Chapter 9
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On the way to work, Sui Yang mentioned that he wanted a complete set of cameras without blind spots installed at home, which briefly surprised his usually composed secretary.
Sui Yang noticed it through the rearview mirror but didn’t pay much attention. He simply emphasized that he wanted it to be completed before he returned home that evening.
When Sui Yang arrived at the company, his first task shifted from checking the previous day’s production capacity, which had been a routine for years, to taking a pink LEGO bunny out of his pocket.
Since someone seemed to dislike his pocket and tended to fall asleep easily during bumpy rides, Sui Yang preferred not to keep the little bunny in his pocket for too long if he could avoid it.
The little bunny sat quietly on the desk like an ordinary decoration, not moving or making any sound.
Unsure if someone had fallen asleep again, Sui Yang brought the little bunny closer and shook its front paws. After a few shakes, the bunny’s front paws suddenly moved agilely and lightly tapped Sui Yang’s hand.
Sunlight entered the office through the window, casting a pixelated pattern on the bunny’s big eyes and distinct eyelashes.
It didn’t blink and appeared quite dull upon closer inspection, with only the pressure on Sui Yang’s skin and the sound it made suggesting that it wasn’t an ordinary toy bunny that Sui Yang could easily squish or shape.
“What are you doing?” it said. “Stop messing around.”
“Nothing.” Sui Yang smiled at it. “Thought you were asleep, Xie Min.”
“I’m not a pig,” the little bunny said, jumping somewhat aggressively.
Sui Yang felt more at ease, touched the bunny’s ears, and began his day’s work.
After signing a document and preparing to head to the factory area, Sui Yang received a text message from his therapist.
Dr. Zhuo asked him, “I just saw the news about Mr. Xie’s car accident. You mentioned that you went to Yuhai a couple of days ago. Was it to see him?”
Sui Yang was slightly taken aback and replied, “Yes.”
Dr. Zhuo was highly respected in the industry with an excellent reputation. They had met by chance six years ago, and Sui Yang had become her regular client ever since. When it came to personal life issues, she was the person Sui Yang trusted the most.
While getting ready in the morning, Sui Yang avoided the little bunny and called her, informing her that he had recently gone to Yuhai and had experienced hallucinations. He wanted to schedule an appointment to visit her tomorrow. Sui Yang sought Dr. Zhuo’s assistance not to disclose the details of Xie Min’s situation but to test and confirm his own mental state.
Dr. Zhuo’s concern made him somewhat uneasy, but not to the extent of changing his plans.
“If the hallucinations persist, it could be a more serious symptom,” she messaged again, expressing her desire to meet with Sui Yang as soon as possible. If he had time today, she suggested not postponing it until tomorrow. She didn’t have any appointments tonight and could stay a bit later at the clinic.
Sui Yang thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll contact you later.”
The little bunny became a bit bored and hopped a few times on his desk.
Sui Yang set down his phone, picked up the bunny, hesitated for a moment, but still told it, “There’s news about your car accident. Do you want to see it?”
Xie Min stayed motionless in his hand for a few seconds and whispered softly, “Let’s take a look.”
Sui Yang opened his computer and searched for Xie Min. The first news article that popped up was about Xie Min, the CEO of Hanshao Real Estate, being involved in a car accident and still unconscious. The company’s stocks plummeted at the opening.
The news article briefly described Xie Min’s background, highlighting his young and promising career with a unique vision. It included a few photos of Xie Min taken when he had just started working two or three years ago and attended a financial forum.
The little bunny, positioned close to Sui Yang, tilted its head to look at the computer screen and complained, “Why did they choose these few pictures? They’re from so many years ago.”
Sui Yang laughed, lowered his head, and touched the bunny’s head. The bunny shook its head and said, “Scroll down, we’re done with this page.” Sui Yang followed the instruction, and the latter part of the news mentioned that Xie Min’s father had temporarily returned to the company, stating that Xie Min’s injuries were not severe and they believed he would wake up soon.
“Boring, there’s nothing interesting,” Xie Min turned around and said to Sui Yang, “When will you ask the vice president you mentioned about the approach?”
“He’s been on a business trip these past few days,” Sui Yang asked the little bunny, “Can I ask him tomorrow when he returns?”
The little bunny was very polite and said, “Yes, please” and “Thank you.”
Sui Yang’s workdays were busy without any other words to describe them. The LEGO bunny also endured, following him around, sometimes sleeping, sometimes waking up.
By the late afternoon, Sui Yang’s secretary informed him that all the cameras at home had been installed, and they had installed software on his phone to connect to the cameras. After logging into the account, the software’s main screen displayed countless different angles of his home.
In some of the camera views, there were still workers who had not removed the cameras yet. Two housekeepers stood by, ready to start cleaning immediately. The secretary briefly explained how to use the software.
Sui Yang hadn’t expected the cameras to be installed so quickly. Looking at the screen, he touched the little bunny in his pocket, feeling no movement. Suppressing the urge to take out the bunny, he lightly scratched its front paws and sent a message to Dr. Zhuo, telling her, “It seems like I’ll have some free time tonight to come over. Around nine o’clock.”
At eight o’clock in the evening, Sui Yang finished his day’s work and returned home first.
Walking into the living room upstairs, he placed the little bunny in the middle of the sofa, turned on the TV with the remote control, and placed the remote next to the bunny. He squatted down, looking directly at the little bunny, and asked, “I need to go out for a bit now. Can you stay at home alone?”
This LEGO bunny and the remote control were of similar size, small and lightweight. It barely left a tiny indentation on the velvet of the sofa. It elongated its tone and made a sound like “Hmmmm.”
Perhaps it had been too long since they spent time together, Sui Yang couldn’t tell whether Xie Min’s “hmm” was casual or if he actually didn’t want him to go out. He approached him slightly and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? If you’re bored, you can change the channels yourself.” He carefully tried to console Xie Min based on his memories of the situation. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Got it,” the pink bunny replied straightforwardly. “Just leave if you have to.”
Sui Yang tapped the bunny’s ears again and said, “I’ll be back as soon as possible,” then stood up and left.
Before the driver even pulled out of the underground garage, Sui Yang opened the living room camera.
He found the perfect angle and zoomed in several times. He saw the LEGO bunny diligently stepping on the remote control, pressing buttons with its hind legs, resembling a video of a dancing bunny on a 3D animation. It was quite amusing.
Xie Min was indeed very picky. It seemed difficult to satisfy him with any program, as he would watch for a short while and then switch to something else.
It took twenty minutes from home to the clinic. Sui Yang enjoyed the show along the way. He put away his phone only upon entering the consultation room.
The clinic was empty except for Dr. Zhuo, who was working overtime. She was sitting in the consultation room. Sui Yang walked in and took a seat on the sofa opposite her.
The lighting in the psychotherapy room was gentle, creating a sense of safety and a willingness to confide. Dr. Zhuo initiated the conversation, asking if he had experienced any hallucinations today.
“I’ve been too busy today, and it seems like I haven’t had any,” Sui Yang vaguely replied.
She poured him a glass of warm water and placed it on the nearby coffee table. Her eyes fixed on him as she asked, “Do you feel like Xie Min has been calling out to you since he returned from Yuhai?”
“Yes.”
“Did you rush over as soon as you heard about his accident?” She paused and continued, “Did you see him?”
Sui Yang admitted it, and she asked again, “How did you feel at that moment?”
She asked a question that Sui Yang really didn’t want to answer, but after thinking for a while, he told her, “Hard to say.”
“He had lost a lot of weight,” he recalled briefly. “There were bruises on his cheekbones, and he had a needle on the back of his left hand, receiving intravenous fluids.” The bluish-purple veins looked as if they were drawn on his skin, devoid of any vitality.
“So, I thought at that time that it might be a good thing if he hadn’t woken up yet,” Sui Yang explained to her. “The recovery process for fractured ribs is very painful, and Xie Min is particularly afraid of pain. He hasn’t really experienced serious illness before.”
“Is that the only reason?” Dr. Zhuo repeated. “You think it’s better that he hasn’t woken up?”
Sui Yang didn’t respond, and she sighed. “How long has it been since you last saw him?”
“I… can’t remember,” Sui Yang said. “I listened to your previous advice and visited Yuhai less to see him.”
Sui Yang knew that his words lacked credibility. His lie had failed. She indeed seemed unconvinced and didn’t approve of Sui Yang’s response.
“You should be honest with me,” she said. “You seem very guarded today.”
Sui Yang smiled, neither denying nor confirming, and changed the subject, “By the way, I got a new electronic pet bunny. I wanted something to rely on.”
Even the knowledgeable Dr. Zhuo had a brief moment of confusion.
“I named it Xie Min,” Sui Yang added.
A crack appeared in Dr. Zhuo’s expression. She remained stunned for a few seconds before smiling at Sui Yang and saying, “Well, you can do that, but I don’t recommend calling it that.”
“It has intelligent programming and is custom-made,” Sui Yang made up an absurd story and took out his phone to show her. “Take a look. I installed cameras at home.”
“…Does an electronic pet also need cameras?” Dr. Zhuo leaned in to see.
Inside the camera view, the little bunny quieted down and sat next to the remote control, as if watching TV.
“Does it move?” Dr. Zhuo sounded puzzled. “It looks a bit like a regular LEGO bunny. I thought it would be furry. It seems so small.”
“Yes, it’s very small,” Sui Yang activated the audio function on the camera and said to the little bunny, “Xie Min, can you jump?”
The little bunny seemed startled and jumped on the sofa, shaking its bunny head from side to side while cursing.
Sui Yang smiled faintly, looked at Dr. Zhuo, and confirmed with her, “Did you hear that?”
Dr. Zhuo felt a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Why are you using profanity in an electronic pet program? Is Mr. Xie really like that?” She finally laughed and said, “I read the news. He appears polite. Don’t tarnish his image.”
“It seems like a fun thing,” she commented. “It’s a good thing that you’re finding something to rely on.”
Sui Yang nodded, glanced at his watch, and then looked up, noticing a slightly concerned expression on Dr. Zhuo’s face.
“I’m very worried about you,” she said with concern. “If the hallucinations persist, you must tell me. If necessary, medication intervention may be needed.”
Sui Yang agreed, and after a few more conversations, the psychological counseling session came to an end. Sui Yang invited Dr. Zhuo to get in the car and first dropped her off before returning home.
He opened the door to his home and walked into the living room, where the warm spotlight illuminated the sofa and the carpet.
Sui Yang received a confirming answer from his psychologist: his LEGO bunny would indeed swear. There was no need to delve into any other unnecessary questions tonight.
The little bunny was watching an old movie, sitting motionlessly on the sofa. When it saw him enter the living room, its head slightly tilted and it said, “Welcome back.”
The little bunny called out his name.
Sui Yang leaned down, looked into the bunny’s eyes, and said the sentence he had imagined many times if they were still together, “I’m sorry for coming home late.”
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