Chapter 45

Chapter 45

***

In this city, the streets were usually more lively at night than during the day. The cold temperatures of the winter season can’t fend off the enthusiastic men and women looking for some beer and merriment after a hard day’s work. Several food stalls were put up on the streets, causing Xu Lian to slow down her car as she slowly drives to Xiang ChangKong’s neighborhood.

Xiang ChangKong made the right decision when he refused to let Xiang Nuan have the bedroom that faced the main street. Xu Lian didn’t think it’d be this noisy at night.

Xu Lian had come to Xiang ChangKong’s home several times by now, so the guard at the gate knew her. When he saw Xu Lian’s car, he didn’t ask and simply let her in. However, it wasn’t easy to find a parking spot at this time of night.

Because there weren’t any specific markers in the basketball court parking, the residents basically parked at random. There were a few spaces, but they looked too tight to properly park. Xu Lian thought back to her previous date with Xiang ChangKong in the amusement park. They encountered a similar situation back then, but Xiang ChangKong was there to skillfully park her car into the tight space.

Now, she didn’t have Xiang ChangKong to help her. Moreover, it was in the middle of the night, so it was pretty dark. Xu Lian slowly moved little by little, heavily relying on her parking assist system.

After Xu Lian managed to successfully park her car, she sighed in relief. She got out of the car, took her bag, then headed to Xiang ChangKong’s home.

There were no elevators in old buildings such as this. Xu Lian’s high-heeled shoes clanged on the metal stairs and echoed on the empty corridor. Xiang ChangKong heard Xu Lian even before she knocked on their door.

Xiang ChangKong went to the front door, intending to open it for her, but his hand paused halfway. The footsteps got closer and closer, then finally stopped outside the door.

Xu Lian raised her hand and knocked on the door. “Xiang ChangKong.”

Xiang ChangKong stood on the other side of the door hand on the handle. He didn’t move for a long time.

Xu Lian continued to knock outside. “Xiang ChangKong, open the door. I know you’re in there.”

Xiang ChangKong licked his dry lips, then slowly opened the door.

Xu Lian looked at him. His hair was a little damp. It seems that he washed his hair just moments before.

“Xiang ChangKong.” The two stood there for a moment, separated by the door frame. Then, Xu Lian broke the silence and said: “You said you wanted to break up with me, right? Say it again to my face.”

Xiang ChangKong remained silent. He couldn’t open his mouth.

Xu Lian waited for a few seconds, then pushed him to the side, entering the house. Xiang ChangKong watched her go inside, then shut the front door. He followed her, calling out: “Xu Lian…”

Xu Lian marched straight to Weng ShuLi’s door. She stopped, looked at Xiang ChangKong, then asked: “Is your mother still inside?”

“Yeah.”

Xu Lian knocked twice, then turned the door handle. The door was unlocked, so Xu Lian entered the bedroom easily.

Weng ShuLi lay motionlessly on the bed, her back to the door. Xu Lian went around the bed, her high-heels clicking on the floor, like she stepping on people’s hearts.

Weng ShuLi’s eyes remained closed. She didn’t look at Xu Lian.

Xu Lian stood by the bed and looked down on her. She said: “Auntie Weng, this is Xu Lian. I know you’re not asleep. Listen to me. I know you’re grief-stricken that Uncle is gone. I know you feel cheated. But you’re also an adult. Moreso, you’re Xiang ChangKong’s mother. It’s been three years. Three whole years, and you’re still reluctant to go outside? How long are you going to be sick? Do you plan on depending on your son for a lifetime? He’s your son, not your prisoner. He’s not living in a home, he’s living in a cage.”

Xiang ChangKong stepped forward, wanting to stop her. “Xu Lian, don’t say that…”

“And you.” Xu Lian suddenly looked at Xiang ChangKong. “Don’t you feel horribly sad? For your mother, your sister…for this family, you gave up your studies. You gave up your dreams. You’re giving up everything. In my opinion, you’re acting like a coward. Don’t use this situation as a shield. How many times have you gone back to your university this past couple of years? Do you dare face your teachers? Do you dare meet up with your classmates? You’re just running away. You say you’re doing this for your sister, but what does your sister actually want? Have you asked? Do you know how much pressure you’ve given her?”

After Xu Lian said her barrage of questions, the room became deathly silent. It was like all the air had been sucked out of the house. Xiang ChangKong didn’t know how to answer her questions.”

Xu Lian looked back down at Weng ShuLi. “Auntie Weng, I understand that you’re worried that Xiang ChangKong might end up like his father. But do you really think what you’re doing is right? Is this how you love your son? This isn’t love. This is imprisonment.”

Then, Xu Lian walked out of the room. She didn’t look back, and she banged the door as she left. It was as if she had never been here in the first place.

Xiang ChangKong stood there for a while, then left Weng ShuLi’s bedroom. The food he had heated up was cold again. Xiang ChangKong sat on the table and ate by himself. He didn’t call out to Weng ShuLi anymore. After washing the dishes, he took a shower then went into his room.

He took a day off today, but he felt even more tired than if he had gone to work. Xiang ChangKong leaned against the headboard of his bed and stared at the two planes on top of his desk.

One was his father’s wooden airplane, the other was the paper airplane Xu Lian had given him.

He didn’t know if it was because the door and windows were closed, but Xiang ChangKong felt very stuffy. So stuffy that he couldn’t breathe. So stuffy that he was starting to hallucinate. Everything around him turned into a huge whirlpool, dragging him down, down, down. He desperately tried to struggle against it, but it was in vain. He wanted to hold something, anything.

When Xiang ChangKong came back into his sense, he was holding the paper airplane Xu Lian had given him.

He unfolded the plane and read the words inside.

‘Death doesn’t hurt. It’s living that’s painful.’

Xu Lian’s words were ominous, but her handwriting was beautiful and neat. The characters written in a row made his eyes ache.

Xiang ChangKong thought that he might really be a coward.

He took his phone from the bedside table and tapped on Xu Lian’s WeChat.

Xu Lian had just finished taking a bath. It was in the middle of winter, but Xu Lian was sweating when she arrived back home. After she finished drying her hair, she sat in front of her dresser mirror and looked at herself.

She had said all that she wanted to say in rapid-fire, like a machine gun. Xu Lian had been exhilarated the entire ride home, but now that she had calmed down, she thought back to all the words she had said with trepidation. Was it too much?

She had accused Xiang ChangKong and Weng ShuLi of many things, but part of it was just her venting. If Xu Lian had been in the same position as them, she honestly didn’t know if she would’ve done better. She would’ve probably given up too, for the sake of her family.

Then, her phone pinged. She opened her WeChat and saw that it was Xiang ChangKong.

He was typing something.

Xu Lian was stupefied. She watched Xiang ChangKong’s profile picture, waiting for the ‘typing something’ icon to change. But after then minutes, there was still no message.

Xu Lian suddenly smiled.

She waited a little longer and finally received a message. However, it was only two words.

Xiang ChangKong: Xu Lian.

Xu Lian’s heart thumped, but she didn’t immediately reply.

After a few more minutes, Xiang ChangKong sent her another message.

Xiang ChangKong: What happened today…I was in the wrong. I apologize.

Xiang ChangKong: Are you free tomorrow? Can we meet?

Xu Lian: Busy tomorrow.

There was no reply from Xiang ChangKong for a while. Xu Lian’s eyes were glued to her phone screen.

Xiang ChangKong: What about the day after tomorrow?

Xu Lian: Busy.

Xiang ChangKong: When will you be free?

Xu Lian: Whenever you ask me out, that’s when I’ll be busy.

Xu Lian straightened, her lips pursed.

Xu Lian: Xiang ChangKong, we’ve broken up ( ^▽^ )

Xiang ChangKong’s fingers began to tighten its grip on his phone, and slowly, his surroundings began to darken again. This time, it wasn’t a whirlpool, but the ocean. The air seems to have turned into seawater, pounding on his body, on his face. He was a drowning man, dying in the middle of merciless waters.

He needed hold onto something. He wanted…her.

Xiang ChangKong’s fingers flew on the virtual keyboard of his phone. He was so fast that it looked like his fingers knew what to type even before his brain could process it.

Xiang ChangKong: Then, can I pursue you again?

Xu Lian silently looked down at the message on her phone. After a long while, she finally typed.

Xu Lian: Depends on my mood.

Gradually, the suffocating waters receded. Xiang ChangKong felt that he finally had something to grab onto.

Xiang ChangKong hadn’t pursued anyone before. The only time he had fallen for someone was with Xu Lian, and she was the one who took the initiative. He didn’t know how to pursue Xu Lian, but he was eager to see her again.

The next morning, he got up early as usual and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Weng ShuLi’s door was still closed. Xiang ChangKong didn’t call her, but he still prepared breakfast for her.

At noon, he took out a long-unused heat preservation lunchbox and packed some food. Xiang ChangKong went to StarLight Park with the specially prepared lunch for Xu Lian.

Zhang GuoEr was on the first floor of MONSTER when she saw Xiang ChangKong come in. She was a little startled but nodded towards him nonetheless. Xiang ChangKong greeted her and asked: “Hello. Is Xu Lian in?”

Zhang GuoEr replied: “The Boss is currently abroad. Didn’t she tell you?”

Judging by Xiang ChangKong’s stunned silence, Zhang GuoEr figured he didn’t.

Zhang GuoEr explained: “She said she would be back in three days.”

“I see. Thank you.” Xiang ChangKong replied.

Xiang ChangKong left the store, took out his phone, and opened WeChat. Sure enough, Xu Lian posted that she was going abroad. Xiang ChangKong clicked on the comments, intending to post something…but in the end, he simply liked the post.

Xu Lian was currently in the middle of shopping. Her schedule was very tight, and she was busily buying several things for both herself and others. Carrying a big bag over her shoulder, she went into a random cafe for some lunch. She leaned on the sofa and took out her phone, intending to check her messages.

She added a lot of customers in her WeChat, so there were quite a few comments in her posts. She clicked on her most recent post and saw that Xiang ChangKong had liked it.

Xu Lian chuckled and put down her phone.

While Xu Lian spent the entire day roaming the streets, and Xiang ChangKong did the same, delivering takeout. When he came home in the evening, he saw that Weng ShuLi had eaten all the food Xiang ChangKong had left. Not only this, Weng ShuLi even washed the dishes.

Xiang ChangKong went into the living room and found Weng ShuLi sitting on the sofa alone, looking at a photo album.

“Mom.” Xiang ChangKong called out to her, then looked at the album in her hand.

It was an album containing his childhood pictures. She was currently on a photo of him and his father.

Weng ShuLi didn’t look up and kept looking at the photo in the album. The photo showed a bright-eyed boy playing in a small park with his father.

Xiang ChangKong thought that she would ignore him as usual, but Weng ShuLi suddenly spoke: “When you were a child, your eyes were dazzling.”

Maybe it’s because she hadn’t spoken in a long time, but Weng ShuLi had to exert great effort for just this one sentence.

Xiang ChangKong was dumbstruck. He hadn’t heard Weng ShuLi’s voice in a very long time. He crouched in front of his mother and held her wrinkled hand. “Mom?”

Weng ShuLi slowly lifted her head and looked at him. How long has it been since she genuinely saw him? Her son seemed stronger and more tanned than before. Although they see each other every day, she’s never paid attention. She looked at her son for a long time, then gently smiled. “Your eyes right now are beautiful. They’re less angry too.”

Xiang ChangKong couldn’t help but smile, his eyes gradually turning red. Weng ShuLi raised her hand and touched his hair. “These past three years have been hard on you.”

Xiang ChangKong shook his head and said: “It’s fine.”

Weng ShuLi patted him on the back, similar to when he had been a child.

Their mother finally spoke again. The first thing Xiang ChangKong had done was to contact his sister. Xiang Nuan had just finished studying and was in the corridor with her friends when she received the call. Her cries were so loud it echoed in the corridors, startling everyone in the immediate vicinity.

After talking with his sister, Xiang ChangKong went to Xu Lian’s WeChat once more. Xu Lian had just sent another update. It was a photo of an airplane mold she had bought. A finished product was beside the mold.

Xiang ChangKong had a lot of things to say to her. He stared at the photo for a while, then finally decided to just like it.

He’ll tell her face-to-face.

Despite her account being her store’s main account, Xu Lian wasn’t very good at putting regular updates. Whether it was her Weibo or WeChat, Xu Lian very rarely posts things. But somehow, when she flew to South Korea, her account suddenly became very active. Not only did she take photos, but she also took pictures of random things like flowers on the side of the road.

(T/N: She’s sending it on her WeChat moments. So she’s sending timed posts to her circle of friends.)

Xu Lian was extremely busy during her three-day trip, and in a blink of an eye, it was suddenly time to go home. On the day of her departure, Xu Lian took a picture of her airline ticket. She didn’t mosiac her flight information.

After the plane landed in A City International Airport, Xu Lian dragged her luggage along and followed the flow of people towards the exit. There were a lot of people waiting outside. Xu Lian lugged her heavy suitcase and looked around.

“Xu Lian.”

She hears a familiar voice coming from behind. Xu Lian turned around.

Standing in a crowded hall was a smiling Xiang ChangKong. When their eyes met, Xiang ChangKong lifted his hand and threw a paper plane towards her.

The airport hall was crowded, with people coming and going without pause. However, amongst the sea of people was a paper plane gliding past, strangely navigating through the crowd with ease.

Just as it was about to crash, Xu Lian reached out and caught it.

Xiang ChangKong walked towards Xu Lian and stopped in front of her. “You’re back?”

“Un.”

“Then…I wonder if you’re free today?”

“I believe so.”

Xiang ChangKong smiled and took the large suitcase she was holding. “Let me push it.”

Xu Lian stared at his retreating back as he dragged Xu Lian’s suitcase towards the exit. She then looked down at the paper plane in her hands.

It wasn’t the one she had folded for him.

Xu Lian slowly unfolded the paper plane, and sure enough, there was something written inside.

“High above the clouds, there are dreams; Below the clouds, there’s you.”