PPS Chapter 24
by VolareGu Yusen brought Chu Zhaoyi to his regular salon, which his family owned, and had it cleared out for them.
As Mason said, hair was a very important issue for Chu Zhaoyi, perhaps because of the school bullying he suffered as a child.
If Chu Zhaoyi’s autism and unwillingness to interact with the outside world stemmed from being ostracized at school due to his long hair,
the correct thing for his parents to do would have been to cut it short for him, which would have reduced the psychological impact.
But they allowed Chu Zhaoyi to keep his hair so long, and may even have stopped him when he wanted to cut it.
You see, before children develop fully, it’s sometimes difficult to tell their gender, and Chu Zhaoyi’s appearance was inherently delicate and beautiful, inevitably making him look more feminine as a child. Plus, having long hair often led to him being mistaken for a girl.
Gu Yusen clenched his fists tightly at his side. So, what exactly was Chu Zhaoyi to his Chu parents? Just a tool? A tool for them to gain a good reputation?
Chu Zhaoyi had calmed down a bit, but was still very silent, not saying a word even while sitting in the barber shop.
Chu Zhaoyi looked up at the mirror in front of him.
The person in the mirror had long hair and a face as pale as the first snow of winter, revealing a fragility. He was thin, and his sharply defined cheeks and prominent cheekbones added a sculptural three-dimensionality.
Chu Zhaoyi blinked, and the person in the mirror blinked too.
He hadn’t looked in the mirror in a long time. If the police had been observant, they would have realized that there wasn’t a single mirror in the Chu family home. Even before, in the old house, he would deliberately avoid looking in the mirror.
So, this is what I look like.
No wonder people call me effeminate.
Indeed…
He stared blankly at his reflection, his eyes shrouded in a gloomy shadow.
Chu Zhaoyi’s brow furrowed and his lips turned down, revealing a deep self-loathing. The suffering he endured as a child had never been healed, only forcibly controlled by medication. The pain was still deeply buried in his heart, making it impossible for him to escape or ignore it.
His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms as if trying to divert the inner pain with physical pain. His breathing became rapid as he tried to shake off the wave of self-disgust that kept surging up.
Chu Zhaoyi suddenly turned away, not wanting to look at the scene in the mirror anymore.
But Gu Yusen suddenly held his phone up to Chu Zhaoyi’s face, as if he hadn’t noticed Chu Zhaoyi’s abnormality at all, and with great excitement,
“Look at this, A Yi, this hairstyle looks great, so handsome, it will definitely look amazing on your face.”
“The length is also just right. Your current length is a bit affecting your daily life. You don’t love taking care of your hair anyway.”
“And it makes you look lifeless.”
Gu Yusen was very talkative. The phone showed a character with dazzling red hair, as fiery and vibrant as flames. Each strand of hair was fluffy and curly, falling naturally over the shoulders. Under the sunlight, the red hair shimmered with a touching glow.
The barber glanced at the picture on Gu Yusen’s phone, and his mouth twitched. It was handsome, yes, but wasn’t it a bit too eye-catching? Mr. Gu!
Gu Yusen kept picturing that hairstyle on Chu Zhaoyi, and the more he thought about it, the better it looked. The boy always looked so sickly, this hairstyle would definitely give him some energy.
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He held up the phone and asked the barber if it could be done.
In his mind, art students always dressed fashionably. His own boy couldn’t be outdone.
The barber and Gu Yusen huddled together, muttering.
Watching this scene, Chu Zhaoyi didn’t know why, but he found it a little funny. The person in the mirror also lifted the corners of his mouth following his movements. A strange emotion swept through his heart like a gentle breeze, lightly dissipating it.
It seems… not so repulsive anymore.
He looked at the scissors on the barber’s trolley beside him, picked them up, and placed them in his palm.
Seeing this, the barber became a little nervous. Chu Zhaoyi’s every action since entering the shop clearly expressed one point: this person’s condition was not good, and now he was holding a sharp weapon.
Gu Yusen stopped the barber’s movements, not focusing his gaze directly on the boy, but observing Chu Zhaoyi’s actions out of the corner of his eye.
The barber felt the force on his arm, which was so strong it was terrifying, almost breaking his arm. He was really suffering in silence.
Money is hard to earn, * is hard to eat!
Chu Zhaoyi didn’t notice the abnormality of the two. His attention was focused on the scissors. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He reached out and grabbed a strand of long hair from the top of his head. The strands were like black silk, smooth and shiny. His other hand gripped the scissors tightly. The blade of the scissors flashed coldly under the light. With an almost hesitant decisiveness, he made a light snip.
As the hair fell, he felt an unspeakable relief. It felt like a long-standing burden on his heart had been suddenly lifted, a massive invisible mountain had been removed from his shoulders, and he seemed to have broken free from some invisible shackles. Even his breathing became easier.
Chu Zhaoyi saw the person in the mirror blink and stared blankly for a long time.
A tear quietly rolled down.