GLIHBN Chapter 29
by VolareChi Ye had known about Su Shi for a long time, having learned the name from Xu Chongming. He knew that Su Shi didn’t like the smell of smoke, liked to wear nice clothes, liked small animals, and that he looked good when he smiled, with a dimple, like a little sun when he was happy, and like a balloon about to explode when he was angry.
Over time, Chi Ye remembered such a person, and couldn’t help but be a little curious about what kind of person Su Shi was, to be so constantly mentioned by Xu Chongming.
Chi Ye didn’t have any friends; he only maintained a classmate relationship with his classmates, never becoming friends.
Once, when he was still innocent and ignorant, he got along very well with a male classmate. The classmate invited him to his house, and he went, returning with osmanthus cakes made by the classmate’s mother. He happily asked Chi Xiangqin to eat them together.
However, Chi Xiangqin slapped the plate to the ground expressionlessly, scolding him not to casually associate with unclear people outside.
The fragrant, crispy osmanthus cakes rolled awkwardly, their surfaces cracked and no longer complete. Soon, the servant came to clean up, accidentally stepping on one and flattening it.
On Monday, when school started, that male classmate didn’t come to school anymore; he heard that he had transferred.
From then on, Chi Ye never tried to make friends again. According to Chi Xiangqin, he should only study hard or get to know people who would be useful to the Chi family in the future.
Chi Ye kept his distance from all his classmates, eventually becoming the school’s icy heartthrob.
Xu Chongming was one of the few people Chi Xiangqin didn’t object to Chi Ye associating with, possibly because they were distant relatives, or because Xu Chongming was in another location.
For a while, listening to Xu Chongming talk about Su Shi every day became the only thing Chi Ye looked forward to.
This person was so interesting, he would get angry and jump up and down when he saw someone abusing a small animal, rushing up to argue, and he would also do performance art in public because he lost a bet with his classmates, and he would treat the whole class to fruit tea because his work won an award.
Su Shi was vibrant, clear about what he loved and hated, sunny and full of energy. Unlike him, who was lifeless, living a bleak life alone.
No friends, no close relatives, no one liked him, and he didn’t like anyone else either.
Later, Chi Ye finally learned how to be a grandson that satisfied Chi Xiangqin, and gradually gained more freedom. The first person he wanted to see was Su Shi. He wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of person he was.
Curiosity was like a ball of yarn rolling away, the thread getting longer and longer.
But Xu Chongming slowly stopped calling, not knowing if he had caught up with Su Shi or what, or maybe he thought talking to Chi Ye was too boring.
Chi Ye suddenly lost this only expectation, and life returned to being boring and tasteless, going to school and leaving school, tutoring, and exercising every day like clockwork.
So Chi Ye could only try to find a trace of Su Shi from Xu Chongming’s Moments. Xu Chongming was a very sharing person, always taking pictures and posting them on Moments of what he ate and what he did.
But Chi Ye couldn’t find any photos that might be of Su Shi in his frequent Moments.
Finally, one time, Chi Ye saw a large group photo in Xu Chongming’s Moments. Strangely, there were a dozen people in the group photo, and Xu Chongming was clearly not standing with Su Shi, but Chi Ye relied entirely on his first impression and recognized Su Shi at a glance.
That boy who looked good when he smiled, with a dimple, was Su Shi. Chi Ye thought he was even better-looking than he had imagined.
Chi Ye silently tapped the photo and saved it.
Finally, during the summer vacation, Chi Ye came to Xu Chongming’s house again.
When he was here, Chi Ye liked to wander around, because these were the rare days of freedom he had in a year.
He walked on the streets, measuring his free land step by step with his feet.
He wore earphones and a mask, because that way he could better immerse himself in his own world without being disturbed.
Chi Ye wanted to cross the crosswalk to walk and see on the other side of the road. The red light in front of him still had 56 seconds left, and Chi Ye stopped. Chi Xiangqin’s call came as scheduled, connected in the earphones, and Chi Ye could only listen.
The call ended, and the music in the earphones started again, but the good mood had disappeared completely, becoming disappointing.
Chi Ye felt like the Monkey King, and Chi Xiangqin was like the Buddha, and he could never escape the other’s palm, not to mention that he wasn’t as powerful as the Monkey King.
The cars on the road were constantly flowing, and the sound of horns and cars rubbing against the ground became the only clear sound in this world.
The red light had not yet turned green, and a wild idea appeared in Chi Ye’s mind. If he stepped out now, he would be hit by a speeding car, blood flowing non-stop, his head shattered, a horrible sight. But at the same time, everything would end, he could be free, once and for all.
Somehow, Chi Ye took a step forward as if possessed, but suddenly, someone pulled him from behind.
“There are still a few seconds left on the red light, don’t rush.”
A voice rang in his ear, and Chi Ye turned his head.
When he saw the person’s face clearly, the sunlight made his eyes narrow.
Chi Ye almost recognized at a glance that this person was Su Shi, the Su Shi who lived in Xu Chongming’s words, and also the Su Shi who lived in his curiosity.
Xu Chongming didn’t lie, Su Shi was indeed very dazzling, his eyes could talk, like the rising sun, warm and fluffy.
Chi Ye forgot to say thank you for a moment.
Just then, the red light turned green, and Su Shi walked to the crosswalk before him. Perhaps this was just an inconspicuous act in Su Shi’s daily life, and he wouldn’t take it to heart at all.
Chi Ye paused for a few seconds and followed the crowd, walking one step behind Su Shi.
Su Shi was dressed very fashionably, walking vigorously, the hair on his head trembling with each step. He quickly reached the other side and got into a luxury car.
Chi Ye also crossed the road, didn’t stay long, and walked in another direction. He changed to a cheerful dance song.
The next day, Xu Chongming said he was going to school to find a friend. Chi Ye wondered if it might be Su Shi, so he told Jiang Hui that he wanted to go play with Xu Chongming, and Jiang Hui let Xu Chongming take him along.
Chi Ye got to see Su Shi as he wished, Su Shi with exaggerated makeup and a wig, preparing to perform in a stage play.
That day, the sunlight was especially dazzling.
He saw Xu Chongming kissing Su Shi, and the scene was exactly the same as today, he could only watch from afar, as a voyeur.
He saw that Su Shi had also seen him. He should have avoided looking, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to bet whether Su Shi would push Xu Chongming away because of it.
But he didn’t. Su Shi’s eyes were covered by Xu Chongming, and he was hugged tighter, kissed deeper.
That little thought completely surfaced, and Chi Ye could no longer deceive himself.
He admitted his malice, using disguise and his knowledge of Su Shi to make Su Shi think he was a good boy. He succeeded; Su Shi was really kind to him.
But it wasn’t enough. Xu Chongming could do more to Su Shi. The identity of boyfriend was so powerful, it could override any relationship, he could hug Su Shi whenever he wanted, kiss him whenever he wanted, and do even more intimate things.