Chapter 36 P - Winter Night

Chu Beiling's prediction was wrong. At this time, the maple leaves around Beishan Street were just beginning to turn a little red. They arrived at the perfect time, as the popular bench at the corner was empty.

He and Xing Yu exchanged a glance and walked towards the bench in tacit agreement.

When Xu Tunan saw the two of them take their seats and actually take out their easels, ready to start painting, he couldn't help but exclaim, "No, you're really here to paint?"

Chu Beiling didn't even look up, using watercolors to precisely sketch the outline: "Otherwise what?"

Xing Yu pointed to an empty seat ten meters away: "There's no room here, you can sit over there."

Xu Tunan glanced at the bench. Xing Yu's arm was almost touching Chu Beiling's easel. There was still an empty seat on the right, so why couldn't anyone sit down?

However, he didn't have time to care about that right now, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "I can't roll it up, I can't roll it up. Soft Knife makes us submit twenty copies a week, and you even form a group to draw when we go out to play on the weekend. I really don't understand."

The two people who were drawing ignored him. In a group of three, one of them would inevitably be abandoned. A few leaves fell vertically to the ground in front of him. Xu Tunan suddenly felt a sense of snow falling, north wind howling, and the sky vast and boundless.

The two people sitting on the bench drawing are like flowers blooming in the spring breeze, like a comic strip panel, dividing him and the other two people into two seasons.

Xu Tunan had a strange feeling that he was like a 5,000-watt light bulb that could blind people.

He sighed, "Forget it, I'll go play with Shengxia and the others instead. You two are so boring, all you do is draw."

Chu Beiling turned around: "Isn't sketching just drawing, or dancing?"

Xu Tunan choked.

Xing Yu smiled faintly and pointed to the distance: "There's a dock over there. Take care."

Xu Tunan was speechless again.

After being choked by the two of them, Xu Tunan took a long time to speak before finally saying, "I don't care about you two."

Before leaving, Xu Tunan reminded them not to overdo the drawing and not to forget to have dinner together that night.

He only left after making sure they had heard him clearly.

As soon as the person left, Chu Beiling looked up from her drawing board and smiled slightly: "Xing Yu, we're back on Beishan Street again. Come on, let's settle the accounts."

Xing Yu put down his paintbrush and said with a smile, "It's been so long, why are you still holding a grudge?"

Chu Beiling still felt a pang of regret when she thought about it: "I'll remember this grudge for the rest of my life."

Xing Yu lifted his eyelids: "Really? I don't believe it."

Chu Beiling tapped the drawing board: "Xing Yu, I'm getting angry. You'd better say it again."

Xing Yu granted his wish: "How do you plan to apply?"

Chu Beiling raised an eyebrow: "Xing Yu, this painting of mine is for ten years. For the next ten years, you'll have to be available whenever I call."

Xing Yu chuckled, "You're always here when I call you. What do you want me to do?"

The sunlight scattered on the lake surface, turning it into shimmering gold. Chu Beiling squinted, feeling a strange heat creeping up from the back of his neck to his ears.

The weather in Hangzhou is just that bad, like a drop tower, it only likes to jump up and down, making it impossible for people to feel hot or cold, and completely disregarding people's lives.

Chu Beiling picked up the portable drawing board and fanned it a few times to lower the temperature before speaking: "What do you care about me? Just compensate me."

Xing Yu raised a slight brow in his deep black eyes. "You're asking me for ten years for a painting? Chu Beiling, even a shrewd businessman wouldn't know how to do business like you."

"Right? They're all shrewd businessmen, how good can they be?" Chu Beiling laughed, revealing two white tiger teeth. "Of course they'll ask for the sky's the limit, whatever they can ask for, until they rip you off until you're bankrupt."

He raised his chin, displaying the most shameless of all: "If you don't agree, I'll kick you into West Lake and make you pay two hundred yuan in fines."

Xing Yu said quietly, "You need to draw two hundred paintings first, then we can talk."

"As expected of you," Chu Beiling said speechlessly, looking at him with drooping eyes. "Xing Yu, when are you going to let me trick you, or at least pretend to be bullied by me?"

Xing Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it even."

"..." Chu Beiling was speechless again. He kept his head down and drew a little figure spitting blood and a little figure with his soul leaving his body. He handed them to Xing Yu and said, "You made me so angry that I declare that you have no friends now."

Xing Yu picked up his pen and drew a little figure in a doctor's uniform. He fed the unconscious figure a special medicine, and the unconscious figure was fully revived: "I'm alive again now."

Chu Beiling glanced at it, then drew a chibi version of him on the side, depicting him being tied up and kicked into West Lake with a swift kick.

He smiled and waved goodbye, saying, "Go on your way, don't bother seeing me out."

Xing Yu drew a chibi-style figure struggling in West Lake because he couldn't swim. He looked up and met Chu Beiling's gaze: "It's okay. It's my fault for making Chu Fanfan angry. I deserve to drown in the water."

"..." Chu Beiling paused, then quickly drew a rescue boat and pulled the Q-version Xing Yu back from the lake.

Xing Yu's lips curved into a smile that grew wider and wider. His originally cold and stern eyes were now filled with a triumphant joy, like a spring breeze that had been entangled with him.

Chu Beiling met his gaze and felt a surge of heat once again.

I feel unwell.

This person is absolutely wicked.

Chu Beiling was furious; all he wanted to do was kick Xing Yu into West Lake and make him pay a two-hundred-yuan fine.

After being angry for a while, Young Master Chu convinced himself that Xing Yu couldn't swim, and if he really kicked him in, he would have to go down and retrieve him himself, which would be too much of a loss.

Chu Beiling habitually signed his name in the lower right corner of the album: "Martial Arts Battle, November 2, 2012, Beishan Street".

He had just signed the contract when he felt something was wrong. There really was a martial arts square in Hangzhou, and it was a one-sided battle between him and Xing Yu. He was afraid that years later, things would get confused and the name of the martial arts square would be erased and replaced with the name of the battle between Yu and Ling.

The two of them engaged in a drawing contest for a while until the sun had completely set and the lights around West Lake came on.

Someone was waiting for them, so they couldn't continue painting. They quickly packed up their things, returned the way they came, met the other three at the agreed-upon Pier 1, and then went to have dinner together.

Just as he turned onto the Su Causeway, Xing Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at a certain spot ahead.

Chu Beiling watched as his smile vanished abruptly, his expression turned cold, and a complex mix of sadness, disappointment, and envy flashed in his eyes.

He paused for a moment, then followed Xing Yu's gaze.

A man in a suit and a young woman with exceptional poise were each holding one of their daughter's hands. Apparently, the daughter had said something about wanting to swing on a swing.

The two of them lifted their daughter up together, and the little girl in the middle happily kicked her legs in the air, her giggles echoing through Beishan Street.

They were so eye-catching that many people turned to look at this warm and loving family, feeling happy for their happiness.

Chu Beiling immediately noticed the woman who looked seven or eight parts like Xing Yu. She quickly realized that the mother in the warm and enviable family of three in front of her was also Xing Yu's mother.

He thought of what Grandma Chen had said that day about Xing Yu and his parents, and his heart inexplicably clenched.

Chu Beiling looked at Xing Yu, and was about to speak when her hand was grabbed.

Xing Yu said, "Let's go quickly."

Before they could even turn around, the two people opposite them had already spotted them.

Xing Yu released his grip, let out a sigh of frustration, and closed his eyes. "I still couldn't escape."

Just as Chu Beiling was about to ask why they had fled in such a panic, he came into the line of sight of the two adults opposite him, and his breath caught in his throat.

The two people opposite him, who had just been smiling happily, froze on their faces instantly. Chu Beiling had seen many adults whose expressions could change in an instant.

But the two people in front of him made him feel as if the wind blowing from West Lake carried a biting chill.

They loathed Xing Yu's appearance, especially the woman with such an outstanding temperament in front of them. She seemed to be trying her best to suppress her hatred and resentment, but in the end, she could not hide it.

It's as if Xing Yu is the original sin that destroyed her happiness.

Without a second thought, Chu Beiling grabbed his wrist. Xing Yu was startled and opened his eyes.

The next second—

Chu Beiling pulled him away and ran.

The night was as dark as ink, and the dim moonlight shone down, shattering on the black lake surface. The two of them ran swiftly along the shimmering outline of West Lake, amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

All the noise disappeared at that moment, leaving only the sound of my heart pounding as I ran.

Xing Yu looked over and saw the streetlights casting a soft glow on Chu Beiling's profile, making him look incredibly handsome, even more so than the moon.

He asked, almost as if possessed, "Where are we going?"

Chu Beiling pointed to the sky: "Let's go chase the moon." She turned to look at Xing Yu, a bright smile on her face: "Once we catch it, we'll go home."

He pulled Xing Yu along as they ran toward the horizon where the moon met the lake.

The shops along the way were brightly lit, and upbeat music was playing inside. Two teenagers carrying art supplies ran wildly through the bustling crowd, leaving the night and warmth behind.

Xing Yu grabbed Chu Beiling's hand and gently pulled it into his palm: "Okay, we'll go home once we catch up."

That night, he finally found a brief moment of peace.

He is no longer the unwanted child who is disliked as soon as he appears.

He has someone to keep him company now.

The further away from West Lake, the fewer people there were. The two boys ran aimlessly, chasing the moon all the way to the foot of Jade Emperor Mountain. They looked at each other and quickly understood what the other was thinking.

At this time, most people were going downhill, but two boys chasing the moon were climbing uphill against the flow of people.

The mountaintop isn't high, but it offers a panoramic view of West Lake. At night, the calm lake reflects the stars in the night sky and the city lights.

Chu Beiling's tousled hair was ruffled by the wind, but he smiled brightly against the soft, warm hues of the colors. "Xing Yu, we're closer to the moon now."

"Hmm." Xing Yu thought that he might remember this scene forever.

The two found a bench and sat down. There were two streetlights overhead. One was next to a tree, where most of the light was blocked by the lush foliage. The other was probably about to explode, as it kept flickering.

The distant sparks resemble fishing lights guiding the way at sea.

Xing Yu stared at the distant anchor point and slowly said, "Grandma Chen told you that on that day when I was a child, I was standing at the door."

The overhead light exploded completely, leaving only a hazy outline around us.

Chu Beiling was taken aback, not expecting Xing Yu to suddenly bring up that day's events.

He turned his head, gazed at the person in front of him in the dim light, and said softly, "I have a slight idea."

Xing Yu paused for a moment, then laughed. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "I originally thought they were busy with work and their own careers, so they didn't have time to care about me. I didn't blame them. But since my younger siblings were born, I suddenly realized that... that's not how it is."

They can love someone, and they know how to love someone, but that person will never be him.

Chu Beiling didn't respond, but looked at him with some concern: "Xing Yu."

His phone rang; it was a message from his mother, Jiang Yu: "Didn't I tell you? Your uncle doesn't like you. I've already transferred your living expenses to your father. If there's anything, talk to him. You're under his care. Don't come looking for me!!!"

Xing Yu hesitated for a moment, then removed his parents' WeChat accounts from the top of the list and deleted the message boxes.

He said calmly, "I don't want to ruin their current happiness, so I shouldn't covet things that don't belong to me and will never belong to me."

At that moment, Chu Beiling's throat tightened, and he suddenly felt extremely sad.

Xing Yu was always aloof, rejecting everyone's kindness, keeping to himself outside the crowd, covered in thorns, ready to prick anyone he encountered.

It was only at this moment that Chu Beiling realized that behind the coldness and detachment hidden in this person's bones lay a profound and utter sense of loneliness.

Xing Yu smiled and met Chu Beiling's worried gaze: "I'm really fine."

He smiled at the person in front of him and said gently, "It doesn't matter anymore."

Someone has already run away with him.

The night wind blew for several beats, and Chu Beiling remained silent for a long time.

He also couldn't handle his relationship with Ms. Li. Li Shuying was strict with him and often held him to extremely high standards. If he couldn't meet them, she would take measures to make him clearly realize his shortcomings.

He often wondered if his mother truly loved him, otherwise why would she only want an outstanding person like him?

Children can love adults unconditionally, but adults cannot love children unconditionally.

Xing Yu, despite being so good, still doesn't receive any favoritism. Nobody likes him, and everyone hates his existence and appearance.

Chu Beiling felt an endless sense of desolation; he didn't want to compare his misery with Xing Yu's.

He took a long breath and said in a low and solemn voice, "Xing Yu, you deserve the best things in the world. I believe that in the not-too-distant future, there will definitely be someone who will love you unconditionally, embrace you, and never give up on you."