"Brother... um... you're up..."
Almost instantly, a scene appeared before Yu Xiaosong's eyes—on that big bed he knew all too well, the boy who had replaced him had his smooth back exposed, sitting up while hugging the soft blankets, groping to lie on top of his lover, sleepily asking him for a sweet good morning kiss.
"Okay, sweetie, lie down a little longer. I'll be right there after I finish this call," Chen Yunqi said, moving the phone away from San San for a bit before bringing it closer and asking, "Xiao Song? What did you just say?"
"It's nothing," Yu Xiaosong suddenly smiled and said with relief, "Take care, and goodbye."
Who owes whom, who loved whom—the answers are unsolvable, and there are no answers. Goodbye, Chen Yunqi. Goodbye, the past twenty years. This time, it truly is goodbye.
The disaster warning was lifted on the third day after the typhoon made landfall. Although everything quickly returned to normal, the rain continued for a full week before stopping. Yu Xiaosong returned to Y country after the airport resumed operations. Before boarding the plane, he sent Chen Yunqi a final message, saying nothing else but reminding him that San San's household registration issue should be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise it would affect his college entrance examination. He also suggested that Chen contact his parents for help if necessary.
After that night, San San's emotions plummeted from a high to a low. His belated realization of his disappointment made him appear listless, and he even began deliberately avoiding Chen Yunqi. He often stayed at school for two evening self-study sessions before going home, and he showed no interest in Chen Yunqi's plans to take him out, agreeing to everything without question. Chen Yunqi understood his emotional and physical reactions, and seeing this, he was anxious and didn't know what to do. He could only try different ways to cheer him up, but to no avail. Frustrated, he sent a message to Tang Yutao, confiding in him.
Tang Yutao: "Scumbag, he deserves it."
Chen Yunqi: "Shut up."
Tang Yutao: "We'll settle it in bed. If it doesn't work the first time, we'll do it again."
Chen Yunqi: "We've tried it, but the effect was minimal."
Tang Yutao: "...Then I have no other way."
Chen Yunqi glanced at it but didn't reply. He sullenly exited the chat interface, sighed, tossed his phone aside, and peeked into the study where San San was doing her homework, saying, "Sweetie, do you want to go out for a walk today?"
San San said without looking up, "There's still one test paper I haven't finished."
Chen Yunqi scratched his head, got up and walked to the study door, leaned against the door frame and said in a low voice, "How about we go see a play after we finish the test?"
San San maintained her indifferent attitude, saying lightly, "Oh, let's talk about it after I finish my homework."
Chen Yunqi, looking like a wilted eggplant, was about to slink back to the sofa to continue looking at his reports when he suddenly remembered something. He turned around and said, "A new Italian pizzeria opened in Xintiandi. It's the kind of thin-crust pizza you like, with an authentic hand-tossed crust. How about we go eat there after you finish your homework?"
Upon hearing about pizza, San San finally reacted a little. She raised her eyelids, looked away, bit her lip, thought for a moment, and then said, "Okay, then I'll write faster."
Chen Yunqi was overjoyed and quickly ran back to the sofa to pick up his phone. He sent a message to Aunt Li telling her that she didn't need to come over today. Then he dressed himself first, sat on the sofa with his computer and worked on his work for most of the day. Finally, he waited for San San to finish his homework and slowly come out. He picked up his keys and phone and took him out the door.
Perhaps everyone was feeling cooped up after a week of bad weather, because the mall was noticeably more crowded than usual today. After eating pizza, Chen Yunqi saw that it was still early, so he took San San to the nearby arts theater to buy two tickets for that evening's play and spend a meaningful weekend with her.
As they passed through the mall's atrium, San San's steps were drawn to several pianos on display. Seeing him looking around curiously, Chen Yunqi led him closer to take a look, deliberately avoiding the promotional displays on the side, and pointed to the grand piano in the very center with its delicate wood grain, saying to him, "This piano is called Steinway, and it's one of the limited editions in the Crown Jewels series. The body of the piano is covered with African sandalwood."
After listening to him show off for a while, San San still didn't understand, and just asked curiously, "Is it better than the piano at home?"
“Of course, the piano at home is a Petrof. A Steinway is hundreds of thousands more expensive than a Petrof,” Chen Yunqi explained to San San when he saw San San’s eyes widen in surprise. “Steinway is a top-tier piano brand. It has a good touch, a balanced tone, and is made to art-grade standards. Many pianists only use Steinway pianos.”
San San was completely confused, but she looked at the gleaming piano in amazement and exclaimed, "My God, it's so expensive... It must sound amazing when played!"
"Do you want to hear it?" Chen Yunqi asked with a smile.
"I want to, but you're not willing to play for me," San San complained softly, "Anyway, I can't tell if it's good or bad."
Chen Yunqi reached out and flicked his head, smiling as he said, "The piano at home belongs to Yu Xiaosong, and I don't want to play it. I can't afford a Steinway yet, but I promised to play the piano and sing for you, and I haven't forgotten."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked around. Seeing that no one was watching the expensive luxury items, he suddenly lifted his long legs, stepped over the fence, walked to the piano in a few steps, sat down, adjusted the position of the piano bench, stepped on the pedal and tried a few notes on the keys, took a deep breath, and raised his arms.
Before San San could react, she saw Chen Yunqi's slender fingers land on the black and white piano keys, striking out a series of melodious notes. She stared at him in disbelief, not understanding what he was doing.
Chen Yunqi hadn't played the piano in a long time, and his fingers were stiff with tension. After playing several wrong notes and restarting the prelude several times, he gradually regained his feel for it. As he recalled the score, his fingers flew across the strings, and he began to sing in a low voice to the rhythm of the music.
"I'm afraid it'll be too late, I need to hold you."
"Until I could feel the snowflakes in your hairline."
"Until I'm sure you're real, until I lose all my strength."
"I'm willing to do it for you"
The last time he heard him sing was last Christmas. San San remembered that Chen Yunqi seemed completely immersed in a strange emotion then, his voice somewhat dim and low, completely unlike the composed and affectionate one he was now. He didn't know what song Chen Yunqi was singing, but he heard the lyrics clearly. After a moment of surprise, his eyes quickly reddened, his eyes became moist and warm, and a surge of warmth welled up in his heart. He froze on the spot, unable to move.
......
"Until my vision blurred, until I couldn't breathe."
Let us be inseparable.
......
Passersby were drawn to the music and singing, constantly gathering around. Some took out their phones to record, while others couldn't help but hum along when they heard the familiar lyrics. Chen Yunqi sat upright in the center of the booth, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal a small section of his muscular forearm. He played the piano and sang, occasionally glancing at San San, as if she were the only one in his eyes, his deepest affection flowing only towards the boy standing in the crowd.
"If I could give up the whole world, at least I still have you worth cherishing."
"And your presence here is a miracle of life."
"If I could forget the whole world, I just wouldn't want to lose touch with you."
I always remember where the mole on your palm is.
After a perfect interlude, the music reached its climax. Chen Yunqi calmly immersed himself in his heartfelt confession, and his tone gradually rose, becoming increasingly passionate.
"We finally got what we wanted, but we were powerless to change it."
I'm afraid time will pass too quickly for me to see you clearly.
"I fear time moves too slowly, I worry day and night about losing you, and I wish my hair would turn white overnight."
"Never to be separated"
......
The staff and security guards who had rushed over to stop them were also stunned, and for a moment they couldn't bear to step forward and interrupt. Everyone noticed Chen Yunqi's affectionate gaze, and then looked at San San, whose eyes were filled with tears, and sighed.
San San stood frozen in the bustling crowd, completely unaware that tears were already streaming down his face. He had never imagined in his life that he would be in such a scene before him; he was overwhelmed with emotion and could find no words to express his feelings. He watched as Chen Yunqi pressed the last note, closed the piano lid, smiled demurely under the gaze of everyone, walked through the crowd to him, and embraced him.
"San San, we will never be separated."
Chapter Seventy-Five: Stingy
Showing off comes at a price.
The estrangement between Chen Yunqi and San San caused by Yu Xiaosong's appearance was finally resolved by his earth-shattering confession. But having just appeased her boyfriend and before she could even feel smug, she encountered new troubles.
During Monday's work meeting, Chen Yunqi was speaking while repeatedly hanging up Zhou Jun's calls from his pants pocket. Zhou Jun persisted, calling until Chen's phone ran out of battery and shut down automatically. During his lunch break, Chen Yunqi charged his phone and turned it on, only to find that besides two messages from San San, his phone was filled with more than thirty missed calls from Zhou Jun.
He took his fully charged phone to the break room and called Zhou Jun back. Zhou Jun answered quickly, without a word of politeness, and immediately demanded angrily, "Chen Yunqi? What have you been up to lately?"
"I didn't do anything, just work and dating," Chen Yunqi replied casually while stirring the sugar cubes in his cup.
"Dating? With whom? Do you think I won't know anything as long as you don't contact me?"
Chen Yunqi was already used to Zhou Jun's exasperated attitude. In his memory, apart from the time they first met, Zhou Jun almost never spoke calmly. He couldn't figure out his son's temperament after nearly twenty years of separation and always felt that he had no presence in his father's eyes. So he resorted to this clumsy and foolish way to emphasize his authority, hoping that Chen Yunqi would be as respectful and obedient to him as other children, trying to regain some dignity and status as a father.
"Tell me honestly, what are you up to? Who is that little boy? What are you doing? Aren't you ashamed?"
"Shameful? Why should I feel ashamed?" Chen Yunqi chuckled and said, "I'm dating openly and honestly, what's shameful about that? It's just that my partner is of the same sex, aren't you making a fuss over nothing?"
"Also, he's not a child anymore, he has a name and surname."
Zhou Jun was completely unaware that Chen Yunqi's current attitude was somewhat similar to his own when he was young—a mix of coldness, ruthlessness, and a hint of untamed arrogance. He gritted his teeth and said, "How dare you say that? If Uncle Zhang hadn't seen you hugging and kissing a man in public and told me right away, I don't know how long you would have kept it from me!"
"I didn't intend to hide it from you, I just hadn't found the right opportunity to tell you, and... I don't think it's necessary. I'm twenty-seven years old, it's my freedom to date whomever I want. Is there anything else? I'll hang up now, I still have work to do."
Before Zhou Jun could speak again, Chen Yunqi decisively hung up the phone and refused to answer no matter how many times Zhou Jun called back.
Because of Zhou Jun's barrage of phone calls, Chen Yunqi almost missed Tang Yutao's call. He had just gotten into his car after get off work when Tang Yutao called again, launching into his signature exaggerated tone to launch into a scathing critique of Chen Yunqi.
"Holy crap... how busy are you? Busier than the nation's leader, are you?"
Chen Yunqi feigned impatience and said, "Speak quickly if you have something to say."
Tang Yutao sighed heavily: "Sigh, I've finally seen through you. It's impossible to expect you to be gentle with me or say a few more words. How could I have made friends with someone like you who forgets everything for the sake of looks? You're a stain on my life."
Chen Yunqi stared ahead, decisively overtook a slow-moving BYD, and said with suppressed laughter, "Looks like your discerning eyes aren't so sharp. You only realized it now, too late."
"Faithless man! Heartless lover! How can so many people like someone like you! This world that judges by looks is so unfair!" Tang Yutao said indignantly, "After this call, we'll cut ties completely, go our separate ways, like birds flying in different directions, tears falling like the melody of 'Yangguan,' flowers drifting and water flowing, this love can only be cherished in memory..."
"Alright, alright, you called just to recite poetry for me?" Chen Yunqi quickly stopped him as he got more and more carried away, saying, "Let's get down to business. How's Third Aunt? How's Third's dad... how's his family?"
Since San San ran away, he has completely cut off contact with his family. Chen Yunqi and San San tacitly avoid mentioning it, but it remains a source of deep worry for them. No matter how much San San wants to be with Chen Yunqi, he still misses home, his parents, and his sister. Several times Chen Yunqi has caught him sitting at his desk, lost in thought, staring at his books; when asked, he always says he's pondering problems. His current life is something he bravely fought for, but while gaining freedom and love, he has also lost his family.
Tang Yutao finally spoke in a normal tone: "I'm calling to let you know that Li Hui and I are leaving. Li Hui plans to go back and apply to stay at the university. His family has arranged a bunch of blind dates for him, and he can't wait any longer. There's still a month left, and he packed his bags yesterday."
"Third Aunt is fine. A few days ago she said that if she contacted you, you could rest assured. I managed to get her to accept the money you sent. It's just that she's a widow and can't stay here any longer. She's planning to take her grandfather and child to another province to stay with my sister next month."
Chen Yunqi could imagine San Niang's situation. After Li Laoqi died, she, a woman, not only had to shoulder the burden of supporting her family, but also had to face the gossip of the villagers. It was easy to imagine how difficult it would be for her.
“Well, it’s good that she’s leaving. Tell her that if she has any difficulties, she must tell me,” Chen Yunqi parked the car and continued talking to Tang Yutao in the car.
"Okay, I'll talk to her. She misses you and San San a lot. I know you're feeling bad, but please give her a call when you have time."
The last time Chen Yunqi spoke to San Niang, he was so drunk he was unconscious and couldn't say anything, only crying. Since then, he hasn't had the courage to hear San Niang's voice again, afraid that his emotional outburst would upset her as well. He has too many unspeakable regrets and self-blame towards Li Laoqi, and even a slight thought of him causes his heart to ache unspeakably.
Tang Yutao continued, "My mother hasn't come back since San San left. I heard she went to work in another province. San San's father was so angry when he found out that San San ran away that he didn't leave the house for many days. He treated us like enemies... Sigh, we've managed to get through this. The children have all transferred to other schools. I'm thinking that I might as well leave sooner rather than later, so that I won't be disliked here."
Tang Yutao and Li Hui successfully completed their mission. Except for a few students who were too young to take care of themselves, all the other students at Tianyun Elementary School had found one-on-one sponsors and were gradually transferred to schools in Haiyuan County. Before the next batch of children who needed to go to school grew up, Tianyun Elementary School temporarily closed, and Teacher Sheng reluctantly went home to farm.
Chen Yunqi had anticipated San San's father's reaction. No matter how hard they tried, it was virtually impossible for a farmer over fifty to accept the fact that his son was gay. They couldn't change his deeply ingrained thoughts and beliefs; they could only wait for time to erode the hatred and ease the tension.
“If Uncle Lu weren’t so old and so proud, I think he would have tied me and Li Hui up and made us bring him to you,” Tang Yutao said helplessly. “You’re fucking amazing, you steal hearts and men, you’re even more skilled than a seasoned lover, I’m impressed.”
Chen Yunqi ignored his sarcasm and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."
Tang Yutao had just prepared to retaliate when he was suddenly interrupted by his apology. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Huh... why are you suddenly ruining the atmosphere? Just give it a rest."
Chen Yunqi was amused by him and then asked, "And you? What are your plans next?"
Tang Yutao said casually, "Going to Tibet! Didn't I tell you before? I'll go home for the New Year, and then we'll leave."
"Are you really going?" Chen Yunqi couldn't help but exclaim, "I still can't believe you're willing to become a monk."
Tang Yutao exclaimed, "What are you thinking! I'm going to teach in a rural area, okay! It's just that this time there's no organization. A few of us netizens are planning to raise some sponsorships to start an NGO. How about it, do you still want to join us this time?"
Chen Yunqi said with heartfelt admiration, "Brother Tao's ambition is as high as the sky. I am ashamed of myself. I have to support my family. It's not like before."
"Hey, you can never earn enough money, but you only live once. Live life to the fullest. No matter how hard or tiring it is, contentment is the most important thing."
Even over the phone, Chen Yunqi could imagine Tang Yutao's expression: forever arrogant and cynical, foolish as a sage, and cunning as a child. He smiled and said, "Well, maybe there will be a chance in the future, and we'll reunite somewhere in the world."
"Holy crap, that's way too much!" Tang Yutao exclaimed. "You'll have to come help me steal the bride when I get married!"
"...Who are you going to marry?" Chen Yunqi was somewhat surprised by this question. "Which girl is so unfortunate..."
"Sigh, really, can you be nicer to me?" Tang Yutao was so angry that he wanted to curse, but he held back for a long time before saying, "Song Feifei wanted to quit her job and go to Tibet with me, but I didn't let her. I'll go back and marry her when I've had enough of being a playboy. I'll stay at home and be a stay-at-home husband, living off her."
Chen Yunqi sneered, "You're really shameless. I feel sorry for her."