26. Are you mad at me?
Sun Changming treated Tang Sizhuo as his own son. Xiao Tong saw it and took advantage of the situation. By whispering something in his ear, Xiao Tong successfully got Tang Sizhuo to register the villa under his name at the end of August.
With her promotion a foregone conclusion, Xiao Tong became a hot topic among Jiangming City's wealthy wives, helping Sun Changming secure government approval for several projects. Jiangming City was planning to develop a high-tech industrial park on the outskirts of the city, with schools, hospitals, residential buildings, and shopping malls all slated for construction. It all depended on who could seize the initiative. Seeing a bigger slice of the pie here, Sun Changming no longer fretted over the share split with his ex-wife, and simply cashed out a large sum. He no longer cared about the small price of a suburban villa, simply considering it a way to please his wife and daughter.
After a rain, the temperature dropped five or six degrees, the air was fresh, and the night breeze was comfortable. Sun Changming had recently been enjoying a bit of family life, and he was quite in the mood. He asked his aunt to decorate the rooftop terrace, and the whole family had a happy barbecue.
Despite Zhang Bowen's disapproval, Tang Sizhuo gradually found a joy in exercise itself. After the intense soreness, her muscles developed and became lighter. As a result, her condition gradually improved, and as long as she wasn't thinking about Zeng Xiasheng, she felt quite happy. Sun Changming was happy. Xiao Tong had no reason to mind her daughter eating sizzling, oily, and salty grilled beef and mutton. She simply changed her tune, urging her to eat more, exercise more, and become as confident and cheerful as the other kids in the gym. However, Tang Sizhuo had always eaten a light diet, nibbling on food only briefly. She often spent her time sipping juice, listening to her parents' conversation with a half-understood understanding.
As the night wore on, Sun Changming, feeling drunk, went back to his room to sleep. Xiao Tong was still tipsy, but she didn't want to sleep. Her long efforts had finally paid off, and a huge weight of relief fell from her heart. Overwhelmed with emotion, she held her daughter in her arms and gazed at the stars.
"Your father could recognize all the stars in the sky. When he was young, he often counted them for me, telling me what constellation this was and what satellite that was."
Tang Sizhuo sat in her arms, rocking her gently. She knew Xiao Tong was definitely not talking about her current father, but her biological father, Tang Jiahua.
"At that time, I thought it was great. He knew so much and had such a high degree... I thought if he could get out of the mountains, he would definitely be able to climb from the bottom to the top. If I married him, my life would be better and better."
Xiao Tong suddenly laughed out loud, looking at Tang Sizhuo with eyes full of smiles, and kissed her nose. "Your father was very popular back then. He was one of the first batch of graduate students in Jiangming City. There were a lot of girls chasing after him from matchmakers. Their families were better off than mine, but so what? A pretty face is a woman's capital."
The corners of her mouth that were raised gradually fell back, and she didn't know when it turned into fatigue. She buried her head in Tang Sizhuo's neck and sighed deeply.
"It was such a glorious time when I married your dad. Even the big bosses from his company came. But now, my eyes can only see words on books, not what's in people's hearts. I can't compete for a separate apartment, and I'm even ostracized at the office. Your aunt couldn't win over me, so she ended up marrying a local tycoon. She couldn't hold her head up high, and she was too embarrassed to have a wedding at the same time as me. But as soon as she got the marriage certificate, she got a car and a house. Oh, she immediately became arrogant, showing off to me every now and then, saying that she didn't have to do any housework herself."
Tang Sizhuo didn't really understand. She often thought Zeng Xiasheng's life was pretty good, too: he could go wherever he wanted and knew more than she did. Once, when their elementary school teacher asked them to go home and help their parents wash the dishes, Tang Sizhuo, under her aunt's guidance, got all sudsy and broke two bowls. But she was so happy that day; it was one of the few times she could laugh out loud at home. So later, she wanted to wash again, but Xiao Tong wouldn't let her, saying dishwashing liquid would hurt her hands and that being confined to the kitchen was a dead end.
Xiao Tong and her cousin had been fighting overtly and covertly since childhood, but now she was completely proud of herself. She gently kissed Tang Sizhuo on the face again and again, her eyes reflecting the moon, full of pride and satisfaction, shining brightly.
"It's okay. Dad can't give you a living, but Mom will earn it for you."
She pulled Tang Sizhuo's hand up again, interlocked their pinkies, and whispered softly, "But mom will also grow old and become useless, so you have to climb up, climb up, and when you climb high enough, come back to take care of mom."
On the last day of the holiday, Tang Sizhuo packed her schoolbag and prepared to go to bed early. Sun Changming had already arranged for her to transfer from the Affiliated Middle School to No. 8 Middle School. Xiao Tong was initially dissatisfied. The teaching quality of No. 8 Middle School was comparable to that of the Affiliated Middle School, but there were no pre-admission quotas, and it was far from home. However, Sun Changming explained that No. 8 Middle School had close ties with international high schools in the provincial capital, often organizing student study tours and club activities, making it easier to send Tang Sizhuo to study abroad.
Xiao Tong had never considered this path before, and it was difficult for her to accept it. However, Sun Changming explained that students whose families couldn't afford it were forced to take the long route. She then made some inquiries and discovered that many families in her area had already sent, or planned to send, their older children abroad. She was torn between wanting her daughter to leave too far from home and fearing her own shortsightedness and misjudgment would lead to her being looked down upon. She reluctantly compromised and agreed to attend No. 8 Middle School first, leaving the possibility of studying abroad for two years.
Naturally, the new school wouldn't check the summer homework a transfer student had done at their previous school, but Tang Sizhuo completed it meticulously. She'd originally put it in her schoolbag, but after thinking it was unnecessary, she took it out and put it back on her desk. After finishing her homework, she turned off the overhead light and left the desk lamp on all night. For some reason, she'd been afraid of the dark since she was a child, and she'd thought it would get better with age, but it hadn't. The nightlight wasn't enough; she needed the desk lamp to illuminate the entire bedroom, leaving no blind spots unlit, to sleep peacefully.
Just as she finished washing up and climbed into bed, she suddenly heard two muffled dings in the room. Tang Sizhu was startled and lost all sleep. She immediately retreated to the wall, wanting to go out and find her mother. However, when she grabbed the door handle, she suddenly realized what the sound was.
It was the mobile phone that Sun Changming bought for her.
With nowhere to use it after getting it back, Tang Sizhu would only charge it on time during the weekends, and the rest of the time it would be left on the bedside table gathering dust.
Only two people knew the phone number. Sun Changming slept next door, so there was no need for him to contact her in this way - could it be Zeng Xiasheng?
Tang Sizhu's heart beat faster and he hurriedly took out his cell phone from the drawer. Sure enough, the small flower on the back of the phone was flashing, indicating a new text message.
What will he post?
Should he ask her why she doesn't go to the affiliated high school anymore, or scold her for being selfish, saying she is his best friend when he needs her, but kicking her away without even giving a reason when he doesn't need her?
Tang Sizhuo sat on the edge of the bed, lowered his head and looked at the lit screen. His breathing was trembling, his fingertips were shaking, and he didn't even have the courage to click on it to check.
Perhaps Zeng Xiasheng wouldn't be angry, wouldn't hold a grudge against what happened the other day, and would remain as friendly and gentle as before. However, Tang Sizhuo's mood darkened even further as she thought about it. She had already made a grave mistake, so it would be better to get angry at her than to forgive her. Otherwise, she would continue to torture herself.
After hesitating for a long time, she closed her eyes, her palms covered in cold sweat from nervousness. She fumbled to open the text message and opened her eyes fearfully to read it.
It was an empty text message with no content.
Although September had already entered autumn, the temperature in Jiangming City remained above 30 degrees Celsius. The flowers of spring and summer were gradually withering, the grass and trees were in full bloom, and under the scorching sun, the mountains and plains were covered with lush green.
Tang Sizhuo circled around the elementary school gate, unable to rush in in front of people. Finally, he waited until there was no one around before he climbed over the fence and went up the mountain along a trampled path behind the school building.
Xiao Tong had recently become obsessed with socializing with women, her schedule even busier than Sun Changming's. Sun Changming had long opposed her keeping their daughter at home, raising her to be submissive and obedient. That was fine when she was little, but a laughing stock when she grew up. So Tang Sizhuo easily gained his approval by using the excuse of going out to sketch.
She pushed aside the branches and climbed upward. At first, she could hear cars passing and pedestrians chatting below. However, the higher she climbed, the denser the branches and leaves grew, blocking out the sunlight and the sounds from the foothills. The cool breeze rustled the leaves. Tang Sizhuo, apprehensive, slowed her steps. After scrambling for a dozen meters, she finally dared not go any further.
She had impulsively written back that day, saying she wanted to meet him, and Zeng Xiasheng had arranged the meeting here. However, now that she had gotten to the point where her initial anticipation and trepidation had been overshadowed by fear, Tang Sizhuo even felt a little aggrieved, thinking Zeng Xiasheng must have begun to dislike her.
Maybe he wasn't waiting up there at all, and calling her over was just a punishment.
"here."
Zeng Xiasheng's voice suddenly came from behind him. Tang Sizhuo turned around suddenly and saw him climbing up the tree trunk.
To avoid being seen by others, he asked Tang Sizhuo to walk inside after going up the mountain. However, Tang Sizhuo arrived later than expected. Zeng Xiasheng waited for a long time but didn't see her. The signal in the mountains was not good, so he was worried that she would take the wrong path, so he climbed all the way to the top, but still didn't find her.
When he'd skipped class and hiked up the mountain, he hadn't noticed how dark it was under the shade of the trees. He'd have known better than to ask her out. Tang Sizhuo rarely went out, so it was hard to find a deserted spot within her reach. Standing at the top, Zeng Xiasheng pondered for a moment, suspecting Tang Sizhuo didn't have the guts to leave. He took a shortcut, quickly turned back, and climbed again. Sure enough, he saw her stuck halfway up.
Tang Sizhuo stared at him, his eyes suddenly turned red, his hands and feet curled up uncomfortably, he bit his lips tightly, and couldn't say a word.
Zeng Xiasheng took a few steps closer and stood in front of her.
He knew well how much Tang Sizhuo feared being accused of an affair. After hearing increasingly outrageous rumors from Wang Hui, he could fully imagine her pain, even without meeting her. He hesitated for a long time, unsure whether he should contact her. She might need his comfort, just as she did in childhood, but since this incident was caused by him, she might not want to see him again, and she would find peace by excluding him from her memory.
After struggling until the last day of the holiday, he sent an empty text message.
He had promised her that she would receive at least one text message from a friend before the end of the holiday, and he would keep his promise.
"I'm sorry." Zeng Xiasheng said.
The tears in Tang Sizhuo's eyes loosened as his voice sounded, and they began to fall one after another. She could no longer restrain herself and suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly as if she was afraid he would leave.
She was almost crying loudly, unable to speak complete sentences, and kept repeating the same words over and over again.
"I didn't mean to ignore you."
"sorry."
Zeng Xiasheng's wound had just been stitched out, so he wore long sleeves and long pants, not wanting Tang Sizhuo to notice. However, the pain in his flesh couldn't be hidden. Climbing the mountain twice was already difficult, and she nearly blacked out when she pounced on him.
That day, he lost all reason, nearly smashing Wang Hui's skull in his chest, and fought like crazy. It wasn't until someone on the other side noticed the commotion and called Wang Guodong back that two or three adults managed to pull Zeng Xiasheng away. Several high school students were badly beaten, and Zeng Xiasheng himself was covered in bruises. His arm was lacerated to the elbow by broken glass, bloody and mangled, yet he seemed insensitive to the pain and continued to struggle, attempting to attack Wang Hui.
In the end, he paid a large sum of money for this and lost his job as a helper. His grandfather was so angry that he beat him with a fire poker, which made the situation worse.
Zeng Xiasheng staggered, almost unable to stand, and was even more worried that Tang Sizhu would touch the gauze under her clothes. He gently held Tang Sizhu's shoulders and tried to push her away.
However, his action stimulated Tang Sizhuo's sensitive nerves. She was afraid that this was a signal of separation. She raised her head suddenly and asked him with tears in her eyes, "Are you angry with me?"
"no."
Zeng Xiasheng answered subconsciously, the pain so intense he could barely control the gasps in his voice. But when he lowered his eyes to look into those eyes, all the pain suddenly converged in his heart, his heartbeat getting heavier and heavier, as if it was about to shatter his sternum and burst through the earth.
The arm that was on Tang Sizhuo's shoulder loosened its grip, and Zeng Xiasheng sighed softly.
In the mottled light and shadow, he gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Tang Sizhuo's eyes with his fingertips.
"I won't be mad at you. Ever."
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