Chapter 25
These four years of university went by particularly fast for Gu Tang.
For him, the happiest time was before he turned eight. The happiness back then was pure. His grandparents were still alive, his parents loved him very much, and his only worry every day was guessing what he would eat.
After all, he had good grades, and the elementary school curriculum was simple. He could easily achieve excellent results without much effort, earning praise and compliments.
From eight to fifteen years old were the most confusing and painful six years. During these six years, he often reflected on himself, often unable to understand why the days felt like years.
The three years from sixteen to eighteen were his high school years. Although he inevitably fell into pain during his free time,
Gu Tang actually had very little free time. The heavy workload and academic pressure almost overshadowed the pressure from his family, allowing him to have some respite when facing them.
After all, he spent almost twenty hours a day at school, leaving early and returning late. He was almost invisible at home, only encountering Ms. Wen Xinyi or Jiang He during vacations when he needed money.
This period wasn’t so unbearable for him, but it was also very long, especially when he had episodes due to his medication. The pain felt like a sticky, damp, and poisonous spider web, trapping him in place, unable to move.
Only when he saw the sunlight and the scenery outside during the day could he return to normal.
University took him away from that familiar place to a northern city, the opposite of Jiangnan, and time seemed to accelerate even more.
He was still busy, unable to stop learning, but the content of his studies was no longer planned by his parents, but chosen by himself. He was freer, more grounded, and of course, happier.
Because she had to take care of his younger brother and was busy with work, his mother, even if she was unhappy, couldn’t come to the school to do anything, at most venting through phone calls.
But he could hang up the phone, or simply give perfunctory responses, choosing not to listen, letting his mother talk herself hoarse without hearing a word of her nonsense.
Without seeing those faces that made him uncomfortable and hearing those annoying words, Gu Tang could remain calm, learn to reconcile with himself, and slowly crawl out of the swamp of his childhood.
He hadn’t forgiven his mother, but he had forgiven himself. Not being perfect wasn’t his fault. Although most parents’ love for their children was selfless and sincere, there was always a small portion that wasn’t.
There were so many people in this world, even a small portion was a huge number. He was just unlucky this time, becoming part of the unfortunate minority.
And compared to those truly unfortunate people, he was already very lucky, not troubled by poor living conditions, his suffering only stemming from emotional neglect, indifference, and the imbalance caused by stark contrasts.
If he hadn’t been loved by his parents from the beginning, he might not have suffered. It was precisely because he had received pure love and then lost it that he was trapped in longing for so long, unable to extricate himself.
During his freshman year, Gu Tang still occasionally took a few pills, about once a month. He tried his best to find alternative ways to cope instead of relying on medication.
By his junior year, the small bottle that used to hold pills was now filled with real candy. Gu Tang diligently brushed his teeth and exercised, so even after finishing a whole jar of candy, he still had a set of beautiful and healthy teeth, and an enviable, perfect figure.
It was June now. Gu Tang looked out the window. He had booked a popular cafe. This cafe, located in an old alley, was renovated by the landlord himself. The environment was pleasant, and the window seats offered a beautiful view.
To ensure privacy, he had specifically booked a private room.
On the white table in front of Gu Tang were a light green pistachio brownie and a chestnut cake.
The cafe was more famous for its desserts than its coffee. It was said that the owner had learned to bake them for his beloved wife. The ingredients were high-quality, and the prices were reasonable.
A few days of traveling and living in a city long-term felt very different.
Gu Tang experienced winter in the north for the first time. The central heating in the dormitory was different from the underfloor heating in the old mansion in the south.
And the north was very dry. There could even be sandstorms in autumn. If you didn’t apply sunscreen, your face would crack and peel.
Gu Tang usually didn’t care about skincare, but to prevent his skin from cracking, he had to diligently moisturize his face and apply body lotion all over, and of course, he also had to apply it to the delicate young master.
For him, the snowfall, sandstorms, and the time spent exploring the streets and alleys of City B in search of delicious food were the most memorable things of these four years.
On the other hand, he didn’t have a deep impression of his interactions with teachers and classmates at school.
Unlike elementary, junior high, or high school, where he spent every day with his classmates, he probably wouldn’t recognize the faces from university if he didn’t make a conscious effort to remember them, even if he passed them on the street, let alone call out their names.
He looked at the big banyan tree outside the window, feeling that four years had passed in a flash. Time didn’t seem to have left many marks, but his reflection in the glass showed that he had changed a lot compared to four years ago.
The person Gu Tang was waiting for pushed the door open and came in. The waiter thoughtfully held the menu and asked for their orders.
Gu Tang said: “A glass of sugar-free lemonade, please.”
He didn’t like coffee, even after living in the coffee capital, City A, for ten years, he hadn’t developed a taste for it. Even in high school, when he was stressed and needed a boost, he drank strong tea instead of coffee.
Although, because of Jiang Huaisheng, he knew how to grind coffee beans by hand and could create beautiful latte art, making a cup of coffee into a work of art, Gu Tang didn’t drink it himself.
After arriving in City B, Gu Tang tried coffee, which he rarely touched before, but after just one try, he put it down and picked up a steaming cup of tea.
However, his taste had changed somewhat in four years. He didn’t drink strong tea anymore, switching to more convenient bottled cold brew tea, chilled, with a faint jasmine fragrance.
Or this kind of lemonade, without sugar, with a slight bitterness from the fresh lemon.
So, people do change, even his taste had changed greatly.
Gu Tang asked the person sitting opposite him: “Do you still want an iced Americano?”
Jiang Huaisheng refused: “No, lemonade is enough.”
Gu Tang and Jiang Huaisheng met at a cafe on this special and important day. He had finished his thesis defense in May, and, without exception, both he and Jiang Huaisheng were selected as outstanding graduates.
However, Gu Tang declined the second thesis defense because, according to the schedule, he was supposed to go abroad to study.
After finishing his thesis, he had been busy with preparations for studying abroad.
After this summer vacation, he wouldn’t return to City A, and of course, he wouldn’t enter Mingyuan Group to be a spy for his stepfather, Jiang He, as the latter wished.
Jiang Huaisheng didn’t touch the dessert or lemonade, only asking Gu Tang: “Have you completed the procedures for going abroad?”
Gu Tang nodded. He had done more than just that.
During university winter and summer vacations, to lower his parents’ guard, he pretended that he hadn’t changed.
During the vacations, he still returned to that small town to visit his father’s grave and stayed there briefly.
The difference was that he stayed longer than he did in high school or junior high. After all, he was in university now and could afford to be a little rebellious.
But actually, during these summer vacations, Gu Tang had gradually moved everything out of the house.
The old photos in the house, everything from Gu Tang’s memories, were all preserved. He used many cameras and film rolls to record the house in all four seasons and all the traces he had left, preserving them in video format.
The leaves of the trees in the courtyard, the flowers he had planted with his family, the flower pots, the marks he had left on his desk, and all the furniture were all moved to a new house Gu Tang had bought in a different city.
To completely erase any traces, Gu Tang even rented a truck and drove it himself, rolling up his sleeves and carrying the things into the truck one by one.
The new house was purchased under a company name, not directly under Gu Tang’s name. Even if his stepfather and biological mother had the means, they couldn’t find this house.
These old pieces of furniture would be properly stored like artifacts in a museum.
He was an adult now and had the right to dispose of the house. Secretly, after dealing with the memories and traces in the house, he transferred the ownership and sold it to a neighbor he trusted.
He didn’t have many requests, just hoping that the neighbor’s family would take good care of the house, and the rest was up to them.
Besides Gu Tang, no one would know about the new property that housed his childhood memories. And his only weakness that his mother could exploit disappeared along with the things in this house.
But before that, he remembered the request he had made four years ago.
Gu Tang took out the contract from the safe. He also took out a miniature white paper shredder from his briefcase. The contract went into the shredder and was torn to pieces.
He came today to inform Jiang Huaisheng that he would fulfill their agreement: “Our contract ends today. I will erase all previous traces, and now it’s my turn to fulfill my part of the contract. Let’s schedule the surgery as soon as possible. I will fully cooperate with any necessary check-ups and the donation process.”
If there were no accidents, this surgery would only be known to a small number of people, and Jiang He wouldn’t know about it until the surgery was successful.
Gu Tang’s lips curled up in amusement. He was looking forward to seeing his stepfather’s disappointed face when his expectations were dashed. And before leaving, he would give Ms. Wen Xinyi and Jiang He another big gift.
“I will arrange the surgery location and doctors.” Jiang Huaisheng cherished his own life more than anyone else and wouldn’t allow any mistakes in this process. He wanted the best doctors and the safest environment.
Gu Tang wasn’t worried about these things. He tapped the table and politely asked: “Before that, one last time?”
Since there was a sense of ritual at the beginning, there should naturally be a sense of ritual at the end.
Jiang Huaisheng’s breath hitched, he only glanced at him: “You pervert…”
He didn’t refuse, which meant he agreed.
