DP Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Closing his eyes, the pain didn’t come. Xu Chuo heard a stern “Xie Zhimin.”

Xie Zhimin released him and said to Xie Lei, who was walking down the stairs, “Uncle, we were just playing around.”

Xu Chuo covered his neck and fled from Xie Zhimin, saying, “Happy New Year, Teacher, I brought you something…” As he spoke, he looked to the side, where the nice gift box had already been torn to shreds by Xie Zhimin.

Xie Lei knew what was going on at a glance and didn’t mind it. He said to Xie Zhimin, “You’ve been sitting here since the afternoon. Are you waiting for dinner? But I don’t eat after noon, so there’s no dinner to treat you to tonight.” He meant to drive him away.

Xie Zhimin stared at Xu Chuo and said, “I’m not eating, I’m waiting for someone.” His tone was firm, as if he had to take Xu Chuo away tonight.

“Know when to stop, or I won’t welcome you here in the future,” Xie Lei said.

Xu Chuo was stunned. Despite their uncle-nephew relationship, Xie Lei had taken the initiative to leave the Xie family years ago and rarely interfered in Xie Zhimin’s affairs. Xu Chuo had never complained to Xie Lei either. He knew that family came first, and he admired Xie Lei since he was a child, feeling that he shouldn’t bother him with these trivial matters.

This attitude would only make Xie Zhimin more arrogant. He was polite to Xie Lei on the surface, but inwardly he might not have respected him that much. He flicked away the cigarette butt in his hand and said, “Uncle, do you really protect him? Then why…”

“Who protects me is clear in my own mind,” Xu Chuo interrupted him.

Xie Zhimin was about to say something when he caught sight of someone standing under the streetlights outside the studio, peering in. It was his secretary, probably there to remind him that his schedule had changed.

“Just saying,” Xie Zhimin said, “Uncle, no matter whether you welcome me or not, the Xie family’s door is always open to you. Grandpa and I will always wait for you to come back, after all, we are family.”

After speaking, he walked towards the door, and as he passed Xu Chuo, he whispered in his ear, “Don’t fantasize. If there really is someone who can protect you or destroy you, that person will only be me. Just wait and see.”

Xu Chuo didn’t even give him a glance, treating him like air. After he left, Xu Chuo said to Xie Lei, “You look much thinner than before.”

Xie Lei sighed and said, “I met your Teacher Shen Yumo last month. These past two days, I’ve been dreaming about the old days and haven’t been sleeping well.”

Xu Chuo’s teacher, Shen Yumo, was one of the few female elders in his life after he turned ten. Xie Lei had rebelled against his family largely for her sake. He pursued romance his whole life, despising the worldly rules of marrying someone of equal status.

Shen Yumo’s family background was indeed humble compared to the Xie family, but it was still considered affluent. She was the pampered little daughter of her family, yet she married Xie Lei despite the disapproval of her family and friends.

After marriage, they often faced financial difficulties. Shen Yumo worked as a teacher at a nearby elementary school, spending ten years of poverty with Xie Lei. Xie Lei was carefree, so trivial matters such as paying utility bills and social security all fell on her shoulders.

A colleague once asked Shen Yumo if she got angry. She smiled and said, “I do get angry, but every time I want to get angry, I take a look at the paintings your teacher made, and I think, never mind. I didn’t fall in love with him as a person, but with his talent.”

Except for arguing about children, Shen Yumo never complained at other times, but in the end, the problem arose with the children.

Shen Yumo’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage before three months. During her second pregnancy, after finally carrying to five months, Shen Yumo slipped on the stairs. At the critical moment when her life was on the line, the ambulance was stuck in a narrow, congested intersection and couldn’t get in. In the end, Xu Chuo and Xie Lei carried her out of the studio together, with fresh blood dripping onto the dust of the muddy streets.

On the day she was discharged from the hospital, Shen Yumo filed for divorce. Xie Lei paced back and forth at the hospital room door, the words of pleading stuck in his throat, unable to say a single one. Xu Chuo pleaded on his behalf, begging Shen Yumo not to leave.

Shen Yumo touched his cheek, a bitter smile emerging from the corner of her pale lips, “It’s not your teacher’s fault, it’s just that Teacher can’t hold on any longer. Teacher really doesn’t want to go back to that studio anymore.”

Then Xu Chuo’s eyes turned red. Even his parents’ divorce at the age of ten hadn’t made him shed a single tear. He thought that Xie Lei and Shen Yumo were soulmates, that they would understand and support each other for the rest of their lives, and that every time he looked back, he could see the light at the studio door, illuminating the way home.

But that day, Shen Yumo’s blood felt like it was dripping into his heart, making Xu Chuo feel that every word of pleading was akin to torturing her.

Xu Chuo walked to the table, found the intact remains from the pile of cardboard boxes, and used scissors to cut out the patterns on them.

This was “Blooming Flowers and Full Moon,” that was “Happy and Beautiful Life.” Xu Chuo cut out the lanterns, Chinese knots, and other patterns one by one, following the outlines, and asked as he cut, “Is Teacher doing well?”

After Shen Yumo left, she almost completely lost contact with him, probably not wanting to evoke sad memories. But the fact that she agreed to meet with Xie Lei meant that she had put the events of many years ago behind her.

“She’s doing very well. She’s teaching children to dance at the Youth Palace now, and she has someone by her side,” Xie Lei said. “She asked about you. I showed her the paintings you’re doing now. She said that one day you’ll surpass me and told me not to teach you bad things.”

Shen Yumo was lively and loved to tease people. The words “teach you bad things” were obviously a joke, but Xie Lei asked, “Xiao Chuo, do you think I’ve taught you bad things all these years?”

Xu Chuo stuck the cut-out patterns on the windows of the studio and cleaned the studio simply. This counted as paying his New Year’s respects.

On the way back, Xu Chuo kept an eye on the rearview mirror. He looked back frequently even after parking in the parking lot, feeling like someone was following him. It wasn’t until the apartment door slowly closed behind him that his tense nerves relaxed.

Xu Chuo went into the study and turned on the computer to browse files. In recent years, Xu Mian had been trying to involve him in the family’s projects, mostly just observing and following up, not making decisions, in preparation for him to officially take over the company in the future.

As he looked, he felt his eyelids getting heavy and his head resting on the desk, falling sound asleep.

In his dream, Xu Chuo returned to the high school exam hall. The other students around him were all writing furiously. The clock on the blackboard showed that there were only ten minutes left until the end of the exam. The paper spread out in front of Xu Chuo was filled with words, but when he flipped it over, the back was completely blank.

Xu Chuo picked up the pen in his left hand and began to write, but for some reason, as soon as the pen touched down, the black strokes were immediately dissolved by the white paper.

The paper was coated with a layer of white, pulpy liquid that could erase the writing. The liquid poured out of the desk continuously, dripping onto Xu Chuo’s legs and feet, gradually increasing and overflowing the ground, submerging his ankles.

Xu Chuo stood up, but the others around him didn’t react at all. He wanted to leave, but the viscous white liquid stuck him in place, making it difficult to move.

As the liquid was about to cover his mouth and nose, the entire classroom began to shake violently, as if a sudden earthquake had occurred.

Xu Chuo woke up suddenly from the dream. The phone on the desk was vibrating non-stop, the screen displaying “Yi Zai”.

Xiang Yiye waited for a while before the call was answered. On the other end, Xu Chuo’s voice was a little listless.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages or answer the phone?” Xiang Yiye said. “I almost thought your plane had an accident.”

“I just fell asleep,” Xu Chuo said.

“Alone?”

“Alone.”

Xiang Yiye sensed that Xu Chuo’s mood wasn’t high. Thinking he was tired of similar tests, coupled with a night of anxiety, he simply laid his cards on the table, “I know I’m being a bit melodramatic like this, but some things need to be made clear. I admit, I’m not completely indifferent to you, but I’m not that avant-garde. I can’t accept an open relationship. If you don’t think it’ll work, then let’s not contact each other in the future, okay?”

He originally wanted to wait until he returned to City S to say it in person, to make it seem more formal, but he really couldn’t wait any longer.

The other side was silent for a long time, making it feel like a year had passed. Now that things had been said so clearly, the survival or termination of their relationship hung in the balance.

After a while, Xu Chuo finally spoke, “I’ll consider it, Xiao Ye. Give me some time.”

This reply was within expectations. Xiang Yiye asked, “How long? Today is February 9th. I’m going back to City S on the fifth day of the New Year.”

He thought it would be at most ten days or half a month, but who knew Xu Chuo would say, “Let me think… 52 days later?”

It was even a specific number. Xiang Yiye immediately flipped through the calendar, saw the date, and couldn’t help but say, “Xu Chuo, if you don’t want to seriously consider it, just say so. Can you not play with me?”

“Huh? Isn’t that number pretty auspicious?” Xu Chuo was a little confused and also flipped through the calendar on the table, discovering that 52 days later happened to be April 1st, April Fool’s Day.

“I just said it randomly, I didn’t count. Then let’s not do 52 days, how about two months later?” Xu Chuo quickly changed his mind.

“You need that long to think?” Xiang Yiye was almost stunned. Was Xu Chuo planning to use a delaying tactic and quickly move out of City S within two months? Was “reforming” such an apocalyptic problem for him?

Xu Chuo laughed, “I’ve been living in an open relationship for the past seven or eight years. You’re so serious, I can’t be careless. Until I’m sure I can do it, I can’t give you an answer.”

It actually sounded damn reasonable. Xiang Yiye lost his temper and said, “Then two months later, April 9th, you better set a reminder on your calendar, don’t forget. My time is precious, and I won’t wait past the deadline.”

Xu Chuo laughed for a while and said, “Yi Zai, why does talking to you make me feel better? Did you secretly learn some kind of secret technique?”

“Your own threshold for laughter is low, don’t blame it on others… Were you in a bad mood just now?” Xiang Yiye said.

“Just had a nightmare,” Xu Chuo said. “What did you do all day today? Tell me about it.”

“Didn’t do much, just visited my uncle’s family for New Year’s.” Xiang Yiye then briefly retold the experiences he had at his uncle’s house during the day, including but not limited to: older relatives all saying they had never heard of him studying singing and dancing before and asking him to perform a show on the spot. The younger generation surrounded him, asking about some unconfirmed gossip in the entertainment industry, and asking him to help them chase celebrities, order food, and ask for autographs.

Xiang Yiye admitted that he wasn’t very good at telling stories, unable to convey the interesting parts. But Xu Chuo seemed to be listening very happily. After listening, he asked with interest, “Isn’t there anything else? Tell me about your high school days.”

“My high school life was pretty boring. I spent every day studying, nothing much to say,” Xiang Yiye said.

“I want to hear it.” Xu Chuo was a qualified listener, guiding him, “I’ll ask, you tell. Which subject were you best at in high school?”

Xiang Yiye had never said so much at once in his life. By the end, his phone was hot, and his mouth was dry. After drinking the last half cup of water on the table, he called out to Xu Chuo, but didn’t get a response. It sounded like he had fallen asleep on the other end.

He’s using my voice as a sleep aid, Xiang Yiye thought, and before hanging up, he softly said good night to the other side.