Chapter 37 - 2#

As I walked into the room, even though I had mentally prepared myself, I still paused for a moment when I saw it.

This was a basement, without even a single window. The room contained only a bed, a table, and two chairs. A rope hung on one side, with a few clothes drying on it.

I wasn’t sure if there was a leak from above, but water was slowly seeping down from the corner pillar.

I helped him sit down in the chair.

His hands were trembling. The room seemed to radiate a chill. I turned to grab a cup and picked up the kettle to pour—not a single drop of water came out.

Wang Zheng looked up at me, then suddenly smiled, a hint of self-mockery in it.

“Do you think I’m pitiful?”

“Living like this, not even like a person anymore—half-dead…”

I looked at him and let out a soft sigh.

He had placed his clothes on the bed, a bit messy. I patted my head, quickly pulled a handkerchief from my pocket, and crouched down to wipe his slightly dirty face.

He turned his face away as if sulking. After a few attempts, he finally let me clean it properly.

I looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, “I’ve been really short on money lately.”

He paused, as if not understanding what I was getting at.

“I think I need to find a roommate for my little apartment, otherwise I can’t afford it on my own anymore.”

His eyes widened slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

I shrugged and smiled. “The rent is six hundred a month, not including utilities. It’s a one-bedroom, one-living-room place with a small kitchen and a bathroom. If we split it, it’ll be less of a burden.”

Wang Zheng looked away. “I don’t need your pity.”

“I’m not pitying you.” I had promised him I’d look after him until he recovered.

Wang Zheng’s voice was hoarse. “I don’t have a job.”

“Then take your time finding one.”

I looked at him. “You just need to pay the rent on time every month. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you a single cent less than I should.”

“…”

When it was time to leave, Wang Zheng tugged at my clothes and followed me home.

—————————

Wang Zheng only packed a few clothes and some odds and ends, notified his previous landlord, and moved in. The living room of this little apartment could originally pass as a room. When I lived alone, it didn’t seem like a problem, but with another person, I had to plan the layout carefully.

While I was pondering how to free up another space, Wang Zheng looked around, touching things here and there, then suddenly turned to me. His watery eyes shimmered, and he said softly, “It’s fine if we share a room.”

I was still in the middle of rubbing my chin, caught off guard by his words. “Huh?” I looked up at him. Wang Zheng averted his gaze again and gritted his teeth. “If you don’t want to, forget it.”

“Uh… no, no,” I said, glancing around the room. At a loss for how to rearrange things, I temporarily accepted Wang Zheng’s suggestion. “Let’s do it this way for now. The room’s big enough. How about this—I’ll sleep on the floor, and you take the bed.”

Wang Zheng opened his mouth as if to say something, but I continued, “I need to make sure you’re comfortable here. Otherwise, if you suddenly decide to move out, who’s going to help me with the rent?”

Wang Zheng lowered his head, looking a bit sullen, and stayed silent.

I walked over to him and took his hand. He flinched, staring at me like he was startled. I smiled bitterly and shook my head, then pressed the small spare key into his palm.

I said, “Anyway, when you were little, you called me ‘big brother’ a few times. You have to give me, as your big brother, a chance to step up, right?”

Wang Zheng stared blankly at the key in his palm, his lips twitching. I patted his shoulder, but then he said, “Are you… hungry?”

The jump in topic was so abrupt that I blinked. Before I could respond, he turned and walked straight into the kitchen, adding, “When I was in the UK, I didn’t have much to do, so I learned to cook a bit.”

He opened the fridge, then glanced back at me expressionlessly.

I let out a dry laugh. “Come on, there’s a supermarket nearby.”

Wang Zheng really did move in, but under his insistence, we decided to take turns sleeping on the bed. I originally planned to rearrange things during the next holiday, but Wang Zheng brushed it off with a simple “It’s fine as it is.”

At night, he was usually a light sleeper. Even the slightest sound would make him open his eyes and sit up abruptly in bed. A few nights after he moved in, I got up to use the bathroom. When I came out, I saw Wang Zheng pacing around the room in panic. Seeing me, he rushed over, his hands trembling as he grabbed my shoulders, his eyes brimming with something like tears. Later, after taking some medicine and me coaxing him for a long time, he finally fell back into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, it was as if nothing had happened.

Wang Zheng woke up much earlier than me. Just as he’d said, his cooking skills were pretty good. But I only found out later that it was because he had worked part-time at a restaurant during university. He had a sharp mind and could pick things up after watching and practicing once or twice.

Over the years, Wang Zheng’s edges seemed to have been worn smooth. I watched him spread a newspaper flat on the dining table, pen in hand, circling and marking things with focus. Occasionally, I’d lean in to look and asked curiously, “You’re a really talented person. Why can’t you find a job?”

Wang Zheng glanced up and said somewhat irritably, “I don’t know.”

Seeing he was unhappy, I kindly made him a cup of hot cocoa. He kept his eyes on the newspaper, took it with one hand, and drank too quickly, burning his tongue. But to save face, he held back, his face flushed red in a strained and twisted expression.

I went to see Li Ling. She had taken some time off and wanted to find something to do.

She had originally lived with a female coworker from a dessert shop, but after the coworker found out she had AIDS, she moved out. Now Li Ling was living alone.

“Qi Ri,” she called out to me. “Are you having a hard time because of me?” Li Ling pulled a check from her pocket and sat across from me, saying softly, “This… is from the place I used to work… the big boss had someone deliver it.”

I paused for a moment and took it.

It was signed by Du Yijie. I recognized it.

My heart suddenly sank. I looked up at her.

Li Ling bit her lower lip and said hoarsely, “He said it was compensation, so I… that’s why…”

I said, “Don’t worry about money. I’ll handle it. You shouldn’t take this money.”

Li Ling looked up and suddenly asked, “Do you… think this money is dirty?”

She had been very unsettled lately. Maybe being alone in the house made her overthink, or maybe it was her fear of the disease. Either way, her mental state wasn’t good.

“No, Li Ling, that’s not what I meant.”

She stood up from the chair, trembling. “I didn’t want this either… I have younger siblings. My stepfather does nothing but gamble, drink, and do drugs. Half of my college scholarship went back to the family. I didn’t want to degrade myself either…”

I stood up, grabbed her shoulders, looked at her, and said carefully, “Don’t be so sensitive. I’m not blaming you. Li Ling…”

She seemed not to hear me, muttering to herself, “I wanted to cherish myself, but I couldn’t. I really couldn’t. After I met you, I seriously thought about it. I know you don’t like me…”

“I have that disease now. It’s hard to find other jobs… Qi Ri, why haven’t you come to see me these past few days? Do you also…”

“Don’t overthink it,” I interrupted, pressing my hands on her shoulders. “Li Ling, what you need now is to rest and recover. I really can handle the money. I’ll take care of your siblings too. Don’t worry. It’s not as scary as you think.”

Li Ling stared at me blankly, then nodded with tears in her eyes.

After the contract was officially signed, Du Yijie stood up from the sofa. A pair of light-colored sunglasses sat on his nose, but they couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes. He extended his hand to me, and his magnetic voice rang in my ears: “I hope we have a pleasant cooperation in the future.”

I shook his hand symbolically and smiled faintly at him.

Strictly speaking, I was just a legal assistant now. The real consulting work was still handled by Catherine. Du Yijie already had his own legal team, and our scope of work was mostly limited to providing legal advice and reviewing contracts.

Afterward, Du Yijie invited me to dinner. As I looked at him, my mind kept flashing back to that unpleasant night. I felt a knot of unease and was about to refuse when Du Yijie laughed and said, “What’s wrong? You’ve been keeping your distance from me lately.”

“No…” I waved my hand and said with a faint smile, “I can’t. I have to go back to the firm in a bit…” I looked at him, took the check out of my pocket, and pushed it toward him.

“This—I’m returning it on behalf of my friend. We’ve already found a way to handle the money issue.”

Du Yijie glanced at it but said nothing, just smiled. As I packed up my documents and was about to walk out of his office, he suddenly called out to me: “I’m sorry about that incident.”

He stood with his back to the light, making him look very tall. Back in his youth, Du Yijie was at most handsome and dashing, with a hint of thuggishness. But now, in his position, dressed in a sharp suit, he appeared much more refined and elegant. He took off his sunglasses and said softly, “Qi, I don’t have much to explain. I know she’s your friend, but it was her choice.”

I nodded, pursed my lips, and looked down, not meeting his eyes.

Du Yijie took my palm, patted it, and looked down at me, his tone gentle. “Let’s talk about the rest slowly. Food is the first priority. You’ve been looking pale lately. I bet you haven’t been eating well. Let’s…”

Suddenly, there was a hurried knock at the door. I jolted and quickly pulled my hand back. Du Yijie’s gaze darkened, but he gave my shoulder a light pat and sat back down on the sofa.

The door opened, and it was Du Yijie’s subordinate, Weston. He usually relayed messages, so I was familiar with him by now. As he walked in, he hesitated for a moment, glancing at me. This time, Du Yijie didn’t avoid it. He sat up straight, clasped his hands together, and said, “Weston, Attorney Ren is not an outsider. You can speak freely.”

Weston was a tall black man who stood ramrod straight, always meticulous, even his reporting voice flat and devoid of emotion. He said, “Sir, the entertainment district in Zone C…”

Du Yijie raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

Weston glanced at me again, then bent down, saying, “It’s that group led by Daice King. They brought people to wreck the place.”

I paused slightly. As my gaze shifted, I happened to catch Du Yijie looking at me. I instinctively lowered my eyes. Du Yijie stood up, let out a cold laugh, and muttered in a bad mood, “Daice King thinks he’s found a big backer. Doesn’t know the rules anymore. Right… that matter wasn’t handled very well on our end either.”

Weston nodded silently.

Du Yijie grabbed his coat and said to me, “Qi, looks like today really won’t work. Next time for sure.”

I forced a smile at him, trying to keep my expression natural. My mind was in a whirl, thoughts racing.

A wave of unease surged up, but I quickly suppressed it.

When I got back to the apartment, I saw Wang Zheng lying on his side on the sofa chair. The dishes were already set on the table. I turned on the light, and he sat up abruptly, squinting as he looked around. Then he turned to me, his eyes still drowsy. He stood up unsteadily but still hurried toward me, nearly tripping on the way.

“Hey, stand still. How are you getting more reckless as you grow up?” I smiled wryly and steadied him. Wang Zheng shook his head, disagreeing. “I’m not reckless…”

He was half a head taller than me. Now, squinting as he looked down at me, his handsome face still had a red mark from sleeping on his side.

I couldn’t help but reach up to tidy his slightly messy hair. Maybe, right now, Wang Zheng was the easiest to understand among everyone.

“Why are you back so late? Overtime?”

I shook my head. “I went to see a client. It was a bit far, so it took some time.”

“Oh.” He smiled, a little childishly, and said, “Let’s eat, then. I’ll reheat the dishes.”

I was about to help, but he pushed me out of the kitchen.

Apart from job hunting, Wang Zheng spent all his time perfecting his cooking. No matter what he put his mind to, he learned quickly. I got to enjoy quite a bit of his cooking, and I felt that having him move in was actually a pretty good decision.

He ladled out a small bowl of soup for me, saying, “You like Chinese food, so I looked up some recipes online and gave them a try. See if you like it.” After I took a sip, I looked up to find him watching me expectantly, like a child.

“Is it good?”

I swallowed and quickly said, “Very good.”

He looked at me suspiciously. “Really? No problems at all?”

Not wanting to brush him off, I took another careful sip, pondered for a moment, and said seriously, “Maybe a little under-salted.”

Wang Zheng blinked, then smiled. “I’ll remember. Next time, I’ll make it just the way you like it.”

I touched my nose and nodded.

After dinner, while washing the dishes, I nudged him with my elbow. “How did it go?” He’d had an interview this morning, but I hadn’t heard how it turned out. Strangely enough, Wang Zheng kept hitting dead ends everywhere. It was kind of eerie.

Wang Zheng shook his head. “Same as always.”

“Don’t rush. You’ll find something eventually.”

Wang Zheng gave a bitter smile. “Do you really think I can find one?”

“Why wouldn’t you? You’re so talented. How could no company want someone like you?” I meant it sincerely. Putting aside his somewhat ungrateful nature in his past life, he was genuinely a top-tier talent.

Wang Zheng looked down and smiled upon hearing this.

When we sat down in the living room to watch the news, the phone suddenly rang.

I went to answer it and heard Cheng Chen’s voice.

【Why aren’t you answering your phone?! Do you know what happened?!】

I paused, and then Cheng Chen roared—

【You bastard! Did you know Xiaoling tried to commit suicide?!】