TSIBAMS Chapter 100
by VolareQi Guang looked at him, genuinely admiring how he managed to stay so clear-headed in such a chaotic moment.
Bai Shu continued, “Xu Ge saw us fighting and came over to hold Chen Hui back, giving me a chance to flush it down the toilet. The sound of police cars came in. Chen Hui was in a hurry to run, and Xu Ge held him tightly. The sound of the police sirens grew louder and louder. Chen Hui got anxious, grabbed Xu Ge by the neck, and pinned him to the ground. Xu Ge drank too much last night and couldn’t fight back at all. His face was turning red, like he was about to pass out at any moment.”
“And then you smashed him?” Qi Guang asked.
He knew how much Bai Shu hated to see Xu Ge bullied. Not to mention Bai Shu, even if he were there, he wouldn’t have allowed Xu Ge to be pinned to the ground without being able to fight back.
That was the forever spirited Xu Ge.
“Yeah,” Bai Shu lowered his head, “There was a chair under the sink, usually for the cleaning lady to stand on to wipe the windows. There was nothing else in the bathroom to use to hit someone…”
“Did you think about the consequences of smashing that chair down at the time?” Qi Guang sighed.
“Even if I killed him, I wouldn’t regret it,” Bai Shu bit his lip, his eyes resolute. “Rather than let Xu Ge risk being strangled to death, what’s a little time in jail?”
The storm is about to break.
Qi Guang opened the window, taking deep breaths.
It had been a long time since he stopped taking his medication and felt this difficulty breathing. It had also been a long time since he had felt so close to life and death.
But he understood that what really bothered him was that he had never seen such bloody emotions in real life.
Yes, bloody.
He couldn’t think of a more appropriate description.
Loving someone so much that you’re willing to go to jail for them, in movies and novels, it might have perfect dramatic effect, but when it actually appears in real life, it only feels too heavy.
He had never experienced this kind of heavy emotion, nor had he ever considered it.
Being with Ye Xing for so long, he had never had to make a choice, nor had he ever been obsessed with anything.
Studying improved, life was regular, everyone was trying to live well, and they all had bright futures. But he had never thought about what to do if the day came when a choice had to be made, what was good for himself and what was good for the other person. Or rather, when there was no way to have it both ways, whether to satisfy his own needs first or to satisfy the other person’s.
And no matter who was satisfied, the world would inevitably collapse.
Just like Xu Ge at this moment.
When he answered Xu Ge’s call, Qi Guang could tell from his tone that the result was pretty much what he had expected.
“They’re all fucking bastards, a skull fracture, why didn’t they break his brain!”
Qi Guang left the kitchen and closed the door behind him. “What did they say? Is it a minor injury?”
Xu Ge’s breathing was uneven, and it took him a while to speak. “Minor injury, they won’t accept mediation, they won’t agree for any amount of money! Damn it! I just want to take care of him and then turn myself in!”
“Don’t be stupid! Go home first, we’ll discuss it together!” Qi Guang shouted.
Xu Ge kicked the curb, his voice trembling a little. “Bai Shu can’t go…”
He couldn’t manage to say the rest of the words for a long time.
“Think about why Bai Shu did all this. Don’t go crazy in the hospital, or you’ll both end up in there, and I definitely won’t come see you! Come back now!” Qi Guang said.
“But Bai Shu can’t go…” Xu Ge’s voice trembled more and more.
They all knew what those two words meant, but they couldn’t bring themselves to say them.
“Xu Ge,” Qi Guang sighed, “Calm down, I’m just as upset as you are now, but as long as people are alive, that’s a good thing. There’s no problem that money can’t solve. If it doesn’t work, I’ll go ask my dad…”
“It’s no use,” Xu Ge said. “Before I went out today, I knew they wouldn’t compromise so easily. The compensation for medical expenses and lost work wasn’t much. I calculated all my assets and offered them an amount, but they rejected me without even thinking about it. They’re doing this on purpose, they’re not even after the money.”
After hanging up the phone, Qi Guang leaned on the table, feeling a little unsteady. That feeling of not being able to breathe came back again.
He turned around and saw Bai Shu standing calmly behind him, a pot of steaming chicken soup on the table next to him, and two clean bowls and chopsticks in his hand.
He knew Bai Shu had heard the phone conversation, and he wasn’t surprised by Bai Shu’s calmness at this moment.
From the moment he lifted the stool last night, he must have prepared himself for this moment. Even though he was so scared last night, he didn’t show a trace of regret now.
Bai Shu placed the bowls on the table, ladled a bowl of chicken soup, and pushed it to the table in front of Qi Guang. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
Qi Guang sat down, looking at the steaming chicken soup in front of him, unmoving.
“Actually, I was really scared last night, after all, it was the first time I’d knocked someone out, and I didn’t even know if they were dead or alive.” Bai Shu was actually smirking, a scoffing expression in his laughter.
Then he poured a bowl of soup for himself, blew on it a few times, and continued, “Many of the brothers who drank with Xu Ge yesterday had been inside before. Later, Xu Ge didn’t let me get involved in their affairs, and he didn’t allow me to fight either. Xu Ge had seen too much of this and didn’t think it was interesting, and didn’t want to live such a life, so he decided to open a shop and do business. But the trouble he had gotten into before wasn’t easy to settle. I thought as long as everyone minded their own business, it would be fine, but I didn’t expect Li Zhendong to be so despicable, to provoke us again and again, and even resort to such dirty tactics.”
“Is it…” Qi Guang hesitated, “Because Ye Xing and I offended them?”
“Don’t think too much,” Bai Shu glanced at him. “If we have to blame someone for this, it should be my fault. If I hadn’t called the police at Liao Le, it wouldn’t have angered Li Zhendong, and he wouldn’t have gone from disliking Xu Ge to openly making trouble for us. Xu Ge was right, I was meddling.”
Qi Guang didn’t know if he really thought so, or if he was using this cause-and-effect relationship to convince himself to accept the current result more easily.
He was more inclined to believe the latter.
This made Qi Guang feel a little heartache, “Brother Bai, this matter has nothing to do with us from the beginning to the end, especially you. Xu Ge protects you so well, he doesn’t want you to get involved in these messy things.”
Bai Shu didn’t speak, quietly drinking his soup, his eyes turning red in a moment.
Qi Guang’s nose suddenly felt a little sore.
“I won’t be by Xu Ge’s side anymore, please advise him more.” Bai Shu said.
Qi Guang sniffed.
“Think about it from another angle, this is a good result, isn’t it? If I hadn’t discovered their plot, hadn’t flushed those things down the toilet, it wouldn’t just be me in trouble now, maybe even you would have been implicated,” Bai Shu said.
“This isn’t fair to you.”
“Whether it’s fair or not, whether it’s worth it or not, it’s up to me to decide. Qi Guang, I don’t regret this at all.”
No regrets?
Everyone was making choices, rushing to die for love, and leaving the pain to those who were free. How cruel.
“I really didn’t expect that you could do this much for Xu Ge,” Qi Guang said.
“I’m willing to do anything for him, and actually, I’m quite happy today.” Bai Shu actually smiled, a faint smile on his pale, bloodless face. Compared to his strange smile just now, it looked like warm sunshine in the winter.
Qi Guang looked at him in confusion.
“I only realized now that Xu Ge didn’t reject my feelings for him.” Bai Shu said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Did you guys last night…”
“Nothing happened, he held me and comforted me all night, that’s enough, everything I did was worth it.” Bai Shu turned his head to look out the window, his eyes gleaming.
Xu Ge still hadn’t returned, and Qi Guang was worried that he might do something stupid. He decided to go to the hospital.
Just as he got on his tricycle, his phone vibrated. The screen displayed an unfamiliar number. Normally, he would have just hung up, assuming it was a spam call. But he glanced at the area code and hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button, “Hello?”
“Is this Qi Guang?” A woman’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
She sounded like a gentle person, but her tone wasn’t very friendly.
Qi Guang checked the area code of the incoming call again, and he almost knew the answer, “You are… Ye Xing’s mother?”
“You guessed who I am so quickly, it seems your dad is right.” Fang Rong said.
Qi Guang frowned, what good thing had Qi Jingsheng done this time?
“I know Ye Xing has been staying at your house recently, thank you for taking care of him.” Fang Rong’s tone was cold, without a trace of gratitude. “I’ll transfer the cost of his room and board to you.”
“No need, he’s a very important friend to me, it has nothing to do with money,” Qi Guang said.
“That’s right, how could your family be short of money? Boss Qi can wave his hand and fill our family’s financial hole. What’s the big deal about helping me raise my son for a few months?”
Qi Guang was completely baffled.
“However, although our family is in a difficult situation, we will not accept handouts. Thank you for your concern,” Fang Rong changed the subject. “So, can you return Ye Xing to me now?”
He finally understood, this phone call was to demand an explanation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Qi Guang said. “Ye Xing is an independent individual, he only belongs to himself. Whether he goes back or not is his own decision, I haven’t interfered, and there’s no question of returning him to you.”
“Do you know what you two are doing?” Fang Rong’s emotions seemed unstable, her voice suddenly becoming urgent. “Ye Xing has always been an obedient child, and never made me worry. But now I’ve only been away for a few months, and he’s become like this!”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him now. He knows what kind of life he wants, he knows how to work hard for his goals, and he’s made significant progress,” Qi Guang said firmly.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.
“This is not the life he should be living at all!”