Silent Ark

Chapter 49: The Gathering

Just two streets outside the east gate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is Darongcheng.

Yao Chong had just finished the renovation before he went abroad. At that time, it was still a construction site and an old shopping mall. Now, shopping malls, office buildings, and connecting corridors have all been built. Haidian can be considered a prosperous area.

The main consumer group is the families and office staff of research institutes—to put it bluntly, it's designed for people like him.

When he passed by three years ago, he thought it was "too new and I wasn't used to it."

Now I feel "it's too new, I don't recognize it".

Yao Chong passed by a convenience store and picked up water, instant noodles, and bread.

The cashier was a girl in her early twenties with light purple hair and sequined nail polish.

After scanning the code, she was about to look down at her phone when she caught a glimpse of the person across the counter.

She looked up.

stunned for a moment.

"Are you wearing CERN clothes? By the way, did something happen over there?"

"It wasn't a big deal before."

"oh."

She didn't ask any more questions.

But she didn't look down at her phone anymore.

When she handed over the change, her fingers brushed against the back of Yao Chong's hand.

It wasn't intentional.

perhaps.

"Do you come here often?"

"I don't live here."

"Oh. So you're... just passing by?"

"Um."

She nodded and handed over the receipt.

My finger touched it again.

This was probably intentional.

Yao Chong took the receipt, turned around, and left.

As he walked out of the convenience store, he heard a low, but not completely suppressed, voice behind him:

"Sis—did you see that person just now—?"

"I saw it, what's wrong?"

"So handsome."

"Just buy things, stop being so infatuated."

"I didn't—I'm just giving an objective evaluation—"

The sound was cut off by the automatic door.

At the convenience store entrance, Yao Chong tore open the bread packaging and took a bite.

Whole wheat.

It's a bit dry.

After walking for ten minutes, I saw a clothing store on the street.

A handwritten sign at the entrance reads: "20% off everything."

He pushed open the door and went in, picking up a black long-sleeved T-shirt.

XL.

I tried it on; the shoulder straps could fit, but the chest area would be tight.

Put it down and pick up the XXL.

I also picked up a pair of dark gray casual pants.

The mirror in the fitting room was much bigger than the one in the apartment.

He took off his CERN T-shirt.

He had never looked at it seriously before.

It wasn't because I was shy, it was because there wasn't much to see.

At that time, my ribs were all there, like a harp with its skin removed.

The shoulder blades protrude, and you can feel every vertebra of the spine from behind.

But it's different now.

The deltoid muscles in my shoulders have developed a definition—not the exaggerated spherical shape you see in gyms, but naturally grown lines that are in harmony with my skeletal proportions.

The pectoral muscles have become thicker.

The muscle lines of the forearm, from the wrist to the elbow, resemble a slowly rising ridge.

He put on an XXL black long-sleeved shirt.

suitable.

The shoulders are no longer tight, and the cuffs are loosely fitted just above the wrists.

The pants are size 32, the waist fits perfectly, but the thighs are too tight.

Change to size 34.

suitable.

He walked out of the fitting room wearing new clothes and stuffed his old CERN T-shirt into his shopping bag.

I stood on the side of the street and looked down at myself.

Black long-sleeved shirt, dark gray pants.

ordinary.

But it fits.

He suddenly remembered what Rajeev had told him in the CERN cafeteria: "Do you know what your biggest problem is? You always look like you're wearing borrowed clothes."

He didn't understand at the time.

Now I understand.

It's not a problem with the clothes.

She's someone who doesn't feel she deserves to be treated well, and she wears whatever she feels like she's borrowed.

My phone vibrated.

It's not Liu Pan.

An unfamiliar number that looks somewhat familiar.

"Yao Chong, this is Zhang Yuan. We're high school classmates. A few old classmates are getting together tonight in Zhongguancun. Can you come?"

Zhang Yuan.

He was the class representative for physics in high school, and he was quite close to Yao Chong, who frequently participated in competitions.

He later graduated from Beijing Normal University and now works as a high school physics teacher in Beijing.

He's the kind of person who sends New Year's greetings in the class group every year, likes every single one of his WeChat Moments posts, and arranges to "go out for a meal" every few days.

"What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock, the usual place, the grilled fish place behind the school."

"it is good."

"By the way, Sun Yifei is coming too. Are you okay with that?"

Sun Yifei.

In the high school physics competition, Yao Chong came in first, and he came in second.

Each time, the difference is three to five points.

Later, after taking the college entrance examination, I went to the Finance Department of Renmin University.

"no problem."

"Then there are five of us. Right now, it's just me, you, Zhao Yutong, Shen Qingci, and Sun Yifei in Beijing. See you at seven!"

Five people.

He put his phone back in his pocket.

A gray sky.

The sovereign entity’s enormous form moved slowly above the clouds.

He carried his shopping bags and walked back to his apartment along the same route he had come from.

Put your things down first.

I changed into that XXL black long-sleeved shirt.

I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror.

The person in the mirror has broader shoulders, a thicker neck, and a more defined jawline.

The 128-pound clothes rack from three years ago is no longer there.

Yao Chong suddenly remembered that when he returned to Beijing, his high school classmate Zhao Yutong had sent him a message. He picked up his phone and looked at it, but did not rush to reply.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Liu Pan:

"Before you go to the Ninth Department tomorrow, help me look up someone. The seventh night of The Decameron, the emergency department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, a patient with multiple organ failure but normal vital signs."

Three seconds later, Liu Pan replied: "How did you know that?"

"Class reunion".

"...You're having a class reunion?"

"have."

"Damn, I'll check."

6:45.

He walked out of the apartment and along the gray street toward Old Chen's Grilled Fish.

Old Chen's Grilled Fish is still around.

The sign at the entrance has changed—it used to be handwritten with red background and white lettering, but now it's an LED screen that scrolls through pictures of the dishes.

The shop has been renovated; wooden floors have been laid, several decorative paintings have been hung on the walls, and the tablecloths are checkered.

But the taste of the grilled fish hasn't changed.

When Yao Chong pushed open the door, Zhang Yuan was already sitting inside.

Yao Chong's close friend Zhang Yuan has clearly gained weight.

In high school, I was 1.78 meters tall and weighed 120 kilograms, about the same as Yao Chong.

It weighs about 160 pounds now.

She had a round face and a slightly protruding belly, but her eyes were still bright.

"Yao Chong!"

He stood up, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of people at the two tables next to him.

"Damn, you've changed so much! You've gotten so strong! Weren't you as skinny as a bamboo pole before?"

"I've practiced a bit."

"You've been training a little?" Zhang Yuan pinched his arm. "You call this training a little? Your arm is thicker than my thigh."

"Your thighs aren't thin either."

Zhang Yuan laughed and pulled him to sit down.

"Order first?"

"You order."

Zhang Yuan flipped through the menu: "One garlic-flavored grilled fish, one serving of shredded potatoes, one serving of smashed cucumber, and two bottles of Beibingyang soda—you're still drinking Beibingyang, aren't you?"

"drink."

After ordering, Zhang Yuan leaned back in his chair.

"Where have you been all these years? You disappeared after the whale fall."

"CERN".

"The one in Switzerland?"

"Yes, three years."

"Three whole years..." Zhang Yuan shook his head. "You son of a bitch, you didn't even say a word before going to CERN."

"There's not much to say."

"What's there to say? You're in the world's largest particle physics laboratory—"

The door was pushed open.

Zhao Yutong walked in.

Short hair, no makeup, and slightly dark circles under the eyes.

He was wearing a thin white lab coat, probably because he had just gotten off work and hadn't had time to change.

"Sorry I'm late." She pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Zhao," Zhang Yuan said.

"Don't call me Dr. Zhao, it sounds like you're calling me Mom."

She paused for a moment when she saw Yao Chong.

"You are... Yao Chong?"

"Um."

You've changed so much.

"Everyone says that."

"No—you used to be like a bamboo pole. Now you're like a sturdy bamboo pole."

Zhang Yuan burst out laughing.

Zhao Yutong picked up her chopsticks expressionlessly.

"It's delicious, just like before."

Zhang Yuan poured her a glass of water.

"Oh right, I called Li Meng, she should be here soon."

"Li Meng?" Zhao Yutong said, "Why did you call her?"

"Isn't she a social media influencer? I want her to make a 10th-anniversary video for our class. It's been so many years since we graduated high school, and we don't even have a group photo."

Zhao Yutong rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you want to film a video or meet Li Meng?"

"Yes, we have both." Zhang Yuan said confidently.

The door was pushed open.

A cold wind blew in.

Sun Yifei walked in.

He was wearing a dark blue cashmere coat over a light gray sweater.

He wore a watch on his wrist—the dial was dark blue, and the second hand made no sound when it ticked.

There was a person following behind him.

He was tall and thin, wore glasses, and a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"This is Liu Chang," Sun Yifei said. "He's my college classmate and now works as an analyst at a securities firm. I talked to him about Waterstain Investment, and he said he wanted to come and take a look."

Liu Chang pushed up his glasses and nodded to the people at the table.

"Sorry to bother you."

Zhang Yuan glanced at Sun Yifei, then at Liu Chang.

"Yifei, you brought people here without even saying anything beforehand—"

"We bumped into each other at the last minute." Sun Yifei pulled out a chair and sat down. "He was meeting with a client in Zhongguancun. I told him I was attending a class reunion and he hadn't eaten yet, so I brought him along. I don't know if it's convenient."

When he said "it's convenient," his gaze swept over Yao Chong.

Just then, another person came in; it was Li Meng.

The prettiest girl in my high school class.

It's not the kind of stunning beauty—it's the kind of beauty that makes you feel like "the weather is nice today" every time you see her.

Round face, big eyes, and dimples when she smiles.

She's changed now.

Her hair was dyed chestnut brown, she wore light makeup, and a beige trench coat.

She wore a thin gold chain on her wrist.

When she walked in, Zhang Yuan's eyes visibly lit up.

"Li Meng? You're here too?"

"Zhang Yuan asked me to come." She smiled, her gaze sweeping over the people at the table.

When her gaze fell on Yao Chong, it lingered for half a second.

Half a second later, she smiled.

"Are you Yao Chong?"

"Um."

"You've really changed a lot." Her tone was different from Zhao Yutong's—Zhao Yutong was stating a fact, while Li Meng was confirming something. "You used to be so thin."

"yes."

"You've gotten so much stronger now." She glanced at him again.

That single glance was short, but it contained a wealth of information.

Zhang Yuan, standing beside her, introduced with a smile: "Li Meng is now a self-media creator, with hundreds of thousands of followers."

"Not several hundred thousand," Li Meng said, sitting down. "Just over five hundred thousand."

"That's several hundred thousand."

Li Meng smiled.

She sat opposite Yao Chong.

Zhao Yutong sat to Yao Chong's right.

Zhang Yuan is on the left.

Liu Chang sat next to Zhao Yutong and Sun Yifei.

Li Meng took out her phone and placed it on the table.

"Can we take a group photo? It's been so long!"

"Okay." Zhang Yuan leaned closer.

They took a few pictures.

As Li Meng flipped through the photos, her gaze fell on Yao Chong again.

"Yao Chong, this photo you took is really good."

"The phone has good camera quality."

"It's not a pixel issue," she said. "It's you—"

She didn't finish speaking.

The door was pushed open again, and the group of people who came in chatted and laughed as they walked to another table by the window.