CH 74

“Hm?” Yan Suizhi responded casually, a slightly upturned lilt at the end. It was pleasing to the ears, and as always, carried a faint smile.

But he never turned his head. 

Once, someone had commented that Yan Suizhi resembled a deep lake. It appeared gentle and mild, but was cool to the touch. No one could ever tell how deep it really was from ashore. You couldn’t tell what he liked, what he disliked, nor could you tell if he was happy or upset.

There were some who tried to reach the bottom, yet never knew where to even begin, and were either left dejected or shrinking back at the sight.

But now, standing next to the wall curtained by green vines, Yan Suizhi’s gaze was cast downwards. His figure was a slender silhouette carved by the fairy lights on the trees, and his expression was indistinct, concealed by the evening backlight. Although only his back was facing over, there was the feeling that his heart could be glimpsed through a narrow seam.

He gazed a while longer at the script on the wine bottle under the warm light from the trees, then brushed aside the green vines to place the bottle back where it was before. 

When he turned back around, his expression was the same as usual. He said to Gu Yan, “Not listening to Young Master Joe’s childhood stories anymore?”

He clapped away the dust that had gotten on his hands, curling his fingers, huffily saying, “I suspect that I’m the only one really searching for that wine of his.”

Gu Yan looked into his eyes.

For a twinkling, Yan Suizhi worried that the man in front of him would be a persistent blockhead and ask him what he was looking at just now. After all, people like that who didn’t know proper decorum weren’t among the minority.

And if that really was the case, Yan Suizhi thought to himself, based on how he reacted from past precedent, he would possibly be quite annoyed, and even get very repulsed…

But he didn’t want to feel that way towards Gu Yan.

Fortunately, Gu Yan’s gaze only lingered on him for a moment before it swept to the number plates on other trees. He asked, “Have you checked this row? Did you find it?”

Tjc Velhtl revvfcis rwlifv ja atlr. 

“Rba sfa. Qf rtbeiv ub ab ibbx ja Rb. 21,” tf rjlv jcv kjixfv bnfg, rafq lc rafq klat Xe Tjc.

Rba ibcu ijafg, Abf jcv Bf Alc jirb mjwf bnfg ab atlr rfmalbc. Dea gfugfaajyis, atf klcfgs vlvc’a qijmf atf klcf lc remt jc bynlber qijmf jr atf agff bo Ebk 3, Rb. 21 lc atf A bo Lfjgar.

While the atmosphere as the four of them strolled through the cherry orchard was relaxed, Yan Suizhi was slightly distracted.

In actuality, even until later, when they had combed half the orchard and finally found Joe’s exclusive wine, then chatted of his past with Manson and Zhao Zemu along with the brighter spots of his university days—Yan Suizhi was still slightly distracted. 

Joe pulled Gu Yan into drinking a lot of wine with him. Putting aside all else, it was impressive how well this young master could hold his liquor. He was still sober after polishing off a rack of wine, and apart from being a bit chattier, didn’t show the slightest discomfort.

He was probably the busiest one that evening. On one hand, he was actually rather shaken by Manson’s situation and wasn’t in much of a mood. On the other hand, he had to tell some embarrassing and entertaining anecdotes every now and then to tease Ke Jin, relaxing the other some; simultaneously, he didn’t forget to celebrate Gu Yan passing the First-Class Lawyer preliminary review, also casually expressing his envy towards Yan Suizhi.

Because for the longest time, Ke Jin kept looking at Yan Suizhi. It was in a very systematic fashion; he’d drink a sip of fruit juice, and take a peek, then drink another sip, and take another peek. Of course, such a monotonous and repetitive action would be out of place on an ordinary person, but in Ke Jin’s case, this indicated that he was emotionally calm and settled.

By the later part of the meal, Ke Jin was leaning back in his seat, asleep. Joe got a waiter to wrap a blanket around him, grumbling to Yan Suizhi, “Sheesh, nevermind my envy. After all, I’m such a generous man. I really want to thank you, lil’ intern. He is actually in quite poor condition these days, never having much energy and always falling asleep. He startles easilt when awake; a single bird flying by can cause him to suddenly fall sick. It’s great that he managed to finish a proper meal like he did tonight.” 

While he took Ke Jin back indoors, Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan went to wash their hands.

There was an intricately carved washing basin a short distance from every seating area in the cherry orchard, half-enclosed by a railing made of exquisite metal and entwined flowering branches.

As Yan Suizhi carefully scrubbed the smell of food from his fingers, Gu Yan simply leaned against the railing and waited.

The two of them continued their earlier conversation. 

“…How did Joe and Manson turn this way now?”

Gu Yan’s voice was imbued with a trace of tipsiness, just the slightest trace, his voice coming out more languid than the norm. “Joe is a very simple person and doesn’t have many rules and constraints when it comes to the people he talks to. He will be nice to whomever he feels good about, it doesn’t really follow a fixed pattern. If the other echoes the same sentiment, they’re friends; if the other suspects that he has ulterior motives, then there’s nothing to say. At one point in time, Manson was deeply suspicious of everything, just enough to clash with the way Joe is. After a few times of that, the dislike grew and they parted ways.”

Yan Suizhi said with a smile, “I used to be very perplexed how you and Ke Jin could be friends with Joe, but now it seems perfectly normal.”

Gu Yan quietened for a while. “How did you know that we’re friends?” 

“What kind of question is that?” Yan Suizhi blanked. “Didn’t you always get dragged out by him to clown around during the holidays?”

Gu Yan, who had never ‘clowned around’ in his entire life, stared at him for a while, but chose not to correct his wording for now. “I thought that you wouldn’t pay attention to such… trivialities.”

Yan Suizhi didn’t deny it. He rinsed the foam from his hands, and said after a moment’s thought, “It’s true that I don’t really pay attention, but there are always some exceptions. Even though I’m always striving to remain impartial, there are inevitably some students that I would appreciate being a little closer to. For example, you and Ke Jin. But it also just happened to be the two of you who, after skedaddling from school, never thought of me again—”

He sounded like he was making small talk, and even upon meandering to this subject, his tone was still airy, lips curving into a smile. But as soon as he turned his head, he found that Gu Yan was leaning against the railing and looking at him, his gaze hooded. The light in his eyes glimmered with the fairy lights by the basin, and his expression was inscrutable. 

Yan Suizhi’s words broke off. He unconsciously asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gu Yan’s gaze was very heavy, yet perhaps because of the intoxication that had yet to subside, it lost its sharp edges, even showing a rare gentleness. He stayed silent for a moment before saying, “Because you’ve been a little distracted all night, and look a little… sad.”

Yan Suizhi started minutely.

Actually, these words were as direct as asking him what he was looking at in front of the No. 17 tree would have been. It went that people who wrap themselves in too many layers hate to be probed, and the many past precedents told Yan Suizhi that he was no exception. 

Yet, strangely, he was not as upset as he thought he would be when Gu Yan laid the words out in front of him in such a straightforward manner.

His lips parted slightly, but he only smiled in the end, saying, “Nothing much. I thought of my family and my childhood, some… mere trivialities.”

This could probably be considered a rare, sincere answer from him.

With that, he drew an antibacterial paper napkin from the side of the basin. As he wiped his hands clean, he lifted his chin towards the sink, saying, “Don’t just stand there, come wash your hands.” 

Gu Yan looked at him for another moment, standing up straight in a rare display of obedience. Like a good student, he walked over to the sink to rinse his hands.

Yan Suizhi courteously leaned against the railing and waited for him.

At the basin, the twilight silhouetted his slightly lowered eyes and the straight line of his nose. Across the years, a lot seemed to have changed, yet everything still seemed the same.

For a reason unbeknownst even to himself, Yan Suizhi suddenly spoke after watching him for a while. “Gu Yan.” 

“Hm?” Set against the running water, Gu Yan’s voice was still tinged with a lazy drawl.

The corners of Yan Suizhi’s lips rose and, as if in jest, he asked him, “After graduation, all the other students would religiously contact me every now and then, or minimally drop a festive greeting. Why is it that you’re the only one who didn’t send me even a single message, breaking off all contact?”

Gu Yan’s slightly lowered gaze never flickered. He continued to carefully wash his fingers.

Just when Yan Suizhi thought that he was going to do what he always did, pretending not to hear what he couldn’t quite or was too troublesome to answer, brushing it over with silence, Gu Yan suddenly spoke. “Because of some rather absurd ideas.”