Chapter Thirty-Four
Zhou Mo was shocked by Yu Xi's sudden return, as was Qi Xiao, who was standing next to her. Qi Xiao, who had just woken up and was still not quite clear-headed, couldn't help but swear the moment he saw Yu Xi, "Damn it."
When Zhou Mo looked over, Qi Xiao realized what was happening and gave Zhou Mo a shy look, saying, "I'm still a little sleepy."
Yu Xi ignored Qi Xiao's showy behavior and silently served the brunch meal on the table, sitting there without saying a word on the weekend.
Qi Xiao sensed that the atmosphere was strange. Although she wanted to stay longer, Qi Kai seemed to have caught wind of it and started calling to urge her on. It was really kind of him to have endured it all night. Qi Xiao answered the phone without any guilt.
Qi Kai's furious voice came through the phone, and Qi Xiao instinctively moved the phone further away.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
"Momo, let's meet another day. We'll keep in touch by phone then." Qi Xiao waved his phone, and Zhou Mo nodded.
Zhou Mo and Yu Xi were left alone in the room again. The two were silent, with the occasional sound of a spoon hitting the rim of a bowl. Other than that, there was nothing else.
An eerie silence persisted until the dishwashing stage.
The two of them went into the kitchen at the same time and reached for the sink faucet together. As their fingertips touched, Zhou Mo couldn't help but speak up, "Weren't you not coming back?"
"Didn't you get it?"
"Isn't it just something to do and then it'll all be over?"
"Anyway, you're an adult now, no one can control you anymore."
"Do whatever you want, I'm just worrying about things that don't concern me."
Yu Xi stopped helping with the dishes, instead leaning against the door with her arms crossed, a smile on her face, watching Zhou Mo.
Zhou Mo glanced over and saw Yu Xi laughing, and retorted without hesitation, "What are you laughing at?"
Do you know what I want to do right now?
"Do whatever you want."
"I'll call you Mom."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mo stopped washing the dishes, her eyes widening as she stared at Yu Xi as if she were looking at some strange creature. Her half-step back completely broke Yu Xi's composure. "Hey, you really are something else."
"What's wrong with me?" Zhou Mo straightened her back. "You just leave whenever you want, and then you come back calling me 'Mom.' You haven't gotten into some kind of circle you shouldn't be in, have you?"
"I'm a respectable person, I don't do those things."
Yu Xi was amused by his anger. He moved closer to Zhou Mo, who retreated to a corner with nowhere left to go. "What are those? I don't understand. Can you explain it to me?"
"That's all, that's all." Zhou Mo's eyes became increasingly unfocused as she spoke.
Yu Xi touched her forehead with her fingertips, and the slight coolness made Zhou Mo truly feel that Yu Xi was right in front of her.
"Get the crap out of your head before we talk."
"What is it?" Zhou Mo realized what was going on after she finished speaking. Her eyes lit up as she stared intently at Yu Xi. "You promised me?"
"This needs to be investigated further."
"What's there to investigate? Come on, let's fill out the forms. We're going to be seniors." Zhou Mo happily pulled Yu Xi to school.
Along the way, Yu Xi listened to Zhou Mo's chattering voice, occasionally mixed with the chirping of cicadas in summer, and felt a refreshing breeze. If he were to talk about life, this would definitely be the happiest day of his life so far. If he were to talk about the present, he would want to hold onto the tail of time and repeat it day after day until he got tired of it.
With the help of Zhou Mo's homeroom teacher and He Ru's encouragement, Yu Xi's enrollment procedures went very smoothly. Zhou Mo looked at the application form with even greater joy than when she saw her own admission notice.
"Walk."
"Where are we going again?" Yu Xi asked impatiently, but her body followed Zhou Mo obediently.
Zhou Mo glanced back at him. "Take a picture." She then patted the blue and white school uniform she was holding.
Yu Xi is good-looking, has a great figure, and has excellent taste in clothes. Zhou Mo usually sees Yu Xi wearing brightly colored clothes, so this is the first time she has seen her wearing such light blue and white clothes.
Yu Xi came out of the dressing room after changing her clothes, her gaze landing precisely on Zhou Mo's face. Seeing Zhou Mo's amazed look, she subtly curled the corners of her mouth.
"It's alright." He pretended to be dissatisfied with the school uniform, tugging at it here and there.
Finally, Zhou Mo stepped forward and slapped away Yu Xi's messy hands, then began to straighten Yu Xi's clothes, saying, "Don't pick anymore, they look great on you."
Is it pretty?
Yu Xi was asking a question he already knew the answer to.
Zhou Mo could easily tell the difference, but she was in a good mood today and didn't want to argue with Yu Xi, so she went along with his wishes and replied, "He looks really good, really handsome. He's the most handsome person I've ever seen in a school uniform."
Yu Xi was satisfied, and the corners of her mouth curled up even more.
Zhou Mo laughed and cursed inwardly, "What a scoundrel!"
The two smiled at each other, as if there had never been any estrangement between them, and they had always been so friendly and happy. But they both knew in their hearts that this peace was temporary, and there was always a bomb between them that could explode at any time. What made Zhou Mo even more uncomfortable was that she didn't know how many more bombs were there.
He Ru was about to meet Zhou Mo for the fourth time.
This time, Zhou Mo chose the location, a park with a nice environment, few people, and beautiful scenery. The two sat together on a bench, with a standard social distance between them.
Zhou Mo was about to speak when He Ru praised the scenery first, "This park is different from other parks. It's all trees, unlike others which are full of flowers, so there are fewer people. These trees are older than the people who come to see the scenery. You managed to find a place like this. Your flowers at home smell so good!"
Meeting He Ru's ambiguous smile, she recalled Qi Xiao's description of He Ru: "The boss with a smiling tiger face"—a very apt description indeed.
Compared to the maturity and sophistication she displayed during our last meeting, this time she exuded a more worldly and江湖-like air.
"It's alright, it doesn't smell very good either."
"That's because the trees are just too captivating."
"I just picked someone randomly."
He Ru continued to press, "So I just picked someone randomly?"
"Of course not, I came here specifically to find you."
He Ru was satisfied and didn't say anything more. "I know why you came to see me. It's always Ah Xi. He's already gone back. Aren't you satisfied?"
"Why use the word 'satisfied'?" Zhou Mo asked, puzzled.
He Ru sneered, but the smile vanished the moment she looked at Zhou Mo. He Ru exuded an oppressive aura. "You don't treat Yu Xi as family. You just treat him as a plaything that you can control. You suddenly lost your family and are lonely. You happened to meet Yu Xi, who lost his family many years ago. You know very well what he craves, so you beckon him with your finger and he takes the bait."
Zhou Mo did not deny He Ru's words, because his words reflected a part of her past emotional journey.
She retorted again, "You know everything, so why don't you give Yu Xi what he wants? He's very good at fighting, and although he seems smart, he's actually quite stubborn. You can just beckon him with a flick of your finger."
“If Ah-Xi hears what you say, he will be heartbroken.”
"Hasn't he been heartbroken all this time?" Zhou Mo's words were laced with sarcasm. She stood up and looked down at He Ru. "The people who have been making him heartbroken are you, aren't they?"
"Do you feel superior? You talk about people behind their backs, about other people's pain, to show off your strategic brilliance. Are you proud of that?" Zhou Mo exhaled. "I called you here today just to ask if Yu Xi has been with you lately. Now it seems unnecessary. I will not let him leave my home again."
Zhou Mo turned and left, and He Ru did not say anything to stop her.
He sat alone on a bench surrounded by ancient trees, his gaze stretching infinitely into the distance, giving He Ru a sense of weightlessness, as if she couldn't find her footing. "In that case, I guess you could say I've helped you."
"She hates me now, there won't be a future for us."
Humans are truly despicable; they can suddenly and unexpectedly fall in love with something they can't afford, either fighting tooth and nail for it or just envying it, only to end up either getting it but having nothing at all, or having it forever but never having it and keeping it as a cherished thought.
Either one is annoying.
Why not bend over, resting your forehead on your thumb, to hide your worried brows?
"That's fine then."
Zhou Mo walked home, and she walked very fast, with a brisk pace. Passersby couldn't help but look at her and whisper to each other, saying that kids these days are really decisive and efficient.
When they reached the bridge across the river, a gust of wind from the river woke Zhou Mo up.
What did she just do? Did she offend He Ru, the smiling tiger boss? He's the boss of the third district. After what she said, I wonder if he'll secretly trip her up behind her back.
Probably not, but it might be different if it were Shawn or Qi Kai.
I was too impulsive.
At this moment, Zhou Mo felt with absolute clarity the importance and influence Yu Xi had on her.
This reminded her of the reading comprehension section of the college entrance examination. She really wanted to open her mind and take a closer look at how to understand it and change her perception.
Of course, that's impossible.
That's impossible!
Zhou Mo leaned against the railing and sighed a few times. The river flowing below seemed to hear her troubles and churned a few waves as if in response.
Zhou Mo smiled as she watched.
Humans are really strange; they always feel that they will receive a response, whether from people, things, nature, or the universe.
Can't people be silent? Everything is silent and still.
From birth to death.
As soon as Zhou Mo calmed down, she started to have random, illogical thoughts. This was one of the few times her brain could rest, but once she did, she inevitably thought of her parents.
She's not like she was last year, when she would burst into tears at the mere thought of it; now she goes to see it whenever she feels like it.
If you remember, then remember; if you miss, then miss. Why suppress it? It's not like it's some shameful feeling.
Those were her most beloved father and mother.
The tombstone was polished to a shine. Zhou Mo placed some wildflowers she had casually picked from the roadside in front of the grave. "I'm here again. I've been coming quite often lately, so don't find me annoying."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I just miss you all. Don't overthink it, I just miss you."
"Dad, Mom, I really miss you."
"real."
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