Since the day Bai Luo Yin left, the fifth day gradually passed by without any news of him. For a golden seed that was hard to find in a hundred years like Bai Luo Yin, the military sent out hundreds of soldiers to search for him at all cost. Some media platforms had also started to broadcast a missing person notice, and publicly announced a reward of 500,000 yuan for people that provided information.
Even with such great impetus, the responses that were direly needed never came.
Unfortunately, who asked Bai Luo Yin to stay at a desolate place where not even birds shit on and not a single television could be found in the entire village— not to mention cell phones or computers. Everything was primitive there and everyone pretty much screamed to pass messages to each other. Unless someone could scream loud enough all the way from Beijing to Tibet, then don't even think about taking that reward of 500,000 yuan.
Plenty of people from all over participated in the search for Bai Luo Yin. Only one person did not take part in it, and that was Gu Hai.
In Gu Yang's words, this guy must have been so upset, he has gone crazy.
Beside the first day that Gu Hai went out to search for Bai Luo Yin when he went missing, the remaining time was spent busying himself at the company. He practically stayed in the production department every day. Since the project led by Bai Luo Yin was completed, the company had been committed in manufacturing smart lightings and aviation light. The warehouse was already piled up with purchased lighting materials that were not intended to be sold, and Gu Hai had even forced the employees to work overtime to continue the production.
"Gu Zong, a new batch of aviation lights have been receipted into the warehouse," the manager of the production department reported to Gu Hai.
At those words, Gu Hai nodded and handed over another order to her.
"Continue to produce based on this quantity."
The manager was shocked, "Gu Zong, which airport ordered that many goods?"
"I ordered it."
"Huh?…"
Just as the manager wanted to ask further, Gu Hai had already turned around and walked away.
After that, the warehouse manager went to look for Tong Zhe with an anxious expression.
"Vice President, there is no more room in the warehouse. The transporting vehicles will not be able to enter if we continue putting more stock inside."
Tong Zhe glanced at the manager contemplatively, turned around and went to Gu Hai's office without saying a word.
When the door was opened, Gu Hai was facing a blueprint as if he was calculating something while wearing a particularly serious expression. Seeing that, Tong Zhe sat on the sofa and waited for him silently. It wasn't until Gu Hai finished his calculations and tapped the table with his pen that he noticed Tong Zhe's existence.
"When did you come in?"
Looking at Gu Hai's bloodshot eyes, Tong Zhe lightly said, "Not too long ago."
Gu Hai nodded as he passed the blueprint to Tong Zhe.
"Follow the quantity and specifications of this blueprint, these lights must be manufactured tomorrow before sunset."
After remaining silent for a while, Tong Zhe finally spoke. "There is no more room in the warehouse."
Without bothering to lift his head, Gu Hai simply said, "Aren't there a lot of empty spaces in the company itself? If it does not fit in the warehouse, put them in the conference rooms, managers and employee offices, or in the corridors. As long as the place can guarantee the safety of these lights, you can put them anywhere you wish."
Tong Zhe really wanted to ask Gu Hai, are you going to give each person a light when you get married?
Even if that is the case, you would need half of the residence in the capital to come in order to completely give out all these lights.
After quite some time had passed and Tong Zhe still did not leave, Gu Hai only added one last sentence.
"I will not answer any of your questions whatsoever."
Just as Tong Zhe exited the office, he saw Yan Ya Jing rushing over from afar.
"What do you want?" Tong Zhe held onto Yan Ya Jing.
Yan Ya Jing flusteredly said, "Let me go. I really have something important to discuss with Gu Hai this time!"
Tong Zhe nevertheless held on tight— compared to when he deliberately blocked her before, this time his expression was with utmost earnest.
"I'm advising you, it is best not to go in. I'm serious."
Yan Ya Jing stared attentively at Tong Zhe. "If I don't go in, the company will go bankrupt. With so many lights piling up, how and when will they ever be sold? Listen, it has already exceeded our normal sales by more than ten times! The company is already in a financial strait and heavily in debt to external third parties, the stocks are dropping. If Gu Hai continues working recklessly, we are all going to have nothing to eat along with him!"[1]
Tong Zhe maintained an unshakeable demeanor.
"Even if you don't say it, he himself knows it clearly already. Since he understands it and still insist on doing so, he must have his reasons."
Yan Ya Jing hopelessly rested the back of her head against the wall. "How come I can't seem to understand Gu Hai even more than ever now?"
Hearing that, Tong Zhe sneered coldly. "You had never understood him."
"Who said I never understood him?" Yan Ya Jing became anxious, "When he and I started the business, you were still in Hong Kong delivering takeaway food! Don't always give me that 'newcomers will prevail' kind of manner. You know, the intrinsically superior are bound to outdo the inferior,[2] so even if I am no longer placed in a high position, I still have more authority than you."
With only those words from Tong Zhe, he was able to smother anything else that Yan Ya Jing had to say.
"If you really understood him, you would have left him long ago."
On the fourth day of herding sheep, Bai Luo Yin encountered a wolf.
Before the two had time to get into the helicopter, the wild wolf ran madly toward them, while the flock of sheep dispersed in confusion. The wolf had locked its gaze on one particular sheep and chased after it as if playing around for some time before ruthlessly biting into its head in one go.
A series of tragic and intense screams sounded on the grassland.
According to Bai Luo Yin's experience, he should have quickly retreated from there already. But the boy next to him was truly stubborn. Perhaps, he was just used to seeing wolves, which made him unafraid, or perhaps he really did not have the heart to watch his sheep get devoured. No matter the reason, in short, he picked up a rough-looking stick and shifted his steps slowly behind that wolf.
Meanwhile, Bai Luo Yin had hastily rushed toward the helicopter where his gun was silently lying unused.
"Ahhh!"
Suddenly, a heartrending cry caused Bai Luo Yin's nerves to tense up. When he turned around, that wolf had already changed its direction and its mouth was gaping wide open. From the look of it, the boy had successfully mounted his sneak attack and saved his sheep. However, when that wolf was knocked around by the stick, it became completely insane and charged madly towards Bai Luo Yin instead.
As a matter of fact, Bai Luo Yin was only a few steps away from the helicopter. As long as he reacted quickly and raced to the helicopter even faster, with larger steps, and climbed from the cockpit door to the roof, the possibilities of been attacked by that wolf would be very low.
Sadly, in such a moment of life and death, Bai Luo Yin suddenly became reckless— he actually wanted to experience the feeling of being chased by a wolf.
Therefore, Bai Luo Yin made a detour around the helicopter and ran wildly toward the depths of the vast grassland like a gust of wind.
As the wolf charged crazily behind him, there was only a distance of three centimeters between its teeth and Bai Luo Yin's calf. If Bai Luo Yin was discouraged even the slightest, that piece of meat on his calf would be gone.
Bai Luo Yin's legs were like generators with an endless amount of energy that could not be exhausted. Just like that, he indulgently ran on the vast grassland. At that moment, no words can explain the freedom and pleasantness resting in his heart— it was to the extent that he even wanted to laugh out loud.
In this world, perhaps Bai Luo Yin was the only person that would carry a smile on his face while being chased by a wolf.
In the end, it was unclear whether the wolf's physical strength had been worn out or Bai Luo Yin had subdued it with his exceptionally astonishing stamina, but either way… it actually turned around and took off the other way, only leaving a chain of wolf prints behind.
After a short while, the boy ran anxiously over only to see Bai Luo Yin lying on the ground unscathed. Somehow, he couldn't help but to be taken aback, "You are so impressive!"
With his chest rapidly rising and falling, Bai Luo Yin thoroughly indulged in the happiness brought from being able to be completely relaxed.
Suddenly, a finger poked his face.
When Bai Luo Yin opened his eyes and looked in the direction of that finger, he himself was also shocked.
Standing less than five meters away from the two of them, more than twenty wolves were squinting its eyes as they 'smiled' at them.
"Run!!"
That night, the boy was so tired he wetted his bed.
The next morning, Bai Luo Yin opened his eyes and gazed outside towards the strong rays of light. Then, shifting his eyes just the slightest, he found the boy sneakily putting his blanket out in the sun to dry.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Bai Luo Yin suddenly spoke.
The boy panicked and turned around to face Bai Luo Yin, making sure to hastily hold his head high and chest out— using his shoulders and back to block that wetted spot.
Bai Luo Yin leaned against the door frame with a light smile on his lips, and with the sunlight splaying across his face, his handsomeness was a bit unreal.
After a long while, Bai Luo Yin finally spoke again.
"I have to leave."
The boy was surprised, "Where to?"
"Home."
"Didn't you say you were going to stay here and herd sheep with me?"
Bai Luo Yin caressed the boy's rough face and lightly said, "The helicopter is almost out of fuel. If I continue flying it to herd sheep, I will no longer be able to return home."
The boy's shoulders collapsed and the wetted spot on the blanket behind him revealed a clear outline.
Bai Luo Yin lowered his body and looked at him for a bit before he suddenly fished out an exquisitely crafted plane model and passed it to the boy.
"I personally made this, it's my gift to you."
The boy was astonished as he fondly held the model in his hands and turned it around and around in admiration.
Seeing that, Bai Luo Yin patted the boy's head and walked out.
Suddenly, a sonorous voice sounded from behind him.
"If I agree to exchange my sheep for your helicopter, can you stay?"
Bai Luo Yin turned around and gave the boy a beautiful salute.
"I will come back to visit you when I have a chance."
After that, he walked ahead without looking back.
Translator's Note:
[1] 喝西北风去lit trans: drink northwest wind; live on air, have nothing to eat.
[2] 瘦死的骆驼比马大lit trans: A thin camel is still bigger than a horse.