The Scorching Sun - 91
By the time the car reached A University, Yan Lie was already waiting at the school gate. He stood at the intersection, pointed them in the right direction, and led them toward a parking lot that still had spaces.
As soon as they got out, Mother Yan pulled a camera from her bag and hurried over, practically glowing with excitement. "Come on, Lie Lie! Take a few pictures with Mom! This is such an important day. We need lots of photos. I'll pick the best ones and post them to Moments!"
Yan Chengli retrieved one bouquet from the back seat, handed the other to Ye Yuncheng, then stood to the side and waited for him to come over together.
When Yan Lie saw them approaching side by side, he lifted an arm and called out with a grin, "Uncle! Dad!"
Yan Chengli's leather shoe landed heavily on the pavement, a sour ache spread through his heart.
Of course. Of course the person Yan Lie noticed first was Ye Yuncheng.
Was the bouquet in his hands not eye-catching enough?
He was holding red roses, for heaven's sake!
Yan Chengli handed over the flowers and said stiffly, "Congratulations on graduating."
Yan Lie didn't notice anything strange about him. He simply smiled and took the bouquet. "Thanks, Dad."
In truth, neither Yan Lie nor Fang Zhuo felt particularly emotional about graduating, not much about their daily lives was going to change by it. They still had to remain at the university, working on projects with their advisers and writing papers, shuttling endlessly between the library and the laboratory and debating whether to eat at the Third Cafeteria or the First that evening. It was the students about to step into society who were more sentimental. Their lives were about to branch off in different directions, so before everyone went their separate ways, they kept dragging Yan Lie around to take commemorative photos in every corner of campus.
Yan Lie took the flowers from Ye Yuncheng as well. "I'll give these to Fang Zhuo later. She should be finishing up soon too. Afterward, we'll take some more pictures, then everyone can stay here for lunch."
Ye Yuncheng readily agreed.
"I'll show everyone around first," Yan Lie said. "You handsome gentlemen and beautiful ladies haven't exactly had a proper tour of A University yet, have you?"
Yan Chengli stared at him, momentarily lost in thought, realising how mature Yan Lie had become, in both manner and speech. He was nothing like the boy Yan Chengli remembered.
Mother Yan stood beside Yan Lie, patting his back one moment and his shoulder the next. She tipped her head back and looked him over from head to toe before declaring proudly, "Even in a graduation gown, my son is the handsomest one here!"
Yan Lie was tall, fair-skinned, and straight-backed, filling out the loose graduation gown like a clothes rack, an unmistakable landmark amid the crowd.
He smiled and bumped his shoulder against his mother's. "Mom, let's take a picture in front of the flower bed."
Mother Yan was thrilled. She immediately looped her arm through his, picked the spot with the best view, and had Yan Chengli take their picture.
The natural light was plentiful today, the photos ought to have turned out beautifully.
Yan Chengli took two shots. No one knew how he'd managed it, but somehow he'd made their faces look distorted and almost black. Mother Yan was so furious she couldn't even speak.
Worried they were about to argue, Ye Yuncheng took the camera and stepped in to salvage the situation.
He had learned a little photography for the sake of making better short videos, he was far more professional compared to Yan Chengli. Lighting, positioning, composition, he paid attention to all of it. More than anything, he actually cared about getting the shot right.
Mother Yan was delighted when she saw the finished photos. Even her voice turned gentle as she showered Ye Yuncheng with praise, then dragged him off to take more group pictures at other scenic spots.
By the time Fang Zhuo came out of the auditorium with her diploma, the others had just reached the little garden behind the library.
She called Yan Lie, learned exactly where they were, and went over to find them.
The Class Monitor had been hounding everyone in the group chat to return their graduation gowns, so Fang Zhuo had taken a detour. After returning hers, she came over from the Student Activity Center. From a distance, she immediately spotted the unusually composed group.
Mother Yan was posing beside a narrow artificial stream. Directly in front of her was a photographer and a movement director. Yan Chengli stood behind them with both bouquets in his arms, wearing an expression of complete despair. He wasn't even qualified to be a proper backdrop.
Fang Zhuo quietly stopped beside Yan Chengli. After meeting his eyes for a moment, she said, "Hello, Uncle."
Yan Chengli instantly swept away his lazy air, tugged down the collar of his already sweat-damp shirt, but had no idea what to say.
When Yan Lie spotted them, he picked up the camera and raised it toward Fang Zhuo.
Fang Zhuo had always been a little nervous around cameras. The moment she saw him, she straightened herself, letting both arms fall naturally at her sides.
Yan Chengli brought his feet together and lifted his chin.
The two of them wore polite yet suitably dignified smiles, like dignitaries meeting for an official summit.
They held their poses and waited. Yan Lie didn't say whether he'd actually pressed the shutter. Behind the camera, however, his eyes were unmistakably smiling.
He deliberately gave neither of them any indication that the shoot was over. Instead, he turned the screen toward Ye Yuncheng beside him.
The photograph on the screen wasn't a picture of two emotionally inept individuals, but a photoshopped wedding portrait.
Fang Zhuo stood barefoot at the edge of the sea, light reflected in her dark eyes. Her wildly exuberant smile was almost contagious against the brilliant blue background it seemed to merge seamlessly with the water.
The original photograph had been taken during Yan Lie's sophomore-year birthday break.
That day, the two of them had lain on the bed, listening to the fine patter of rain outside through the heat of their breath.
On his twentieth birthday, Yan Lie had already imagined the life he would be living at forty, even at sixty.
He could have Fang Zhuo. If he was lucky, he could have her for the rest of his life.
Ye Yuncheng froze for a moment. First he looked up at Yan Lie, then he turned toward Fang Zhuo.
The sunlight was too bright, washing out the finer details of her features, no matter how Ye Yuncheng raised his eyes, he could make out only the general outline of her figure.
For the sake of looking good in photographs, she had worn a black dress that cinched neatly at the waist.
Fang Zhuo rarely wore dresses, but with her long, straight legs, she was actually perfectly suited to them.
Ye Yuncheng still remembered the year Fang Zhuo was in her final year of high school, when she'd appeared at his door in a pair of shoes washed nearly white with wear.
She had been cautious and guarded then, sweeping the room with a sidelong glance before putting on an expression of indifference, hurriedly said two sentences and left without a flicker of emotion on her face.
She was nothing like the vivid young woman standing before him now.
"I'll take good care of her," Yan Lie said. "Will you allow me to propose to her?"
Ye Yuncheng's heart was a tangle of emotions. The skin on his face trembled faintly with excitement, pressing his lips tightly together as his eyes grew wet. He couldn't bear to let her go, yet he was deeply comforted too. His unfocused gaze wandered once around the surroundings as countless memories rose to the surface. After a long silence, he finally nodded.
Yan Lie drew a deep breath, restraining the joy surging through him. "Thank you, Uncle."
Fang Zhuo had been watching the people opposite them all along. When she saw a glimmer of moisture in Ye Yuncheng's eyes, she hurried over.
The moment Ye Yuncheng saw her approaching, he turned away and, under the pretense of speaking with Mother Yan, slowly walked toward the edge of the stream.
Yan Lie took the opportunity to catch Fang Zhuo by the hand and gave her an innocent smile.
"What did you just say to Uncle?" Fang Zhuo asked.
Yan Lie bent down and murmured beside her ear, "I told him you're beautiful."
Fang Zhuo shot him a sidelong glance, reaching for the camera in his hand, but Yan Lie dodged her.
He took a step back and called out loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you hungry? Why don't we head home for lunch? Zhuo Zhuo bought plenty of groceries in advance. How about dumplings today?"
Mother Yan was always the first to respond to any suggestion involving a family activity. She clapped her hands. "Dumplings sound wonderful! It's been ages since I've had homemade dumplings!"
Yan Lie bent at the waist with exaggerated courtesy and gestured toward the others. "All right. I'll go return the gown first. Zhuo Zhuo, would you mind taking everyone home?"
The apartment Yan Lie had rented had been furnished in an ordinary, minimalist style. The two of them didn't own much, and had only added a few basic appliances. The place remained bright and tidy, almost a little too empty.
Yan Chengli peered through the gap into the apartment and, after taking in the whole place, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He changed into a pair of new slippers alongside Ye Yuncheng to follow him inside.
He was still cautiously surveying the living room when Mother Yan, far less restrained, grabbed Fang Zhuo and asked, "Can I take a look inside?"
Yan Chengli wanted to stop her. Why go poking around in a young couple's private life? But before he could say anything, Fang Zhuo was already leading her inside.
The bedroom was just as clean. There was nothing particularly private or suspicious sitting on the cabinets.
Yan Chengli glanced in from outside, wandering next door and began examining the shelves filled with reference books whose titles were difficult even to pronounce.
Soon after, Yan Lie returned, carrying a bag of fruit and several bottles of fresh milk.
Yan Chengli had only been distracted for a moment. By the time he returned to the living room, everyone else was already busy.
Fang Zhuo had brought all the ingredients into the kitchen, washed them clean, and put them into the food processor to mince before mixing the fillings and seasonings with Ye Yuncheng.
Mother Yan sat on the sofa watching television while sharing the day's freshly taken photographs with her girlfriends.
Yan Chengli was the only person with nothing to do.
Wanting to help, he drifted toward the kitchen and stood in the doorway, listening to the three of them chat.
"Uncle, why doesn't my spicy dipping sauce taste as fragrant as yours?" Yan Lie asked.
Ye Yuncheng went over the recipe again.
"That's right," Yan Lie said. "But Fang Zhuo says it doesn't taste quite the same."
Ye Yuncheng smiled. "Maybe it's just one of those things you can only feel."
Seeing Fang Zhuo chopping scallions, Yan Lie pulled another bowl from the cupboard and eagerly said, "Keep the meat filling separate. Make one without scallions. I know Uncle doesn't like scallions in his dumplings."
Yan Chengli felt a strange pang, muttering under his breath, Do you know what your own father likes?
All three people inside turned to look at him.
Yan Chengli choked for a moment, realizing he'd said it aloud.
He was just about to make up some excuse and brush it off when Yan Lie answered with a baffled expression, "Of course I know. Dad likes lots of scallions. Water bamboo is fine, but no corn."
Yan Chengli froze. He hadn't expected Yan Lie to actually know.
Drying his hands with a towel, Yan Lie asked mildly, "Do you know what I like?"
The air went strangely quiet. Yan Chengli's bewilderment deepened into helplessness, his eyes began drifting away. "Uh..."
Yan Lie didn't make things difficult for him. Seeing that he couldn't answer, he simply went back to what he was doing.
At some point, Mother Yan had come up behind him. She gave a cold laugh and sneered, "Serves you right."
Yan Chengli felt like something was stuck in his throat.
Fang Zhuo divided the filling among several bowls. In one of them, she mixed in the ingredients exactly the way Yan Lie liked, then silently set it in front of him.
"Thanks, girlfriend." Yan Lie leaned against her. "Can I eat the dumplings you make today?"
Fang Zhuo said nothing. She merely gave him a restrained look.
Yan Chengli couldn't take it anymore and went into the kitchen to help. The cramped space soon became so crowded no one was able to turn around properly.
Fortunately, they soon moved the whole operation into the living room and sat together to wrap the dumplings.
Yan Chengli's enthusiastic assistance ultimately left both the living room and kitchen in complete disarray, scraps of filling and flour scattered all over the floor.
And yet, it was the first family meal Yan Lie had truly enjoyed in a long time.
Watching Yan Chengli scramble around trying to clean up the mess, Yan Lie found himself inexplicably cheerful. He laughed several times from the sidelines.
Once the parents had all left, the two of them began busily cleaning the apartment.
Behind the cushions of the sofa, Fang Zhuo found two large red envelopes. She counted the money, together they contained exactly ten thousand. Another envelope held two gold rings. They looked old, their surfaces had darkened slightly, and she had no idea what they were supposed to signify.
Yan Lie told her to keep them. "Parents get happiness from giving gifts. Don't ruin it for them." Fang Zhuo put everything into the bedside drawer in the bedroom.
After roughly tidying the place, Fang Zhuo was drenched in sweat. Coming out of the bathroom after showering, she found Yan Lie sitting at the computer with wet hair, studying something with intense concentration.
When Fang Zhuo approached, he beckoned her over and pushed the mouse into her hand. "Remember that game I made before? I upgraded it and changed directions based on your suggestions. Play-test it for me one more time."
Fang Zhuo was mildly horrified. That kind of painfully straight-laced guy game could actually be upgraded? The thought alone was terrifying.
Yan Lie pretended not to understand her expression, he pressed down on her shoulders until she sat in the chair, and urged her to click Start.
Reluctantly, Fang Zhuo clicked the red icon in the center. As the screen changed, she focused on the rules.
It really was different. The most obvious change was the map.
The map parameters had been changed to match the apartment they were currently renting. There was even a little stick figure in the living room, the same Yan in question who had cried his soaking wet cape last time and shamelessly refused to leave.
Fang Zhuo walked around the apartment once, then shoved the stick figure toward the door.
Yan Lie had apparently anticipated her malicious little impulse. Halfway there, the stick figure promptly wrapped its arms around a table leg, sat down on the floor, and burst into loud sobs.
Finding it hilarious, Fang Zhuo kept driving it toward the door. Yan Lie leaned down behind her and asked with a muffled laugh, "What are you doing? Really want to see me cry?"
Fang Zhuo mumbled, "I'm just testing the game's hidden storyline."
Yan Lie turned his face slightly toward hers and whispered something in her ear. Fang Zhuo held her breath, then silently turned around to shove him hard.
Yan Lie didn't mind. He laughed twice, walked away, and stopped bothering her.
Fang Zhuo gave up tormenting the stick figure and began searching the apartment for clues. After guiding the little character around for a while, she received a fetch quest.
The routine missions were still painfully dull, though this time he'd added a little more variety by turning them into questions.
Some were academic questions. Others tested how well they knew each other, and quite a few contained oddly specific information about Yan Lie himself.
For example, Yan Lie had two pears, one large and one small. How would he divide them?
The answer was to give both to Fang Zhuo, because Yan Lie didn't like pears.
Beneath all those bizarre questions were countless little glimpses of Yan Lie's hidden intentions. He was like some small animal lurking behind a wall, quietly watching. Every so often it would poke its head out, and the moment it saw its target take the bait, it would grow bolder and push its luck a little further.
Fang Zhuo sailed through the game without a hitch, finally obtaining the last clue to the missing item.
It was on the little stick figure.
This was the most serious she'd ever played one of Yan Lie's games, and for the first time she encountered a bug she couldn't understand.
She circled the little stick figure several times, but nothing happened. No hint appeared. The only thing above its head was a simple cartoon expression that bounced up and down to show how happy it was. The moment Fang Zhuo walked away, it turned pitiful again.
She tried several times, even went back and checked the clues from the beginning, but still got nowhere.
Setting down the mouse, she went into the bedroom. Yan Lie was lying on the bed reading. At the sound of her footsteps, he looked up and smiled.
Fang Zhuo knew that particular expression of his far too well. It appeared only when he had ulterior motives.
She walked over and started by searching his trouser pockets.
Yan Lie was wearing pajamas, the pants had only two pockets, but both were empty. He lowered his hands and put on an exaggeratedly helpless expression, allowing Fang Zhuo to search him while still taking advantage of the situation. "In broad daylight, and you're taking liberties with me."
Fang Zhuo looked up, studying his face carefully for a moment. Finally, she spotted a silver chain half-hidden beneath his collar and reached out to pull it free.
The instant her fingers touched his neck, the violent pulse beneath his skin throbbed against them. Even his body heat seemed slightly higher than usual.
Fang Zhuo deliberately slowed her movements, suddenly acting like she had become clumsy. It took her several attempts to finally pull the chain free. Two rings hung from the end.
The man opposite her fell silent. His gaze remained fixed on her face, but when she looked back at him, his eyes immediately darted elsewhere.
Fang Zhuo quietly removed the rings and turned them over and over in her hand. Then she slipped one onto her ring finger. With Yan Lie's expression growing increasingly agitated, she put the other one on her thumb.
Yan Lie looked as though someone had just stepped on his tail. His face, already flushed from holding himself in check, shifted from nervousness to fury. Every hair seemed to stand on end. "Fang Zhuo!"
Fang Zhuo found it amusing. She gave him a sidelong look. His chest was heaving, his eyes wide as though he were a balloon on the verge of bursting, she finally became a little more serious. "Fine."
She removed the man’s ring and slipped it onto Yan Lie’s rigidly frozen finger.
Having just been through a violent up-and-down of emotions, he still hadn’t quite recovered. He let out a muffled grunt and said gruffly, “Take that one off too!”
Fang Zhuo obediently removed the ring, and Yan Lie immediately snatched it back.
The muscles in his fingers trembled uncontrollably. He could only clench the ring tightly, his fingertips blanching with the pressure. Only after he had put it on Fang Zhuo's finger did he finally release a long breath. Afraid she'd start joking around again, he immediately caught both her hands and held them down, refusing to let her take it off.
"There. You're mine now." Yan Lie spoke through gritted teeth. "Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow for the marriage certificate? Strict attendance policy. No leave allowed!"
"You're proposing to me. Why do you sound like you're grinding your teeth?" Fang Zhuo asked.
Yan Lie sagged forward, feeling completely spent, naturally wrapping his arms around her. His voice was low as he said, "Because I can't accept you rejecting me."
Fang Zhuo was silent for a moment, she slipped both arms around his back, turned her head, and rested it against his. "Me neither.”
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