Chapter 49

The next day was the trial for the car accident involving Yan Su and Zhen Ai. Later on, Zhen Ai realized that going to court with Yan Su was far from a pleasant memory.

Zhen Ai, with her carefree nature, didn't feel particularly embarrassed while waiting in the small courtroom. The seats were filled with people accused of various offenses like drunk driving, assaulting officers, smoking marijuana, causing public disturbances, or damaging government property, all waiting their turn for trial.

While sitting, Zhen Ai noticed the same group of young men who had been locked up with them in the holding cell. They recognized Zhen Ai and Yan Su as well. Excited as if they had run into old friends in a foreign land, they hurried over to greet her. "Hey, fancy seeing you here!"

Zhen Ai found it amusing and responded with a lighthearted nod.

Yan Su, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, sitting in a daze as if nothing was happening.

The young men gave Yan Su a curious glance. Now that they were sober, they could tell Yan Su didn't seem like the kind of guy who would lift someone's skirt. They leaned closer to Zhen Ai and asked in a low voice, "So, why were you guys arrested?"

"Oh, we crashed two police cars," Zhen Ai replied.

The young men's eyes widened in shock. After a moment, they gave her a thumbs-up, praising, "Cool!"

Zhen Ai found them even more amusing and was about to say something when Yan Su's cold voice cut through the air, commanding her, "Stop talking to them!"

What's so funny about what they said? Look at how silly you're grinning!

Zhen Ai was puzzled. "Why?"

Yan Su's lips pressed into a tight line, his expression calm, but the slight furrow in his brows betrayed his irritation.

Zhen Ai couldn't figure out why he was suddenly in a bad mood again. After thinking it over for a moment, she guessed—it must be because of what those guys said back in the holding cell about him lifting someone's skirt, right?

Zhen Ai couldn't help but laugh. Just as she was about to tease him, Yan Su interrupted her, his voice firm and disdainful. "Because they're dumb!"

The young men's faces turned awkward, and they waved to remind him, "Uh, we can hear you."

Yan Su ignored them completely, fixing Zhen Ai with a look of exasperation, as if he was disappointed in her. "And you—you're already dumb enough. If you keep talking to people who are even dumber than you, you'll just get even dumber."

The implication was clear: Look at me, look at me! I'm smart, you should talk to me more!

But Zhen Ai didn't catch on...

She shot back, "All you ever talk about is intelligence. Can you say something else for once?"

Yan Su wasn't angry in the least. Instead, he earnestly engaged in a discussion with her:

"Miss Zhen Ai, what I said earlier is actually quite easy to refute. All you had to say was, 'Hmph, my intelligence is lower than yours, but after talking to me for so many days, have you gotten dumber?' … If you had said that, I would've been left speechless."

"And then, you would've felt a sense of accomplishment in winning the logical and verbal argument. That way," he scratched his nose, a bit embarrassed, "you'd be happy, and then you could smile at me. A smile like that—that's meaningful."

After saying that, he shot a cold glance at the young men, as if to say that smiling at them was meaningless and should be avoided.

Yan Su felt proud of how considerate he was. However, despite creating the perfect opportunity, Zhen Ai didn't appreciate it, and he still had to maintain his dignity.

So, he changed his expression, shaking his head with regret and speaking in a sympathetic tone. "I went out of my way to say something illogical and unreasonable, a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and yet you didn't take it. Miss Zhen Ai, I am deeply disappointed."

The young men sitting in front of them felt their hair stand on end. *This guy is definitely not normal!*

Zhen Ai: …

There's a phrase to describe this level of speechlessness—total surrender.

Was he deliberately trying to annoy her? No, he wasn't that childish. Zhen Ai realized he genuinely wanted to have a verbal spar with her. The problem was, his way of thinking and communicating was just… so infuriating.

Zhen Ai stared blankly ahead, refusing to respond.

Yan Su noticed her silence and frowned deeply. What's wrong with her?

He sat up straight, staring into space, searching his mind for an answer. He mentally reviewed social psychology, logic, biology, and chemistry, but still couldn't figure it out.

Furrowing his brows, he gently nudged her arm. "Zhen Ai."

She continued to stare straight ahead, ignoring him.

After a second, he nudged her again. "Zhen Ai." Another second passed, and he tapped her once more. "Zhen Ai."

Annoyed, Zhen Ai finally turned to him. "What?"

Yan Su blinked in surprise, then said, "What I meant earlier wasn't an insult to your intelligence."

Zhen Ai remained expressionless. "... That's so comforting to hear."

Yan Su thought for a moment before slowly saying, "Hmm, I can tell that was sarcasm."

Zhen Ai immediately shot him a sharp glare.

Caught off guard, a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face. He coughed and continued explaining:

"You see, in my favorite field of study, I saved my most unlikely logical mistake for you, so you could refute me. That's a form of… uh, closeness. You're my friend, and I'm… uh, expressing affection."

The young men in front exchanged horrified looks. *Who in the world expresses affection like this?!*

But Zhen Ai, in truth, had already understood his intentions. She was just being playfully upset. Now that he was speaking so gently and explaining himself so clearly, she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased, her face blushing lightly. She turned her head away, pouting, and muttered, "You're such a weirdo!"

Yet there was a trace of fondness and playfulness in her voice, making it clear they had made up.

The young men could only cry inwardly: *This defies all logic!*

Yan Su, seeing that Zhen Ai was no longer upset, allowed himself a faint smile and returned to his thoughts.

Zhen Ai sat quietly, waiting for the trial to start.

As she sat there, her earlier lightheartedness began to fade. The judge was going to announce their offenses and the verdict in front of everyone. This was so... embarrassing.

Although everyone there had committed minor offenses, Zhen Ai was the only woman in the courtroom that day. Even with her usual obliviousness, as time passed, she started to feel her face flush with embarrassment.

Just as she was contemplating whether to run, the judge called out their names:

"S.A. Yan, Ai Zhen."

There was no time to escape now.

Zhen Ai stiffened, rising to her feet with Yan Su, and they walked to the center of the courtroom to stand before the bench, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on them. She wished she could bury her head in the ground.

Unlike her, Yan Su stood straight, as upright as a tree, robust and energetic, completely unaware of his situation.

He glanced down at Zhen Ai, puzzled. Huh? Weren't they just reconciled? Why was she unhappy again? He felt it necessary to check on her, so he leaned slightly toward her and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Zhen Ai sighed deeply, wishing her nerves were as thick as his.

Zhen Ai didn't respond. Suddenly, she was poked from behind, catching her off guard and almost causing her to stumble onto the platform. The waist-high wooden table made a soft sound.

The judge reading the "charges" lifted his eyelids, casting a disapproving glance at Zhen Ai before expressionlessly continuing: "Yan Su and Zhen Ai were involved in an incident on April 2, 20XX, on Highway X in New York..."

Zhen Ai glared at Yan Su, who remained unfazed.

She quickly stood up straight, realizing he poked her because she hadn't replied, and shot him a fierce look, whispering through clenched teeth, "I feel embarrassed."

Yan Su didn't understand: "Why embarrassed? I don't feel that way."

Zhen Ai seized the opportunity to mock him: "Because you have no shame!"

Yan Su frowned. Zhen Ai thought he was angry, but to her surprise, he pinched his own cheek, wearing an expression of scientific inquiry.

Zhen Ai: ...

He tugged at his face, leaned closer to her, and said earnestly, "I pinched it; it's not thick." Finally, as if afraid she wouldn't believe him, he added, "You can pinch it if you don't believe me."

Zhen Ai almost cried.

The judge was still diligently reading: "According to Regulation X, this court sentences the two parties to 23 hours of community service..."

Zhen Ai felt he was doing this on purpose and got angry: "I take that back. You're not shameless; you're downright spineless."

Yan Su: "How do you know? Have you ever touched it?"

Zhen Ai froze. How could he say something like that?

Looking back, she saw he wasn't teasing or joking. On the contrary, he seemed very serious, showing a scholarly spirit: "Zhen Ai, no investigation means no right to speak."

This guy's comprehension skills were problematic; this wasn't the first time she'd noticed. Zhen Ai held her forehead and replied, "I feel uncomfortable because standing here being judged is awkward and humiliating."

Yan Su pondered for a moment, kindly reassuring her: "No need to feel ashamed; almost half the people in America have stood in the defendant's seat."

Zhen Ai perked up at this: "Ah! Ha! The logician made a mistake! Whether or not they've been defendants has nothing to do with my feelings of shame. You..."

"Can you two stop chatting?" The judge looked at them with extreme exasperation.

The courtroom fell silent, all eyes on her, including the court reporter.

Zhen Ai felt exposed, wishing she could vanish, her head hanging lower.

The judge waited for her to acknowledge her mistake, but Zhen Ai didn't grasp his intention and continued to lower her head, feeling more and more embarrassed by the silence.

Yan Su glanced at Zhen Ai, then back at the judge, nodding earnestly, "Yes, we're done talking."

Was that an admission of guilt?

The judge: ...

The judge cleared his throat in disapproval: "Now that you're in court, can't you be patient and listen?"

Yan Su responded sincerely, "We actually listened carefully to what the judge just said."

The judge adjusted his glasses, raising an eyebrow: "Oh? What did I just say?"

Yan Su recited rapidly and expressionlessly: "Yan Su and Zhen Ai were involved in an incident on April 2, 20XX, on Highway X... bla... According to Regulation X, this court sentences the two parties to 23 hours of community service... bla... Can you two stop chatting?"

The lengthy recitation shocked everyone, and the last line made the courtroom burst into laughter.

Yan Su kept a straight face, completely oblivious to the punchline.

Zhen Ai quickly covered her forehead, half-hiding her eyes.

The judge, unfazed, calmly said, "Mr. Yan, are you trying to show contempt for the court?"

Yan Su was utterly confused. He had been so considerate, reciting every word verbatim as a sign of respect. Not understanding why that was an issue, he slightly nodded and replied formally, "No, sir!"

The judge, being magnanimous, didn't pursue the matter and continued reading.

---

Zhen Ai walked out of the courtroom feeling dejected, her head hung low. Yan Su looked at her, puzzled: "Zhen Ai, why do you look like a deflated eggplant?"

Zhen Ai glared at him in frustration, "I look like this because of you!"

Yan Su, even more confused, frowned: "I hit you? But I didn't even touch you today."

As if reminded of his unfinished task, he quickly raised his hand and awkwardly patted her shoulder, once, then twice, as a gesture of comfort.

But his expression was still stiff as he said, "Zhen Ai, don't be sad." After a pause, he added, "I'll be with you."

Zhen Ai found his robot-like, emotionless voice both amusing and exasperating, pouting: "What do you mean by 'be with me'? You've got community service to do too!"

Once she said that, she suddenly felt much better. Ah, just like Yan Su said, every time she managed to retort him, her mood inexplicably improved. This really was a good way to enhance their intimacy!

Yan Su, puzzled, narrowed his eyes and inquired, "Huh, Zhen Ai? Why are you reacting so quickly? You noticed that?"

Zhen Ai: ...

She really wanted to kick him down the marble steps.

Seeing her change in expression, Yan Su hurriedly reached out again, patting her shoulder once, then twice, lowering his voice to coax her: "Zhen Ai, don't be angry."

Zhen Ai found herself speechless, staring at him blankly. She didn't know why, but it felt like her heart was being cradled by a warm hand, instantly calm and peaceful, with a touch of ease.

Thinking back, ever since he learned the shoulder-patting technique from Owen, he had been using it without becoming proficient. After all this time, he was still clumsy and awkward, each time feeling like he was patting a collection of various microbial pathogens.

But even so, every bit of encouragement and comfort from him was something Zhen Ai could clearly and deeply feel.

As she slowly descended the stairs, looking at the bright blue sky of spring, she took a deep breath and silently told herself: Zhen Ai, don't be sad; Zhen Ai, don't be upset; Zhen Ai, don't... find out the cause of your brother's death and avenge him!

Yan Su stood on the steps, watching her unconsciously walk ahead, still carrying her hands behind her back, her head held high.

Her long hair danced lightly over her jacket and hat.

The sun sparkled, and her voice was soft: "Yan Su, help me solve the code." After saying that, she turned back, the sunlight sinking into her dark eyes, giving her an unfamiliar depth. "I won't make it hard for you; I'll tell you where the code comes from."

Yan Su stood atop the steps, the cool breeze ruffling his coat as it billowed. He watched Zhen Ai, who had walked two steps up the stairs.

He wanted to say that actually, ever since that day when he carried her home while she was drunk, he had decided that no matter what the code was for, as long as Zhen Ai asked, he would help her.

What he didn't expect was that she respected his conditions for decoding and dealing with things; even more unexpectedly, she trusted him enough to open up and speak to him.

Each of these thoughts made his heart race unexpectedly, pounding heavily, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

Zhen Ai climbed the steps, approaching him, stopping at the second step below him.

She looked up at him, smiling again: "CIA, the SPA organization, a password that has baffled over a hundred top experts. Mr. Yan Su, are you interested in the challenge?"

"Mr. Yan Su," that was also the purpose of her initial approach to him.