Chapter 69 "I miss you".
Chapter 69
Every year in the month leading up to the Spring Festival, Shen Yanzhou is always extremely busy, rushing to meet deadlines, negotiating collaborations, settling payments... it seems like everything is crammed into this time period.
Yu Pan was already used to this. She would stay at home every day working on her manuscript, and occasionally call Ling Luotong, who was far away in the United States, to catch up on each other's lives. In the evening, when Shen Yanzhou came back, she would chat with him about her day. She was quite happy with her life.
That afternoon, Yu Pan heard the familiar sound of a car engine outside the study window. Peeking out, she saw that Shen Yanzhou had left work early.
That's not all. When Shen Yanzhou opened the door and came in, Yu Pan immediately noticed the cake box he was carrying. Judging from the square shape of the box, the cake inside must be quite large.
Shen Yanzhou usually doesn't allow Yu Pan to eat too many sweets. Firstly, Yu Pan's taste is naturally sweet, and Shen Yanzhou is afraid that if he eats more sweets, he will consume too much sugar. Secondly, and most importantly, he is afraid that he will get cavities. For this reason, Yu Pan has often begged him to buy her cakes.
So when Yu Pan saw the cake box in Shen Yanzhou's hand, she was extremely surprised. She quickly walked over to Shen Yanzhou and circled around him. Still not believing it, she touched Shen Yanzhou's forehead with her hand and asked, "Brother, what's wrong with you today? Why are you back so early? And you even bought a cake?"
Shen Yanzhou was amused by his question and put the cake box on the table. "What's wrong? I just came back after get off work today since I didn't have anything to do."
Yu Pan pointed to the cake box, "You actually bought me a cake!" Usually, he had to beg her to buy one!
Shen Yanzhou grunted and said, "Today is a good day, so buy whatever you want."
Yu Pan was even more puzzled, counting on her fingers: "What good day is it? It's not a holiday, and there's still a while until the New Year."
"Do you want some?" Shen Yanzhou asked him with a smile.
"Yes!" Yu Pan immediately put her doubts aside and ran quickly to wash her hands.
When he returned, wiping his hands, Shen Yanzhou had already opened the cake box. Yu Pan was even more puzzled when she saw the words on the cake.
The cake has a simple white cream base, decorated with a delicate lace border, and the words "Happy Birthday" are written in red jam in the center.
"Brother, this is a birthday cake." Yu Pan pointed to the words and looked up at Chen Yanzhou.
"Yes, I saw it, brother." After saying that, Shen Yanzhou picked up the small candle that came with the box. "Shall we light it and stick it in?"
"Okay!" Yu Pan had eaten many cakes, but this was the first time she had ever seen a proper birthday cake with candles. She found it extremely novel. "I'll light the candles!"
Watching the flame rise at the top of the candle, Chen Yanzhou turned to Yu Pan and asked in a gentle voice, "Would you like to make a wish?"
"This is really like a birthday party..." Yu Pan couldn't help but laugh. Looking at Shen Yanzhou's smiling eyes, he also became interested. "Alright! Let's make a wish together!"
After saying that, Yu Pan followed what she had seen on TV before: she crossed her hands, clasped them tightly against her chin, closed her eyes, and made a wish in a serious manner.
Looking at Yu Pan with her eyes closed, Shen Yanzhou felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
In the past, when I took Yu Pan out, people would always say that he looked young, but who would have thought that he was actually very young.
Yu Pan's age was decided hastily. At that time, Shen Yanzhou was only 9 years old and quite tall. There is a saying in their area that "children grow a head taller every year." When the skinny and small Yu Pan was picked up, he was three heads shorter than Shen Yanzhou. So his parents rudely decided that he would be six years old.
As for birthdays? In those days when even having enough to eat was a struggle, villagers didn't have many customs. As long as they could eat their fill, every day was a birthday.
After silently making a wish, Yu Pan opened her eyes and found Shen Yanzhou looking at her with a complicated expression. He touched her face and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Shen Yanzhou rubbed the back of his head, concealing his emotions well. "Let's blow out the candles, then eat the cake."
"Brother, you're becoming more and more like a child lately." Yu Pan laughed, about to blow out the candles in one breath, then stopped. "You blow them out too!"
“Okay, let’s go together.” Shen Yanzhou leaned closer.
The two blew out the candles together, and finally they could enjoy the cake. Yu Pan scooped out a big spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth with satisfaction. The cream was sweet and creamy, and the cake base was soft. He ate the cake with a bite of cream and a bite of cake, his eyes crinkling with joy.
Shen Yanzhou made an exception and let him eat most of the piece. It wasn't until he saw him leaning back in his chair, patting his slightly bulging belly with satisfaction, that he stopped him, saying, "Alright, put the rest in the refrigerator and eat it tomorrow."
After putting the cake in the refrigerator, Shen Yanzhou returned to the living room and saw Yu Pan sprawled on the sofa, burping and rubbing her stomach like a satisfied cat. "Happy now?"
Of course, Yu Pan was happy to eat the sweets she had been craving. She nodded without hesitation, her voice sweet as she said, "Mmm!"
"Sit down for a while and take a break," Shen Yanzhou sat down beside him, his warm hand slipping under his clothes and covering his round stomach. "We'll go for a walk together later to help you digest."
"Okay~" Yu Pan replied lazily, leaning into Chen Yanzhou's arms. "Hold me."
Shen Yanzhou naturally put his arm around him and adjusted his position to make him more comfortable. "Isn't it uncomfortable to sit like this?"
Yu Pan buried her face in the crook of his neck and rubbed against him, her voice muffled: "It feels so good."
However, the step did not actually happen. Yu Pan couldn't explain why she didn't want to leave Shen Yanzhou once she got close to him, and just wanted to stay in his arms without moving.
It's unclear who started it, but by the time Yu Pan came to her senses, they were already kissing. From the living room sofa to the desk in the study, then to the bathroom on the second floor, and finally to the big bed in the bedroom, they were almost inseparable.
In fact, Yu Pan also vaguely sensed that Shen Yanzhou seemed a little uneasy lately, and he was very eager every time they were intimate, as if he was trying to confirm something.
Yu Pan didn't understand where his unease came from, so she could only instinctively hug him tighter and awkwardly but earnestly tell him that she would always be by his side.
It was late at night when they stopped to rest. Shen Yanzhou used a wrung-out hot towel to wipe the drowsy person in his arms. The warm touch made Yu Pan hum comfortably even in her sleep, and her face unconsciously rubbed against Shen Yanzhou's chest a few times.
Every time Shen Yanzhou saw his completely trusting expression, her heart would soften drastically. She lowered her head and kissed the corner of his reddened eyes. "Happy birthday, Panpan."
-
Winter break came to an end in the blink of an eye. Yu Pan's registration day for the new semester coincided with an important business trip for Shen Yanzhou, so this time he would have to fly to school alone.
This was the first time in all his years of schooling that Shen Yanzhou hadn't been by his side. Even after Yu Pan had arrived at the airport and finished checking in, Shen Yanzhou called, giving him detailed instructions: keep your boarding pass safe, wear your backpack in front, and don't wander off at the exit...
Yu Pan listened, feeling both sweet and helpless. He had been living independently in Beijing for a semester, but Shen Yanzhou still treated him like he was going on his first long trip.
When he finally couldn't help but voice his thoughts, Shen Yanzhou chuckled on the other end of the phone: "Fine, you think your brother is too long-winded, huh?"
He couldn't help but overthink anything related to Yu Pan. He worried that Yu Pan would get lost at the airport, that he'd be bored alone if his flight was delayed, and that he wouldn't be able to get a taxi after landing…
"No, no," Yu Pan quickly denied, but the corners of her mouth were turned up. "If I found it annoying, I would have hung up long ago. I like you the most like this, like a... well, a worried little old man."
"Okay, I know you can handle it yourself. You should be boarding soon, right?" Shen Yanzhou asked on the other end.
Yu Pan said, "No, it was delayed. I was reading a book when you called."
“Okay, I’ve arranged for a car to pick you up at the airport over there,” came the sound of papers turning and a low voice instructing his secretary from Shen Yanzhou’s side. A moment later, he said to Yu Pan, “Wait at the usual place. The license plate number is Beijing XXXXXX.”
"Okay." Yu Pan obediently agreed.
Shen Yanzhou hummed in response and said nothing more. The faint sound of him turning over documents could be heard through the receiver.
Yu Pan picked up the book that was lying on her lap again and continued reading.
This kind of interaction, where they talk on the phone while doing their own thing, is so common for them that neither of them feels anything is wrong. They can hear each other's breathing and movements, and they know that the other person is on the other end of the phone, which makes them feel at ease.
It wasn't until the airport announcement came over the loudspeaker, informing Yu Pan that boarding for her flight had begun, that Shen Yanzhou spoke up at the opportune moment: "Alright, pack your things and get ready to board."
Yu Pan's thoughts were pulled back from the world in the book. He stuffed the book into his backpack, zipped it up, and said into the phone, "Okay, I'm going to board the plane now."
"Remember to call me after you get off the plane."
"I know, I know—" Yu Pan drawled out, "I'm hanging up now."
"Yes, have a safe journey."
-
After starting university, Yu Pan continued to write and submit articles in his spare time. Now, several regular magazines accept his articles, and they are generally accepted. He carefully saves the royalties he receives, and he will give them all to Shen Yanzhou when he comes to visit him.
The amount in Shen Yanzhou's small iron box, which he used to store his royalties, had gradually increased from the initial 154 yuan to 682 yuan.
It has only been a year since he first got his manuscript approved. On average, he earns 56.8 yuan per month. For a student, this is quite a good income. You have to know that these days, an ordinary worker's monthly salary is only a little over 200 or 300 yuan.
Yu Pan had been planning this joint submission between the literary society and the drama society for a long time. The society did not restrict the subject matter of the submissions, but the only requirement was that the content must be positive and uplifting.
After much deliberation, he finally decided to draw inspiration from his own experiences and created a character named "Afu".
In the story, Afu, who cannot speak, follows his older brother to a small town, where he meets a kind old man who runs a bookstore and a kind landlady, and many heartwarming stories unfold between them.
The old man at the bookstore taught him how to pursue his dreams; his older brother taught him by example not to be discouraged by temporary setbacks; and his landlady made him feel the warmth of someone who was "better than family than a relative."
Afu sent out manuscripts one by one, and received rejection letters one by one.
The story naturally has a happy ending—after repeated failures, Afu finally gets his manuscript accepted, and his life gets better and better.
Perhaps because it was written based on her own experience, Yu Pan wrote the whole story exceptionally smoothly, almost in one go, except for a few places that needed to be revised for dramatic effect.
Yu Pan still remembers that when he couldn't speak before, he followed Shen Yanzhou to the factory and taught himself to tell stories using simple stick figures by reading comic books.
In this creative process, he was also full of imagery for the story he was writing. Yu Pan didn't think much about it and just relied on his feelings to draw the scenes that came to mind into simple sketches and comic strips, and added narration text.
After finishing a series of miscellaneous tasks such as picking up new books for the start of the semester, Yu Pan took some time to submit her manuscript to the literary society.
Most members of the society participated in this event, resulting in a large number of submissions. The selection results will not be available for another month. Unlike some members who appeared somewhat anxious, Yu Pan remained quite calm.
Well, this is all thanks to the box of rejection letters at home. Yu Pan's mentality has been tempered to be very stable. In his view, if it doesn't work out the first time, he can just improve next time.
-
Shen Yanzhou has been extremely busy with an important acquisition project lately, with meetings and social engagements coming one after another. This month, he will be unable to keep his promise to meet with Yu Pan once every two weeks.
Having just finished a long meeting, Shen Yanzhou leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and closed his eyes to rest. He had two more social engagements to attend that evening when Yu Pan called.
"Brother!" Yu Pan's excited voice came through as soon as the call connected.
Upon hearing his voice, Shen Yanzhou's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, as if she had come back to life. "Hmm, what's making you so happy?"
Yu Pan chuckled on the other end, keeping everyone in suspense: "Guess! If you guess right... well, there's no reward for guessing right!"
"Alright, alright, let me guess." Shen Yanzhou knew everything about Yu Pan, so there was probably only one thing that could excite him like this: "Did the manuscript get approved?"
"Bingo! You guessed right!" Yu Pan exclaimed excitedly. "Next, we'll adapt it into a stage play, organize rehearsals, and have it performed by the drama club on Youth Day!"
"Baby, you're amazing." Shen Yanzhou didn't hold back his praise and was genuinely happy for him.
"And another one! Guess the next one, you definitely won't be able to guess this one!" Yu Pan's tone became even more mysterious.
Shen Yanzhou cooperated by slowing down his speech and pretending to think: "Hmm... let me think about it... hmm, I can't guess."
"Ha! I knew you wouldn't guess!" Yu Pan chuckled on the other end of the phone. "I can participate in the scriptwriting process. And also, didn't I draw a comic strip for this script before?"
“I remember,” Shen Yanzhou replied. He remembered Yu Pan’s paintings; although the figures were simple in line, the movements and expressions were captured very accurately, making them very interesting to look at.
“When my manuscript was selected, I was invited to participate in the subsequent preparations,” Yu Pan continued. “Then I saw their stage choreography sketches and character movement diagrams, so I showed them my comic strip as well.”
"And then?" Shen Yanzhou asked with great interest.
"My instructor praised my drawing, saying it was very visually appealing and logically sound!" Yu Pan's voice was filled with undisguised pride. "They even asked if I had studied this kind of art and recommended several related professional books to me!"
"This teacher has a great eye," Shen Yanzhou said.
"Ah, I can't talk to you anymore, I have to go!" Yu Pan said. "I go to the drama club every afternoon now, and I also go on Saturdays and Sundays."
“Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I’ll be busy soon too,” Shen Yanzhou said.
"Shen Yanzhou," Yu Pan suddenly called him by his full name, her tone unusually serious, "Listen, don't work too hard. You need to rest, understand?"
Shen Yanzhou felt a warmth in his heart from this sudden warning and chuckled, "Okay, baby, I understand."
Yu Pan remained silent for a while on the other end of the phone.
"The sunken inkstone boat".
"I am here."
"I miss you."
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Author's Note: Panpan [Cat Head]: [Cat Head][Cat Head][Cat Head]
The previous chapter has been revised, with an additional 1200 words added.
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