Chapter 30
The following days felt so unreal that Narumi couldn't even figure out how long that period lasted; in short, the entire Hoskai disappeared from his consciousness.
In fact, Cheng Shi was still the same as before, replying to emails, typing on the computer, reading documents, holding regular meetings, reporting to leaders at all levels, assigning tasks to colleagues in the team, having lunch, smoking, drinking coffee, and chatting with Jack and his buddies. When he met Candy, he would still show that domineering CEO-like charming smile, and even stop to chat with her for a few words to show that they were indeed friends.
But in reality, the daytime and Hoskai were just transitional periods for Narumi's nightlife; they no longer held any meaning for her.
Every day, Cheng Shi could only truly wake up when he stepped out of the subway station at sunset and got into his secondhand, royal blue BMW X1, before driving off without a moment's hesitation towards his new life. Lately, every evening at dinner, Cheng Shi would sit with Huang Ruoyu for a few drinks to strengthen their resolve and boost their spirits, while Cheng Yushan and Cheng Yusi would sit quietly to the side, eating their own meals without a fuss, like two little wallflowers.
It was during this period that Chengshi and Huang Ruoyu's relationship rapidly blossomed. They had endless things to talk about every day, just like when they were deeply in love. However, this was nothing compared to what was to come. Only after the children had gone to bed and the bedroom doors were tightly closed did Chengshi and Huang Ruoyu's most wonderful life truly begin!
After the children fell asleep in their upstairs bedrooms, the two of them would return to the living room downstairs. Usually, Huang Ruoyu would be charmingly curled up on the chaise longue, while Cheng Shi would lean against the TV wall, his face turned towards Huang Ruoyu, his eyes roaming greedily over her body. They would continue drinking, smoking, and chatting about everything under the sun, just like when they used to mingle with the artists in Shucun, except now it was just the two of them. Then, their love blossomed.
Just like back then, Cheng Shi would always stroll slowly around the living room with his characteristic cat-like gait when he spoke, Huang Ruoyu's eyes following him intently, her head and shoulders even shifting with his steps. Whenever Cheng Shi felt he had expressed a particularly insightful point, he would turn to look at Huang Ruoyu, his eyes filled with smugness. Then, when it was Huang Ruoyu's turn to speak, Cheng Shi would listen attentively while pacing, nodding as he went. After she finished speaking, the two would once again look excitedly into each other's eyes. When their eyes met, they would exchange a knowing smile, as if to say: I know I'm bragging, and you are too, but so what? Anyway, I love you, and you love me!
Who cares? Regardless of what they say or how they say it, the content and tone of their voices all convey the same message: they have been reborn and will become better people from now on!
Right now, Huang Ruoyu was leaning back on the chaise longue, her modern Chinese-style embroidered silk robe elegantly lifted from her waist to her ankles, revealing her beautiful legs. Under the soft light, Huang Ruoyu's swan-like neck was flawless, and her face was as serene as a delicate flower. She was completely different from the embarrassed college student in her acting class, the angry wife sweating profusely and wielding a shovel, the numb housewife who endured weekend gatherings with Sun Pengfei and Su Ningna, and the enthusiastic young woman in a lace apron on Cheng Shi's 35th birthday.
The current Huang Ruoyu no longer speaks in a high-pitched voice, but rather in a soft voice and at a low volume. Whenever she is amused by Cheng Shi and laughs heartily, or leans forward to flick away cigarette ash, she always exudes a charming retro Hong Kong style, resembling her mother Huang Lizhen, and even more beautiful, sexy, and sophisticated than Huang Lizhen.
However, Cheng Shi gradually realized that the same changes were happening to himself. He found that at Haoshikai, he began to speak in a completely new way, slower and more thoughtful than usual, and his tone was also lower than before, but overall he became more fluent, more authoritative, and more persuasive. When presiding over team meetings, he no longer lowered his head from time to time or deliberately turned his face away when he was nervous, but was more willing to express his views clearly and more firmly demand that his subordinates carry out his decisions.
Chengshi had always complained that his workstation had a rare view because it was right next to a huge floor-to-ceiling window, where he suffered from the scorching sun. But lately, Chengshi had grown fond of his workstation, frequently gazing at the window. He admitted that although he considered himself a handsome and charming man, in the reflection of the window, his appearance wasn't as flawless as his wife, Huang Ruoyu's: if he didn't drink an extra shot of black coffee every morning, his face would puff up, his lips would look dull, his trousers were always ironed too stiff by Huang Ruoyu, and his shirts, being too formal, carried a strong air of a white-collar worker from the CBD. However, during some afternoon teas, when Chengshi's throat was dry and his eyes were itchy from talking too much that day, when he hunched his shoulders, adjusted his chin, and loosened his tie, letting it hang like a rope around his neck, he could see a great man emerging from his cocoon in the reflection of the window, bravely facing his new life.
However, this period became overwhelming for the two married children. What did it really mean to go to school in Dali next year? Why did Mom keep emphasizing that it would be a lot of fun, as if afraid they would doubt it? And why did Mom find everything so interesting? Every afternoon when Mom picked them up from school, she would hug and kiss them, then excitedly and hurriedly ask them about what happened at school while driving, but when they answered, she would become distracted, and after a long while she would say, "Oh, okay, stop talking so much, let Mom have some peace and quiet."
Even their father's return home couldn't dispel the children's doubts. Cheng Shi would play games with them, like sticking, hugging, and lifting them high in the air, letting them ride on his shoulders like a horse until they were dizzy and disoriented. But this usually happened after their father had greeted their mother at DK. The children wondered why it took so long for their father to greet their mother, and why their father was completely unaware of their presence during that time. Then, at dinner, the two children couldn't even find a chance to chime in or talk about the interesting things that happened at school. Cheng Yu Si, a senior in kindergarten, found that his mother no longer cared about him as much as before when he sat in his high chair rocking back and forth, saying silly things that only kindergarteners say, or smacking his lips while eating. Meanwhile, Cheng Yu Shan, a third grader, sat upright in her adult high chair, completely ignoring her younger brother's childish behavior. Instead, she pretended to show great interest in her parents' conversation, and what made her even more grateful was that her mother had stopped worrying about whether she did her homework. But if it gets any later, Cheng Yushan usually won't be able to stay awake until bedtime. She'll suck her thumb and quietly fall asleep amidst her parents' conversation.
For the two children, only one thing had brought them comfort during this time—they could finally sleep peacefully, no longer fearing being awakened by sudden banging noises, heavy breathing, slamming doors, or loud arguments. Those terrifying things were a thing of the past. Now, after dinner, the two children could stay in the living room with their parents, listening to their soft, gentle conversations. Even when they went back to their bedrooms, the rising and falling tones of their voices would gradually blend into their dreams. If they woke up at night, turned over, or kicked off the covers, there was no need to worry, because they knew with peace of mind that the soft voices continued downstairs in the living room—one voice very deep, the other very melodious. The two voices, rising and falling, would accompany them back to sleep.
"Look at this, it's school bullying again! There's really no hope in this era!" After making sure the children were all asleep, Cheng Shi walked around the living room scrolling through his phone while saying to Huang Ruoyu, who was curled up on the chaise lounge, "It's like a contagious disease, spreading everywhere and affecting generation after generation!"
“That’s right!” Huang Ruoyu replied approvingly.
"Ultimately, the current education system has serious problems. In this day and age, youth issues have surpassed other problems. The current education system only makes children materialistic, spiritually empty, fearful of everything, and has many other problems. The problem is that we lack a genuine cultural tradition to educate our children; we have lost our cultural tradition, which inevitably leads to this outcome. We talk about cultural confidence every day, but where is that confidence actually manifested? Regardless of the reasons for this situation, the result is the destruction of hope for the future. All thoughts and feelings are continuously degenerating, and the so-called 'positive energy' guidance is nothing more than telling children to be blindly optimistic, to face everything with a smile, to tell them there is always an easy way out. This romantic sentiment has been deeply rooted in the values of every bullied teenager!"
“Yes!” Huang Ruoyu said, “This is the education in schools nowadays! You should really take a look at the homework that Shanshan’s school assigns!”
"And look at the boys these days, they're all so gay. And look at those mindless TV dramas, those fake plots and clumsy sentimentality are all based on something against human nature, yet they insist on saying that this is how family members support each other, that it's healing, that it's a noble sentiment! And all those WeChat groups in every family."
"You mean 'a loving family'?"
“Yes!” Cheng Shi stopped and looked at Huang Ruoyu with a smile. He was very happy that she could understand his thoughts so accurately. “It’s those ‘loving family’ types, whether they’re surnamed Zhang, Wang, Li, or Zhao, they’re all ‘loving family’. I guess the Sun family also has such a WeChat group, with his father, his stepmothers, and his half-sisters. Even if they don’t have one yet, judging from his evolution speed, they will soon.”
As she spoke, Chengshi laughed and said with deep emotion, "I can't believe we almost became like that too."
“But we didn’t do that,” Huang Ruoyu said, looking at Cheng Shi with deep affection. “That’s the most important thing.”
It was late at night again when Chengshi approached the chaise lounge, sat down on the edge of the tea table, looked at Huang Ruoyu, and said, "Do you know what this feels like, Xiaoyuer? It's the feeling I get from being able to sit together like this and chat about going to Dali?"
Cheng Shi was a little nervous, and his tone involuntarily rose, but he still continued, "It's like rescuing yourself from a plastic bag. It's like we've been packed in some kind of plastic delivery bag for a long time without knowing it, and then, suddenly, we're free!"
“That’s what I thought too, one time…” Huang Ruoyu said.
Judging from Huang Ruoyu's shy lips, Cheng Shi knew that what she was about to say would be very gentle and considerate. So, like a shy little boy, he didn't dare to look Huang Ruoyu in the eye, but asked her, "Which time?"
"It was... on your birthday... when we made love."
The coffee table wobbled strangely a few times before settling down, though the wine glasses on it continued to tremble. Cheng Shi's act of sitting down at the coffee table earlier seemed like a remarkably original and beautiful gesture. Now, Cheng Shi had moved from the edge of the coffee table to the edge of the chaise lounge and pulled Huang Ruoyu into his arms. And at that moment, the night abruptly ended.
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