“The drama has wrapped up, and there are other engagements in a few days.” Bai Jinyan closed the script and set it aside, leaning back slightly to make Qiao Huaiyao more comfortable on his shoulder.
Bai Jinyan said, “I’ll come find you once things settle down.”
Holding Qiao Huaiyao in his arms, he absentmindedly thought about his upcoming schedule.
His company had long been on track, including the invested and controlled enterprises.
After retiring from the industry, he could still support Qiao Huaiyao.
Actors’ schedules were still too tight.
Once Meng Zheng’s matters were settled, retiring from the industry would be a small thing.
It was just the tranquility of life that made him entertain such thoughts.
Bai Jinyan did not mention this to Qiao Huaiyao.
“Let’s see how the holiday time turns out,” Qiao Huaiyao thought. Their school holidays would probably start earlier than Bai Jinyan’s.
“Yes, that works.”
The specific schedule had not been finalized yet, so it was too early to say anything.
After resting for a while, Qiao Huaiyao reopened his phone and continued to select furniture for the house.
He remained nestled against Bai Jinyan, scrolling slowly with his fingertips.
‘Buzz’
[Your special interest account has posted a tweet.]
The pop-up notification made Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers pause.
Hmm?
A tweet from the special interest account?
Qiao Huaiyao looked up in confusion. Bai Jinyan was also looking at his phone, browsing furniture, and noticed his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, “Nothing.”
He clicked into the notification. The time and location were still set in New York.
It was a post from earlier.
It seemed there was a delay in the Weibo notification.
Bai Jinyan had posted a picture of a snowman.
This had made the comments section on Qiao Huaiyao’s post quite lively.
Perhaps because it was just a photo of the back, many fans were coming to Qiao Huaiyao’s side to shout: [Qiao Qiao! Hurry up and get your brother to post a front photo!]
[Woo woo woo, can’t see Qiao Qiao. I’ve replayed the new variety show several times. I need every detail polished. Bai Jinyan only posted a back photo to tease me!]
[Seriously, is Qiao Qiao entering the industry? I’m definitely your die-hard fan, even doing data work to hype up the buzz.]
[Stop the blabbering! Go check the International Chemistry Laboratory’s official website!! (Shouting)]
…
The contrast between the top and bottom comments in the section was striking.
It seemed like two different worlds: above was the entertainment industry, and below was a discussion about chemistry.
[Completed the experiment in just a few hours; I’m amazed.]
[I never thought the International Laboratory would end up being related to someone I follow.]
[Also, it’s specially noted that because the experiment is not yet public, the time remains confidential for now. But the actual time will definitely exceed your expectations.]
[Seems like the note underestimated people; my guess was quite accurate.]
[I remember Qiao Qiao is still a freshman, right? These outstanding achievements always make me forget he’s still very young.]
[With that said, I can’t help but @Nuwa and also call on God.]
…
Qiao Huaiyao raised his eyebrows, not expecting the comment section to focus on the International Laboratory.
The International Laboratory was always low-key in its operations, only publishing academic papers and professional content related to chemistry.
Perhaps it was because of the previous live broadcast discussing notes, which attracted many alumni from Tsinghua to Weibo.
Most of them were from the chemistry department, so they were particularly attentive to any developments in the field of chemistry.
This meant there were likely related messages on the Qingda forum as well.
Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t checked and hadn’t posted any Weibo discussing the International Laboratory.
“Brother, they’re all asking for a front photo of the snowman,” Qiao Huaiyao scrolled back through the comments to show Bai Jinyan.
“Don’t show them,” Bai Jinyan replied, holding his wrist and commenting back: [Not showing.]
The fans in the comment section reacted quickly: [???]
[The tone of this reply definitely isn’t Qiao Qiao’s.]
[What’s going on?! Bai Jinyan, give the phone back to Qiao Qiao!]
Bai Jinyan not only didn’t give the phone back but also confiscated it, switching to the furniture app and selecting furniture with Qiao Huaiyao.
When selecting furniture, disagreements were inevitable.
However, Bai Jinyan would give his opinions appropriately, but the main decision-making power was still given to Qiao Huaiyao.
His suggestions were limited to when Qiao Huaiyao was choosing between two to three options.
Bai Jinyan said, “Just buy them all. The villa has three floors, excluding the attic and basement. We can place one on each floor.”
Qiao Huaiyao thought about it and agreed; while the style of each room in the villa could vary, the overall look should be unified. Having different styles on each floor might look too chaotic.
There were minor adjustments to the styles, but most were consistent, with only differences in materials or colors.
Once the shopping cart was filled, the order was placed and cleared.
In the bedroom, there were only occasional questions from Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan’s gentle and patient responses.
It wasn’t until late at night that the lights for adjusting the schedule were turned off—
Some of the items ordered were from other brands, but most were from their own company’s subsidiaries. There were many brands responsible for furniture alone.
The choices were plentiful, and the purchasing process was convenient.
The furniture delivery was very fast.
The day after the order was placed, they received a text saying it had arrived.
Local stores carried these brands, and to save time and ensure prompt delivery, they initially sent items from the local store’s stock.
To avoid disturbing Qiao Huaiyao’s rest too early, they did not make a phone call.
When Qiao Huaiyao saw the message, he and Bai Jinyan went to the new house.
Three large trucks were lined up on the roadside.
The delivery workers were checking the list.
Seeing them, the workers immediately put away the list, took a step back, and cleared space to inspect the truck.
Before their arrival, the supervisor had specifically instructed that this delivery was for them. To ensure they recognized the right people, they were shown a variety show clip to help them remember the faces.
The housekeeper also came along, to ensure the young master would be satisfied with the delivery, so he personally supervised the process.
He stood to the side, smiling and nodding, “Mr. Bai, Young Master.”
“These are the pieces of furniture Young Master ordered yesterday. I have checked them three times with the delivery personnel, and they match the list,” the housekeeper, wearing white gloves, smoothed out the list and handed it over. “Young Master, please check to see if anything is missing, and I will have them deliver it immediately if needed.”
The list only included model numbers and names of the items ordered.
The prices were not listed.
Qiao Huaiyao unfolded the list and glanced over it, “Everything seems fine. Please start moving it in.”
“Understood.” The housekeeper turned around and signaled that they could start moving.
The delivery personnel worked together to move the furniture, including the packaging.
The housekeeper lifted his hand to steady the furniture as it was set down and said, “Young Master, you can head back to the car for breakfast. I’ll take care of things here.”
The breakfast had been prepared by the villa’s chef and packed by the housekeeper.
Handing over the insulated box, the housekeeper said, “Young Master.”
Seeing the three truckloads of goods, Qiao Huaiyao realized that moving everything up, without including unpacking and assembling time, would not be quick.
So he reached out to take the insulated box.
Noticing this, Bai Jinyan took the insulated box first, holding Qiao Huaiyao’s hand with his other hand, and said, “Let’s go.”
The housekeeper was momentarily stunned by this scene, his eyes behind the glasses full of surprise.
He had been the housekeeper for the Qiao family for quite some time. He was there when the old master was still alive, and after the old master asked him to take care of the Young Master, he had stayed on.
He also dealt with other minor matters, but his main focus was still on the Young Master.
He knew that the Young Master and Bai Jinyan had a good relationship, but he couldn’t quite recall if they had always held hands like this before.
Had they?
The housekeeper frowned, questioning whether he was getting older and forgetting something.
It seemed that their relationship was even better now than it was in the past.
The car was parked nearby, not too far away.
There were many workers, and they were well-trained.
Each person knew exactly where to hold and where to carry, moving forward in perfect coordination without needing any cues.
Each group of workers handled a piece of furniture, lining up and entering through the door.
They carefully ensured the edges didn’t hit the door frame.
After breakfast, the workers had finished unloading and assembling all the furniture. The packaging was neatly stacked in the truck.
The housekeeper also emerged from inside, clearly having checked everything.
He tapped on the car window with his fingertips and smiled broadly, “Young Master, Mr. Bai. The furniture is all set up.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”
The housekeeper smiled warmly, “It’s nothing. Young Master, go and check if the placement is satisfactory. Everything was arranged according to the blueprint. If you find anything unsatisfactory, let the workers rearrange it.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll go take a look.” Qiao Huaiyao opened the car door. “Housekeeper, please arrange some hot tea and prepare the red envelopes.”
The red envelopes were meant as bonuses for the movers, given directly in cash without formalities.
The housekeeper took a step back, nodding in agreement, “Alright, Young Master.”
Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan entered the villa while the housekeeper stayed outside to handle the arrangements.
Not only was the furniture packaging cleaned up and removed, but the floor was also spotless, with not a speck of dirt left.
The living room now had a sofa, which made it look a bit shorter in appearance but also more like a proper living room.
The coffee table and sofa were a set, with a wooden sofa paired with genuine leather cushions.
The colors were also very understated and elegant, which complemented the large living room without overwhelming it.
The bed for the upstairs bedroom, the gym equipment for the second floor, and the shelves for the glass garden on the basement level were all arranged according to the blueprint.
Qiao Huaiyao sat on the sofa in the basement level, which had a high, open design with a glass ceiling. It created a great lighting effect, and the sunlight coming in was ample.
Today’s weather was also sunny, not as cold as usual in the morning.
Leaning back and looking up at the sunlight, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but squint and smile, “Brother! It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
Bai Jinyan came over, placing his hand on the back of the sofa and casually wrapping his arm around Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulders. Following his gaze through the glass to the sunlight, he replied softly, “Mm.”
Outside, the sunlight after the onset of winter might not feel warm.
But indoors, shielded from the cold wind, only the warmth of the sunlight pouring in made the temperature feel just right.
It was rare to have such a holiday, especially after being so busy before. Now that it was suddenly relaxing, spending time at home in the sun was quite pleasant.
By noon, the room was getting increasingly warm.
They then left the basement level and went back upstairs.
Although the sofas were from the same brand, the softness of the cushions varied.
With the basic furniture in place, the kitchen was still empty.
Qiao Huaiyao lay on the sofa, resting his head on Bai Jinyan’s lap while browsing shopping apps.
Compared to the furniture, the major items for the kitchen came in many more colors and types.
Qiao Huaiyao paused at the screen full of oven options, “Brother, do you have any preferences for the oven brand?”
“No.” Bai Jinyan gave him a massage, his fingers gently pressing down, “Choose one you like. If there are price ranges, select from the higher-priced ones.”
The higher the price, the more functions the oven would have.
Other major kitchen appliances might not be used much, but the oven had a higher chance of being used.
Baking cakes at home was also a possibility.
Usually, they didn’t like having outsiders in the house, and regular cleaning was done as well.
This is a dream home right here. I wanna live in it in my dreams but don’t dare.
Thanks for the chapter!