Awyers day was always exceedingly busy, yet they didnt actually spend much time seated behind a desk. There was a saying within Southcross Law Firm that whenever taking on a new client, it was necessary to inform them that any appointments had to be arranged with thewyer in advance, and not to charge right up to thew firm out of the blue.
For thewyer that they were looking for might be anywhere else, but his office.
Under normal circumstances, the same held true for Gu Yan.
But today was an exception to the rule.
Apart from going out to retrieve new evidence in the morning, he spent the whole day holed up in the hotel, quietly seated and working on his photonputer with an electronic pen.
The several video recordings that he had picked up in the morning were ying on the holographic screen before him. Wearing a white earpiece, he leaned back in his chair. A handy on the armrest, whilst the other held on to a cup of coffee.
There were a few nk pieces of paper ced on his knee. Sporadically, he would write a few words on it very neatly.
Long ago while he was still studying, he had a streak of arrogance in his character. His brain would store anything that he saw or finished studying, so he felt it a waste of time picking up a pen to write. First, he felt that the speed of his writing could not keep up with the turn of his thoughts; secondly, he liked things to be kept extremely neat and tidy. It was only natural that handwritten words could never bring the same satisfaction as the neatness and rity of uniform specifications that electronically-inputted words would have.
Later when he was in the office of a certain dean, he caught a glimpse of what the other was making notes of. There were several pieces of paper with keywords freely scattered all over. Important things would berger, whereas some were conversely written like footnotes, even with the asional circles and lines casually sketched out.
It should have been beyond messy, logically speaking. But a nce through it wouldnt irritate the eyes; it could even be considered a visual delight.
The young dean, who was Gu Yans direct mentor, had also given Gu Yan some advice. Seated behind his desk, he said with a smile, I suggest that you pen down any ideas that ur to you when reading case files because every person has a unique way of recording details,youting, and marking out points. This cannot be expressed just by selecting keywords with a cursor. Handwritten notes can represent the most three-dimensional state of a persons thoughts, which is different and unique from anyone else.
At that time, Gu Yan felt that there was a nugget of reason in the words. So, he eventually tried and began writing with a pen, intentionally cultivating this habit all the way to the present.
The video on the holographic screen was looped again from start to end. Gu Yan hit the pause button, massaging his neck. In this short break, he clicked on the screen and pulled up the pages that a certain someone had given him.
On the page was what the other party had written down after watching the video all night.
To this day, he had to confess that there was a lot of truth in what a certain someone saidhandwritten notes could indeed express a persons most three-dimensional and unique state of mind.
Because, on these pages in front of him, despite the handwriting having been intentionally modified, the temperament in his bones couldnt be concealed. It was obvious at first nce that this unruly thing followed no set rules, just like the way it was back then.
Silently, Gu Yan skimmed through them, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed the pages before him.
How should he put it? It was probably already a feat that Yan Suizhi had remembered to modify the font.
Even though the anti-inmmatory and fever medicine that Gu Yan had chosen had the least side effects, they still caused Yan Suizhi to fall into a deep sleep.
Covered in quilts, he slept from eleven in the morning all the way to eight in the evening. And this sleep was umonly practical and dreamless, so much so that he woke up feeling disillusioned by time.
He awoke very quietly.
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But the room wasntpletely silent. As he slowly shook off thest vestiges of sleep, he could hear the asional sound of fabric rubbing very lightly, quiet so as to not disturb his sleep, yet making the room feel less empty.
Yan Suizhi turned his head towards the muted sound and saw Gu Yan sitting by the French windows, looking at the holographic screen with paper on his knees and an electronic pen held loosely in his hand. His face was calm and quiet.
Perhaps he had slept for too long; during those few minutes, Yan Suizhi was suspended between a state of dazedness and inertia to speak.
Until Gu Yan unconsciously nced towards this side
Awake? Gu Yan took off his earpiece, setting it down on the ss coffee table. He got up and walked over.
Only then did Yan Suizhizily respond, Mm.
Another moment passed before he asked, Youve been here all this while?
As his tone came out in azy drawl, even the upward tone that a question should have instead fell very lightly like a derative sentence.
Otherwise? Gu Yan walked over to the bed, replying coldly. But he very naturally pressed the back of his hand to Yan Suizhis forehead. Im the one who has to take responsibility if you get any repercussions from this fever,.
Yan Suizhi halfheartedly arched his eyebrows. Do you know that most hotels have a thermometer in the bedside cab? I think itd be more urate than the back of your hand.
Gu Yan, Im used to making a mental judgement first.
After making this mild remark, he followed through and opened the drawer. Sure enough, there was an electronic thermometer in it.
I bet you forgot. Yan Suizhis hoarse voice was very light, and very slow, perfused with the satisfaction of a deep sleep. You didnt use it in the morning, either.
With all due respect, I dont have to rely on a thermometer to judge your temperature when its high enough to scald my hand in the morning. Holding the thermometer, Gu Yan casually touched the tip to Yan Suizhis face.
The thermometerbeeped.
And with all due respect, this is my first time seeing someone use this type of thermometer by jabbing it at the face. the esteemed Professor Yan, with only his head poking out the quilt, said.
With such spirit, his fever should probably have gone down.
Gu Yan nced down at the thermometer and reset it to zero. Eyes casted down, he said to Yan Suizhi, Hand.
Professor Yan condescended to stick out a paw from his nest of nkets. Gu Yan tapped the thermometer on his palm.
Beep
Yan Suizhi, Hows it? Gone down yet?
Mn, went down.
Yan Suizhi, I think the medicine you gave me is quite problematic, I dont really feel like moving after eating it.
Did I ask you to move? Gu Yan asked curtly.
Yan Suizhi smiled, but theziness permeating his entire body had washed away. He propped his body upright, looking all ready to hop out of bed.
Gu Yan was probably traumatised by him by now and was particrly sensitive to his every move. He frowned at once, asking, What are you doing?
Shower, Yan Suizhi.
Gu Yan, To pour water on the wound and get another bout of fever? Can you try to have mercy on that leg?
Yan Suizhi sat on the side of the bed. Following his words, he looked down at that injured leg and tsked. I holed up in the quilts for a day and feel that Ive worked up a little sweat. If I dont shower, Ill start to stink. Can you stand having a stinky intern?
Gu Yan,
Expressionless, he looked at Yan Suizhi. His face was very restrained. For a time, it was hard to tell if he was making a very difficult decision or simply rendered speechless.
In any case, after a good few seconds, he said, Go stinky, then.
Yan Suizhi,
In actuality, he didnt smell much, if at all. But he still felt ufortable without a shower, so he ended up finding an excuse to invite the distinguished Lawyer Gu, the venerated Buddha specialised at provoking anger, out the door. Then, he used a wet towel to wipe down his body.
This time, he finally followed the instructions to the word, avoiding the wound all the way and not messing around with it anymore.
When Gu Yan was next weed by him through the door again, it was already nine-thirty in the evening.
He came together with the hotels room service trolley. After tossing around with fever and suffering from inmmation the whole day, now, Yan Suizhi was famished. But he didnt have much of an appetite. This time, even if Gu Yan really spread a tter of sweet prawns, crab jelly,mb chops, etc in front of him, he wouldnt want to touch it either. So, he had gotten the hotel to cook a pot of porridge for him.
Perhaps because the youngd was overly shocked by his wound in the morning, Yan Suizhi found that the delivered porridge had many tonics mixed into it, and any heaty ingredients were also carefully screened out.
This hotel was so-so, but their porridge was good. It was easy to eat even with so many ingredients stuffed into it.
Yan Suizhi drank two small bowls of porridge, and Gu Yan took half the pot as well.
You actually have suppers? Yan Suizhi was quite surprised. After all, he had only seen Gu Yan skip meals when busy, and would rarely see him stop for additional meals outside the usual times.
It couldnt be that you havent eaten dinner yet, have you? Yan Suizhi nced at the trash bin in the corner of the room and wondered.
Ate, Gu Yan tidied up the bowls and rang for room service, replying.
Yan Suizhi was slightly skeptical, but his attention was soon diverted to work.
After room service staff pushed the trolley away, Gu Yan sat across from Yan Suizhi and projected several recordings from his photonputer to show Yan Suizhi. I went to find Fix in the morning.
How was it? Yan Suizhi asked as he tapped the y button.
Theres good news, and bad news, Gu Yan said.
Yan Suizhi, Which do you want to say first? Im fine either way, it isnt as if I havent received bad news before.
Gu Yan pointed at the holographic screen. The person who owns the taxi isnt Fix. He is hired by the owner, Jamie ck, the middle-aged man we previously saw. He isnt able to go out and fetch customers everyday at noon and in the evening around the meal hours, so he hands the taxi to Fix.
The good news is that Jamie ck wasnt stingy and had a dashboard camera installed. Its the type that can record the happenings outside the car, and even has an infrared setting.
Yan Suizhi raised his eyebrows, more or less getting a sense of what wasing. So? The bad news is that it recorded something against Joshua?
Gu Yan nodded, Somewhat.
Yan Suizhi roughly skimmed through the videos and found a few that happened to catch Joshua Dale climbing over the yard wall; in the many days of video footage, it wasnt just once or twice that he was caught.
He pulled the progress bar and asked Gu Yan, Have you watched it already?
A few times.
Made notes?
Gu Yan, I did. Dont you think that this isnt something for an intern to ask?
Yan Suizhi, Im just asking.
He immediately changed the subject. Right, those pages I handed you yesterday, have you seen them?
Gu Yan leaned back against the chair, an indescribable expression crossing his face. nced through it.
Yan Suizhi, You didnt look it over carefully? Whys that?
Gu Yan, Let me give you a suggestion. Next time you pass this piece of divine scripture on to others to read, remember to hire an interpreter.
Yan Suizhi,
Refuse to read your teachers kind advice? Watch out, make sure you donte out of court crying.