” After sending the message, he cursed himself for not seizing the opportunity to say, “Why don’t we add each other on WeChat for easier communication?”

Sun Chen quickly replied with another message, objectively analyzing Lu Xiaoman’s situation. In Sun Chen’s opinion, given that Lu Xiaoman had maintained contact with the family of the late Coach Wu Fei and had been quietly providing support, it was likely that he wanted to use the show as a way to pay tribute or find some closure, so he would probably accept the offer.

Liu Cheng once again racked his brains for a long time and ended up replying with just three words: “That’s good then.”

That night, Liu Cheng repeatedly pulled out his phone to reread Sun Chen’s two messages. Eventually, he could almost recite them by heart, even though they were purely professional and contained no mention of “you” or “me.”

The next time he saw Sun Chen at the TV station, their relationship seemed to have improved somewhat. Liu Cheng thick-skinnedly greeted Sun Chen, who, even if he didn’t respond verbally, would at least nod at him. One time, they ran into each other in the cafeteria—Liu Cheng now made a habit of eating there whenever possible, knowing that Sun Chen always had lunch there. Liu Cheng carried his tray over to Sun Chen’s table and asked, “Mind if I join you?” Sun Chen casually replied that he didn’t mind, but followed up with, “I’m just finishing up.”

That day, Liu Cheng sat down, watching wistfully as Sun Chen left with his empty tray. The next day, even though Liu Cheng had no reason to visit the TV station, he left work early to drive over and have lunch at the cafeteria. Since he arrived early, he wandered around the food displays for a while before finally sitting down when Sun Chen did. This time, Sun Chen still allowed him to sit down, and Liu Cheng took the opportunity to slide a plate of curry chicken over to him. “I remember you like chicken,” he said.

What happened that day left him so excited that he barely slept that night.

First, Sun Chen actually ate the chicken.

Encouraged, Liu Cheng spoke up just as Sun Chen was finishing his meal. “Xiao Chen, Midnight Convenience Store premieres next Tuesday. I haven’t paid you the royalties and dividends yet, so why don’t you let me take you to see the movie?”

Sun Chen gave an unexpectedly positive response. “What time and at which theater?”

“The first screening is at 8 PM,” Liu Cheng quickly replied after processing the information. “Why don’t we grab dinner first and then head over? I can pick you up here at six?”

Sun Chen nodded in agreement. “Next Tuesday at six, by the entrance.”

That night, Liu Cheng couldn’t sleep a wink, tossing and turning as he wondered if Sun Chen knew this was a date. He told himself not to be too optimistic, but he couldn’t help being thrilled at the thought that Sun Chen might be giving him a second chance.

Starting from that Saturday, Liu Cheng began obsessing over what to wear on Tuesday. He knew dressing like a groom would look ridiculous, but anything too casual seemed too informal. He eventually decided to reserve a table at a Singaporean restaurant that Sun Chen had loved when they went there together during his memory loss. It was a popular place without private rooms or reservations, so Liu Cheng had his secretary go early to grab a number and hold a table as a form of overtime. On Monday, he called his secretary into his office to show her three selfies he had taken and asked her, with her impeccable fashion sense, to help him choose the best outfit.

Finally, Tuesday arrived. Liu Cheng had deliberately cleared his entire afternoon schedule, spending the whole time idly in his office before leaving work early.

When he arrived at the TV station, he was a full hour early. For someone who had always been so carefree, Liu Cheng had finally learned to be cautious because of Sun Chen. To avoid disturbing his work, Liu Cheng simply sat on the couch in the lobby, killing time. He watched as the minute hand on the wall clock crawled past each Roman numeral. At 4:39, a young man walked into the building and approached the reception desk.

At first, Liu Cheng didn’t pay much attention to the ordinary-looking man, until he overheard the receptionist confirming with the man whether he had an appointment with “Producer Sun.”

There were plenty of people with the surname Sun at the TV station, but there was only one whom everyone called “Producer Sun.” Liu Cheng instinctively became more attentive as he listened to the man hesitantly answer that he didn’t have an appointment, seeming unsure. The man explained and asked, “Producer Sun might be a friend of mine. Could you please check if he knows someone named Chen Xi?”

Liu Cheng instinctively stood up from the couch.

Sun Chen definitely knew someone named Chen Xi. Not only did he know him, but he had also been searching for him all this time.

For a moment, Liu Cheng instinctively hoped the receptionist would dismiss the man as a crazy fan and send him away. He even considered whether he should intervene to stop Chen Xi from meeting Sun Chen.

However, when the receptionist picked up the phone to make a call, Liu Cheng just stood there and watched, doing nothing.

He remembered how he had been wrong from the very beginning. Back then, out of jealousy, he hadn’t wanted Sun Chen to find his only friend, betraying Sun Chen’s trust and selfishly hurting him. After that, it was one mistake after another. He had spent so much time regretting and suffering, not to repeat the same mistake in this moment. If he wanted Sun Chen to forgive him, he had to first become a better person, someone worthy of Sun Chen’s forgiveness.

Liu Cheng silently watched as the receptionist, after hanging up the phone, smiled and told Chen Xi, “Please wait here. Producer Sun said he’ll be right down.”

Liu Cheng hid. He didn’t know why he did it, but it made him feel like a stalker. He tucked himself away in a secluded hallway off the lobby, telling himself to just avoid the situation altogether and not to eavesdrop, all while peeking toward the reception desk.

Sun Chen came down quickly. In no time, he was stepping out of the elevator.

Liu Cheng gazed at him, lost in thought, as Sun Chen hesitated for a moment before approaching Chen Xi. At first, Sun Chen’s expression was tinged with a mix of shyness and formality, but soon, after exchanging a few words, his demeanor relaxed. It only took a few seconds before they were chatting as if they had never been apart, their bond as strong as ever. Sun Chen, who had rarely smiled openly, was now wearing an almost dazzling smile.

Liu Cheng slinked away like a thief, slipping from behind various potted plants to avoid being seen by Sun Chen, even though it was unlikely that Sun Chen would glance his way, and then he fled.

He drove aimlessly, one moment thinking of getting far away from the TV station, the next moment finding himself back at the TV station’s parking lot.

At six o’clock, he received a call from Sun Chen. Liu Cheng picked up, not giving Sun Chen a chance to cancel the date, and quickly said, “Sorry, Xiao Chen, I suddenly have an urgent meeting, so I can’t go to the movie tonight.”

Sun Chen’s voice was exactly as he expected: “Then let’s just forget it. Bye.”

Liu Cheng listened to the dial tone after the call ended abruptly, imagining Sun Chen turning to Chen Xi to suggest they go try his favorite Singaporean restaurant instead.