Chapter 42 – Who’s Playing Whom

Bian Ji was taken aback at first, then after confirming that Yan Ankuo’s expression wasn’t joking, he asked, “This… isn’t necessary, right?”

“Aren’t there sleeping bags?” Yan Ankuo quoted his own words back, “If you’re not used to sleeping with someone else, just wrap yourself tightly in the sleeping bag.”

Bian Ji really wasn’t accustomed to it, sharing such an intimate thing as sleep with an ordinary person was something he would never do. But the presence of sleeping bags relaxed his vigilance considerably.

In the end, Bian Ji couldn’t refuse, so he chose a spot outside where there was a blind spot, slightly closer, and leaned close to Yan Ankuo’s chin, whispering, “Attorney Yan, aren’t you afraid that something might happen with the sleeping bag at night?”

Yan Ankuo wasn’t afraid either, lowering his head and looking straight at him, “Like what?”

Their breaths intertwined, and Bian Ji continued, “That I can’t say for sure.”

“I should be able to trust Mr. Bian’s self-control,” Yan Ankuo said half-jokingly, “After all, you’re someone who can remain calm even when faced with a fire.”

“Probably,” Bian Ji reached out and rubbed against the edge of Yan Ankuo’s sleeve, ” — unless you’re using this fragrance today.”

Yan Ankuo’s little ploy was exposed, and he felt a bit embarrassed, asking, “I thought you’d like it.”

“It’s precisely because I like it too much.” Bian Ji chided gently, “It’s quite a test for my self-control.”

Yan Ankuo couldn’t handle this move, deflated, and chuckled softly.

“That’s settled then.” Bian Ji, like a general who had won a battle, turned around and went outside the tent, moving the sleeping bag inside under the teasing gazes of Qiao Yuan and Nie Hang, deliberately saying something ambiguous, “I’ll be troubling you tonight, Attorney Yan.”

The four people didn’t have as much free time as they had imagined. They set up a long table, put some food and drinks on it, and after a few cups, they started chatting freely.

Yan Ankuo asked, “Speaking of which, why did you guys choose this profession in the first place?”

Nie Hang was the first to respond, “There’s no big reason, I just liked it. My father was an old captain, and my mother used to be a chief flight attendant. Our house was filled with aviation models; it was too easy to get in touch with planes and fall in love with them.”

Yan Ankuo asked again, “After doing it for so many years, do you ever find it boring?”

Nie Hang shook his head, “No.”

When you truly loved something, it wouldn’t be boring.

Because they had talked about things in the sky for too long, Qiao Yuan couldn’t help but wonder, “Why? Are you interested in our line of work, Attorney Yan?”

Yan Ankuo spoke with hidden meaning, “I’m somewhat interested in the people in your line of work.”

Hearing this, Bian Ji was startled, and looked up at him. He returned the gaze and continued, “Because I didn’t know much about you before, I was afraid we wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”

Qiao Yuan understood and nodded, saying, “Yes. If we’re going to be together day and night, we still need to have a common language.” After finishing, he turned around and raised his chin at someone, “Right, Bian Ji?”

Bian Ji didn’t pick up the cue and continued arranging the dishes.

Yan Ankuo smoothly turned to him and asked, “What about you, why did you enter this field?”

Bian Ji didn’t seem like Nie Hang’s type of person. He didn’t have a family background in civil aviation, and from their usual chats, it wasn’t evident how much he yearned for the blue skies. Yet, it was hard to explain how he had been in the business for ten years.

As expected, Bian Ji merely smiled lightly and said, “I forgot. It’s been too long, I don’t remember.”

Looking at him, Yan Ankuo suddenly felt that this person was actually very unfamiliar. Bian Ji was a good person, talkative, humorous, and considerate of others. But if one really wanted to pry open his heart, it was almost harder than cracking open a hazelnut.

Yan Ankuo asked again, “What did your parents want you to become when you were young?”

“I don’t know,” Bian Ji answered honestly, “They never discussed these things with me.”

Yan Ankuo was left speechless, and after a long while, when the cooked food on the table had already cooled down, he asked again, “Are you tired?”

Bian Ji paused for a moment, then put on his usual gentle smile, “Not tired.”

Bian Ji thought he was going to continue digging deeper, and his long-standing self-protection mechanism quickly kicked in, starting to think of what excuse to use or whether to tell a harmless lie.

Unexpectedly, Yan Ankuo said, “The mountain is pretty high.”

As if all the previous concern was only directed at the matter of “mountaineering”.

Bian Ji smiled and said, “Yeah, luckily I’m not walking alone.”

The meal didn’t last long, as everyone naturally retreated into the tent before the late hours of the night due to the strong wind outside.

It was fine when there were other people around earlier, but now that there were only two people left in the dark tent, Bian Ji found it difficult to remain calm.

“Is the sound of the wind disturbing?” Bian Ji asked quietly.

Yan Ankuo shook his head, “What about you?”

“I’m fine, I brought earplugs, and the sleeping bag is thick.” Bian Ji lay flat, when suddenly, Nie Hang shouted loudly from the neighboring tent.

“You two be careful,” Nie Hang said with ill intent, “This ground conducts sound, I don’t want to hear anything I shouldn’t hear.”

“Hiss,” Bian Ji sat up abruptly to warn, “Go to sleep!”

Nie Hang laughed and closed his mouth, and no one picked up the conversation.

Soon, the world became quiet.

The wind on the high mountains was cold, whistling and carrying the sound of friction against gravel.

Bian Ji heard the steady breathing from the neighboring tent and turned over in his sleeping bag. Insomnia came unexpectedly, and he could only secretly take out his phone to check the time.

The screen saver on his phone was a photo he had secretly taken of Yan Ankuo’s back during their last skiing trip, with large numbers on the snow, “02:04”.

Just as Bian Ji was sighing, Yan Ankuo suddenly turned over and asked in a very soft voice, “Can’t sleep?”

Bian Ji was startled and his hand shook, dropping the phone onto the floor mat with a muffled “bang”, but the screen remained lit.

Yan Ankuo didn’t avoid it at all, sitting up and looking down at his newly changed screen saver, feigning ignorance, “When did you take this?”

“The last time we went skiing.” Bian Ji answered honestly.

Yan Ankuo raised his eyebrows, “Taking pictures of me without permission.”

Bian Ji coughed lightly, because he was afraid of disturbing the rest of those in the neighboring tent, he had to lower his voice significantly, to the point that Yan Ankuo couldn’t hear clearly and had to lean in to listen next to his mouth.

“I didn’t take pictures of you without permission.” Bian Ji protested, “You just didn’t notice.”

Yan Ankuo said “oh” as an acceptance of this explanation, and then asked, “Why use my picture as your screen saver.”

“Because I like you.” Bian Ji’s straightforward words left the other person dumbfounded, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“…” Yan Ankuo felt countless times that he, who believed himself to be always taking the upper hand in relationships, was at a loss when facing this person and could only tell a clumsy lie, “Mm-hmm.”

“No way, I’ve already said I’m pursuing you.” Bian Ji’s tone rose, with a hint of seduction, “Stop playing games with me, you’ve made my heart numb.”

Another straightforward statement that was impossible to reply to, sincere yet tinged with a hint of coquetry.

Yan Ankuo sat up helplessly, pulling the sleeping bag up high, and asked in a low voice, “When have I played games with you?”

Under the faint light of the lamp, Bian Ji’s eyelashes fluttered.

Yan Ankuo complained bitterly, “On the contrary, it was at the beginning at the airport, when I just thought you had the intention of getting to know me, you disappeared. Later, whenever you saw me, you would hide, and even adding me on WeChat was initiated by me. You would freeze me out after seeing me a few times.”

Speaking of Qiao Yuan, Yan Ankuo had more to say, “Even gifts that Qiao Yuan received, you only brought to me after I specifically asked. Last time at the bar, I just asked if you would consider the future, and you left me hanging for half a month. You claim to be pursuing me, but I haven’t seen you hurry the progress much. Even I sometimes can’t figure out the situation.

“Bian Ji,” Yan Ankuo, after listing all the incidents, suddenly lowered his head, near his earlobe, almost asking in a whisper, “Tell me, who’s playing whom?”