Ch 41: Colors
Shao Junling was hugged by Yin Chang all night. Even when he awoke, fearing he’d disturb his brother, he didn't dare move.
So whenever he opened his eyes and saw his brother's extremely close, sleeping face, he subconsciously stared in a daze. It was only after Yin Chang tousled his hair that he finally snapped out of it. His face instantly turned red. Then, like a rabbit with its tail on fire, he jumped out of bed lighting fast and fled to the bathroom without looking back.
Yin Chang awkwardly raised his hand and glanced at his own palm... What was wrong with him? Was he so scary?
...Could it be because he made Shao Junling unhappy by forcing him to sleep last night?
Yin Chang got up, put on his clothes, and went to wash his face. Shao Junling was still dawdling around the bathroom. When he saw Yin Chang, his gaze was obviously avoiding him.
Yin Chang found it amusing. He always accommodated Shao Junling at home, but it turned out that this little guy also felt shy at times?
The two brothers had breakfast at the hotel's buffet. When they came out, Yin Chang saw a copper globe on a decorative cabinet by the wall. He had an idea and called Shao Junling over.
Shao Junling: "?"
"Do you know why the sun rises every day?" Yin Chang rotated the globe clockwise. "Because the earth rotates every day." He drew a vertical line with his finger. "The time of sunrise and sunset is different for every longitude and latitude on Earth." He pointed to the locations of China and Switzerland and asked Shao Junling, "If the sun doesn't move, and the earth rotates like this, which place will be the first to see the sun rise?"
Shao Junling pointed to China.
"Correct," Yin Chang made a "seven" gesture with his hand. "Seven hours... is the time difference between us now and China. So, at this time, it's already afternoon in China."
Shao Junling was initially confused, but with Yin Chang's explanation, he suddenly understood.
He touched the globe with surprise on his face and finally figured out what he couldn't understand last night - it wasn't that his phone was broken, but the time here was actually behind.
He thought for a moment and suddenly asked Yin Chang, "Then, Pasi…dana?"
The terrible pronunciation threw Yin Chang off. It took him a moment to realize Shao Junling was referring to Pasadena, the place he went when he left Shao Junling for the first time.
Yin Chang turned the globe to find the small town near Los Angeles. He pointed to it. "It's currently winter there, 16 hours ahead of China. Only 15 hours ahead in the summer though."
Shao Junling: "Oh."
Yin Chang didn't care why he asked these questions and just reminded him, "Alright, sleep well tonight. Even if you can't sleep, just lie down. Don't toss and turn again, got it?"
Shao Junling responded sluggishly with a "Hmm."
In the morning, Svenky planned to take Yin Chang to visit their main campus and introduce him to the history of their brand development, as well as the culture surrounding the BG Young Elite watch series.
Because of Luca had especially invited him last night, Yin Chang brought Shao Junling along. Luca was considerate and realized that Shao Junling might find the history of brand development boring, so as soon as Yin Chang and the others arrived, he indicated that he’d already arranged for an employee to take Shao Junling to visit their design studio. Most children would be more interested in such things.
At first, Shao Junling was unwilling. But he’d promised Yin Chang before he left that he’d behave, so he didn't dare be stubborn.
After parting ways, Yin Chang was worried about Shao Junling. He was afraid that he’d cause trouble for others.
After the meeting was over, Yin Chang couldn't wait to go with Luca to find Shao Junling.
But the thing Yin Chang was worried about didn't happen. When they arrived at the design studio, he saw that the walls were filled with various meticulously crafted watch designs. The studio was divided into four or five areas, and each designer had their own space, with an array of sketches hanging above their respective desks. Shao Junling was currently crouched in front of one of the designer's desks, attentively watching him draw.
The designer was a foreigner who appeared to be elderly. He used a fine pen to sketch a new watch design on paper, while smiling and conversing with Shao Junling.
"Little guy, how old are you?"
"This many." Shao Junling held up his fingers.
"Who did you come with?"
"Looks good." Shao Junling replied with a smile.
If he hadn’t carefully listened to their conversation, Yin Chang would’ve assumed they were actually chatting. Who would’ve thought that the contents of their conversation were completely unrelated.
Shao Junling pointed to a box of colored pens next to the designer and then stared at him.
"Do you like this? Want me to color it?" the designer guessed from Shao Junling's expression.
"Yeah," Shao Junling replied accurately.
"Um... let's go with a light gold color," the designer winked at him and drew on the paper with a thin gold marker.
Watching him effortlessly create a three-dimensional watch with just a few strokes, Shao Junling’s mouth was wide open with amazement.
Yin Chang cleared his throat and called Shao Junling's name.
Shao Junling turned his head and saw Yin Chang. He immediately ran over.
"Are you still behaving? Not causing trouble?" Yin Chang asked.
Shao Junling wrinkled his nose, seemingly unhappy with Yin Chang's two questions.
Yin Chang asked again, "Do you like that design?"
Shao Junling said, "The pen looks good."
"..." Yin Chang was speechless.
At noon, they had a simple lunch in a restaurant on the Svenky campus. In the afternoon, they went to the watch factory.
For any OCD perfectionist, experiencing the production process of high-end watches was divine. Observing skilled craftsmen operating precision instruments with mesmerizing finesse, polishing miniscule parts the size of rice grains, fitting them into the watch dial one by one, using diamonds the size of a grain of sand to slowly engrave gorgeous patterns...
From design to finished product, every step was meticulously executed without introducing the slightest error.
The chief designer of the BG series, Mario, accompanied Yin Chang on the tour. He explained his ideas and concepts for designing this watch.
"In the past, those who could afford luxury watches were mostly royal nobles, celebrity idols, billionaires, and their family members. But we’ve noticed that there are more and more young elites who have reached a certain social status through their own efforts, and some of them are quite young. They should have a symbol that represents their own taste... This is the original intention of our BG young elite watch series. We hope these watches can represent the character, aesthetics, and demeanor of the young people who select them..."
Yin Chang said, "I’m also very honored to have your favor. After today's visit and understanding, I understand its luxury position and pricing... The time and effort invested in this watch and your intentions have exceeded my imagination."
Mario smiled, "Please don't say that. Before we launched this watch, we looked all over the world for a suitable spokesperson. I’m really glad that Luca found you, because as soon as I saw you, I also knew you’d be the perfect spokesman for this watch..."
Shao Junling followed behind, unable to understand their business discourse. He only saw that his brother was confidently and charmingly communicating with them in a foreign language... It made him feel an itch in his heart that he couldn’t scratch. The desire to be like his brother.
After visiting the watch factory, Luca invited Yin Chang and the other two to a local specialty restaurant for dinner. Yin Chang noticed a stationery store next to the restaurant and asked Lu Lingjuan to find an opportunity to help him buy something.
After dinner, back at the hotel, Shao Junling couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke up, "Brother..."
"Hmm?" Yin Chang was taking off his coat and glanced at him.
Shao Junling looked at him, distressed and helpless, "How... do you learn English?"
Yin Chang was taken aback. He chuckled. This kid was catching on.
He hung his coat in the wardrobe, wearing only a slim black cashmere sweater that accentuated his tall and lean figure.
"You need to speak more," he replied.
Shao Junling: "..."
Yin Chang took a piece of hotel notepad from the bedside table and sat down on the single sofa by the tea table. He motioned for Shao Junling to come over.
As Shao Junling approached, Yin Chang pulled him to sit between his legs. This action reminded Shao Junling of that fearful time when his nails were trimmed. He squirmed with unease until the moment Yin Chang waved around a box of colored pens he’d magically pulled out from behind him.
Shao Junling: "!"
Yin Chang coaxed him with a simple English sentence. "Do you like this?"
He chose a very basic sentence that Shao Junling must have heard in his English class at school. Although he might not fully understand the words yet, a familiar context could lead to comprehension.
Sure enough, after Shao Junling looked at it for a while, he hesitantly responded with a "Yes."
Yin Chang chuckled lightly and repeated, "Do you like this? Yes or No."
Shao Junling: "...Yes."
Yin Chang opened the box of pens in front of him and took out a red one, asking in English again, "What color is this?"
Shao Junling guessed, "...Red."
Yin Chang said, "See, you can understand. English is simple, right?"
Shao Junling: "..."
Yin Chang then drew three pentagrams of different colors on the paper and said, "Pick the blue one."
This was a passage Shao Junling had copied in his exam paper, but Yin Chang changed "red" to "blue" and "kite" to "star".
Shao Junling instinctively pointed at the blue one.
Then Yin Chang wrote out the sentence again and asked him, "I just said this sentence. Do you recognize it?"
Shao Junling looked at it carefully and gradually connected the sentence in front of him with the meaningless characters in his mind. His eyes widened.
Yin Chang translated the words for him, helping him understand the meaning of each word. Then, using different colored pens, he wrote down the English word for each color, and handed the paper to him, saying, "When you can recall the English word for each color...this box of pens will be yours."
Shao Junling thought to himself, "Isn't it easy to memorize these?"
But then Yin Chang added, "Oh, and you have to be able to pronounce them accurately too."
Shao Junling: "............"
Over the next two days, Yin Chang had to go to the photo studio arranged by the Svenky headquarters to take official endorsement photos and promotional videos.
Shao Junling followed along with Lu Lingjuan. He watched Yin Chang be surrounded by a crowd of makeup artists and stylists, get dressed up and strike one perfect pose after another in front of a backdrop, shining and flawless.
Because he was working, Yin Chang's demeanor was completely different from the day before. He was fully engaged and focused, and so were the studio staff.
The professional atmosphere also infected Shao Junling, who couldn't take his eyes off Yin Chang. He felt that this person was so close, yet could disappear at any moment. The feeling of surrealness was just like the first time he’d met him. When Yin Chang had flipped over the wall and had walked slowly towards him with the light shining brightly behind him...
But he...
He was merely the son of a murderer, a "little mad dog" that everyone avoided and despised.
The feeling of insecurity that he could be abandoned and hated by his brother at any moment made Shao Junling shudder. He frantically pulled out the colorful word list from his pocket and hid in a corner, murmuring the words softly.
After two days of intense shooting, it was finally time for them to relax and enjoy some free time.
Svenky arranged a special tour guide for Yin Chang and the others. They recommended the famous "Golden Pass" sightseeing route, which was a collection of the most beautiful sceneries in Switzerland, highlighting their unique charm in every season whether it was spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The three of them followed the plan provided by the tour guide, taking a train from Zurich to the sightseeing train in Lucerne, heading to Interlaken.
As they entered the Golden Pass, they saw a continuously unfolding panorama outside the window, with misty mountains and cold lakes under the gentle sunlight. Small, golden red wooden houses peeked out amidst the glistening white snow. It felt as though they were in a fairytale world created by Hans Christian Andersen.
Shao Junling was glued to the window. Motionless. Amazed by the view.
Lu Lingjuan also couldn't stop gasping at the enchanting beauty of this wonderland. "Yin Chang, thanks to you, I finally got to visit one of the places I've always wanted to see, the Golden Pass. I originally planned to come with my own family after getting married and having children..."
Yin Chang glanced at Lu Lingjuan and Shao Junling sitting opposite him and casually said, "Isn't it like we're a family too?"
Hearing this, Lu Lingjuan and Shao Junling both turned their heads at the same time, one surprised and the other expressionless.
"We? You, you...and I..." Lu Lingjuan looked at Yin Chang, then at Shao Junling. She blushed, awkwardly gesturing with one hand, "How could I have such a big child!"
Yin Chang, seeing the situation, realized he’d gone too far with the joke. "Just kidding! I didn’t mean anything by it."
He really felt like he was father to Shao Junling. And especially since Lu Lingjuan had been taking care of the both of them this whole time, if it weren't for the age issue, they really looked like a couple taking their naughty child on a trip.
It was lunchtime once they got off the train at Interlaken.
There were several snack stalls near the station. A strong smell of sausages wafted over. Yin Chang saw Shao Junling craning his neck towards that direction and couldn't help but ask him, "Do you want to eat hot dogs?"
"Hot dogs?" Shao Junling asked with wide eyes, "Dog meat?"
Yin Chang asked Lu Lingjuan and the tour guide to wait while he personally led Shao Junling to buy it. He teasingly handed the first hot dog made by the server to Shao Junling and said, "Take a look, is it dog meat?"
Shao Junling shook his head. "It's a sausage."
Yin Chang bought one for Lu Lingjuan and the tour guide, and asked Shao Junling to give one to Lu Lingjuan. "Give this to Sister."
Shao Junling looked at him, then turned his head to look at Lu Lingjuan wasn’t far away. He obediently walked over.
Lu Lingjuan, seeing Shao Junling handing her the hot dog, had a delighted expression on her face. She was about to thank him when she heard the three words from the child, "Auntie, for you."
Lu Lingjuan: "???" Damnit! Does this brat want to die?!!!
After resting for a while in the town, led by the tour guide, they headed to Jungfrau next, a snow-capped mountain peak that was part of the Swiss Alps, and a famous local attraction.
Haicheng was a coastal city located on the southeast corner of China. It rarely snowed in the winter, and Shao Junling had never seen snow from birth until now. He had no idea what it was like.
All morning, they’d traveled here from Lucerne. Although there were many snowy scenes along the way, they only saw them through the train window. It wasn't until they took the cable car at Jungfrau that Shao Junling saw real, thickly covered snow.
He stepped onto the snow, leaving a footprint. He slowly opened his eyes wide, gathered courage, and walked forward, creating more footprints... He walked towards a short tree covered with snow, reached out and softly poked the snow on top.
He shook one of the branches, and all the snow scattered, landing on the ground with a light "plop plop plop" sound. Shao Junling, having discovered something new and fascinating, suddenly became super excited. He jumped around in the snow like a monkey, grabbing a handful of snow here and there.
"Shao Junling!" Yin Chang frowned and called him, "Come! Get in the car."
Shao Junling hurried back, grasping a ball of snow in his hand. His nose was red from the cold, but he didn't feel cold at all.
Vignette
Shao Junling: Brother, how can I learn English well?
Yin Chang: Speak more.
(Then assigns him homework): If you can memorize this, I'll give you colored pens.
Shao Junling (holding the colorful vocabulary list): I can't even speak Chinese well, and now I also have to speak English! So frustrated.
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