CH 30

“The case against Joshua Dale is dismissed.”

These seven words sent Joshua’s soul flying like a hammer buffed with a magic spell. 

He stood in the booth for a long time, staring blankly and stupefied from head to toe.

By the time he came back to his senses, he found that he was drenched in sweat. He was like a man arduously journeying with a heavy monolith on his back, and at the moment the weight was lifted from him—all of a sudden, he felt utterly spent.

He was happy. Very, very happy. So happy that he wanted to rush over and give his lawyer a hug with a roar.

But he had inexplicably forgotten how to speak. 

After going through all the procedures and signing all the papers, Gu Yan went back to the defence table to pack his things, and along the way, carry a certain emperor with a swollen leg back to his palace.

The papers spread in front of the emperor’s table were even confiscated. Gu Yan inadvertently glanced down at them, and found that there was an additional turtle on the page with the judge’s venerable name flamboyantly tagged to the turtle shell: Murray Liu.

Gu Yan, “…”

As an ‘intern’, his acting skills were in complete shambles; he had given his own ‘teacher’ from the law firm a bogus grade in court and, as if that wasn’t enough, called the judge an old bastard in a roundabout way.

What did it mean to run riot? This would be it.

Professor Yan used to have the same temperament. In front of outsiders, he would always calmly and elegantly act the bushy-tailed wolf; but when it came to his direct students, that layer of skin wouldn’t be so tightly padded.

For example, when a similarly badly written dissertation passed through his hands at the final hurdle, his notes to other students would be ‘have read, improper format’; to his direct students, it would become ‘bullshit, dog-mauled format’.

This was spread through the mouth of students as ‘a way to express closeness’. And the absurd thing was that not only did many people believe it, but there were even many people who genuinely envied Gu Yan and the others for being ‘students close to the dean’. 

At that time, Gu Yan thought that they probably had a few screws loose in their head.

Now…

Now, the distinguished Lawyer Gu intends to find time to add on quality education for this ‘intern’.

“Can you stand up?” Gu Yan put away his photon computer and asked without a turn of his head back. 

Yan Suizhi had also gathered his things, deleting the illegible scribbles from the papers on the spot. He supported himself up with the table. “Still okay, just a little numb from sitting too long. Now I am quite glad that the lawyer I’m following is you.”

“Hm?” Gu Yan casually responded.

“You don’t talk nonsense and you fight a quick battle.” Yan Suizhi shook his leg at him, “If it were instead someone who likes to talk at length and put on a show like the opposing prosecutor, by the time I come out from court, I can head to the hospital for an amputation.”

Gu Yan, “…” 

Well done. In just one court session, he passed comments from the judge to the lawyers on both sides, not leaving a single person out.

“Stop flaunting your leg, I’m going to call for a taxi.” Gu Yan looked away apathetically.

It wasn’t convenient to book a taxi with the system in Wine City, even more so in law courts. Although lawyers were allowed to bring their photon computers and smart devices into court, the signal and network were limited. Gu Yan swiped through the hologram on his smart device for a while, then told Yan Suizhi, “Wait here.”

With this, he went out first to call a cab. 

Yan Suizhi, of course, wouldn’t simply sit still and do nothing as he waited. Assuming so would be too dumb.

His injury wasn’t so severe that he couldn’t walk at all. If he endured it a little, he could still affect a normal gait. He waited for the numbness to pass, following which he passed unhurriedly through the throng of people to the booth. He knocked on the glass.

“Olaaif rmeiqaegf yevvs, tbk ibcu vb sbe qijc ab rajcv bc vlrqijs tfgf?”

Abrtej · Qbbv Vmeiqaegf · Gjif olcjiis rcjqqfv bea bo tlr vjhf jcv gfjilrfv atja tf kjr atf bcis bcf qgfrfca ralii rajcvlcu lc atf rbifwc rajaf bo ‘jii glrf’. Ktf mbegagbbw tjv jigfjvs fwqalfv ys tjio. 

“Ktfs jii ifoa?” Abrtej Gjif wegwegfv, jrxlcu.

Yan Suizhi nodded. “You can come out from the glass booth now. Gu Yan has gone to call a car.”

Joshua Dale made a long detour through the special passageway, following Yan Suizhi to the courthouse lobby.

When standing in front of the steps waiting for Gu Yan, Joshua Dale finally broke out of his sleepwalking state. His hands hung at both sides of him, his thumbs involuntarily squeezed several other joints with a soft cracking sound. 

After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke to Yan Suizhi. “Um… thank you.”

Yan Suizhi smiled. “You’ve been fermenting here over something you wanted to say for half a day, and it’s just to get out a word of thanks? I didn’t know that those two words were so hard to say.”

Joshua’s face flushed red. He defended himself. “I don’t say it often.”

“And you are very proud of that?” 

Joshua, “…”

Yan Suizhi’s words choked him up. A flush crept up again as he fermented over his next words.

This time, he struggled for a minute before finally saying, “And back then at the detention centre. The way I cursed at you… I’m sorry.”

Yan Suizhi nodded. “That’s enough. I can tell, you also don’t say these two words often.” 

Joshua, “…”

Not far off, Gu Yan managed to hail a taxi and was about to walk back in, only to see the two of them as soon as he turned around.

Yan Suizhi raised his hand at Gu Yan from across the road.

Joshua slowly followed him across to the other side. He looked towards Gu Yan, sighing. “He’s really incredible. He’s more incredible than anyone I’ve ever met.” 

Anyone who’s been in a similar situation wherein they were saved when ‘their life was hanging on a thread’ would always be beyond grateful and worshipful to that person. Whether it was Yan Suizhi or Gu Yan, both of them had seen many such instances.

Yan Suizhi looked towards Gu Yan and laughed. “Yeah, he’s quite outstanding. Actually, those things that you spent so long fermenting over are better said to him.”

Joshua, the blockhead, actually gave a serious nod of his head. “I know. I was practising with you over here.”

Yan Suizhi, “…” 

Fortunately, this blockhead very quickly noticed how his words really made people want to give him a good spanking, so he added in the nick of time, “And you helped me successfully get bail, I should say it to you too.”

Yan Suizhi gave him a not-so-gentle knock on the back of his head, saying unkindly, “Stop, I won’t listen to your excuses.”

He idly teased the brat as they walked up to the taxi that Gu Yan stopped. However, he saw Gu Yan lift his chin towards the corner of the wall on the side.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Suizhi looked over too. 

Then, he noticed a skinny figure standing by the wall with his hands in his pockets, his head lowered as he kicked at the gravel beneath his feet, acting nonchalant as he glanced over.

It was none other than Chester Bell, the grandnephew of Kitty Bell, the little imp who had gifted Yan Suizhi this leg.

Joshua’s body visibly tensed at the sight of Chester, conflicting emotions flickering across his face.

He looked like he wanted to give Chester a kick, whilst wanting to drag him away and explain that ‘I wasn’t the one who did it’, whilst also wanting to ask him ‘how is Granny Bell doing’. 

In the end, he said nothing and stood there as he had, confronting Chester from a few paces away.

The air between them was thick with knives for a fleeting moment. Then Chester, who was a few years older, scratched his head and walked over to Joshua, as if in resignation. He hemmed and hawed for a long time before squeezing out a sentence. “I’m sorry.”

With this, he turned tail as if his ass was on fire.

Not more than two steps later, something occurred to him and he turned back again, facing them. He awkwardly scratched his head. After hesitating for a long time, he squeezed out another word to Yan Suizhi. “Sorry.” 

The way he pulled those words from between his teeth made it seem like it killed him to say that.

Between laughter and tears, Yan Suizhi thought to himself, whether it was the fourteen-year-old or the seventeen-year-old, these rebellious kids were birds of a feather.

The sole message behind Chester’s apology to Yan Suizhi was easy to understand; it was an apology for the water he flung at them. But the apology he gave to Joshua was much more complex…

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have flung water at you and hurt you. 

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have misunderstood you.

I’m sorry for choosing not to believe you.

Joshua Dale was fine before hearing the apology, but once he heard the words ‘I’m sorry’, great upset belatedly began to well in him. The grievance he felt from being wronged could no longer be suppressed by his being acquitted by the law.

He clenched his fists. He glared at Chester obstinately, but the rims of his eyes had instantly reddened. Yet, he still ground his molars, keeping his expression in check. 

“Eh? Don’t…“ Chester was taken aback and slightly panicked, could only repeat in the end, “I’m sorry.”

Joshua gritted his teeth, gesturing at the main road and telling Chester, “Fuck off.”

With that, he stalked off into the taxi that Gu Yan stopped.

Yan Suizhi shrugged and didn’t say anything else. He casually waved a hand at Chester and got into the taxi too. 

Gu Yan sat in the front passenger’s seat. Soon, the taxi started up and slowly got on the road. Chester gradually turned into a small black dot by the side of the road, but he never moved from where he stood.

Joshua had pulled his jacket hood over his face when he got on the taxi, pulling the hood down to the tip of his nose and huddling in the back seat with his arms crossed over his chest.

Yan Suizhi glanced at him. He commented, “Nice momentum just now, only your ‘fuck off’ was too emotional; your voice cracked slightly.”

And then, Joshua finally broke into angry tears. 

Gu Yan, “…”

They concluded their business here in Wine City. Regarding Kitty Bell’s case, how the investigation proceeds would be up to the police; the information from those video footage that he and Yan Suizhi found could probably open a new trail for them to chase down, and they didn’t have to rush to arrest someone to turn in the case.

Gu Yan had other matters on hand too and could not stay here for too long. 

He and Yan Suizhi boarded a space shuttle back to De Carma the next day. Joshua and Rosie got up early to see them off.

Although the little girl had not known them for long, she liked them very much and seemed particularly downtrodden when saying goodbye. Her dark eyes stared at them, fingers clutching at the corner of Yan Suizhi’s coat, reluctant to let go.

Yan Suizhi coaxed and wheedled Rosie for more than half an hour before she finally did.

After getting past customs, they looked back and saw Joshua was holding on to Rosie’s hand in a corner as he sent them off with his eyes. From afar, he appeared especially skinny, and wasn’t that tall either. It was at times like this that it struck people how he was, in fact, only fourteen years old; that he was just a kid. 

Once they got to their seats in the space shuttle, Yan Suizhi asked the steward for a cup of coffee. It reached his hand and was only just brought up to his lips—when another hand cut him off.

“What are you doing?”

Gu Yan’s face was unmoved. He told the baffled steward, “Excuse me, please give him a glass of milk.”

Yan Suizhi, “…” 

I can’t survive this day anymore.

However, the medicine box for his leg injury was placed right before him, and the precautions were written in big, bold script: avoid smoking, alcohol, coffee and spicy food.

Two minutes later, Yan Suizhi drank the milk that the steward brought over, heaving a long sigh in his mind. From what he remembered, Gu Yan very seldom stuck his hands into another’s business or intervened in another’s decisions. Naturally, if someone made a request to Gu Yan, he would readily help them. But either way, he wouldn’t proactively interfere with what others thought or did.

Holding his milk, Yan Suizhi was deeply sorry. 

How great was that personality from back then, why had he changed after taking in an intern…

But after swapping his coffee for milk, Gu Yan stopped managing him, putting on his earpiece and resting his eyes; what the eyes don’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over.

“Oh, by the way. Before we went through customs earlier, what had Joshua pulled you off so furtively for? I heard him asking for your comms number?” Yan Suizhi suddenly thought of this and asked curiously.

Without even opening his eyes, Gu Yan knocked the finger with his smart device against the table. A hologram popped out of the smart device in response, showing an electronic slip on the interface. 

“An IOU?” Yan Suizhi read the words on the top of the interface.

That was an IOU that Joshua had insisted on signing. He earnestly counted his monthly wage, planning to return Gu Yan the hospital fees and the hotel bill in installments. The signature beneath was chicken scratch, imbued with a smidge of childishness.

Yan Suizhi’s eyebrows raised. “He actually got the calculations right, not bad.”

Gu Yan knocked his finger again. The hologram disappeared. He continued to rest his eyes. 

The ambience on the space shuttle was so purposefully adjusted for people to catch up on sleep that even Yan Suizhi began to feel slightly drowsy. Before closing his eyes, he suddenly recalled that he had been too busy in the day to check his smart device for any new notifications, and he cursorily swiped through it.

To his surprise, he really did receive two new notifications.

The two notifications came in at roughly the same time, both received during the period when they were boarding the space shuttle.

The first was an alert from his asset card: 

Balance received: 1,000 xi

Additional note: Business travel allowance

The second was also an alert from his asset card:

Balance received: 10,000 xi 

Additional note: (none)

Yan Suizhi, “???”