One-way Passage

a perfume?” Ming Luchuan didn’t release his grip on Xia Wennan’s hand.
“Have you come up with something?”

Xia Wennan hesitated for a beat before saying, “Not yet.”

Ming Luchuan asked anew, “How much time do you think you’ll need?”

Xia Wennan laughed dryly.
“I’m not sure.”

Ming Luchuan let go of his hand and walked to the door.
“Let’s head over to the company first.”

*

The morning meeting was cancelled.

Sensing that every single one of his lab colleagues were in high spirits all day long, Xia Wennan didn’t have the heart to rain on their parade by saying that they shouldn’t celebrate so soon and get back to work, and that they’d celebrate together when the time comes.
As a result, all he could say was, “After work, I’ll treat you all to dinner.
Thank you for your hard work, everyone, let’s all have a good meal.”

Everyone cheered.

That afternoon however, Xia Wennan received an unexpected phone call from Ming Qin.

“Wennan, come home for dinner tonight with the eldest,” Ming Qin said, in his customary relaxed and cheery tone.

Xia Wennan raised his head and cast a glance at his colleagues.
His mind automatically leapt to decline the invitation, but in the end, the words that left his mouth deviated, “I’ll go find Ming Luchuan in a bit.”

Ming Qin laughed and said, “Come back a little early, okay? I’ll have Aunt Zhang make your favourite dishes.”

After hanging up, Xia Wennan stared at his phone screen until it dimmed.
He sat in his office chair, swivelling from side to side, immersed in his thoughts—as far as he remembered, this was the first time Ming Qin had personally called him to tell him to come home for dinner.
Prior to this, he had only communicated with Ming Luchuan.

Xia Wennan couldn’t quite figure it out, but his gut told him that it had something to do with work.

He slipped his phone back into his pocket, stood up, and clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, saying, “We’ll have to take a rain check on that meal.”

After work that afternoon, Ming Luchuan drove Xia Wennan to the Ming house for dinner.

Xia Wennan was sitting in the front passenger seat, body tilted to the side as he gazed out the window.
Then, he turned to look at Ming Luchuan for a few moments before letting out a lengthy exhale.

“What is it?” Ming Luchuan enquired.

Xia Wennan, who had actually been waiting for Ming Luchuan to speak first, said, “Why do you think your dad suddenly called us back for dinner?” After the words left his mouth, Xia Wennan realised that he’d made a mistake—Ming Qin wasn’t Ming Luchuan’s dad.
He couldn’t help but peer at Ming Luchuan’s expression with caution.

Ming Luchuan, however, was stone-faced.
“It should be about the new perfume,” he said as he drove, gaze fixed at the road ahead.

“You told him?” asked Xia Wennan.

Ming Luchuan shook his head.

“Then how did he find out so quickly?”

“It’s his company, what doesn’t he know?” When Ming Luchuan uttered this set of words, his tone couldn’t be calmer.

Xia Wennan briefly gazed at Ming Luchuan, then asked in a small voice, “How did you… find out about your relationship with him?”

Ming Luchuan spoke nothing, merely shooting him the briefest of glances as he drove.

Fearful of upsetting Ming Luchuan, he hastily said, “It’s fine if you don’t tell me.”

“I accidentally came across a picture of him and my dad,” said Ming Luchuan.

“So you saw that photo and got suspicious?”

“He never mentioned having a twin brother to me.
Plus,” Ming Luchuan paused briefly before continuing, “I can feel it.
He doesn’t love me.”

Xia Wennan felt a twang in his heart as he thought back to what Ming Luchuan had told him about his childhood.
“Then what about Ming Sichen and Ming Siyan?” he asked.

Ming Luchuan smiled, but it was a perfunctory upturn of his lips and lacked a modicum of warmth.
“They’re his biological sons,” he said.
“I can tell.”

“I… I’ve never noticed.” In all the memories he could recall, he had never sensed any difference between Ming Qin’s treatment of Ming Luchuan and his two other sons.

Ming Luchuan said, “Things are different now.”