Translator: Helliot
Editor: P’Raikantopeni
–
“Where…?” The house that entered his eyes when Gu Ze carried him out of the car was not the one he rented.
After a moment of surprise, he struggled.
“Could you put me down?” He asked meekly.
But Gu Ze was silent. He carried Meng Fu into the house and carefully placed him down on the sofa.
The place he was currently in was naturally different from the cramped and shabby apartment he rented previously. This house was spacious, bright, and decorated magnificently with the elegance of European architecture.
“Mr. Gu, why did you bring me here?” He was confused.
Maybe the sofa was too soft, but Meng Fu could hardly sit at ease in it.
Why did Gu Ze bring him here?
Meng Yi, on the other hand, was very fond of this place. He was eyeing a vase of daffodils on a shelf curiously, moving closer to sniff at it. “Wow, it smells so nice! Meng-Meng, come and smell it.”
As he said that, he was going to reach out and touch it.
Panic rising in his eyes, Meng Fu shouted, “Xiao Yi, no!”
But he was too late. Xiao Yi grabbed the beautiful daffodils and turned to look at Meng Fu, bewildered. Why did Meng-Meng suddenly act like that?
“You shouldn’t touch what isn’t yours,” Meng Fu reprimanded him. He was rarely ever angry with Meng Yi, but this was Gu Ze’s house. How could Meng Yi do something so rude?
Gu Ze was silent and his expression was unchanging.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gu. How much are they? I’ll pay for them.” He turned to Gu Ze, waiting for this man to come up with some ridiculous number to trouble him with.
Time almost seemed frozen as Gu Ze stared back at him. Then, his lips moved. “They’re just flowers. Don’t worry about it.”
Meng Yi had also realized that he had done something wrong, and he kept his head down. It wasn’t until Gu Ze said something that a smile reappeared on his face.
He was surprised to receive such an answer from Gu Ze. Or perhaps, he was surprised that Gu Ze seemed to have turned into a whole other person since he woke up.
But no matter how surprising it was, he knew that Gu Ze would never tell him why he was doing this. Perhaps, this was just another means of tormenting him.
“Xiao Yi, try not to touch anything,” he admonished Meng Yi. “We should go home.”
Oblivious to Gu Ze’s thoughts, he raised his head to face the man and asked. “Mr. Gu, can I go home with Xiao Yi?”
“Just stay here and don’t go anywhere.”
He spoke as if commanding him.
“Oh, alright,” he mumbled a response.
The atmosphere was so silent that it was almost terrifying. Not a single word was exchanged for a moment.
If Gu Ze asked him to stay here, then he just had to follow his word.
Time ticked along, and as maddening minutes passed, Gu Ze stayed staring at him, watching as he sat silently on the sofa, observing his delicate profile, fair as if dusted with a layer of snow.
The silence ignited like a burning prairie
“Meng-Meng, how long do we have to stay here?” Meng Yi tossed his comic book aside, feeling bored.
“I don’t know.”
He sat on the sofa, eyes both empty and distant. Perhaps he was looking at the plum blossoms that were about to fall off the trees in winter, or maybe he was staring at nothing at all.
–
Three days passed, and three days it has been since Gu Ze brought him to this place. He did not lay a finger on him, and his presence even seemed scarce.
Physically, he was feeling better, but mentally, he was still worn out.
Both his lips and his face remained palid.
He lifted his hand and stared at his wrist, covered in thick layers of gauze bandages, chuckling wordlessly.
“Meng-Meng, why did you laugh?”
“It’s nothing. I just felt like it.”
“Meng-Meng, aren’t we going home? Are we going to stay here forever?” the boy asked, his head drooping to the side.
No matter how nice Gu Ze’s house was, nothing could beat the comfort of one’s own home.
Meng Fu’s mind drifted off. Go home? The lease for his apartment had already ended last month, and he had no idea whether the landlord was still willing to rent the place to him. That was the cheapest place he could find. If he had to let that place go, then who knows whether he would be able to find another place to stay.
He had no idea what Gu Ze’s motives were, but since he had Meng Yi to take care of, he needed a stable home.
“Xiao Yi, let’s go home together,” he said.
When he reached the door, a maid rushed over in a hurry to block their way.
“Auntie, please help me tell Mr. Gu that I’m only going out to pay my rent. I won’t run away.”
The maid shook her head and reiterated Gu Ze’s orders. “Mr. Gu says that you are not allowed to go out before he returns.”
Helpless, he had no choice but to turn back.
“Meng-Meng, I want to go and play with Big Brother Ye Yan. I don’t want to stay here anymore. It’s boring.” Meng Yi tugged at Meng Fu’s sleeve while pouting.
“Xiao Yi can go and watch TV for a while,” Meng Fu suggested. But when he sat in front of the huge screen and looked down at the remote in his hands, he had no idea what to do.
He had spent too much time in prison, during which time the ever-changing world had already left him behind.
“Meng-Meng?” Xiao Yi stared curiously at Meng Fu
After fiddling with the buttons for a long time, the TV was finally turned on.
The noisy sound of cartoons passed through his ears while his heart was like broken plum blossom branches in the strong winter winds. He sat quietly on the sofa, allowing the fiercely cold wind to blow through his heart.
–
“Did you figure out who did it?” Gu Ze asked, voice deep and stern.
Secretary Wang bowed and responded apologetically, “Not yet.”
“Useless trash! Find out, right now!” Gu Ze tossed a file of documents at Secretary Wang out of anger.
“Yes. But… Sir, the situation on the net has been intensifying. Just deleting new posts won’t work anymore. Everyone seems to be quite interested in Meng Fu,” Secretary Wang reported.
If Meng Fu were an ordinary guy, then things would not have been this complicated. Unfortunately, he was good-looking, and good-looking people were prone to catching the attention of others.
Gritting his teeth, Gu Ze ordered, “You can leave now.”
Picking up a pen, he drew a circle on his calendar. Three days. Three days have passed since he last returned home.
It was time for him to return.
Maybe… Meng Fu might be waiting for his return.
But suddenly, he laughed self-deprecatingly. Waiting for him? What sort of thought was that? Meng Fu probably hoped that he would never be home.
–
“Mr. Gu?” Meng Fu was still awake. His eyes were open in the dark, paying attention to the movements in the house.
There were light footsteps, just like a cat at night.
“Still awake?”
It was one in the morning, so why was this man still awake?
“Yeah,” he responded softly, almost imperceptibly so.
But neither of them turned the lights on. Perhaps, the darkness of the night was the best mask to hide one’s emotions.
There was silence.
Their soft breaths could faintly be heard in the background.
Under the cover of night, Gu Ze approached Meng Fu’s bed.
Meng Fu’s body stiffened out of instinct. He shut his eyes as despair poured into his mind like a tide. But after a while, his nerves relaxed. Nothing should bother him anymore, after all he’s been through.
When Gu Ze sat down on the bed, the soft mattress sank down. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” he asked, seemingly questioning him, but laced with an almost imperceptible hint of concern, like an abrupt confession.
Everything felt as surreal as a dream.
“I…couldn’t sleep,” he answered carefully.
A large hand reached out in the darkness and stopped in mid-air before silently retracting a moment later. “Sleep.” Standing up, he turned to leave.
Meng Fu breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly recalling something, he stopped him. “Mr. Gu.”
Surprised, Gu Ze’s feet halted in place.
“Can I go outside tomorrow?”
“…Outside? Where to?” Gu Ze answered with his back to him, but his voice seemed to be more grim compared to before.
“The rent for my apartment is due, so I have to see my landlord. Don’t worry, I won’t run away.” Meng Fu propped himself up with his good arm and said towards the door. Through the dim moonlight, he could see Gu Ze’s back.
“You’re not allowed to go anywhere!” Gu Ze commanded.
How could he go outside? Practically everyone was talking to him right now, calling him a murderer, and talking about his attempted suicide. He would surely be criticized by everyone if he went outside.
Dropping his head, he slumped down. “Why?”
Gu Ze made to leave, but he suddenly stopped after a single step.
Confused, Meng Fu repeated himself. “Why?”
He was constantly asking why, but like every other time, he never got the answer that he wanted.
Gu Ze answered, “No reason.”
Picking up his pace, he left and shut the door lightly behind him.
Meng Fu laid back down on the bed, the faintest smile of understanding on his lips, hazy and ethereal like the morning mist.
He mumbled, “I know why.”
Because if his lease expires, then he’ll have nowhere to stay. Then, Gu Ze can kick him out of here, leaving him out on the streets. With his veins damaged, he won’t be able to do hard labor. Work will be harder, and so will earning money.
His life will become even more miserable.
That’s fine. This sort of torture was fine.