Chapter 55 N - The Fall
It wasn't until dawn that Chu Beiling finally drifted off to sleep. In his half-awake state, he dreamt once again of Xing Yu falling off a cliff.
He still couldn't catch him this time.
Chu Beiling woke up with a start and sat down to recover. He planned to go back and bring Xing Yu back, as the sleeping position on the sofa was really uncomfortable.
He got up and, still half asleep, scurried into the master bedroom.
Just as he stepped inside, he bumped right into Xing Yu, who was about to come out.
"You're awake," Xing Yu said, looking at his dazed expression. "You had another nightmare!"
Chu Beiling reached out and pinched the space between his eyebrows hard, then nodded.
Xing Yu raised his hand and gently scratched Chu Beiling's chin like he was petting a cat. Chu Beiling stared at him blankly, momentarily forgetting to react.
This person used to be like this: when he knew someone was having a nightmare, he would raise his hand and scratch their chin to comfort them and cheer them up.
Coming back to his senses, Chu Beiling took half a step back.
Xing Yu paused slightly before withdrawing his hand, making room for him to pass: "Go wash up first and then come over for breakfast. There are toothbrushes and towels in the master bathroom."
Chu Beiling didn't move, feeling it was inappropriate, but then he thought that since he had already stayed in the master bedroom, there didn't seem to be any problem using the master bathroom. But this wasn't his own home after all, and it didn't seem appropriate for him to enter Xing Yu's master bedroom right now.
But since everyone else was at the master bedroom door, refusing again would seem a bit pretentious.
Xing Yu looked up at him: "What's wrong?"
Chu Beiling shook his head and ultimately said nothing, walking past him into the room.
He froze again as soon as he entered the bathroom—
On the washstand, there are two sets of towels, toothbrushes, and cups, and both sets are Doraemon merchandise.
For a moment, Chu Beiling even suspected that it was prepared for him by Xing Yu. This question was still unanswered, and he even felt a pang of sadness.
As if by some strange twist of fate, he did something he used to despise.
I opened Weibo and searched for Xu Zeyi's account.
The pinned post is a reposted video blog post: "The trailer PV for 'Doraemon the Movie XXXX' includes the theme song. It will be released in China on March X, 2025. Stay tuned. The domestic distributor is Xingyao Media, Xu Zeyi's company."
A link to a giveaway was also included.
Chu Beiling clicked on the lottery link, and the prize was the Doraemon merchandise that Xing Yu had on his bathroom desk. There were five prizes in total, and the draw would take place on April 1, 2025, at 13:14.
Chu Beiling's nose felt sore and dry, and tears uncontrollably rolled down his high nose bridge. He turned on the tap and leaned over to rinse his eyes.
Only when the chill penetrated his skin and reached his entire body did he turn off the tap, look at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, and laugh out loud.
Chu Beiling, you deserve it.
He reached for a disposable cotton towel and wiped the water off his face, then casually tossed it into the trash can before walking outside as if nothing had happened.
Xing Yu placed the breakfast on the table and looked up at him, saying, "Alright, come and eat breakfast."
Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed as she tried to control her terrible emotions: "Mm."
Xing Yu turned and went to the kitchen again. Chu Beiling walked to the dining table and sat down. He glanced down at the breakfast, which included rabbit buns, fried dough sticks, poached eggs, and soy milk, all of which were his favorites.
Xing Yu brought over his breakfast, and as soon as he put it down, Chu Beiling swapped their plates.
Xing Yu pulled out the chair next to him and sat down beside him. "You want to eat this?"
"If you have a sensitive stomach, don't eat glutinous rice as it's hard to digest," Chu Beiling said.
Xing Yu raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Hmm."
Chu Beiling didn't respond, and kept her head down eating Xing Yu's sticky rice chicken, but she couldn't taste anything in her mouth.
Xing Yu glanced at him indifferently, breaking the silence between them: "Thank you for taking care of me last night."
"It's not hard work. You can go to sleep as soon as I get back after I finish this call." Chu Beiling kept her head down, not even raising her eyes.
"I'm not leaving. I slept here last night, so why didn't I leave?" Xing Yu's voice was low and soft, his warm breath seeming to be close to his ear.
Chu Beiling's ears went numb for a moment, followed by a surge of electricity that shot from his neck to his tailbone. The tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body, making him feel hot all over.
This intimate, almost whispering-in-the-mouth-like closeness instantly transported him back to the moments he had shared with Xing Yu.
Chu Beiling suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh screech. "Xing Yu, that's enough."
Xing Yu slightly raised his eyes, his gaze intense: "I only said one sentence, why are you reacting so strongly?"
After standing still for a moment, Chu Beiling got up and walked to the opposite side of Xing Yu, putting some distance between them. Her tone softened considerably: "Could you... not do this?"
Xing Yu steadied his breathing and asked calmly, "How?"
Chu Beiling bit her trembling lips: "Didn't you say the past doesn't matter? What exactly do you want me to admit?!"
Xing Yu: "Don't you know?"
Chu Beiling smiled and said, "So what? So what if you admit it? What else do you want? What can we do about it?"
He knew he shouldn't have said those things, but the pent-up, terrible emotions burst forth like a flood, completely out of control.
Chu Beiling didn't understand why Xing Yu kept testing his attitude towards him.
Knowing that he still has feelings for her, then what? Can they go back to how things were before?
"Broken up other people's relationships is neither fun nor appropriate," Chu Beiling reminded herself. "Xing Yu, I won't do that."
His unrestrained and despicable heart snapped like a cello string, leaving a bloody mark on his face. Xing Yu closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "Sit down. We're not going to see Grandma Chen. We'll go see her after breakfast."
After breakfast, the two went to the nursing home where Grandma Chen lived.
Led by the caregiver, Chu Beiling and Xing Yu entered Grandma Chen's room one after the other. Xing Yu must have spent a lot of money, as Grandma Chen was staying in a deluxe single room with a dedicated caregiver.
Grandma Chen sat in her wheelchair, looking at the camellia flowerbed swaying in the wind in front of the window.
It didn't rain today, but the sky was still gloomy, like a huge inkstone pressing down on our heads, slowly sinking and making it hard to breathe. Even the beautiful camellias seemed a bit dim.
Grandma Chen remained focused on watching, and didn't even respond when the caregiver called her.
Xing Yu asked the caregiver, "How long has Grandma Chen been seeing a doctor?"
The caregiver told Xing Yu, "I've been watching over him since I got up this morning, and I still am now."
Xing Yu: "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Caregiver: "She didn't eat much. I'll bring her some snacks later."
Xing Yu nodded and said, "Let us spend some time alone with Grandma Chen."
The caregiver nodded, left the room, and closed the door behind them.
Xing Yu turned to Chu Beiling and said, "Whenever it rains or is cloudy, Grandma Chen sits by the window and looks at this flowerbed."
Chu Beiling was taken aback, then said, "The color of camellias is probably similar to that of red beans."
Noticing Xing Yu's burning gaze, Chu Beiling looked over, then quickly looked away. He walked over and half-squatted down in front of Grandma Chen.
Even though he knew Grandma Chen might not remember him, Chu Beiling still asked, "Grandma Chen, do you remember me?"
Grandma Chen smiled and shook her head. Ten years had passed, and she still looked just like Chu Beiling remembered, except that her face had many more wrinkles and she looked much older.
Chu Beiling reminded her, "I used to live downstairs from you in Zhalongkou and often came to your house for meals. Do you remember now?"
Grandma Chen smiled and shook her head: "Sorry~ I really can't remember."
Chu Beiling's nose tingled slightly, and she held back the urge to cry: "It's okay, Grandma Chen. I'll come to see you more often in the future, and maybe you'll remember me."
Chu Beiling brought up some past events again, trying to evoke Grandma Chen's shallow memories, even if the effect was minimal.
Grandma Chen's answer each time was always, "I don't know, I don't remember."
Xing Yu squatted down on the other side: "Grandma Chen, I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to visit you in a long time. How have you been lately?"
At this moment, Grandma Chen, who had been repeatedly saying she didn't know, took the two people's hands, one on each side, and put them together: "You two must stay together and never separate again."
Chu Beiling and Xing Yu were taken aback. They glanced at each other and then looked away.
Xing Yu looked at Chu Beiling, then at Grandma Chen.
Chu Beiling opened his mouth, unsure how to begin, when Grandma Chen reached out her rough, wrinkled hand and touched his cheek: "Liking boys isn't a disease, it's okay, don't be afraid."
Chu Beiling's nose tingled, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. Grandma Chen raised her hand to wipe away his tears: "Don't cry, don't be afraid, it's okay, it's okay."
Chu Beiling's tears flowed even more fiercely. Even though Grandma Chen didn't remember him anymore, she still vaguely remembered what had happened back then.
Thinking that things were still the same as before, they tried to pull him out of his pain and confusion and give him courage.
Grandma Chen, just like before, started rambling on about trivial matters, jumping from one topic to another, the timeline completely out of control. But the one thing that remained consistent was her conversation about him and Xing Yu—
She still remembers everything that happened between them back then.
I repeatedly emphasized that they shouldn't be afraid, shouldn't worry, and shouldn't be separated. I told them that they could face and solve any difficulties together, and that they were all gentle, kind, and intelligent children.
It can effectively solve any difficulties at any time.
Chu Beiling's legs went numb from squatting for so long, while Grandma Chen's hands rested on both of theirs, clasping their hands together and enveloping them in her palms.
As noon approached, Grandma Chen grew tired of reading and fell asleep in her wheelchair. Xing Yu carefully took Grandma Chen's hand and placed it aside.
The restraint between the two loosened, and Chu Beiling quickly pulled her hand away, only to have it grasped by Xing Yu, who squeezed it hard before letting go.
After getting up and catching his breath, Xing Yu lifted Grandma Chen from the wheelchair and placed her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and walked to the door to call the caregiver in.
Chu Beiling stood up and waited for the burning sensation in her legs to subside before walking to the door. She heard Xing Yu and the caregiver say, "Let Grandma Chen sleep for about an hour first, then wake her up for lunch."
The caregiver nodded.
Xing Yu turned around: "Let's go."
Chu Beiling followed Xing Yu toward the main gate, and the two of them barely spoke along the way.
Before getting on the bus and parting ways, Xing Yu asked the same question he had last night: "If I wanted you to stay and not go back to Singapore, would you stay?"
Chu Beiling shook his head; he didn't know.
Xing Yu smiled and nodded: "Okay."
After saying that, he opened the driver's side door and got in.
In the rearview mirror, Xing Yu watched Chu Beiling take a step forward, but only a small step, and then he stood still and did not move forward again.
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