As Assistant Xiao Lin arrived punctually at nine o’clock for work, he received several messages.
He took out his phone and saw they were from a contact saved as “Boss’s Superior.”
[Boss’s Superior: Qi Fang’s vacation ends today and he’s returning to work. Please keep an eye on his condition.]
[Boss’s Superior: If you notice any unusual behavior or speech, contact me immediately.]
[Boss’s Superior: Dementia_Patient_Care_and_Guidelines.doc]
[Boss’s Superior: Transferring 2000 yuan to you]
Assistant Xiao Lin paused at the office doorway, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses.
Dementia patient care… what did that mean?
He asked Shen Yu: [Professor Shen, what’s this about dementia care guidelines?]
[Boss’s Superior: It’s for you to use as a reference when looking after Qi Fang.]
So Qi Fang = dementia patient?
Xiao Lin thought silently, these cultured folks sure know how to insult creatively.
He logged into the company’s leave system, cancelled Qi Fang’s time off, then stared pensively at the previously entered reason of “honeymoon,” shaking his head.
Boss, how disappointing.
The honeymoon’s over and Professor Shen’s already calling him demented.
Who knows what unforgivable sin he must have committed.
At nine-thirty, there was a meeting for company executives. With Qi Fang having taken so many days off, Old Mr. Qi had been handling all important company matters, so they needed to gather everyone to review the progress of various projects.
Qi Fang arrived at the conference room fifteen minutes early. He took the meeting materials Xiao Lin handed him, scanned the name cards on the table, and asked curiously, “Where’s your Old Mr. Qi?”
Although the company was now almost entirely under his management, during Qi Fang’s week-long vacation, his father had been overseeing things at the office. By all accounts, he should be here to listen in on this meeting.
Assistant Xiao Lin pushed up his glasses and said slowly, “Yesterday, as soon as your plane landed, Boss, Mr. Qi packed up and went home to play golf. He asked me to tell you that at his advanced age, he doesn’t have many good years left, so don’t call this retired comrade back to work for free. It might shorten his life.”
Qi Fang raised an eyebrow. “You should have said something earlier. We could have registered him as an intern before. Then we could have given him a daily intern allowance of 200 yuan. How could anyone say that’s working for free?”
Hearing this, Assistant Xiao Lin opened the work tablet in his hands, checked something, and replied matter-of-factly, “That won’t work. This year’s internship recruitment quota is already full. We can only issue compensation through third-party labor dispatch, which amounts to 60 yuan per day.”
Qi Fang nodded with satisfaction and said, “Then give him 420 yuan and say it’s his son’s pension supplement for him.”
Assistant Xiao Lin noted down this to-do item. “Understood.”
The lengthy meeting dragged on for over two hours. While taking meeting minutes, Xiao Lin was distracted by the “Dementia_Patient_Care_and_Guidelines.doc” file that Shen Yu had sent to his phone.
Whatever conflict the boss and Professor Shen had behind closed doors, he was just an employee. As a working man, he did what he was paid to do. Having received Professor Shen’s 2000 yuan, he naturally had to carefully read through the task guidelines.
“1. Psychological care: When faced with childish emotions displayed by dementia patients, show full respect and patience. Do not mock or ridicule them.”
Assistant Xiao Lin jotted this point down on paper, reflecting on his own conduct. He concluded that he had always shown utmost respect to Qi Fang, never contradicting the boss’s requests. Full marks for this criterion.
“2. Language training: Engage in frequent communication with dementia patients to slow down the deterioration of language functions.”
Xiao Lin believed he had been responding diligently to all of Qi Fang’s daily ramblings, actively engaging in conversation. Full marks for this criterion as well.
“3. Dietary care: …”
Before he could read further, his phone suddenly vibrated, indicating a new message.
[Boss’s Superior: I’ve ordered a nutritious lunch for Qi Fang. I’ve given them your contact details. Please pick it up later. Thanks.]
[Boss’s Superior: Transferring 100 yuan to you]
Assistant Xiao Lin typed back: [Understood. I will certainly fulfill this mission.]
*
At eleven forty-two, Qi Fang concluded the executive meeting and was promptly led to another conference room where two project partners were waiting.
Before his vacation, Qi Fang had postponed several project signings to the following week. Now, rushing to catch up, he had reviewed the contracts last night and today was mainly for both parties to sign.
One of them was fairly familiar to Qi Fang, a friend from the local rich second generation circle whose greatest passion was raising turtles, earning him the nickname “Turtle Slave.”
Today, this friend was dressed in a suit, looking somewhat respectable. Qi Fang glanced at him and casually asked, “Joined a company?”
“I’ve been there for over half a month now,” his friend replied with a frown. “It’s like being in prison, with the old man watching my every move.”
“Keep at it,” Qi Fang patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Otherwise, when your family goes bankrupt, I’ll feel awkward about acquiring your company.”
Friend: “…”
Seeing the conversation heading towards a dead end, his friend changed the subject. “I heard you went on an overseas trip with Shen Yu last week?”
At the mention of this, Qi Fang perked up, suddenly alert. “Who told you that?”
Had the sweet love story between him and Shen Yu already become the talk of the rich circles, from first to second to nth generation?
What were outsiders saying? Were the details sweet and rich enough?
Noticing Qi Fang’s peculiar expression, his friend couldn’t quite gauge his mood and tentatively spoke, “Aren’t you and Shen Yu… not on good terms? How come you went on a trip together?”
Since Qi Fang’s marriage, Shen Yu had rarely been seen in public. On those few occasions, Shen Yu’s attitude had been icy cold. There seemed to be no spark between them; if anything, it was more like they were generating icicles.
Some who weren’t particularly close to Qi Fang openly mocked him, saying he was addicted to being a lap dog, treating Shen Yu like an ice cream cone he’d been licking for over a decade, finding it more and more delicious with each lick.
“Not on good terms?”
His friend was startled by Qi Fang’s raised voice.
Qi Fang was about to sign the contract his friend had brought, when he suddenly glared at him, pushing that contract aside and picking up another one to sign instead.
Friend: “…”
Qi Fang aggressively flipped through the contract pages, asking fiercely, “Who told you Shen Yu and I weren’t on good terms?”
The other business partner tried to hide himself in the corner, attempting to minimize his presence.
“…” His friend struggled to speak. “Many people say so. You’ve been married to Shen Yu for two years, but you’ve never brought him out to dine with us… Some even call you a ‘lap dog’.”
“Is Shen Yu some object that I need to ‘bring’ out to dine with you?” Qi Fang retorted fiercely. “Shen Yu is an associate professor and extremely busy with work. If he doesn’t want to eat out, he won’t. Why should he bother gracing your dinners with his presence?”
“And what’s this about being a lap dog—”
Qi Fang quickly reviewed the contract in his hand, signed it with a flourish, and returned it to the other partner.
“What does ‘lap dog’ mean?” He thundered. “A dog that’s good at licking? Why can’t I be a wolf instead?”
Friend: “…”
“Do you know how good Shen Yu is to me?” Qi Fang gesticulated wildly. “He initiates holding my hand, he hugs me, and this morning he even personally helped me put on my jacket, though it was inside out—”
Friend: “……”
Just then, there was a polite knock on the door of the meeting room, followed by Assistant Xiao Lin’s voice. “Boss, Professor Shen has sent you a lunchbox. Shall I place it in your office?”
“See?” Qi Fang immediately turned around. “Shen Yu even sends me a loving lunchbox!”
“Bring it in!” He immediately instructed Xiao Lin.
For some reason, Assistant Xiao Lin hesitated for two seconds outside, but adhering to his professional duty to obey his boss, he pushed open the door and entered.
The lunchbox Shen Yu had ordered was exquisitely packaged, quite large, with a heart-shaped pink sticky note attached to the lid.
Qi Fang took it, showcasing the lunchbox from all angles under his friend’s shocked gaze. Finally, he removed the sticky note and solemnly said, “Everyone, come here! Let me show you the loving note Professor Shen wrote for me—”
At this point, not only his friend, but also the other business partner and even company employees passing by in the corridor on their way to lunch, all curiously looked over.
Only Xiao Lin took off his glasses and sighed.
In front of everyone, Qi Fang solemnly held up the heart-shaped sticky note Shen Yu had written for him, showing it to each person in the meeting room before finally looking at it himself, reading the elegant handwriting:
[Qi Fang, 27 years old, middle-aged dementia, persistent episodes. If any abnormalities are observed in the patient, please call xxxxxx immediately. Thank you very much.]
Everyone: “…”
*
Qi Fang returned to his CEO office, cradling the lunchbox.
Assistant Xiao Lin closed the door for him, turning to face a group of gossiping colleagues, including several passing executives and vice presidents.
Xiao Lin pushed up his glasses and briefly summarized what had just happened. “Professor Shen had a lunchbox delivered to the boss.”
“I thought I heard something about dementia just now?” a vice president asked.
Assistant Xiao Lin: “You misheard. It was ‘eat up1痴呆 (chī dāi) – imbecility / dementia; while 吃掉(chī diào) – to eat up / to consume‘. Professor Shen told the boss to eat up all the food.”
“Oh—” Everyone let out a long response, clearly not believing him.
In the spacious CEO office, Qi Fang solemnly placed the lunchbox on the central coffee table. He then went to wash his hands, changed his clothes, and wanted to burn incense but couldn’t find any. After fussing for ten minutes, he finally sat down by the coffee table.
At the same time.
Shen Yu’s phone began vibrating frantically as he ate in the school cafeteria.
The students, who were having a group meeting over lunch, all stopped in unison, instinctively turning their gazes towards Shen Yu.
“…” Shen Yu had no choice but to say, “Carry on.”
He opened his phone to find that Qi Fang had sent him over a dozen pictures, all of the lunchbox from various angles, complete with studio lighting.
Caption: [Shen Yuyu’s loving lunch]
Immediately after, Qi Fang sent several more photos of the pink sticky note from different angles.
Caption: [Shen Yuyu’s love letter ^^]
Shen Yu: “…?”
[Qi Er Shao? (Deeply in love?): Xiao Yu, in the future, you don’t need to write love letters so bluntly. You nearly scared everyone at my company. Could you perhaps refer to standard formats?]
[Qi Er Shao? (Deeply in love?): Sending you “500 Sample Love Letters.doc” “The Most Sincere Guide to Writing Love Letters.doc” “Selected Excerpts from Outstanding Love Letters Throughout History.doc”…]
Shen Yu paused, his finger hovering over the screen for a long while. In the end, he decided not to argue with Qi Fang and simply messaged: [Eat your meal properly.]
Qi Fang immediately sent several more photos of himself holding the lunchbox and picking up food with chopsticks.
Shen Yu typed: [Eat more liver and carrots.]
After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly typed again: [I’m still in a meeting. See you tonight.]
[Qi Er Shao? (Deeply in love?): LittleWolfKiss.jpg]
When Shen Yu returned to his seat, most of the group members had finished eating and were exchanging meaningful glances, their expressions varied as they speculated about why Shen Yu had gone aside to check his phone.
It was well known that in the past, Shen Yu was almost always singularly focused during work, rarely taking breaks or allowing external distractions.
But after Shen Yu’s unprecedented week-long vacation, the students felt that Professor Shen had undergone some subtle changes.
He was still the same person, his demeanor as cool as ever, still strict with experiments and projects, but somehow he seemed…
“Less fierce…” a senior student whispered.
After the brief group meeting ended, Shen Yu even let them return to their labs without assigning new, burdensome tasks as he used to do, pushing the students to work without a moment’s rest.
“Professor,” the senior student hesitated, then stood up to ask, “I’m nearly finished with my experiment progress. Do you have any other instructions?”
Shen Yu lowered his eyelashes as he packed up, saying, “Form it into a paper, then revise it a few times.”
The students collectively adopted a dumbfounded expression, unable to believe that Shen Yu had let them off so easily.
Shen Yu finished packing his materials, straightened up, and his gaze swept over the students’ faces.
Noticing his glance, the same senior student volunteered, “Zhao Minqing didn’t come today.”
In fact, since Shen Yu had proposed changing supervisors, Zhao Minqing hadn’t appeared in the group at all, effectively becoming a missing person.
“I see,” Shen Yu nodded and said, “I was just about to go to the academic affairs office to discuss his transfer.”
TL Notes
- 1痴呆 (chī dāi) – imbecility / dementia; while 吃掉(chī diào) – to eat up / to consume
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