Chapter 75 Part 3

He instantly straightened his back in shock, spacing out for two seconds before fumbling to grab his phone from his pocket in a fluster. But he couldn't get it out for half a day.

"I've got it," Yan Hang grabbed his hand, took the phone out of his pocket, and squeezed his wrist, then answered the call and put it on speakerphone, "Sister Bai, this is Yan Hang, Chu Yi is next to me."

"Okay, I just spoke with Old Cui on the phone," Sister Bai's voice came through, still sounding very gentle and unhurried. You couldn't tell from her tone whether today's conversation was going well or not. "The paperwork has been taken care of, and I also talked in detail with Chu Yi's dad."

Chu Yi felt his hands turn icy cold. He stood frozen next to the bar, unable to get a word out.

"What's the situation?" Yan Hang asked.

"Tell Chu Yi not to worry about him," Sister Bai said. "He has no major health issues now and the situation is still manageable."

Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi.

"Oh," Chu Yi responded with a nasal sound, his nose suddenly feeling a little sour.

Dad had said to tell Chu Yi, not to tell the family. Chu Yi felt a little hurt, as if the people in this family had long lost any connection.

"Now, regarding the case details, because of confidentiality I can't disclose anything specific to you, but I can say that according to Chu Jianxin, the problem isn't too serious and there's still a very good chance," Sister Bai went on, "provided that what he told me is factual."

Chu Yi felt he could hear every word Sister Bai uttered clearly, but his mind locked up like a jammed gear, stuck on the three words "Chu Jianxin" and unable to move past them.

This was the first time since the incident began that he truly felt the connection between his dad and the case, with his dad and Uncle Yan's names mentioned together in this way. He became very flustered.

"So Chu Yi's dad doesn't bear major responsibility here," Yan Hang said. "Is that the situation? Can I understand it that way?"

"If what he said is all factual," Sister Bai said, "he didn't even know beforehand."

"Then if it is as he said," Yan Hang continued asking, "his situation..."

"I may try a not guilty defense," Sister Bai said.

Chu Yi struggled to keep his emotions under control and listened carefully to the conversation between Yan Hang and Sister Bai.

He was probably an unfilial son. At this moment all his attention was on Yan Hang. As he listened to Sister Bai's words, which while not explicit still hinted at some content, Yan Hang was able to steer clear of mentioning Uncle Yan and focus on Chu Yi instead.

Hearing Yan Hang carefully inquire about his dad's situation, Chu Yi felt a stabbing pain in his heart. He felt very uncomfortable.

"Alright, thanks for your hard work Sister Bai," Yan Hang's voice sounded a little hoarse.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best on this case," Sister Bai said. "Let me know if you have any thoughts."

"Okay," Yan Hang paused, "thank you."

After hanging up, Chu Yi stared at Yan Hang but couldn't get his mouth to form words.

Yan Hang was also silent. He sat in the chair with his elbows on his knees, staring blankly at a box of milk under the bar counter.

After a long while, Yan Hang finally lifted his head. "From what I can tell, your dad doesn't have big issues. If he can get a not guilty verdict then he'll be out soon. Old Cui said Sister Bai is very capable. Don't worry."

Chu Yi didn't speak.

When he heard Sister Bai talk about his dad's situation, his nose just felt sour. But now, he felt like 10-meter high waves were churning inside his body, with whitecaps slamming into his heart one after another.

Slamming so hard he couldn't even cry.

Yan Hang put the phone back in Chu Yi's pocket and patted his arm. "I..."

Chu Yi hugged Yan Hang's head and pressed his face against his own stomach.

Yan Hang paused briefly, then after a few seconds lightly leaned against him without moving again.

Chu Yi didn't know what to say. His mind drew a blank and he couldn't think of anything. He just wanted to comfort Yan Hang, who was much more fragile now than himself.

Even someone like Yan Hang who had been through it all and could handle anything, wouldn't necessarily be able to withstand hearing others talk about things related to his own father's injury.

Thoughts that run through your mind thousands of times are always vague. Unpleasant details that you don't want to think about can be cleverly skipped over, appearing only fleetingly if at all.

But when hearing someone else's words, even Sister Bai's casual remarks without substantive content, those details become extremely clear and vivid because there is no way to avoid them, no way to fast forward, no way for plot holes.

"Yan Hang," Chu Yi lowered his head and lightly scratched Yan Hang's head.

"Hmm," came Yan Hang's muffled response against his stomach.

"Do you want, hot milk?" Chu Yi asked softly.

"Gotta say, Dog bro, you've been here half a year," Yan Hang's muffled voice said. "And all you can make is hot milk?"

"No," Chu Yi said. "I can make hot milk one-handed. Anything else takes two."

Yan Hang chuckled softly. "Alright, hot milk then."

"Okay." Chu Yi put his right hand on Yan Hang's shoulder and used his left to grab the milk from the bar counter, pouring it into a pot to heat up on the electric stove next to them. "I like boiled milk. Smells really good."

"Yeah," Yan Hang responded.

"Want sugar?" Chu Yi asked.

"Lots of it," said Yan Hang.

"Got it," Chu Yi nodded.

He was adding sugar to the milk when the shop door opened and two girls walked in.

"We're closed," Chu Yi said, looking at them.

"Huh?" The two girls froze for a moment, then turned their heads to see the two of them standing and sitting at the bar counter, still huddled together. Instantly, their eyes and expressions changed in seven or eight different ways.

"Sorry," Chu Yi said as she took the boiled milk off the stove and slowly poured it into a cup, then repeated the action again, "We're closed."

"...Oh." The two girls froze again for several seconds before turning around and walking out while whispering something to each other.

"When your boss sees the security footage tomorrow," Yan Hang said, "you'll be fired."

"No," Chu Yi replied, "Manager Xiao is really nice. If she asks, I'll say my...my friend..."

"Boyfriend," Yan Hang said.

"Hmm?" Chu Yi didn't quite understand.

"If she asks, just tell her your boyfriend was in a bad mood and you were comforting him," Yan Hang said.

Still holding the half-full pot of milk, Chu Yi froze in place, unable to move.

Author's note:

Because I'm truly an outsider, after asking my lawyer friends to help me understand the specifics of this criminal defense case, I made a really serious mistake. I had Sister Bai reveal the whole case...I'm about to go crazy. Luckily my friend noticed right away, but by then I had already posted it. I had to quickly delete it and revise everything tt_tt. It was too dangerous...So just focus your attention on the little surprise at the end instead o(≧口≦)o.