Chapter 25

The phone buzzed, you put it in your pocket and didn't answer, but you felt you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Fang Xu peeked over discreetly, and when he saw you looking at him, he immediately looked away. Unable to contain his curiosity, he put his hands in his pockets and asked, "Hey, whose call is that? Aren't you going to answer it?"

You initially wanted to ignore it, but the more you ignored it, the more annoyed you became, so you simply turned around and answered it.

"Didn't I tell you not to contact me again?"

The person on the other end of the phone seemed completely surprised that you would answer the phone or hear your voice. They let out a surprised "Ah!" and there was the sound of a water glass breaking.

"Yes, yes... I'm sorry."

The familiar voice, so faint you could barely hear it, the rapid breaths revealing the other person's extreme unease.

He said, "I'm in the hospital... I... I'm..."

"I didn't know you would answer, I just wanted to give it a try."

You said, "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

"Wait," the voice on the other end suddenly rose and then fell back down, "Afei, don't hang up, don't hang up on me."

You should have been decisive and efficient, but your fingers hesitated to move, which made you so angry that you kicked a tree hard, getting rained on your face without even feeling it.

If he appears before you, trying to gain your sympathy by playing the victim, you will calmly and without hesitation drive him away.

"I'm not a doctor, and I'm no longer anyone to you, so I can't help you."

You said a second sentence.

Just one phone call and you know he's actually not doing well, probably very weak and scared. Because of this illness, he can't tell his family. His parents have never accepted his homosexuality, so how could they change their opinion of him because of this?

It must be very painful.

No one understood, no one to confide in, and in the end, even his health was lost.

But blaming everything on the general environment would be unfair to those who are not part of any particular social circle and are optimistic and healthy.

Ultimately, isn't this the fault of the person who cheated?

He's the one who ruined your happy life, he destroyed your family, and made you run off to a completely unfamiliar city to heal like a fool.

Whom can you go to, and who can you talk to?

At this point, should I pretend to be magnanimous and say something hypocritical like, "I will forgive you, don't feel guilty, and focus on getting better"?

Fuck it.

You silently swore.

“I’ve already repented,” the senior said anxiously. “You’ve been angry with me for so long, please don’t be angry with me anymore.”

Your expression was more somber than ever before, and you could barely control it.

"You're making me angry? Do you even understand what you've done?"

The other person was speechless for a moment, then laughed mockingly.

"You...you speak so sincerely."

"It's as if you really love me."

"Ah Fei, I have a question for you."

"If it were Qiu Li, the one you're with, and he made the same mistake as me, would you also throw him away without hesitation, like a dog? Would you? Huh? Would you?"

Your head buzzed with anger, and your blood pressure soared. How dare he ask such a question? Did he really love a dog all these years?

Suppressed emotions become like a needle, piercing your heart and lungs without warning, touching the deepest nerve. It makes you feel pain, suffocation, and the urge to shout it out.

"I will not answer your calls anymore."

The senior's voice suddenly changed: "You're feeling guilty, you're feeling guilty, aren't you!"

You slowly squatted down and switched the phone to the other side: "If you didn't hear me clearly, I'll say it again. I, Nanfei, will not bring someone else's coffin to my own home to cry. From the day we separated, we went our separate ways."

"Senior, get well soon. If God is blind, I wish you a long and healthy life. If God is right, you deserve to die."

I don't owe you anything.

You hung up the phone, and still angry, you threw the phone away.

A leg wearing slippers walks up to you and hands you a T-shirt: "You've been crying so badly, wipe your tears."

You remain silent for a while, then take a deep breath: "I want a hot towel."

Fang Xu squatted down next to you, his upper body bare, his arm around your shoulder, and shook you: "Just make do. Going out and coming back is too much trouble. Sigh, stay here and have a meal. I'll call my friends and we'll get together. I'll give you a microphone. If you're still not satisfied, you can rant all night long."

For once, your emotions overcame your reason. You wiped your face, loosened your tie and shirt, stared blankly ahead for a while, and said woodenly, "Do you want to eat potatoes?"

Fang Xu was stunned, and his cigarette fell to the ground: "Wow, there's also corn liquor, from '82."

You said "Oh," and vigorously wiped your face: "Okay."