After he finished washing up and came back, he discovered his Weibo account had blown up. He glanced at a few posts, replied to one from a fan who had bought his paintings before, and then quickly logged out.
He then opened WeChat to check for any new messages. As he scrolled down, he was startled to see an avatar he hadn't heard from in a long time appear in his chat list. It was Mr. Sloan.
Mr. Sloan: "Hey, I'm back. Are you busy?"
Staring at the message, he froze. 'I should be ecstatic. After worrying for so long, he's finally resurfaced. But right now, all I feel is guilt and anxiety.' He read the text over and over before taking a deep breath, unlocking his phone, and calling the number directly. In a warm and joyful tone, he said, "You finally decided to surface! Three years without a word—do you have any idea how worried I've been…?"
A low, hoarse male voice came through the phone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just disappear. I really had no choice…"
