Chapter 13: The Prince and the Knight
Is Jiang Song always important?
After the person at the center of the table leaves, do the others still eat with the same attitude as when he was present? If they still do, does that mean that his presence or absence is not that important?
But Jiang Song always seems important.
Including that day, this is the third day since Jiang Song left without saying goodbye.
The weather was clear and the sky was blue. It was noon in the scorching heat, and they were having lunch.
Zhuo Manyi seemed absent-minded at the table, browsing her phone while eating, and said to everyone, "I'm so envious! My cousin went on vacation to the south of France again yesterday."
"What's there to be envious of? It's not like we can't go," Zhou Yun replied casually.
"But I'm actually in a fishing village now..." Zhuo Manyi couldn't help feeling disappointed, still bothered by the Jiang family's decision to let Jiang Song stay in the country for the summer vacation.
Lu Xu was also a little listless. He gnawed on a chicken leg and agreed, "Yeah, I'm so bored. It's so hot. I really want to go skiing."
Even Miao Wen expressed a hint of resentment: "I really want to go to the exhibition. If I don't go back now, I'll miss the biggest comic exhibition this summer."
Finally, Zhou Yun asked bluntly, "When will that guy come back?"
As soon as the words fell, all the young men looked at the empty chair, as if the empty chair had replaced Jiang Song as the visual focus after he left, and he was someone who could be seen even when he was not there.
Because of this, his sudden departure disrupted all of their plans, just as his sudden arrival had disrupted their plans.
If he had not suddenly returned to China, if the Jiang family had not suddenly organized such a dramatic summer camp, they would have gone on vacation to the Alps or the Cote d'Azur during this holiday, gone to Rio de Janeiro to watch a football game, gone skiing or horseback riding, or even just stayed at home reading comics and playing games. That would have been their own holiday.
But because of Jiang Song's existence, they followed him to climb Mount Tai, a place he had never climbed, and then followed him to give up halfway. They followed him to an island he had never been to, and were abandoned by him without a word...
Why?
Why should his mere presence affect all of their vacations? Why should they wait idly in this villa while he leaves now?
Will these things become proof that they are all around Jiang Song in the future? What will the things that are envied by other students now become in the future? Will they become more enviable topics for conversation, or will they be just a joke?
As their thoughts were tangled, the phones of several teenagers rang at the same time, and they received the same group message.
Mr. Mizuno seemed to be able to read minds. He appeared at the perfect time, apologized to everyone for Jiang Song's sudden loss of contact, and told them that whether they wanted to return to H City or go anywhere else, the Jiang family would make arrangements for them.
The implication is clear: the Jiang family will make up for their losses during the holidays, and this also seems to announce the early disbandment of the summer vacation group.
The young men at the long table fell silent.
If they learned about the summer vacation group indirectly from their parents when it was first formed, then the news of its disbandment was conveyed to them directly, without any wear and tear, deformation, or pressure.
Mr. Mizuno, or rather, what the Jiang family brought them seemed to be the right to choose freely.
They can make their own choices instead of having their parents make decisions for them.
Perhaps because there was a hint of strangeness in the conversation, the teenagers at the table did not speak for a long time, as if they were at a loss.
For a long time, they thought of another person, the person who sat quietly on the throne before Jiang Song arrived.
In a city like H City, the He family, as a real estate tycoon, can almost be said to be an unshakable pyramid base. Year after year, skyscrapers rise from the ground, and sometimes they almost think in a trance that the skyline also belongs to the He family.
But in an era of sudden shifts in the wind, even the tallest buildings can be shaken by the wind. If the He family controls the surface of the city, then the Jiang family holds the pulse of the earth. Energy and finance are like two undercurrents, seemingly intertwined and continuous. The Tanaka family still holds a place in East Asia's top circles. Therefore, the young men shifted their focus, either explicitly or implicitly.
It was not until this moment that they turned their gaze back to the young man sitting quietly on another throne.
He Shizhao will definitely leave, and after he leaves, they can also leave as naturally as breathing.
But He Shizhao was eating quietly——
Oh, now I remember, this dull guy wasn't looking at his phone.
Zhou Yun sat next to him and quickly handed the phone to him: "A Zhao, look."
He Shizhao put down his bowl and chopsticks and glanced at the message.
"When are you planning to come back?"
The young men's eyes were focused on him, but He Shizhao lowered his eyes slightly and said, "I'll stay here for the time being."
"Huh?" Lu Xu asked him from the side, "Why are you staying here?"
“Quiet and suitable for studying.”
The boy's answer brought silence to the table. Zhuo Manyi, who had been sulking, suddenly became speechless, as if she had found an outlet for her emotions: "He Shizhao, how can we live with you in such a mess?"
"It reminds me of the words my father used to control me." Lu Xu became even more depressed as he spoke, as if his hopes were dashed.
"Then I'll stay too. My mom is on tour and not at home anyway, so it's boring for me to go home." Tong Anyu followed suit.
Tong Anyu's mother often goes backstage at major art festivals at home and abroad. Her name often appears together with words such as "tour", "award-winning" and "international art festival", as if she has her own artistic brilliance. Therefore, even if Tong Anyu's father is just an ordinary cultural businessman, Tong Anyu has the opportunity to join this summer group.
Her statement was firm, but it made the rest of the people even more hesitant.
Why? The right to choose seems to be right at their fingertips. What prevents them from making a choice?
Finally, Zhuo Manyi broke the silence at the table and said, "I'll think about it this afternoon."
Maybe ask Dad.
At this time, He Shizhao looked to the right.
Xia Cun sat at the edge of the dining table next to him, eating a piece of corn, as if he was out of touch with the world.
“My brother…”
He uttered two words, and it seemed as if he saw the girl's soul returning to her body. Xia Cun turned his head, and their eyes met through Tong Anyu.
"Brother Shi Yan? What's wrong?" Zhou Yun asked.
He Shizhao turned his gaze back and said, "My brother has arranged a yacht. If anyone wants to go, they can go out to sea tomorrow."
"Well, then I can go and have some fun!" Lu Xu was more excited than before.
"Me too." Chestnut was the second to agree.
"If you're here, I'll go too. I don't have anything else to do anyway." Zhou Yun was the third one to come, and then asked, "Miss Zhuo?"
"I'll think about it this afternoon." Zhuo Manyi had already put down her bowl and chopsticks and was busy searching something on her phone, answering nonchalantly.
He Shizhao turned around and asked the girls on his right: "What about you?"
Like an invitation, Miao Wen quickly said, "Oh, I'll go too."
If she didn't go, she would be disrespecting He Shizhao, and she would be scolded by Miao Feng.
"If everyone is going, I'll go too," said Tong Anyu.
Finally, it was Xia Cun's turn. She had finished eating the piece of corn and was sipping the fruit and vegetable juice in the cup.
"And you?"
Everyone knew who He Shizhao was asking, and they looked at the girl.
Xia Cun released the straw and said, "I want to ask my aunt."
He Shizhao responded softly. The conversation about whether to stay or go and the yacht seemed to bring him back to the center of the group. He said, "I'll contact him later. He might come with us tomorrow."
"What, Brother Shi Yan is also on the island?"
"Maybe I'll come and see."
"Then can I also call that guy Lin Jiaci over?"
Since Jiang Song is not here, they can call their friends over at will.
"random."
The boys seemed to be in high spirits and left the table one after another to return to their rooms. Xia Cun also finished his lunch and left the restaurant under the gaze of He Shizhao and Tong Anyu.
After returning to her room, she did not contact Xia Lan immediately, but told Ren Yi about it and asked her: "Will you come?"
"Come on, why not?" Ren Yi said calmly on the other end of the phone.
However, Xia Cun concluded from her tone that she would never come, because Ren Yi never spoke in such a calm tone.
She waited and waited until Ren Yi finally exploded. "Come on, you big-headed ghost! Do you think summer vacation airfare is cheap? I can't even afford to buy a set of game skins, okay?"
Xia Cun was always scolded by Ren Yi, but she almost never got angry with Ren Yi.
When they were younger, Ren Yi's mother, Han Fu, would have Ren Yi take Xia Cun to and from school, but Xia Cun would always avoid little Ren Yi's supervision. She particularly loved straying from the usual route on the way home from school, wandering off to places she wasn't supposed to be. Several times, she'd leave Ren Yi behind, and Han Fu would later scold her for being careless. Once, Xia Cun even saw her twist Ren Yi's ear, causing her eyes to turn red like a rabbit.
Later, Ren Yi seemed to have found a way to fight back. She began to lash out at Xia Cun whenever she felt unhappy. Xia Cun, in his dull way, seemed not to understand that being taunted by her made her feel more comfortable. Later, Ren Yi and this friend, whom she had been forced to have, formed a kind of "Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai"-style friendship.
Xia Cun always thought that it didn't matter if Ren Yi was mean to him.
After all, Xiao Lan said, "An eye for an eye," and also said, "When will the cycle of revenge end?"
After hanging up the phone with Ren Yi, Xia Cun finally prepared to call Xia Lan.
But a strange law came into being. Xia Lan sent her a video invitation at this time. Her eyes lit up and she answered the video.
Xia Lan was indeed home, and all the intricate decorations behind her made Xia Cun feel cheerful. She wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, but they weren't blue, they were black. She looked listless in the camera, and as soon as the video was connected, she complained to Xia Cun, "What should I do, Xia Cun? I'm out of ideas, and Doraemon keeps pushing me to finish my draft."
"Doraemon" is the name of Duomeng, the editor-in-chief of Blue Glasses, but Xia Lan insisted on calling her Doraemon. This kind of weird associative name has always been what she is good at. For example, she would call Ren Yi "Little Ripple" and call her ex-boyfriend Li Sui "How old is Li?", which sounds like asking him how old he is.
"Xiao Lan, there is something I want to tell you."
"What?" Xia Lan asked, and then seemed to forget she was asking a question. She said, "Xia Zuncun, has your hair grown longer?"
"But I've only been away from home for ten days."
"Is ten days too short? You don't miss home at all."
"But hair doesn't grow much in ten days."
"Okay..." Xia Lan continued, "By the way, Xia Zuncheng, I think I remembered why Jiang Song didn't ask you about the secret photo shoot of him."
She mentioned Jiang Song as if on a whim.
When Xia Lan first learned of Jiang Song's existence, she wanted to call him "Jiang Kesong," but Xia Cun stopped her like a knight guarding a prince's honor. Her main objection was that she thought Jiang Kesong sounded like a bread-based relative of gingerbread. Ultimately, Xia Lan relented and followed her lead, calling him "Classmate Jiang Song."
After many days, Xia Lan finally thought of this distant event, but she could only come up with a conclusion that anyone could easily draw, "Because Jiang Song didn't take the fact of being secretly photographed seriously at all."
Xia Cun didn't like this answer. She pointed out to Xia Lan, "But he'll tell other people who take secret photos that it's very rude."
"Really? So he said something like that." Xia Lan pushed up her glasses. The reflection from the lenses made her look like a sinister character from an anime. "But what he let you hear means he's already responded to this matter, right?"
Xia Cun had a stern face, as if he didn't understand.
Xia Lan continued, "Xia Zuncheng, it's not that Jiang Song didn't ask you about this. He just felt that he had already responded to you about this matter. Taking secret photos is very rude."
"So, go home, Xia Zuncheng. Summer vacation is still long."
"don't want."
Xia Cun refused outright, and after the refusal, he took the initiative to hang up the call with Xia Lan for the first time.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Kiddo in the rebellious period [milk tea]
The second volume is here, and the title chooses the latter between "The Gift is Heavy" and "わあ、重い", which means wow, it's heavy, and adopts some of Jiang Kesong's tone.
The summary of the catalog page is "The Prince and the Knight". You wouldn't have thought it was Xia Zun in The Knight [hug] I love building catalog pages so much!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
