E ⋆ Chapter 26

Yu Zhinian slept very soundly in the passenger seat.

Yang Ke lifted the backpack from his arms and fastened the seatbelt for him. There was a faint smell of alcohol on Yu Zhinian’s body. His eyes were closed, just like that morning on the second day after he came home, when Yang Ke had gone into the room to check on him.

The difference was that now Yu Zhinian wore a wedding ring on his hand, marking him as a married person.

He City had rain for about half the year, most of it tedious, but today was an exception.

Yang Ke thought this as he drove.

From the apartment Yu Zhinian had purchased at eighteen, to Yang Ke’s house in the Luoser district, Yang Ke drove for about half an hour, and Yu Zhinian did not wake the entire time.

But once Yang Ke parked the car in the underground garage, Yu Zhinian opened his eyes as if he had sensed they were home.

Yu Zhinian turned his head to look at Yang Ke first, then looked around, searching for his backpack.

Yang Ke unbuckled the seatbelt for him and held the backpack in front of him. Yu Zhinian obediently said “thank you” and reached out both hands to take his backpack. Yang Ke, not knowing what he was thinking, moved the backpack to the side. Yu Zhinian grasped at empty air, grabbed Yang Ke’s arm instead, and looked up at him blankly.

His skin was fair, and due to the alcohol, his cheeks had a rosy flush, making him look utterly foolish. It reminded Yang Ke of when he first came to Ning City, where Yu Zhinian often wore that same expression, staring blankly at English books, even getting lost inside the house.

Yu Zhinian’s alcohol tolerance was considerably better than Yang Ke’s. He must have been drinking quite enthusiastically to end up like this.

“Backpack,” Yu Zhinian said again.

“I’ll carry it for you,” Yang Ke told him.

He nodded slowly and said “thank you.”

Yang Ke got out of the car, went around, and opened the door for Yu Zhinian. Yu Zhinian stumbled out, and Yang Ke steadied his arm. Yang Ke had instructed the butler not to wait at the door, so the house was particularly quiet. They went upstairs in silence.

Yu Zhinian said very little when drunk. Yang Ke opened the door for him, and he walked in without a word, lying straight down on the bed without making a sound.

Yang Ke turned on the bedside lamp, stood by his bed, and looked down.

When Yu Zhinian slept, he was at his most well-behaved. He wouldn’t say anything particularly nice, but he wouldn’t say anything unpleasant either.

Yang Ke bent down. In the light of the bedside lamp, he stared at Yu Zhinian for a few seconds, then very gently touched his cheek with his hand.

Yu Zhinian’s cheek was slightly warmer than Yang Ke’s fingers, and very soft. Yang Ke touched his eyelashes too, but Yu Zhinian did not notice and showed no sign of waking.

“Yu Zhinian, are you pretending to sleep?” Yang Ke asked.

There was no response.

Just as Yang Ke was about to turn off the light and go upstairs to sleep, Yu Zhinian suddenly opened his eyes slightly, looked at Yang Ke without much energy, and immediately closed them again.

Yang Ke paused, then bent down again and called Yu Zhinian’s name. But it seemed Yu Zhinian had fallen asleep again, and no amount of calling would wake him.

“Why don’t you want to go on a honeymoon,” Yang Ke asked him, “what are you upset about?”

Yu Zhinian remained motionless, dead asleep, and naturally gave no answer at all.

Yang Ke had unfinished work. He closed Yu Zhinian’s bedroom door and went to the study.

He had just opened his laptop when Zhai Di called, speaking in an odd, sarcastic tone: “I just glanced at the passenger list for Hawaii, and someone just finished their vacation and is going on a honeymoon again tomorrow.”

“…No,” Yang Ke hadn’t expected Zhai Di to check the list, but he told him anyway, “he’s not going.”

Zhai Di was taken aback: “Why?”

“He needs to write his thesis,” Yang Ke said simply.

There was the sound of Zhai Di’s girlfriend in the background, asking who he was talking to. He said “Yang Ke,” and then asked: “Can’t he write the thesis in Hawaii? Missing the honeymoon.”

“The travel back and forth is too tiring,” Yang Ke said, “writing a thesis requires concentration.”

Zhai Di made an “oh” sound and said with an insinuating air: “Newlyweds are indeed very tired.”

“…” Yang Ke opened a document he hadn’t finished reading and told Zhai Di, “If you’re so concerned, why don’t you go negotiate for me? It’s not too late to change the list.”

“That’s not necessary,” Zhai Di quickly declined, then asked, “But if Yu Zhinian isn’t going, you don’t need to stay for four days, right?”

Yang Ke made an “mm” sound and told Zhai Di he was planning to compress the trip to two days. Zhai Di seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said to Yang Ke: “I don’t understand you.”

“Those first few days after he came back, I thought you were really just sick,” Zhai Di said, “if you like him, why not say so earlier? Why all this talk about trusts and wills? You had me completely fooled.”

Yang Ke wanted to clarify that actually it was Yu Zhinian who liked him, but he thought it unnecessary and said nothing.

“After Hawaii, take a few more days off for a honeymoon, keep him company at home while he writes his thesis,” Zhai Di, not noticing his hesitation, told him, “seems like only I’ve been taking vacations these past few years.”

Yang Ke said “we’ll see,” and Zhai Di said: “The company isn’t actually in that bad shape. You don’t need to push yourself so hard.”

Ever since Yang Ke had sought out Zhai Di late at night to get their stories straight, almost every conversation, Zhai Di had delighted in teasing him about the company being in trouble. Yang Ke didn’t find his own improvised move particularly funny, but he had no desire to argue with Zhai Di, so he said flatly: “I know.”

After hanging up, Yang Ke was somewhat distracted and found it difficult to concentrate on work. He stood up, thinking of finding one of Yu Zhinian’s books to relax, when his father sent him a message.

“I’m coming to He City next week,” his father said, “for an academic conference. We can have a meal together, you, me, and Zhinian.”

The night before last, after Yu Zhinian finished talking with Zhao Sibei, Zhao Sibei had come to find him immediately, asking what was going on between him and Yu Zhinian, and confirming the company’s financial situation with him.

Yang Ke didn’t know where to begin at first, so he only said the company’s finances were fine and that he would tell him once the wedding date was set.

Zhao Sibei asked him “are you really going to marry him,” Yang Ke said yes, and asked in return “is there a problem,” Zhao Sibei sighed and said nothing more.

Yang Ke asked Zhao Sibei what time he would arrive and replied “okay.”

Early the next morning, Yang Ke finished breakfast and was about to head out when Yu Zhinian happened to come downstairs in a daze.

He stopped and looked at Yang Ke and Smith holding the suitcases, then asked Yang Ke: “Are you going on a business trip?”

Yu Zhinian’s alcohol should have completely worn off, but he looked somewhat tired. He raised his hand, covered his mouth as he yawned, the ring still on his finger, tears blinking from his eyes.

Yang Ke watched him lower his hand and made an “mm” sound, then asked him: “Do you want to go now?”

Yu Zhinian was slightly taken aback: “Go where?”

“Hawaii.”

Yu Zhinian looked at Yang Ke for a few seconds before saying: “I don’t think so.”

“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Yang Ke told him.

Yu Zhinian’s expression became slightly vacant, looking as foolish as he had when he was little. His long-sleeved hoodie sleeves covered the back of his hands, black hair clung to his cheek, his lips tinged red. He made an “mm” sound to Yang Ke.

For a moment, Yang Ke wondered if Yu Zhinian was asking him for a parting kiss.

But Yu Zhinian only said to him: “Okay, safe travels.”

Boarding the flight to Hawaii, Yang Ke spent the entire journey handling business matters.

About an hour before arrival, Li Lu came to find Yang Ke.

“Yu Zhinian’s share dividends can be withdrawn and used now,” Li Lu’s tone was very helpless, “what do we do now?”

“Let it sit for now.”

“Zhinian came to ask me about it earlier,” he said, “you can’t keep going like this. If you want to marry him, marry him properly. Why are you lying to him?”

Yang Ke said nothing. Li Lu said “I can’t be bothered with you,” and hung up.

Yang Ke could no longer clearly remember what he had been thinking that night when Yu Zhinian picked up his suitcase and decided to slip away from home, when he admitted that his company’s finances had problems.

Looking back, he himself could hardly believe that he had actually gone along with Yu Zhinian’s words and told such an absurd and clumsy lie.

How he felt when drunk was different from when sober. Most of his rationality was gone, and his judgment was lacking. At the time, to Yang Ke, Yu Zhinian’s suspicion felt almost like someone handing him a way out, and he naturally followed it down.

And it had to be said, on the surface, things did become smoother.

As the plane began its descent, Yang Ke looked at the clouds outside the window and thought: but lies seem to accumulate.

A marriage obtained through deception isn’t really that similar to a real one, and the consequences seem to be gradually showing themselves.

——Observation Analysis Diary (IV)

Topic: Recording Yang Ke’s message responses

(Recorded by: Yu Zhinian Date: 2016.5.7)

Nearing the end of the semester, it is rare to run into Yang Ke in the library.

Yang Ke was talking and laughing with classmates, not noticing the other people around him. His phone rang, he replied to a message, his expression very relaxed, probably chatting with someone.

The people Yang Ke replies to vary. Some people send him many messages, good mornings and good nights, life updates and things they want to share, but none of them get a reply from him.