Chapter 33

Chapter 33

***

Xiang ChangKong had never been the sort of boy that could talk sweetly. As a child, he couldn’t even coax his own sister when she cried. How could he successfully coax another girl?

Xiang ChangKong looked at Xu Lian with furrowed brows and asked: “How do you want me to coax you?”

Xu Lian replied: “You think about that yourself.”

Xiang ChangKong deliberately showed a troubled expression. “That’s quite hard. You look very difficult to coax.”

Xu Lian shrugged. “If we’re looking at one’s appearances, I’d like to say that you look like you’re very good at coaxing people.”

Xiang ChangKong chuckled and said nothing. He simply held her hand a little tighter.

Both of them sat in this small park for a little while longer, then returned to Xiang ChangKong’s home. Xu Lian didn’t go back upstairs and instead went to her car while Xiang ChangKong accompanied her. He planned to watch her leave before going back up.

Xu Lian opened the car door. Before she got on, she looked back at Xiang ChangKong. “Does your mom usually stay at home alone?”

Xiang ChangKong nodded, his eyes darkening at the question. “Her former friend comes by from time to time. They talk to her in the hopes that she would go out with them, but mom always refuses.”

Xu Lian thought about it, then asked: “Can I come by and see your mother sometimes? I think that if I spend more time with her, she’s more likely to accept me.”

She could tell that Xiang ChangKong’s mother wasn’t very fond of her, and Xu Lian was also a little uncomfortable with Mother Xiang’s penetrating stare. But this was Xiang ChangKong’s mother. Xu Lian couldn’t ignore her like she usually ignored other people. Mother Xiang is also ill. In order to improve their relationship, it could only be up to Xu Lian to take the initiative and put in the effort.

Xiang ChangKong understood what Xu Lian was trying to do. He can ignore his mother’s attitude towards others, but Xu Lian was different. He wanted his mother to accept and like her.

Xiang ChangKong took out his house key and handed it to Xu Lian. “If you want to come by in the future, you can just come. I’ll talk to my mother.”

Xu Lian looked at the key he was offering and asked: “If you give me your key, how are you going to get in?”

“I have a spare key at home.” Xiang ChangKong replied with a smile.

Xu Lian took the key and said: “Alright. I’ll still call you before I visit, though.”

“Un.”

After Xu Lian drove away, Xiang ChangKong headed back upstairs. Xiang Nuan saw her brother come back alone and was puzzled. After the siblings talked, Xiang Nuan rushed back to her room to do her homework.

Meanwhile, Xiang ChangKong knocked on his mother’s door. “Mom, are you awake?’

Usually, whenever his mother took a nap, she would wake up at 2:00 p.m. But it was already almost 4:00 p.m., and she still hasn’t come out yet. Was she still asleep?

After knocking, Xiang ChangKong stood there for a while. Eventually, his mother opened the door for him. She didn’t look like she just woke up. Xiang ChangKong smiled and helped her sit down.

Weng ShuLi’s room looked spacious because it was the master bedroom. The skincare products Xu Lian had given her was placed on the dresser by Xiang Nuan, but now it was pushed into a corner. It seems that she didn’t like it very much.

Xiang ChangKong looked at the forgotten gift and then turned to Weng ShuLi. “Mom, today I introduced you to a girl…do you like her?”

Weng ShuLi didn’t answer, and Xiang ChangKong never really expected one. After a moment’s pause, Xiang ChangKong continued: “I like her very much, and I want to be with her, so I hope you’ll like her too. She’s a very good girl, and she’s helped me a lot. I know that when you get to know her better, you’ll like her too.”

Weng ShuLi didn’t move from where she sat. She continued to be silent, not looking at Xiang ChangKong. Xiang ChangKong stood up, smiled at his mother, and said: “I’ll go out first. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

He didn’t know if it was because of the colder weather, but for some reason, Weng ShuLi was becoming more fond of staying in her own room ever since she had met Xu Lian. Xiang ChangKong had talked to her several times after Xu Lian’s visit, but Weng ShuLi never responded. Eventually, Xiang ChangKong didn’t mention it again.

Today, as usual, Xiang ChangKong was out delivering takeaways. He parked outside a bank and was taking out food from the container on the back of his scooter. Wei YiChen was in the bank, taking money from the ATM he just used. As Wei YiChen turned, he saw Xiang ChangKong walk into the bank with a plastic bag in his hand.

Wei YiChen froze for a moment, then turned away with a ‘ho.’ Was this the so-called ‘destiny will make enemies meet’? I was only trying to get money, yet I still bump into him?

(T/N: An idiom. It’s funny cuz this is often said about lovers who have a disagreement)

As soon as Wei YiChen stepped out of the bank, he saw a man in a suit walk past Xiang ChangKong’s scooter. Like magic, the two bags of takeaway on Xiang ChangKong’s scooter disappeared as the man passed by.

Wei YiChen: “…”

Did this guy study under David Copperfield?

(T/N: A really successful/famous magician.)

Wei YiChen caught up to the man and stopped him. “What are you doing?”

The man was visibly shocked, but it seems that his psychological quality was excellent because he soon calmed down and asked: “I want to ask the same thing. What are you doing?”

Wei YiChen glanced at the takeaway bags the man was holding and chuckled. “Ha, you’re dressed so well, but you’re stealing takeaway? That’s a bit lame, don’t you think?”

The man angrily replied: “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Get out of my way!” The man looked like he needed to be somewhere urgently and lifted a hand to push Wei YiChen away. But do you think Wei YiChen, this famous high school gangster, could tolerate being pushed around? If he didn’t do anything, Wei YiChen’s little brothers would laugh their asses off.

Wei YiChen caught the man’s wrist moments before the offending hand touched his shoulder.

The man became even more anxious. He twisted his hand and tried to escape Wei YiChen’s grip. Wei YiChen looked calm and unruffled while the man fluttered about like a chicken. “Hey, hey. If you struggle any harder, you’ll break your own wrist.”

Meanwhile, Xiang ChangKong, who had finished delivering a takeaway, exited the bank. He immediately spotted Wei YiChen fighting with a man near his scooter. Similarly, Wei YiChen saw him. Wei YiChen shouted: “Hey! This guy stole your takeout.”

Xiang ChangKong blinked and looked at the suited man’s hands. Sure enough, he really was carrying the two bags of takeaway he had left on his scooter.

The man didn’t wait for Xiang ChangKong to speak. With a ‘tsk’ he said: “Obviously, it was you who stole the takeaway. I was the one who caught you! Yet it was the villain who complained first? Bah! Hey, takeaway brother, look at what we’re wearing. Who do you think is more likely to steal takeaway of all things?”

This man was wearing earrings, rings and black clothes. He doesn’t look like a decent person!

Wei YiChen looked at the suited man and sneered. “Then let’s go to the police station. Do you dare come?” Wei YiChen then raised his chin and pointed towards a CCTV camera. “Did you not see the surveillance camera?”

When the suited man saw the camera, he hit Wei YiChen and dropped the takeaway bags. Wei YiChen automatically reached for the bags, and the suited man took advantage of this momentary distraction and run away.

With a frown, Wei YiChen turned around and pushed the bags into Xiang ChangKong’s arms. “Here, I’m giving it back to you. I don’t know if they can still be eaten.”

Xiang ChangKong checked the takeout inside the bags. None of the food had spilled, so it should be alright. Xiang ChangKong looked up at Wei YiChen and saw that he was already straddling his motorcycle. Xiang ChangKong said to him: “Thank you.”

Wei YiChen wore his helmet and sneered. “No need to thank me. If I knew it was your takeaway, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“I want to thank you anyway.” Xiang ChangKong insisted. “My other colleagues had encountered similar thefts like this before. They had no choice but to bear the loss with their own money.”

Wei YiChen regarded today’s events as an eye-opener. Nowadays, thieves don’t even let go of takeaway, ah.

“What kind of food do you deliver anyway?” Wei YiChen glanced at the container on Xiang ChangKong’s scooter and noticed a book inside. “Yo, you bring a book with you when you deliver food?”

Xiang ChangKong pondered things for a while but ultimately replied: “That’s a textbook I’m studying for my postgraduate entrance examination.

Wei YiChen’s eyes changed slightly, and he subconsciously asked: “For flying school?”

Xiang ChangKong was somewhat surprised. “How do you know?”

Wei YiChen didn’t answer. Instead, he turned on his motorcycle, coldly snorted, then drove away.

When he had previously asked Ah Mao to investigate Xiang ChangKong, he got a comprehensive report back. Xiang ChangKong’s father had died from an illness three years ago, and his mother soon good sick after that. Xiang ChangKong has a sister, and he’s also the family’s only source of income.

Is that why he gave up graduate school? Ah Mao explained that Xiang ChangKong’s father worked in the First Aircraft Research Institute. If Xiang ChangKong’s father never died, Wei YiChen figured Xiang ChangKong would’ve graduated, gotten his Ph.D., and worked in the Research Institute like his father.

He once had to give up his dreams for his family. What made him pick up the pieces of his lost dream again? Xu Lian?

He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden, Wei YiChen got upset. He went home and shut himself in his room. He turned his speakers up to its maximum setting and began to play his air guitar.

His broken guitar hung on the wall of his room. He strummed his air guitar and, in his excitement, knelt on the ground and let loose.

As the green plum gradually turned red

With it’s sour and sweet blend at the tip of the tongue

Maybe then, I can reach out and touch the rainbow

Mother Wei looked towards her son’s shut door. She didn’t know what happened to him all of a sudden. Fortunately, Father Wei wasn’t at home. Otherwise, they would end up fighting again.

On the other end, after finishing all his deliveries, Xiang ChangKong received a call from Xu Lian. She had done the necessary mental preparations these past two days and was now ready to visit Xiang ChangKong’s mother tomorrow.

So she called and asked Xiang ChangKong: “May I go see your mother tomorrow?”

“Sure, what time are you coming over?”

“Ah…what time do you leave tomorrow?”

Xiang ChangKong replied: “I’ll be doing the night shift tomorrow so probably after 10:00 a.m.”

“Then, I’ll be at your house by then.” While Xu Lian thought it would be better to come without Xiang ChangKong there, this was her first time visiting alone. If she suddenly appeared without Xiang ChangKong acting as a buffer, Xu Lian might scare his mother. “Wait for me to arrive?”

Xiang ChangKong smiled. “Alright.”

***

Ok, I can’t do it. I really dislike their mother. I mean, yeah, the love of your life died, and you’re heartbroken and sad. That’s fine. You’re allowed to grieve. But to drag your children into it??? You’re ruining your son’s future, and you think you have the right to tell him how to live his life? He sacrificed so much, yet you think you have the right to do a fucking tantrum?????

Your son is grieving his father’s death too! Why is he the one putting the shattered pieces of your family back together and not you? You’re the adult here! They’re your children! My god, what kind of parent are you?!

I haven’t read ahead or anything, but it sounds like their mother is suffering from a horrible case of depression. And that sucks, and that’s awful but goddam, I just hate what she put her own children through. Having a mental illness/psychotic break doesn’t mean what you did to your children was any less horrible.

Sorry, humongous rant. I might delete this in the future.