Chapter 21 – This Relationship Is Complicated Indeed

Yan Ankuo’s illness could be considered considerate; it subsided early the next morning, not delaying work at all.

“Feeling better?” Huang Xiaoxiao had said to rest well, yet she had sent over a long list of evidence early for him to review. “Why don’t you take a few more days off?”

Yan Ankuo pointed at the mountain of documents on his table. “What do you think?”

“…” Huang Xiaoxiao gave an awkward laugh. “Well, we could share the workload.”

“Get Xiao Hu to go over the checklist and the lawsuit.” Yan Ankuo didn’t waste time on pleasantries, pulling over the forms and checking them one by one.

Before trials, Yan Ankuo liked to bring new staff along, personally guiding them through the court materials, even revealing the thought process behind writing lawsuits and courtroom arguments. He was more like a true mentor than a mere partner. Thus, although his team had a heavy workload, it was still a place interns fought to join to learn something.

It was around nine o’clock in the evening when Yan Ankuo finally finished his work and prepared to drive home. Today, he wasn’t returning to the house with only female turtles, because he had agreed to return to his hometown in Minhang.

He originally wanted his mother and sister to move closer to the riverside, but the elderly were reluctant to leave their familiar surroundings and refused to budge. He had no choice but to renovate the old family home, allowing them to continue living there. Cheng Xi’s respiratory health was poor, and she would start wheezing after walking just a short distance, so she rarely left the house. Her greatest pleasure every month was waiting for her children to come back.

Yan Ankuo brought some tonics, placing them together with his newly bought bags near the entrance. Hearing this, Yan Fanxuan rushed out, asking why he brought so many things again, as there was no room left in the house.

Exhausted, Yan Ankuo collapsed on the sofa, lying half on his side. “How’s your training going?”

Before flight attendants started work, they underwent six months to a year of training and assessment, with a high learning intensity. Yan Fanxuan lay down beside him on the sofa, sighing, “It’s just the usual, memorizing safety instructions, inspection procedures, emergency equipment usage, and so on, boring.”

Hearing this, Yan Ankuo’s tone suddenly became serious. “These can save lives in critical moments.” As he spoke, he recalled the man who had rushed into the fire on AD801, his thoughts drifting far away. “They can save many people’s lives.”

Yan Fanxuan hadn’t meant to complain, but hearing her brother say this, she also became serious. “I know, big brother. I’m studying hard, my grades are incredibly high.”

Yan Ankuo laughed. “Impressive.”

“Mm-hm,” Yan Fanxuan was proud. “Like big brother.”

Cheng Xi watched TV in her rocking chair, smiling and turning over when she heard this. She looked as if she was sleeping, her expression calm.

Yan Fanxuan hugged a cushion and lay half on the back of the sofa, watching the person speaking on the television and asked softly, “Big brother.”

Yan Ankuo was replying to a WeChat message and didn’t notice the content on the screen, tilting his head. “Mmm?”

Yan Fanxuan gestured towards the screen. “Has this person contacted you recently?”

“Who?”

“The one on TV.”

On the screen, a man was speaking, and below his image, it read Lin Yu.

Yan Ankuo said flatly, “No.”

“He’s been in the news a lot recently.” Yan Fanxuan bit into an apple angrily. “I heard he got a murderer off, and he’s been getting slammed really badly.”

Yan Ankuo corrected her subconsciously, saying that before the verdict came out, one could only call them a “criminal suspect.” Yan Fanxuan pouted, saying she didn’t care. Yan Ankuo didn’t react further, continuing to look down at his phone – because Bian Ji had told him that today’s crew meal was a million times worse than the nutritious soup he cooked. This made Yan Ankuo regret not having reserved the next mealtime earlier.

Seeing that he wasn’t talking, Yan Fanxuan asked, “Big brother, do you still feel hurt seeing Lin Yu now?”

“Why should I feel hurt.” Yan Ankuo lifted his head from his phone to glance at the man on the TV, indifferent. “Whatever happens to him has nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Really?” Yan Fanxuan wasn’t quite convinced. “Five years of feelings, you can really let go?”

Yan Ankuo slowly looked at the TV and gently said, “Mm.”

The man on the screen wore a dark blue suit, facing the media’s doubts, responding with conviction in every word, no different from the Lin Yu Yan Ankuo knew well.

Lin Yu had been a prominent figure at school, winning national awards every year, president of the Moot Court Debate Club, and published core articles as an undergraduate. Yan Ankuo had been with him since his senior year, and they had adjusted for over five years, both changing significantly.

Due to certain reasons, three years ago, they broke up. They parted ways fairly amicably, without the melodramatic misunderstandings and quarrels typical of such situations. Later, colleagues and friends introduced Yan Ankuo to many new people, but he was indeed very busy and had no initiative to invite them out, usually letting things fizzle out after a few meetings, thus remaining single until now.

Yan Ankuo listened to the news for a while, finding it uninteresting, and switched channels to a legal affairs program, becoming engrossed.

Seeing him change the channel, Yan Fanxuan thought about it and asked, “By the way, what was the situation with that chief flight attendant you asked me about last time?”

Yan Ankuo smiled. “Nothing much, I wanted to collect a debt from him last time.”

“Huh?” Yan Fanxuan took him seriously, not expecting a great lawyer to be owed money. “Did you lend someone cash?”

As soon as she said this, Yan Ankuo received a new message from Bian Ji: [I’ll be back in Shanghai soon, hope someone remembers the dinner they owe me (Peeking emoji)]. Yan Ankuo chuckled, replying, [Remember], then looked up at his sister and said, “Now he’s my creditor.”

Yan Fanxuan was confused, saying in puzzlement, “Your relationship is complicated indeed.”

The creditor stared at the two words “remember” for a long time, not waiting for Yan Ankuo to set a time, and simply said: [My flight is at ten tomorrow morning]. Yan Ankuo almost immediately sent over links to five restaurants, dishes covering Huaiyang, Shanghainese, Bashu, Western, and various other cuisines.

Bian Ji chose one that wasn’t too spicy, and Yan Ankuo quickly said: [Then I’ll reserve a table first]. Bian Ji asked: [Should we call Brother Yuan and the others?]. Yan Ankuo replied: [It depends on whether you want to, I’m fine either way]. Bian Ji remembered that he had once arranged a group dinner in the chat group, and it wouldn’t be good not to ask them: [Let’s ask them then]. Yan Ankuo switched to the group chat, sending the restaurant location and time, asking if anyone was available.

Nie Hang replied almost instantly, saying “I’ll definitely be there on time,” but whether due to a spasm or his phone being snatched, the message was withdrawn within seconds.

Subsequently, Qiao Yuan claimed he had something that day and couldn’t participate, and Nie Hang also said, “Sorry, I’m scheduled.”

Bian Ji knew that Nie Hang didn’t have a flight duty that day and helplessly smiled in understanding.

Yan Ankuo messaged Bian Ji privately: [Looks like it’s just the two of us then]. Bian Ji: [No problem, it’s good just the two of us too]. Yan Ankuo: [Indeed]. Bian Ji quickly grasped the point: [Oh? Why say that?]. Yan Ankuo didn’t bite: [Why did you say that then?]. Bian Ji didn’t want to play word games on this issue, changing the subject: [Since it’s just us, the time is flexible, I’ll find you as soon as I land]. After a while, Yan Ankuo sent a message: [Alright, safe landing]. Bian Ji turned off the screen, feeling great, and went to the cockpit to get the flight information sheet from the captain.

This flight was fully booked, and the cabin crew had a huge workload. After landing, they didn’t rest for long before flying the next leg, departing again late at night, and finally returning to Shanghai. Flying through four consecutive segments, people were numbed by the time difference and jet lag.

Bian Ji sent messages to Yan Ankuo and Qiao Yuan, telling them he had arrived and would head out after dropping off his luggage at the apartment.

Yan Ankuo’s call came quickly. His voice sounded distant, as if he was busy. “Tired? It’s fine to rest a bit before leaving, wait until you’ve slept enough to call me.”

Bian Ji felt a little embarrassed, not agreeing. “No need, I’ll be there on time.”

Yan Ankuo said, “Then don’t drive later, the traffic is too congested, it’ll be tiring.”

Bian Ji laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m so law-abiding, how could I possibly drive while fatigued?”

Bian Ji’s Tesla had been purchased but driven only a few times. Since he spent little time in Shanghai and often didn’t want to drive out due to fatigue, if not for the fact that electric vehicles depreciated too quickly, he might have even sold it.

Yan Ankuo asked, “Are you still at the airport?”

Bian Ji had just gotten into a taxi, nodding his head, remembering that the other party couldn’t see him, and added, “I’m already in Chuansha, it’ll take about twenty minutes to get back to the apartment.”

Yan Ankuo’s side sounded like a car door closing. “Wait a moment after you get home then.”

Bian Ji was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Yan Ankuo’s tone was calm, as if he was saying he was going to the supermarket to buy groceries. “I’m on my way to pick you up.”

Bian Ji returned home and changed clothes, wearing beige outdoor gear and black-and-white sneakers when he got in the car, his hair hanging over his forehead, completely different from the disciplined chief flight attendant.

Yan Ankuo looked at his attire, stunned for a full two seconds.

Bian Ji asked, “What’s wrong, is there something on my face?”

“It’s not that, I’ve never seen you dressed like this.” Yan Ankuo half-jokingly said, “You look too much like a college student, making me seem like I’m corrupting a young kid.”

While saying “Don’t tease me,” Bian Ji pushed him towards the car, urging him to leave quickly.

On the road, Bian Ji received a nuisance call, from a real estate agency asking if he was looking at houses in Baoshan. Bian Ji was always polite with these calls – in his words, it wasn’t easy for agents to do business, helping them meet their call quotas – and he politely told him he’d contact him if needed.

Yan Ankuo looked at him strangely, asking, “Are you buying a house?”

“Mm, staying in the company’s apartment isn’t a solution in the long run.” After all, it was only for use, and there was no gas supply, commercial electricity, which was always inconvenient to live in.

Yan Ankuo listened to his phone for a while, asking, “But won’t Baoshan be too far from the airport?”

Bian Ji didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. “It’s okay, I don’t stay at home often anyway, so it’s okay if it’s a bit far, at least the price is right.”

At the end of last year, he had found a 90-square-meter apartment priced at slightly over five million yuan, with a third paid upfront. It was a house that he could reach by stretching a bit, and Bian Ji had been observing it recently, looking for opportunities to lower the price.

After discussing real estate, plots, and transportation for a long time, it was still early, only three o’clock. Yan Ankuo glanced at his watch and asked him, “Do you want to go somewhere else first? You can’t eat now anyway.”

Bian Ji naturally knew it was early; he deliberately chose this time so they could visit more places. He opened the map and found an indoor ice rink nearby, newly opened. As a southerner with a genetic love for ice and snow, he handed the phone to Yan Ankuo. “How about going skating?”

“I haven’t skated for a long time,” Yan Ankuo opened the navigation and entered the address, “but I can give it a try.”

The location of this store wasn’t ideal, far from the mall and subway, so its popularity wasn’t high. Even though the merchants had plastered “Grand Opening Promotions” advertisements across all recommendation websites, there were still few people in the ice rink.

Bian Ji quickly changed into his gear, his speed cultivated by long-term emergency training. He skated to Yan Ankuo’s side, watching the other person putting on ice skates, like a child seeing snow for the first time, his tone somewhat excited. “Do you want to play inside for a while, or go straight to the outdoor speed skiing track?”

Looking at his shoes, Yan Ankuo had a somewhat troubled expression. “Bian Ji.”

“Mm?”

“I don’t think I know how to skii.”