The screen was filled with comments. After Xu Xu's efforts to turn public opinion around over the past few days, the comments were generally peaceful and humorous.
Backstage, after Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai stepped off the stage, they encountered the interviewers who had been arranged to interview them in the dressing room. Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai exchanged a glance, both of them prepared.
They started by asking about game music, and then the conversation drifted into gossip.
[Reporter: Professor Jiang, could you tell us about how you and Professor Yi met, got to know each other, and fell in love?]
[Jiang Shuiyun: There was no process, it was love at first sight. I knew from the very first meeting that this was the person I wanted to take care of for the rest of my life.]
[Reporter: That's truly enviable, Professor Yi. What about you?]
[Yi Jinbai: I thought our feelings developed over time. I was quite afraid of her at first, but later I discovered that she is the gentlest person in the world, and no matter the situation, I feel especially at ease whenever she's around.]
[Reporter: They look so sweet from every angle! Could you two share what impressed you most about each other? Professor Jiang?]
[Jiang Shuiyun: I remember them all quite vividly. The most vivid memory is probably that rainy day when she went out to work, fell, and got covered in mud and her feet were swollen. I was pretty useless back then, living off her at home.]
When this matter was brought up, Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai. Although they were both smiling, there was a hint of sadness and helplessness in their eyes about that time.
[Reporter: I never knew you two had such a story. What about Professor Yi?]
[Yi Jinbai: What impressed me most was probably the three times she was hospitalized. I was terrified every time, so the memory is definitely vivid.]
[Reporter: You two truly are a couple who have weathered many storms together. We thought you were going to talk about romantic moments, but it turns out it was all about hardship. However, the past is the past, and we are confident that your future will be bright, peaceful, and happy. We wish you both a long and happy life together. Thank you for accepting our interview and for the small gift. Thank you again!]
The interview didn't last very long. After a while, Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai returned the small gifts to thank the organizers, and the interview was considered over.
"You actually dared to improvise?"
After the interviewers left, Yi Jinbai looked at Jiang Shuiyun. The script they had memorized was prepared by Xu Xu, and it was safe to say that the answers on it had absolutely nothing to do with their real experiences. However, Jiang Shuiyun's answers were all true.
"That's a good response," Jiang Shuiyun praised Yi Jinbai, who didn't answer according to the script. She put her arm around Yi Jinbai and leaned against her. "I just feel awkward telling lies. We're upright and honest, why do we have to act like we're doing something underhanded and shameful?"
“Yes, that’s what I think too,” Yi Jinbai said, twirling Jiang Shuiyun’s hair with his fingers. “But wouldn’t it be inappropriate if we didn’t follow the steps?”
"No, this video will be reviewed by Xu Xu and others before it is released. They will prepare in advance to control the direction of public opinion. If there is anything inappropriate, she will contact me. If it is not good, we can start over."
Jiang Shuiyun reassured Yi Jinbai, "Go change your clothes, we'll go eat later."
"Okay, should we wait for Jianmang and the others?"
Yi Jinbai took off the jewelry on her hand, "Could you help me take off my necklace?"
Jiang Shuiyun helped Yi Jinbai remove the necklace. "They should be here soon. They'll be ready after you change your clothes."
This event is quite long and has invited many people. Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai are just guests this morning, serving as an opening act. There are still many arrangements to be made, and it will last for two days in total.
Jiang Shuiyun had little interest in staying, and Yi Jinbai had even less interest in the game. After changing their clothes, the two had a meal with the Miracle Team. The Miracle Team would be participating in the upcoming events, so Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai left first, as they had other things to do.
Back in City A, a light rain began to fall as the plane landed. The spring chill was still in the air, and the rain made it even colder.
Jiang Shuiyun drove the car towards the orphanage where Yi Jinbai had been a child, based on Yi Jinbai's memory.
City A has been developing rapidly, and many places are constantly changing. Fortunately, the location of this orphanage is too remote, so it has not been affected for the time being. Apart from being largely abandoned, nothing has changed.
Overgrown with withered grass, Jiang Shuiyun held an umbrella and led Yi Jinbai by the hand. They looked at the rusty iron gate hidden among the half-meter-high withered grass. There was a lock on it, but it had rusted shut due to the passage of time.
“Actually, it’s only been four or five years,” Yi Jinbai reached out and pulled away the withered grass, looking at the rusty lock. “Although the orphanage is closed, the director and I still live here. The director always keeps this place very clean and tidy.”
"Let's see. If the old dean and my teacher are the same person, then she hasn't passed away yet."
Jiang Shuiyun knew that revisiting this familiar place would definitely affect Yi Jinbai's mood, so she offered words of comfort.
Yi Jinbai thought that made sense, and picked up the rusty lock again. "But how do we get in now? Even if we have the key, we can't open this lock."
Jiang Shuiyun took a step back with Yi Jinbai in her arms. Lei Yu understood, stepped forward, and kicked the door. The lock wasn't affected, but the two heavy iron doors fell straight down. Luckily, it had rained a bit, so there wasn't much dust.
"Do you always do things in such a simple and crude way?"
Yi Jinbai stared speechlessly at the massive iron gate that had stood for decades and retired in glory.
"We can climb the wall, but you might not be able to get over it."
Jiang Shuiyun rubbed Yi Jinbai's shoulder and began to explain.
Looking down at her pure white dress and thick coat, Yi Jinbai felt that Jiang Shuiyun's words made sense.
"I'll have someone come and fix the door in a bit. Let's go."
With a reassuring embrace, Jiang Shuiyun led the group inside.
The orphanage occupies a large area, with weeds growing everywhere and fallen leaves piled up. Rows of tiled houses bear the marks of time, and the doors and windows are all broken and dilapidated. It's hard to know how much of what's inside can still be preserved.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:44:48 on June 25, 2022 and 17:56:30 on June 27, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Zhen Mulin, employee number 5076 (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Zhen Mulin (15 bottles); Shu and Moying Shuhan (5 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 83
Jiang Shuiyun glanced around, then reached out and tried pushing the wooden door. It had a rusty lock. She looked back at Yi Jinbai, "Did you remove this one too?"
"Let's unpack it." We've come this far, so one more door or one less door won't make much difference.
The door was opened with a bang, just like before; the rusty lock was smashed open.
Upon opening the door, a wave of musty, damp air rushed out. The place hadn't been ventilated in a long time, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Lei Yu and the others went inside to take a look around. There was no water or electricity, and the interior was too dark and inconvenient.
They had someone take a light bulb from the car, which brightened the room considerably, making it much brighter and allowing us to see clearly.
Although no one has lived here for a long time, you can still see the neat layout from before, with all the furniture covered with dust cloths.
Lei Yu and the others carefully lifted the dust cover, revealing furniture that remained exactly as it was decades ago. The furniture, with its distinctive style, showed signs of age everywhere, and some pieces were even worn and faded, losing their former luster.
Yi Jinbai walked around the table and chairs, opened the cabinet behind it, and found a stack of documents and some old items neatly arranged inside.
Yi Jinbai took out an iron box and placed it on the table. "These are all the old dean's belongings. After the funeral arrangements were completed, I locked them all in here."
Yi Jinbai's decision was absolutely correct. By the end of her four years of university, the few clothes and belongings she had brought with her had been repeatedly misused by the original owner of the body and were now lost somewhere.
After speaking, Yi Jinbai opened the iron box. There were very few things inside: a few photos at the bottom, a broken pocket watch and an old, yellowed ring at the top, and nothing else.
Jiang Shuiyun watched as Yi Jinbai stroked the pocket watch and ring with a touch of nostalgia, then pulled out the photos from underneath.
"This photo is a group photo of the old director and each child when the orphanage closed down. Actually, there weren't many people left at that time. There were six of us, including me. The other five were sent to other welfare institutions."
Yi Jinbai handed the photo to Jiang Shuiyun. Although the photo was yellowed due to its age, it was still in color and very clear.
Jiang Shuiyun took the photo, glanced at it, and clenched her fist tightly. "This is my teacher."
"What?"
Although it was possible, it was just their speculation. Now that it has been confirmed, Yi Jinbai still finds it hard to believe. How could such a bizarre thing happen in this world?
Jiang Shuiyun waved her hand, telling Lei Yu and the others to go outside and wait. She handed the photo back to Yi Jinbai. "It's no mistake, it's exactly the same. I was raised by my teacher. I can remember even strangers after just one glance, let alone her, who is the person I know best. I also know that my teacher has a very obvious mole on her neck. When I was little, I didn't understand and asked my teacher why I didn't have one. She said that it was a mark left by a lover, and only adults have it. I remember it very clearly."
Yi Jinbai snapped out of his daze and nodded somewhat blankly. "The former dean also had it. She told me the same thing. Now we can confirm that the former dean and your teacher are the same person, although we don't know how it happened yet."
"Only the teacher himself probably knows the answer. I can now be sure that my coming here was not a coincidence."
Holding Yi Jinbai's hand, perhaps because she was already mentally prepared, this confirmation didn't have much of an impact on Jiang Shuiyun.
Yi Jinbai was still very uneasy. Everything was starting to go in a direction beyond her comprehension. It was as if she was caught in an invisible net, feeling fear and anxiety.
Yi Jinbai's panic was evident as he grasped Jiang Shuiyun's hand in return.
Holding him tightly, Jiang Shuiyun tried to give Yi Jinbai some sense of security, "It's okay, no matter what happens, I'm here. I also believe in Teacher. If all of this is really related to Teacher, she won't harm us."
Yi Jinbai hugged Jiang Shuiyun tightly as well, looking up at her. The fear in his heart gradually subsided. Jiang Shuiyun was right. No matter what, they were still together. No matter what happened, it could not change that fact.
Having confirmed it, Yi Jinbai took the things left behind by the old dean and got into the car with Jiang Shuiyun.
Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai, who was leaning quietly against her, and knew that this matter was hard for her to accept. They had no idea what was hidden behind it.
As darkness fell and the rain intensified, Jiang Shuiyun listened quietly to the sound of the rain outside the window. Lei Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said, "Professor, I just received news that Zhao Zidong has been arrested."
"This has nothing to do with me anymore. Xu Xu is back, isn't she? Let her handle it. Don't get involved."
Jiang Shuiyun still remembered that it was the banquet she had attended before. Not only did it cause her a lot of trouble, but it also almost delayed her from buying delicious food for Yi Jinbai. She would have to ask Xu Xu about it later. Was this the banquet list that Xu Xu had chosen for her?
Lei Yu could tell that Jiang Shuiyun was a little impatient, so he didn't say anything and nodded in agreement.
Yi Jinbai listened, looking at Jiang Shuiyun with confusion, "What happened? Who was arrested?"
"It's alright. The host of the banquet we attended before got arrested. It has nothing to do with us, so we don't need to worry about it."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't want these unpleasant things to bother Yi Jinbai's ears; she herself was already annoyed by them.
Yi Jinbai didn't ask any more questions, as long as it didn't harm Jiang Shuiyun.
As if speaking of the devil, when Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai returned home together, they saw Xu Xu, whom they had been talking about on the way, right at their doorstep.
Xu Xu was only a few years older than Jiang Shuiyun. With her exquisite and mature makeup, sexy figure, and charming long curly hair, pearl earrings, and gold-rimmed glasses, she leaned against the stone pillar at the door, quietly watching the rain while holding a stack of documents. Only after the convoy stopped did she slowly stand up straight and look at the car in the middle.
The car door opened, and Jiang Shuiyun held an umbrella to help Yi Jinbai out. Xu Xu took two steps forward and greeted the two of them, "Professor, Miss Yi."
Yi Jinbai, who had been somewhat uneasy the whole way, only then noticed someone standing at the door. He hurriedly looked up and was stunned when he met Xu Xu's gaze.
"This is Xu Xu."
Jiang Shuiyun's voice brought Yi Jinbai back to his senses, and they greeted each other somewhat awkwardly.
Lei Yu also came over, without an umbrella, his dark green cotton coat slightly damp. He patted Xu Xu's shoulder familiarly, "You're here so fast? You've already finished your business?"
"Wasn't I afraid you'd miss your sister too much?" Xu Xu raised her hand and hooked Lei Yu's chin, giving him a flirtatious wink.
Lei Yu was struck dumb, and rubbed his chin from a distance. "If you don't behave yourself, we'll see you at the training ground next time!"
"Ha, if you're so capable, why don't you compete with the professor?"
Xu Xu rolled his eyes at Lei Yu and followed Jiang Shuiyun inside.
Yi Jinbai went upstairs to change his clothes first, while Jiang Shuiyun, Xu Xu, and Lei Yu went to the study.
Sitting behind the table, Jiang Shuiyun looked at the documents Xu Xu had brought. "You handled things well, but Xu Xu, don't you have to give me an explanation regarding Zhao Zidong?"
When it came to serious matters, Xu Xu and Lei Yu both put away their playful smiles and stood in front of Jiang Shuiyun, each more serious than the other.
"Professor, this was indeed my negligence, and I have caused you trouble."