CH 72

The original plan was to meet at Cherry Estate that evening, but little did they expect that before it even reached ten in the morning, they would be gathered outside the ICU at the hospital in Zone 3.

George Manson had woken up. 

This waking up was only in the barest sense of it. He had opened his eyes at seven in the morning, blinked very gently a few times then closed his eyes again. It took him another hour or so before he opened them again, and his eyes had remained partially open since.

The doctors and nurses conducted a full-scale, comprehensive examination on him, and squeezed in the ward to monitor the fluctuations in the instruments for a full hour, before confirming that he was out of critical condition. The doctor in charge then made the executive decision to move him out of the isolation unit.

Less than an hour after he was moved, Joe had notified Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi, traversing across Zone 3 to stand by Manson’s hospital bed.

There was no way that it was as simple as ‘heard by word of mouth’ for him to have gotten the news so quickly, especially with the Manson family keeping watch. 

“You stationed someone here?” Gu Yan asked.

At this time, they were the only ones in the ward, so they could freely converse.

Joe had both hands stuck in his pockets. His head lowered, looking at Manson lying on the bed, he said, “Yeah. I got a couple of people here, I’m afraid there’d be no chance for him to walk out of the hospital in one piece otherwise.” Saying this, he raised his eyebrows and glanced towards the door, even carrying a lick of taunting in his gaze.

After taunting, he turned back and spoke to Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi in a low voice, “Old Manson is going to kick the bucket soon. Everyone in the Manson family is watching his will like a wolf.”

He puckered his lips, motioning towards George Manson on the bed. “He used to be Old Manson’s favourite. Afterwards he became devil incarnate for a few years, giving Old Manson a headache just at the sight of him. But he’s been straightening his act in the recent two years, and Old Manson started to go Georgey this, Georgey that again. If you ask me, no matter who did it this time, it definitely has something to do with those weasel brothers of his.”

Yan Suizhi looked at him, quite surprised.

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Yan Suizhi was both vexed and amused by this. “That’s not what I’m surprised about.”

Joe, “What, then?”

Yan Suizhi was only surprised because he had always thought of Young Master Joe as a little fool and never expected that he could be quite attentive at critical moments, even knowing how to slide in a few of his men in the hospital. But then again, when he thought about it from another angle, Joe was very attentive when it came to Ke Jin too.

But was this something that he could say directly to Joe? Obviously not. 

So Yan Suizhi deliberated for a moment. “This might come across a little insensitive, but I used to think that the relationship between you and Mr Manson…”

“Is very average?” Joe surmised his next words.

Yan Suizhi smiled, silently acquiescing.

“It is very average these days.” Joe didn’t equivocate. In fact, he never really shied away from anything; he had always been frank and straightforward. “But when we were kids, our relationship was pretty good. He and I, and… Zhao Zemu, I guess. Then we grew up. I don’t really know what went down, but our interactions eventually turned into the so-called fake friends. It’s like except for during those social events, there’s nothing much for us to talk about anymore. Probably a little closer than nodding acquaintances.” 

He gazed at Manson quietly for a while, then shrugged, saying, “See? I’ve made several trips down here recently and still have nothing to really say to him. I can only chat with you guys.”

Yan Suizhi nodded before turning a little puzzled. “Why did you call us over?”

It was understandable for Joe to rush over and take a look since Manson woke up, but calling him and Gu Yan was a little outside expectations. After all, Gu Yan and Manson weren’t exactly friends, and Yan Suizhi, wearing the identity of Ruan Ye, had only just met Manson not too long ago.

“I know many lawyers. To them, whether the case is won or lost, it’s the end for them the instance the jury pronounces the verdict, washing their hands off the case once they leave the courtroom. It doesn’t matter to them what happens to the defendant or plaintiff after that because they’re already hot on the heels of another case,” said Joe. “I don’t know if I’m right, but Gu is different from them. I think he might want to know that the victim of the case is out of danger, or that they don’t end up too badly.” 

He winked at Yan Suizhi, “And you’re the one and only intern that he’s willing to take on. So either there’s something about you that he really appreciates and likes, or you’re a lot like him, therefore…”

Lawyer Gu couldn’t listen to this any longer, decisively laying down his judgement on the earlier statement. “You have an overactive imagination.”

“Don’t try and quibble with those excuses of ‘can’t worm out of having to stand in for Lawyer Moore’. We’re not buying it.” Joe said, “Is there another reason?”

Professor Yan showed not an ounce of appreciation for the hand that fed him, standing on Joe’s side like he was watching a good show, the corners of his lips curving as he gazed at Gu Yan good-naturedly. 

Gu Yan, “…”

Seeing cold air swish around this mint essence, Yan Suizhi then shifted his gaze back, saying to Joe, “Thank you.”

Although he was a defence lawyer speaking for the defendant, he didn’t stand opposed to the victim. It did make him feel somewhat better to see Manson escape death, pulling out of critical condition.

In the past, like many others, Yan Suizhi didn’t know Joe well and couldn’t quite understand why Gu Yan would become friends with this second generation little fool, with their friendship even lasting this many years. Now, he suddenly understood. 

Manson had merely woken up and was far from being able to recognise people and talk. Apart from unconsciously opening his eyes for a while, he was more often than not in deep sleep. As such, they didn’t stay in the hospital for long, leaving after getting an idea of Manson’s general condition.

They passed through the corridor on their way out, which was guarded by several underlings of the Manson family, among which two of whom looked like appointed leaders.

Joe shot a second glance to those two leaders. When they entered the car park under the hospital, he muttered, “Brewer Manson changed his dogs again, a few days ago the leaders were clearly not those two…”

But the volume of his voice was too low for even Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan to catch much of it. 

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just sighing at Manson’s weasel brothers.”

There wasn’t much to do in the afternoon, so the evening appointment was simply brought up.

“I have to go back first and bring Ke Jin over,” Joe told Gu Yan. “You guys can head over first. If you want you can help me find my exclusive wine for this year. The estate is getting better at hiding it, I spent two hours searching for it in vain the last time I went over.” 

Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan had lunch at Cherry Estate.

The dishes here were imbued with a perceivable flair of a garden tea party—each item was a small dot on a large serving plate, the portions pitifully small but exquisite. This happened to suit Yan Suizhi well, who always ate with great care, chewing slowly and politely, taking thrice as long to finish what others would take five minutes to eat.

However, he ate less.

“Full?” Gu Yan saw him dab a napkin on the corners of his mouth and reach for the accompanying dessert wine, and he immediately brought the glass in front of himself instead. 

“…”

The table was oblong. With Yan Suizhi’s usual table manners, it was impossible for him to stand up and reach for the wine glass. So he simply leaned back in his chair, looking at Gu Yan crossly, saying, “Usually, the only people who would manage another’s liquor so presumptuously would be either a parent or a partner; pray tell, which are you trying to lay claim to, hm?”