"Brother," Song Wenmiao called him again, and before they knew it, both of their eyes were red. "The top student said a lot. He told me not to tell you, but I feel that you should hear these things, just like..."
That was the last time he said anything.
Su Jinning took his phone, and what she saw was a densely packed chat window filled with text from Shen Moyu. But almost none of the messages were from Song Wenmiao.
He thought Shen Moyu would ask about his recent situation, but she didn't; instead, she sent a very long message.
Not a Fish: He often doesn't want to eat because he's doing practice problems. If you deliberately call him, he'll get angry. If it's convenient, bring him some food; he'll feel bad not eating since you brought it all the way here. If you see him slumped over his desk with one hand on his stomach, tell him you have a lot of medicine in your desk, enough for him to last a long time. He often wears headphones all day, which is bad for his ears. Next time you see him sleeping with them on, just take them off, regardless of whether he gets angry or not. When he drinks, he always mixes beer and baijiu, enduring stomach discomfort to take others home. Tell him to vomit; he'll feel better once he does. If it's raining, tell him not to open the window at night; he'll definitely listen, trust me. He always stays up late doing practice problems and gets nerve pain every few days. Although it doesn't happen often, it's really painful when it does. If it's convenient, remember to buy him medicine or let him rest. Also, if you have the chance, please secretly take a picture of him for me.
Not a fish: I want to see him.
They both missed each other so much, yet neither of them was willing to speak up.
Song Wenmiao: I know you miss him a lot.
Not a Fish: Don't tell him I miss him, just tell him the things mentioned above.
I don't need you to know I love you; I just want you to live a peaceful and happy life, with everything going smoothly for you.
Su Jinning held her phone and cried uncontrollably.
It turns out that his seemingly unspoken love had been quietly surging in places unknown to anyone.
——
It was almost eleven o'clock when I got home. The lights were on, so Su Yi must have come home tonight.
When the door opened, the father and son met eyes. Su Jinning's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her face looked lifeless. Su Yi was stunned for a moment upon seeing this, then walked over and asked softly, "Son, what's wrong?"
Su Jinning blinked, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes: "It's okay, I'm okay..."
"Have you been drinking? You reek of alcohol." Su Yi frowned as she looked at him, then sighed, turned around, and went back to the kitchen to pour him a glass of honey water.
Su Jinning obediently finished the entire drink. He never liked drinking hot water, so it was a little difficult for him to swallow. He subconsciously asked, "Why is it hot?"
Su Yi looked at him questioningly: "What's wrong with being hot?"
Su Jinning seemed to have been asked a question, and he looked up at his father.
In the past, when he drank too much, Shen Moyu would always make him honey water. He knew he didn't like hot water, so Shen Moyu always made it lukewarm or cold. He really wasn't used to drinking hot water now.
But when he saw Su Yi's puzzled look, he lowered his head.
That's true, no one remembers except Shen Moyu.
Perhaps it's the alcohol taking effect; I'm a bit confused.
"It's nothing, I'm going back to my room." Su Jinning rubbed her eyes and turned around wearily.
Su Yi opened his mouth, but still didn't chase after them.
The sound of a football match broadcast was playing in the living room, then the channel changed a moment later. The room did indeed feel a bit more lively now, not as quiet as when he was home alone.
However, he was still annoyed and felt very lonely.
It doesn't really matter whether it's quiet or not, it's just that there's one less person by my side.
The ball emerged from its little nest and, seeing Su Jinning, wagged its tail and trotted over, tugging at his trouser leg.
Su Jinning glanced down, sighed, and realized he wasn't in the mood to play with the dog. He turned around and collapsed onto the bed.
Rolling Ball didn't give up. It climbed onto the bed and snuggled into Su Jinning's arms, excitedly licking his cheek with its little tongue.
After struggling for a while, Su Jinning got annoyed, pushed the rolling ball away, and then buried herself under the covers.
Rolling Ball whimpered a few times, its voice sounding pitiful and aggrieved. Perhaps sensing that Su Jinning was upset, it obediently lay down on the edge of the bed, its bright eyes fixed on the ball under the covers.
It was only then that Su Jinning remembered that because she was too busy with school, she didn't have time to take care of the dog every day. So she asked Aunt Cui to come and feed it once a day and take it for a walk. Dogs are prone to mental illness if they lack companionship for too long.
A wave of guilt washed over Su Jinning. He slowly peeked out from under the covers and saw the ball lying there obediently, without making a sound.
It has always been a very well-behaved dog, never destroys the house, and is not the clingy type of dog. Perhaps it was abandoned when it was a puppy, so it is afraid of being abandoned again.
Su Jinning sighed: "Look at how wronged you are. Maybe I'll listen to you if you keep making a fuss?"
He smiled and picked up the ball, letting it rub and roll around in his arms, looking especially happy.
Rolling Ball always waits for him to come home. Even if he comes back very infrequently, it will obediently wait there for him, never running away or being naughty.
Su Jin lowered her head and rubbed the rolling ball: "Your dad used to say you looked like me, but I think... you look a lot like him too."
They were all so well-behaved, they were all waiting for him to come home.
Su Jinning suddenly burst into tears. The dog, confused, stared at him, then looked up and licked his cheek. Dogs can't speak, but they express affection in their own way.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't even take good care of our dog..."
Of course, he didn't want to break up with Shen Moyu, but rather than being together for a long time, he hoped that Shen Moyu would be better off.
The door clicked open. Su Yi came in carrying a cup of hot milk. Su Jinning quickly wiped away her tears, not wanting him to see her son crying like this.
"Drink it while it's hot, it'll soothe your stomach. Drinking alcohol all the time isn't good for you." Su Yi handed over the milk, his smile still kind.
Su Jinning sniffed and said with a hint of grievance, "I just drank honey water, and I'm afraid I'll wet the bed if I drink too much."
"Hahahaha!" Su Yi laughed heartily, saying between laughs, "It's okay, Dad will wash you. It's not like you haven't washed before."
Su Jinning snorted and burrowed herself and the dog into the blankets.
Su Yi sat on the edge of the bed and patted Su Jinning's shoulder: "Son, what's bothering you? Tell Dad."
Su Jinning looked up and saw it was indeed her father. He always seemed to see right through her. Su Yi didn't know about Shen Moyu and the others, and Su Jinning hadn't dared to tell him, afraid he would be upset too. Besides, how could he possibly bring this up? He wanted to wait until he'd forgotten about it, but after thinking it over, it seemed he couldn't forget it anytime soon.
He really wanted to say that nothing was wrong, that he had just been drinking.
Sometimes when you're feeling down, you might be able to hold it in and it will pass, but when your closest person comes to ask you about it, you often can't help but feel emotional.
"Dad, have you ever grown flowers?" Su Jinning asked.