Chen Jian sat up, propping his hand next to Shan Yu’s head, still a bit out of breath.
Shan Yu turned his head and kissed his wrist. “Get off.”
“Wait.” Chen Jian quickly pulled up his pants, leaned back, and as he tried to fall towards the passenger seat, his butt landed on the steering wheel.
A horn honked in the darkness.
“Fuck.” He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his skull. He scrambled over to the passenger side, half-rolling, and sat down in the seat.
He had already synchronized a calm expression onto his face.
Shan Yu was still half-lying in the driver’s seat, watching him and laughing silently.
Chen Jian let out a breath. “You scared me so much I started hallucinating. I thought that tree up ahead was a person.”
“Can you see clearly now?” Shan Yu adjusted the seatback to its upright position.
“Mhm.” Chen Jian fastened his seatbelt, then couldn’t resist looking up again, confirming it was just a tree.
“Driving now,” Shan Yu said.
“Go ahead. I’m afraid your dad will freeze.” Chen Jian deftly tied up the trash bag in the car and placed it by his feet.
“Don’t worry. If he really can’t stand the cold, he’ll call my mom.” Shan Yu fastened his seatbelt, and the car continued forward.
“He probably hasn’t caught any fish yet. If he had, even just one, he’d probably be shouting to go back, right?” Chen Jian asked.
“Mhm.” Shan Yu smiled. “You already understand Professor Shan quite well.”
“He looks so… scholarly,” Chen Jian said. “I didn’t expect him to be so stubborn.”
“That’s just how he looks. My dad is actually quite assertive too,” Shan Yu said. “Scholars just express it differently.”
“I’ve basically never had much contact with scholars before,” Chen Jian said. “The people with the highest education I know now are Nana and Liu Wu, oh and Yue Lang and Yao Yi.”
“Yue Lang even studied abroad for a few days,” Shan Yu said. “An outstanding representative on Moments.”
Chen Jian started laughing but didn’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu slowed down the car and looked at him.
“Watch the road,” Chen Jian said.
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu turned his head back to look at the road ahead.
“Just feeling a bit emotional,” Chen Jian said, then fell silent for a few seconds, looking out the window and speaking softly. “If it weren’t for you, these people might never have appeared in my life. My present and future life would also be something I might never have come into contact with.”
“Did President Liu say something to you?” Shan Yu asked.
“Huh?” Chen Jian quickly turned his head to look at him. “No.”
“Then why are you thinking so much for no reason?” Shan Yu said.
“I’m not an idiot,” Chen Jian said. “It’s normal for me to feel a bit emotional sometimes.”
“What did you two talk about when I went to get the dog?” Shan Yu pressed.
“Nothing much. President Liu even thanked me,” Chen Jian said.
“Thanked you for what?” Shan Yu said. “For the continued rehabilitation of an ex-convict?”
Chen Jian started laughing. “You’re really something else.”
“Did she thank you for half an hour?” Shan Yu said. “Can’t be. She probably doesn’t have that many words.”
Chen Jian sighed, hesitated for a moment, and leaned back against the seat. “She just said she’d recommend some books for me to read when I have time.”
“What books?” Shan Yu asked. “Were you being humble with her? Did you say you still had a lot to learn in terms of management?”
“Damn,” Chen Jian turned his head to look at him. “You know me pretty well.”
“You… next time you two talk about this, just say that without you, this guesthouse would have gone bankrupt long ago with just Shan Yu,” Shan Yu flicked his finger on the steering wheel. “Say you’re a natural-born manager, and she won’t make you read books.”
“Then she’d have to make me see a doctor,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu burst out laughing.
“She has a point,” Chen Jian said. “Doesn’t she? I really am… a high school student being a manager is a bit…”
“Who are you insulting?” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian paused, then said with a smile, “You’re different from me. You have vision, you have a brain. The environments we grew up in are completely different.”
“In the end, aren’t we both in this guesthouse?” Shan Yu said. “And I’m getting fired by the employees every day.”
Chen Jian smiled without saying anything.
“It’s not a big deal,” Shan Yu said. “If President Liu really recommends books to you, read them if you can. If you feel you’re lacking somewhere, just make up for it. A manager with no vision, no brain, and a not-so-great upbringing has also managed the guesthouse to its current state, right? How hard can it be to improve a little more?”
Chen Jian was silent for a few seconds. “Are you talking about me?”
“I just repeated your own words,” Shan Yu said. “When you hear them from someone else’s mouth, don’t you feel a bit unconvinced?”
Chen Jian clicked his tongue.
He actually did.
“It shows that you don’t really think you can be limited by these things,” Shan Yu said. “If you have the ability, you have the ability. If you want to improve, then go improve.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian responded.
“Good boy,” Shan Yu said.
“Seriously though,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “What do you think… President Liu’s impression of me is?”
“I’ll ask later,” Shan Yu smiled.
“You didn’t ask before?” Chen Jian asked.
“No,” Shan Yu said. “The person I like doesn’t really need others’ opinions.”
Chen Jian didn’t speak. After a while, he said, “Maybe you shouldn’t ask.”
“Really?” Shan Yu asked.
“If you think it’s good, that’s all that matters, right?” Chen Jian said.
“Mhm.” Shan Yu reached out and hooked his chin.
The scholar Professor Shan, aka the master fish feeder, sat alone on a rock by the river, hunched into a small ball, staring at the water’s surface.
Two glowing red and green dots floated on the water—two luminous bobbers.
Professor Shan had really made thorough preparations. He had probably calculated that he might fish until dark, as he had even brought luminous bobbers and had even cast another line.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, pointed a silver object in his hand at them, and then Chen Jian saw an intense white light.
Heaven had arrived.
Everything around him lost its color, or rather, not just its color, but its shape. Everything merged into a single patch in the strong light.
He couldn’t see anything.
“Oh my!” Professor Shan exclaimed in shock, and then the strong light disappeared.
Chen Jian stood where he was. It took a full five seconds before he could barely feel the surrounding scenery, which seemed to have been scared away, slowly returning to his field of vision.
“Where did you get such a thing?” Shan Yu was also very shocked.
“Sorry,” Professor Shan said. “I just bought it and haven’t used it yet. I didn’t know it would have this effect.”
“Didn’t you test it when you received it?” Shan Yu asked as he walked over.
“No, I just put it directly in my bag. I thought it was just a slightly brighter flashlight,” Professor Shan smiled. “Did I scare you two?”
“It’s okay,” Chen Jian said. “It just felt like I successfully passed a heavenly tribulation.”
Professor Shan laughed out loud twice.
“Did you scare the fish away?” Shan Yu squatted down, picked up the fish basket by the river, and lifted it.
“It’s empty,” Professor Shan said.
“Did you get any bites?” Shan Yu asked.
“No,” Professor Shan said. Although he was stubborn, he was also honest.
“How about…” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, I’ll go ask Xiao Dou’er’s grandfather for some of his bait. Maybe these fish are used to his?”
“That makes sense!” Professor Shan immediately agreed.
“Then shall we head back now?” Shan Yu asked.
“Let’s go back,” Professor Shan sighed. “Tomorrow, Xiao Chen can help me get some bait, and I’ll come back to continue fishing.”
Chen Jian helped Professor Shan carry the pile of equipment back to the car.
When he saw Professor Shan heading for the passenger seat, he immediately thought of the trash bag there. Just as he was about to rush over and move the bag to the back, Professor Shan turned back, opened the back seat door, and got in.
Chen Jian breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are they playing cards?” Professor Shan asked.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu nodded. “Are you going to play a few rounds when you get back?”
“Sure,” Professor Shan smiled. “Is your aunt playing?”
“She’s the one who suggested it,” Shan Yu said.
“Then we have to play. She’s the goddess of wealth,” Professor Shan said.
“Does she always lose?” Chen Jian asked.
“Yes,” Professor Shan said with a laugh. “But she always loves to play. Her uncle is alright. One gives, one takes, maintaining a balance of income and expenditure.”
Back at the guesthouse, a young couple was chatting in the coffee shop, and two families of guests were watching TV in the dining room. Sun Nana was standing at the front desk, while everyone else had gone to the conference room to play cards.
“Are you going to play?” Chen Jian asked. “I can hold the fort here.”
“Sure. Uncle Chen just took Shiwu out for a walk. It’s now squeezed in the doghouse with Mushroom. Call us if you need anything,” Sun Nana said, then lowered her voice. “I’m going to watch the duel between Sanbing and Liu Wu.”
“Playing cards?” Chen Jian smiled. “Then Liu Wu probably can’t beat Sanbing. Sanbing is pretty good at cards.”
“You can’t be outdone in everything, right?” Sun Nana said with a smile, flicking her hair and jogging towards the conference room.
Professor Shan took his wet fishing gear to the backyard to dry, then rubbed his hands and also went to the conference room. Although he hadn’t caught any fish, it seemed playing cards could help him regain some face.
Chen Jian opened the logbook and looked at the day’s phone records and work content.
Shan Yu leaned back in the lounge chair behind the front desk, propping his head on his arm and watching him.
“Aren’t you going to play?” Chen Jian glanced at him. “The card saint.”
“What if something comes up? I have to help,” Shan Yu said. “I’m a boss, after all.”
“Can’t you just stand by and say ‘Hello, excuse me, I don’t know’?” Chen Jian smiled.
“I can at least deliver a bottle of water or get some supplies,” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“There probably won’t be much going on now,” Chen Jian said. “Probably just…”
Just as he was speaking, a car drove in from outside and stopped in front of the main gate.
“There are no parking spaces here at the entrance. I’ll go guide them,” Chen Jian said, walking outside. “You watch here.”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded.
“Hello,” Chen Jian said as he walked up to the car.
The car window rolled down. The driver was a young man, with a girl in the passenger seat. It looked like there were two more people in the back seat.
“We’re staying here. Where do we park?” the man asked.
“Drive in a little further. There are more spaces inside,” Chen Jian said, turning to walk in.
“Excuse me, is this Dayin?” the girl in the passenger seat leaned out and asked.
“Yes, it is,” Chen Jian replied.
After guiding the car to an empty parking space, Chen Jian went back inside.
“Someone else is coming at this hour?” Shan Yu asked.
“They probably drove all day, playing along the way,” Chen Jian said. “There are quite a few like that.”
“Oh,” Shan Yu nodded.
“How about you intern at the front desk for a week after the New Year? Get to know things a bit,” Chen Jian said.
“No,” Shan Yu answered crisply.
When the four young people from the car walked into the lobby, Chen Jian was taken aback.
They were all carrying backpacks and looked very outdoorsy, but they were different from ordinary tourists. The man and a girl walking behind were holding a sports camera and a phone on a stabilizer, both pointed at the girl in the front.
“We’re here,” the girl said as she walked in, turning back to look at the camera. “The inside looks really nice too, very comfortable…”
They were probably some kind of travel bloggers.
Shan Yu stood up. Before Chen Jian could say anything, he was already walking towards the elevator. “I’m going to the conference room to play for a bit.”
Chen Jian clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything.
Since the bonfire festival, the number of tourists had gradually increased, and it was common to see people holding up their phones to film videos. Chen Jian was used to it. However, this was the first time he had seen someone with a dedicated camera crew.
These past two days, they had still been receiving calls wishing Dayin well. After the New Year, there might be all sorts of new tourists.
“Hello,” Chen Jian greeted them. “Do you have a reservation?”
“No,” the girl said, leaning her arms on the front desk. “Do you still have two rooms?”
The sports camera and the phone were filming from either side. Another girl stood a little further back, holding a fill light in her hand. She might have been an assistant.
“Let me see, one moment. How many days are you planning to stay?” Chen Jian quickly checked the computer. “We have both twin and king-size rooms, but only the king-size rooms have a river view. The twin rooms have a mountain view.”
“Let’s do two days for now,” the girl said. “One king and one twin.”
“Okay, may I have your IDs, please,” Chen Jian said. “If you want to switch to a river view, there will be one available tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s great. Could you please hold it for us when it becomes available?” The girl handed over two IDs. “Excuse me, are you the manager?”
Chen Jian glanced at her. “I am.”
“Oh,” the girl smiled.
These people seemed quite polite. After checking in, they went back to their rooms and didn’t come out again.
Just as Chen Jian was about to call Shan Yu to tell him he could come back, Shan Yu was already coming down the hallway.
“Your timing is pretty good,” Chen Jian said.
“My phone can access the security cameras,” Shan Yu said.
“…You’re even watching the surveillance?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“These people are a bit strange,” Shan Yu said. “I’m keeping an eye on them to see what they’re up to.”
“They’re probably just travel bloggers,” Chen Jian said. “A couple, and two other girls. I saw their bags and shoes, they look pretty professional.”
“Then why were they asking about the manager?” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“That’s… probably normal too,” Chen Jian said.
“Mhm, after all, that photo of the handsome manager already has almost two thousand comments,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian looked at him.
“I just checked,” Shan Yu’s lips curved into a slight smile.
“You know nothing about the shop,” Chen Jian said, “but you’re always the first to get the latest intelligence on these things.”
“Gossip is always more attractive than business,” Shan Yu said.
The card game in the conference room didn’t end until almost two in the morning. Everyone had a great time. To avoid disturbing the guests, they didn’t chat much longer and all went back to their rooms.
Liu Wu walked Hu Pan all the way to her dorm room door, reluctant to leave.
Sanbing swaggered past them and into the dorm.
He was the big winner in this round.
To avoid Liu Wu’s pre-sleep chatter, Shan Yu sat on the lounge chair at the front desk until three in the morning.
At 3:05, Liu Wu called him. “My dear cousin, are you not sleeping yet?”
“…Are you poisoned? Why are you still awake?” Shan Yu was a bit speechless.
“Let’s chat for a bit,” Liu Wu said. “I haven’t chatted with you today.”
“Alright, I know,” Shan Yu hung up the phone and looked at Chen Jian. “Is there any milk?”
“Yes,” Chen Jian looked at him. “Do you want some?”
“I’ll heat up a cup of milk and put a sleeping pill in it for Liu Wu,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian started laughing. “How could you be like that?”
In the end, there was no hot milk and no sleeping pill. Shan Yu dragged his heavy steps upstairs.
Chen Jian got up as usual and did a round, then went back to the front desk, lay down on the lounge chair, and covered himself with a small blanket.
He didn’t know how long Shan Yu and Liu Wu had talked, or if they had fallen asleep. As for him, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
At a little past six, Mushroom went to the bathroom by itself and came back. Shiwu, who was on a leash, probably got anxious and howled a couple of times, waking Chen Jian up.
Yawning, he ran to the backyard, added dog food, and led Shiwu out.
“Let’s go,” he said, leading Shiwu out. “Time to take you for a crap.”
The early morning air had the unique fresh scent of the mountains and soil. When the cool air rushed into his nose, it was particularly refreshing and invigorating.
By the time he walked out the back door, Chen Jian was already fully awake.
He led Shiwu into the mountains. Shiwu lowered its head and happily sniffed around, peeing three times within ten steps.
“You really can pee,” Chen Jian said.
There were footsteps behind him.
Not sure if it was a tourist heading up the mountain early in the morning, Chen Jian pulled the dog to the side and glanced back.
Shan Yu was following behind him, holding up his phone.
“You have…” Chen Jian was startled.
“I’m recording a video,” Shan Yu said. “Watch what you say.”
“Why are you recording a video?” Chen Jian asked.
“I have an idea,” Shan Yu said, smiling at him.
