Chapter 29 [VIP]
The moment the cruise ship docked, Han Shu received a call from Ms. Xu.
"I've bought the plane tickets for you and my dad. We're taking off at 6:50."
"You won't even see your parents?"
The familiar scenery receded into the distance. Han Shu leaned against the passenger side window frame, feeling agitated and sighing. He seemed unaware that he had bumped his head while going over speed bumps.
Your parents want you to come home.
Han Shu wiped his face and looked at today's driver speechlessly, "How do you manage to be both slow-witted and perceptive?"
When teased, Wen Zhiyu seemed not to hear it, saying, "No one can force you if you don't want to."
“That makes sense, but they are my parents after all.” Han Shu sighed again. “I can’t afford to fall out with them.”
She lowered the window halfway, and the damp air rushed in immediately. Instead of waking her up, it left a sticky, greasy feeling on her skin.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Zhiyu suddenly asked, "Why not?"
"Um?"
"Your identity is first and foremost yourself, and only secondly your daughter," Wen Zhiyu said calmly. "Only by being a good person can you fulfill the responsibilities of your other identities."
Han Shu's mind raced. "You mean I should prioritize myself and it's okay to talk back to my parents?"
"Talking back to your parents is not the goal; expressing your thoughts and attitude is."
The surface parking lot was completely full, and Wen Zhiyu had to walk around the passageway for a long time before finally finding a parking space. Coincidentally, Han Shu's parents were not far away.
Xu Ying wore a beige mid-sleeve long dress, a gentle and soft color, but her gloomy and serious expression was anything but gentle. Han Wenyu dragged a black cloth suitcase, wearing glasses that turned brown in the sunlight, and looked around.
Han Shu unbuckled his seatbelt. "I left my phone in the car. It won't be long."
"Um."
Wen Zhiyu watched her slam the door shut, then hunch over and walk away heavily, looking like it was the end of the world. He had little interest in other people's domestic affairs and quickly looked away.
I stayed up all night last night to finish a short story, and now my eyelids are drooping. Just as I was about to close my eyes and rest, my phone, which was on the center console, rang. The caller ID simply displayed two words.
husband.
Wen Zhiyu pinched the bridge of his nose.
Why did he have to do this now of all times? He has no sense of propriety. And rightly so, he won't even let his wife learn to skateboard; what kind of sense does he have?
He scoffed, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes tightly.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The bell rang for a long time, then stopped.
However, just a few seconds later, as Wen Zhiyu was about to drift off to sleep, the phone rang again. Opening her eyes, she saw it was still her clueless husband, Han Shu.
Wen Zhiyu picked up her phone in frustration, reaching for the red hang-up button, but then hesitated, hovering less than a centimeter away. Would her husband worry if she hung up?
Her finger moved towards the green answer button, about to press it, but then stopped. Would her husband misunderstand if she answered the phone?
It's so hard for him.
It's so hard for him as a kind-hearted landlord.
Wen Zhiyu threw his phone onto the passenger seat in a huff, about to put on some music to drown out the annoying noise, when his gaze swept across the windshield, his eyes narrowed, and his hand had unknowingly opened the car door.
"Smack!"
The overhead grabber loosened due to the immense impact, fell, rolled once on the hard concrete ground, and disappeared.
Han Shu's head was turned to the side by the slap, and it took her a while to recover from the dizziness. She covered her face, her hair disheveled, "No matter what you say, I'm definitely not going back today. I didn't bring my phone or ID, so don't even think about forcing me to board the plane."
Xu Ying raised her hand and slapped him again, "Are you determined to be a good-for-nothing? Who stays idle at 25 without going to school or working? Youth only lasts a few years, how can you waste it like this and do justice to your father and me!"
Han Wenyu pulled Xu Ying back and patted her arm to comfort her. Although his emotions were stable, his tone was unquestionable. "Xiaoshu, pack your bags immediately. Your mother and I are waiting for you at the airport. Don't make your mother and me repeat the same things."
Han Shu stared at her toes, her black nail polish, bought just two days ago, giving off a gothic vibe. In the past, she would never have dared to try it.
It's just a bottle of nail polish, a manicure—so insignificant. But for her, who was constantly judged and constrained, it was an unprecedented exploration.
"And don't make me repeat myself," Han Shu said hoarsely. "I'm not going back today."
"Xiaoshu! We don't approve of you resigning without a word, but we're trying to understand. If you feel tired, then change jobs. We've even found one for you. That state-owned enterprise is really good. Go for an interview tomorrow. If you get the job, you'll still have about a month before you start. You can relax a bit more then, okay?"
"I'm not going."
"I had to ask your Uncle Liu to put in a good word with the HR manager to get this additional interview. How can your uncle and I explain if you don't go?!"
"What does it matter if Han Shu couldn't control his sobs?"
Xu Ying retorted angrily, "Your father has worked so hard for you and owes so many favors. What kind of attitude is this?"
"I owe people favors because of my hard work! I'm an adult, and I'll take responsibility for my actions and choices. Can't you please..."
"You are our daughter. Even if you're fifty or sixty years old, let alone an adult, I'll still be involved!"
If blood vessels were transparent, would we be able to see clearly whether what is flowing at this moment is blood or the feeling of powerlessness that is eroding our limbs and bones?
Han Shu's voice was hoarse, "From childhood to adulthood, I have never gone against your wishes. From choosing a major and finding a job to my hobbies and clothing... can't I make a choice for myself this once?"
"What do you mean? Would your father and I harm you?!"
Tears gland malfunction.
Han Shu let tears stream down her face. On the ground, she said, "First and foremost, I am an independent individual. No matter what my mother says, this time I want to stay on Hainan Island. I want to find what I truly want to do, a life that truly belongs to me, and not..."
Xu Ying and Han Wenyu looked shocked, and at the same time, their anger intensified.
Han Shu could barely hear what they were saying anymore; all he could see were their moving lips and eyes filled with disappointment.
When Xu Ying stepped forward and their eyes met, she said, "If you don't come back today, don't blame us for disowning you as our daughter!"
I don't acknowledge you as my daughter.
During kindergarten nap time, the little girl next to her secretly colored three of her fingernails with crayons. Xu Ying was furious and went directly to the little girl's parents. However, the parents' explanation was that Han Shu had asked for it.
She explained repeatedly, but Xu Ying still didn't believe her. She even locked her out of the house, leaving behind the words, "If you dare to lie, don't blame us for not acknowledging you as our daughter."
Overwhelmed by the fear of abandonment, Han Shu told his first lie and admitted his mistake.
She looked again at the color of her toenails; these trivial things, one by one, proved the disciplined life she had led.
"Mom and Dad, have a safe flight and a peaceful journey."
Han Shu turned around and left, ignoring the shouts behind him and his hair, which was blown by the wind like a golden lion's mane, and walked straight towards Xiao Lan and Wen Zhi Yu.
After settling into the passenger seat and closing the door, the sobs she had been suppressing finally broke free. She shamelessly began to wail and cry.
Wen Zhiyu said nothing, reached into the back seat and grabbed the tissues, placed them on the center console, then started the car, turned the steering wheel, and drove in the opposite direction from the middle-aged couple.
Han Shu cried for as long as the car drove. Even after it stopped by the roadside, just as she was about to go back to her room, she realized something was wrong.
This isn't a villa garage, it's...
Why did you come to the beach?
“This isn’t your average beach.” Wen Zhiyu got out of the car first, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door. “This is the kind of beach you come to when you’re feeling down.”
Han Shu rubbed her face with the back of her hand, and followed Wen Zhiyu, confused, over mountains and over rocks, finally stopping at a cliff more than ten meters high. Reaching the edge, she sat down on the ground and, amidst the white spray and roar of the waves crashing against the rock face, burst into tears.
Wen Zhiyu also sat down next to her.
Han Shu sobbed and mumbled, "My parents said that if... if I don't go back today, they won't recognize me as their daughter anymore..."
Wen Zhiyu thought for a moment, "If we're related by blood, we have to acknowledge it whether we want to or not."
It offered no comfort whatsoever. Han Shu sniffed, her resentment bursting forth in her words, "They want me to go home, they think I'm wasting my time. Why can't they give me even a little bit of freedom, even just a tiny bit? Why do I have to listen to them in everything!"
Wen Zhiyu thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Han Shu pressed a finger against his lips, "Shut up, don't say anything!"
She didn't want to hear his strange answers.
Wen Zhiyu stepped back, looking suspicious. "Did you wipe your hands with your nose?"
Han Shu started crying silently again.
Wen Zhiyu: ...
Years of pent-up grievances poured out once more in the company of the sea, which is both cold and gentle, and a man who is neither cold nor gentle.
Han Shu didn't know how long he had been crying, but he felt exhausted as if his bones had been removed, so he leaned against the only object around him that was taller than the rock.
Hearing that Yu's buttocks were too big for him, Han Shu immediately dropped to the ground.
In the blatant disdain, silent weeping turned into loud wailing, "What's wrong with me just daring to yell?!"
Wen Zhiyu was startled and twisted and moved back, saying, "You've violated my cylinder again. Your husband will misunderstand if he finds out."
He said one thing, but his actions betrayed him. He straightened his back, lowered his right shoulder, and remained still.
Han Shu couldn't care less about anything at this moment, not even the cylinder or the non-existent husband. She leaned over him, tears still streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Wen Zhiyu forgot to put his raised hand down, completely frozen.
A refreshing sea breeze blew, causing Han Shu's loose hair to dance wildly in the wind, sweeping across his neck in an unpredictable manner. A faint coconut scent wafted around, forming an invisible barrier that blocked the salty, damp air, and along with the weight on his shoulders, it imprisoned his thoughts.
Han Shu's husband made three phone calls; he should have told her.
But Wen Zhiyu didn't want to talk about it.
He heard his own accelerated heartbeat through bone conduction, and at the same time became aware of his own hidden depravity.
He wished this moment could last indefinitely.
The crying gradually subsided, but the sobs continued. Wen Zhiyu carefully turned his head and saw her red, swollen eyes, which looked like walnuts, and the glaring finger marks on her cheeks.
Every cell in his body was screaming with displeasure, and an indescribable irritability welled up in his heart.
Wen Zhiyu felt great all over, but he pressed his temples hard and finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Can you please stop crying?"
Han Shu raised her head and burst into even louder sobs, "So what if I want to cry? What's it to you?!"
Wen Zhiyu quickly raised his hands to explain, "It hurts me when you cry—hey! Where are you going?"
Han Shu scrambled to his feet and stormed off, yelling, "I'll go cry somewhere else, somewhere I won't be in your way, okay?!"
Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was grabbed, and a warm yet slightly rough touch enveloped her, causing her fingers to curl involuntarily.
Tears still streamed down his face. Feeling ashamed, Han Shu turned his face away and said fiercely, "Let go!"
I heard that the island is not loose.
He lowered his eyes, a look of helplessness on his face. "I didn't mean for you to cry somewhere else. What I meant was... I don't want you to cry."
Han Shu was stunned. "Huh?"
“It hurts me when you cry. I don’t know how to comfort others, how to stop you from crying…”
Han Shu strained to open her swollen eyes, "Are you worried about me?"
Wen Zhiyu put his hands in his pockets, covering his constantly curling fingers. "Right?"
The sobbing stopped at some point. Han Shu sniffed, "Thank you."
Wen Zhiyu stammered, "N-no, it's okay."
The two stood facing each other on the rocks, the splashing waves reflecting in their eyes. The girl's skirt billowed, brushing against her suit trousers, and the hem of her shirt, pulled from the waistband, fluttered slightly, as if in a secret response.
After a long pause, Wen Zhiyu said, "I'll treat you later—"
"Buzz!"
Han Shu's phone rang. After recognizing the caller, she answered immediately and walked away.
The girl's voice was broken by the sea breeze, making the content indistinct, but the emotion was palpable.
He swallowed back the words he hadn't finished saying.
Wen Zhiyu watched helplessly as Han Shu cried, laughed, and finally calmed down ten meters away. The intimacy in their eyes stung his own.
husband.
It was her clueless husband again.
Wen Zhiyu's joints were cracking as he squeezed them.
He was the one who stayed by her side when she was sad, and he was the one who comforted her. What does this brat mean by calling now?
Her husband clearly knew she was upset and came to Hainan Island to clear her head; her parents even showed up, but they weren't even there. What's the big deal about making a phone call from afar?
Suddenly, Han Shu, whose tears were still wet, laughed and burst into laughter.
What is she laughing at? What's so funny? What did her husband say that made her laugh? Why doesn't she laugh when he talks?
Wen Zhiyu was furious. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
He absolutely must beat her clueless husband!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com