Main Story Chapter 14-10: The Angel who Crossed Boundaries (越界天使） | Light and Night 光与夜之恋

Please consider reading Chapter 14-07 before proceeding~

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests and media will be able to visit the NOVATEN building freely, and participate the indoor press conference an hour later.

The action of Charlie's father giving out his main cutter position has been deciphered into many meanings in the guests' eyes.

The most direct evidence is how Charlie will be obstructed for small talks in every other step throughout his way out from the backstage.

At last, he reached me, and lets out a deep sigh.

Charlie (sighing): All I want to do now is just to bring fiancee to escape from this boring ceremony.

You: I'm fine with that, but wouldn't it be difficult to explain it to your father if you leave all of a sudden?

He sighed again, and in agreement this time.

You: Let's go, we'll simply stroll and visit around.

We walked into the main hall in the first floor. The main color scheme of the building is white, and the design is very futuristic.

The mushroom-shaped pavilion is a self-service registration area for visitors, and it's unopened for now. 'For Future' is written on the screen in the center of the hall.

A few other smaller screens on the side are playing the development history of NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group till date.

Different from many other pharmaceutical companies of long histories, NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group has gained a certain amount of influence in merely a few years, the speed of its rise has gone against the general rhythm of this industry.

Charlie's father is one of the key person among them. Not only he's a successful entrepreneur in the video introduction, he has also acted as the chief of laboratory over decades, that he has only recently passed this duty to others.

In the video, the man in black hair ended his speech, and looked forward.

He looks much younger than now. After I look in detail for a while, I noticed that the similarities between Charlie and his father are mainly comping from the same well-defined jawlines. However--

You: Your eyes look completely different.

Charlie squatted slightly until our gazes are leveled. The pair of purple eyes are so clear that it's mirror-like.

Charlie: It'd be bad if they are similar. If he looks at you long enough, you'll feel like you're being targeted by a venomous snake.

You: Huh?

Charlie: This is reported in the magazines, he personally likes the description of him. But if I were to say it, that is a pair of eyes that belongs to a control freak.

Charlie's tone doesn't sound like a tease, and in addition to his attitude towards his father just now... but it's impolite to pry about his family matters, so I held myself back, and didn't voice out the doubts I have in mind.

Charlie: Fiancee, you forgot what I said again.

You: What is it?

Charlie: If there's something you worried about me, you have to ask me*. Also, for a relationship like ours, what's there to hide from each other?

*He said this in Chapter 10-20.

You: I'm just thinking, you don't seem to have a good relationship with your father. 

Charlie: I was once ill, when I was very little. Months after I recovered, he still didn't allow me to go out, and made me to take a bunch of medicine every day.

Charlie looks at the figure appearing frequently on the screen.

It wasn't difficult for him to say it out, as though these matters has always been there, where there's no need for him to dig deep into the depths of his memories for them.

Charlie: He treated his wife the same as well. My mother has been ill for a very long time, she almost never seen sunlight anywhere outside the courtyard. 

You: But why must that happen?

Charlie: He said, he loves us, so he will protect us with everything he have.

"Love", when Charlie speaks of this term, a mocking meaning exudes from his tone.

Charlie: He stopped my financial support when I was working as a firefighting volunteer. He forced me into an engagement that I had to follow after I've passed my exams as an attending doctor.

You: Engagement...

Charlie: Yeah, engagement.

Suddenly, I recalled the first time I met Charlie, the way he didn't allow others to intervene his speech and his arrogant expression, I can't help but to shake my head.

You: Back then, I found you very scary.

Charlie showed a pained expression.

Charlie: Then what about now?

You: Now, I think you are actually quite similar to me.

I winked at Charlie, he stunned for a moment, then pouted.

Charlie: It actually took you this long to realize it. Now that I look at it, the engagement is a rare good deed that my father made.

You: Wait, regarding this part, I'm still having some disagreements on it.

Charlie: Some? Okay, it's good that it isn't a lot. 

He smiles at me, and I suddenly became speechless.

You: I've finally understood now, after experience everything--

Charlie: Of course there's no way my relationship with him would be anywhere good.

As he speaks, Charlie frowned and massaged his forehead.

You: Are you okay? A headache?

You: Yeah, my head hurts when I mention him. Fiancee, can you accompany me to get a glass of water?

At the drinking area,  I made Charlie to sit down and rest and poured water for him. I suddenly  remembered something.

You: By the way, cold or warm?

As I speak, I turned my face towards him, but coincidentally saw Charlie taking out a small, unlabelled bottle, and poured out a few round tablets.

You: Does it hurt that much? How about checking up at the hospital?

Charlie: It's not that much, I'm just taking some vitamins.

I opened his quietly closed hands and looked in detail. A familiar letter 'N' is carved on the white tablets.

You: Is this a vitamin specially made by NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group?

Charlie: As expected of my fiancee, you're about as sharp as I am. This is a custom-made medicine by the lab according to my body condition.

You: Body condition... do you always have headaches?

Charlie: Occasionally, but it doesn't affect normal life. It'd be even better if I took the medicine.

The brown medicine bottle rolled between Charlie's fingers, it's unlabeled, only with a white rubber strip over it.

I vaguely saw the writings on the rubber strip, the handwriting is just the same as the one on the invitation letter.

"For My Son".

When I spaced out, Charlie took the water from my hand, tilted his head up, and swallowed the tablets directly.

There's an odd feeling surging from my heart.

Perhaps I've thought about it wrongly. When Charlie spoke of "love", rather than calling the feelings contained within as a form of mockery, a feeling of being lost might be a better way to describe it. 

The crowd has reduced significantly in the press conference venue. This time, Charlie and I chose to take our seats at the back row, allowing our sight to be obstructed by the media's cannons of various types*. 

*Cameras, she meant cameras but not the brand Canon, it's because of the super long cameras that look like cannons

A gentle light brightens up, filling the space on the stage entirely.

Zha ZhaoPeng: Dear guests. The gratitudes and promises are all told by my colleagues earlier, so I do not intend to repeat them. I know, what you need here are information and news. Well then, allow me to show these to you as a way to express my gratitude.

He lifted an arm and waved it lightly, and soon a document is projected onto the black screen.

Zha ZhaoPeng: As everyone can see, NOVATEN will never be like other businesses, where we'll keep a secret of medicine that are yet to be released in the market. We will announce publicly, that our current experimental target is a type of medicine for the nervous system. It will possess minimal side effects, with incomparable universality--

He paused, then smiled.

Zha ZhaoPeng: Not only this, you can also begin to imagine a life without of propofol*, without butylphthalide**, and without dezocine***.

*A form of anesthetic and sedative. The drug that killed MJ.

**Or also called NBP. Compound with neuroprotective effects in stroke and brain injuries - study suggests that it might be useful for treatment of hypertension, or protect against cerebral ischaemic injury (lack of blood flow to brain to meet metabolic demands). Though more studies are actually required.

**A partial opiate drug for pain management, no longer used clinically in the west, but it's gaining popularity in China as an alternative medicine to relief moderate to severe pain.

After a few seconds of silence, a commotion sounded in the surroundings. I looked towards Charlie's side profile.

You: Are these few... medicine?

Charlie: Yeah. They are generally used in anesthetics, pain management, and ischemic stroke.

You: Replacing everything with only a single type of medicine?!

Charlie's lips pursed into a straight line, and the majority of the people in the venue are just like me, showing an expression of disbelief.

Zha ZhaoPeng: Leave the questions for later, I'll spare time for everyone. NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group has achieved an agreement with GIN Neuroscience Research Institute for clinical testing. Now, allow us to invite the person in charge of the institute-- Chief Sun TaiZhong, to officially sign this agreement with NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group.

A figure dressed in white cloak walked out from the back of the screen.

You: This is--?

A large hand grabbed onto my cuff.

You: Charlie?

I turned my face towards him with hesitance, but only to see a pair of dull eyes.

Charlie stared at the person on the stage, the cold lines of his features are slightly crooked in an expression that I can't tell.

The person standing beside his father is no stranger at all.

The chief of the burns department from the First Hospital, Sun TaiZhong. Right now, he is instead the person in charge of GIN Neuroscience Research Institute.

The Q&A between the media and Charlie's father gradually disappeared by my ear, and we are now walking on the corridor at a fast pace.

Charlie did not say anything, but I have a vague feeling about where he's heading to, and who he's looking for.

Hence, I slowed my steps when I saw Sun TaiZhong's figure.

Sun TaiZhong saw us, and he shows no signs of surprise from his face.

Sun TaiZhong: Dr. Zha--

Charlie interrupted him, speaking with a sharp tone.

Charlie: Dr. Sun, I've been thinking about a question throughout the press conference, I hope you can answer it for me. As a doctor in the burns department, how did you manage to become the person in charge of a neuroscience research institute?

Sun TaiZhong: Dr. Zha, you might not understand me, but I have a doctorate in neuroscience. I've been researching in GIN Neuroscience Research Institute since my graduation.

Charlie nodded. I stood by his side, and I can feel the body that is now very close to me is weirdly tensed.

Charlie: Well then, please answer another question for me. Such an important agreement-- Why did GIN Neuroscience Research Institute only allowed a burns doctor to be the signing representative?

Sun TaiZhong did not answer him directly.

Zha ZhaoPeng: This is the first time GIN Neuroscience Research Institute has achieved cooperation with NOVATEN Pharmaceutical Group. You are the son of the group's chairman, and also a leading person among the young doctors in my hospital. Why not we disregard our previous disagreements, and seek progress together?

The extremely unsettling feelings when I first met Sun TaiZhong has returned. I bit my lips tightly.

Charlie only shook his head.

Charlie: To Dr. Sun, this shouldn't be the first time cooperating with NOVATEN, right? Or should I say, my father.

Zha ZhaoPeng: Dr. Zha, you must've been overthinking.

He smiles and shook his head, but I can clearly feel that he's lying.

Charlie: It's you who imagined others being too stupid. I am only interested in the content in your agreement.