CH 77

Receiving Joe’s message, Yan Suizhi let out a soft sigh, saying in his head, ‘Deepest apologies, I’m not the second dean, I am the dean…’

After learning a lesson from the contact name, Yan Suizhi’s hologram had changed from lying flat to vertical, so only he could see its contents. As he mulled over how to thank the enthusiastic citizen Young Master Joe, Lawyer Gu, who was across from him, suddenly spoke up. 

“Did you come to my room just to show me my contact name and occupy a chair to send messages to others?”

Yan Suizhi lifted his head and saw that Gu Yan’s face had turned as frosty as ice from drinking that glass of mint water, and even the way he spoke was like he was throwing an ice pick.

Um… He looked even moodier now.

This wasn’t the first time Yan Suizhi had noticed such a reaction; he could practically see through the other’s thoughts at a glance—this had always been defined by him as the petty rivalry between young students for the teacher’s favour. Of course, he didn’t mean it seriously, only thinking this with good nature and amusement. But tonight was a little different. 

He suddenly realised that it was from Gu Yan that he noticed what he termed the ‘little thoughts of students’ over the years.

Or… it so happened that he always noticed Gu Yan’s subtle thoughts and emotions.

But now wasn’t the time for his thoughts to wander, because the guy opposite him was on the brink of turning into a minty ice sculpture.

The corners of Yan Suizhi’s lips involuntarily rose by a slight margin. Bearing the weight of Gu Yan’s frosty gaze, he mustered all of the coaxing skills he possessed in this lifetime to bring up an interface on his hologram, briskly tap out a line with his attractive fingers, and press send.

The ring on Gu Yan’s little finger instantly vibrated twice.

Expressionlessly, Gu Yan moved his finger. When he projected the hologram, a new message popped up:

-Student in a shirt, don’t pull a long face. Smile for me?

Gu Yan lifted his gaze. 

Yan Suizhi wiggled the finger the smart device was on. “I can also occupy a chair to send messages to you.”

Just for that brief moment, Gu Yan didn’t speak, but stared at Yan Suizhi. He suddenly averted his gaze to look out of the window, and after a moment more, turned his gaze back.

Since Yan Suizhi had begun his method of coaxing, he followed all the way through. He changed the ‘Pettymint Essence’ in his address book to ‘Magnanimous Mint’, then turned the hologram and reached his hand over to Gu Yan for him to see it. “I’ve changed your contact name. Will this work?”

“…” 

Gu Yan’s face was completely blank.

“I guess not.” Yan Suizhi nodded in feigned understanding. His fingers moved again to type two words, and he reached over again.

This time, he stopped with his flagrant teasing, changing the name to the most proper—Gu Yan.

The cursor on the interface to change his contact name was still blinking. The save button had not yet been pressed. Professor Yan seemed to be trying to emphasise his sincerity by allowing Student Gu to witness, with his own two eyes, him tapping the save button. 

This contact name was as proper as it could be, just like the few other contact names in his address book; it was the simplest and most polite form of address, no longer carrying any measure of teasing.

Xe Tjc’r ujhf ofii bc atf rmgffc, jcv tlr ojmf ralii rtbkfv cb fwbalbc.

C ofk wbwfcar wbgf, tf atfc gjlrfv tlr tjcv, rklqlcu la. Vfcrlcu atf wbnfwfca bo tlr olcufg, atf tbibugjw mibrfv. Ktf agjcriemfca afza lcafgojmf lcrajcais vlrrbinfv, jcv cbatlcu byrmegfv atf rqjmf yfakffc atfw.

“Gbc’a ybatfg. Ktfgf lrc’a jcsatlcu kgbcu klat ws wbbv, jcv lo atfgf kjr, la’v bcis yf yfmjerf P’nf tjv abb wemt ab vglcx, cba jcsatlcu rqfmlolmjiis jujlcra sbe.” 

‘Throwing a tantrum’ was possibly an expression that Gu Yan couldn’t wrap his head around, so he ended up changing the wording.

He shifted his gaze away to the never-ending spread of city lights, and said, “I’ll be fine after I sober up a bit. You don’t have to go through all this trouble.”

His tone, as always, was beyond calm, carrying with it a touch of coldness. But in the faint reflection on the French windows, his eyebrows were minutely creased.

That expression only lasted for a fleeting second, and his countenance very quickly returned to normal. When he turned his face back, his tone had changed back to its usual placid state. “I’ve already had a taste of your exceptional skill in coaxing people. Is there anything else?” 

Yan Suizhi, “…No.”

“Then go back to sleep.”

Gu Yan pointedly lifted his chin in the direction of the door, the message of sending him off obvious.

Yan Suizhi oscillated between vexation and amusement. 

Leaning back in his seat, he wavered for a bit as if still wanting to say something. But after mulling it over and ultimately not finding anything to say, he could only huffily shake his head and stand up. He said, “Okay, I’m going back then.”

Yan Suizhi opened the room door.

Gu Yan stood next to the control panel. His hand, about to turn off the lights, paused for a second, his gaze falling towards a point in the void. Only when he heard Yan Suizhi’s unhurried footsteps walking out did he move his finger, extinguishing the lights that he used to ‘sober up’.

Neither of them slept well that night. 

Perhaps influenced by the bottle of wine from the cherry orchard, or perhaps out of his worry for Gu Yan, Yan Suizhi had a long dream.

The dream started with him having returned to his childhood home, a large detached villa with exquisitely decorated gardens in both the front and back yard.

He stood amidst the green ivy of the backyard, one hand in his pocket, the other relaxed as it held a brush. The wooden frame in front of him held a painting board covered with a white, textured canvas.

The afternoon sun danced on the soft flower petals, and the faraway birdsong was wrapped in a gentle breeze. 

He had just swept a few strokes on the canvas when a rustling sound came from the branches behind him.

Who was it?

He glanced back to see an elegant middle-aged lady with a mini hologram camera. She pushed aside the leafy foliage and walked over to him. One of her eyes was squinted, focusing the lens towards him. “What do you want to say for this year’s birthday video?”

Yan Suizhi gazed at her for a long time, from the small, attractive mole on the corner of her eye, to the faintly discernible dimple on one side when she smiled. He looked at each and every part with extreme care. 

For some reason, he didn’t usually dream; but whenever he did, he could never escape these scenes. And every time he started from this scene, he would be distinctly aware that he was dreaming.

He clearly knew that these were dreams; scenes of ago, a distant past that he would never encounter again.

Then, he would always try to calm himself a little, and just a little more, so as to not startle himself out of the dreamscape…

He gazed at this lady for a long, long time. He wanted to call out to her, but in the dream, he opened his mouth, always saying something else, “Another video? What should I say… I wish myself a happy birthday?” 

Only half serious but not at all faked, the lady turned anxious. “Have you run out of lines already? This won’t do, it’s only your fourteenth birthday; you’ll still have to record a hundred and eighty more. From when you grow into a handsome young man, to a handsome man, to when you’re old, maybe even until you go bald…”

And in the dream, Yan Suizhi, in his teens, lazily grumbled back, “If your son really does go bald in his old age, you’ll be the one crying.”

The brush in his hand never stopped, mostly dabbing blocks of colour that had not yet taken shape.

The lady excitedly took a few shots of his canvas, then turned the lens onto her son’s face, asking, “What are you painting?” 

Yan Suizhi lifted his finger to point at a flowering branch not far away. “That hibiscus branch.”

After saying that, he grumbled again in a low voice, “You keep staring at it and pruning it. I’m painting it for you, so in case you prune it dead one day, you’d at least have this as a souvenir.”

“Unlucky child, don’t speak nonsense.” The woman peevishly knocked the back of his head.

“I’m going to video your dad.” She watched the hibiscus flower slowly taking shape on the canvas, her eyes crinkling. So as to not further disturb the painting teenager, she turned to leave. 

Inclining his head and lifting his chin, Yan Suizhi looked at her askance. “It’s my birthday. Shouldn’t you say something as well?”

The lady chortled, reaching out to pinch his face. “I didn’t want to disturb you while you were painting. I wish for my son to have a happy birthday…”

She smiled even more tenderly than the bright and beautiful hibiscus on the canvas. “Your dad and I hope that you will remain forever carefree, that you will never have to endure any pain, that you won’t have to hurry to grow up, that you won’t have to understand those complicated and contradictory things, nor make any vexing choices. I pray that you will live a long and happy life, and always have someone to say good morning and goodnight to you.”

This was the fourteenth time that she had given such a blessing, and by now, Yan Suizhi had long memorised it by heart. But he listened to it each time as if it were the first, holding the easel, patiently and attentively listening to her finish. Then, he waved his hand and said lazily, “Don’t worry, it’ll definitely come true.” 

…The lady left the backyard with the camera in hand. Yan Suizhi watched her silhouette disappear into the villa, the familiar carved garden door slowly closing before his eyes.

When he turned his head back, the hanging ivy, moonflowers, and hibiscus were gone—like a hand had disturbed a basin of water.

What used to be the canvas and wooden frame turned into Gu Yan, who was leaning against a balcony railing with a glass of wine in his hand. The ice cubes softly knocked against the wall of the glass with a crisp sound. He took a sip, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed at the dappled lights beyond the balcony.

Yan Suizhi froze for a moment. When he recovered, he was already standing next to him, leaning against the balcony, similarly with a glass of wine in his hand. He said, “You’ll be graduating in a few months, right?” 

Gu Yan, “Mn.”

“Any thoughts?” Yan Suizhi asked him with a smile.

Gu Yan stayed silent for a while. Then, he turned his head and lifted his glass towards Yan Suizhi, saying indifferently, “Happy birthday.”

…And it was at this point, at this blessing wherein not a smidge of felicitations could be heard, that Yan Suizhi awoke. Finally opening his eyes this morning, the hazy spell of moodiness upon waking was especially deep-set. 

It was difficult to tell if this was due to the two interrupted dreams. In any case, he didn’t really speak much all day.

George Manson had already come back to consciousness, which was perhaps more significant to them than who the culprit really was. Yan Suizhi had left Chen Zhang and Zhigeng Welfare Hospital a mode of contact, and, with that, the curtain fell on this episode over at Tian Qin.

If there were any further developments, there was the walking information hub, Young Master Joe, who would surely let them know.

After a ten-hour shuttle flight, the two of them arrived at the port of De Carma in the early morning. 

They had initially planned to go straight to Southcross Law Firm, but changed their minds on a whim. This was due to a comms call that Gu Yan received right after their arrival, coming from the Spring Ivy Hospital in De Carma.

“Lawyer Gu? Good morning, I’m a doctor from Spring Ivy Hospital. Young Master Joe contacted me previously, asking me to help prepare a private genetic test,” the other party explained.

Gu Yan jolted slightly before coming to. “Mn, that’s me. Is it ready?”

“Yes. The whole process is confidential and not connected to the data network; you can rest assured.” The other said, “If it’s convenient for you to come down now, I’ll teach you how to operate the machine and how to read the values, so you can run the test on your own.” 

Gu Yan, “Okay, thank you.”

“Another business trip?” Yan Suizhi, without having heard the other end of the conversation, asked subconsciously.

Gu Yan hung up the call. “I asked Joe to do me a favour previously.”

Yan Suizhi pulled a short blank before recalling it. When leaving Yaba Island, Joe did seem to have mentioned that Gu Yan had asked him for a favour. But wasn’t it two, not one… 

However, Yan Suizhi didn’t correct Gu Yan’s statement. He hummed and asked, “What kind of favour?”

“I think you should test how long your genetic modification can last,” Gu Yan said.