Chapter 55

Chapter 55

***

After Xiang ChangKong fell asleep, Xu Lian walked out of the room.

On the corridor, Wei YiChen’s mother was still apologizing to Weng ShuLi. After Xu Lian came out, Weng ShuLi went to her and asked: “How is he?”

Xu Liang replied: “He’s asleep now, Auntie Weng. I’ll stay in the hospital and keep watch, you should go back first.”

Wei YiChen, who had been standing off to the side silent all this time, also spoke up. “Mom, you should also go back. I’ll stay here.”

Wei YiChen’s mother looked at him, then turned to Weng ShuLi. “Why don’t we go back first and let the youngsters keep vigil.”

Weng ShuLi thought for a while. Feeling that Xiang ChangKong was safe and not in any danger, she nodded and said: “Alright.”

Wei YiChen’s mother was relieved. She helped Weng ShuLi and asked: “Where do you live? I’ll drive you back.”

The two mothers slowly walked away. Xu Lian leaned against the corridor wall and looked at Wei YiChen. She noticed that the corner of his mouth was blue and purple.

Wei YiChen smiled and said: “If you want to shout or hit me, I promise not to fight back.”

Xu Lian stared at him for a while, then turned her head to look at Xiang ChangKong’s door. When we were in high school, you beat up some kids so bad that they ended up in the hospital. At the time, your mother also acted like that. She went to the hospital and apologized to the parents.”

Wei YiChen pursed his lips and didn’t answer.

“You’re mom’s getting older, but she’s still doing the same thing.”

The corridor was already quiet, but after Xu Lian said this, their surroundings became even more oppressingly quiet.

“You know what happened to Xiang ChangKong’s family. When his father passed away, Auntie Weng ended up in a shock. If something happened to Xiang ChangKong today, what do you think would’ve happened to her? This time Xiang ChangKong was lucky, but did you ever think what would’ve happened if that knife stabbed him just a few centimeters deeper?”

Wei YiChen took a deep breath and looked towards the end of the corridor. “This time was my fault.” The stark truth was, he dragged Xiang ChangKong into this mess. The knife had also been intended for him.

Xu Lian straightened and walked towards Xiang ChangKong’s room. Before she walked through the door, she stopped and said: “Wei YiChen, don’t make your mother worry anymore. You think that just because you’re hurt often, that she no longer worries for you?”

When the door closed, Wei YiChen felt like something heavy was weighing his heart and became flustered. He wanted to go out and smoke a cigarette.

However, as soon as he turned around, he saw Fang QiuYun standing on the other end of the corridor, looking at him.

He didn’t say anything to her and simply walked towards the elevator. Fang QiuYun looked at him and smiled. “Was that Xu Lian?”

Wei YiChen paused. “How do you know about her?”

Fang QiuYun replied: “Zhu Bing made such a big fuss about you and your girl a while back. I’m afraid that the entire QingNan street knows about Miss Xu Lian.”

Wei YiChen was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.

Fang QiuYun curiously asked: “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Wei YiChen walked past her and pressed the elevator button. “I just suddenly feel like my past actions are quite laughable.”

Xu Lian visited Xiang ChangKong in the hospital every day. Weng ShuLi also stopped by the hospital every day to give Xiang ChangKong some soup, but Xu Lian was worried about her body, so she didn’t let Weng ShuLi stay in the hospital for too long. Although Wei YiChen was also injured, he didn’t need to stay in the hospital for observation and only needed to visit from time to time to change his wrappings.

During the day, Wei YiChen would still go to his bar. By now, all the residents of QingNan street knew about Wei YiChen’s fight with Qian Liang. After all, it was a fight that involved many people and even a trip to the hospital. However, just as everyone was speculating how this would end, explosive news came.

At the time, Wei YiChen was sleeping on the sofa in his bar’s lounge. Ah Mao, who slammed the door open as he ran in, startled Wei YiChen awake.

“Brother Chen, wake up! Something big is going on!”

Wei YiChen opened one eye and impatiently said: “Ah Mao, you’re always so surprised. How am I supposed to trust you with my bar when you act like this?”

Ah Mao, who was much too excited, became shocked. After a long while, he uncertainly asked: “Brother Chen, what did you just say? You’re leaving the bar to me?’

Wei YiChen sat up from the sofa, not answering his question. Instead, he asked: “What were you trying to tell me? Something big happened?”

“What?” Ah Mao’s thoughts were interrupted by Wei YiChen, and he had forgotten what he initially wanted to say.

After thinking for a while, Ah Mao said: “Oh, it’s Qian Liang! Qian Liang’s den was raided by the police, and everyone got arrested!”

Now, it was Wei YiChen’s turn to be shocked. He asked Ah Mao: “Qian Liang was arrested?”

“Yes! I just received a text message; it can’t be wrong!”

“Why was he suddenly arrested?” Qian Liang was a high-profile man who never hid his shady actions, so there surely was someone keeping an eye on him. But after Zhao Jie’s warning, Qian Liang stayed low-key for a while. Why was he suddenly arrested?

(T/N: police were probably watching him, but recently he had been low-key because of Zhao Jie’s warning. Wei YiChen was wondering why he had been arrested now when he had been quiet.)

Ah Mao replied: “Apparently, its because he made trouble with Feng Jing’s girlfriend and older sister!”

Wei YiChen became even more confused. “What?” He had suspected that Qian Liang just provided some illegal drugs to customers in QingNan, but it turns out that Qian Liang also did this kind of shady business?

“Wait, Feng Jing the star?”

“Yes! Qian Liang probably targeted them because Feng Jing is well-off?”

Wei YiChen: “….”

“Oh, I heard that it was really lively last night! A lot of police came, and they even brought those scary dogs with them! You know, those big black dogs? Anyway, it made headlines today!”

Wei YiChen: “….”

Wait, he just took a brief nap, ah. How did the world suddenly change so fast?

Wei YiChen tried to accept this ‘scary dog’ setting and asked Ah Mao: “Those big black dogs beat up Qian Liang?”

“Yeah! When Qian Liang tried to escape, he was surrounded and caught by the dogs. This was the first time the police used dogs for such things, so they put it in the newspaper. So ah, they’re saying people can’t do bad things because even dogs won’t let you go!”

“….” That makes sense.

“In short, Qian Liang can’t weasel his way out of this. It can be said that a malignant tumor has finally been cut off from out QingNan street!”

“I see.” Wei YiChen slowly nodded his head. Qian Liang had been arrested through no one’s fault but his own. This was the best possible outcome Wei YiChen could’ve hoped to have.

“By the way, Brother Chen, just now you said that you’ll leave the bar to me?” Ah Mao tentatively asked.

Wei YiChen raised his head to look at him. Then, he noncommittally said: “You’ve been with me the longest, and you’re also familiar with the bar. You’re the most suitable candidate.”

Ah Mao was still somewhat confused. “What about you? Where are you going?”

Wei YiChen lay back down on the sofa and placed his hands behind his head. “Not sure yet.”

Ah Mao stared at him. “You don’t want to continue operating the bar?”

Wei YiChen narrowed his eyes at him. “Of course I’m going to continue being the boss, ah. But you’ll be operating the place. I won’t be lounging here all day like I used to.”

“No way. Brother Chen, who else has the power to keep things under control here?”

“You, ah.”

Ah Mao: “…” So Brother Chen thought of him so highly all this time?

Ah Mao looked at Wei YiChen in distress, “Brother Chen, I really can’t, ah…”

“You meet all sorts of pretty girls whenever you handle the bar, don’t you?”

“That’s not the same.”

“Well, I’ve already decided. It’s time for you to get out there and exercise a little.”

Wei YiChen had already decided, and nothing would change his mind, let along Ah Mao. Of course, Wei YiChen didn’t intend to completely stay away. He was going to let Ah Mao slowly adapt and adjust.

In the hospital, Xiang ChangKong was recovering little by little. Since Xiang ChangKong had so much spare time, Weng ShuLi had brought all his exam textbooks from home, and he spent his days studying.

These days, a lot of people have come by to see him. Colleagues from work, old classmates, and Cheng Peng also visited several times. To be honest, Cheng Peng had felt an inexplicable responsibility for Xiang ChangKong’s injury.

“If I hadn’t asked you to come with me that day, you wouldn’t have encountered that sort of thing! Heck, if I had gone with you instead of separating, you wouldn’t have gotten this injury! If I had sent you off first…”

Xiang ChangKong couldn’t help but laugh at Cheng Peng’s self-deprecation. “Cheng Peng, you’ve already said all that ten times today.”

Cheng Peng stopped and looked at him. “Really? Ten times?”

“Well, this is your tenth time. You’ve said it nine times before.” Sitting to one side, Xu Lian couldn’t help but speak up.

Cheng Peng awkwardly scratched his head. “That…then I won’t say anymore. I won’t disturb your rest. After you get discharged, come by and have a meal!”

“Alright.” Xiang ChangKong said. “By the way, has your shop been settled?”

“Yeah! I finally convinced my wife to use the space in our neighborhood. Well, she agreed on the condition that she would be in charge of decoration.”

Xiang ChangKong nodded. “That’s good.”

“We’re all ready to decorate, so when you get discharged, bring Xu Lian, your mother, and your sister to come and taste our food!”

Cheng Peng chatted with Xiang ChangKong for a while, then left. Not long after he left, another old classmate came by to see him. It was someone Xiang ChangKong didn’t expect.

“Zhao Di?” Xiang ChangKong looked at the man in front of him with apparent surprise.

Compared to Xiang ChangKong, Zhao Di was a lot calmer. “What, you didn’t expect me to come visit?”

Xiang ChangKong smiled and replied: “I really didn’t.”

Zhao Di looked around Xiang ChanGKong’s room and noticed the book on the bedside table. “I heard that you’re preparing for the postgraduate entrance exams?”

“Nn.”

“It’s in a couple of days. Will your injury be alright then?”

“It’ll be no problem. I’ll just be sitting in a classroom, after all.”

After their brief conversation, the room descended into silence. Zhao Di felt a little uncomfortable and looked away from Xiang ChangKong. As he did so, he noticed a paper plane on the bed. Xiang ChangKong followed Zhao Di’s gaze, then smiled. “I had nothing to do, so I folded a few.”

Zhao Di’s gaze slightly trembled. The Xiang ChangKong in front of him was quite different from the impression Zhao Di had of him during their university days. The only constant was probably his love for aviation.

Some things, no matter how late, will eventually come. Xiang ChangKong’s paper airplanes carried too much passion to simply disappear.

“I may not be qualified to say this, but I’ve at least briefly studied in the flight academy you’re aiming for. Many of our classmates have already changed careers just like I have. This isn’t easy for me to say.”

Zhao Di looked at Xiang ChangKong. At this moment, his gaze wasn’t slick and hardened like it was before. Instead, he looked as pure and hopeful as he had once been during their university days.

“But you have the kind of passion that we never had. If it’s you, I’m sure that you’ll be able to do some incredible things in the aviation field.”

***

Feng Jing is from Chestnut’s other work ‘Midnight Cinderella.’ I haven’t read that book, but it is being translated by someone if you wanted to check it out.