Chapter 60
How could he not doubt? The calls that went unanswered for three days, the dubious explanations, the threat at the last moment, and the words “I’ll never come looking for you again” within that threat.
But the next second, Jiang Xu told him: “He looked for you, more than once.”
Jian Wu steadied his bowl, his knuckles white from gripping his chopsticks too tightly.
“I’m not good at… and I don’t really like being a messenger, but I can fill in some of the missing pieces for you, for your reference.”
“When you first left, he thought you went back to City B, so he went there and looked for you for a month. You probably didn’t tell your family where you were, so he couldn’t find you.”
“Professor Lu was furious about this and scolded almost every teacher in the school, which was how I found out. Later, he came back, and I heard there was another commotion, but I was on clinical rotation, so I don’t know the details.”
“He also asked me about you later. I was worried about you, so I asked him a few more questions. He said you had contacted your mother, so you should be safe, but your mother said she didn’t know where you were. Also, he asked your mother for your new contact information. He said your family didn’t approve of your relationship, so your mother didn’t give him your contact information.”
Jian Wu’s eyelashes trembled.
“He told me you didn’t tell him which airport you left from, so he went to every city where flights from City A landed during that time, but he still couldn’t find you.”
“Later, he got a postdoc position at H University. We had a gathering before he went abroad. He said he spent almost all his free time that year traveling between those cities, but he still couldn’t find you. That day, he said he had just come back from a certain city and told me he had moved on, that he only wanted to find you to settle the score, to ask you why you left without saying goodbye.”
“I won’t comment on how true that is, you can judge for yourself,” Jiang Xu looked at him, “Anyway, that’s all I can tell you. I don’t know what happened after that.”
Jiang Xu was an objective person, rarely letting his emotions influence his words. Song Shuci asked him to be a messenger, and he simply stated the facts without embellishment.
But precisely because it came from him, Jian Wu didn’t doubt the truth of these words.
When Song Shuci returned to the private room, it was quiet. Although he had asked Jiang Xu to speak for him, he didn’t know what Jiang Xu would say. After all, they weren’t particularly close friends. If it weren’t for Jian Wu, their only connection would be occasional collaborations on research projects.
Jiang Xu, seeing him return, glanced at his watch and excused himself: “You two enjoy your meal, I’ll be going now. It’s a bit far from here to my place, I have to leave early.”
He took a box from his bag and handed it to Jian Wu: “I’ve already given Shuci his, this is for you, consider it a… reunion gift. I’m finally seeing you again.” He smiled, “I don’t know what you like, I remember seeing you post about perfume on your Moments, so I bought you this, see if you like it.”
“Thank you, Senior,” although Jian Wu didn’t use perfume, he was still touched by Jiang Xu’s thoughtfulness, “Senior, are you researching perfume now?” he asked curiously.
“A colleague of mine knows a lot about it, he recommended this.”
Jian Wu said “oh,” “Then I’ll see you out.”
“I’ll also—” Song Shuci just stood up when he met Jian Wu’s gaze. He silently sat back down, “…I won’t see you out, Senior, take care.”
When they walked out of the restaurant, a light breeze was blowing, but it couldn’t dispel the summer heat. Jiang Xu pulled his jacket tighter, and Jian Wu, seeing this, asked: “Senior, aren’t you hot?”
“I’m not hot.” Jiang Xu smiled and took out his phone to call a taxi. A bright yellow car suddenly entered Jian Wu’s vision. The color was so flamboyant that he couldn’t help but comment: “That car is so ostentatious.”
Jiang Xu glanced up and agreed: “Indeed.”
Before Jiang Xu left, Jian Wu hugged him again: “Thank you for today, Senior.”
“If it’s for the gift, you’re welcome,” Jiang Xu patted his back and looked at him, “If it’s for something else… Jian Wu, it’s your life, you don’t have to thank anyone. You have to believe that the choices you make are always right.”
Back in the private room, Jian Wu’s gaze was still slightly unfocused. Jiang Xu’s words echoed in his mind, both the long explanation of the facts and the last sentence, making his heart tremble slightly.
“He’s gone?” Song Shuci’s voice brought him back to reality. He realized he had already walked back to the private room.
“Mm,” he replied.
“Want to eat some more?” Song Shuci asked him.
“Okay.” Jian Wu sat down and served himself a bowl of soup, then, after thinking about it, handed the bowl to Song Shuci, “Try it, it’s not bad.”
Song Shuci took the soup from him with surprise. Seeing Jian Wu serve himself another bowl, he stirred his soup with a spoon and asked: “Which movie did you like better today?”
They had spent the entire afternoon watching movies, three in a row, all movies Song Shuci hadn’t finished watching with him before.
“I liked the comedy,” Song Shuci said.
“Why?”
“Because you looked happy after watching it.”
Jian Wu smiled, not telling Song Shuci how he felt when he watched that movie alone, surrounded by laughter.
He could actually immerse himself in the movie even when watching alone, but that day, he had just received the news that he failed his postgraduate entrance interview. Song Shuci offered to take him to the movies to cheer him up, promising to watch the entire movie with him.
That was also the last time he watched a movie with Song Shuci before they broke up.
“I’m too full, let’s take a walk,” they left the restaurant, and Jian Wu suggested.
They walked along the city streets. The night view of City A was beautiful, the towering office buildings, the dazzling celebrity posters on the mall screens, the bustling streets, and the bright streetlights, all appearing vibrant and dazzling in the silent night.
This was a scenery Jian Wu couldn’t see, didn’t have the time or mood to see, four years ago in City A.
Actually, City A had always been beautiful.
It was just that most people on the road were office workers rushing to the subway, too busy to appreciate it.
Suddenly, Jian Wu saw a familiar mall—the mall where they had looked at wedding rings.
He remembered that night, they had also walked along the river like this.
They were happy then, but with an undercurrent of sadness, because their relationship was quietly coming to an end, the wound hidden beneath their sweet facade.
And now, although they didn’t seem as excited and joyful on the surface, the wound truly exposed, Jian Wu inexplicably felt this was something to celebrate.
He looked away and down.
There were several consecutive paving stones on the ground, their color slightly different from the others.
Humans, no matter their age, could easily become childish. Jian Wu, before he could even think, started walking along these specially colored stones.
Each step landing precisely on a differently colored stone.
To ensure his steps were accurate, he kept his head down, and soon, he noticed something from the shadows cast by the streetlights—Song Shuci wasn’t walking beside him, but behind him, following his footsteps, stepping on the same stones he had stepped on.
Jian Wu looked at their occasionally overlapping shadows and suddenly felt it was all very surreal.
From the day he was born, to the twenty-some years they spent growing up together, it was always Song Shuci walking in front, and he was always the one chasing after him.
From the age of six, rushing out the door, tying his red scarf, shouting “Shuci Gege, wait for me,” chasing after Song Shuci, who was already going down the stairs.
To the age of fourteen, waiting for Song Shuci at the high school entrance exam site, giving him a large bouquet of sunflowers, standing at the gate of No. 6 Middle School and saying: “Gege, wait for me.”
Then at seventeen, seeing Song Shuci off at the station as he left for City A, grabbing the hem of his shirt and saying: “Ge, wait for me.”
He had chased after Song Shuci like this, from kindergarten to elementary school, from junior high to high school, then from high school to the bustling City A.
Until one day, after Song Shuci told him “I’ll wait for you no matter how many years it takes you to pass the postgraduate entrance exam,” he wrote on the note he left for Song Shuci: “Don’t wait for me anymore, let’s break up.”
And then they parted ways.
They were childhood sweethearts, but they weren’t meant to be.
He suddenly took a deep breath and abruptly stopped, turning around.
Fortunately, Song Shuci had been paying attention to his movements and didn’t bump into him.
“What’s wrong?” Song Shuci asked.
“Why did you ask Senior Jiang?” Jian Wu looked at him, “Weren’t you always jealous of him before?”
“Didn’t he tell you?” Song Shuci smiled, “I asked him to put in a good word for me.”
“He told me, but… you could have asked someone else to be a messenger, like Auntie Xu?”
Song Shuci’s expression became serious. He looked down at him: “You two were so close, and Senior Jiang is so outstanding, I was jealous, but I thought you would be happy to see him.”
“Didn’t I say I would take you to unwind on this trip?” he said, “I couldn’t do it before, and I broke my promise, but I can’t go back on my word again now.”
Jian Wu looked up at his eyes, the streetlights reflecting in them, making them appear especially deep and affectionate.
“Speaking of which,” Song Shuci glanced at the perfume in his hand, “When did you post about perfume on your Moments? Why didn’t I know?”
“…I blocked you.”
Unlike Song Shuci, who publicly displayed their affection on his Moments, Jian Wu’s posts were usually subtle and often hidden from the person involved, namely Song Shuci himself.
After all, it would be too mushy for Song Shuci to see such indirect expressions of affection.
“Was it that wintersweet perfume?” Song Shuci asked.
Jian Wu pursed his lips: “Mm.”
Song Shuci, hearing this, took out a box from his bag and handed it to him: “Here.”
“What is it?”
“A gift,” Song Shuci smiled, “How could I come empty-handed when another man is giving you a gift?”
Jian Wu opened it. It was also a bottle of perfume, the same one he had seen in Song Shuci’s car.
He caressed the velvety box, “Didn’t Senior Jiang also give you a gift?”
“Yes,” Song Shuci first admitted generously, then leaned closer and smiled, “So shouldn’t you also reciprocate and give me something?”
He was just teasing Jian Wu, not expecting a response, but to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Jian Wu suddenly hugged him.
A warm, full embrace, the warmth spreading from his chest to his limbs.
He thought Jian Wu would say something, but he didn’t, just silently holding him amidst the bustling crowd.
Just like his silent affection all these years.