Chapter 20
Song Zhang got out of the car with a wooden expression.
He had gained a lot of weight in recent years due to stress, and with his delicate features, the added weight gave him a rather benevolent appearance. But now, his usually kind face was drawn and taut, his entire being radiating a murderous aura.
The manager waiting for him at the entrance was forced to take several steps back by this aura. Meeting his gaze, he could only force himself to greet him.
“Mr. Song, y-you’re here…”
Song Zhang said coldly, “You said on the phone that Lu Yichuan was dying. How could I not come?”
The manager was speechless.
He followed Song Zhang into the club. “I didn’t want to bother you, but Lu-ge hasn’t come out for two days. He doesn’t answer the door either. You’re the only person I know who’s close to him, so I had no choice.”
“No choice?” Song Zhang retorted. “Just call 120. I could see him in the ER faster than coming all the way here.”
The manager chuckled nervously and didn’t dare to speak again.
Despite his words, Song Zhang’s pace was faster than the manager’s, and he quickly reached the upstairs room.
“What exactly happened to him?”
The manager took out the key and handed it to him. “I’m not sure. He arrived the day before yesterday, just before dawn, and has locked himself in the room ever since, not seeing anyone, not answering the door…”
Song Zhang took the key and rubbed his temples with a sigh. “Alright, I understand.”
Seeing that Song Zhang had the key, the manager tactfully retreated downstairs, leaving him alone.
Song Zhang inserted the key and slowly opened the door.
Even though he mentally prepared himself every time he opened this door, he was still shocked by the overpowering smell of alcohol that wafted out.
The room was dark, and besides the suffocating smell of alcohol, it was so quiet it seemed lifeless.
Song Zhang’s heart leaped into his throat. He kicked away the beer bottles at his feet and reached for the light switch, fumbling for several seconds before finding it.
Click! The sudden brightness made him squint.
After his eyes adjusted, he looked towards the sofa. A man lay there quietly, eyes closed, not reacting to the newcomer in the room.
Song Zhang’s mind blanked for a moment. He stumbled to the sofa, squatted down, and shook the man forcefully.
“Lu Yichuan? What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me!”
He shook him hard. A few seconds later, the man, almost shifted from his original position by the force, said weakly, “If you keep shaking me, you’ll shake me to death even if I wasn’t dying before.”
Song Zhang’s strength left him, and he collapsed onto the floor. “Damn it, Lu Yichuan, are you crazy! What good does it do you to scare me to death?”
Lu Yichuan finally opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, supporting himself on the sofa, his bloodshot eyes looking at Song Zhang sitting on the floor, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “Dr. Song, I’m not taking the blame for this. I was just minding my own business in my own club. Not only did you barge in, but you also accuse me of scaring you? Who’s scaring whom?”
Song Zhang wanted to jump up and slap him. “Are you even listening to yourself? Do you know how long you’ve been in here? If I hadn’t come, you’d be a rotting corpse by now.”
Lu Yichuan was still smiling, his voice languid. “Sorry for troubling you. If I had really rotted, you’d probably lose a fortune trying to sell this place.”
“Stop smiling,” Song Zhang suddenly said.
“Your smile is uglier than crying.”
“How could that be…” Lu Yichuan closed his eyes slightly. “Rongrong said my smile is the most beautiful.”
“Rongrong! Rongrong!” Song Zhang suddenly jumped up and grabbed his collar. “Jiang Heng is dead, do you understand? Four years! He’s been dead for four years! No matter how deep your feelings were, you should have moved on!”
Lu Yichuan turned his head and coughed, seemingly oblivious to the hysteria in Song Zhang’s eyes. He was still smiling, his voice soft, so soft it seemed like the wind could carry it away.
“I had another dream.”
Song Zhang’s hand froze.
“The sun was so bright in the dream, and I just watched him get into the car. How far away was I from him? A hundred meters? Two hundred meters?”
He stretched out a hand, pointing vaguely ahead. “Just there, so close, right in front of me…”
Song Zhang let go of his collar, his mouth opening and closing. “You…”
Lu Yichuan’s hand dropped powerlessly. “Song Zhang, do you think Rongrong is lonely down there? I should have gone with him.”
“Lu Yichuan!” Song Zhang’s voice rose. “Stop being crazy!”
“I’m not crazy.”
Lu Yichuan looked at him calmly, his dark eyes devoid of light. “Whenever I think of Rongrong being cold, suffering, being wronged, I get scared. I’m not by his side anymore, what if he’s bullied?”
“He’s dead!” Song Zhang gritted his teeth. “He’s dead, do you understand? There are no ghosts. Death means disappearing, disappearing means nothing, no more feeling cold, no more suffering, no more being wronged…”
Lu Yichuan seemed not to hear him.
“He’s so timid, I should have stayed with him.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Song Zhang punched him in the face.
“Are you sober now?”
Lu Yichuan turned his head, licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue, and said nothing.
Seeing him like this, Song Zhang was furious. “Look at yourself! If Jiang Heng knew you were living like this, would he be at peace?”
Lu Yichuan’s fingers twitched. He slowly curled up his legs, like a rusty machine, and buried his face in his knees.
The room was brightly lit, but an endless darkness seemed to surround him.
“I’m so tired…”
He said.
“Song Zhang, living is so tiring.”
…
Song Zhang dragged him out of the club.
He shoved him into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt like a mother hen. “You’re coming to my place.”
The man beside him remained silent, only slowly turning his eyes when he heard this. “Take me back to my dormitory.”
Song Zhang looked at him disapprovingly.
Lu Yichuan explained, “I just remembered, I have a cat in my dormitory.”
Song Zhang: “…”
He said, “You’re getting wasted here at the club, and you just left your cat at home? And when did you get a cat? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“Just a couple of days ago,” Lu Yichuan explained. “I was drunk before, not in my right mind, so I forgot. The wind just sobered me up, and I remembered.”
Song Zhang thought, you’re truly a handful.
He resignedly drove towards the university.
It was already the middle of the night when they arrived. Fortunately, there was no one around, otherwise Lu Yichuan, in his current state, would definitely end up on the university’s confession wall.
Song Zhang parked the car and followed Lu Yichuan, asking, “How many days has it been since you last ate?”
Lu Yichuan’s clothes were wrinkled, and he had stubble on his chin. He walked slowly. Hearing Song Zhang’s question, he thought for a moment and answered, “Two or three days, I think.”
Song Zhang cursed under his breath. “You’re truly a handful!” He took out his phone. “What do you want to eat? I’ll order for you.”
Lu Yichuan stood by the door and fumbled in his pocket, finally pulling out his keys. “It’s so late, let’s get barbecue and some beer. We can have a good chat about life.”
Song Zhang: “…”
“Chat my ass! I’m ordering you congee.”
He watched as Lu Yichuan opened the door, chattering beside him. “Can alcohol fill your stomach? As the ancients said, trying to stop water with a knife is futile, and trying to drown your sorrows in alcohol only makes them worse… Holy shit! What an ugly cat!”
Jiang Heng, who had just jumped onto the bed and hadn’t caught his breath: “…”
Are you even trying to be polite?
Song Zhang continued, “Lu Yichuan, you have unique taste. Have you been repressing yourself for so long that your aesthetic sense has mutated? Why did you get such a uniquely ugly cat?”
Jiang Heng squatted in front of him and sharpened his claws.
Song Zhang suddenly felt a murderous aura and looked down at the bald kitten on the floor.
He paused when he saw its glassy eyes, his words of mockery dying in his throat. “Where did you buy this cat?”
Lu Yichuan took off his stiff clothes, found some clean pajamas, and was about to take a shower. Hearing this, he glanced at Jiang Heng. “I didn’t buy it. It’s a stray I found on campus.”
“Oh…” Song Zhang squatted down and absently patted the kitten’s head. “Don’t you think its eyes…”
Lu Yichuan’s hand, on the closet door, suddenly tightened, then he closed the door expressionlessly. “They’re not similar. A cat is a cat, a human is a human.”
“The cat food is in the bottom cabinet. Help me feed it.”
He then went to the bathroom with his pajamas, leaving Song Zhang and the kitten staring at each other.
It took Jiang Heng a moment to realize that the chubby person in front of him was Song Zhang.
In his memory, Song Zhang was a delicate, gentle young man. How had he changed so much in four years?
Time truly was a butcher’s knife.
However, compared to Song Zhang’s changes, Lu Yichuan in the bathroom worried him more. He pawed at Song Zhang’s pants leg and looked towards the bathroom. “Meow?”
What’s wrong with Lu Yichuan?
Song Zhang said, “The little guy must be hungry. That meow sounds so pitiful. Uncle will get you some food right away.”
He then, as if energized, opened the cabinet Lu Yichuan had mentioned and poured a bowl full of cat food for Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng looked at the mountain of cat food, taller than himself, and felt speechless.
He wasn’t hungry, having eaten his fill in the afternoon. He stealthily made his way towards the balcony, wanting to see what was wrong with Lu Yichuan.
Why had he changed so much in just two days?
But before he could take a few steps, Song Zhang picked him up and placed him in front of the food bowl. “Why aren’t you eating? Don’t tell me you’re starving yourself silly?”
He said worriedly, “You have to eat! As the saying goes, food is the heaven of the people. You can’t skip meals, let alone so many meals…Are you really that hungry?”
Jiang Heng: “…”
What had happened to the shy and reserved Song Zhang? He had become a nagging mother hen.
Seeing the cat staring at him instead of eating, Song Zhang patted its head approvingly. “Good boy, you know not to eat food from strangers. But Uncle isn’t a stranger.”
He pointed towards the bathroom. “See the person taking a shower in there? I’m his dad.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He resignedly took a bite of the cat food.
I surrender, please shut up.
