If you behave, I'll take you away.
Cicadas chirped, and leaves rustled.
"Songhe? Do you remember what Mom said?" A capable and assertive female voice came from above Jiang Songhe's head.
“What…Mom…” Jiang Songhe’s eyes focused from a chaotic green blur, and his gaze fell on the narrow waist of a red plaid vintage jacket. His eyelashes fluttered a few times, he raised his hand to rub his eyes, and tilted his head back.
"You silly child, why are you so absent-minded... Don't make your mother worry." Shen Jun pulled Jiang Songhe under the shade of a tree, where the cicadas chirping and leaves rustling around her ears became even clearer. "Boarding school is not like home. Now that Mom is gone, you'll have to learn to be sweet-toothed and get along well with your teachers and classmates."
Shen Jun released his hand from the canvas suitcase, bent down to straighten the shoulder lines and collar of Jiang Songhe's new school uniform, then stretched his palm upwards, moved it to the tender cheek, hesitated, and finally gently touched the furrowed brow with his fingertips.
She added, "And also, little kids shouldn't always be frowning like an old man. If you don't want to grow up, you won't be able to iron your face smooth."
Shen Jun stared at Jiang Songhe's face for a long time, lost in thought. Jiang Songhe looked back at him, her lips trembling slightly as she hesitated to speak. When both mother and son's eyes began to redden, Shen Jun gave Jiang Songhe's head a slight push and straightened up.
"Okay, if you need money in the future, just call Mom. Mom's leaving now."
Although she knew this was a dream and that nothing she did would change the course of events in reality, Jiang Songhe, watching Shen Jun's figure recede into the distance, suddenly felt a strong urge to be willful and not be as independent and sensible as she had been back then.
He imagined himself like other troublemakers his age, throwing tantrums and screaming when he couldn't get what he wanted.
"Mom—" But for the 35-year-old Jiang Songhe inside her body, it wasn't so easy.
He only called out to Shen Jun's retreating figure, all the words stuck in his throat. He simply ran in the direction Shen Jun had gone, but when his mother actually turned around upon hearing the call, he immediately stopped and stood frozen, unable to move.
“Um, Mom… Mom, you… you can’t… Mom…” Jiang Songhe felt his throat being tightly gripped by an invisible force, which was gradually taking away his language and logic.
Shen Jun turned back to Jiang Songhe with worry. Seeing her flushed face, she finally managed to touch her cheek, though she spoke in a carefree, joking tone, her voice choked with emotion: "Your mom and dad are going to make money, not to die, don't..."
These words were like a sharpened knife, piercing straight into Jiang Songhe's Achilles' heel.
The high wall built over 18 years collapsed in an instant, and what was behind the wall overturned down, crushing everything, but at the same time, a sense of relief rose up.
The grip on her throat dissipated, and tears streamed down her face. Jiang Songhe grabbed the hand on her cheek and pleaded in a suppressed voice, "Take me with you, please!"
He tried to open his arms to hug Shen Jun, but was shocked to find that the body was shrinking rapidly. In a panic, he rushed to hug her slender neck before he could reach her, and clung tightly to his mother's cool and soft body.
"I'm so tired, so tired, Mom..." He used his increasing strength to prove his determination.
"Don't cry..." Shen Jun was probably in pain from being pestered, so he pushed away a little and lowered his head to cup Jiang Songhe's face. "You're not handsome anymore."
Despite saying that, Shen Jun gently and patiently wiped away Jiang Songhe's tears one by one.
Perhaps because her body had shrunk, her ability to withstand pressure had also decreased. The more gently and patiently Shen Jun comforted her, the more Jiang Songhe felt wronged and cried even more miserably.
"Alright, alright, cry all you want." Shen Jun sighed helplessly, grabbed Jiang Songhe's head and pressed it against his neck, letting him vent his frustrations on his shoulder.
Jiang Songhe realized that her noisy and childish behavior had probably annoyed her mother, so she pursed her lips and tried to hold back her tears by using the pain from her teeth.
"What's wrong now, hmm?" Shen Jun patted Jiang Songhe as he listened to the mosquito's hum, coaxing, "Cry, it's just a human instinct."
Jiang Songhe felt extremely embarrassed, but tears continued to stream down her face. Her mouth was tightly shut, yet it did not stop her from making loud sobbing noises!
Shen Jun was drawn to the sound, which resembled a baby's burp. She lifted Jiang Songhe's chin to look at his annoyed face, then smiled with a mix of amusement and warmth. She used her lips to peck away the large droplets of water flowing from the spring, saying as she did so, "Be good, and I'll take you away."
Jiang Songhe took her fragmented words as a promise, greedily inhaling her comforting fragrance, and gradually calmed down.
The surrounding verdant background blurred as my calm mood settled in, and was then tinged with the darkness of night.
Although the night was dark, it was no longer so cold and despairing...
-
The first rays of morning light slanted across half of Jiang Songhe's face, the warmth playfully ruffling the translucent downy hairs on her skin. This subtle, ticklish sensation caused a heat to rise in her lower body, her eyebrows twitching as she awoke.
His senses were incoherent, unable to distinguish which one returned first. He smelled a familiar fragrance, and felt a tingling numbness in one shoulder and arm. He heard someone say good morning nearby, but then mischievously nuzzled against him. His scalp tingled, and he instantly opened his eyes, only to meet a pair of narrow eyes staring drowsily at him.
"Good morning." His eyes held a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Good morning to you too."
Jiang Songhe shuddered in surprise, and was about to curse when she choked on the salty and bitter taste in her mouth: "Cough cough... Get lost."
Jonah was pushed away, but he was neither ashamed nor angry. He simply bent one arm to support his head and watched with great interest as Jiang Songhe, with his messy hair, blushed and tried to cover up his embarrassment by stuffing a pillow between the two of them as a dividing line.
Jiang Songhe got up too suddenly, her head was buzzing, and before her vision could focus, she couldn't help but glare at the person opposite her: "I'd rather believe a ghost than trust you to be honest."
"I'm not being honest?" Upon hearing this, Jonathan seemed to have seized upon something amusing. He flipped over and straddled Jiang Songhe, pinning her beneath him and looking down at her. "Who was that who held onto me all night, crying pitifully and begging for my attention..."
Jonathan leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Mom?"
Jiang Songhe's face turned completely red. He reflexively pulled back, and when he was backed against the headboard with nowhere left to retreat, he covered his ear and cursed, "Are you talking nonsense?!"
"Don't believe me? Look?" Jonathan pouted cheekily, reaching into the collar of his robe to expose his chest. "Don't believe me? See for yourself!"
There was a large, dried white stain stuck there, and the delicate red velvet fabric was ruined and hardened in patches.
"..." The soreness in his eyes confirmed that what Jonah had said was true. Jiang Songhe's brain went blank, and he slumped against the headboard with a deathly pale face.
Jonathan pressed down further, hunching over, and continued his attack: "This robe is one of only three handmade masterpieces in the world—one in the Queen's wardrobe, one in a haute couture museum, and one on me. A work of art that money can't buy—and you used it to wipe your nose! Tell me… how are you going to compensate me for this?!"
Jiang Songhe's body was as stiff as a corpse, with only his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. But subconsciously, he weighed the options and realized that unless he had John Wick's skills to rob the haute couture museum, he was completely helpless.
Jonah smiled slyly and proposed a cost-effective and directly feasible compensation plan.
He lifted his knee and slowly pushed the annoying pillow aside, saying, "I'm also 'early' here, so why don't we help each other out? It's fair, and it won't break your rule. It can even be considered as you reviewing your lessons, hmm?"
After saying that, Jonathan reached down with one hand.
Jiang Songhe reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, using both hands and feet to shove Jonathan aside, leap off the bed, and stride towards the door. He stopped abruptly at the door, realizing what was happening, and said righteously, "You couldn't possibly have only worn this robe for me once."
Seizing this psychological leverage, he hardened his stance: "I will pay you ten times the dry cleaning fee as compensation. But now, please leave; this is my room."
"Really? How did Mr. Jiang unlock his new role as a judge on a talent show?"
"I have my own way of doing things."
"Let me guess. Your connection came from your friend? His name is Kun Ji'en?"
"So what if it is?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to give you a helpful little tip."
"explain."
“Kun Ji’en, he lives in B.”
"...?!"
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