Chapter 30 It was cut out, slice by slice…
After celebrating Li Sheng's birthday, Li Jiazong left early because the place wasn't far from his home. On his way back, he acted furtively, afraid of being seen. When he got home, he saw his parents sitting in the living room and breathed a sigh of relief. He changed into slippers and was about to go to his room when Chen Wen asked him, "Where did you go?"
Li Jiacong: "Didn't I say to play with my classmates a little longer?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at his father and suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Li Mingda glared at him, then suddenly walked over and began to search his body.
Li Jiacong took a step back: "What are you doing?! Didn't you say I could come back a little later today?!"
Li Mingda took the phone from his pocket: "I told you to come back later today! Where the hell were you when I told you not to?!"
Li Jiacong was taken aback.
"Li Jiacong, you're doing great. I thought you'd learned your lesson. What the hell are you doing messing around with Li Sheng?"
"We've been exposed!" Li Mingda's voice was trembling, and Li Jiacong's expression instantly crumbled. He realized in a flash that his tracks had been exposed; he had definitely been followed. He didn't know where they had seen him. Tonight's promise was like bait, a test, a false repayment.
Li Mingda walked over and unceremoniously flipped through his phone, dialing a number from his recent call log. The number wasn't saved, but it was answered after one ring.
Li Sheng's voice rang out: "Jia Cong? What's wrong?"
Li Mingda: "Li Sheng? I'm Li Jiacong's father! Jiacong is in his final year of high school, and his studies are very demanding. He won't be able to go out with you anymore!"
Li Sheng seemed to pause for a moment, then agreed and hung up. Li Jiacong looked at his mother, but Chen Wen avoided his gaze.
Li Mingda continued to yell, "Who is Li Sheng? Who are you? Don't you want to go back to school? Do you want to become a vagrant like those idle people who do nothing all day?!"
Li Jiacong remained silent, but felt a little relieved. At least no one knew the true nature of his relationship with Li Sheng.
Chen Wen: "You know about Li Sheng's family situation, Jia Cong. It's not that you can't be friends with him, but you should use your abilities to help him in the future. This is a crucial time for you, so don't waste it. Li Sheng is a sensible kid, and he won't blame you. You can still be friends."
Li Jiacong did not resist, but obediently accepted the scolding and handed over his phone—at least, no one saw him go to a hotel with Li Sheng.
Thank goodness.
Li Sheng roughly understood what had happened after receiving the phone call from Li Jiazong's parents. He didn't dare call Li Jiazong again. He went to wait near Li Jiazong's school and saw Li Jiazong get into his father's car after school. This happened every day for a week. Li Sheng wanted to ask him how he was doing, but he never got the chance.
At night, he stood in a corner amidst the bustling crowd, watching students in school uniforms pour out of the gate, their faces becoming blurred. He could see Li Jiacong clearly, but from so far away, it was like watching a blurry movie.
The "movie" ended a minute or so after he left the school gate and got on the bus. Then he drove around alone, then walked back to his dormitory. The dormitory was always crowded with people, with dim lights, mottled walls, and a long, dirty corridor that looked like a crime scene.
Wang Dapeng sat on a stool in the dormitory, smoking, a mysterious smile on his face. Liu Quan leaned over and asked, "Where have you been reporting for duty all day?"
Li Sheng shook his head and tidied up his washbasin. Suddenly, he noticed that his things seemed to have been moved. Upon closer inspection of the bed, he saw that the blankets and pillows were covered with footprints.
Liu Quan: "Just now, someone came from the other side."
Li Sheng: "Who?"
Liu Quan: "Who else? Are you stupid?!"
Li Sheng remembered: across the street, at the club, were Feng Hui's group of people.
Liu Quan: "They came while you were away and got it done for you."
Li Sheng frowned, picked up the quilt and dusted it off.
Wang Dapeng suddenly spoke up: "Liu Quan'er, are you Li Sheng's secretary? Reporting to him like a dog. Can't you see your brother Sheng is too busy to bother with you?"
Li Sheng glanced at Wang Dapeng, patted Liu Quan on the shoulder, and said, "Thank you."
Wang Dapeng scoffed, "Li Sheng, I don't think you're very clever."
Li Sheng remained silent, tidying up the things that had been trampled on. The toothbrush cup was broken, and the toothbrush was unusable. He felt sorry for these things; he would have to buy new toiletries, which would cost money.
Outside, the streetlights were flashing wildly.
Li Sheng walked out, lit a cigarette on the street corner, and walked towards the small supermarket with his head down. When he reached the corner, he looked up and saw Huang Yin.
Cao Teng stood next to Huang Yin. The two seemed to be arguing about something. Huang Yin pointed at Cao Teng's phone and asked, "Who is she? Explain yourself." Cao Teng was trying to appease her, but then he glanced at Li Sheng. His expression was as if he had seen an enemy, and he glared fiercely at Li Sheng.
Cao Teng changed his tune: "If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do. I've explained everything that needed to be explained."
Huang Yin burst into tears and shoved the phone back at him: "You can go now."
Cao Teng was very proud and turned around and left without looking back.
Huang Yin squatted on the ground and cried.
Li Sheng walked over and asked, "What did he do?"
Huang Yin wiped away her tears: "He chatted and texted other girls, and the content was really, really bad. He told me it was just a joke. Every time I tried to convince myself, I really couldn't convince myself anymore."
Li Sheng: "He's unreliable; you can find someone better."
A pair of beautiful, red, swollen eyes looked at him, so helpless. Huang Yin said, "What better is there? I have no other choice. I've done all that with him... I thought I would marry him, that I would be with him forever, everyone knows. Who will love me... accept me..."
Li Sheng felt a pang of pain in his heart. He felt sorry for her; the pain was subtle yet deep within his heart. He suddenly remembered a passage the priest had read: "We are all like unclean people, and all righteousness is like filthy rags."
We are all unclean, therefore we need God's redemption and mercy.
Huang Yin was as pure as a blank sheet of paper; she was so innocent, so deserving of pity, she was innocent. Li Sheng said, "Don't think like that, you're very good, you..."
Huang Yin's long hair fluttered in the wind as she looked at him and said, "No, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have believed his promise."
The half-dead streetlights then completely broke down and went out.
Huang Yin stood in the shadows: "Am I stupid? Li Sheng."
No, Li Sheng shook his head.
Huang Yin gave a bitter laugh: "I thought he was serious. I believed him so much."
Li Sheng stepped forward, wanting to comfort her, but Huang Yin could no longer hear him. She muttered to herself, "I'm so stupid, so incredibly stupid..."
She wiped away her tears and looked up as she walked into the darkness. Li Sheng called to her, but she didn't respond, like a golden carp swimming into the dark water.
-
These past few days, Li Jiacong has been like a prisoner under guard. Not only is he being picked up from school every day, but his father has also enrolled him in tutoring classes, filling his Saturdays and Sundays with classes. He doesn't even have time to go out and play ball, let alone meet with Li Sheng.
In addition, his source of income was cut off—all his New Year's money was confiscated. Even bandits couldn't have plundered it all by his father. This was a double blow to his mind and body, and Li Jiacong felt like he couldn't breathe.
"What do you need my phone for? Where's your phone?" Qian He asked him. After his phone was confiscated, he had been trying to contact Li Sheng, but not many classmates had cell phones, and Qian He didn't have one either.
Before Li Jiacong could speak, the homeroom teacher walked in and beckoned him to leave. Standing at the door, the teacher smiled and said, "I don't want to talk about what happened before. The college entrance exam is coming up, you should know what's important. Your mother values your artistic talents and hopes you can develop them. Our school is holding a gala at the science museum across the street at the end of this month. You're good at the flute, you could prepare for it."
After going around in circles, the goal was for him to perform. Li Jiacong was reluctant to go. Firstly, he felt that not many people in the audience truly understood it; it wasn't popular. He might get thunderous applause for playing the commonplace "My Heart Will Go On," but if he played a more difficult piece like the "Grand Polonaise," the audience might just be bored. Secondly, he had no desire to perform in front of others. The obedient flute player he knew was a fabrication, a puppet his parents had painstakingly created.
But the shadow puppets obeyed the actors behind the scenes who controlled them. That was all he could do. He nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, teacher."
After returning home, Li Jiacong continued his conversation with Qian He: "If you don't have a phone, lend me some money."
Qian He was even more surprised: "What happened to your money? Did your family fall on hard times?"
"Yes, please help me out."
Li Jiacong took advantage of the ten-minute break between the first and second classes in the afternoon to climb over the wall through the school's small gate, run to the supermarket's landline, and make a phone call. After three rings, the call connected.
"Hello, it's me."
Li Sheng's voice was very excited: "Jia Cong, are you alright?"
Li Jiacong: "It's nothing, it's just that it's inconvenient to contact you. We won't be able to see each other."
Li Sheng: "I can see you."
Li Jiacong: "Huh? Where?"
Li Sheng paused for a moment: "When you get out of school..."
Li Jiacong spoke quickly: "You've been here before? Don't come again, it's too much trouble."
Li Sheng: "Okay."
Li Jiacong was anxious; the bell would ring for class soon, and it would take him a few minutes to get back. "If you want to see me, you can come find me at the end of the month."
After he finished speaking, there was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time.
Li Jiacong: "Hey? Did you hear me?"
Li Sheng: "Hmm? Ah... I'm listening."
"What's wrong?" Li Jiacong asked.
Li Sheng paused for a moment before saying, "I just opened my locker and found my salary is missing. I... I'll look for it again."
Li Jiacong: "Damn it! You thief..."
Before he could finish speaking, the phone rang. Li Jiacong cursed, didn't even have time to say "goodbye," hung up the phone, and ran back frantically.
A note from the author:
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