Translator: Helliot
Editor: P’Raikantopeni
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The human brain often loses control in the face of panic. Just like a broken system, it becomes unable to follow the usual established procedures.
Meng Fu’s brain finally regained its function after crashing for a few hours.
Wasn’t Ye Yan the one Xiao Yi wanted to see the most?
He got up from the bench and while hailing a taxi, prayed that he had to be there. He kept on urging the driver to go faster, and it was only after arriving that he realized he had rushed out of the door without bringing any money.
The driver was cursing at him and wouldn’t let him go, catching a rider at this hour of the night wasn’t easy, and he insisted on having him call someone over to bring money for the fare.
“I don’t have a phone.”
“You brat, you look well-to-do. Who’re you trynna fool?”
“I’m sorry mister, but I’m in a hurry to find my younger brother.” Anxious, he pleaded, “I live in Room 402, Building 9, District A. You can look for me there and I’ll give you the money.”
“Forget it. What bad luck.” The driver waved his hand and let Meng Fu go.
He quickly rushed to Ye Yan’s house and knocked on the door in a hurry.
As soon as the door opened and he saw Ye Yan, he asked anxiously, “Is Xiao Yi here?”
“He’s here.” Ye Fan led Meng Fu inside. This was an apartment he rented away from Meng Yu, his place of freedom. He pointed to the boy sleeping in the room. “He’s right over there.”
After shutting the door, he brought Meng Fu in and seated him on the sofa. “Do you know how far he walked to get here? I always thought he was just a fool, but I didn’t expect him to have such a good memory. I only took him here one time and he remembered the way. When I came back, Xiao Yi was sitting right in front of my door, playing with the plants at my doorway. As soon as he saw me, he was asking me to buy him cake and to take him out to play. I have no idea how long he had been walking for, but his shoes were dirty and his stomach was constantly rumbling. I said I’d take him back, but he just told me that Meng-Meng was constantly gone, so there was no one at home.” He sighed helplessly. “Meng Fu, he’s just a kid.”
He was a kid. He was playful like a kid, and there was no way he could stay obedient and sit around the house forever.
“I know I’m not taking care of him properly.” He lowered his head, heart filled with guilt.
“What about this? Let Xiao Yi stay with me during the day. I’ll bring him to the restaurant downstairs my office and he can play the piano there. Otherwise, he could probably help out at my office. As long as he has something to do, I’m sure he won’t be bored anymore,” Ye Yan suggested.
“Thank you, Ye Yan.”
After worrying for such a long time, his heart was finally put at ease. The monstrous waves crashing down on his heart just a few hours ago had now turned into exhaustion and sleepiness.
Before he knew it, the dark sky gradually lightened. Only when he saw the dim light shining in from outside the window did Meng Fu realize that it was already dawn.
Ye Yan told him to sleep on the sofa for the night. He nodded. Once he lay down on the sofa, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep.
–
Leaving the airport, Gu Ze got in his car, lips pursed the whole time while he looked outside the window in an annoyed mood. His thoughts were pestering him like countless ants crawling over his mind.
Rather than say it was his thoughts bothering him, however, it was one man.
He didn’t miss the feeling of that night. He just wanted to see Meng Fu miserable as soon as possible. That was all.
Halfway through the journey, he suddenly ordered the driver, “Head to the restaurant.”
Only then did Secretary Wang seem to remember something. “Chief Gu, Meng Fu has been dismissed from the restaurant.”
“What? Why was he dismissed? Who allowed that?” His tone suddenly snapped up. Probably feeling that he was overreacting, he sneered instead. “Did news of him being a murderer get exposed?”
“No. He was absent from work without notice for several days continuously, so he was fired because of staff regulations.”
“Is that so? And the reason for his absenteeism?”
“One of the serving staff said it was because he was sick. His complexion did look bad when he went to pack up his things,” Secretary Wang explained.
“When was he fired?”
“Three days after you left.”
It all made sense now. There was no need for an explanation. He fell ill a few days after they had sex. A large number of emotions suddenly poured into his heart, like different dyes smashing together, making it impossible to separate the colors.
Maybe there was remorse in them as well.
Or maybe more of it was relish.
Seeing Gu Ze silent with a cold look on his face, Secretary Wang tried to ask, “Chief Gu, is it still necessary to visit the restaurant?”
“No.”
“Should we head to Meng Fu’s home?”
“Not there either. Just go home.”
As soon as he returned home, Gu Ze was called to the study by Gu Rongsheng before he could even sit down. The old man hurled books at Gu Ze, but Gu Ze avoided all of them swiftly.
Unsatisfied, Gu Rongsheng hurled another book at him. Likely worrying that the old man would damage his body with anger, Gu Ze did not avoid it that time. The book hit his body and fell to the floor with a thud.
“I only found out that Zhang Ming’er is in a relationship with the Zuo family’s son when I met with President Zhang recently. Gu Ze, you’ve let me down too much.”
Gu Ze smoothed out the wrinkles from his suit and unconcernedly spoke, “Isn’t that a good thing? You can’t force love.”
“Then have you any idea how many benefits are on the table for us if you marry Zhang Ming’er? It would open up an opportunity for our families to work together in business.”
Gu Rongsheng knew his son, his pursuit of power and career advancement would always be more important to him than love. But this time, his calculations were wrong. He thought that Gu Ze would refuse it in the very beginning, but he would definitely come to accept it in the end. He had seen that girl Zhang Ming’er before and thought she was a fine woman. At the very least, she was much better than He Manyu.
But after He Manyu died, things would never be the same again.
“If you really want to join the two families, then you can pursue Zhang Ming’er yourself. Marry her and make her my stepmother, I don’t mind,” Gu Ze said carelessly.
“What nonsense are you spewing? Your mother is still alive!”
“That’s right, but my wife died seven years ago.” He was clearly smiling, but the hurt in his eyes wasn’t fooling anyone. Gu Rongsheng was so pissed off that he was shaking, but he had nothing to say. When he saw Gu Ze turn around and leave, he asked himself, He Manyu, how is it that you can still disturb our family peace even when you’re dead?
Boredom and loneliness began to fill the spacious room. Lying on the bed, even the air in the room began to feel stuffy.
After tapping away on his keyboard for a while, he still gave up on getting his work done. It was already dark outside, like black ink poured over the world, concealing all its restlessness and desires.
He thought about calling a beautiful woman over, but when he grabbed his phone and scrolled through the large list of women’s phone numbers, he suddenly lost interest.
Perhaps it was an impulse, or perhaps the idea had been brewing inside him for a while, but he felt no hesitation whatsoever when he drove to Meng Fu’s house. But by the time he parked his car downstairs from Meng Fu’s house, he paused again.
Damn it, why did he drive all the way here? What they did that night had been disgusting, so what was he doing here?
He was smoking heavily in the car, his restless heart beating like a flame. From kindling, the flames grew larger and larger until they could no longer be extinguished.
Since it couldn’t be extinguished, he should just let it burn.
Before he even finished his cigarette, he got out of his car. He wanted to see how Meng Fu was suffering now.
But despite knocking for so long, no one came to open the door. The neighbors had even begun to curse from their homes. When he got back into his car, Gu Ze began smoking cigarette after cigarette again.
He took out his phone on impulse to call Meng Fu, but only then did he realize he had never seen Meng Fu use a phone before, so how was he going to get his number?
He shut his eyes and leaned back against the seat. For some reason, he didn’t want to go home, but he didn’t know where else to go either. At this moment, he was eager to see Meng Fu. He wanted to know whether he was just as miserable as he’d imagined him.