BOSF 050: Blossoming Flowers

Three years later.

An arts and creativity magazine named “Aesthetics” featured the profile of a young origami artist on its cover.

The artist was turned sideways to the camera, revealing only half of his features. The handsome curve of his face began from his full forehead beneath his hairline, glided past the bridge of his high nose and his distinctly arched, thin lips, and finished with a sharp jawline and a prominent Adam’s apple before disappearing into his collar. The artist wasn’t looking at the camera, nor did he seem to be aware that someone was taking his picture; he was simply gazing down at the work in his hands, appearing utterly focused. He was dressed in plain, simple work clothes, not at all dressed up, and was surrounded by scattered papers and origami creations. He seemed to be sitting abruptly amidst a pile of paper, yet he also blended perfectly into his surroundings, becoming the cover of that month’s issue.

It was a seemingly ordinary photograph, with only a simple depth-of-field effect, yet it was exceptionally eye-catching due to the subject’s unique disposition and outstanding features.

Ji Yan stared at the magazine for a long while, his gaze reluctant to move away. The next second, a brilliant smile blossomed on his face. He was so happy and excited that his fingers trembled slightly as he gently caressed the profile of the person on the cover, stroking it again and again with cherished care.

The magazine cover was thick and smooth. Where his finger traced, the cover headline read: The Aloof Genius, Immersed in His Own World.

Although the headline had an element of exaggeration, it was also quite fitting. The feature on this issue’s cover star was a full ten-page interview. The article mentioned the place where Xiang Yang grew up and his lifelong condition of autism. Through his own hard work and the help of others, he had finally overcome his difficulties and was walking step by step down the road to success.

Art magazines typically focus on the final works, usually only touching briefly upon the interviewee’s personal journey. However, because Xiang Yang’s condition was rather unique and had an inspirational and uplifting effect, the magazine used it as a promotional hook.

Puzhuo Studio was skilled at discovering uncut gems like Xiang Yang, cultivating them, and then packaging and promoting them as artists—a perfect fusion of commerce and art. All the interview content in the magazine had been reviewed by Shen Xiuqing, including Xiang Yang’s willingness to disclose his autism. But because Ji Yan was unwilling to have his name appear in the magazine or be interviewed, more private personal details like these were not mentioned.

After a quick glance, Ji Yan immediately flipped to the next page.

Title of work: Blossoming Flowers

Xiang Yang’s debut origami exhibition was held in the gallery of an elementary school. He had no fame at the time and had to start from the very bottom. Staff members carried armfuls of paper flowers into the gallery, arranging them into a sea of blossoms.

Art often feels lofty, something to be viewed but not touched.

But at this exhibition, all visitors could touch the works. The moment they stepped through the door, they were submerged in a sea of flowers. The paper flowers were exquisitely lifelike, realistic down to the finest detail. Because each one was handmade, no two were exactly alike. With a summer theme and circulating fans blowing, the effect of visitors being surrounded and gently caressed by the flowers was created.

It was an exhibition of works that could be touched and viewed up close.

Art that is accessible naturally endears itself to people. On the first day, fewer than thirty people attended, but upon leaving, each person could take a paper flower of their choice. The effect of a free souvenir is formidable. People on the street would see them, or those who had visited the exhibition would mention it in passing, piquing others’ curiosity and making them want to see it for themselves. As a result, the number of visitors doubled on the second day, and even more crowds poured in on the third and fourth days. By the end of the ten-day exhibition, all the paper flowers were gone. Not a single one was left.

Xiang Yang became the first artist to give away all his works and return empty-handed.

His first exhibition held commemorative significance, and he chose his favorite flower, the lily, to mark the beginning of his life’s journey. Therefore, all the paper flowers at the exhibition were lilies.

No one knew why Xiang Yang only folded lilies. Only Ji Yan knew.

Lilies prefer shady places and should not be exposed to direct, harsh sunlight. They are also somewhat delicate, but they are, in fact, a true flower of summer.

—It represented Xiang Yang.
—It represented a promise, a symbol that they would always love each other.

The magazine’s feature page ended this way: The lily symbolized Xiang Yang breaking through the hardships brought on by his condition, signifying a desire for a new life.

“Ji Yan, class is starting. You’re going to be late.”

Before Ji Yan could even flip to the next page, he was interrupted by his roommate. He glanced at the time and hesitated for a second between attending class and skipping, but in the end, he carefully closed the magazine and chose to obediently go to class. The professor for this course was very strict, and he didn’t want to fail.

Three years had passed, and he was now a senior in university. Throughout his college years, he maintained his usual routine and social habits. He was lukewarm towards his classmates and preferred to do things alone. The only person he was relatively close to was this roommate.

Lacking money, Ji Yan had lived in the school dormitory for three years and was about to renew for a fourth. While his classmates were renting apartments off-campus and fully enjoying the nightlife, he had to worry about the curfew and return to the dorm early. He had to be frugal with his meals and purchases.

University was a completely different world from high school. Classmates connected not in the classroom, but through clubs, mixers, and social outings.

Ji Yan was interested in none of these things. Combined with his introverted nature, he gradually grew distant from his classmates.

His roommate’s situation was similar to his. He didn’t have extra money to spend but lived a very disciplined life with his own goals. He was already doing early job interviews, hoping to become an engineer at a gaming company.

And what kind of work did he want to do in the future? Ji Yan found himself back at this question, yet he still couldn’t find an answer.

When he first got into university, he thought that choosing a major was like studying—as long as you worked hard, you would get results. But after three years, he found that he didn’t like it at all.

After the midterm exams in the second semester of his sophomore year, his academic advisor asked him to stay behind. The first thing she asked was, “Have you considered changing your major?”

Ji Yan’s university grades weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either. It was only at that moment that he realized his dislike for his major was that obvious.

Ji Yan thought for a while but still shook his head at his advisor. Putting aside whether he wanted to, he wouldn’t even be able to get it past his mother. Changing majors would require retaking credits and possibly an extra year or two of study, and his family couldn’t afford the additional tuition. He wasn’t planning on going to graduate school, so he just intended to finish his bachelor’s degree.

Although Ji Yan had made up his mind, he could never seem to settle down. He wasn’t used to relying on others, so he never told anyone about this.

He was just a little anxious. He always felt like he was wasting his time, as if he was drifting further and further away from Xiang Yang…

After class, he walked across campus toward his dormitory. Shen Xiuqing had timed her call perfectly for when his class ended. “Ji Yan, did you get the magazine I sent you?”

Ji Yan was happy to receive Shen Xiuqing’s call, his face lit up with a smile. “I got it, thank you.”

Shen Xiuqing teased him good-naturedly, “Isn’t Xiang Yang handsome? Even though it’s just his profile, after the magazine was released, a lot of people called our studio to ask about him. Most of them were women. You better watch out, or Xiang Yang might get stolen away.”

Ji Yan knew Shen Xiuqing was just joking, but with the weight on his mind, he could only manage a faint smile. “He’s very handsome.”

“Louder, Xiang Yang can’t hear you.” Shen Xiuqing didn’t notice anything was amiss with Ji Yan; it was hard to tell from his voice alone. She continued to tease him, deliberately putting the call on speaker.

Ji Yan didn’t know that Xiang Yang was right there on the other end, waiting expectantly to hear his voice.

Now that Ji Yan knew Xiang Yang was listening, he smiled but felt too shy to say it again.

Instead, it was Xiang Yang who spoke first. “Ji Yan…”

Xiang Yang rarely spoke, but his voice was beautiful. The adolescent crackle was long gone, replaced by a low, mellow, and pleasant tone, like a cello.

Every time Ji Yan heard Xiang Yang’s voice through the phone, his ears would tingle, as if Xiang Yang were speaking right next to his ear. It easily made him think of some less-than-innocent images. His face flushed inexplicably, and he could only call back his name, “Xiang Yang.”

They were merely calling out each other’s names, yet it sounded like a deep, affectionate appeal. Shen Xiuqing finally couldn’t take it anymore and started wailing on the side, “You two are too sappy. I’m hanging up. Ji Yan, let me know when you have a break, and I’ll come pick you up at the station.”

“Okay.”

No matter when, just talking with Xiang Yang always seemed to soothe his anxiety. Ji Yan thought again of the interview in the magazine, and a warmth spread through his heart.