Striving for Science C49 pt1

Yao Huailin glared at Shen Chang'an, go to hell, you lonely old man! So many people came, they'd think something happened here. He smiled and explained, "It's like this, we had some questions that required Mr. Shen's cooperation for the investigation. Now the matter has been cleared up, and it has nothing to do with Mr. Shen."

Dao Nian nodded slightly and said to Shen Chang'an, "Let's go back."

He had been so focused on Dao Nian that he hadn't noticed the crowd in the room. Shen Chang'an looked at the group of lawyers in their suits and whispered to Dao Nian, "These... are all people you brought?"

"Mm." Dao Nian knew that young humans were very concerned about face. Chang'an had been brought to the police station, and his heart and face must have been a little embarrassed. He had brought along a lot of lawyers so that both his face and his heart could be saved.

Shen Chang'an noticed Yao Huailin secretly glaring at him and felt a little awkward. He coughed, "Actually, there's no need to be so troublesome. Just a few signatures are all that's needed."

"Your matters are not troublesome."

Shen Chang'an's heart skipped a beat. He pursed his lips and didn't speak.

"Where are the documents to be signed?" Dao Nian asked Yao Huailin.

Yao Huailin handed the documents to the lawyer, who then presented them to Dao Nian with both hands. As Dao Nian picked up the pen to sign, the lawyer whispered, "Sir, we can handle this for you."

Dao Nian looked at the last column for family members (or proxy) signature and extended his hand, "No need."

The lawyer glanced at Shen Chang'an and handed the pen to Dao Nian.

Dao Nian.

The moment those two powerful characters landed on the paper, a sudden gust of wind swept outside the police station, rattling the doors and windows.

Several sheets of printed paper flew towards Dao Nian. Shen Chang'an caught them with a quick grab. He stood facing the direction of the wind, shielding Dao Nian from it.

The wind didn't stop. Thunder followed, and the rolling thunderclouds in the sky, like angry dragons, seemed determined to tear the heavens apart.

"This damn weather!" Yao Huailin pressed down his police cap, which was about to be blown away by the wind. He walked to the window and closed it, only to see a bolt of lightning strike outside the window. He involuntarily leaned back, "My god, what kind of weather is this?"

The group of lawyers silently looked at Dao Nian. This had nothing to do with the weather.

Dao Nian seemed not to hear the commotion outside. He held the document tightly in his hand, placed the pen back in the lawyer's hand, and said, "It's filled out."

Click, click, click.

The anti-lightning window frame rattled in the wind. The howling wind seemed to use all its strength to force its way into the small police station, but it couldn't.

As he handed the document to Yao Huailin, Dao Nian turned his head to look out the window and suddenly slowly broke into a smile. Even his deep eyes were tinged with a layer of amusement.

Shen Chang'an had rarely seen Dao Nian smile happily. Seeing him suddenly smile so beautifully, his mind felt a little dizzy. "Dao Nian, what are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at the wind." Dao Nian tapped his right index finger lightly on the wheelchair. An invisible barrier fell around the police station. "It thinks it has the power to destroy the world and turn the tide, but it can't even open the windows of the police station."

"Huh?" Shen Chang'an thought his IQ was still normal, but at this moment, he felt his IQ was a little worrisome.

"Some things, once they've begun, the outcome may not necessarily go according to plan." Dao Nian gradually withdrew his smile and looked up at Shen Chang'an. "Chang'an, don't you think so?"

Shen Chang'an nodded, "You're right."

You're my best buddy. As long as you don't kill, set fires, break the law, or cause chaos, you're right, no matter what you say.

The raging wind outside suddenly stopped. Shen Chang'an looked out the window, and a bolt of lightning struck, almost blinding him.

"Lower your head."

Shen Chang'an obediently lowered his head.

A cool hand gently covered his eyes.

"Don't look at these things, it's bad for your eyesight."

Yao Huailin put the signed documents from Shen Chang'an and his friend into the file box. Turning around, he saw Shen Chang'an bent over, his friend covering his eyes. Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart, looking... intimate.

He wiped his face. Could it be that because he recently handled a case involving same-sex love, he now sees everything as gay?

The lightning disappeared as quickly as the wind. Dao Nian released his hand from covering Shen Chang'an's eyes: "Let's go, we'll go back."

Shen Chang'an twisted his slightly sore waist and said to Dao Nian, "Wait for me, I'll say goodbye to Yao Huailin."

Seeing Shen Chang'an walking towards him, Yao Huailin reached out and put his arm around his neck, pulling him into the side corridor. He whispered, "Shen Chang'an, is this the 'lonely man' you told me about?"

"There's a saying, 'Concern leads to chaos.' My buddy is just worried I'll be taken advantage of, so he brought so many lawyers." Shen Chang'an coughed awkwardly, "Besides having too many people, he hasn't done anything outrageous."

"I really believed your nonsense." Yao Huailin feigned a punch at him, "This friend of yours seems extraordinary. Where did you find such a powerful backer?"

"Picked him up from the supermarket entrance." Shen Chang'an rubbed his slightly hungry stomach, "Are you done with everything? I need to go home and eat."

"Nonsense, I'm not buying your lies. Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eat. Were you a pig in your past life?" Yao Huailin couldn't help but tease him, "Be more careful in the future, don't just see a ghost and not know what it is."

"What ghost? I only see kind people." Shen Chang'an put his hands in his coat pocket and smiled at Yao Huailin, "Alright, I'm going."

"Go, go, go." Yao Huailin waved his hand, "I hope I don't see you again when I'm working on cases." He didn't want to see a bunch of lawyers and have a heart attack.

"That's hard to say. As long as it's related to our Civil Service Department, I might come over." Shen Chang'an smiled, "Please give me your guidance in the future, Captain Yao."

"Get out!" Yao Huailin raised his leg to kick, but Shen Chang'an turned and ran out.

Watching Shen Chang'an happily run towards his friend, Yao Huailin laughed and cursed, "This damn fool is trying to make me die of anger."

But thankfully, someone came to pick him up. On such a cold day, who would want to come alone and leave alone?

***

After Shen Chang'an left the police station with Dao Nian, he turned to the lawyer closest to them: "Thank you all for your help today."

"Mr. Shen, you're too kind." The lawyer smiled, "It's our honor to work for you and your friend. This is my business card. If you need legal assistance in the future, feel free to contact me."

"Thank you." Shen Chang'an took the business card. It only had the lawyer's name and contact information, no home address or firm name.

Could they all be Dao Nian's personal lawyers?

Shen Chang'an didn't ask further. He took the business card and said, "My name is Shen Chang'an. Just call me by my name, Mr. Xie."

"Mr. Shen's name is renowned. I've long heard of you." Xie Zhi shook hands with Shen Chang'an. "I look forward to serving you again in the future."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

Is he that famous?

After seeing off the lawyers, Shen Chang'an and Dao Nian got into the car. He glanced at the time. It was two in the afternoon. He didn't realize it was already so late.

"Dao Nian, did you have lunch?" Shen Chang'an secretly glanced at Dao Nian with a puppy-dog look.

"No." Dao Nian closed his eyes, looking exhausted after what had just happened. Shen Chang'an quickly and obsequiously pulled up a blanket to cover him.

"I saw a roasted sweet potato vendor across the street. Should we get two to try?"

"Mm."

Shen Chang'an asked the driver to pull over. He quickly ran across the street, picked out two roasted sweet potatoes, and ran back to the car, diving in. "The weather is getting colder and colder."

His previous apartment had heating. Although the outdoor temperature was low, he spent most of his time indoors, so he didn't feel it much. He didn't expect Wuming City's winter to be so cold. The chill went straight to his bones. It was still around ten degrees Celsius these days. He couldn't imagine how cold this city would be when it dropped to zero.

Tearing open the skin of the roasted sweet potato, Shen Chang'an handed the sweet potato and a spoon to Dao Nian. "Try it first and see if it's sweet."

Dao Nian took a bite and said expressionlessly, "It's not sweet."

"The vendor even told me it's free if it's not sweet. I got scammed again?" Shen Chang'an stubbornly peeled open the remaining sweet potato, scooped a bite with his spoon, and took a bite. "Mine is sweet, let's switch."

Dao Nian watched Shen Chang'an hand him the sweet potato: "I don't want to move, I'm tired."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

He's so lazy. Thankfully, Dao Nian has money. If he didn't, he'd probably starve to death.

He sighed, feeding Dao Nian while occasionally stuffing a bite into his own mouth. At such a young age, he seemed to have already started living the life of feeding a child.

The entire carriage was filled with the sweet aroma of sweet potato. Shen Chang'an explained the situation to Dao Nian in detail, but he concealed the fact that the old man died before he took the root carving. He only said that the old man had seen him before his death, so the police took him in for questioning.

"Sometimes I really wonder if a lifetime of persistence is worth it," Shen Chang'an said, chewing on his spoon, his voice lacking its usual cheerfulness. "Maybe when I leave this world, no one will care about that persistence."

He suddenly understood that he always liked to help others, perhaps not because he had a virtuous character without flaws, but because only by helping others did he feel needed and cared for by the world.

Without that, he would be a dispensable existence in this world.

Dao Nian looked at Shen Chang'an. "Perhaps for the person involved, perseverance is a perfect answer. You're not him, so you can't understand his thoughts from his perspective. And he's not you, so his fate won't become your fate."

Shen Chang'an looked at Dao Nian, took a bite of sweet potato, and suddenly smiled.

Where in the world are there so many things that are worth it or not worth it? Was Uncle Zhao's cooking not good enough, was the work too boring, or were the games not fun enough?

"You make a good point." Shen Chang'an took a few more bites of the sweet potato. "You know, living well is more important than anything else. As long as you're alive, anything is possible."

Dao Nian stared at Shen Chang'an for a long time.

Shen Chang'an grinned at him. "What, are you shocked by my philosophical words?"

"No." Dao Nian said coldly and mercilessly. "I was just using my eyes to remind you that you ate my sweet potato."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

***

Back at Dao Nian's place, Shen Chang'an didn't rush to eat. Instead, he went upstairs, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then sat down at the dining table to eat.

After dinner, he kept his morning promise and took Dao Nian for a walk outside. The air after the rain was especially fresh. Shen Chang'an yawned. After a full meal, people tend to get sleepy.

After midnight tonight, it's Double Eleven, the shopping frenzy." Shen Chang'an took out his phone and glanced at it. "Is there anything else we need in the house?

Dao Nian: "I don't need them."

"Really nothing you want to buy?" Shen Chang'an frowned, not giving up. "But on a day like this, if you don't buy something, it feels like you're missing out on a good deal."

He looked down at Dao Nian's feet. "You don't go out much. How about I buy you some warm pajamas and fleece socks?"

"We could also buy a few vases."

"Right, we can also buy Uncle Zhao a set of props."

"What do Shen Tu and Yu Lei like? Should I buy them a pair of gloves?" These two brothers usually stand at the door, and he suspected they were Dao Nian's personal bodyguards.

Dao Nian watched Shen Chang'an push him halfway, then took out his phone, opened a shopping app, and started throwing all sorts of random things into his cart. After a moment of silence, he said, "Whatever makes you happy."

It's normal for young people to like buying things. He needs to learn to understand, to bridge the generation gap, so there's less conflict.

Shen Chang'an was happily browsing through things when Director Du's call came in. He thought to himself, "Could it be another overtime request?"

He waited for awhile before pressing the call button.