After the banquet ended, An Yi walked out of the banquet hall while looking at his phone.

He had just received a video from Xie Nancang in South Africa. The spectacular animal migration made Xie Nancang, who had always been refined and elegant, excitedly cheering. An Yi watched it several times in a row and jokingly replied to him: “Ge, I feel like you’ve regressed.”

Xie Nancang sent a voice message.

An Yi clicked on it, and the roaring wind from distant South Africa poured into his ears. Xie Nancang excitedly told him how breathtaking the scenery was there. At the end of the voice message, An Yi heard a young man’s voice close to the phone microphone, yelling “fucking awesome” in authentic English. Xie Nancang not only didn’t stop him but laughed even more.

As An Yi was about to listen to it again, a black sedan smoothly pulled up in front of him.

The driver got out and opened the rear door for him, saying that the organizers of the banquet would ensure that invited guests were safely escorted back to their hotels or homes. Without much thought, An Yi got in and gave Xie Nancang’s address.

Xie Nancang would travel for one or two months at a time, so the hyacinths at home needed regular water changes.

When he got out of the car, the driver pulled out a beautifully packaged souvenir gift box from the front passenger seat and handed it to An Yi, “This is a souvenir, please take it.”

An Yi’s attention had been fully focused on chatting with Xie Nancang just now, so he didn’t notice if anyone else received a souvenir. After returning to his apartment and finishing the water change, he opened the gift box and found something was a little off.

Aside from pastries, there was a commemorative badge placed separately on the side, made into a retro and delicate brooch style, suitable for pairing with a suit. The reason An Yi felt something was off was because of the blue diamond in the center of the badge.

The deep blue color of the diamond matched the color of the main stone in the necklace that Yan Chen had once given him.

He had touched that diamond countless times, so he wouldn’t mistake it. However, the size of the blue diamond now was much smaller, and set in the brooch in a low-key yet luxurious manner, not stealing the limelight.

An Yi stared at it for a long time before finally putting it back.

At the end of the year, he went to Xichuan to pay respects to his family’s grave. After that, he went to Lin Yuming’s house and invited Qin Muye to have hotpot together.

The three of them chatted about life and work, and the atmosphere was warm and pleasant.

When it came to the porcelain An Yi made, Qin Muye was quite proud.

“I had taken a photo of the double-eared vase you made for the competition before. Recently, several people wanted to offer a higher price to buy it, they must be dreaming. Even when Yan Chen offered twice the price, I didn’t sell it to him.”

Qin Muye blurted out, receiving a sideways elbow from Lin Yuming.

Lin Yuming glanced at him sideways, “Let’s not bring that up.”

Qin Muye smiled, “You can hit me harder.”

An Yi scanned the two people opposite him back and forth, “You guys…”

Lin Yuming: “Drinking buddies.”

Qin Muye: “Meal buddies.”

Lin Yuming: “Travel buddies.”

Qin Muye: “B…. Aah!”

Another elbow, and Qin Muye covered his chest, gritting his teeth, “Friends.”

An Yi smiled as he looked at them, “Actually, I was going to ask if you guys wanted some drinks, but It seems like you two friends are already quite tipsy.”

Qin Muye chuckled, “Yi ge, I see you’ve become wicked.”

Lin Yuming raised his glass and clinked it with An Yi’s, “Speaking of which, haven’t you been in a relationship recently? Your mood seems to have improved a lot, is there something going on?”

An Yi chuckled, “I spend all day in the studio, where’s the time?”

“That’s just an excuse,” Lin Yuming said, “If you really want to, you’ll make time.”

“I’m really busy,” An Yi said, “After the New Year, I have to help my master make two ceramic sculptures, and I have to prepare for the tour exhibition for the new year. I don’t have the mindset to be in a relationship.”

Qin Muye, resting his chin on his hand, looked at him, “Yi ge, you’re so indifferent, you could join a monastery.”

An Yi took a sip of his wine and smiled faintly, “Well, after all, I don’t have time to make friends.”

The three of them laughed together, and Qin Muye got a bit drunk towards the end, grabbing An Yi’s hand and started complaining about Yan Chen.

He said that a few days ago, Yan Chen came to negotiate again for the ceramic vase An Yi won in the competition, even bribing his mother, trying to use both soft and hard tactics to make him give it up. Qin Muye naturally refused, and Yan Chen got so angry that he developed stomach problems, even dragging him into getting scolded by their elders.

An Yi listened calmly, showing no emotion.

Lin Yuming covered Qin Muye’s mouth and dragged him into the bedroom.

When he came out, he saw An Yi cleaning up the dishes and utensils. Lin Yuming said, “Leave it to me, you just sit down, if the name Yan is mentioned, just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

An Yi shook his head, “I’m fine, I’ve already turned the page on Yan Chen.”

Lin Yuming leaned against the door frame, looking at him. “So, are you planning to stay single like this?”

“…Let’s see how it goes,” An Ye smiled. “I’m fine being alone now, actually quite fulfilled. After participating in the next touring exhibition, I plan to enroll in further education and go to university to see what it’s like.”

Do whatever he wants, go wherever he pleases.

He was free now, experiencing a sense of calm and contentment he had never felt before.

Because he was no longer afraid, no longer lost, and no longer needed to seek love and nourishment from others. He was gradually becoming fulfilled and happy relying on himself.

After the New Year, An Yi helped Xie Fei Nian finish the final work on two ceramic sculptures, then began working on his own exhibition pieces for the spring ceramics touring exhibition.

But he wasn’t satisfied with the numerous clay models he made.

After looking through his discarded drafts, Xie Fei Nian advised him to go out and explore.

“You’re still young. If you stay cooped up with me all day, what can you see?” Xie Fei Nian said, “If you don’t go out to see mountains and rivers, what you draw will always be imitating others, lacking your own vigor.”

The plump orange cat in An Yi’s arms lazily yawned.

An Yi stroked its smooth fur and decided to temporarily set aside his work and go out for a walk.

Before leaving, he received a call from Zhang Ming from the Art Bank.

Zhang Ming was originally in charge of sponsorship programs and had been in contact with An Yi. Most of An Yi’s works in the past two years had been leased, sold, or auctioned through the Art Bank. Zhang Ming was promoted to deputy general manager of the business department earlier this year, so An Yi was a bit surprised to see his call.

“I didn’t want to trouble you, but after giving it some thought, I think you’re the most suitable, Teacher An,” Zhang Ming said, “Please come and help, it’s urgent.”

The Art Bank had been in talks with several similar foreign institutions for cooperation recently, and most of the negotiations were completed. Some of the foreign principals were particularly interested in Chinese porcelain. During the signing ceremony, they wanted to visit the porcelain, especially the process of making ceramic sculptures.

Zhang Ming wanted An Yi to handle this.

Firstly, An Yi had experience as a ceramics teacher and had a good image and temperament, which wouldn’t damage the company’s image. Secondly, An Yi had emerged as a new force in the ceramics industry in the past two years and was the proud student of the master of ceramic sculpture, Xie Fei Nian. He possessed both modern young people’s aesthetic sense and the simple and elegant style of ancient porcelain, which was rare to find.

After repeated requests and persuasion from Zhang Ming, An Yi thought for a moment and agreed.

Zhang Ming let out a long sigh of relief, saying straightforwardly that An Yi was his reassurance.

An Yi chuckled, admitting that he agreed not for anything else but because he planned to take the further education self-study exam. He had been diligently practicing English lately, and this was a good opportunity for practice.

For this, An Yi enthusiastically flipped through dictionaries, searched online for information, wrote a lengthy English introduction, and then had a video call with Xie Nancang to correct his grammar and pronunciation.

Xie Nancang had only recently returned from South Africa and was in a playful mood. Not long after the New Year, he traveled to America again.

It was sunny beaches and waves where Xie Nancang was. An Yi intended to wait until he had time to talk, but Xie Nancang gestured to wait, and suddenly, a curly-haired mixed-race guy in a floral shirt appeared on camera, leaning on Xie Nancang’s back, tilting his head and warmly greeting An Yi, “Hi, how are you?”

His accent was a bit strange, like someone who had just started learning Chinese.

“An An, read it for him,” Xie Nancang said, reaching up to ruffle the guy’s light gray curls, “You look for grammar mistakes, I’ll listen.”

“Hell no!” the guy exclaimed, laughing as he picked up the surfboard at his feet and ran off.

Xie Nancang shook his head helplessly, “Silly.”

An Yi was curious and asked quietly, “Is he the one from South Africa?”

Xie Nancang nodded generously, “Chinese-English mixed-blood, but he just learned a couple of sentences in Chinese recently. He insists on giving himself the name ‘Xiao Xie’.” He said, “Read it for me, maybe your grammar is better than his.”

An Yi chuckled, “How could that be?”

Xie Nancang’s smile was indulgent, “It’s really possible.”

Under Xie Nancang’s guidance, An Yi revised the manuscript several times and spent two days memorizing it.

On the day of the ceramics exhibition, he applied to Zhang Ming not to have a translator and to go on stage by himself. Zhang Ming trusted him completely, agreeing without even looking at the manuscript.

The Art Bank had its own museum, and next to the hall was an exhibition area. While waiting for the representatives of the signing team, An Yi recited his manuscript twice more. As he was about to recite it for the third time, he heard footsteps behind.

He turned around and stood still, the first to see Yan Chen walking in the center of the delegation, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with a tall and straight figure.

He was dressed very formally, with his hair neatly parted, his suit crisp and professional. As he walked alongside several foreigners, conversing while striding confidently, he exuded an air of nobility and composure, his presence commanding attention.

He looked so similar to the Yan Chen in An Yi’s memory, yet so different.