Chapter 33#

A wave of bitterness surged in his heart, yet it was mixed with a hint of heart-stirring warmth.

When he wrote that address on the palm of the young Zhao Rong years ago, he didn’t know his family would fall apart in the near future, didn’t know he would live in the old house on Changxi Road, and didn’t know he and Zhao Rong would meet again years later.

It was just a somewhat special day in his day-to-day life, and in the long years to follow, it would only become a memory as fleeting as a mayfly—the same for Zhao Rong. This debt of gratitude didn’t need to become a burden for a young person, so he wrote an address that was completely unoccupied at the time, on a palm where ink could never be preserved for long, and never thought Zhao Rong would actually follow that address and find him.

Zhao Rong came.

Not at a time when his guard was at its highest and his state was at its worst, suddenly bursting in front of him, but… perfectly across a layer of hazy gauze, stepping right onto the softest part.

Coming silently.

Once he came, it was for twelve years.

Qiao Nanqi looked at the paper in his hand, already crumpled by his grip, his gaze falling on the string of numbers, motionless for a long while.

Until countless passing cars drove by outside.

Until the noisy engine roars and honking rose and fell for a good while.

Until the phone screen silently dimmed a bit.

His heart felt heavy.

That hand seemingly gripping his heart invisibly felt like it was tightening bit by bit, strangling his thoughts.

In all these years, he finally experienced the unfamiliar emotion of being at a loss again.

Seeing the phone screen about to go black, his fingertip, hovering vacantly over the dial button, subconsciously pressed down.

This press was too forceful, actually hitting the dial button directly.

The page waiting for the call to be answered immediately appeared on the screen.

Qiao Nanqi was stunned.

…What was he going to say? And… what was he going to ask?

Ask Zhao Rong why he was having a physical check-up? Ask why Zhao Rong was in the hospital? Or ask why Zhao Rong hadn’t told him?

He thought of that night when he waited for Zhao Rong at his doorstep, and Zhao Rong said to him without a hint of a smile: “But you’ve never listened to me.”

Never.

Indeed, never.

The busy tone rang only once, yet it was exceptionally clear in this empty old house.

Qiao Nanqi’s finger moved slightly, hanging up the phone.

The interval between this call and hang-up was too short; he didn’t know if the person on the other end had heard it.

He actually felt some hesitation.

A moment later.

His fingertip swiped slightly on the screen, the surroundings so quiet he could hear his own breathing.

The old-fashioned pendulum clock leaning against the wall swung unhurriedly, making a rhythmic “tick-tock” sound.

One second, one second, and another second…

Qiao Nanqi dialed the number again.

Zhao Rong was having dinner with Sun Manman.

He had spent an afternoon at the hospital, undergoing a complete physical check-up from start to finish, and also looked at his old stomach ache problem. It was around dinner time when he came out.

He roughly estimated the income level of someone working at this hospital and chose a restaurant that wouldn’t be too formal for Sun Manman.

Although they were classmates, they hadn’t been in contact since university. Chatting suddenly, they felt quite unfamiliar.

Sun Manman’s work had nothing to do with those prestigious families, so she didn’t know about Zhao Rong and the Chen family’s affairs. She would occasionally inquire about Zhao Rong’s current situation.

Zhao Rong was well aware of the purpose of this meal and had been looking for an opportunity to tactfully discourage her intentions.

When the phone rang, they had almost finished eating, just waiting for the waiter to bring the bill.

Sun Manman was tentatively asking him: “Why did you come to the hospital alone today? Your partner didn’t accompany you?”

Zhao Rong glanced at the phone on the table. Before he could look at it, the ringing stopped—it only rang once.

He withdrew his gaze and said, “It’s more convenient alone.”

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to use this question to claim he wasn’t single or find another excuse later.

Sun Manman looked at him without responding, clearly waiting for the answer to the other question.

Zhao Rong’s voice paused slightly as he said, “My partner—”

The phone rang again, with a slight “buzz” from the vibration, interrupting his words.

This time it wasn’t the sudden single ring from before, but a continuous one.

“Sorry,” he said to Sun Manman, reaching out to pick up the phone.

He thought it was the person the pet shop staff mentioned who wanted to adopt the cats, but what caught his eye was a string of numbers on the screen without any contact name, yet one he had long memorized and couldn’t forget in all these years.

…What’s the matter now?

Regarding the company shares, hadn’t he already made it clear to Xiao Wu?

He had often looked at this string of numbers over the past year or so. Sometimes it was sending inquiries that were unlikely to get a reply, sometimes it was calling Qiao Nanqi, expecting a dialogue destined not to be long.

If there were two or three consecutive call records, it was surely him calling Qiao Nanqi, with no response from the other end.

Now seeing that string of numbers appearing persistently on the screen, he was suddenly dazed.

Sun Manman was still looking at him.

The things he and Qiao Nanqi needed to talk about over the phone were not suitable for others to hear, and answering the phone now was clearly not good.

Zhao Rong thought for a moment and directly hung up.

Only then did he continue: “I…”

—The phone rang again.

Zhao Rong: “?”

For a moment, he even wondered if Young Master Qiao’s phone had been snatched by someone.

But even if Qiao Nanqi’s phone were stolen or snatched, he surely wouldn’t be called—he knew he was certainly of no consequence in Qiao Nanqi’s contacts.

He didn’t know what madness Qiao Nanqi was going through these two days.

In the past, he could never bear to let the owner of this phone number wait for even a second, never daring to delay for a moment when answering.

Now, the phone was vibrating “buzz buzz buzz” incessantly. He lowered his eyes, withdrew his gaze, and followed up on his previous words: “My partner is quite busy, working overtime today.”

This was naturally nonsense.

Sun Manman’s expression darkened. She was silent for a moment and said, “A friend’s call? Is there something urgent?”

The words of refusal had been spoken. Zhao Rong said sorry to Sun Manman again before picking up the phone.

Just as the call connected, Sun Manman stood up and said to him, “Since you have something, I won’t disturb you. Thank you for today. Come by in a few days; if I’m free, I’ll treat you.”

In name, she was still Zhao Rong’s doctor. “Come by in a few days” naturally referred to the hospital.

These words were polite and courteous, clearly indicating she understood the meaning behind Zhao Rong’s words.

Zhao Rong smiled: “Okay, see you next time.”

Sun Manman left gracefully.

The dining table was already cleaned, with only a white and black bill left on it.

Outside the glass window on one side was the city, bustling as if it were day, adorned with colorful lights.

Zhao Rong sat alone at the table, holding his phone, looking out the window with his head turned, suddenly feeling a bit exhausted.

Just as he was about to speak, the deep voice from the other end came first: “…Who was that person just now?”

Zhao Rong’s brow furrowed—this question was truly strange.

This person had called three or four times in a row, yet the first thing he said was such an irrelevant and probing sentence.

“You… is there something?” he said.

There was another silence on the other end.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt Qiao Nanqi’s breathing coming through the phone was a bit heavier than usual.

As if suppressing something.

“…Are you not feeling well lately?”

This question was truly strange, inexplicable. Even more inexplicable than this phone call.

“I’m fine,” he didn’t want to talk to Qiao Nanqi about his health at all. “What’s the matter, exactly?”

Qiao Nanqi asked him: “Where are you?”

Zhao Rong blinked slowly.

Qiao Nanqi had already asked him such a question once before.

Last time he was at the sanatorium, Qiao Nanqi asked where he was. He thought Qiao Nanqi was looking for him because the interest calculation on the agreement wasn’t clear, and answered truthfully. As a result, when he went home that night, he saw Qiao Nanqi, who had arrived at his doorstep at some unknown time.

This time…

He truly didn’t know what Qiao Nanqi was thinking or what he wanted to do.

But then, he had never really been close to Qiao Nanqi. In all these years, what he saw most clearly was Mr. Qiao’s condescending posture. It was as if he had to answer whatever question this person asked.

With Qiao Nanqi like this, how were they to be considered?

He wasn’t a saint who wouldn’t be affected.

He leaned slightly against the back of the chair, his gaze wandering somewhere in the night view outside the window, feeling even more tired.

He said, “If there’s nothing, I’ll hang up first.”

Qiao Nanqi heard every word.

Zhao Rong’s tone was still the same as before, gentle and smooth, yet it had somehow acquired a hard shell.

“Zhao Rong.”

Qiao Nanqi called.

He rarely called Zhao Rong by his full name like this. At this moment, these two words were like a curse; on one hand, he was a bit unwilling to speak them, yet on the other, he wanted to hold them in his heart and say them.

Zhao Rong seemed to be stopped by his call, and the phone wasn’t hung up.

Qiao Nanqi’s grip on the phone tightened a bit more.

He was still preoccupied with that woman’s voice just now. That woman’s voice, which was completely foreign to him. This person wasn’t among those he and Zhao Rong both knew, not among those friends of Zhao Rong’s he knew about; it was someone related to Zhao Rong he had never known.

That person said to Zhao Rong, “Come by in a few days”… come where? And where was Zhao Rong? Why would he be with that person at this time?

These questions collided with the bitter emotion in his heart, making him almost lose control.

He still wanted to ask.

But he was more worried about Zhao Rong hanging up.

The moment Zhao Rong picked up the phone, when he heard that familiar clear voice, the inexplicable irritability he had felt for days finally had an answer.

Qiao Nanqi suppressed the dark emotion that emerged from nowhere and said word by word: “Where are you? I… want to talk to you in person.”

“Talk about what?” Zhao Rong replied almost without thinking. “I’ve already told Xiao Wu about the shares. I’ll go to transfer them in a few days.”

“I read through the agreement again a couple of days ago. Every clause in it is fine, and I haven’t done anything to damage your interests.”

“If it’s about the Chen family, I really don’t know anything.”

“Mr. Qiao,” his tone was level, every word wrapped in calmness, “I truly can’t think of anything we need to discuss in detail in person late at night.”

Qiao Nanqi opened his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. “I…”

He paused.

He was used to looking down on everyone, used to a toughness without any turning back.

But the words about to be spoken seemed as if they weren’t something he would say, yet they were completely what he wanted to say.

Unfamiliar, strong.

Every word seemed as if ground out from the bottom of his heart.

He said, “…I want to see you.”

After speaking, he held his breath slightly, subconsciously not wanting to miss even the slightest sound from the other end of the phone.

He had originally thought Zhao Rong’s departure was like a small cat at home suddenly losing its temper and not letting him hold it. He felt he wouldn’t lose his composure because of this little thing’s insignificant temper, and once the other stopped acting out, they would naturally return. But the always well-behaved cat had left home directly and never came back.

He went out to find it, cautiously, wanting to bring the cat back.

It turned out it was never that Zhao Rong couldn’t live without him.

Rather, he was the one receiving Zhao Rong’s love. One day Zhao Rong stopped giving it, turned away and left, and he was helpless.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

No, perhaps not that long; the pendulum clock only swung a dozen times or so.

“Qiao Nanqi.”

Zhao Rong said.

“When we lived together, you did whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, and I had to cooperate. Now we’ve broken up. You’ve grown accustomed to it, you have needs, so you crook your finger and expect me to satisfy you…”

He said these words very, very lightly, as if not wanting anyone to hear, yet when they reached Qiao Nanqi’s ears, they seemed to be poured with thousands of tons of ice, very heavy.

“You don’t like me. With a single word from you, there are countless people for you to choose from. Why bother calling me at your beck and call, wearing down my dignity?”

“I—”

It’s not that I don’t like you.

The words didn’t have time to be spoken.

The call was hung up.

All that remained was a long, endless silence.