CH 197

Concerning Gu Yan, Yan Suizhi had never intended to let the news be blown out of proportion.

Therefore, he asked Bens: [Where did you get this tip-off from? Help me pull some strings or have the other party name a price.] 

Bens’ response was coloured with astonishment: [Easy there, you’re really talking big for an intern. Even asking them to name a price. Is money hotcakes in your hands?]

Under his intern identity, Professor Yan was indeed hovering around the line of abject poverty, mostly due to his highly unscientific approach to spending money.

Now that he had reverted to his former appearance, though he hadn’t yet submitted his application to the Probate Office, it was only a matter of time before the bulk of his unprocessed estate would be returned to him. Since that would be settled in the coming days, he could naturally speak how he pleased.

However, across the smart device, Bens didn’t know this. 

He first suspected that the intern had gone crazed with anger after reading the message and was babbling nonsense.

Then he guessed that it was Gu Yan who had prompted the intern to ask, and that the person who really wanted to spend the money was Gu Yan himself.

This reporter had the ability to push his hands to breakneck speed as theories fired off in his head, delivering message after message, nearly buzzing Yan Suizhi’s hand to numbness.

The dean had sent a proper message only to have vibrations wear his patience away. He eventually asked politely:

[Mr Reporter, have you taken my message inbox as a publishing platform? Are you planning to post your novel in one go?]

The smart device stopped buzzing away.

In a hotel barely a half-hour’s drive from the hospital, Bens pointed to the screen, blowing his top, “This damn intern is ridiculing me again! How many times has it been?”

“Oh…” 

Hersey, seated on a chair and fiddling with the equipment, didn’t even raise his gazeeyes, thinking: If you really want to write a story, can’t you just keep it in your head? Did you really have to send so many messages to the person in question? Who else could he ridicule if not you?

But Hersey reluctantly afforded his teacher some respect, saying, “He’s too much, don’t be upset.”

Bens, “…Can you at least try to sound more sincere.”

In spite of his grumbles and complaints, he didn’t waste any time. With just a few words, he swiftly exchanged a few messages with the friend who put the news out. And then he received a sorry result. 

He relayed this to the intern:

[Did you guys another favour and made some enquiries, but it’s a bit difficult to deal with. There’s more than one person holding the content and I don’t know how many exactly. It’s useless to negotiate with just one person;, they’ll keep popping out of the woodwork.]

After sending the message out, Bens started to wait with a quirked smile.

‘A bit difficult’ didn’t mean there was nothing that could be done. He just had to take a more circuitous road. 

As an old hand in the media circle,, while he hadn’t his claim to fame, he still had a wealth of experience. Bens wagged his index finger when he saw Hersey’s curiosity, saying loftily, “I’ve actually thought of a few options for them, but I can’t say it, gotta keep them in suspense for a while. Remember this lesson. You have to let some stuff drag on to keep the other side on tenterhooks, then they’re more likely to realise your importance.”

Hersey, “So you are now…”

“I’m waiting for him to beg me.” Bens jutted his round, barely visible chin. “This intern is too full of himself. I don’t know where he gets that confidence from, but I want to show him up. If he bows his head, says some pretty words, and corrects his attitude a bit, I’ll point him the right way. You’ll see. In a bit, he’ll be back with another message.”

Hersey stared at the smart device. 

Sure enough, Bens’ smart device vibrated again in under a minute.

“Vff atlr! P pera xcfk atja tf kjr ublcu ab rboafc obg regf.” Lfgrfs rjlv jr tf bqfcfv atf wfrrjuf.

Kb rff atf lcafgc gfrqbcv klat bcf kbgv:

-Mm. 

“…”

Lfgrfs weafis ibbxfv ja Dfcr, ktb kjr jybea ab mtbxf ab vfjat.

Lf uijgfv ja tlr rwjga vfnlmf, lcmgfveiber, obg rbwf alwf wbgf, yea atfgf kjr jmaejiis cba j qffq ogbw atja lcafgc. Ktlr xfqa Dfcr eq rklqlcu atgbeut atf cfkr jii cluta, lcrlrafca bc cba riffqlcu, vffqis ugjrqlcu atf vfolclalbc bo atf qgbnfgy ‘atf fwqfgbg lr cba kbgglfv, yea tlr fecemtr jgf’.

He told himself, “Wait till eight. If the intern doesn’t come around by eight in the morning, I’ll deign to give him another nudge.” 

His ambivalence puzzled Hersey. “Aren’t you barely acquainted with those two lawyers? Why are you getting so antsy for them?”

Actually, Bens himself couldn’t figure out what kind of psychology this was, either.

It was only when morning came and he yawned and yawned and yawned, teary-eyed as he trawled the news, sunlight streaming through the windows, bathing him—that it suddenly struck him why he was acting like this.

Even though grim reality had long hardened him into a less-than-pleasant old hand, now and then, he would still entertain the whimsies he had carried in his adolescence: 

Dreams of those who played dirty tricks from the shadows would never succeeding, and those who were capable risingthat those with the ability to do so would be able to rise to heights that matched them.

It was probably the last vestiges of his youthful aspirations.

Bens counted down to 8 a.m. and was about to pump himself up to message Lawyer Gu and his intern when he found that major media outlets were releasing the news, one step faster than him.

The headlines were varied, and the content was laid out differently, but the core of the story was roughly the same. In brief, they proclaimed—’The up-and-coming First-Class Lawyer nominee, Gu Yan, is having relations with his own intern.’ 

In fact, if it was dug out at its core, it wasn’t all that sordid.

There must be people who thought: You never know, what if this isn’t just a power play or closed-door deal but a serious relationship? WhyWhat do you care who is dating whom?

That was why the articles were so skillfully structured, starting small before going out with a boom. They started with a story of Lawyer Gu and his intern having a relationship that blurred the lines, supplementing photos of them dining, travelling, and being in places together. There was even a paparazzi shot of Gu Yan’s villa in the city garden.

The readers now might be gossiping, maybe curious, but the sense of revulsion wouldn’t be strong;, after all, this didn’t eliminate that the possibility of a serious relationship. 

Then, articles continued to lay out some rather compromising content, such as taking the intern out on a business trip on the first day at work, having him take the defence at a hearing on the second day, skipping out on the mock trial for the preliminary evaluation… the list of privileges went on and on. A serious relationship required time to build up steam, so how could things have moved so quickly? So don’t hold any delusions or make any excuses.

Some photos and videos of unknown origin added more fuel to the fire. The implication that ‘the lawyer was dangling various promises before the intern’ drove the nail in the coffin.

If this were any other time, the news would soon fall out of public eye. It would affect his image slightly, but not significantly so. However, once it was linked with his ‘First-Class Lawyer’ nomination, the impact was infinitely magnified.

But it was precisely because they were in the public notification period that the news was particularly damaging and wouldn’t die out so quickly. 

As if not yet getting enough of a kick out of it, the articles even discussed Gu Yan’s recent activity.

The postponement of the Elderly Bobblehead case had already generated a lot of buzz, with some people calling foul play. That Gu Yan, as the defence lawyer, was deliberately delaying the case, that there might be some more complicated backroom dealings going on, and that he simply did not intend to give it a proper trial.

The articles underscored this point in an extremely inflammatory manner, and after raking up the ill feeling, they dropped a bunch of photos:

First, it was made clear that the trial had been postponed because Gu Yan was in hospital. 

Then there was evidence that Gu Yan himself was not unwell but the aforementioned young intern was suffering from a medical condition.

How serious was the intern’s condition?

The articles also tossed out several photos of Gu Yan leaving the hospital bare-handed and coming back with several paper bags from luxury clothing brands in his hands.

Since he wasn’t seen wearing the clothes later on, it was obvious who they were for. 

Would a seriously ill patient really fuss that much about the hospital gown?

No way.

These articles concluded the inference with a series of rhetorical questions, with the photographic evidence to support it, bowling everyone over. It was downright abhorrent behaviour.

Bens read a few of them, then screenshotted them, sending them to the intern. 

[See, you were still too late.]

Once the message was delivered, the intern’s comms request came in.

Bens curled his lips, and as soon as the call connected, couldn’t stop himself from spitting at the other, “What’s the point of calling me? Will it do anything? You only know how to panic now, what the hell were you doing before? I’ll be straight with you; it’s going to be crazy for a while now that the articles have been published, that’s what happens when the Elderly Bobblehead case is brought into it. Not even God can save you now.”

The intern was quiet for a while, then spoke, unfrazzled, “Don’t yell, I hear you. Do you have some time for a massive scoop?” 

Just for a split second, Benji sensed that the intern’s voice was not quite the same. It was odd. The tone of voice was still familiar, immediately recognisable to him, but the quality and timbre had changed somewhat.

There was a gentle warmth in his voice that made people instantly temper their patience to listen to him speak.

However, Bens didn’t examine it closely, his attention stuck on the ‘massive scoop’.

“Ohhhh,” Bens drawled. “Are you referring to the massive scoop from last time? You can’t even straighten your affairs but found the time for that? You tell me, what massive scoop are you talking about, exactly.” 

The intern said, “You’ll understand once you come and see me.”

Bens, “Hur hur. Are you saying that you’ve got a news story growing from your face?”

Until he towed Hersey to Spring Ivy Hospital HQ and up to the roof garden with the limited-time passcode the intern provided them, still complaining incessantly, “There must be something wrong with my head to make this trip. If that intern can really whip out a massive scoop, I’ll chop off my head and offer it to him on a pike!”

As he said this, the elevator doors opened behind him. A voice identical to the one from the smart device rang out, carrying mirth, “I just happened to hear you. Do I take your word for it?” 

“Duh!”

Bens said and whirled around, coincidentally locking eyes with Yan Suizhi.

………………

……… 

Yan Suizhi, “Morning.”

Bens, “…”

Yan Suizhi, “It’s been a while since we last met.”

Bens, “…” 

Yan Suizhi, “Coffee or tea? I still have to follow medical advice for a few more days, so I won’t be having one as well.”

Bens, “…”

Yan Suizhi sized up their frozen figures. He laughed irritably, then directly made a ‘please do’ gesture with his arm, saying, “Forget it. Why don’t you chop off your head first, don’t mind if I watch.”

Bens, “…” 

A good many seconds passed before Bens thought, breathlessly:

Oh, fuck me…

A resurrection…

Within hours, articles of Gu Yan and his intern spread across the whole alliance. The media attention wasn’t coming down, pushing to a fervour, and everyone was talking. 

A large horde of reporters who had nothing better to do flocked to Fa Wang District on De Carma, gathering around Spring Ivy Hospital HQ. There were even some who brazenly waited at the stairs leading up to the genetics building.

To avoid causing trouble and unnecessary congestion, Yan Suizhi had discussed it with Lin Yuan, resolving to recuperate at home.

It was five in the afternoon. The sky was clear and bright.

Passionate ‘reporters’ camping the area received a tip-off. Gu Yan’s intern was about to be discharged from hospital; they were going through the final procedures now. 

They set up their specialised equipment and readied the virtual reality lenses, training them on the entrance of the genetics building.

Five minutes later, a matte black space hovercar pulled up to the hospital, parking smoothly and silently at the foot of the steps. Immediately after, Gu Yan, one of the hot topics of discussion of the past day, emerged from the building.

He saw a few people crouching in wait from afar. His gaze swept across them, as calm and chilly as before.

Gu Yan didn’t immediately go down the steps but looked back in, waiting for someone. A few seconds later, another person came out of the building, walking into the shot. 

It was midwinter in Fa Wang District, and the outside of the building was not temperature-regulated like the inside or its roof garden. Mist formed by his breath obscured his features, icy white, almost blending into his skin tone.

He was wearing a deep grey coat, which accentuated his tall and lithe figure. The front of the coat was open, revealing the smoky blue pinstripe shirt as well as his narrow waist.

The sunlight outside the building was glaring. He seemed unused to it, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then, as though sensing something, his gaze turned towards the lenses.

✵ 

When this someone walked out of the doors, the area where the ‘reporters’ were lying in ambush fell dead silent.

They gawked at the person next to Gu Yan for an aeon, lost, before spluttering as furiously as a drop of water in oil.

During the time that they were frantically rubbing their eyes, discussing heatedly and shaking their heads in a last-ditch attempt to prove that they weren’t sleepwalking, an article by ‘Bens and Hersey’ was posted all over the internet, proclaiming to the world:

Yan Suizhi, youngest dean of Maze University’s law school, accomplished First-Class Lawyer of the alliance, had returned. 

Edited by snoflakesun

YSZ: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”