Chapter 17 – “See You Later” “Good Night”

As the words were spoken, the alarm clock went off.

Yan Ankuo didn’t seem surprised at all, as if he had known all along that the bomb would go off in his hands, “So, did I lose? What’s the punishment?”

Nie Hang hadn’t specified beforehand, thus he now had ample room to maneuver. He nodded towards Bian Ji, “Generally, it’s up to someone close to the loser to decide.”

Suddenly called upon, Bian Ji smiled helplessly, “Who made this rule?”

Nie Hang pointed back at himself, “I did.”

“…” Bian Ji had nothing to say. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard a question from the person beside him.

“Mister Bian,” Yan Ankuo said, “you decide.”

Bian Ji was at a loss, “We’ve never played these games before, I don’t know your limits.”

“It’s pretty high,” Yan Ankuo assured him, “you can choose anything.”

Nie Hang clicked his tongue, saying he loved playing games with people like Attorney Yan who could handle it. Thus, the problem was thrown back to Bian Ji again.

It wasn’t right to make things too difficult for someone he had only met four times, but he also couldn’t make it too obvious so the whole table wouldn’t notice. After some thought, Bian Ji smiled, “How about this, why doesn’t Attorney Yan sing a song for everyone?”

Nie Hang was dissatisfied, “You’ve drained all the water from the Pacific Ocean.”

Bian Ji retorted, “Likewise.”

Given how he had let Qiao Yuan off easy in the game earlier, Nie Hang promptly shut up.

Yan Ankuo quickly agreed and even added difficulty to the task, “Do you need accompaniment?”

Bian Ji shook his head, “Just something simple.”

Yan Ankuo cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and slowly began to sing under the watchful gaze of three people. His voice was bright yet carried a low-frequency resonance, akin to an ancient bell.

This song was unfamiliar to Bian Ji, quiet and melodic, likely a local Shanghai folk song, interspersed with much dialect. Though Bian Ji didn’t fully understand, listening to the melody seemed to calm his heart.

After the song ended, Nie Hang’s expression was somewhat subtle. He stared at Yan Ankuo for a long time before applauding and praising his singing.

Bian Ji joined in the applause and leaned closer, whispering, “I couldn’t quite understand the lyrics, what’s it about?”

Knowing that Yan Ankuo was single, Bian Ji grew bolder, no longer deliberately keeping his distance. At that moment, he actually initiated moving closer to Yan Ankuo’s ear.

“Why not ask Nie Hang?” Yan Ankuo teased.

“…I can’t ask him.” Bian Ji pursed his lips, “You sang it, you tell me.”

Yan Ankuo didn’t answer, only smiling at him, “You’ll find out later.”

This suspense lingered in Bian Ji’s mind all night, remaining unresolved until the end.

On their way down to fetch their cars, Bian Ji and Yan Ankuo walked slowly, lagging behind the other two, whispering far away.

“Where’s your car?” Yan Ankuo asked.

Bian Ji replied, “Over at the north gate, area B.”

“I parked nearby as well, let’s go together.”

Unlike before, Bian Ji didn’t refuse but readily agreed, “Okay, thank you.”

Troubling others was the beginning of forging relationships. Yan Ankuo wasn’t accustomed to this side of Bian Ji. He paused for a moment before continuing forward, his eyes searching for nearby cars, “What kind of car is it?”

“A black Tesla,” Bian Ji said.

The matte black finish was technologically appealing and relatively noticeable among the sea of vehicles. Yan Ankuo saw the car from afar but didn’t mention it, instead, he continued following Bian Ji in another direction.

“I really didn’t expect,” Bian Ji suddenly asked, “that a talent like Attorney Yan is still single.”

Yan Ankuo raised his eyebrows, “Was Mister Bian not?”

Bian Ji wasn’t sure if he was referring to “talent” or “single,” tilting his head, he said, “Why are you dodging the question? We’re talking about you!”

Yan Ankuo neither confirmed nor denied.

Bian Ji stopped, “In fact, I always assumed you had a family.”

Yan Ankuo also stood still, casually stuffing his hands into his pockets, “Why?”

“Do you remember when we talked about family before?” Bian Ji extended his fingers, waving them in front of Yan Ankuo, “At that time, you didn’t deny their existence.”

“What?”

“In England, you forgot?”

“…” Yan Ankuo looked at him, after a long while, he laughed, quickly regaining his serious expression, “Indeed, I do have a sister. She lives with my mother in Minhang. I thought you were asking about that.”

Bian Ji scrutinized him, seemingly judging the truth in his words. Yan Ankuo sighed, pulling out his phone and opening the photo album to prove the veracity of his claims.

“As for my home,” Yan Ankuo swiped left on a picture, showing Bian Ji the small pet that was easy to raise in his house, “If we’re being strict, she counts as a female turtle.”

“…” Bian Ji was speechless, “Sorry, I misunderstood.”

“It was my fault for speaking ambiguously.”

Bian Ji recalled the goodnight message he had seen, chuckling softly before letting out a long sigh.

So those were the “they” he referred to. All the previous precautions turned out to be unnecessary.

Now, Bian Ji felt bolder. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush, previously doing so to avoid misunderstandings. Now that there was nothing to avoid, the competitive spirit within him was stirred. He bluntly asked, “Then, what kind of person is Attorney Yan looking for?”

Yan Ankuo leaned against a Lincoln, his legs slightly bent, “I don’t know. When fate strikes, we’ll be together. I haven’t thought about what type of person I must find.”

“Attorney Yan, have you heard a phrase?” Bian Ji teased, “No requirements are the highest requirements.”

Yan Ankuo was amused, “Perhaps, which is why I’m still single.”

Bian Ji clicked his tongue, imitating the accent of the other when he sang, “Can’t be too picky, now can you?”

“Don’t keep talking about me.” Yan Ankuo nodded towards Bian Ji, “What about you? In two years, haven’t you encountered new, suitable people?”

“No,” Bian Ji answered honestly, “Too busy.”

Yan Ankuo remained silent, but the smile on his face grew heavier.

Dissatisfied, Bian Ji asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“Mister Bian is indeed very busy,” Yan Ankuo brought up the old account of how he couldn’t get a dinner appointment with him, “Trying to invite you to a meal is harder than seeing our firm’s director.”

Bian Ji knew he was in the wrong and didn’t refute it. Before, there were some misunderstandings, but now that all obstacles were removed, Bian Ji took the initiative more often.

“Looks like I didn’t leave a good impression on you, I need to remedy that,” Bian Ji said seriously.

Yan Ankuo raised his eyebrows, “How will you remedy it?”

“How about we meet once more before the year ends?” Bian Ji looked at him, his gaze straightforward.

Yan Ankuo was initially taken aback but quickly agreed, “Okay.”

Bian Ji calculated the time. Unlike his previous excuses, this time he directly offered two options, “Next Tuesday, or next Sunday?”

“Next Sunday is fine.”

“Alright, see you then!” Bian Ji extended his hand, smiling.

This was the first time Bian Ji said “see you later” to Yan Ankuo, and the first time he initiated physical contact.

Yan Ankuo lightly touched his hand, breaking contact immediately, “See you next time.”

Bian Ji withdrew his right hand, shoving it into his pocket, pretending it was nothing, “Did you find your car?”

“I did.” Yan Ankuo pointed to the car he was leaning against, “This is it.”

Bian Ji nodded, “Then hurry home, I’ll go look for mine.”

“Your car seems to be over there?” Yan Ankuo straightened up, pointing in the opposite direction, without any guilt for leading them astray, “We went the wrong way.”

Bian Ji had his doubts but still thanked him. Yan Ankuo asked if he could find his way, to which Bian Ji concealed his thoughts, deliberately saying he couldn’t distinguish directions underground, making it hard to find.

Yan Ankuo took two steps in the direction of the Tesla, saying as he walked, “I can take you there.”