Chapter 20
Having said that, Chi Ying's grip on his hand tightened.
The woman walked to the driver's seat, bent her fingers, and knocked on the car window glass lightly.
Tang An took a deep breath and rolled down the car window.
As the distance got closer, Tang An discovered that the woman did not look as young as she did from afar. The corners of her eyes and mouth were deeply engraved with traces of time.
Those milky white pupils didn't seem to be pure white, but rather had a pathological, slightly turbid yellowish hue, which reduced the weirdness a little but made them more unfathomable.
"Are you the friends Chen Zhou brought back?" The woman's voice was unexpectedly young, but like the ice on the top of a snowy mountain, cold to the bone, without a trace of warmth.
Tang An was about to answer when the woman continued on her own: "I heard from He Haitian that our house was in turmoil last night. Did we encounter evil spirits or monsters?"
She paused briefly, her tone filled with the cold indifference of someone who knew fate well. "Ever since my unworthy son abandoned the sacred mountain, abandoned his responsibilities as clan leader, and fled overseas, ultimately bringing back a hybrid with impure blood... I knew the wrath of the sacred mountain would sooner or later fall. Now, the sacred mountain worship day is approaching, and the heavenly punishment has already appeared. We must atone for our sins before the ceremony begins."
Tang An and Chi Ying's hearts skipped a beat at the same time, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped them.
How to atone???
The woman didn't look at them again, as if issuing an order: "Get out of the car."
The two had no choice but to get off the car.
The woman turned around and walked straight to the main house, rudely waking up He Chenzhou and Roy who were still sleeping.
In the main hall, the atmosphere was solemn. The woman sat at the main seat, not even glancing at the uneasy Roy. Her eyes were fixed sharply on He Chenzhou, and she announced in a tone that left no room for negotiation:
"Pack up and go meet the patriarch's daughter later."
Roy suddenly looked up and looked at He Chenzhou with confusion and uneasiness.
He Chenzhou's expression instantly turned extremely ugly. It was the first time he showed such strong resistance in front of everyone. His voice was filled with suppressed anger: "If grandma insists on doing this, then I will take Roy away now!"
"Leave?" The woman sneered, her smile icy and bone-chilling. "How can human power resist the divine punishment that befell the sacred mountain? Even if there were external interference..."
Her eyes swept over Tang An and Chi Ying vaguely: "You can't leave here for at least these three days, and for us, that's enough time."
The woman slowly stood up, her eyes finally landing on the pale Roy, as if examining an object. "Are you the one my grandson wants to spend his life with?"
Roy frowned, seeming a little shy: "We are not in favor of marriage, but..."
The woman interrupted him directly: "Although He Chenzhou is a hybrid, he is also a member of our Shenshan tribe. He will marry the Saint Girl of the Shenshan tribe tomorrow. That is his innate mission."
She turned her gaze back to Roy, with a calmness that bordered on cruelty. "You'll bless them, won't you?"
Roy's smile froze: "Get married?"
Woman: "Yes, and she will give birth to a holy child."
The light in Roy's eyes quickly dimmed.
"Grandma!" He Chenzhou couldn't hold back any longer and protected the shaky Roy behind him. "You're going too far! I will only be with Roy in this life. I won't marry anyone else except him! Let's go!"
He took Roy's cold hand and turned to walk out.
"After all these years, you're still so authoritarian. I finally understand why Dad was so determined to leave..."
"Small boat."
He Chenzhou paused.
Roy raised his head and smiled as usual: "...Forget it, your grandma is right. Besides, you are heterosexual."
He gently broke free from He Chenzhou's hand, his voice as light as a sigh.
"Just do as Grandma says."
He Chenzhou's face instantly darkened as dark as iron, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "What do you want?"
Although these words were addressed to the woman in the main seat, the suppressed anger and the flash of disappointment in Roy's retreat in her eyes made Tang An and Chi Ying, who were watching, feel inexplicably nervous.
After saying that, he no longer waited for any reply. He grasped Roy's cold wrist tightly and almost dragged him out of the dull and depressing hall, leaving only a loud "bang".
The air was dead silent.
Tang An and Chi Ying exchanged glances that indicated they shouldn't stay here for long. They held their breath and carefully moved out along the wall, their steps as light as a cat's, for fear of disturbing the frozen air.
He Haitian saw it over there, but instead of stopping them, he kept winking at them, signaling, "Hurry up, hurry up, I'll hold them here."
Their hands were about to touch the cold door latch—
"Could you please, two young men, persuade He Chenzhou for me?"
The woman's faint voice was like an icicle, instantly stopping them in their tracks.
She slowly turned her head, and her eyes, which seemed to be able to see through everything, accurately locked onto the two people at the door.
"I am the forbidden woman of the Shenshan tribe," the woman said calmly, yet with an undeniable sense of pressure. "Unlike this seemingly incompetent old man beside me, I do have my own insights and ways of understanding some bizarre things that are difficult to explain with common sense."
Her gaze lingered on Chi Ying for a moment, hinting at something.
"Since you two are friends brought back by Chen Zhou, you are naturally guests of our Shenshan tribe." The woman's voice softened a little. "If you or those around you encounter any unsolvable problems, you can always come to me."
Tang An's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.
A woman's words are like the wind that can't be blown away, always following you.
Back in the closed carriage, the stuffy air was almost suffocating.
The two looked at each other in tacit understanding for a few seconds.
The next second, Tang An took out his cell phone and called Roy.
No one answered for a long time.
Chi Ying opened the storage compartment in front of the co-pilot seat and rummaged through it. With a rustle, he pulled out a large stack of brand new red envelopes with a glaring red "囍" character printed on them. Then he pulled out a thick stack of red banknotes from his wallet.
Seeing someone skillfully stuffing a banknote into each red envelope, Tang An's brows knitted together. "...Where did you get these red envelopes? And so many?"
Without even looking up, Chi Ying muttered, "I bought it last month and have been putting it in the glove box."
Tang An was even more confused: "Who's getting married? You want to get married?"
He subconsciously thought of the precarious relationship between the two.
Chi Ying paused, then glared at him unhappily: "...Haven't we been together for seven years?!"
Tang An: "So?"
"Bronze wedding!" Chi Ying's tone was filled with a hint of subtle grievance and annoyance. "I was planning to hold a small ceremony, and I bought these red envelopes to give out to the guests when the time comes."
Tang An looked bewildered. "Same-sex marriage? What the hell? Announce to everyone that two homosexuals have survived the seven-year itch?"
Chi Ying anticipated his reaction and quickly explained, "One year for Paper Wedding, two years for Cotton Wedding, three years for Leather Wedding, four years for Flower and Fruit Wedding, five years for Wood Wedding, six years for Iron Wedding, seven years for Bronze Wedding, eight years for Pottery Wedding, nine years for Willow Wedding..."
He counted them like a dish.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Tang An covered his mouth with his hand, his expression indescribable. "What kind of nonsense is this? Are you sure you didn't make it up?"
Chi Ying pulled his hand away with force and snorted coldly: "I'm not that free."
He lowered his head and continued to stuff money, his voice lowering. "...I had almost booked the venue, but then you suddenly said you wanted a divorce and were determined to leave. I had no choice but to cancel everything. Luckily, the invitations haven't been printed yet."
Tang An's heart seemed to be stabbed by something, and his tone softened: "...you didn't tell me in advance."
Chi Ying's anger flared up again: "Surprise! Do you know what a surprise is?!"
Tang An: “…”
It's almost scary.
He tapped his phone in frustration, old worries and new ones flooding his mind. "You're always like this, doing whatever you want. You never ask me what I think before making a decision, you just make it on your own."
Chi Ying raised her head with a jerk, seething with anger. "Did you ask me when you filed for divorce?! That's a notice! It's a judgment!"
Tang An lost his temper and said, "Didn't you agree to it then?!"
"How can that be the same?!" Chi Ying's voice suddenly rose. "You sentenced me to death after careful consideration! I was just so angry at you that I said something without thinking! Is this the same fucking thing?!"
Tang An was choked by him and was speechless for a moment, gnashing his teeth in hatred: "...I simply can't make sense with you!"
Chi Yingxiang's fuse was completely ignited, and he shouted without thinking: "That's right! It doesn't make sense! Because I'm a dog now! Dogs can't understand human language!!"
Chi Ying turning into a dog was Tang An's deepest fear and taboo. At this moment, being used as a weapon so contemptuously by the other party instantly ignited his long-suppressed panic and anger: "What do you mean?!"
Chi Ying glanced at him and said, "That's what I mean. I thought about it last night. Once they move the stone away, we'll go home. We won't bother with anything for the remaining ten days. Just let me have my day."
Tang An completely exploded: "Fuck your uncle, fuck your mind, every day is just fuck! Since you want to die so badly, let me fuck you every day! I'll fuck you until you kick your legs and close your eyes, and I'll fuck you until you're satisfied! I'll fuck your grandma!!!"
Chi Ying also exploded: "Just tell me why you are scolding my grandfather's lover??"
Tang An was so angry that he laughed and said without thinking: "Then I will curse you! Ancestor! You big idiot with a brain full of corpus cavernosum!!!"
"Bang--!!!"
Tang An slammed the car door shut, and the loud noise echoed in the mountains after the rain.
He strode away without looking back, his chest heaving violently.
Chi Ying's face was ashen, and he sat in the car like a sculpture suppressing a storm.
He stared at Tang An's resolute back, counted ten seconds silently in his heart, and finally cursed softly, pushed open the car door and chased after him.
After Tang An left, he finally got through to Roy on the phone.
The voice on the other end of the phone was hoarse and only gave a vague location.
Tang An, who had nowhere to go, followed the instructions and went there.
Chi Ying followed silently a few meters behind, like a stubborn shadow.
Tang An didn't care and just went on his own.
The footsteps behind me became fainter and fainter, drowned out by the sound of the waterfall flowing in the mountain spring.
After walking for about ten minutes, Tang An saw Roy sitting on a big rock beside a mountain stream that was particularly cold and clear after being washed by rain.
He was soaked, his waist-length hair was disheveled and stuck to his pale cheeks and slender neck. His thin clothes clung to his body, outlining his beautiful yet fragile lines.
He hugged his knees, buried his face in his arms, and exuded an aura of being on the verge of breaking.
Hearing footsteps, Roy slowly raised his head.
His face was pale, but his lips had a bright red hue as if they had been ravaged.
Tang An's heart sank suddenly, and he guessed something almost instantly.
Roy didn't avoid his gaze. His voice was hoarse but unusually calm: "He Chenzhou just raped me."
The wind from the mountain stream blew with a biting chill, and Tang An's anger and irritation from the quarrel were instantly frozen. He forced himself to calm down and said in a dry voice: "If you need legal assistance, or any help..."
Roy chuckled softly, his smile fleeting as an illusion, quickly replaced by a deeper sense of desolation: "...Thank you, Tang An."
Tang An found a cold stone to sit on next to him, trying to convey a trace of insignificant warmth: "Because of Chi Ying's recent situation, I have temporarily suspended my work, but if it is you, I am willing to make an exception."
Roy tilted his head slightly, his long eyelashes trembling: "You are so good to me..."
Tang An said frankly: "I used to be your fan, and I watched every one of your performances."
Roy: "Not now?"
Tang An touched his nose and said with a hint of adult helplessness: "I'm old and can't catch up anymore."
Roy suddenly moved.
He walked barefoot on the cold stone, walked to Tang An, squatted down, held his face in his hands, and blinked at her: "I'm so cute, and you don't like me anymore?"
Tang An was silent for a moment, then said truthfully, "I want to slap you."
Roy laughed.
The night is getting deeper.
He Chenzhou finally compromised and agreed to the ridiculous marriage.
When Roy said this, Tang An suspected that this boss, who had always been unkind and inhumane, had been replaced?
But Roy told him with certainty that He Chenzhou has always been He Chenzhou.
Roy stood up: "He listens to me in everything."
Tang An thought about the many times he and Chi Ying had quarreled because "If you don't listen to me, I won't listen to you either." The two stubborn people were pulling each other and would not turn back.
He looked at Roy enviously and said, "My thing is not good enough..."
Before he could finish his words, two cows on the ridge of the field mooed.
Immediately afterwards, a roar with a dialect came towards this side.
"Who is Tang An with a nice butt——"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
