162 – You’re the cutest

Hun Lun waited for a response, but there wasn’t any. He looked into the rearview mirror and cursed at himself for missing the opportunity. Li Yun had already passed out after watching a boxing match.

"Another time," he thought, but he needed to come clean or else his conscience was going to eat him alive.

All the previous times he had spied on other companies, it was easy to see their downfall. The majority of small startup pharmaceutical companies were always finding ways to cut costs. Even without Berne's interference, Hun Lun didn't see them lasting beyond the first three years. However, Shennong was a very good company, a rarity in the modern world.

The black domestic car pulled in front of the entrance to Caoben street. Like an alarm bell, Li Yun stretched his out his hands and lifted himself up. From behind, Li Yun tabbed Hun Lun on the right shoulder.

“The next time you return to Berne, how about grabbing some information before they fire you?” Li Yun asked.

Hun Lun froze, in shock that Li Yun had heard his confession. Or, it was possible that the people at Shennong knew all along. He should have suspected something when the CEO offered him the promotion.

“Boss, you knew?” Hun Lun slowly asked with his trembling lips.

Li Yun patted Hun Lun again twice. “Lighten up, I’m not going to fire you as long as you perform well on your job.”

Hun Lun released a heavy sigh of relief. He knew his boss was like this, why didn’t he approach the boss earlier? “Boss, you’re not afraid I’ll double-cross you?”

“Mr. Hun, I don’t think you should worry about that.”

Hun Lun nodded. If there was one thing he had learned from being by Li Yun’s side, it was that his boss could be scarier than CEO Ju De.

Li Yun walked down the street of Caoben, wearing his white coat that doubled as his jacket. The colder autumn breeze wasn’t as bothersome to him as it had been in the past. His body’s ability to maintain heat seemed to be supplemented by his meridian. The more he placed points into Earth, the more resistant he was to temperature change. 

“Afternoon Dr. Li!” the cafe vendor called.

“Hi Mr. Datou, how is your son?”

“You know that brat, always going off to parties,” said the vendor. “I tell him to be more like you, but he said you're a freak.”

Li Yun laughed it off. People tended to say that when they didn’t like what Li Yun had to say about their choice of lifestyle. He had a policy that if his words weren’t enough to sway people, it was because they were the type that would never change unless something drastic happened. A person who might have a heart attack wouldn’t change their diet to prevent it, but only after they experienced it once.

“I gave Ms. Song a new package of tea when she passed by earlier,” Mr. Datou added enough Li Yun walked away.

Li Yun thanked Mr. Datou and walked toward the Dong Xuan Clinic. On his return, he unlocked the front door and entered inside.

“Welcome back Dr. Li,” Bizi greeted him at the front counter. “Yide Finest Herbs just sent you their new batch of medicinals.”

Dr. Li nodded. “Thanks Bizi.”

“I put it in the courtyard like you have instructed, but are you sure you don’t want it in the greenhouse?” She asked. “It’s chilly outside.”

“It’s still 12 degrees outside, I think I can manage,” said Li Yun, who took out his phone to check the temperature outside, 13c. “So close.” He had been practicing to see how accurately he could gauge the surrounding temperature.

He walked outside to the courtyard and into the back room. Rouxi was sitting by the table and analyzing some properties.

“How was your day?” he asked Rouxi in English.

Rouxi returned him a blank look. What she heard was, “Ow wa ya zah?”

“Ow wa u zah?” he repeated, but Rouxi remained confused. “F***! Why is English so messed up?”

Some words in English weren't phonemic, or pronounced how it was written. Many phonologies were from basic memorization, and so many words sounded nothing like how it was spelled out.

“It just takes some time to get used to,” Rouxi could speak well, and tried her best to converse with Li Yun, but his accent was really thick.

Li Yun shook his head. “I’ll just need to get used to it.”

Rouxi smiled and got up to kiss him on the cheeks. “You’re the cutest when you stumble and fail at something.”

Not satisfied by the kiss, Li Yun pulled her close and kissed her deeply before she pushed him away.

“I need to work,” Rouxi returned to her seat.

Li Yun also needed to work, and walked to the courtyard. There was a new batch of medicinal herbs that he needed to inspect. The manufacturer was sending him their highest grade herbs, knowing how picky he was. While he was inspecting, he had his earbud on. 

“Tee su wa ate tee a ca orn,” he repeated a few words, following the English study app’s instructions.

“Dr. Li, are you learning English?” Bizi asked. The clinic was closed, but Bizi was busy dusting the cabinets. However, his voice was distracting Bizi from work.

It got so bad that Bizi had to pause for a moment and walk to the courtyard. As a merchant, she often encountered a lot of foreign tourists. It was important to have basic English skills.

“Ah, sorry, am I interrupting your work?” Li Yun took out his headphones and looked at Bizi. “I am looking for a dialect coach for English.”

“Why do you need a coach?” Asked Bizi. “Just relax your voice a bit, and randomly say the word. I think you’re a bit tense and try too much when you speak.”

“I am?” Li Yun wasn’t aware that he was being tense.

“Try relaxing your larynx by making random voices first,” said Bizi. “You’re too conscious when you talk.”

Li Yun nodded. He was a bit self-conscious about his accent. People expected him to automatically know things that it seemed rather odd that he wasn’t able to speak English correctly.

“Thanks Ms. Bizi, I should give you a raise,” Li Yun commented. The biggest surprise was that Bizi seemed to have some sort of formal vocal training.

“Hee, hee, not a problem Dr. Li,” said Bizi. “I’m only looking after your store on the side. My business is also doing great.”

“Did you use to sing in your youth?” asked Li Yun.

“Ah, the youth, it seems so far away! I was an opera singer before, but that was 20 years ago. These days, only the big names can survive as an opera singer.”

Opera singers were often trained in a troupe at a small age. It would be difficult to survive without the backing of an opera house.

“Then do you mind helping me out with some of my pronunciation?” asked Li Yun.

“No problem! I have plenty of time!”

Ms. Bizi wasn’t married or had children like Zuiba, so she always had plenty of time to chat and gossip. Li Yun had wondered if Bizi had circumstances that made her miss the chance to find a marriage partner. There weren’t many people who lived their life without any sort of romantic involvement.

“She lost her boyfriend at a really young age,” Rouxi told him over dinner. “Ms. Zuiba was telling me about it.”

“Hmm…” Li Yun thought it was likely, but Bizi chose to remain single.

“I think we should set her up with Mr. Datou.”

“She’s fine the way she is, we shouldn’t interfere.” If there was one thing that Li Yun didn’t like, was to interfere with people's relationships.

“Don’t you think it’s sad that she’s alone?”

“She has friends.”

Li Yun saw that she wanted to say something, but stopped herself. Something about her expression made him worry. “What were you planning to say?”

“Nothing,” Rouxi got up and cleared up the table.

Li Yun hugged her from behind to trap her from moving. “Rouxi, I won’t be able to think about anything else if you don’t tell me what you were able to say.”

“It’s really nothing. I was suddenly reminded about a conversation with your mother about Wu Bin,” Rouxi said. “I told her I’ll help find someone. I thought you would tell me to stop being a busybody.”

“Oh?” Li Yun was also worried about Wu Bin. “If you want to introduce anyone to him or Bizi, it’s fine. I only said we shouldn’t interfere, but my girlfriend is free to do whatever makes her happy.”