Seizing Dreams

“I’ll go off first.” Cen Shan said to the other guy and lady, “I’m meeting a friend, bye.”

The other party wanted Cen Shan to stay. She said, “I’m really not free. I’m going now.” After she finished speaking, she didn’t even care about the other two before leaving just like that.

Zhou Sheng said, “You go and look for sis-in-law. I’ll take some more pictures.”

Yu Hao hurried downstairs. Cen Shan said, “I’m here, where are you looking?”

Yu Hao said, “Sis-in-law!”

Cen Shan went over to loop her arm around Yu Hao’s, then walked towards the second floor. She took off her little red cap and said, “This is too much of a coincidence. Let’s go, what do you want? Jie will buy clothes for you.”

Yu Hao was afraid of involving Cen Shan, “I don’t want to buy clothes…What’s your relationship with them?”

Cen Shan said, “Then let’s eat dessert bei. From the neighbouring class, not familiar. I hitched a ride on a friend’s private jet on my way back, and I got to know her on the plane. She insisted on getting me to accompany her out shopping on her birthday, yet a man I didn’t know popped up too from somewhere, and she didn’t even tell me in advance. Laoniang was in a bad mood in the first place, yet she still wanted to introduce me to her friend.”

Yu Hao thought, phew, but something’s not right?

“When did you come back? Yu Hao asked.

“Christmas.” Cen Shan answered, “My dad has a project in Beijing, so I didn’t go back. I heard that you were in Beijing and wanted to ask you out for a meal. There’s something I had to find you for.”

Previously, Cen Shan was in a group chat with them, but it was unknown when Cen Shan started hardly speaking in the chat.

“What are you guys doing?” Cen Shan asked, “Taking street photographs?”

Yu Hao briefly talked about his and Zhou Sheng’s affairs in recent months. Cen Shan said, “Does the private investigator firm hire people like me? I want to go there too!”

Yu Hao said, “It’s very tiring! You’re either crouching by flower beds or catching those in affairs. My legs are about to break.”

Cen Shan said, “But that’s still better than standing on a wooden box and waving your hands like a lunatic all day okay? I’ve trained them so much they look like Qilin arms now! Look!” As she spoke, she showed Yu Hao her arms.

Yu Hao said, “You’re not going back to see Gege?”

Cen Shan said helplessly, “What do you think? I’m leaving on the 5th.”

Zhou Sheng jogged back, “Sis-in-law, sis-in-law! I want to eat chocolate fondue! I’m finally seeing you again, so I need to rip a good meal off of you!”

Cen Shan smiled as she got up, then went to the counter to order chocolate fondue for them. Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao looked at each other. Yu Hao quickly waved his hand before Zhou Sheng nodded, feeling reassured.

Cen Shan said, “I was looking for you, Zhou Sheng. You gave the big guy 400,000 to open a shop?”

Zhou Sheng was looking at the camera in his hand and uttered an “un“, “Why?”

Cen Shan frowned, “That won’t do.”

Zhou Sheng looked at Yu Hao to signal ‘quick, it’s your turn now’. Yu Hao said, “I was the one who lent it to him.”

“What’s your account number?” Cen Shan said, “I’ll transfer it to you. Consider me a new shareholder ba.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Sis-in-law!”

Cen Shan, “It’s fine as long as you don’t tell him. Yu Hao, listen to Jiejie, send me your account number.”

Yu Hao didn’t say anything and remained stubborn. In any case, it was pretty good to be awkward once in awhile. Everyone could separate from their environment for a moment, while you look at me and I look at you. It wasn’t easy for Yu Hao to choke out the sentence, “The gym just started earning money, I won’t give you any shares.”

“Who the hell are you trying to deceive?!” Cen Shan said, “Xia Lei came to Beijing too. I bumped into him at a real estate meeting yesterday…Ah thank you, the two of you can eat the chocolate fondue by yourselves. The big guy suffered 100,000 in losses. Behave, that’s Zhou Sheng’s dowry. You two still have to buy a house in Beijing, it isn’t worthwhile to torment yourselves with that foolish big guy. Just don’t tell him.”

Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng fiddled with his camera and still didn’t speak.

Yu Hao, “It’s really okay, we don’t lack that…”

Cen Shan, “Tell him when the time comes that I’m the one who invested that money, so if he loses it, then so be it. But if the two of you are the ones who invested it, he would definitely think of a way to return it…I’m afraid that he’d end up losing all the money and end up doing something stupid.”

“Sis-in-law.” Zhou Sheng said, “You’re the one in the wrong this time.”

Cen Shan stopped talking.

Yu Hao placed an ice cream bar in the chocolate fondue . Zhou Sheng had taken him to eat this twice before, and he had wanted to go long ago, but it was too expensive, so he couldn’t bear to. But now Cen Shan was treating them and had even ordered two portions. After they finished one, another one was quickly ordered.

“Eat slowly, your stomach might get cold.” Cen Shan said to Yu Hao.

“There’s no use changing the subject.” Zhou Sheng put away his camera, “When we were in different cities, Gege always told me to come to Beijing to look for Yu Hao. Even if this makes me sound like a pain in the ass, I have to say it.”

Cen Shan said grumpily, “I got it.”

“What did you get?” Zhou Sheng said, “Say it ah.”

Cen Shan took a deep breath and didn’t want to look at Zhou Sheng. Yu Hao used his gaze to signal to Zhou Sheng, don’t mess around in other couple’s affairs.

“I really envy you both.” Cen Shan suddenly said.

“You can too.” Zhou Sheng took out his phone, used WeChat and sent the photos to his colleagues. His work had ended for the day. Yu Hao fed him ice cream.

“I’m dead tired.” Cen Shan said, “Zhou Sheng, do you know how tiring it is for me in Vienna alone? I get looked down on everywhere I go, and I get ostracised too. My dad’s just a nouveau riche, so if they don’t bully me, who else will they bully? After I finish my classes everyday, I’m so tired, I don’t even have the strength to bathe, but I still have to read and learn German by myself. Do you understand that?”

Zhou Sheng said, “I understand.”

Yu Hao said, “I understand it so well.”

Cen Shan heaved a prolonged sigh. Zhou Sheng said, “But what do you want him to do? You’ll have to eventually draw a line ba.”

Cen Shan said, “I don’t know. I don’t even know what I want in my life, but you two look like you do.”

Yu Hao, “Do you love him?”

Cen Shan said grumpily, “I do.”

Zhou Sheng looked down and fiddled around with his phone for a bit, “ID.”

Cen Shan, “What?”

“I said, what’s your ID?” Zhou Sheng said.

Yu Hao, “Ai hold on, I think I have it! I have it!”

“What do you guys want to do?” Cen Shan frowned.

Yu Hao recalled that he had helped Cen Shan buy a train ticket once, so her passenger information was still in the system. Cen Shan said, “Stop it……”

Zhou Sheng took Yu Hao’s phone and sat at one side. Cen Shan got up and wanted to go over, but Yu Hao uttered an “aiya“.

Cen Shan hurriedly said, “Did you get burnt? Sorry, I’m sorry.” Yu Hao was feigning it to cooperate with Zhou Sheng and stall Cen Shan, but Cen Shan was afraid that the chocolate fondue had spilled onto Yu Hao and quickly wiped him with a tissue.

“It’s done.” In this short span of time, Zhou Sheng bought a plane ticket for Cen Shan, “You have two hours to get to the airport.”

Yu Hao, “I’ll call a cab for you.”

Cen Shan, “……”

“The cab’s here.” Yu Hao said, “Go ba, hurry.”

Zhou Sheng, “Gege will pick you up at the airport there.”

Cen Shan, “……………………”

Cen Shan sat for another 15 seconds, and the atmosphere seemed heavy. Then she got up, put on her cap, and ran outside. Zhou Sheng whistled to her, “Sis-in-law! Happy New Year!”

“Sis-in-law, Happy New Year!” Yu Hao smiled happily at Cen Shan.

Cen Shan didn’t look back; she raised her hand and waved with her back facing them.

Zhou Sheng sat back down and smiled as he fed Yu Hao the chocolate ice cream. However, suddenly, the two of them remembered something extremely serious at the same time.

Yu Hao, “Is this chocolate fondue paid for?”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

Yu Hao, “How much was the ticket?”

Zhou Sheng, “Business class, 3,200……”

Yu Hao, “Why is it so expensive?!”

Zhou Sheng, “It’s New Year’s! All the tickets got a price hike! Damn it, I only got an extra 500 for working overtime today! How much is the dessert?”

Yu Hao, “298……get it from Gege?”

Zhou Sheng didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “He doesn’t have any damn money!”

The next day, when Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng went out to continue collecting evidence, Fu Liqun called.

“Baby.” Fu Liqun said, “Thank you guys for yesterday.”

Yu Hao was currently worrying about his topic in the hot pot shop, “You’re being too polite.”

Zhou Sheng took a bottle of foreign wine and pretended to be a salesman as he knocked on the rooms’ doors. Yu Hao craned his neck to take a look. He was in the hall eating meat that was so sticky it would still stick to the plate even if it was turned upside down. It was so fun to follow Zhou Sheng out on his private detective jobs! They could even get their hot pot meal reimbursed by his company.

Looks like the private detective industry was really profitable.

Yu Hao said, “Have a good time for the next few days……”

Fu Liqun said, “She has already left. I transferred ownership of the gym the day before yesterday.”

Yu Hao stopped moving. Fu Liqun said, “I’m sorry, brother, I didn’t let you guys know beforehand.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Yu Hao continued eating calmly, “It’s fine if you’ve thought it through.”

Fu Liqun fell silent for awhile. Yu Hao felt apprehensive as he looked at Zhou Sheng entering the room. Zhou Sheng got chased out, then made an ‘ok’ gesture at Yu Hao. He then took off his jacket and came over to eat hot pot meat with him. On a winter day with drifting snow that filled the sky, the two of them ate meat blanched in a copper pot in the restaurant, and life was so incredibly wonderful.

Still, Yu Hao was a little dismayed because of Fu Liqun, “Do you want to come to Beijing to relax?”

Fu Liqun said, “I won’t disturb you guys for now, the two of you are busy too.”

Zhou Sheng took the earphones with a mic attached, “Come ba, Gege.”

Fu Liqun said, “Young Master, give me a card number. I’ll transfer the rest of the money over. After closing down, total losses sum up to about 100,000. Your sis-in-law wanted to pay it for me, but I didn’t let her. I’ll strive to return it to you by the end of the year.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Transfer the money over. We’ve already agreed at the outset that all profits and losses are on me.”

Fu Liqun, “That is what’s written on the contract, but……”

Zhou Sheng, “If you want to pay me back, then you won’t have me as a friend anymore.”

Fu Liqun, “Give me the card number first ba.”

“Gege.” Yu Hao suddenly said, “I miss you, come visit us ba. Otherwise we can go back?”

Fu Liqun was quiet again for a while, then he said, “Okay, I’ll let you know when I’ve booked a ticket.”

The call ended. Zhou Sheng said, “Eat ba.”

“You haven’t decided on a topic?” On the first day of work, Lin Ze asked.

There were already more than 70 topics in the list, all of which have been rejected by Lin Ze.

Yu Hao said, “Not yet.”

Lin Ze, “I saw you going around everywhere to eat in your circle of friends. You seemed pretty happy eating ma. You ate chocolate fondue, normal hot pot, and even some fruitwood roasted chicken…Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”

Yu Hao said, “I’m sorry, I’ll keep…working hard.”

Lin Ze, “Your independent feature determines whether you can pass your probation period, take note of it.”

Yu Hao said, “You won’t fire me.”

Lin Ze laughed, “See if I will?”

Yu Hao, “……”

Lin Ze said, “This also concerns your salary package later on.”

Yu Hao immediately said, “I’ll definitely work on it seriously.” He pondered for a bit, held his camera up, and planned to go out for interviews.

Lin Ze said, “Yu Hao, you’re too obedient sometimes.”

Yu Hao thought about it, stopped walking and said, “Too obedient?”

Lin Ze ruminated for a long time, then finally said, “You’ve never refuted me before, or had any times when you’d say, ‘Ah Ze, what the hell do you know? I must do this feature!'”

Yu Hao, “!!!”

Lin Ze said, “I’ve rejected 75 of your feature topics in a row. Don’t you have even one where, even if you had to start quarrelling with your leader, you must conduct an interview for no matter what?”

“I understand.” Yu Hao recalled his pile of topics.