Chapter 23: Video Call

I am back!

Ye Fan looked at the faded characters "Xiao Runfa Era Supermarket" on the sign, feeling an immense sense of relief. Although he had only been gone for a day, it felt like a lifetime.

A dozen bags of rice, flour, grain, and oil were piled at the entrance. Clearly, the delivery courier had seen he wasn't around and had simply left them on the ground.

"This is so irresponsible! What if it rained? What if the rats got to them?"

Grumbling, Ye Fan opened the rolling shutter door and immediately checked the box, noticing its latch flashing rapidly.

"Is Li Yaoyao waiting anxiously?"

Ye Fan hurried over and opened the box, only to see a flurry of letters flutter out like snowflakes!

"Ye Fan, are you there?"
"When will you send the food over?"
"Is the box broken?"
"The village chief came to collect the grain, but I didn't have any, so I handed out the leftover instant noodles first."

Ye Fan could feel Li Yaoyao’s urgency and unease in his heart, so he quickly wrote back: "I am back!"

To his surprise, Li Yaoyao's reply arrived instantly.

"You really are back? You scared me to death today! I thought the box was broken! I thought I’d never see you again!"

Li Yaoyao used three large exclamation points to express her wronged and anxious feelings. Before Ye Fan could reply, another letter arrived.

"Where did you go yesterday? I was worried sick!"

Looking at the letter, Ye Fan felt a sudden warmth, sensing Li Yaoyao’s reliance and concern.

"Would you believe me if I said I was kidnapped?"
"Ah? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

On the other side, seeing that Ye Fan had been kidnapped, Li Yaoyao was so worried she almost cried; the joy of their reunion was dampened. Kidnapping! How dangerous could that be?

Fortunately, Ye Fan’s reply came quickly: "I'm fine. A friend helped me, and I made it back safely!"

Ye Fan briefly explained what had happened over the past two days. He didn't hide the news about the jade pendant; he wasn't sure if he would need to borrow it from her later, but it was better to be clear from the start.

Sure enough, not long after, Li Yaoyao’s jade pendant appeared in the box.

"Ye Fan, if you need that pendant, take it. As long as you are safe, I will do anything you ask!"

Ye Fan picked up the pendant, which still held the warmth of Li Yaoyao’s body. He felt it was truly miraculous—a box connecting two worlds, keeping them worlds apart yet feeling as close as if they were side by side.

"Yaoyao, I have a request," Ye Fan said solemnly.
"What is it?"

"I want to see what you look like."

On the other side, Li Yaoyao held Ye Fan’s letter, her face flushing red. Were they really going to exchange photos? She wondered what Ye Fan looked like. She searched her suitcase, but it only contained a few ID photos. She had come as an educated youth and hadn't thought to bring any lifestyle photos!

Just as she hesitated, Ye Fan’s photo arrived first.

A sunny young man holding a basketball was smiling at the camera. He had messy hair, bright eyes, a straight bridge of a nose, and healthy, tanned skin. The aura of youth seemed to overflow from the image.

There was a note on the back: "This is a photo from my college graduation last year!"

Li Yaoyao held the photo, lost in a daze. "So this is what he looks like... he's so handsome, and he has a great build..."

As she thought about it, her face burned and her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. Was this the feeling of falling in love?

Li Yaoyao carefully tucked Ye Fan’s photo under her pillow, then took out her own ID photos to look at them again and again, eventually deciding to decline.

"Ye Fan, I don't have any good photos. Can I give you one after I go home?"

Ye Fan looked at her refusal and scratched his head. "That won't do, miss! We agreed to exchange photos!"

"But I really don't have any! I only have these ID photos. To get a real photo, I’d have to go to the photo studio in town and wait a week for it to be developed."

Hearing her explanation, Ye Fan slapped his forehead and immediately took an old phone out of a cabinet. It was his previous one—old, but still functional. He cleared the memory and placed it into the box.

"This is a phone. You can use it to take pictures!"

Li Yaoyao curiously picked up the phone and followed Ye Fan’s instructions.

"First, click on the green chat bubble, then click on the first person in the friend list named 'Night Rain Falling,' then click the plus sign, camera, switch to the front camera, take the picture, and send..."

Li Yaoyao felt it wasn't that simple, but having never used a phone before, she fumbled through taking a selfie and sent it to Ye Fan.

"Haha, it really can receive messages!"

Ye Fan looked at the awkward-angled selfie of the young girl in the chat box, dancing with joy. He had seen what Li Yaoyao looked like, and it proved one thing: through the box, they could connect using phones!

Rubbing his hands with excitement, Ye Fan wrote another letter teaching her how to use the "Green Chat" app. He planned to video call her!

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Li Yaoyao quickly answered the call. Ye Fan saw a girl with natural beauty, bright eyes, and white teeth appear on the screen! She was stunning! Ye Fan was shocked; this was true, natural beauty!

"Yaoyao?"
"Ye Fan?"

They spoke at the same time, the two worlds connecting via video for the first time!

"This is so magical!"
"There's more! I'll teach you how to play games. Do you play 'Ape God'?"

Ye Fan rambled on about things like "Ape God Startup," "Two-Dimensional," and "Oli-ge," things Li Yaoyao didn't understand at all.

Li Yaoyao shook her head to interrupt him: "Ye Fan, there’s something I want to tell you."
"Hmm... what is it?"

Ye Fan realized she seemed to have something on her mind and listened intently.

"This morning, when I was handing out instant noodles to the villagers, the police arrived and said they were going to arrest Wang Dahua."
"Well, that’s a good thing!"
"Wang Dahua's husband, Yang Haigou, was there. He's a cripple and has had a hard life, but after Wang Dahua married him, she took very good care of him. He was crying and begging the police not to take her away."
"So, you felt soft-hearted?"
"Well, not exactly... I just felt so stifled. If Wang Dahua were arrested, Yang Haigou would definitely have a miserable life."
"What does his misery have to do with you? Did you forget how viciously she pinched you?"
"Oh, of course I didn't forget! Listen to me!" Li Yaoyao pouted, showing her dissatisfaction with Ye Fan. "Later, after Wang Dahua was caught, she saw me by the road and started cursing at me again, saying terrible things! I stopped feeling sorry for her after that!"
"That's more like it!" Ye Fan said, noticing her hesitant expression.
"I know arresting her is the right thing to do. I’m just thinking—if Wang Dahua can treat Yang Haigou so well, why couldn't she treat others the same way? If she had been even a little bit kinder to others, she wouldn't be so despised by everyone now."

Ye Fan sighed, thinking for a moment before replying, "Human nature is complex. You can't say a good person has no flaws, nor can you say a bad person is bad in every single way. Who is ever purely evil or purely good?"

Li Yaoyao listened, fell silent for a while, and eventually nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Ye Fan. You're right."
"If I'm right, then stop being unhappy!"

Ye Fan replied with a grin. Just then, a knock came at Li Yaoyao's door. It was Yang Haiying: "Yaoyao, are you home? The village chief asked me to find you."
"Ah? What for?" Li Yaoyao quickly put down the phone and went out to meet her.
"The village chief said he’s hosting the two officers for dinner tonight, and he wants you to come too!"
"Why me? I don't even drink..."

Li Yaoyao still wanted to chat with Ye Fan, but Yang Haiying urged, "You’re the educated youth in the village, and you were involved in Wang Dahua’s case, so of course you have to go!"
"Oh, alright then!"

Unable to refuse, Li Yaoyao reluctantly said goodbye to Ye Fan and headed toward the village committee office.