41

In January of the new year, Xu Yan ran into Lin Mian in Los Angeles. The two sat in a street-side café. Xu Yan glanced at the diamond ring on her ring finger and asked with a smile, "Married?"

"Not yet. He proposed last month." It had been a long time. Lin Mian had matured a great deal overall. Xu Yan could no longer associate the person in front of him with the little princess who had once wanted to throw herself off a building to die.

"Then congratulations in advance." Xu Yan said, "Happy wedding."

Lin Mian laughed instead: "Don't say it in advance. When I go back to China for the Wedding Ceremony, will the great photographer Xu not come?"

"I'll come." Xu Yan agreed readily, "No matter how busy." He didn't know who Lin Mian's fiancé was, but figured it certainly wouldn't be the one who had run into the Hospital through the cold rain that year.

"Time really flies. Everyone's so busy now." Lin Mian looked out the window, then suddenly asked, "Are you still in touch with Shen Zhi?"

Xu Yan had forgotten how long it had been since he'd heard this name from someone else's mouth. Xu Nian and Ji Huai would absolutely never mention it. Chatting with Tang Yunyan was also limited to work and industry matters. Everyone was more or less deliberately avoiding it. Xu Yan knew.

He stirred the cup with a spoon, smiled, and said: "No."

"Shen Zhi is in his second year of grad school now." Lin Mian said, "I've known him since we were little and never knew he actually wanted to study law."

She didn't know, and Xu Yan knew even less. Shen Zhi had never mentioned it. Previously it had been a certain university friend who, while chatting with Xu Yan, had sighed and said Shen Zhi had actually just dropped the Company and turned around to take the law master's exam. Amazing.

Indeed amazing. Xu Yan felt Lin Mian was also pretty amazing. These rich second-generation kids — some pursuing PhDs, some taking grad school exams — were all walking the path of further self-improvement, proving everyone had ideals, and people who had ideals and put them into action were remarkable.

But that was all he felt. Nothing else.

Seeing Xu Yan hadn't spoken, Lin Mian asked again: "Will you go back to China later? Or stay in Paris?"

"I'll go back." Xu Yan took a sip of coffee and answered.

At the end of January, Xu Yan stopped taking commissions. After that, thoroughly completing all his work and photo contracts took him almost half a year. In mid-June, three years and one month after going abroad, Xu Yan closed his apartment door and set off on the road back to China.

During the three years, he had gone home several times, all because of business trips to neighboring countries, barely squeezing out time to go back. Each time he couldn't stay more than two days before having to leave. Fang Hui saw how hard he worked and told him not to rush like this anymore. Xu Shen saw how hard he worked and told him to take care of his health. Xu Nian saw how hard he worked and asked him to get him an autographed photo of some superstar, preferably a personalized one.

Xu Yan told him to get lost.

After getting off the plane, it was just past ten in the morning. Fang Hui, Xu Shen, Xu Nian, and Ji Huai — all four stood in a neat row in the arrivals hall waiting for him. Xu Yan walked over, pushed his suitcase toward Xu Nian's feet, reached up to take off his hat, and hugged Fang Hui.

"A bit thinner." Fang Hui examined Xu Yan's face carefully, the corners of her eyes reddening.

"Miss you, gege." Xu Nian said while pawing at Xu Yan's backpack, an insincere confession.

Xu Yan glanced at him: "I do have an autographed photo, and it's a personalized one." Xu Nian's eyes lit up at hearing this, pawing even more enthusiastically, constantly asking "where is it, where is it, hurry up and take it out." But then Xu Yan continued, "But it's not from her personally, it's from her boyfriend. Do you want it?"

Xu Nian immediately stumbled back a step, incredulous: "How cruel! Xu Yan, how cruel you are!"

A few people walked out of the hall. Ji Huai still had to go back to the Company, chatted with Xu Yan for a few words before driving off. The weather was especially good today, bright early-summer sun. Xu Yan sat in the car, eating pastries Fang Hui had made herself, listening to Xu Nian chatter in his ear.

He looked out the window. Nothing had really changed much, after all it was only three years, not long.

Vehicles constantly stopping and starting, hurried people, meeting or seeing off, leaving or returning. Xu Yan watched for a while, then turned his gaze back to the car, but just as his gaze was about to be withdrawn, he felt a figure flash in his peripheral vision.

Xu Yan paused, then turned his head to look — still those passing strangers, nothing special.

"Gege, what are you looking at?"

Xu Yan turned back, smiled, and said: "Nothing."

Outside the hall, Shen Zhi stood in the shadow beside a pillar, watching that business car drive away, disappearing into the traffic.

Three years was really too long. So long that he couldn't imagine what the first sentence should be if he could talk to Xu Yan.

His phone rang urgently. Shen Zhi picked up. The person on the other end shouted loudly: "Lawyer Shen! I've already passed security, why haven't you come in yet?!"

"Right away." Shen Zhi raised his hand to check his watch, said calmly, "Don't rush, we'll make it."

"You have to make it. If you can't make it, then I'm not getting on the plane either!"

"Got it."

Xu Yan hadn't rested three days before he was back on the job. He chatted with Lu Sen. Before returning to China, several well-known magazines had sent him invitations, but Lu Sen still advised him to consider Tide.

"If you've decided to develop in the fashion circle, what you need now is a Company that matches your level. Tide is the best choice."

Xu Yan said sincerely: "I think your studio is."

"Xu Yan-yan!" Lu Sen was finally angered by him, "You didn't come when I invited you, now you're teasing me again?"

"No, no." Xu Yan laughed, "Just speaking the truth."

"Forget it. You don't know how anxious the editor-in-chief is. She said the higher-ups told her to hire you back at all costs. I don't have time to manage Tide's side now, going over once a week when I have time is already good. Only you can step up."

"Understood."

"You just got back to China. These past few years you've mainly shot landscapes abroad. If anyone puts on airs and doubts your ability, remember to keep your eyes on top of your head." Lu Sen said, "This circle is full of impatient people. Don't waste your energy. Coddling people isn't what we should do. You get what I mean?"

"Got it."

The first week back at the Company, Xu Yan and his team colleagues were busy with a perfume advertisement. This fragrance was scheduled for release in early autumn, the final images needed to be locked down soon, then they had to shoot the new spokesperson's promotional photos, video, and interview. Xu Yan also planned to follow the entire post-production process to integrate into work as quickly as possible.

The Company assigned Xu Yan an assistant named Wang Wen'an, a very bright and clever young girl. She was diligent and thorough when working, and when free she could gossip with Xu Yan to relieve boredom. It was also from her that Xu Yan learned the Company was about to be sued, because an article in the previous issue had angered a certain actress due to wording. A lawyer's letter had been sent yesterday, but they hadn't actually sued yet — it was in the private mediation stage.

"The editor-in-chief has blisters on her mouth from getting overheated. These past two days no one dares to walk through that office area." Wang Wen'an said quietly, "Just now when I went to deliver something, I saw the lawyer from Yixin Law Firm come over... so handsome!"

Xu Yan didn't know. How would he know? Every day he came in and went straight to the photography studio, or ran outside locations, and had to grind post-production when he got back. He really had no time to keep up with Company gossip. But he figured the other side wouldn't really sue, after all Tide wasn't an ordinary magazine. Subsequent collaborations and such all needed careful consideration. Probably that side really couldn't swallow the anger, so they sent a lawyer's letter to vent a little. Understandable.

"Then you be careful too." Xu Yan took a sip of water, smiled, and said, "Don't get caught by the editor-in-chief as an outlet."

"Yes sir!" Wang Wen'an saluted.

"The photography studio is off-limits to anyone except Company staff and the artist's team." Tang Yunyan said slowly, "But who let you now have the legal department lawyer's work badge hanging on you."

"Thanks." Shen Zhi said.

"Tell me the truth." Tang Yunyan turned to look at him, "This time you requested to come yourself, right?"

"Yes." Shen Zhi answered.

Tang Yunyan laughed: "Then your Yixin Law Firm lawyers really are diligent, even taking the initiative to grab such small cases."

Shen Zhi lowered his eyes, said nothing. He had started interning at Yixin Law Firm at the end of the first semester of his second year of grad school. Yixin Law Firm was one of the Red Circle firms. Although he was a non-law undergraduate, he had graduated from a 211 university in the Five Courts system. Most importantly, he had case sources in hand, bringing his own resources into the firm. In this industry where connections and background were indispensable, that was always an advantage.

Tide's legal affairs had long involved Yixin Law Firm lawyers. Shen Zhi belonged to the capital markets group at Yixin Law Firm. His IELTS score was high, he'd passed CATTI Level 2, and his undergraduate degree was in economics, so he'd been developing in the direction of non-litigation and foreign-related work. This had nothing to do with Tide's daily needs — they were completely separate fields. Having him handle this kind of case was a bit like casting a pearl before a sparrow — a waste. But who could stop Shen Zhi from volunteering to take it.

So after learning this news, the work group chat in his team exploded with a string of "?".

: Shen Zhi going?

: Shen Zhi going?

: Shen Zhi going?

: Shen Zhi, come here for a moment, I have a few IPO projects I want to share with you.

: Shen Zhi, does this kind of case have anything to do with us? If Tide has kidnapped you, blink.

: Shen Zhi, if you want a vacation just say so, you can't use this kind of small job to disguise your intentions.

……

Tang Yunyan pressed her fingerprint to unlock. The door opened, and various talking voices and continuous shutter sounds came through. The studio was brightly lit with snow-white lights. Although the air conditioning was on, the temperature was still on the high side. Shen Zhi instinctively wanted to roll up his shirt sleeves, but when he touched his wrist he realized the sleeves were already rolled up — he seemed somewhat at a loss.

Walking a bit closer, his gaze passed through the staff members coming and going or standing still. Shen Zhi tilted his head slightly and saw Xu Yan.

Xu Yan was holding a DSLR, kneeling on one knee in front of the exquisite perfume display. He was wearing only a loose tank top on his upper body, a gift from a designer. Although Xu Yan couldn't understand the pattern on it, this didn't affect his thinking the garment was very cool. These past two years, most of his belongings had been gifts from brands — clothes, pants, shoes, bags, pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings. Speaking of earrings, Xu Yan hadn't originally had this idea, but he couldn't resist constantly receiving earrings. Leaving them unused was too wasteful, so he had to grit his teeth and get his ears pierced. Halfway through they got infected, hurting him so much he thought he was going to lose his earlobes.

The light was bright, illuminating Xu Yan's side face and arms in a pale expanse. He was thin but not frail. Having shed the past's tired office-worker professional attire, his current look suited him better — cutting-edge, bold, vibrant, with a kind of unrestrained dazzling brilliance.

People in the field they love will shine.

After finishing a set, Xu Yan stood up to check the finished images on the computer. His assistant handed him water and wiped his sweat on the side. Shen Zhi watched Xu Yan without looking away. Tang Yunyan gently pushed his back, saying quietly: "Do you know what I'm feeling right now?"

"I feel like I'm taking a stray dog to find its owner."

Shen Zhi barely heard what she was saying. The two approached the display. Wang Wen'an was the first to notice them and immediately smiled at Tang Yunyan: "Chloe!"

The others turned their heads and greeted Tang Yunyan. Xu Yan was too absorbed in looking at the photos and didn't hear for a while. After Wang Wen'an reminded him, he reacted. He put down his water cup, his other hand still on the mouse, turned his head, and smiled: "How do you have time to come to the studio to see..."

His gaze swept past Tang Yunyan and stopped on Shen Zhi's face, looking into those eyes, the unfinished words breaking off there.

This one second of eye contact spanned three years. Xu Yan fell into a momentary tinnitus. The surrounding voices became completely blurred, the lights excessively dazzling, so much so that he felt the person before him looked somewhat unfamiliar.

Shen Zhi stood there, his gaze calm and focused, gazing at him intently. After a few seconds, he said a few very short words, his voice low, not loud, but Xu Yan heard.

"Long time no see."