Xu, the driver didn't admit that he was a driver.
He felt like a nanny.
The all-powerful kind.
But he wasn't getting paid yet.
Xu, the nanny, started the car, still pondering if this didn’t count as playing hooky. Since he was working for Mr. Ziyi who was working for Mr. Du, essentially, he was directly working for Mr. Du now, so the conclusion was that he was still working hard.
It was just an off-site job.
He even had a salary, which was paid by Mr. Ziyi.
After figuring this out, he felt relieved, even the hand on the steering wheel had more vigor. Mr. Du's car was indeed extraordinary, understatedly luxurious on the outside, and driving it felt particularly satisfying. Xu's father also bought a car worth several million, but he, being a layman, didn't know much about cars, and didn't know whether he had been duped by someone, but that car didn't feel as good to drive.
This time, Xu Zhuo finally had a blast. The destination was in the outskirts, almost a 3-hour drive from where Mr. Ziyi lived, with a short stretch of highway in between, unfortunately, he could only drive up to 120, being a law-abiding citizen.
When getting off the highway, Xu Zhuo glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Du Ziyi curled up in the back seat fast asleep, holding the box to his chest. When they got onto the winding mountain road, he drowsily awakened, sitting dazed in his seat for a while, looking at the box in his hand, then back at the person driving, and finally gazing out at the lush trees, "Who am I, where am I?" Those were the words almost written all over his face.
Not paying much attention to his expression, thinking he must've got it wrong. He turned the steering wheel off the mountain road, saying, "You can rest a bit more, we're about half an hour away."
Du Ziyi looked at the back of his head, extracting useful fragments from his drunken memory, piecing together the cause and effect - "Thud," Xu glanced at the rearview mirror, Du Ziyi was sitting on one side, hands resting on his knees, leaning against the window, engrossed in the beautiful scenery outside, appearing composed as if nothing had happened; while on the other side was the box of chocolates, all by itself.
Xu Zhuo had long been prepared for Mr. Du's heart, wisely refraining from commenting.
When they arrived outside the cemetery, it was already past the hottest time in the afternoon. There were umbrellas in the car, and it was clear Mr. Du was not the type to hold one himself, so Xu Zhuo considerately escorted him to a grave.
The style of the tomb was nothing special, tidy and free of weeds, with delicate fresh flowers placed in front of the tombstone, indicating regular maintenance.
Next to it was a robust tall tree, casting a shade. Du Ziyi gestured that he didn't need Xu Zhuo to hold the umbrella, so Xu Zhuo walked away, taking a cursory glance before leaving, only seeing a smiling and strikingly beautiful woman’s photo on the gravestone, bearing a seven-point resemblance to Du Ziyi.
He sneaked away to another big tree 10 or so meters away, his stiff limbs starting to loosen up, driving was indeed a tiring job, A driver’s job wasn't quite suitable for him.
The afternoon sun at 3 o'clock was no longer scorching, the vegetation in the outskirts was thriving, and the heat was not as suffocating as it was in the city. When he first got out of the car, he felt it was hot outside and broke a sweat, but after entering the cemetery, perhaps it was psychological, he felt a coolness rising from the soles of his feet, making him comfortable all over.
When a person feels comfortable and relaxed, drowsiness takes over. He sat on the twisty tree root, leaning against the trunk, yawning widely, staring at a distant upright figure.
Du Ziyi stood for a while, then bent down to wipe the photo and text on the tombstone with his hand. Xu Zhuo couldn't see the front of him, guessing he was talking to the owner of the grave.
After speaking for a while, he suddenly sat on the ground, leaning against the dark tombstone, pressing his head against the stone surface, smiling and saying something from time to time, then reining in his smile and falling into silence, and occasionally wiping the corners of his eyes.
He cried again, Xu Zhuo's sleepy mind felt sluggish, lazily thinking, he's actually quite sentimental. There's no need to act so aloof in ordinary times.
It should be a family elder. Xu Zhuo yawned again, The Du family's family privacy was well protected, people only knew about the Old Mr. Du and Young Mr. Du, nothing about other family members, so he was even less likely to know.
The summer cicadas were deafening, making him feel drowsy, his eyelids felt heavy, struggling for a while before giving up and drifting away for a rendezvous with the God of Sleep.
A sensation of weightlessness jolted him awake, panting, took a few seconds to figure out the reality, checked the phone and found that it was already five o'clock, had he slept for an hour or more?
Won't Mr. Du leave him and go? An unflattering thought flashed through his mind, feeling relieved after seeing the distant figure and simultaneously self-scolding, how could he think so poorly of Mr. Du? Such a sin.
After amusing himself with some self-derision, he finally became fully awake, standing up and found out the harmful results of improper sleeping position, feeling stiff and sore all over.
He bared his teeth and took a few steps, finally recovering a bit, his eyes looking in confusion towards Du Ziyu.
Are you not leaving yet? Do you have so much to say?
After observing for a while, Du Ziyu was motionless, his forehead against the tombstone. Could it be... Xu Zhuo immediately picked up the umbrella and walked over, becoming more certain of his guess as he got closer.
He bent down to look between Du Ziyu and the tombstone, and chuckled.
He had been too busy driving earlier and hadn't looked carefully, now he was finally able to feast his eyes. Du Ziyu was breathing steadily, deeply asleep, his face slowly rising and falling, thick, long eyelashes casting shadows on his fair face, slightly parted rosy lips emitting a baby-like snore, and the tombstone was covered in condensation from his breath.
He's really good-looking. Xu Zhuo sighed with emotion, wondering what use it was for a man to look so good, especially when he doesn't rely on his looks to eat.
Xu Zhuo had never considered himself a lover of good looks, but now he couldn't bear to wake him up, afraid of ruining his beautiful sleeping face.
He suddenly remembered something and looked at the tombstone. There were only two key pieces of information on it: "The Grave of Beloved Wife Fan Huiru" and "Erected on the XXth of XX, XX". There were no other names.
Calculating, this woman named Fan Huiru passed away over a decade ago, when Du Ziyu would have been only about ten years old. It was strange that it was inscribed with "beloved wife," but the husband's name was not there, which was just not logical.
"Mmm..." The person beside him murmured, Xu Zhuo immediately looked over, and Du Ziyu slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleepily as if he didn't understand how he had fallen asleep again.
He reached out to prop himself up against the tombstone and Xu Zhuo almost burst out laughing again - he had slept with his forehead against the tombstone, leaving a small red mark on his forehead, and because his skin was fair, the congestion was particularly apparent, adding a sillyness that was out of character with his usual aloofness.
Perhaps the amusement in his eyes wasn't concealed, as Du Ziyu gave him a puzzled look, propping himself up against the stone, while Xu Zhuo who had been crouching, stood up.
However, he got up too quickly, forgetting that he had slept for so long in this position, and his feet were so numb that he almost fell forward.
"Be careful!" The nanny quickly reached out to support him, and Mr. Du safely landed, falling steadily into her arms.