Chapter 39 Chakong, too, was he not a vessel?
Liang Yizhi lowered her head.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around.
Gu Yinyan was dressed casually today, and his hair seemed to have been neglected, with his bangs naturally messy.
"Look what I see!" Liang Yizhi held up the photo in her hand.
How did this end up with you?
Gu Yinyan glanced at the Polaroid camera in her hand and said in a steady voice, "It was left behind the day Xie Yun resigned."
"You picked it up for me?" Liang Yizhi suddenly realized. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
"I was going to return it to you, but I forgot."
Gu Yinyan walked silently to her side, his gaze falling on the girl's familiar smiling face in the photo: "When you see it, won't you be sad?"
Liang Yizhi shook her head: "What's there to be sad about? This photo makes me look so good."
Liang Yizhi knew he was worried that seeing the photos would trigger painful memories for her. But so much time had passed, and she believed she had completely moved on from her previous relationship.
Gu Yinyan didn't echo her self-admiration, but instead asked, "What are you looking for here?"
"Nothing much, just browsing around to see what's interesting."
Gu Yinyan then said, "Aunt Jiang has finished cooking."
"Let's go eat." Liang Yizhi casually placed the photo on the table, brushed past Gu Yinyan, and went out before him.
Gu Yinyan turned around and glanced at her long hair fluttering behind her head.
His hand landed on the Polaroid photo.
My fingers touched the girl's face; her smile remained bright and lovely.
He opened the drawer under the desk, put the photos away, and then left.
Aunt Jiang is a very good cook. Liang Yizhi was not just blindly praising her. As soon as the dishes were served and she saw the large table of tempting food, she began to compliment her, saying that Aunt Jiang's cooking was just as good as her mother's. She said that if Aunt Jiang lived in her house, she would definitely ask Aunt Jiang to cook for her every day so she could take it to work.
Aunt Jiang usually spends most of her time with the taciturn Gu Yinyan, so she was overjoyed to be treated with such enthusiasm.
She said, "Miss Liang, if you like it, you can come again later. Mr. Gu can let me know in advance and I will prepare accordingly."
"Thank you, Aunt Jiang." Liang Yizhi grinned and then asked Gu Yinyan, "If I'm not busy, can I come over for a meal?"
Gu Yinyan looked up: "I've never seen you ask about this before when you come here."
Liang Yizhi chuckled.
"By the way," Gu Yinyan asked, "did you ask Lin You about the hospital transfer we talked about last time?"
Liang Yizhi paused in her hand holding the spoon, then put it back down in the white porcelain soup bowl and stirred it gently.
“She…it seems she doesn’t need it for the time being,” Liang Yizhi answered vaguely. “Her father seems to be recovering quite well.”
"Are you sure you don't need it?" Gu Yinyan didn't notice anything wrong with her. "Then I'll pass it on to the hospital."
"Wait a minute." Upon hearing that he was about to refuse, Liang Yizhi immediately said, "Let's wait a little longer, and I'll try to persuade her again."
Illnesses come without warning, and no one can say for sure whether things will get better or worse in the future. Gu Yinyan's resources are also very rare, so she should be more conservative for now and ask Lin You again in a couple of days.
However… Liang Yizhi had a gut feeling that there were some things about Lin You's situation that she hadn't figured out yet. For example, the luxury goods of unknown origin that Sean mentioned, and the man she met at the Western restaurant.
She hesitated, wondering whether to bring it up with Gu Yinyan. He had previously advised her against being so enthusiastic, and she had even argued with him about it. Wouldn't it be like shooting herself in the foot if she now suspected Lin You of having problems?
What's more, Gu Yinyan chose to believe her and helped Lin You find a hospital, making her feel even more guilty.
After much deliberation, Liang Yizhi decided to keep quiet for now.
Gu Yinyan noticed that she hadn't touched her chopsticks for a long time and wondered what she was thinking.
He tapped the plate in front of him: "Are you cleaning a fish?"
"ah?"
Liang Yizhi lowered her head. She had just picked up a piece of fish, which Aunt Jiang had fried until it was soft and crispy. The fish meat would fall apart with the slightest touch, and she even poked it into a paste with her chopsticks.
"You look so thoughtful, what are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing... I was just spacing out."
Gu Yinyan didn't press further, but emphasized again: "Even if you use other connections, you need to make an appointment with the expert in advance. Remember to tell her. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to handle if there is an emergency later."
"I know." Liang Yizhi didn't show it on her face, but she sighed deeply to herself.
She held the bowl and pondered Gu Yinyan's words again:
"Why do I feel like you were talking to a subordinate when you were just speaking to me?"
"Is there?"
"Very."
Gu Yinyan raised his eyebrows slightly, picked up a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth: "My boss shouldn't be that easy to talk to."
Liang Yizhi pouted.
She chatted with Gu Yinyan for a long time before remembering her own business.
Liang Yizhi asked him, "Next month is your birthday, how are you planning to celebrate?"
"We will get through this peacefully."
Gu Yinyan doesn't really care much about birthdays and doesn't like extravagant or ostentatious ceremonies.
But someone else is different.
He instructed Liang Yizhi: "Don't do anything fancy."
Liang Yizhi became interested and asked, biting the tip of her chopsticks, "What kind of thing is considered flashy?"
Gu Yinyan glanced at her: "You know the answer in your heart."
Many years ago, on one of her birthdays, it happened to be the day Gu Yinyan returned from abroad. To celebrate this double celebration, Liang Yizhi, He Man, Jiang Huai, and the others arranged to pick him up at the airport.
Gu Yinyan had just stepped out of the exit when he looked up.
There were a few passersby standing outside the railing. He saw three people sneaking around behind them and immediately had a bad feeling.
Then, a bright and eye-catching color was revealed in front of him.
Liang Yizhi and the other two held up a huge red banner that read: Welcome Young Master Gu back to the embrace of the motherland!
Upon receiving that red signal in his vision, Young Master Gu immediately closed his eyes, pulled the collar of his turtleneck sweater up to his mouth and nose, and elegantly turned around with his head down.
Gu Yinyan didn't really want to experience that kind of intense, socially charged ritual again. For him, something simple and ordinary was good enough.
After dinner and seeing Liang Yizhi off, Gu Yinyan went into his study alone.
He didn't hire many servants to begin with, and Aunt Jiang left when it was time to leave.
The huge villa was now empty except for Gu Yinyan, who had locked himself away in his small study once again.
What does it matter how big the house is? Perhaps because he grew up away from home, he prefers enclosed spaces, such as a study or a basement with a fish tank, to open, bright, and magnificent places.
When he was a child, when he was bullied in his host family or had to stay in front of strangers, what he longed for most was to return to his own space.
You don't have to suffer criticism, play word games, or consider how much sincerity is in other people's actions.
Being in this cramped space feels like being stuffed into a limited container.
The world shrinks, distractions are eliminated, and only he remains in the universe.
Gu Yinyan stood in front of the cabinet with the records for a long time before finally taking out a CD and putting it on the record player.
Introduced by a few simple notes, the violin's delicate tone slowly resonates.
The album he chose was from a foreign violinist, and it included some of his performances of classical music classics.
The room was filled with the quiet sound of music, Vitaly's Chaconne.
Actually, this violinist wasn't very famous, but Gu Yinyan particularly admired his performance of this particular piece. After hearing a live performance by chance, this version became one of his favorite pieces.
The chaconne originally started as a dance in triple meter. However, after its introduction to Italy in the 17th century, it began to gain widespread popularity as a mature and highly expressive musical structure.
Countless musicians have used this as a foundation to create numerous works. They poured their souls into the framework of the "Chaconne," forming unique musical compositions.
The interludes, sometimes loud and sometimes soft, sound like sobs or whimpers, gradually building the music to a climax.
Every pull of the bow and strings is like a battle between reason and emotion, rising passionately and falling swiftly.
The contradictions and entanglements are vividly displayed in the fluttering bow of the harp.
A dim floor lamp was left on in the dark room.
Gu Yinyan poured himself a glass of red wine and sat down on the sofa in front of the French windows.
He tilted his head back and took a sip. The red wine was very bitter, but the aftertaste was long and sweet.
He held Liang Yizhi's Polaroid photo in his palm, the four corners of the cardboard slightly curled up.
Gu Yinyan looked at it, his thumb rubbing back and forth on the curled corners, trying to smooth it out.
He sighed very softly through his nose.
She almost took it back.
Gu Yinyan listened for a while, his heart filled with the intense emotions of the music. He then went to the record player and changed the music.
He had already listened to the next song no less than a hundred times.
This piece of music has no melody; it consists only of simple spoken words and narration.
During the years he spent abroad, he used this unique piece of music to pass the time and strengthen his resolve.
As Gu Yinyan listened, he gently swirled the wine glass in his hand.
He held the cup, looking down at it. The liquid inside sloshed about, but the level remained parallel to the ground.
He suddenly had a delusion that he himself was also a container, wanting to fill it with everything he longed for and anticipated.
He had very little, so he tried his best to preserve even the smallest amount.
-
The next day.
Gu Yinyan got up very early today and drove to the airport to pick someone up.
He arrived early, but didn't get out of the car beforehand. He sat in the car and waited until the time was almost up before heading to the terminal.
He stood at the exit with his hands in his coat pockets.
A short while later, a woman came out. Her long hair was all tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and her hairline and forehead were neatly styled with hair gel, without a single stray hair, making her look tidy and neat.
The camel-colored trench coat was buttoned at the top, and the belt around the waist swayed gently.
Although the woman's features weren't exactly like his, a closer look revealed that their face shape, nose height, and even lip shape were strikingly similar.
Upon seeing Gu Yinyan, she strode confidently toward him.
Yu Rong raised an eyebrow slightly: "I asked you to pick me up, and I didn't expect you to actually come."
Gu Yinyan replied, "It seems I misunderstood."
Yu Rong gripped the handle of the suitcase and pushed it towards him.
Gu Yinyan accepted it without hesitation.
He then asked, "How long will you stay?"
"About a week."
"It's been a while."
Yu Rong turned her head and glanced at Gu Yinyan: "What? Are you hiding something from me?"
Gu Yinyan didn't answer her question. He led her to the parking lot and asked, "Where are you planning to stay?"
Yu Rong got into the car and replied, "Your home."
Gu Yinyan paused in fastening his seatbelt: "You're going to stay at my place?"
"Is there a problem with a mother staying at her son's house?"
Gu Yinyan replied to her, "I'm not used to it."
Yu Rong chuckled as if she had heard a joke, "I might believe it if someone else said that, but have you forgotten how adaptable you are?"
Yu Rong glanced sideways at her son, watching him drive with such smooth and effortless skill, so mature that it was unfamiliar to her.
Recalling the past, she said with emotion, "When we first sent you away, you cried every time. Later, I kept comforting you, saying that as long as you did well on your exams, your parents would pick you up and take you home immediately, and you stopped crying right away."
"Later, when the holiday ended and we sent you back to the Zhang family, you didn't cry or make a fuss." A rare tenderness appeared in Yu Rong's eyes. "You were so sensible when you were little."
Gu Yinyan sat in the driver's seat next to him, his eyes fixed on the main road ahead.
He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, ignoring her words.
Yu Rong crossed her arms and lay back in her seat: "I heard from your dad that he was very angry with you when he came back last time."
Gu Yinyan: "It can only be blamed on his poor mental resilience."
“Your dad is getting old.” Yu Rong’s eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, lazily surveyed the scenery in front of the windshield. “He’s not the same person he used to be, so don’t upset him.”
“You’re his wife. If I’m upset with him, you can just comfort him.”
Yu Rong frowned and clicked her tongue: "You two are both stubborn."
Gu Yinyan's relationship with his mother is much more relaxed than his relationship with his father. But this does not mean that they are particularly close; it simply means that he can speak to his mother calmly and peacefully, nothing more.
Throughout his childhood, his parents always played the roles of "good cop" and "bad cop."
Whenever his father said with a stern face that he was going to send him away, his mother would say, "Yinyan, behave yourself. If you do well in your studies this time, Mom will talk to Dad and bring you home right away."
Gu Yinyan disliked living under someone else's roof.
When he was very young, he tried to act out, imitating how other children interacted with their parents, throwing tantrums and making unreasonable demands of his mother, saying that he wanted to stay at home and didn't want to leave.
He tried to get his parents to comply by acting like a rogue.
However, this approach never worked with his strict parents.
His mother told him that nothing in this world could be unconditionally obeyed. This was true of his parents, and even more so of outsiders.
She said she was teaching him the rules of this society.
No one will be kind to you unconditionally, not even your parents can easily grant your requests.
If you want something, you must give something in exchange.
He also tried to disobey.
However, his parents were like computer machines programmed with instructions, and they had no say in anything.
The most memorable time was when I had to participate in a math competition in junior high school.
Knowing that he had an exam the next day, Zhang's eldest son deliberately stole his bag and exam admission ticket. Gu Yinyan thought that since that was the case, he might as well not take the exam.
On the one hand, he always believed that this kind of exam was not that important to him.
On the other hand, he also wanted to test whether his parents would feel sorry for him and take him home if they knew that he was bullied and therefore unable to take the exam.
The result was the same as he had imagined, but also a little different.
When his mother questioned him about why he hadn't taken the exam, he did what he usually hated and despised most: he tattled on her.
However, his mother dismissed his story as mere childish play. She did go to the Zhang family and their group, and gave them a stern reprimand.
But when Gu Yinyan said he wanted to go home, his mother said, "Not taking the exam means you haven't met our expectations. You should stay at the Zhang family home and prepare for the next competition."
From that moment on, Gu Yinyan understood a certain principle:
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Everything you want to get always comes with a price and a condition.
He has always followed this truth.
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