Chapter 16 – Are You Single Now?

Yan Ankuo unsurprisingly declined the proxy shopper’s offer, and Bian Ji didn’t know how he dealt with his family issues subsequently. All Bian Ji knew was that Yan Ankuo didn’t return home until around nine that evening, as that was when all the concerned friends in the circle received a collective response from him on the social media platform.

— What would he do after returning home? Would he video chat with his family, talking for hours?

Bian Ji didn’t know, nor did he want to think about it.

For nearly a week after that, Bian Ji didn’t contact Yan Ankuo again. This man was like wild grass forcibly buried underground, secretly growing with all its might, finally sprouting suddenly, leaving Bian Ji unsure of how to nip it in the bud.

It turned out to be Nie Hang who provided the chance for another meeting.

On this day, Bian Ji had just landed an hour ago, and upon returning home, he collapsed like a spent man, not even wanting to move his fingers. However, at that moment, his phone rang incessantly. Bian Ji picked it up and saw that it was Nie Hang tagging him in a group chat.

Nie Hang: [@Bian Ji Have you landed yet?] Bian Ji was in a state of extreme exhaustion, his eyes hazy from fatigue, and he hadn’t noticed the name of the group chat. Seeing it was Nie Hang, he let down his guard: [Yes.] Nie Hang: [Are you free today?] Bian Ji replied with a wooden expression: [I’m free tonight. I need to catch up on sleep now.] Qiao Yuan stepped in at this point, asking: [Did you fly another long haul?] Being insiders, Bian Ji didn’t need to explain much, sending a commonly used emoji in the airline industry: [Bitter Smile.jpg] Qiao Yuan: [No problem, rest well, we’ll have dinner together.] Bian Ji thought they were going to eat with Nie Hang and Qiao Yuan, and since he had nothing else planned for today, he agreed: [Okay, see you tonight.] Nie Hang: [@Yan Ankuo Sponsor, where are we going today?] Bian Ji was about to exit the chat window when he saw this message, his eyes widening.

Yan Ankuo? When did he join the group?

Upon closer inspection, an hour ago, Nie Hang had just added him to the group chat.

Bian Ji was stunned and immediately called Nie Hang, asking right away, “Why did you add him?”

Nie Hang was confused. “Who?”

Bian Ji anxiously said, “Attorney Yan!”

Nie Hang innocently replied, “He said he wanted to make up for the last time and asked me if you and Brother Yuan were available. I figured it would be too troublesome to arrange things individually, so I decided to communicate through the group.”

“…” Bian Ji was even more puzzled. “When did this happen?”

“One hour ago.”

That was when he had just gotten off the plane.

Quite punctual, Bian Ji thought sarcastically.

Last week, Yan Ankuo wanted to arrange another meal, which Bian Ji had evaded, assuming the other party would adhere to the unspoken adult agreement of never following up on “next time.” He never expected that within a week, Yan Ankuo would directly infiltrate the small aviation group.

“Brother Nie,” Bian Ji helplessly ran a hand through his hair, “what if I don’t go tonight?”

Nie Hang clearly became agitated for a moment but quickly suppressed it, asking why: “Why wouldn’t you go? Everything was fine.”

“It’s unnecessary,” Bian Ji couldn’t explain clearly; all his reasons fell flat. “I was just an intermediary, there’s no need for me to benefit repeatedly.”

Nie Hang tsked at him. “What kind of talk is that? A meal doesn’t cost much money. If you really feel uncomfortable, you can return the favor next time.”

Bian Ji gave a bitter smile. “Please don’t! That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

“How so?” Nie Hang frowned, sitting on the sofa, his tone becoming very serious.

Bian Ji opened the fridge, took out a can of sugar-free sparkling water, drank a mouthful, and sighed. “He… probably has a family.”

“Huh?” Nie Hang’s surprise was a hundred times greater than Bian Ji’s. “Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”

“At first, I also thought he was single, after all, he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring or anything.” That’s why Bian Ji dared to ask for his contact information during their first meeting, but now it was different. “But from listening to his usual conversations, he probably has a family, or at least a partner. He doesn’t even know my sexual orientation yet, I’m afraid getting too close could lead to misunderstandings.”

Nie Hang was silent for a moment, asking Bian Ji how he reached this conclusion.

The latter recounted all his discoveries in London and New York, while the former sighed but still comforted him. “He hasn’t explicitly mentioned his situation, what if you’re wrong?”

Bian Ji sighed and said, “I can’t just ask him directly either.”

Nie Hang fell into deep thought.

“How about this,” Bian Ji suddenly thought of a good idea. “Brother Nie, could you help me with something during dinner tonight?”

“Go ahead.”

“When we get there, let’s play a game…”

Nie Hang caught on instantly. “Got it, leave it to me.”

As they spoke, the party who had been silent in the group chat finally spoke up: [Captain Qiao and I are still at the office. You guys come straight to BFC, I’ve booked seats.] Nie Hang, still on the phone, replied: [I can make it.] Qiao Yuan also answered: [Okay.] With the situation set up like this, Bian Ji couldn’t find a way to back out and reluctantly sent a thumbs-up emoji.

To avoid being late, Bian Ji got up an hour early and was the first to arrive at the designated location.

BFC Financial Center was near the Bund, brightly lit. Bian Ji passed through the bustling marketplace, circling around several areas before finally finding their spot.

The Thursday night crowd was less than on weekends, but there were still plenty of white-collar workers from nearby offices coming here for dinner. Bian Ji waited in the mall hall for a while, seeing the others arrive one by one, before entering the restaurant.

Yan Ankuo and Qiao Yuan left from the office, so they arrived sooner and were still discussing the case even after sitting down.

The lawyer and client sat facing each other, and Nie Hang naturally headed towards Qiao Yuan’s side, leaving only one seat available for Bian Ji. He gritted his teeth and sat down as usual.

Until the dishes were served, Yan and Qiao were still discussing the case.

“We can now basically confirm that this part hasn’t been settled, it would be best to find the 2012 documents.”

“I’ll look for them tonight, is there still a scanned copy of the non-compete service agreement missing?”

“That’s not urgent. The key is the signing date, before or after joining the company?”

“It should have been after joining, because at that time — “

Nie Hang couldn’t bear to listen anymore and interrupted. “Gentlemen, why don’t we call it a day?”

Qiao Yuan finally realized and apologized repeatedly. “Sorry, this is our first appeal, I’m a bit nervous. I’m delaying everyone’s time.”

Bian Ji smiled reassuringly. “No worries! What matters most is solving your problems, we can eat anytime, anyway, none of us are hungry.”

Qiao Yuan gratefully asked Bian Ji to pass him the glass, intending to pour water for everyone. Bian Ji didn’t refuse him, but just as he handed over the glass, Yan Ankuo swooped in. This lawyer seemed to have lost his mind, snatching the service from Captain Qiao and filling Bian Ji’s glass instead.

Bian Ji: “…”

Nie Hang saw it all and coughed lightly. Bian Ji blinked, reminding him not to forget.

“Since the dishes haven’t arrived yet, why don’t we play a game?” Nie Hang understood and suggested.

All four present had driven, and the next day was still a workday, so drinking wasn’t suitable. Therefore, today they could only use tea as a substitute for alcohol. Nie Hang was familiar with various small games and could easily adapt them to this occasion.

“Let’s set a countdown timer with an unpredictable duration. We’ll start passing it around now, and whoever ends up holding the timer when it goes off must answer the previous person’s question.” After saying this, Nie Hang already set the time and placed the phone face-down on the table. “Whoever the timer rings on loses, okay?”

Everyone was familiar with the game rules except for the new friend, Yan Ankuo, who was rather cautious. “What’s the punishment for the loser?”

Nie Hang thought for a moment, looking at Bian Ji. “Can’t say now.”

Bian Ji signaled at him with his eyes, wanting him not to be so obvious, but Nie Hang ignored him and smiled at Yan Ankuo. “You’ll find out when you lose.”

Based on Qiao Yuan’s understanding of Nie Hang, Bian Ji pretty much knew what he was planning to do and was about to speak, but alas, Attorney Yan was overly confident in his speed and had already agreed.

Thus, the first round of the game began swiftly, with Nie Hang, as the initiator, naturally becoming the first player.

In such games, the first player is usually under the least pressure. He surveyed the room and slowly passed the timer to Qiao Yuan. “What did you eat today?”

Bian Ji quickly protested. “Isn’t that question a bit too soft?”

Nie Hang laughed. “Didn’t say you couldn’t ask something like that.”

“Yellow croaker noodles.” After answering, Qiao Yuan quickly passed the timer to Bian Ji, speaking rapidly. “When was your last relationship?”

Bian Ji didn’t expect Qiao Yuan to ask such a thing, especially in front of Yan Ankuo. Due to his competitive spirit, he didn’t think twice and answered “two years ago,” then threw the timer back to Nie Hang. “Why did you ask him such an easy question?”

“…” Nie Hang was taken aback for half a second, subconsciously saying “fuck.”

Bian Ji tapped the table. “Don’t waste time.”

“Because I couldn’t think of anything else!” Nie Hang calculated and felt that the time was almost up, so he hurriedly passed it, throwing it to Yan Ankuo. “Hey, it’s Attorney Yan’s turn.”

Yan Ankuo calmly accepted it, as if this wasn’t a game piece but a document. “Ask.”

“Shall I not hold back then?” Nie Hang asked with a slight smile, probing. “Attorney Yan, are you single now?”

Yan Ankuo didn’t rush to answer. Instead, he followed Nie Hang’s gaze, glanced at Bian Ji once, and then slowly said, “Yes.”