Chapter 47 Exclusive Release Chapter 47 "Wynne,..."
Yuan Ning had her back to him, and her body froze.
What kind of woman does Elias want to see?
When she stripped away all class symbols and stood on the land that was arduous, real, and full of mission.
What does he think of her?
Her hand paused in mid-air, her fingertips still holding a dried apricot.
She overheard Teacher Gao explaining the history of Moutai to a foreign friend in accented English.
She slowly turned around, and the light poured down from above, illuminating her ordinary, even somewhat dowdy, dark blue jacket.
These are work clothes uniformly distributed by the research institute.
She stood before him, completely unguarded and unadorned, amidst the artificial flowers, Moutai liquor, and the deliberately presented "respectability."
Elias stared at her silently for about five seconds.
“You look different,” he said softly.
It was as if he had traveled thousands of miles just to come to this table full of dried apricots and confirm one thing.
Yuan Ning felt as if something was blocking her throat.
She wanted to say something, to say something arrogantly, using her usual sharp tongue.
But then I felt it was pointless and unnecessary.
She picked up a dried apricot from the table and handed it to him: "Try it."
Elias took it: "I just tried it, it's delicious."
He put the dried apricots in his mouth, and the sweet and sour taste melted on his tongue.
Yuan Ning retorted, "What's so delicious about it? It's sour, astringent, and sandy. I told them not to serve this to foreign guests, but they wouldn't listen. They even said it was a manifestation of cultural confidence."
Elias did not immediately refute her assessment of the dried apricots. He simply chewed them slowly and attentively until the last trace of sourness melted in his mouth, transforming into a strange, earthy sweetness.
Yuan Ning didn't think that someone like Elias would genuinely believe that dried apricots were delicious.
He took a small step forward, shortening the distance to the table covered with red velvet and piled high with dried apricots and raisins.
Yuan Ning held her breath. She did miss him terribly, but now that he was standing right in front of her, she wanted to back away.
She then realized how timid she really was.
"You..." Her throat went dry, "What are you doing in Dunhuang?"
"What do you want me to do here?" he countered.
Yuan Ning's breathing became even lighter.
“How should I know?” She turned her head away, her gaze falling to the side. “Maybe you’re here to see if I’ve messed up the dress you guaranteed, so you don’t have to pay for it yourself. And me? I’m going to work for you for the next ten years. Maybe you’re here to see me make a fool of myself.”
“Wynne,” he called her name, his tone almost a sigh.
He chuckled softly: "Is that how you see me?"
Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but look up at him.
"Why wouldn't I see you that way? Isn't calculating everything based on self-interest your habit?"
"It's my habit, but it's also your habit, have you forgotten?"
He cannot be accused by her without accusing her in return.
Elias's smile vanished, and his eyes suddenly turned cold and ruthless.
Yuan Ning's face paled slightly.
How could she possibly forget her own ways?
From their first meeting at Balthazar restaurant, she was calculating his worth based on his taste and wealth.
“So,” Yuan Ning’s voice was somewhat hoarse, “you admit it. You came here simply to ensure that your assets, whether it’s that dress or my labor for the next ten years, haven’t depreciated or been damaged. A closer risk assessment, isn’t that right, Mr. Van der Berg?”
Elias looked at her quietly, then slowly shook his head.
“No, Wynne, no.” His voice was low, with a reminiscent quality, and he spoke more slowly than usual. “You were the one who said that night that the wind was strong here, but that the Milky Way was the most magnificent.”
Yuan Ning's heart stopped for a moment.
“Tell me,” he continued, his gaze fixed intently on her face, “that standing under this starry sky, doesn’t it make you feel that all the complicated relationships and conflicts in New York City, all the games that must be won, seem small and distant?”
“Standing under this starry sky, can we also temporarily…stop calculating all those clear or vague things between us that can be measured by interests?” he said at the end, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a weary honesty.
Yuan Ning could only hear her own heart pounding like a drum, and every syllable of his deep voice echoing in her mind.
“My life is a palace built of responsibility, norms, expectations and precise calculations, and today I feel a deep weariness.”
His candor is an almost tragic acknowledgment and journey towards the irrational starry sky rising in his heart, a testament to his rationalism.
"Even if it's just for a moment, I want to go out into the wilderness."
These words, spoken as lightly as a sigh, struck Yuan Ning's heart with tremendous force.
Her eyes suddenly stung with tears.
Sandstorms, the Milky Way, uncertainty, not to be calculated.
This was far beyond what she had ever imagined. Far beyond any reunion scenario she had envisioned.
He paused slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing some unfamiliar and surging emotion.
“When I finally got through to you on video that day, my first thought was,” he said, looking at her, each word clear and distinct, “I wanted to go there, stand beside you, and see the sky you see.”
"Is that all?" Yuan Ning heard herself ask, her voice ethereal. "So you suddenly said that you miss me a lot."
“That’s all.” Elias nodded, and then, the corners of his lips, which were always pressed into a cold, hard line, twitched upwards very subtly, almost fragilely, forming an arc that was hardly a smile.
"Then, things got... complicated when I realized how out of place this idea was for me."
Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui were huddled in a corner, arguing about something while eating naan bread.
"What are Yuan Ning and that foreigner talking about?" Zhang Qingrang suddenly asked.
Li Xiaohui looked up and glanced at the scene, keenly sensing something: "Let's go, let's go take a look."
She tugged at Zhang Qingrang, and the two of them, carrying the unfinished naan bread, walked towards Yuan Ning and Elias.
As they approached, they happened to hear Yuan Ning's ethereal voice say, "So you suddenly said that you miss me."
Zhang Qingrang paused, nearly choking on his own food, and quickly swallowed the naan bread in his mouth.
“Yuan Ning, invite this foreigner to try our late-night snacks in the courtyard. They weren’t served at the party.”
The atmosphere was broken, and the two turned around.
Yuan Ning smiled helplessly and turned to look at Elias.
He smiled.
Zhang Qingrang handed him a naan bread and said in English, "Roasted naan bread is Chef Wang's specialty in the cafeteria. You can't get it anywhere else. It's absolutely amazing with this dried beef."
Elias took the naan bread, its edges browned and sprinkled with sesame seeds, and nodded slightly: "Thank you."
Yuan Ning frowned, finding it hard to imagine how Elias, with his precious teeth, could swallow this thing.
"We relied on it to stave off hunger when we were conducting field surveys," Zhang Qingrang explained.
Li Xiaohui casually pushed the plate of dark brown, coarsely textured dried beef in front of Elias: "Try this too."
Elias's gaze was calm as he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
The intense, savory flavor, infused with spices and the concentrated taste of dried, concentrated meat, is even more impactful.
He chewed and swallowed forcefully.
Li Xiaohui and Zhang Qingrang were both amused.
"There's Moutai over there. I'm telling you, you absolutely have to try it."
Zhang Qingrang, using a mix of English words and animated gestures, pulled Elias toward them, while Li Xiaohui followed with Yuan Ning.
The four sat around a slightly larger square table. On the table, besides half a bottle of Moutai, there were several dishes of "private goods" that hadn't been set out before: a small bowl of chili oil, a dish of pickled radish, and even a few washed jujubes.
Zhang Qing poured Elias a small glass of Moutai: "This, you must sip it slowly." He demonstrated, grimacing as he inhaled deeply, "It's strong, but fragrant!"
He and Li Xiaohui exchanged a glance, a knowing glint in their eyes.
Yuan Ning was confused, but then realized what was going on and tugged at the two of them under the table.
Li Xiaohui turned her head and whispered to her, "Don't worry, we'll get revenge for him after he made you cry last time."
Elias picked up his glass, observed, smelled the aroma, and then took a small sip as instructed. The spicy, hot liquid slid down his throat, his expression unchanged, only his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He put down the glass and commented, "The aroma is very rich."
Zhang Qingrang immediately refilled his glass, saying, "This is just the first sip. This wine needs to be savored! The true flavor only comes out after three cups. That's called 'Three cups lead to the great path.'" He quoted a half-understood poem and chuckled to himself.
Li Xiaohui also raised her glass and said to Elias, "Mr. Van der Berg, welcome to Dunhuang. This glass is for you! Thank you for your support of our work!" Her words were eloquent and her reasons were sound.
Elias raised his glass again, lightly clinked it against hers, and said, "Thank you." He then drank it all in one gulp.
Gao Ran caught a glimpse of the table from afar, where two of his students, along with a client, were drinking heavily with a foreign representative, their faces flushed.
Worried that Zhang Qingrang might cause trouble again, Gao Ran quickly came over and said with a smile in accented English, "Drinking?"
Turning to her, she asked, "Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui, what are you two doing?"
After downing several small glasses of baijiu, even Elias's pale cheeks quickly flushed with a faint, almost invisible blush. Only by getting close could one detect the slight pink tinge around his earlobes.
He couldn't understand Chinese and sat up straight on the stool.
Li Xiaohui whispered to Gao Ran, "Teacher Gao, this is Yuan Ning's foreign boyfriend. What do you think we should do to entertain him?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Ran instantly understood, his gaze sweeping over the group of people:
"Oh—so that's how it is!"
He patted Zhang Qingrang on the shoulder, indicating that he had done a good job.
Yuan Ning's features scrunched up in an unpleasant way. Elias couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could.
Putting aside the fact that the two are far from being in a romantic relationship, could Elias... possibly accept that?
Gao Ran turned to Elias and spoke in loud, heavily accented English:
“Mr. Van der Berg! Welcome! I’m sorry for the poor hospitality! According to our custom, when a distinguished guest comes to our home, we must drink well! Come, let me toast you again!” With that, he took the bottle without saying a word, filled Elias’s glass, and poured himself a glass as well.
Yuan Ning's scalp tingled.
Although Elias couldn't understand Chinese, he somehow understood that this was some kind of "ritual".
Although he still sat upright, the usual aloofness and detachment were slowly disappearing.
After another drink, the thin blush on his cheeks became more pronounced, and even the corners of his eyes were tinged with a faint rosy hue.
Gao Ran was even happier, feeling that the foreigner was straightforward and gave him face.
"Good! You're a real man!" He gave a thumbs up and blurted out in Chinese, regardless of whether the other person understood him or not.
Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui watched with great interest.
Gao Ran patted Elias on the shoulder, his face beaming with an incredibly enthusiastic smile, and coaxed him to drink another glass straight down.
Yuan Ning was both amused and exasperated.
It's as if her undefined relationship with Elias was defined in another way by her teachers and friends.
Elias tacitly accepted this.
It's like he'll accept anything you give him.
He can do whatever he wants.
Yuan Ning couldn't help but think that even if he were to be sent to the bridal chamber with her tonight, he would be happy.
"Just drinking won't do, we need something substantial!" Gao Ran waved his hand. "Xiao Hui, go and tell Chef Wang to prepare two hearty dishes. Tell him that I, Lao Gao, am entertaining distinguished guests."
Li Xiaohui responded and ran off with a grin.
Gao Ran sat down next to Elias and began to recount the history of the Dunhuang Academy in his broken English, interspersed with numerous gestures. He spoke with great enthusiasm, telling stories of how they protected cultural relics under difficult conditions and the stories behind those murals and sculptures. He spoke with great passion, occasionally slamming his hand on the table, his emotions running high.
Elias listened intently. The alcohol didn't seem to impair his comprehension; he nodded from time to time.
Soon, two freshly stir-fried dishes were served: a plate of fragrant braised chicken and a plate of glistening braised lamb chops.
"Eat! Eat it while it's hot!" Gao Ran urged warmly, personally placing a large piece of lamb chop with the bone on Elias's plate. "This is lamb from our Northwest region. It's not gamey at all, and it's very fragrant! It's even more enjoyable to eat it with your hands!"
Yuan Ning looked on angrily: "Teacher Gao, I've been here for so long, why is it always braised pork with potatoes every day?"
Gao Ran waved his hand to comfort her: "You're eating with Xiaohui and the others, what's there to complain about? Besides, they came all this way."
Yuan Ning was still dissatisfied: "How come I didn't come all the way here?"
Although Elias couldn't understand what was being said, he could read Wynne's expression.
Wynne was angry, and he didn't know how to coax her. He put the lamb chop from his bowl into her bowl, but he wasn't very good with chopsticks, so his movements were a bit clumsy.
"Wynne, eat more."
Yuan Ning was taken aback, and said to him in Chinese, "Why are you meddling in this?"
Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui burst into laughter.
Elias, not understanding why, smiled along with them.
Yuan Ning was stunned. She suddenly felt that all the differences in identity, class, and culture that stood between them, as well as the interests and games they played, had disappeared at this moment.
What remained was only Elias, who had lost his aura and appeared somewhat endearing, and a flustered Yuan Ning.
The night wind blows, carrying the scent of distant sand dunes.
Tomorrow, stars and ancient caves await them.
But tonight, in this simple yet warm corner, something solid is quietly melting, and something soft is breaking through the soil.
Late at night, Li Hang was summoned by Gao Ran. Upon seeing the scene, he gasped in shock.
"How much did you drink for the foreign guests? Ah, Zhang Qingrang."
Zhang Qingrang nodded towards Gao Ran: "Teacher Gao took the lead, what, you have a problem with that?"
Li Hang clicked his tongue and looked at the foreign guest: "This person has good drinking manners. Even after drinking a lot, he doesn't cause trouble. He just sits quietly."
“Come on, Mr. Van der Berg, let’s go back to our room and rest.” Gao Ran said in simple English, gesturing for Zhang Qingrang and Li Hang to come forward.
Elias raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over Gao Ran, then landing on Zhang Qingrang and Li Hang who were approaching, and finally, past them, finding Yuan Ning who was standing a little behind.
His gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, more direct and undisguised than usual, with a kind of bewildered dependence in it.
Zhang Qingrang and Li Hang quickly grabbed his arms, one on each side. Elias stiffened for a moment, an instinctive resistance to unfamiliar contact, but the alcohol weakened this defense, and he quickly relaxed, transferring some of his weight to the two young men.
"What's his room number again?"
"I just went to the front desk and asked, it's 208."
"Come on, this way." Li Hang led the way with familiarity, and Zhang Qingrang cooperated.
Yuan Ning silently followed a few steps behind.
The delegation stayed in the best room at the Dunhuang Mountain Villa.
Upon reaching the door, Zhang Qingrang turned to Yuan Ning and said, "Come here, feel around and see where his room key is."
Yuan Ning was stunned for a moment: "How...how can I touch it?"
"Oh, just the pockets! The coat pockets, the pants pockets!" Zhang Qingrang urged.
Yuan Ning approached him, her hand trembling slightly as she reached into his pants pocket. Nothing. She moved to the other side and reached in to check again, but still nothing.
Next are the coat pockets.
She touched it with a little impatience.
Elias suddenly moved, grabbed her hand, and pressed it against his chest.
“Here I am, Wynne.”
He took her hand and put it into his inside pocket. Her fingertips, through the soft fabric of his shirt, touched his warm chest, and she flinched as if burned.
He held her down firmly.
"This is it."
She took out her room key, and the group finally opened the door.
The room was decorated in a standard Chinese style, with warm yellow lighting, dark furniture, and a clean but worn-out bedspread. There was a faint smell in the air, a mixture of dust and disinfectant.
Zhang Qingrang and Li Hang worked together to half-carry, half-lift Elias to the bedside and help him sit down.
He lost his balance and fell backward as he sat down. The two men quickly supported him and helped him lie down.
"Oh my god, he looks so thin, how come he's so heavy!" Li Hang gasped for breath and wiped away his sweat.
Yuan Ning looked at the man on the bed who seemed completely out of place with his surroundings.
His expensive leather shoes were still dusty from the party, his suit jacket was wrinkled from being helped, his tie was askew, his golden hair was messily plastered to his forehead and neck, and the blush on his cheeks was particularly clear and... alluring under the dim light.
Li Hang and Zhang Qing let go of the person and turned to leave.
"Meet at the entrance of the research institute at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Yuan Ning, remind him."
"Oh, okay."
The room became completely quiet after the two left.
Yuan Ning belatedly realized and felt a little awkward.
Elias lay diagonally on the bed, his head turned to the side, his gaze searching somewhat unfocusedly until it locked onto her again.
"Wynne..." he called again, this time with even more obvious confusion and... grievance?
She seemed not to understand why she was in so much pain, or why she was standing so far away.
“I’m here.” Yuan Ning took a step closer and sat down on the chair next to the bed. “You’ve had too much to drink.”
Elias looked at her for a moment: "I didn't."
After a while, he said, "I know that in some parts of your country, there is a custom where the new son-in-law has to be forced to drink, and only if he wins can he enter the house."
Yuan Ning suddenly laughed: "What are you talking about? I don't know about such a custom, and I don't live here. They just want to tease you."
He suddenly reached out and took her hand, which was resting on her knee.
His palms were burning hot and damp with sweat, yet he gripped them tightly, even forcefully.
"If you put it that way, then I've wasted my time drinking today?"
Yuan Ning glanced at him: "Are you stupid? You just drink because they tell you to?"
“I’m not stupid, Wynne, I’m not stupid,” he whispered.
Yuan Ning looked at him, her expression unreadable.
She never imagined that Elias would do such a thing.
Always clear-headed, always in control, always building a wall of reason to keep out all uncontrollable factors—that's who he is.
Instead of the way it is now—
Lying in this simple room filled with unfamiliar smells, his cheeks were flushed, his breathing was heavy, his eyes were unfocused, and he was tightly holding her hand.
"Wynne, come closer to me."
He was quite strong; when he pulled her, she lurched forward and sat down on the edge of his bed.
Their breaths inevitably mingled together.
She could smell the strong scent of alcohol on him more clearly, mixed with his own cool cedar scent, creating a strange yet intense atmosphere.
“You…” Yuan Ning’s heart pounded wildly. She wanted to get up immediately, but he suddenly raised his other free hand and loosely wrapped it around her waist. Although he didn’t restrain her forcefully, it was a clear gesture that wouldn’t allow her to escape immediately.
"Don't move." Elias's voice was right next to her ear, even hoarser than before. "Stay here."
"Elijas, you've had too much to drink. You need to rest." Yuan Ning tried to speak in a rational voice, but her breathing was a little unsteady.
He paused, his gaze sliding from her face to her lips, which were so close to his own, and his Adam's apple bobbed heavily.
Finally he said, "Wynne, I won't be taking the ring out of my pocket anymore, so you don't have to hide from me like this anymore."
Yuan Ning froze. The hand that was wrapped around her waist, though it hadn't left, felt distant to her.
“Wynne, you’ve always been good at making the right choices.”
She finally believed that he was sober at that moment.
As he finished speaking, only his breathing, which gradually became even but was still heavy, remained in the room.
He seemed to have truly used up his last bit of strength to lock himself back into that familiar, safe shell of "Elijas van der Berg".
Yuan Ning remained seated on the edge of the bed, gazing at his profile, eyes tightly closed and brows slightly furrowed. Gone were the earlier grasping and embrace; the mere centimeters between them now felt like an insurmountable chasm.
“Elijas,” she spoke softly, addressing him as he slept, or perhaps speaking to herself, “sometimes, the right choice… doesn’t mean you won’t regret it.”
—E. Before, I only thought about standing higher and higher by stepping on your shoulders. Now, I want you to be with me.
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