Zhen Ai sat on a high stool by the marble table in the break room, resting her chin in her hand and swinging her legs.
Through the glass window, the laboratory across the way was still making the AP3 reagent, bubbling with purple bubbles. Zhen Ai was lost in thought. L.J? She heard Yan Su say it was the abbreviation for Lea Jan's full name. The name sounded familiar, but she just couldn't remember where she had heard it before.
Zhen Ai was not someone curious about others; she only knew that L.J had been infected with the organization's AP3 virus, was a friend of Yan Su, and was referred to as a genius by Eva, but had vanished due to some incident.
In her view, their relationship was simple: L.J had contracted the animal virus developed by her mother, and she had a responsibility to relieve her suffering. Aside from that, she had no other inquiries or curiosities.
Now, her mind was on...
It had only been ten minutes since she had eaten chocolate, and the snail clock had barely moved. Yet Yan Su had stipulated that she had to wait at least half an hour to eat another piece.
Why was the snail so slow?
Zhen Ai bit her lip and turned her head away with a huff.
After staring at the purple bubbles for a while, Zhen Ai turned back to the snail clock, feeling bored.
She still remembered when she said the laboratory clock was broken and needed to be replaced, Yan Su had pointed at that metal snail and said, "Hey, that slowpoke is tailor-made for you."
Now, Zhen Ai glared at the snail for a few moments, then picked it up. "Hmph, you're slower than me!" After saying that, she pressed a few buttons behind the snail's back, causing the time to skip half an hour in an instant.
"Yay, it's time!" She bounced down from her chair, happily reaching for the chocolate jar, adjusting the clock once to eat one piece, twice to eat two...
Soon, a "day" had passed. In front of Zhen Ai lay a pile of shiny golden and silver foil wrappers. She reached into the jar and felt... ah, it was empty. She rummaged around again and grabbed a small note.
Taking it out, she saw Yan Su's beautiful handwriting: "Dishonest, greedy little liar, the snail despises you."
Zhen Ai stared at the note, her eyelashes fluttering, feeling like she had been caught. She turned red instantly.
Standing beside the counter, she thought for a moment, then carefully placed the note back at the bottom of the jar. She rolled all the foil wrappers into little balls and stuffed them in, sealing the lid while mumbling quietly, "I didn't see anything."
After finishing her work in the lab, Owen came as usual to take her back to the city.
Unknowingly, time had approached early summer, and Zhen Ai was about to graduate from her nominal school. She had never been very involved in school affairs and initially planned to handle her paperwork quietly and slip away. But Daisy invited her to go take graduation photos together.
Perhaps due to a recent change in her mindset, Zhen Ai did not refuse.
On the way back, she leaned against the car window, watching the lush trees and flowing sunlight outside, softly humming a tune.
Owen heard her and couldn't help but smile. "AI, ever since you've been with S.A., you've become much happier." Owen had long accepted this fact: whether or not people were meant for each other, as long as he often saw her smiling face, that was enough.
"Together?"
Zhen Ai tilted her head to look at him, about to say they weren't really together yet, but then her mind replayed their earlier conversation. She always thought that registering at the municipal office was what made it official. At that time, she had told Yan Su, "We need to register our project first, and only after it's approved can we start." But Yan Su had said, "I confess my feelings to you and then kiss you. After these two strict procedures, we are together."
What Yan Su said was true.
Zhen Ai nodded. "Yes. We are together now. I'm very happy."
"That's good." Owen smiled, "By the way, did he break your code?"
"Yes, he's so amazing! That jumble of numbers and letters wasn't a password at all; it was just a scrambled classification number."
Owen was taken aback. "A classification number?"
Zhen Ai showed him her phone's notes: "Look at the letters in the middle of the third line."
98. 23. 15. 85. 85. 74. 66. 93. 78. 96. 87. 65. 86.
C. E. G. P. D. O. R. X. A. U. Q. L. I.
GV. DJK. KWX. QM. RB. BC. HV. NE. UG. LT. AY. PZ. SF
943. 734. 151. 215. 186. 181. 194. 237. 278. 117. 121. 141. 245.
49.01.13.01.71.67.61.35.45.27.03.31.35
Owen suddenly understood. "There's no I and O; it's to avoid confusion with the numbers 1 and 0. That's a typical Library of Congress classification system." He scratched his head, "It's impressive that S.A. figured it out."
"So true! My brother once told me that if I read more books, I would definitely unlock it, and it turns out that's what he meant." Zhen Ai explained,
"This code: the first line is the year, omitting the first two digits. The second line contains the initials of the author's name, the third line is the book classification number, the fourth line is the book sequence number, and the fifth line is the edition number. So this actually refers to 13 books; after Yan Su found them, he gave me the titles."
Owen was puzzled by this. What did Yan Su want him to do with that information?
When they arrived at the school, the campus was filled with flowers and applause for the graduates. Soon, Zhen Ai met up with Yan Su. As she got out of the car, she ran toward him. He stood by the vehicle, straightening up as she approached.
As she got closer, a glimmer of laughter flashed in his eyes, and he smiled, pulling out a large bouquet of colorful flowers from behind him, winking at her. "Little girl, happy graduation!"
Zhen Ai's heart raced, not understanding why every time she saw him, it felt like the first kiss, making her heart flutter.
Holding the large bouquet of flowers, she was so happy that she felt like she was bubbling over.
He always knew she loved gifts that were so big she couldn't hold them all, overflowing with happiness.
The faint fragrance of flowers lingered around her. She looked down at the colorful blooms in her arms and felt like she had returned to the carefree childhood she had been missing, with her wishes coming true and nothing to worry about, able to be spoiled and capricious.
She really felt like a little girl spoiled by him.
He quietly smiled, watching her stand under the summer sun, clutching the bouquet, biting her lip in a light laugh, beautiful enough to make his heart skip several beats. He suddenly recalled a scientific study that said the more you love someone, the more beautiful they appear in your eyes.
He thought: day by day, she was becoming more beautiful. When she grew old, she would be the most beautiful girl in the world.
He leaned in, habitually kissing her forehead; but she suddenly stepped back in surprise, extending her palm toward him, proudly lifting her chin. "Where's my gift?"
The little girl looked like a stubborn debt collector, and he chuckled softly. He really owed her one.
He pointed at the flowers. "Aren't these enough?"
"You just said this is a graduation gift." She was clear about it. "It's not the usual meeting gift."
He bent down, leaning close to her ear, wanting to kiss her delicate earlobe but ultimately held back, whispering, "Of course I haven't forgotten; I'll give it to you later. It won't show its effect now."
His voice was deep and sexy, tickling Zhen Ai's ear, making her nod eagerly as she asked, "What about Yan Xiaosu?"
Yan Su pulled out the giant bear from the car.
Soon, Zhen Ai connected with Daisy.
Most graduates had their parents or family with them, almost everyone holding flowers. The girls also had toys and gifts from friends.
Zhen Ai glanced around; nobody's bouquet was bigger than hers, and no toy was as big as Yan Xiaosu. She felt both happy and proud, holding Yan Xiaosu even tighter.
When Daisy arrived, she was shocked, staring at Zhen Ai, who was buried under the large bear and bouquet, "Who is this?"
Zhen Ai slowly tilted her head and introduced, "S.A. Junior. Yan Xiaosu."
Daisy was speechless: … they even gave it a name…
Zhen Ai went to take photos with her classmates while Yan Su and Owen stood not far away, watching.
She was a bit awkward in front of the camera, not quite natural, and at most could manage a silly V-sign. When her classmates posed in exaggerated and sexy ways, she shook her head and waved her hands, desperately trying to escape to the edge of the frame.
Yan Su found it amusing yet heart-wrenching.
Owen sat on the car hood for a while before looking up and asking Yan Su, "Has Ai's password been deciphered?"
"Yeah, I gave her the titles of those 13 books. She analyzed the second layer of the password using the method her brother taught her. It's a coordinate, on Silverland Island, north of Alaska."
"That's so far?" Owen was surprised but then got serious, "But S.A., I checked those 13 call numbers you mentioned, and they don't exist at all."
"That's the strange part. When I logged into the online library that day, none of them were there, which is why I asked you to check. I didn't expect that to be the result."
Yan Su narrowed his eyes slightly, "When I was twelve, I memorized the book titles and their call numbers from the Library of Congress to train my memory. I'm sure those 13 call numbers existed at some point and corresponded to the 13 titles I gave you."
Owen shook his head, "But I checked, and they really don't match. Could it be that you remembered incorrectly?"
"My memory doesn't fail," Yan Su replied with conviction. "If it were wrong, Zhen Ai's second decryption would also be incorrect, and she wouldn't have arrived at Silverland, a real place."
"Maybe it's just a coincidence. This password might have pointed to many incorrect locations before!"
Yan Su fell silent, his gaze deepening as he looked at him, "This time, it won't be a coincidence."
"Owen, have you seen L.J. lately?"
"Yeah. I heard she has been investigating Alex's case since five years ago."
"I've looked at the clues she's found over the years, and the breaking point is Silverland." He withdrew his gaze, his expression growing stern. "There must be something Alex left on that island."
Owen was stunned for a while, unable to shake the suspicion:
"When Alex died, he said he was in a difficult position and claimed to be controlled by the S.P.A. organization. Could it be that Zhen Ai's brother was controlling him? He would rather be blown up than reveal the whereabouts of that 100 million, all to ensure Zhen Ai's brother would fail his mission and get executed?"
Yan Su did not comment on Owen's speculation.
He felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what. The most troubling aspect for him was still those 13 book titles: "Why did the call numbers that clearly existed suddenly become void?"
Owen asked, "What are you suspicious of?"
Yan Su didn't answer, instead gazing off into the distance at Zhen Ai, his mind flickering back to a thought that had persisted for months.
A password that simple, and yet so many experts within the CIA can't crack it? Impossible.
The disappearance of those 13 call numbers felt like someone had solved the password and deliberately erased it. Erasing traces was something the CIA excelled at, but why would they do that?
And what about the S.P.A. organization? Killing Zhen Ai would be easy, as evidenced by the deaths of her previous agents. Yet, she had lived unscathed for five years in the face of such a formidable organization.
Before the password was cracked, Yan Su had considered whether it was possible that this was her brother's way of protecting Zhen Ai.
He designed a completely unbreakable password, claiming the key lay in the memories between siblings, and that only Zhen Ai could decipher it.
The solution to this password was something both the government and the organization desperately needed. So as long as the answer remained unsolved, Zhen Ai could continue to live safely.
But evidently, her brother hadn't considered the feelings the organization's leader had for Zhen Ai.
Yan Su hadn't thought about it at first, not until he saw the resentment in Arthur's eyes in the bank corridor, and until he heard Zhen Ai's cries at her mother's grave, that he understood.
He was sure that Arthur wouldn't kill her, but many people were eyeing the outcome of the password.
So, should they go?
While lost in thought, Zhen Ai bounced in front of him, holding the big bear, both of them looking up with lively expressions. All his complicated thoughts scattered away.
He liked every expression on her face.
Unable to resist, he leaned down and lightly kissed her lips. She obediently closed her eyes, then opened them, quietly looking at him with a gentle demeanor.
He brushed her long hair from her shoulder and asked, "Not playing anymore?"
"It's not fun; I don't like taking photos," she pouted. "There's nothing worth remembering."
He felt a tug at his heart, took out his phone from his pocket, pulled her into his embrace, and leaned close to her cheek, asking, "What if it's with me?"
Zhen Ai was taken aback, and before she knew it, his phone was held high.
She saw in the shaky lens that she was staring blankly at the big bear while he was holding her, his chin resting against her hair.
Wow, she didn't notice before, but looking at it now, it seemed so intimate...
Her face turned slightly red.
In the frame, his face was so handsome, so attractive that she felt like taking a bite.
He held the phone up, adjusting the angle based on the image on the screen, unconsciously pulling her closer.
She looked at the screen and softly said, "What about Yan Xiaosu?"
Yan Su scoffed, "Its head is too big; it only needs one ear to show."
"Fine," Zhen Ai said, feeling a bit shy as she leaned in, tilting her face to press against his chin and smiling softly.
Click! It turned out very nice, a perfect match.
Zhen Ai had started off joking about wanting a gift, but by that night, she realized things were not so simple.
It wasn't unusual for Yan Su to cook dinner, but setting the table with a few candles made it feel somewhat romantic.
After enjoying a leisurely dinner, heading straight to the library wasn't out of the ordinary either. However, when he said nothing and pulled Zhen Ai into his arms while turning off all the lights in the library, the atmosphere became quite peculiar.
The library was quiet and dimly lit. But the summer night was beautiful, with moonlight streaming through the stained glass windows, casting soft and colorful shadows.
Yan Su leaned against the round bookshelf illuminated by the moonlight, sitting on the floor. Zhen Ai sat on the floor as well, hugging her teddy bear, nestled in his embrace, tilting her head to listen to the phonograph.
In the half-light, Zhen Ai felt calm and content. She looked up at the sky and saw countless stars through the translucent glass.
The girl's voice from the phonograph was soft as gossamer, perfect for such a hazy moonlit night. "Don't you worry, I'll be there for you, I'll catch you if you would fall."
Zhen Ai suddenly smiled upon hearing the lyrics.
Was this what Yan Su wanted to say to her?
She nudged closer to him, finding a more comfortable position, and asked, "What are you trying to do? Going on a date?"
Under the moonlight, his face appeared even paler. He held her close and lazily whispered, "I don't want to think about anything or do anything, just hold you like this. It feels pretty good."
She was taken aback, then laughed again. Leaning against his neck, she sniffed. His fresh scent was delightful. "I think it's really nice too."
Just like that, without saying anything, they nestled together, occasionally rubbing against him. It felt incredibly good, as if the moonlight had a soft warmth.
"By the way," he pulled out a small box from somewhere and handed it to her. "A gift."
She let go of the teddy bear, allowing it to fall to the floor, and took the box. When she opened it, she found an Easter egg!
But it seemed a little different.
The egg was about the size of a man's fist, made of enamel, vintage and elegant, with a white base adorned with red roses, blue butterflies, and green grass.
"It's so beautiful," her dark eyes sparkled.
He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Open it and see."
She immediately turned to him, excited. "Can I eat it?"
Yan Su's face turned ashen in an instant. Annoyed, he said, "Give it back to me!" He wouldn't admit that on Easter, when she had looked at the egg with sparkling eyes, he had felt a mix of frustration and guilt.
"I won't!" Zhen Ai quickly curled up, hugging the egg to her belly. "Just teasing you!"
The egg had a gold thread and small buttons around its waist. It was foolish of her not to notice.
Carefully, Zhen Ai opened the egg. Instantly, golden light poured out from the cracks in the shell.
Inside, a hollow flower was "planted," with a transparent crystal in the center. The flower spun, and the crystal emitted light, sending shimmering golden trails spiraling like shooting stars, scattering all over the library.
She gazed at the dancing lights on the walls, astonished. "So beautiful!"
Unconsciously, he tightened his embrace around her slender waist, resting his cheek against hers, and slowly said:
"Both Tsar Alexander III and Nicholas II liked to give their queens Easter eggs. Those who receive an egg will be happy. Legend has it that Russian craftsmen once created an egg containing images of the royal family. I'm not that skilled, so I can only give you the simplest one. However,"
He kissed her ear. "Every year from now on, I will give you an egg, ensuring that each one is more exquisite than the last. Perhaps, when we're in our seventies or eighties, I can give you a legendary one. When you open it, the lights on the walls will spin, reflecting our life's photos and experiences. How does that sound?"
Zhen Ai gazed at the golden starlight, overwhelmed with emotion. She turned to wrap her arms around his neck, softly mumbling, "Yan Su, you're too good to me!"
He lifted his chin, proudly declaring, "I only like you, so of course, I have to treat you well!"
"I only like you too!" She turned and kissed his cheek. "I love this gift so much!"
"Oh, because today is the one-month anniversary of us being together."
Zhen Ai froze. Who would dare say that their friendship with Lan Pen had low commercial value now!!!
He looked down and saw her astonished expression, understanding her thoughts. He raised his chin again, arrogantly stating, "I told you, I'm a genius. There's nothing I can't do, including dating."
She burst out laughing, burying her face in his arms. After laughing, she looked up at him with puppy eyes and said, "But I'm sorry, I didn't prepare a one-month anniversary gift for you."
He gazed at her pale, almost translucent face under the moonlight and almost said, "Just give yourself to me," but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he said, "Then just kiss me once."
Zhen Ai nodded and obediently leaned in to kiss his lips. After a month of dating, they had gradually learned the art of kissing through their innocence and awkwardness. She gently sucked on his lips, her tongue playfully brushing against his teeth. As they kissed passionately, her little hand even found its way into his hair, gripping the back of his head.
Yan Su froze, feeling a strange mix of nervousness and excitement, as if his heart had stopped beating, gripped silently by her hand. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on her.
She found it hard to breathe but was infatuated with his scent, feeling like she could never get enough. Perhaps because of the darkness, her other senses heightened. She trembled all over, unable to help herself, and straightened up to kneel between his legs, wrapping her arms around his head and kissing him from above.
His hands held her tighter as he gazed up at her, as if she were his goddess.
Under the moonlight, they clung tightly to each other, wanting to become one.
She kissed him passionately, but eventually, her strength gave out, and she slid down against his body.
As she slid, she found herself sitting between his legs, her butt landing on something hard. Zhen Ai was startled, jumping up immediately. "Ah, I broke it!"
"Hey!" He raised his hand and pulled her back into his embrace, smiling slightly, though his face was flushed. "Ahem, it's not broken. It's the gift box."
Zhen Ai paused, catching her breath. "You scared me! That bad box..." She was about to grab the hard box when she suddenly grabbed it but hadn't lifted it yet. Yan Su's expression changed, freezing for a moment as if a cat had its fur ruffled the wrong way.
His face reddened even more, and he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand holding the gift box, clearing his throat. "Um, this time... it's real."
Zhen Ai felt something hard in her palm; it seemed still there, and it was moving, but nothing compared to how hot her cheeks felt. She almost released her grip, feeling so embarrassed that her face turned beet red: "It's all your fault! Who told you to..." She glanced down at his pants. "Who told you... it..."
The words wouldn't come out.
Yan Su quickly pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. "Um, this is just male hormones acting up, not me. It might be that, um, every time I kiss you for more than 20 seconds, there will be, um, a reaction."
Zhen Ai bit him. "Then you have to time it when you kiss me in the future!"
Yan Su: "You're so cruel!"
Zhen Ai insisted, "Can't you multitask?"
Yan Su: …
In moments like this, how could he bear to? One focus wasn't enough.
He looked at her face, which was pale yet flushed under the moonlight, delicate and gentle, and felt a stirring in his heart. "Alright, let's try again!"
He leaned in for a kiss, whether to time it or not was still up to him.
The gramophone played an old song under the moonlight: "I'll send you all my love every day in a letter, and seal it with a kiss."
Zhen Ai nestled in his arms, quietly savoring his affectionate kiss, the moonlight dancing on her eyelashes. She felt as if she were cradled in his heart, blissful.
She gently closed her eyes, remembering the day she picked up a letter from his desk, the white envelope sealed with red wax embossed with a rose.
The coarse paper had beautifully elegant handwriting, still in both Chinese and English with a seal—
"Ai, how much I like you.
You have endured the darkest pains and torment, yet still believe in the most beautiful feelings. You remain pure and kind, real and dignified.
Some say that although the world is filled with suffering, such suffering can always be overcome. I would agree with this statement from a macro perspective of humanity; it is eternally true, as the sufferings of humanity can always be conquered. But when applied to the individual, this phrase reflects painful strength and struggle. Yet from you, I see that even with countless scars, you continue to triumph over the pain and difficulties that befall you, time and again, in silence. You never surrender, never fall.
For someone like you, I hold deep admiration.
I believe that there are always a group of people in this world who walk alone for what they believe is right; occasionally lost, but never regretting; sometimes weary, but never giving up. It is because of this belief that every lonely traveler feels not alone. Because we share the same goals and persistence. Just as I have always been by your side, you have always been by mine.
Ai, please do not be afraid or feel inferior. Emerson said that only by conquering fear can we gain life's most precious treasures. Everything you have endured will ultimately transform into the most significant treasures. Ai, please believe that your life is not empty, but rather filled with wealth.
For someone like you, I hold deep reverence.
Ai, we both believe that we persist in something not because it will yield results, but because we firmly believe it is right.
How difficult is it to achieve this! Such a lonely path, who can persist? Yet you, such a frail girl, where does such unwavering belief and persistent will come from? In the face of failures and seemingly ineffective experiments, you persist again and again!
For someone like you, I hold deep affection.
Ai, I truly like you so much."
Every time Zhen Ai thought of that letter, she felt warmth all the way to her bones.
Yan Su, once, I was so anxious, so ashamed, so embarrassed about my past. But your affection, your praise, your recognition lifted me from the dust.
I like you so much, and I love being myself when I'm with you.
So bright, so warm.
May this moment last forever.
May we always be together.