Chapter 75 Part 2

"Lawyer fees," Chu Yi said, "Are really expensive. I don't have that much money, I'll have to borrow from you."

Yan Hang smiled and ruffled his hair, "Then my money is definitely enough. If not, I can still ask Uncle Cui for more. It won't make a difference if we miss one all-you-can-eat dinner, let's go."

Seafood was still very tempting. Chu Yi hadn't eaten it often before. His aunt had taken him to eat it once, but he didn't find it very tasty then. Only after coming to this seaside city did he realize seafood had to be eaten locally to taste the best.

This was a revolving all-you-can-eat restaurant, indeed quite expensive, but the food was also exceptionally delicious, with a huge variety.

"When I was little, I thought revolving restaurants," Chu Yi said as he ate, "Spun around, the people inside had to be tied to their chairs."

Yan Hang laughed so hard with a piece of fish in his chopsticks that he couldn't even put it in his mouth.

"Or they'd fly out," Chu Yi said.

"You had quite the imagination as a kid," Yan Hang said.

"When I was bored I would just think about things," Chu Yi said, "And sometimes chat with tree hollows."

"From now on, just talk to me when you have random thoughts," Yan Hang said. "At least I can give you a response."

"Like what?" Chu Yi looked at him. "Laugh?"

"Yeah," Yan Hang nodded.

"Then laugh," Chu Yi also laughed. "I like seeing you laugh."

"Cheesy," Yan Hang tsked. "That doesn't sound like something Brother Dog would say."

"Schizophrenic dog," Chu Yi said.

Since it was all-you-can-eat, they had to eat their money's worth. Yan Hang didn't usually eat that much, so Chu Yi had to take on this mission.

"If you can't finish, then stop eating," Yan Hang said as he looked at him. "No way you can eat your money's worth at this price."

Chu Yi took a drink of water. "Nothing in this world is impossible..."

"Shut up," Yan Hang said.

"There was never anything called eating your money's worth to begin with," Chu Yi switched to a different sentence but kept persisting. "The more people who eat, the more..."

"Shut up and eat," Yan Hang flicked his forehead.

"I don't feel grounded," Chu Yi buried his head and ate a few more bites before stopping with a sigh.

"I don't feel grounded either," Yan Hang said. "When I don't feel grounded, I look at you a few times. So you have to be more grounded to help me feel grounded."

Chu Yi looked at him for a while before nodding, "Okay."

In the afternoon, they really couldn't wander the streets aimlessly anymore, so they slowly made their way back.

They could've taken a taxi or bus, but Yan Hang chose to walk back.

"Why?" Chu Yi asked.

"It's comfortable," Yan Hang said. "It's been so long since we walked together for this long. We used to go running every day."

"I run at school," Chu Yi said.

"I run laps around our neighborhood," Yan Hang said. "How can that compare?"

"Not the same," Chu Yi laughed and squeezed closer to him.

"Take a nap when we get back," Yan Hang said. "I'll make something simple for dinner later. You still have to go to the cafe right?"

"Mm," Chu Yi nodded.

"I'll go with you," Yan Hang said. "I think Auntie Bai might have news by tonight."

"Okay," Chu Yi tensed up again. When he was nervous, he'd feel cold, so he squeezed even closer against Yan Hang.

In the end, he didn't care that there were still passersby on the road. He shoved his hand into Yan Hang's coat pocket.

Yan Hang didn't say anything and held his hand.

When they got home, Yan Hang sat on the sofa watching TV and playing on his phone. Chu Yi didn't want to go into the bedroom to sleep either, so he just laid down on the sofa.

Probably because he hadn't slept all night and walked for so long, Yan Hang soon heard his soft snores.

Yan Hang pulled the small blanket on the side over him and lowered his head to continue looking at his phone.

There was a new message from Cui Yi on his phone.

- If your mood isn't right these next couple days, you should still chat with Dr. Luo

- My mood is still alright

Yan Hang replied.

- There's a possibility Chu Yi's testimony could negatively impact your dad. You have to be mentally prepared.

- I know.

- If you can't adjust on your own, find Dr. Luo. If anything happens to you, your dad can immediately show up and hack me to death

Yan Hang smiled and leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes.

For dinner, Yan Hang made baked rice, something Chu Yi loved to eat and was simple to make, suitable for people feeling distracted and in low spirits.

Cui Yi was worried about his mental state, and he was worried about himself too.

But over the past year or so, he could feel he had slowly, little by little, improved a lot in emotional regulation compared to before. The painful feeling of his dad suddenly leaving and him violently losing his reliance and center of gravity, when he thought about it now, felt somewhat distant and vague.

But to say he was completely unaffected would be impossible.

For example, he would still suffer from insomnia because of this incident, possibly for several consecutive days or even longer.

When the oven filled with fragrant smells, Chu Yi came into the kitchen. "Hungry!"

"You already ate so much at lunch," Yan Hang said, "Now you're hungry again after a nap?"

"Mm," Chu Yi sighed. "Smells so good!"

"It'll be ready to eat soon," Yan Hang glanced at the oven. "There's still yogurt in the fridge."

"Auntie Bai still hasn't contacted us," Chu Yi said.

"They have to meet and talk first," Yan Hang said. "After chatting, they'll probably take a break to eat and rest, organize their thoughts, then contact us."

"Oh," Chu Yi bounced around impatiently, then went over to hug Yan Hang again, vigorously rubbing his face against Yan Hang's shoulder several times before turning to go back to the living room.

That night, Yan Hang accompanied him at the cafe. There were still few customers, same as always.

Chu Yi was watching Yan Hang make coffee when his phone suddenly rang.