Chapter 7 We can't deprive the child's father of seeing the child...
Fang Xin pondered all night, feeling increasingly frustrated. He was already weak after a serious illness, and now the back of his head was starting to throb in waves.
Fang Xingu, feeling frustrated and with nowhere to vent, decided not to sleep. He got up, drew back the curtains, and let the bright moonlight stream in. He sat down at the piano and, by the moonlight, randomly pressed the keys to play a melody.
However, the music was not pleasant to listen to at all; in fact, it could be described as obscure and harsh. In addition, Fang Xin's venting-like playing was somewhat resentful and angry, and his fingertips were used with full force when they fell, turning the piano into a percussion instrument.
Fortunately, it's a detached house; otherwise, there would definitely be complaints about disturbing the peace in the middle of the night.
After the same melody was played three or four times, Fang Xingu suddenly stopped moving again.
As if he had vented his anger, he sighed and stared quietly out the window for more than ten minutes. When he came back to his senses, he had calmed down. He lowered his eyes to look at the black and white piano keys, gently raised his hand and let his fingertips fall on the keys again, playing a melody once more.
The melody is still the same, but the hesitant parts have been adjusted to be melodious and graceful. However, the overall tone of the song remains melancholic and heavy, as if it is reminiscing about something.
The music continued until dawn. When birdsong came from outside the window and the sky began to lighten, the night finally came to an end.
Fang Xingu rubbed his tired eyes, recorded the melody, and then got up to go to the balcony for some fresh air. In the golden autumn of October, the cool morning breeze ruffled Fang Xingu's hair and soothed his restless heart.
Fang Xin was gazing aimlessly into the distance when he heard a dog barking downstairs.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Fang Xin looked down and saw a big, fluffy white head suddenly emerge from the dog hole in the wall between the Fang and Jing families.
Fang Xingu laughed as soon as he saw it: "Circle!"
The big white dog sniffed and looked up at the source of the sound. It seemed to recognize Fang Xin Gu. It barked excitedly and pawed at the ground even more urgently. After twisting a few times, it finally crawled out of the hole and ran straight to the bottom of the small building. Its white fur was flying, and it was so excited that all four of its paws didn't touch the ground at the same time.
Fang Xingu smiled as he went downstairs to greet it. The Samoyed suddenly pounced on him, knocking Fang Xingu to the ground. Excitedly, it pulled its ears back and nudged Fang Xingu on the ground with its snout like a little seal, whimpering sweetly.
Fang Xin hugged the snow-white dog's head and rubbed it several times: "Good dog, did you miss your brother?"
The puppy couldn't speak, but its wet eyes never left Fang Xingu, whimpering and rubbing against him.
Fang Xin finally sat up and pinched the flesh on Quan Quan's body: "Have you gotten fat or your fur has gone wild? This hole has only been widened once, and you're already almost too big to squeeze through again?"
"Eek~"
Fang Xingu flicked its bouncy ears: "Come on, let's go out for a spin to lose weight."
"Woof!"
Fang Xingu rummaged through the cabinet and found a yellow dog hat, which he put on Quan Quan's head. The Samoyed's two ears peeked out from the hole at the top of the hat, and it sat obediently on the ground watching Fang Xingu.
Fang Xingu was completely charmed. He held the round head in his hands, examined it for a couple of seconds, and couldn't help but give it a kiss: "OK, cute!"
Quan Quan stuck out her tongue and grinned foolishly.
Fang Xin put a leash on Quan Quan, put a mask and hat on himself, and the two of them walked out of the house and strolled through the streets and alleys of Jiangcheng.
A couple of days ago, another autumn rain fell, and the temperature dropped considerably. The osmanthus blossoms in the city are almost gone, and the air is filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.
Although it was called walking the dog, Fang Xin Gu felt more like he was walking himself. After all, Quan Quan's attention was entirely on Fang Xin Gu. Its hind legs were a little lame, and it stayed close to Fang Xin Gu the whole time, looking up at him from time to time. It didn't want to leave Fang Xin Gu's side for even a moment, and it had almost no interest in the walk. On the contrary, Fang Xin Gu walked and stopped, looking around everywhere.
Before the age of twelve, Fang Xin had grown up in Jiangcheng. He was quite familiar with the city. Even though the municipal construction in recent years had given the area a new look, the essence of the city remained the same. The vibrant atmosphere of the city was still there, and Jiangcheng was still the same Jiangcheng, just as he remembered it.
...It was almost too familiar. Just walking here reminded him of how he and Jing Yitong used to play and frolic in these streets and alleys when they were kids.
Fang Xingu thought to himself that he shouldn't have come back; there were too many memories here.
"Woof woof!"
Seemingly sensing Fang Xingu's distraction, Quan Quan's large tail gently flicked Fang Xingu's leg, bringing him back to his senses. He looked down at Quan Quan—
Oh right, even the ring was picked up by him and Jing Yitong together, and it's part of their shared memories.
But there was no way around it; after all, he and Jing Yitong had grown up together and shared too much of a past. Even if he wanted to let go, it wouldn't be something he could do overnight.
Take your time.
After walking around for a while, both the man and the dog got tired. Fang Xingu sat down on a bench with Quan Quan, and only realized that he was sitting by the canal when he heard the sound of a ship's horn in the distance.
Jiangcheng is a city with a dense network of waterways, making it a true water city. Even the First Canal, which has been passed down for thousands of years and still flows continuously, is just one of its many water systems in Jiangcheng.
But this canal is of great significance to the Jing family. Because of the existence of this canal, the Jing family went from being boatmen to engaging in river transport business, and has now developed into a leading maritime enterprise, with its business scope expanding step by step.
But as businesses grow larger, problems naturally increase as well.
As Fang Xingu was thinking, his phone suddenly vibrated. Coincidentally, it was a message from Jing Yitong.
Jing Yitong got straight to the point: You're back in Jiangcheng?
Fang Xingu was slightly taken aback, and after a while he replied: My grandma told you that?
Jing Yitong: Hmm, she asked me to bring some things back from Yan Province for her, and that's when she mentioned you.
Fang Xingu thought for a moment, then took a picture of Quan Quan's furry head and sent it to Jing Yitong: Walking the dog at home.
Jing Yitong: ...Why does it look like it's gotten fatter?
Fang Xin, a protective father, said: "A father doesn't mind his son being fat; a puppy is just fluffy."
Jing Yitong laughed: I don't believe it.
Fang Xingu thought to himself, "How else can you not believe me? You can't exactly fly all the way back from Yan Province to pet the dog, can you?"
To his surprise, his phone started vibrating again the next second—Jing Yitong had actually called him directly via video.
Fang Xingu panicked when he saw the video call request. Why did Jing Yitong suddenly send a video call?
Should he accept the call?
Quan Quan noticed Fang Xingu's nervousness and nuzzled his knee with concern. Fang Xingu looked at it and said, "Quan Quan, your dad wants to see you."
But the puppy couldn't understand human speech. It just tilted its head and looked innocently at Fang Xingu, purring softly in its throat.
...Well, we can't deprive the child's father of his right to see the child.
Fang Xingu answered the video call, but forgot to switch to the rear camera. So, the moment the video call connected, Fang Xingu's face appeared in the video conversation. The moment his eyes met Jing Yitong's, both of them were a little stunned.
However, Fang Xin had covered himself up very well, with only his eyes showing, so he didn't reveal any flaws.
Jing Yitong asked instinctively, "Why are you covered up so thoroughly?"
Fang Xingu only exchanged a glance with Jing Yitong before immediately looking away. He pulled down the brim of his hat and said, "We're out here. I'm a public figure now, after all."
Hearing Jing Yitong's familiar voice, Quan Quan jumped onto the bench and squeezed next to Fang Xingu. She looked curiously at Jing Yitong on the phone screen. His big head not only took up most of the screen, but he also almost pushed Fang Xingu off the bench.
Fang Xingu stabilized himself by saying "Hey, hey" a few times, and then quickly pushed the dog aside before sitting down properly.
Finally, the person and the dog huddled together, squeezed in front of the small phone camera. Jing Yitong looked at them and couldn't help but laugh: "Cute."
Fang Xingu rubbed the dog's ears: "It's really cute."
As if sensing the praise in Fang Xingu's tone, Quan Quan proudly puffed out its chest and swung its tail rapidly like a propeller. However, it couldn't stay serious for more than three seconds before happily burrowing into Fang Xingu's arms, getting covered in his fur.
Jing Yitong's smile deepened; the dog was cute, and the person was cute too.
Fang Xin finally managed to pry the ring open, but his eyes still wouldn't look at Jing Yitong, and he kept his head down, playing with the dog.
Seeing that Fang Xingu still wouldn't meet his gaze, Jing Yitong felt a little helpless and had no choice but to turn his attention back to Quan Quan: "It really hasn't gained weight?"
The contrast was even more striking when sitting next to Fang Xin, who had lost a lot of weight: what a fat dog, what a thin person.
Fang Xin told the truth: "...Actually, I almost got stuck in the dog hole just now."
“Wasn’t that hole just widened?” Jing Yitong looked at Quan Quan. “Quan Quan, you really should lose weight.”
"Did you hear that? It's time to lose weight," Fang Xingu poked the dog's head and then asked Jing Yitong, "Are you almost done filming too?"
"Yes, about two weeks."
Fang Xingu leaned against Quan Quan and said, "If you have time, come back to Jiangcheng. Quan Quan will definitely miss you."
“Okay,” Jing Yitong’s tone softened unconsciously, “And what about you?”
Fang Xin's heart skipped a beat when he asked: Me? What about me?
...asking me if I've missed you?
Fang Xingu felt a chill run down his spine. How was he supposed to answer? Answering "yes" would be too cheesy, while answering "no" would seem too deliberate. It seemed strange no matter how he answered. Why would Jing Yitong ask such a question?
Just as Fang Xin was racking his brains trying to figure out how to answer, Jing Yitong took a deep breath and continued, "And what about you? Will you still be in Jiangcheng then?"
Fang Xin Gu: ...Oh, you're asking about that.
Out of sight of the video camera, Fang Xin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief: "I'll probably stay in Jiangcheng for another half a month."
Fang Xin Gu wasn't worried at all about running into Jing Yi Tong in Jiangcheng. Jing Yi Tong would finish filming in half a month and would definitely have a lot of backlogged work to deal with, so he couldn't possibly return to Jiangcheng immediately. Fang Xin Gu would be setting off for Antarctica in a month, so their schedules would just be out of sync and they would have no chance of meeting.
Jing Yitong clearly understood this as well. The few days in between were simply not enough for them to meet. He had originally planned to go back to Jiangcheng to talk to Fang Xingu in person, but now it seemed too late.
Jing Yitong: "Then we won't be able to meet."
Fang Xingu nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes." It's a good thing we don't get to see each other.
Jing Yitong composed herself: "It's okay, we might see each other again soon."
Just then, there was a knock on Jing Yitong's door. It was his agent, Song Kan, who had come to discuss something with him. Jing Yitong smiled and said to Song Kan, "I have something to do here, so I'll hang up now. Bye."
"Okay, bye-bye."
After hanging up the phone, Jing Yitong opened the door and let Song Kan in.
As soon as Song Kan entered the room, he saw Jing Yitong's smiling face, even his eyebrows and eyes were softened, which gave Song Kan goosebumps: "Who are you talking to on the phone so flirtatiously?"
Jing Yitong didn't answer directly, but simply put her phone away: "Nobody."
Song Kan rolled his eyes and got straight to the point: "I've done what you asked me to do. Your good brother is going to take on a travel variety show called 'The World Is So Big.' I've sent you all the information about the show."
Jing Yitong opened the information sent by Song Kan, and his attention immediately fell on the travel destination in "The Vastness of the World": "Antarctica?"
Song Kan hissed, "I heard that Fang Xingu wanted to take this role himself. What do you think he was thinking? Just looking at those two words makes me feel cold, and the production team isn't even that famous."
Jing Yitong recalled, "He's always wanted to go to Antarctica. Have we found all the regular cast members for this show?"
"You know what, Fang Xin Gu's popularity is really high right now. This variety show was so unpopular that they couldn't even get all the people together, but as soon as the news of Fang Xin Gu's confirmed participation was released, it instantly revitalized the show. Some people even tried to secretly replace the previously confirmed minor artists, but fortunately the production team stood firm and didn't encourage such unhealthy trends."
Jing Yitong tapped his knuckles on the bar counter: "So everyone's here?"
"Not yet. There's one permanent position left, and I've had it reserved for you. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes, the schedule matches up perfectly. You should contact the production team."
Song Kan didn't ask any more questions, thinking that this was Fang Xingu's first event after leaving Nebula, so it was normal for Jing Yitong, as the older brother, to be more concerned.
...Tsk, that's normal, right?
A note from the author:
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Qi Qiu: Haha, I think something's not quite right... [lights a cigarette]
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