Chapter 8 – 6C, Yan Ankuo

The trio chatted until almost midnight before dispersing. Exiting the mall, they caught sight of the skyscraper illuminated with scenic lights, so they decided to drive to the Bund.

It was packed everywhere, everyone following the light show and counting down together. Five, four, three, two.

As “one” was called out, Bian Ji’s phone vibrated several times in succession.

Friends from all over the country sent him New Year greetings, messages pouring in non-stop, but none came from family.

He lowered his head to reply to each one individually, and when he looked up again, he found that the most beautiful electronic fireworks display had already concluded, and Nie Hang and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Bian Ji stood on the bridge for a while, finding it uninteresting. On WeChat, he arranged to meet Qiao Yuan at ten o’clock the next day, put away his phone, and started walking in the direction of home, going against the flow of people, jostling along, like a continent obscured by the moon, casting a lonely shadow under the very bright lights.

Bian Ji lived in a company-provided apartment, which was only forty square meters in size, but every corner was decorated warmly. Because he was often flying and not at home, Bian Ji converted the kitchen into a hydroponics base, allowing lush green leaves to surround the stove.

When he arrived home, he saw a message from Qiao Yuan.

Qiao Yuan: [Where did you go? Nie Hang is looking for you everywhere.] Bian Ji: [I was a bit tired, so I went home first. I was just about to say goodbye.]

Tired he was, but sleep was impossible. The past two weeks had been spent busily investigating the accident, leaving no time for idle thoughts. Now that things had calmed down somewhat, coupled with the matter involving Qiao Yuan, his sleep quality was in crisis.

That night, he had a dream for the first time in a long while, dreaming that he was engulfed in flames, surrounded by intense heat. Amidst the scorching inferno, a pair of icy hands suddenly appeared beneath him, holding him steadily.

Upon waking, Bian Ji discovered that he was drenched in sweat.

In truth, he wasn’t truly resisting going to Yan Ankuo’s law firm; if he didn’t want to, he wouldn’t have mentioned it in front of his friends. He was just uncertain whether Yan Ankuo would still remember him the next day.

If he didn’t remember, that would be great; there would be no need for either of them to feel awkward. If he did remember, even better — though he couldn’t explain why it was good, at least it provided enough motivation to venture out.

The next day, Yan Ankuo pushed open the door of the law firm.

The moment his long legs passed through the turnstile, the receptionist’s direct line rang, informing him that the client relationship procedures had been completed and asking when he would be available to confirm them. Thus, Yan Ankuo signed the documents downstairs and then headed to the managing partner’s office.

He had been back from Yunnan for nearly two weeks, spending every day in a flurry of activity, barely keeping his feet on the ground. This was the first time this month that he was meeting with the managing partner, and he knocked on the door, calling out, “Director Zhou.”

Zhou Tianrui was in his early forties, having recently joined Hengtian. Although parachuted in from outside, he got along smoothly with all the partners. When he looked up and saw Yan Ankuo, he smiled and asked, “Just got back?”

“Yes, I went straight to Nanjing from Kunming and returned last night,” Yan Ankuo answered honestly.

Zhou Tianrui adjusted his glasses, looking at him somewhat surprised.

Yan Ankuo was now a senior partner at Hengtian, and at this level, he didn’t have to work himself to the bone on cases. Maintaining good client relationships and taking on a few high-value cases would suffice. But Yan Ankuo was different. He never turned down cases, no matter how small the stakes. Among the partners, he spent the longest time traveling, and his team had the most elite lawyers. Many people didn’t understand why, at such a young age, Yan Ankuo had so many cases under his belt and was working so hard.

Zhou Tianrui was curious about the man in front of him and thus asked a few more questions, “How was the case in Yunnan?”

“The verdict hasn’t come down yet, but the opposing side has too much unfavorable evidence. Winning shouldn’t be a problem,” Yan Ankuo summarized briefly.

Zhou Tianrui asked about the court arguments, and Yan Ankuo said, “They refused to admit it outright, and during the evidentiary hearing, they even questioned the legality of the evidence, but it was rejected.”

After listening, Zhou Tianrui nodded in approval, saying nothing further, and discussed the subsequent work arrangements with him.

Meetings with superiors always brought additional tasks, and this time was no exception. Yan Ankuo was assigned to liaise with a new advisory firm. He glanced at the calendar and smiled bitterly. “What time are they expecting me? I have a flight at six tonight, afraid I might not make it.”

Hearing him mention a flight, Zhou Tianrui asked, “You’re going out of town again?”

Yan Ankuo replied, “Meeting an old client, in the UK.”

“You really are a workaholic,” Zhou Tianrui commented, flipping through the schedule book prepared by his assistant. “The advisory firm is scheduled for ten o’clock. You can proceed with your usual travel plans; you’ll be able to catch it.”

Thinking that he would review the materials before the meeting, Yan Ankuo didn’t waste time in the office. After obtaining the location, he hurriedly left to catch a car.

Before he left, he passed by the reception desk and instructed, “I’m going to Minhang right now. If anyone comes looking for a case, notify me.”

The receptionist smiled and said, “Okay, Mr. Yan, don’t worry.”

Today in Shanghai, the sun was shining brightly, clear skies stretching endlessly, but the ultraviolet rays weren’t particularly strong.

Bian Ji was awakened by the light seeping through the curtains and slowly got up to order breakfast delivery. Having worked in this industry for a long time, he had honed the ability to quickly fall asleep and wake up against his biological clock.

Before leaving, he had intended to wear a windbreaker, but upon starting the car, he rushed back to change into a long trench coat. Dilly-dallying until nine o’clock, he passed by the full-length mirror and felt something was wrong with his hair, so he returned to fix his style, finally hurrying downstairs.

Qiao Yuan was waiting for him at the intersection, and when he saw Bian Ji, he was taken aback. “Why are you dressed so well today?”

Bian Ji feigned ignorance. “Wasn’t I dressed like this yesterday?”

“It made you look younger yesterday,” Qiao Yuan answered truthfully. “Today, it makes you look handsome.”

Puffed up by the compliment, Bian Ji instructed Qiao Yuan to fasten his seatbelt, turning on some soft music as they drove into the city.

On the way, Bian Ji didn’t idle, introducing the specialties of the First Department Store at one point and mentioning the difficulty of queuing for the International Hotel’s butterfly pastries at another. Before long, they arrived at BFC.

Their destination was nearby, and from a few hundred meters away, they could see the massive law firm advertisement sign. Following the elevator guide, Bian Ji led Qiao Yuan to the reception desk.

The receptionist smiled sweetly, asking if they had an appointment and which lawyer they were looking for. Qiao Yuan remained silent, turning to look at Bian Ji, who hesitated before reporting a name.

“You’re looking for Mr. Yan?” The receptionist pondered for a moment. “He just left. Wait a moment, let me verify it.”

With that, she called upstairs, confirmed the information, and then apologized to Bian Ji with a smile. “Sorry, he left fifteen minutes ago and is not expected to return today.”

Bian Ji’s heart, which had been hanging in anticipation, finally plummeted completely. He had thought about how to deal with the awkwardness of Yan Ankuo forgetting him, but he hadn’t anticipated the awkwardness of not even seeing the person. Even in a card game, points could run out, Bian Ji thought. Perhaps he and this passenger were indeed destined to have little connection, and whatever little there was had been exhausted in that fire.

Bian Ji felt a slight discomfort in his stomach, but it was due to skipping breakfast, absolutely not because of Yan Ankuo.

Seeing no response, the receptionist pressed, “May I ask who needs the consultation? You can leave your contact information and intentions, and I’ll relay them for you.”

Before Qiao Yuan could speak, Bian Ji pushed him forward. Bian Ji was reluctant to reveal himself, pointing to his companion and saying, “Leaving his information is fine.”

While recording the details, the receptionist mentioned that Attorney Yan had many cases recently and wasn’t necessarily in Shanghai at any given time. If it was urgent, she suggested consulting another lawyer in the firm.

Bian Ji actually preferred the second option, but Qiao Yuan waved his hand and said, “No problem, I’ll wait for Attorney Yan’s call.”

The two returned empty-handed, their spirits noticeably lower than when they arrived.

Bian Ji buckled up in the car, saying, “I won’t be in the country tonight. If anything happens, find Nie Hang directly.”

Qiao Yuan responded, “It’s okay, I can handle it myself. Are you in a bad mood?”

“Not at all,” Bian Ji was puzzled by his question. “Why do you ask?”

“Your tone seems off,” Qiao Yuan turned up the music a bit. “I thought you weren’t feeling well.”

Bian Ji considered it. “Maybe it’s because I’m flying again tonight.”

Qiao Yuan was curious. “Nervous?”

“It’s hard to say.”

Qiao Yuan assumed he was still haunted by the aftermath of the fire, and as someone also in the aviation industry, he could empathize deeply. He sighed, “Encountering a flight accident is indeed distressing. No amount of psychological evaluation or treatment is enough. Treatment is merely auxiliary; it’s mainly about overcoming it yourself.”

Listening, Bian Ji responded indifferently, “Perhaps.”

When he got home, Bian Ji ordered takeout, turned on the speaker, and ate his meal barefoot, slumped on the sofa. Afterward, his heart still felt heavy, and experiencing disappointment twice in a row certainly wasn’t pleasant. This mood wasn’t directed at any specific individual, but rather at the concept of “unfulfilled expectations.”

Bian Ji felt that the bad mood stemmed from the music, so he turned off the playback software, changed into his uniform, hastily packed a few changes of clothes, and left, dragging his suitcase behind him.

As he closed the door, a dewdrop from the kitchen’s green plant fell.

Arriving at the company three hours early, Bian Ji held a preparation meeting for the cabin crew, then boarded the aircraft to inspect the equipment and confirm the flight information sheet. Today, quite a few of those working alongside Bian Ji were familiar faces, but there was one air steward he hadn’t met before.

His name was Chang Qing, and upon first meeting Bian Ji, he felt that his air pressure was a bit low. Nervously, he secretly asked another air hostess, “What’s the chief steward’s temper like?”

Among the hostesses, there was one who had worked with Bian Ji more frequently, shaking her head repeatedly. “Brother Bian is super nice, humorous, and handsome. He’ll help anyone in need! Don’t worry!”

Only then did Chang Qing breathe a sigh of relief, boldly reporting his duties. “Brother, we have two hundred and thirty dinner servings today, no special meals. Here’s the passenger list.”

“Alright, thanks for the hard work!” Bian Ji was checking the emergency equipment list, took the information sheet upon hearing the voice, and while reading it, asked, “Hey? Is this your first international flight today?” Chang Qing nodded.

For a new flight attendant to transition from domestic to international flights, in addition to accumulating sufficient flight hours, they had to undergo business training, oral exams, simulator sessions, and a series of evaluations. Then, they would fly three inspection flights as an intern on international flights before being promoted. The fact that Chang Qing could fly international routes after only two years of employment indicated that he had endured considerable hardship to accumulate flight hours.

Bian Ji could empathize with this, so he asked an additional question, “Still getting used to it?”

Chang Qing hurriedly replied, “Everything’s fine, thank you, brother.”

“If you need any help, let me know.” Bian Ji smiled without much emotion, continuing to review the list.

Suddenly, his index finger, pointing at a name, paused. Bian Ji first widened his eyes imperceptibly, then the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Seeing that he hadn’t moved, Chang Qing asked, “Brother, is there a problem with the list?”

Bian Ji snapped back to reality, signed the corresponding document, and nodded in confirmation. “No issues, check the meal counts.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks for the hard work.”

As Chang Qing left, he felt that the chief steward’s mood seemed to have improved significantly. He looked at the name that had been stared at for a long time, puzzled, and noticed that it read: [Seat Number: 6C] [Name: Yan Ankuo]