The Man in the Black Sweater - Chapter 14 – Where Does the Road Home Lead?

For several days in a row, Luo Xu had been visibly distracted — even Aunt Chen noticed.

“What’s wrong with you, dear? Are you feeling unwell?” she asked.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll just lie down for a bit,” Luo Xu said, turning away from the window and heading upstairs.

Just then, Pei Yan came home. Seeing her in the living room, he said casually, “Tang Yu’s having a birthday party. She invited you.”

“Tang Yu?”

“You can’t remember faces, now you’re forgetting names too?” Pei Yan said lightly. “That girl you met last time at the old house — Tang Huang’s younger sister.”

“Oh, I remember now,” Luo Xu said quickly. “I just didn’t expect her to invite me.”

“She’s Tang Huang’s sister. What’s strange about it?” he said, glancing at her before heading upstairs. As he passed her, she noticed that his expression looked even darker than her mood.

Luo Xu stared at the tightly closed study door, debating whether to ask the question that had been weighing on her heart — but she didn’t dare.

What could she even say?

Sorry to bother you, but… there’s a chance the baby I’m carrying isn’t your nephew — it might be your brother’s.

Just imagining saying that made her feel like his cold, piercing stare could kill her on the spot.

She’d always been like floating duckweed — never rooted anywhere. Just when life had finally started to settle, a storm came, determined to rip her out of the ground all over again.

Holding the railing, Luo Xu slowly climbed the stairs. Without absolute certainty, she couldn’t — and wouldn’t — speak.

After all, it was just a black sweater. It wasn’t custom-made. There had to be more than one.
It couldn’t possibly be…

That night, she woke up parched and went downstairs to get some water.

There was a tall figure already at the table, pouring a drink. His fingers were long and well-defined, his posture calm and steady. Under the dim light, she could see the sharp line of his jaw from where she stood.

He must’ve heard her footsteps on the stairs because he took out another glass and poured half a cup.

“Thanks,” she said.

“No need,” he replied simply.

Pei Yan turned to head upstairs, but Luo Xu called after him. “Hey, about Tang Yu’s birthday party tomorrow… will Pei Heng be going?”

He turned back. “Pei Heng?”

“Yeah,” she said awkwardly, forcing a smile.

“You call him ‘Brother Heng,’ then what do you call me?”

“…Mr. Pei.”

Under the faint light, his eyes gleamed like dark gems — quiet, deep, and hard to read.

“You two seem to get along pretty well?” he asked.

Luo Xu smiled softly. “He’s fun to talk to — very friendly, easy to be around…”

“Oh. He’s not going.” Pei Yan cut her off abruptly, his tone cold as he turned and continued upstairs.

The ceiling light above her flickered faintly, the glow rippling down in circles. It wasn’t warm — it felt more like cold glass rolling down her cheek.

Luo Xu sat on a stool, holding her cup of warm water, her chin resting on her hand as she stared blankly out the dark window.

Her thoughts were a mess.

The next morning, the weather matched her mood — gray and heavy.

Her head throbbed; maybe she’d caught a chill last night sitting by the draft. She felt dizzy and weak.

Aunt Chen wanted to give her some medicine but hesitated — she wasn’t sure what was safe for pregnant women, so she just kept pouring her water.

“Drink lots of water. And make sure to wear something thick when you go out later,” Aunt Chen said.

“Mm, okay.”

At three in the afternoon, Driver Liu came to pick her up.

Luo Xu climbed into the car with Ross in her arms. “I’ll leave him to you today — please make sure he gets his shot,” she said with a smile.

“No problem,” Liu said cheerfully.

Tang Yu wasn’t hosting her birthday party at the old family estate — probably because she didn’t want her elders dampening the fun. Instead, she’d booked a luxurious hot spring hotel to celebrate her twenty-first birthday.

Luo Xu hadn’t prepared a gift. For one, the invitation had come on short notice; and two, she doubted there was anything she could afford that Tang Yu didn’t already have.

But Tang Yu clearly wasn’t pleased that she showed up empty-handed. After all, she thought, this is supposed to be my future sister-in-law — how can she come without even a present?

Luo Xu tried to explain, but Tang Yu only raised an eyebrow, her expression saying plainly that she wasn’t buying it.

“Old Tang! We’re one short — hurry up!” someone on the second floor called out, leaning over the railing and waving to Tang Yu.

“Do you know how to play mahjong?” Tang Yu turned to ask Luo Xu.

“No,” Luo Xu shook her head.

“Bridge?”

“Nope.”

“Then what about ‘Midnight’? You’ve played that, right?”

“Uh… a little,” Luo Xu said sheepishly, too embarrassed to keep saying she didn’t know anything.

Tang Yu hooked her arm and pulled her upstairs. “Forget mahjong then. We’ll play Midnight tonight!”

“What? That’s a kids’ game!”

“Old Tang, what are you doing!”

Groans erupted all around — no one was interested.

“Today’s my party, so my rules! Quit whining!” Tang Yu said with authority as she dragged Luo Xu to sit down. “Bring a deck of cards. Whoever loses…”

“Drinks an entire bottle?” someone suggested.

“What bottle? We’re drinking orange juice!”

Everyone stared in disbelief — was this still the Tang family’s proud young miss?

Luo Xu almost burst out laughing. This girl — sharp-tongued and arrogant as she was — still went out of her way to take care of her.

Even though Midnight was a silly game, because everyone knew each other well, the atmosphere quickly grew lively and cheerful.

By dinnertime, several people had already drunk so much orange juice they were suffering. Juice wasn’t like alcohol — it didn’t evaporate. Their stomachs sloshed with liquid every time they moved.

Then Pei Yan and Pei Heng finally arrived, bearing birthday gifts for Tang Yu.

“Big Uncle! Second Uncle!” Tang Yu squealed, abandoning her friends and running over, taking an arm of each man proudly.

With two handsome, wealthy uncles like these — who would ever complain about having to hold onto them?

Her friends, who had been goofing off moments ago, quickly straightened up. Everyone knew Pei Yan did business with their parents — one slip of the tongue could reach home by morning.

“Hello, Big Uncle! Hello, Second Uncle!” a chorus of enthusiastic greetings rang out.

Pei Heng chuckled. “We’re not that much older than you guys — don’t make us sound ancient.”

One of the guys, clearly familiar with him, slung an arm over Pei Heng’s shoulder, joking easily. Laughter filled the room — they were more like friends than elders and juniors.

In front of Pei Yan, however, everyone was noticeably more careful. They still joked, but they kept it within limits.

Meanwhile, Luo Xu was dozing off in a corner. She’d kept losing at Midnight, and eventually gave up watching others play. Slowly, she drifted off on the sofa.

A sharp, steady gaze cut through the noise and landed directly on her sleeping face.

Luo Xu’s body tilted, her head drooping — she looked like she was about to fall off the couch entirely—

“…Heh.”

Her body jerked, and she woke with a start.

“Sleep well?” came a cool voice from above her.

She blinked and looked up. “Ah, Mr. Pei… you’re here too…”

She straightened up, stretched, and tried to shake off the sleepiness.

But as her mind cleared, her eyes landed on Pei Heng — chatting casually with a group nearby.

He wasn’t wearing that black sweater anymore. Today, he had on a thick, white knit one — it made him look refined and gentle.

Still, her heart twisted in confusion. Was it him? Or not?

Pei Yan noticed every flicker of emotion on her face. His own expression darkened, the air around him seeming to drop a few degrees.

He didn’t want to take back his earlier judgment of her — but if she truly had her heart set on Pei Heng… he wouldn’t hesitate to be the bad guy and break up this “pair.”

Luo Xu had no idea he’d misunderstood. She wasn’t lovestruck — she was studying Pei Heng’s every detail, trying desperately to find proof that he wasn’t the man from that night.

But that was proving impossible — his build, his gestures, even his voice… everything matched too well. The more she tried to deny it, the more it all fit.

…..

The evening banquet began. Some people were dancing, others were dining—everyone was enjoying themselves in their own way.

Once Tang Yu got tipsy, she started dragging people onto the dance floor. She was the birthday girl, after all—even Pei Yan indulged her with a dance.

Looking around, the only person who had yet to fall victim to her “wrath” was Luo Xu. Twisting her waist, Tang Yu made her way over, pointed at Luo Xu, and said, “You didn’t bring me a present—there has to be a punishment!”

Luo Xu stood up with a smile. “Alright, then my punishment will be dancing with you.”

“Ha! Nice try! How is that a punishment…” Tang Yu muttered, her eyes darting toward the small stage. Then she lifted her hand, pointing dramatically. “You’re going to sing me a song! Every year, if my brother were here, he’d sing for me…”

Her voice trailed off, trembling slightly, as if she were about to cry.

“I’ll sing, I’ll sing—don’t cry, please,” Luo Xu said quickly, grabbing a tissue.

“I’m not crying, I just… miss my brother,” Tang Yu mumbled, covering her face and leaning weakly against Pei Yan’s shoulder, looking dazed.

Pei Yan patted her hair lightly. “You’ve had too much to drink. You’ll regret it tomorrow.”

“I am suffering…” Tang Yu said, tilting her head against his shoulder, her teary eyes looking toward Luo Xu. “Are you even a good singer? If you’re bad, I won’t listen…”

“I’m alright,” Luo Xu said with an awkward chuckle.

The lively crowd immediately caught on—someone turned off the dance music, and applause broke out, urging Luo Xu to take the stage.

With a bright, easy smile, Luo Xu said, “Alright then, I’ll sing one song. Hopefully it’ll make up for Tang Huang’s absence tonight.”

Tang Yu stayed quiet, still leaning against Pei Yan.

Luo Xu took the microphone and stepped onto the stage. She bent down to say a few words to the pianist.

“‘Delta Dawn.’ Please forgive me if I don’t do it justice,” she said softly, bowing her head with a faint smile—like a lotus blooming quietly in the dark.

The lights in the hall dimmed, leaving a single spotlight on her figure.

The piano’s prelude began, the smooth notes flowing from the pianist’s fingertips.

Luo Xu closed her eyes, and a deep, velvety voice spilled from her throat—

   “what’st（你戴的是什么花？）

    couldiby（那是一朵随时光流逝而凋谢的玫瑰吧）

    anddidihearyousay（我是不是听你说过）

    hewasa-day（他今日要来与你相会）

    inthesky（带你一起去他天上的殿堂）

    she’sforty-one（她41岁了）

    andherdaddystillcallsher”baby”（父亲仍称她为”宝贝儿”）

    allthefolksaroundbrownsville（布朗斯维尔的人们）

    sayshe’scrazy(布朗斯维尔的人们)

    ‘cauwn(都说她不正常)

    aseinherhand（因她整日拎着手提箱）

    kingfor（在小镇游荡）

    riousdark-hairedman（寻找一个神秘的黑发男子）

    inheryoungerdays(当她还是花季少女)

    theycalledherdeltadawn(大家都唤她deltadawn)

    an(是被你落过目光中最漂亮的女人）

    （后来，一个卑微的男人）

    dbyherside？（来到她身旁）

    isedher（对她信誓旦旦）

    he’dtakeherforhisbride（说要娶她做新娘）

（你戴的是什么花？）
→ What flower are you wearing?

（那是一朵随时光流逝而凋谢的玫瑰吧）
→ It must be a rose that withers as time passes.

（我是不是听你说过）
→ Did I hear you say…

（他今日要来与你相会）
→ …that he’s coming to meet you today.

（带你一起去他天上的殿堂）
→ …to take you to his heavenly hall.

（她41岁了）
→ She’s forty-one.

（父亲仍称她为“宝贝儿”）
→ Her father still calls her “baby.”

（布朗斯维尔的人们）
→ The people of Brownsville…

(都说她不正常)
→ …all say she’s crazy.

（因她整日拎着手提箱）
→ Because she carries a suitcase all day…

（在小镇游荡）
→ …wandering around the town…

（寻找一个神秘的黑发男子）
→ …looking for a mysterious dark-haired man.

（当她还是花季少女）
→ When she was a young girl in her prime…

（是被你落过目光中最漂亮的女人）
→ …she was the most beautiful woman ever seen by your eyes.

（后来，一个卑微的男人）
→ Later, a humble man…

（来到她身旁）
→ …came to her side…

（对她信誓旦旦）
→ …and swore to her…

（说要娶她做新娘）
→ …that he would make her his bride.

……

She closed her eyes and hummed, as if she had returned to New York — that noisy, lonely city.
She walked and stopped, searched and wandered, yet nowhere felt like home.
Desolation, hesitation, helplessness, longing… so many tangled emotions mixed together.
She… was Cassie, and also Luo Xu.
New York, her hometown — which one was truly her home?

As the last piano note faded, she gripped the microphone and opened her eyes.
In the darkness, she still caught sight of a pair of deep, calm eyes.
Her left eyelid twitched, a teardrop slid down her cheek, and she heard a voice rising softly from her heart:

You’ve started to care about him.