Seizing Dreams

Two days later, at the investigation office.

Qin Guodong took out a plastic bag with the Golden Crow Wheel’s chip inside and handed it over to Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng accepted it.

“I have to go back to take over Ren Chong’s mess.” Qin Guodong said, “The special investigation team hasn’t been dissolved yet, so someone has to look after it.”

Zhou Sheng took the chip and handed it to Ou Qihang. Ou Qihang was overwhelmed by the honour. “You’re really lending it to me?”

“Yu Hao promised you ah.” Zhou Sheng said, “Which means I promised you too. It’s no big deal to lend it to you for a year to play with.”

Yu Hao said, “If the CPU doesn’t have any energy, it probably won’t be able to start up again.”

Ou Qihang studied the wires in the bag, saying, “Un, I’ll give it a try ba.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Don’t take it to your school’s laboratory ah.”

“Of course.” Ou Qihang said, “I’m only going to study it at home, I won’t tell anyone about it.”

One month later, at the newspaper office.

Zhou Sheng rode a shared bicycle and arrived outside newspaper office in the evening, then went in to look for Yu Hao. Situ Ye, while holding an ocarina, was teaching Chen Yekai, Ou Qihang, Fu Liqun, and Lin Ze how to play it.

“Yo, everyone’s here?” Zhou Sheng said in surprise, “Why are you guys suddenly learning this?”

Yu Hao was writing his manuscript, and he was about to blow up. He was still going all ‘ahhhhhh I’m never going to finish this’, while Situ Ye said with a smile, “Just playing for fun.”

“What’re you guys learning?” Zhou Sheng took one as well, “Let me play too? Wifey, there’s no rush, you can write first.”

“《Silent Memories》” Ou Qihang said sternly, “Douyin‘s divine melody.”

Zhou Sheng’s mouth twitched. Situ Ye continued, “You don’t need to learn it.”

Yu Hao glanced at Zhou Sheng, and Zhou Sheng felt even more baffled.

Two months later, Sanjia Hospital.

Everyone was holding bouquets and fruit baskets as they rushed into Huang Ting’s hospital ward.

“Why are you all dressed so formally…” Huang Ting glanced at them, but everyone just treated him like air and rushed straight to the other hospital bed where the bone marrow donor lay.

“Thank you!” Chen Yekai was even shedding tears. He went to shake the donor’s hand. It was Yu Hao’s first time seeing Chen Yekai cry like this, and he couldn’t help but want to cry too.

“Thank you, Dage.” Zhou Sheng said to that man.

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome.” The donor said.

“Thank you for saving our brother!” Fu Liqun said, “If you have any instructions for us in the future, feel free to let us know!”

Huang Ting, “……”

Huang Ting just lay idly in bed and looked at the ceiling.

Six months later, Beijing Airport.

“I’m going ah.” Fu Liqun sadly bid farewell to his friends at the airport.

Zhou Sheng said, “Don’t weep so much, ai, we’ll go to Germany during the National Day holidays to find you. We’ll meet again in a few months.”

“Okay!” Fu Liqun said, “Young Master, Young Madam, I…”

Yu Hao smiled as he embraced Fu Liqun. Chen Yekai and Huang Ting hugged Fu Liqun as well in turn.

“Huang Ting, go back earlier.”

“Never mind, I’m recovering very quickly.” Huang Ting answered.

Ou Qihang darted over and shouted, “Liqun Ge!” Then he leapt up and hugged Fu Liqun.

Cen Shan smiled while watching them to one side. Fu Liqun turned around, held hands with Cen Shan, and went to the security checkpoint. Zhou Sheng just looked down at his phone, glancing at Fu Liqun once in awhile as he waited for him to leave.

Yu Hao turned his head sideways to look at Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng looked away. Yu Hao caught a glimpse of a large paragraph of WeChat content he wrote that he wanted to send to Fu Liqun, but he deleted all of it in the end.

“Gege!”

Just as Fu Liqun was about to wait in line, Zhou Sheng finally shouted and took a few steps forward.

Fu Liqun stood still, turned his head, and looked at Zhou Sheng with loneliness evident in his gaze. Zhou Sheng couldn’t rein it in; he went a few steps forward, but stopped, and the two of them just looked at each other quietly like that.

“I love you!” Fu Liqun smiled as he shouted, then turned his head and didn’t look at Zhou Sheng any longer.

“I love you too!” Zhou Sheng shouted openly as if no one else was around.

Everyone couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Zhou Sheng held Yu Hao’s hand and left. After Fu Liqun passed through the security checkpoint, he sat beside Cen Shan, shook his head, and finally began to cry.

Eight months later, at home.

Yu Hao scanned his fingerprint to unlock the door. He heard the laughter of a girl and Zhou Sheng’s mad laughter in the house.

“He’s back, he’s back.” Zhou Sheng was amused, “Quick, greet your sis-in-law, go. Yu Hao, Anqi’s here.”

“Hello, sis-in-law.” Anqi laughed.

“Hello, Meimei.” Yu Hao said, “I went out for an interview today, so I couldn’t pick you up.”

“That’s all right, Ge went.” Anqi said, “I bought some chocolate for you.”

Yu Hao asked, “How many days are you staying for?”

“I’m going abroad tomorrow,” Anqi said, “So I came to find you two. Sis-in-law, why do I feel like I’ve met you somewhere?”

Yu Hao brewed some pour over coffee for Anqi and Zhou Sheng, saying, “In a dream ba?”

Zhou Sheng, “Wu…”

Anqi said, “Really seem to have seen you in my dreams before.”

Yu Hao said, “Zhou Sheng never told me that he has a younger sister.”

Anqi said, “Ai you don’t know this, my Mum used to be really annoying; she would always nag and grumble as she thinks my Ge…”

Zhou Sheng smacked his thigh and said, “Ai! I remembered something. Repeat it for your sis-in-law again! I guarantee he’ll laugh himself to death!”

Yu Hao understood something — Zhou Sheng’s stepmother most likely wanted to marry this daughter of Zhou Laichun who wasn’t related to him by blood to Zhou Sheng! No wonder. Does he think I get jealous that easily?!

“What is it?” Yu Hao smiled, “I heard you guys laughing so happily just now…”

Anqi said solemnly, “Just the other day, I heard it from my Mum…hahahahahaha——”

Anqi hadn’t even said it before she bowled over laughing. Zhou Sheng laughed so hard that he lay sprawled on the table as well. Yu Hao didn’t know whether to cry or laugh for a moment as he looked at this pair of siblings.

“Zhou Laichun that idiot hahahaha—”

Yu Hao, “???”

Yu Hao was instantly intrigued. He said, “Don’t laugh anymore! Hurry and tell me ah!”

“Hahahaha—” Anqi finally reined herself in and said intermittently, “Zhou Laichun had a baby, but for some reason, he got into a fight with his wife and went to get a DNA test. As a result…it was his chauffeur’s kid, hahahaha—”

Zhou Sheng said, “His chauffeur is really handsome okay?! Why are you looking down on his chauffeur! Xiao Qin and my family’s chauffeur have eloped! That’s true love! The chauffeur’s wife even went to my house to catch the adulterers…”

Yu Hao instantly burst into laughter and almost knocked the coffee over.

“Then what should we do?!” Yu Hao cried, “He’s going to come and torment us again!”

Zhou Sheng laughed so hard tears were spilling out. He shrugged helplessly.

Anqi asked, “Ge, you don’t want to go back to manage the company?”

“Your Ge’s in charge of the office now ah.” Yu Hao said, “The results of his postgraduate entrance examination will be released soon, and he still needs to go to graduate school.”

Anqi laughed so hard she collapsed in her chair. She said, “Aiya I don’t know about you guys either, do as you see fit ba.”

“The results are out,” Zhou Sheng said to Yu Hao, “I passed the written examination.”

Yu Hao, “You passed?”

Zhou Sheng, “The interview is next week.”

Yu Hao, “You passed?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Zhou Sheng said, “Hahahaha it’s obviously ’cause this gossip about the Old White-eyed Wolf is more interesting ah hahaha, how can the postgraduate entrance exam compare?!”

Yu Hao immediately went to rummage around for the party poppers he had prepared, then pointed it at Zhou Sheng’s head and pulled the string; with a ‘bang‘, rainbow ribbons were strewn all over the heads of the other two. Anqi shrieked and ran away. Yu Hao thought that she was frightened, but Anqi said, “Give me one! Congratulations, congratulations!”

“I prepared a whole box!” Yu Hao shouted, “This is great! I’m the wife of a postgraduate from today on!”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

Anqi and Yu Hao started pulling party poppers like crazy together and made a mess of the house.

“Congratulations to the old Director Zhou for having another beloved son!” Anqi clearly didn’t like Zhou Laichun that much either.

“Hahahaha—” Yu Hao laughed so hard he fell to the sofa. He shouted, “Congratulations, congratulations!”

One year later.

Ou Qihang began analysing the Golden Crow Wheel’s circuit on the computer. Qin Guodong came in and sat down.

“He promised to lend it to you for a year?” Qin Guodong asked.

“Yes.” Ou Qihang looked at the computer screen and answered, “It can’t be used now anyway. Zhou Sheng said that there’s no use in him holding onto it, so he lent it to me temporarily. He’ll come get it from me whenever he wants to use it.”

Qin Guodong said, “Spent so much effort in applying for this lab for you, but the analysis still failed.”

Ou Qihang pulled a swivel chair over, saying, “It’s very difficult. This is a product of another civilisation, so it’s good that we even know what it’s used for. The CPU can’t find an appropriate energy connector at all; it looks like it has to extract energy directly from the stars.”

Qin Guodong said, “What kind of job do you plan on looking for?”

Ou Qihang answered, “I’m going to graduate school. Don’t touch it, I have to go out for a while. I’ll come back next week.”

Qin Guodong placed both hands behind his back and glanced at the Golden Crow Wheel on the analyzer. Ou Qihang packed up the things in the lab and suddenly asked, “Qin Laoshi, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?” Qin Guodong turned around and said.

“At the very beginning, have you ever thought of taking the Golden Crow Wheel for yourself?” Ou Qihang said, “I’m really curious. Or is it that you discovered it was of no use in the end, which was why you returned it to Zhou Sheng?”

“Is that very important?” Qin Guodong said, “I don’t think it’s necessary to think too deeply about the process.”

Ou Qihang said, “I’m just curious. Who knows if you would use it after the CPU is successfully charged.”

Qin Guodong answered, “By then, someone will come to stop me. Evil can never prevail over good. I’m not as arrogant as Ren Chong.”

Ou Qihang said with a smile, “Right? But I think you may have had that idea before.”

“To be honest, I really didn’t.” Qin Guodong said, “Throughout this lifetime, I’ve always been worn out from gaining insight into the hearts of people. If you understand the hearts of too many people, then one wouldn’t even have a single friend in this world, so why bother? Manipulating and playing around with people’s hearts may satisfy Ren Chong’s desire for power, but once he succeeds, it also means…”

Ou Qihang said, “It also means that you would be the only person left in this world.”

“Yes.” Qin Guodong nodded. “All living things have already been invaded by your spirit, so you’ll turn into the only God. How lonely would that be, and how unfortunate would that be?”

Ou Qihang said, “That’s true. Once all desires are satisfied, there’s not much meaning left in living.”

Qin Guodong asked, “Where are you going?”

“Australia, to play.” Ou Qihang said, “I’ll bring some specialities back for you, byebye.”