Chapter 10
1430 Words
The small boat arrived quickly. Guan Lan boarded and turned around, seemingly to say goodbye.
Qi Song hesitated for a moment, then followed her onto the deck. "It's quite late, and there's still a bit of a walk after disembarking. Let me escort you to the parking lot," he offered.
The boat's engine was still running, and it slowly started to leave the dock. It would have been impolite for her to refuse, so she repeated, "Thank you."
They entered the cabin, and Guan Lan casually chose a seat.
Qi Song sat opposite her and asked, "Did you call for a driver? It's the weekend night, and this place is quite remote. You might have to wait for a while."
Guan Lan shook her head. "I didn't drive today," she replied.
Qi Song was a bit surprised and said, "Then you should call a cab soon."
Although they had only met once, he felt she and that gray-green Skoda were almost inseparable, like a brave Oroqen hunter and his proud horse in the forest. He didn't know why he made this comparison, but it suddenly popped into his head.
After these few exchanges, they had nothing more to say.
If it were daytime, they could have enjoyed the scenery. But it was late at night, and the windows on both sides of the cabin were like large black mirrors, reflecting only the two people inside.
Qi Song guessed that Guan Lan was in a bad mood, so he didn't force her to talk. Instead, he chatted with the driver. He noticed a drawing board beside the driver's seat, filled with thick stacks of watercolor sketches of wetland landscapes. He asked the driver, "Are these your drawings?" The driver replied, "Yes, I paint a bit while waiting for passengers." The driver let Qi Song flip through the sketches, explaining where and when he painted each one.
As they talked, Guan Lan listened, gradually forgetting about what had happened earlier. She looked at the drawings, which had no particular technique, yet she found them charming.
Before they finished discussing the paintings, they arrived at the dock. They disembarked and walked a few steps to the entrance of the scenic area. As the place was indeed remote, no drivers had accepted the ride request on Didi.
Guan Lan checked the time and told Qi Song, "Attorney Qi, you can head back now. I'll walk to the university town; it's busier there, so I should be able to get a cab."
Qi Song replied, "I'll walk with you."
"That's not necessary..." she declined politely.
Qi Song explained, "Actually, I want to go there and have a look. I haven't been there for a long time."
"Oh, right," Guan Lan suddenly remembered, "you graduated from the law school."
"How did you know I graduated from the law school?" Qi Song asked.
Guan Lan awkwardly said, "A rival attorney needs to know these things," then quickly changed the topic, "Had the law school already moved to the southern suburbs by then?"
Qi Song retorted, "How old do you think I am?"
This time, she really laughed.
Qi Song started walking ahead, saying, "If you don't want to talk, we can just walk separately. You don't need to mind me."
Following him, Guan Lan asked, "Aren't you worried about not going back?"
Qi Song laughed, "You don't think I enjoy staying there drinking, do you?"
The atmosphere suddenly shifted. Qi Song waited at the zebra crossing until Guan Lan caught up, and they crossed the street together, heading towards the south gate of the university town.
Seeing the snack street in the distance, Qi Song said, "I remember there used to be a bar called Yellow on that street. They always played that song by Coldplay. I wonder if it's still there?"
"It's still there," Guan Lan replied. "When I joined the law school, there were already many bars around here, but I heard that one was the oldest."
Qi Song said, "It was there when I was a student. Other places closed down, but it stayed open, probably because of its diversified business. They sold breakfast in the morning, lunch and dinner later, and alcohol at night."
"Did you go there often?" Guan Lan asked.
Qi Song shook his head. "I didn't have the money or the time back then. My days were filled with studying and part-time jobs."
"What kind of part-time jobs?" Guan Lan asked.
"I worked at Dicos, manning the counter and washing trays and grills," Qi Song recalled. "I also delivered milk to dormitories at the law school, textile university, and foreign language university. And I sold phone cards—remember when you had to use cards to top up your mobile phone?"
"How old do you think I am?" Guan Lan asked back.
Qi Song laughed.
He was surprised that she remembered their last encounter, in forty-degree weather, dressed in a suit, sitting in a Porsche, looking like someone who knew nothing of hardship.
But Qi Song didn't say more. They turned onto the street, walked to the small bar, and he opened the glass door. Holding the door open, he looked back at Guan Lan, as if seeking her approval. She smiled, nodded, and walked inside.
The bar had an industrial-style decor, with neon lights on the rough brick walls spelling out "Yellow" in cursive. A girl on a small stage was playing the guitar and singing. It was summer vacation, so the place was nearly empty.
They found a small table and sat down. Guan Lan asked what he wanted to drink. Qi Song said he didn't mind, so she ordered two glasses of a cocktail called "Seven Steps Down."
"The menu says ladies shouldn't order this," Qi Song reminded.
Guan Lan said, "I've had it before. It's not that strong. You'll be fine."
Qi Song smiled, "So you have a good tolerance for alcohol. I guess my earlier concern was unnecessary?"
Guan Lan just smiled. The summer night was muggy, and they were slightly sweaty from the walk. She had already taken off her jacket and was now loosening her hair tie, letting her long hair down and then tying it up again. As she did so, her shoulders drew together slightly, revealing her attractive collarbones under the neckline of her white T-shirt.
The drinks arrived. She removed the lime and took a sip before saying, "Do you know why I didn't drive today?"
"Why?" Qi Song asked.
"Actually," Guan Lan replied, "I came prepared to drink tonight."
Qi Song glanced at her and chuckled, "Heroic sacrifice?"
Guan Lan seemed serious, "Before I came, I thought about it. He's a senior, a well-known lawyer, a leader in the bar association committee, and with so many people around, no matter how greasy he is, he wouldn't actually do anything to me. I thought I could just have a drink or two with him to satisfy his control fetish."
"Then why didn't you drink?" Qi Song asked.
"I don't know why," Guan Lan reflected on her own behavior, though her tone wasn't entirely rational. "But when I saw him, I just didn't want to satisfy his control fetish. I didn't want to make him happy!"
They both laughed.
She asked, "Isn't that childish?"
Qi Song nodded, thinking but not saying, but also quite endearing.
Tonight, she was different from what he had imagined. Or more accurately, every time he met her, she had elements that surprised him.
"Did you really say those things?" he inquired, "About calling you 'beauty' being disrespectful to your professional identity?"
Covering her face, Guan Lan said, "Of course not. I'm not that dumb. I said those lines later in class, and a student clipped it and posted it online."
Qi Song laughed, "Didn't expect the senior to be so trendy, watching Bilibili."
"How did you know it was Bilibili?" Guan Lan caught the detail, as if in a courtroom debate.
Now it was Qi Song's turn to be awkward. After a pause, he echoed her earlier words, "A rival attorney needs to know these things."
Guan Lan laughed again, sincerely saying, "Thanks again for helping me out tonight. But actually, even if you weren't there, I wouldn't have drunk."
"What were you planning to do?" Qi Song asked.
"I'd just say no."
"And what about your boss?"
"I'd let it go. The bar association can't discipline me for this."
"It's not that simple. If things really got ugly, you'd be done for," Qi Song said, gloating a bit.
"What do you mean?" Guan Lan asked.
- Writer
