Unmatched Chapter 14
by“Haven’t you noticed that every time we argue, you’re the one who starts it?”
Zhao Shuyi’s thumb tapped lightly on the steering wheel. This was his subconscious habit when he wanted to laugh but was holding back. Unexpectedly, he couldn’t hold it in after all, and he sneered, “The thief crying ‘Stop thief.’”
Xie Qi: “…”
The car had already left the main urban area. The surrounding tall buildings gradually thinned out, and the traffic became sparse. The greenery lining the road was wilted under the fierce August sun. Xie Qi, in the passenger seat, seemed listless for some reason.
Zhao Shuyi expected him to fiercely retort with something like, “You were the one who brought people home last night, it’s your fault,” or “You were the one who insulted me first this morning,” but he remained silent.
“Are you really not going to argue?” Zhao Shuyi glanced at him.
“Mhm.” Xie Qi looked down at his phone. There was nothing urgent on the screen; the action seemed merely a cover-up.
Zhao Shuyi looked at him again, feeling a little confused.
“Focus on driving,” Xie Qi reminded him. “Let’s go see your Grandfather first. When we get back tonight, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“We’ll talk about it when we get back.”
“…”
He’d even learned how to keep people in suspense.
Zhao Shuyi was utterly bewildered, but if Xie Qi wouldn’t say, there was nothing he could do.
Around three in the afternoon, they arrived at their destination. They had informed the Old Butler beforehand. Zhao Fengli had just woken up from his nap and received them in the study.
This was Xie Qi’s first visit, and he brought a gift, though it was just a formality. Zhao Fengli was not one for trivialities. He didn’t even care about his own illness, his mind filled only with worry about the company’s future.
Bringing Xie Qi today was Zhao Shuyi’s initiative, but it also had the Old Master’s tacit approval.
After a few days, Zhao Fengli looked much more haggard. On the day of the engagement, he had been spiritedly chatting and drinking with people, but today, leaning back in the rocking chair in his study, it seemed difficult even to lift his eyelids.
The Old Butler told them that the doctor said he had been overworked recently, his condition had worsened, and he might not last three months. The family needed to be prepared at any time.
Zhao Shuyi was silent for a long time after hearing this. He led Xie Qi into the room and walked up to him. “Grandfather.”
Xie Qi hesitated slightly, then also called out, “Grandfather.”
This address was unexpected. Zhao Fengli gripped the armrest and straightened his back, trying to sit up. Zhao Shuyi quickly helped him up, took the soft cushion Xie Qi offered, and tucked it behind his waist. “Please be careful.”
“It’s nothing. I know my own body,” Zhao Fengli said carelessly. “I won’t die anytime soon.”
“…” Zhao Shuyi was speechless.
“You two sit down too. Don’t just stand there foolishly.”
Zhao Fengli seemed so old that even his gaze felt heavy as he slowly scanned them.
He focused especially on Xie Qi, staring for a few extra seconds as if seeing him for the first time. He suddenly asked, “Are the two of you getting along well?”
“Very well,” Zhao Shuyi said.
The Old Master didn’t believe him. “No arguments?”
“No arguments,” Zhao Shuyi lied without changing his expression.
Zhao Fengli suddenly smiled.
He rarely smiled. When Zhao Shuyi was young and lived with his mother, he seldom had the chance to see him. Even then, Zhao Fengli always wore a cold, stern expression, leading young Shuyi to the mistaken belief that successful men should be like this: aloof, serious, meticulous, and intimidating.
Consequently, Zhao Shuyi unconsciously adopted these flaws, developing a similar personality.
But the elderly Zhao Fengli’s aura was much weaker. When a person gets old, wrinkles pile up on their face, and when he smiled, those wrinkles seemed to come alive, trembling slightly.
Zhao Fengli pointed at them and said, “I remember you two loved playing together when you were kids, and you always argued. Now you don’t argue anymore. Have you grown distant?”
Before Zhao Shuyi could answer, Xie Qi interjected, “Yes, he doesn’t bother with me anymore.”
Zhao Fengli said, “If he ignores you, you should pay more attention to him. Shuyi has a slow-to-warm-up nature. You have to treat him ten parts well before he can belatedly appreciate one part.”
Xie Qi pouted. “For your sake, I’ll try my best. But if he really doesn’t cooperate, there’s nothing I can do.”
Xie Qi was not reserved at all, his tone as annoying as ever. Zhao Fengli smiled and smiled, seeming very pleased.
Zhao Shuyi suppressed his speechlessness and simply stopped interjecting, letting them talk amongst themselves.
Xie Qi said, “We used to have a very good relationship, but we haven’t kept in touch much since graduating high school.”
He fabricated stories the moment he opened his mouth, even daring to claim they had a “very good relationship.”
The Old Master believed him and asked with great interest, “Why didn’t you keep in touch?”
Xie Qi said, “I was preparing to study abroad at the time, and I wanted to apply to the same school as him, but he told me to get lost and stop bothering him. I was sensible enough to change schools.”
“You make it sound so real,” Zhao Shuyi couldn’t stand it anymore. He personally poured a cup of tea for Xie Qi, hinting that he should drink more water and talk less nonsense.
Xie Qi accepted it.
Zhao Fengli, however, asked, “So is it true or false?”
“False.”
“True.”
They answered simultaneously, each giving a different reply. Zhao Fengli was puzzled. “Is there some misunderstanding?”
“…”
If they weren’t in front of the Old Master, Zhao Shuyi would have flipped out at Xie Qi. He had no choice but to explain, “The incident is true, but it didn’t happen the way he described it.”
That year, when Zhao Shuyi applied to foreign universities, Xie Qi heard about it and came to provoke him, asking which school he intended to apply to.
Without waiting for Zhao Shuyi’s answer, Xie Qi spoke for himself: “Are you afraid to tell me? Afraid that if we study together, your grades won’t measure up to mine?”
Xie Qi’s expression was cool, looking at people askance, incredibly mocking. Zhao Shuyi’s temper flared, which led to the subsequent command for him to get lost.
But now, with Xie Qi’s selective editing and exaggeration, it sounded as if Zhao Shuyi had betrayed his sincere feelings—which was absurd.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to argue in front of his Grandfather, as it would seem childish. He poured a cup of tea for Zhao Fengli as well, and smoothly changed the subject to discussing tea tasting.
No one proactively brought up business matters.
But Zhao Shuyi felt that the Old Master’s unusual behavior today—engaging in casual conversation in front of Xie Qi—was inherently aimed at fostering their relationship, making it essentially a matter of business.
Therefore, Zhao Shuyi couldn’t muster any enthusiasm and didn’t take their pleasantries seriously.
The Zhao Family was always like this: lacking in warmth, everything always having an ulterior motive. Yet, when facing separation and death, this surprisingly became a personality advantage. Zhao Shuyi felt little sadness, which was far outweighed by the pressure he felt.
In the evening, he and Xie Qi stayed for dinner.
Despite repeated attempts by the Old Butler and the doctor to stop him, Zhao Fengli insisted on opening a bottle of wine to drink with them.
The conversation at the table was still about family matters, topics Zhao Shuyi disliked: his parents, his Second Uncle, and his grandmother who had passed away before he was born.
The Old Master sighed for the umpteenth time, “If Huaide were still here, everything would be fine.”
Zhao Shuyi said, “My father was an architect; he wouldn’t know how to manage the company.”
What difference would it make if he were alive?
The Old Master just shook his head and remained silent. When it was completely dark, he said he was tired and needed to rest early. Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi had no choice but to stand up and say goodbye.
Since they had both consumed alcohol, Zhao Fengli sent them home with a driver.
Zhao Shuyi leaned against the back seat, nursing a headache. His thoughts drifted back and forth through the first twenty-six years of his life, and he had long forgotten the matter Xie Qi had mentioned earlier.
Xie Qi didn’t bring it up either.
It was already nine o’clock when they arrived home.
Zhao Shuyi disliked interacting with his own family because every time he saw them, his mood would worsen—regardless of the reason, without exception.
Xie Qi, however, seemed to be in a very good mood. Just as Zhao Shuyi took off his suit jacket and prepared to take a shower, Xie Qi suddenly blocked the bathroom doorway and abruptly said, “Wait, let’s talk first.”
“…” Zhao Shuyi remembered. “Go ahead.”
Xie Qi’s tall figure was bathed in the warm light from the bathroom entrance, his hair looking soft and fuzzy. He seemed a little awkward for some reason, as if the following content was difficult to articulate, but he still had to muster the courage to speak. “Zhao Shuyi, I…”
Zhao Shuyi adopted an attentive posture, casually loosening his tie.
His casualness made Xie Qi even more nervous.
Xie Qi took a deep breath and said, “Should we… try dating?”
—Xie Qi sounded exactly like a foreign friend who had just started learning Chinese, mispronouncing the word lian (love) with the second tone, making it sound clumsy.
Zhao Shuyi gave him a look of utter confusion. “Huh? What did you say?”
Xie Qi instantly switched back to his native Chinese state, speaking rapidly: “Although you don’t like me and I don’t like you, we’re already married and we’ve slept together, so why don’t we just try dating while we’re at it? How about it?”
Zhao Shuyi: “?”