Chapter 28 – Xing Baichuan 1.3

I felt it necessary to intervene in Jiangluo’s interactions with Yi Li. Not that I had any prejudice against Yi Li, but mainly because their personalities were too different. To put it bluntly, I was a bit worried that Yi Li might corrupt Jiangluo.

Okay, I admit it, I did have some bias against Yi Li.

Although it’s not very ethical to speak ill of an ex-boyfriend, and I’m not that kind of person. In the more than two years since we broke up, we rarely contacted each other, and even less so did I mention him to others.

There’s a saying: “Once parted, both live wide lives, each rejoicing in their own happiness.”

We parted ways calmly, sincerely wishing each other better futures. After going our separate ways, we each started new lives and were actually doing pretty well.

There was no need to bring it up constantly, nor to smear each other.

But…

Jiangluo had never been so closely connected with anyone before. He would even take his phone into the bathroom, although he claimed it was to memorize English words. But I still suspected it was to chat with Yi Li more conveniently.

“You’ve been getting along quite well with Yi Li lately?” I asked nonchalantly when Jiangluo came in to deliver documents to me.

He had just gotten a haircut, looking rather dazed at the moment.

“It’s alright,” he rubbed his nose, which was a bit red.

Jiangluo had caught a cold over the past few days. In the morning, I specifically found a knitted vest for him to wear over his shirt. The office was chilly, and he always waited until he was cold before turning on the air conditioning. It would have been strange if he hadn’t caught a cold.

“I see you’ve been in contact quite frequently.” I pretended to type as I spoke, “Let me arrange a meeting with him. That man, if he doesn’t handle serious matters properly and affects your life instead…”

Jiangluo’s phone suddenly rang, and he apologized repeatedly.

I thought it was Yi Li again, that fly without a head bothering him, but it turned out to be just an event reminder.

“We’re scheduled to meet on Saturday,” said Jiangluo, “He wants me to come to his office.”

“Oh…” I looked up at him, “Saturday, that’s tomorrow. Then I’ll go with you.”

“No need,” Jiangluo hurriedly declined, “He wants me to go alone, saying it wouldn’t be good if you were there.”

I was a bit unhappy, my expression probably wasn’t too pleasant either, leaving Jiangluo flustered.

“I’ll take good care of myself, really don’t worry.”

I guessed Jiangluo didn’t have high hopes for Yi Li either, after all, that man seemed far from reliable.

But based on my understanding of Yi Li, if even he was at a loss, there probably wasn’t a more suitable doctor.

The reason I sought help from Yi Li in the first place was because I felt he could empathize with Jiangluo’s situation. Their childhoods were both very unhappy, and I hoped Yi Li’s current cheerfulness could influence Jiangluo.

However, speaking of influence, while I wanted him to be affected, if it meant taking Jiangluo out to wild parties, I would certainly stop it.

“It’s not convenient to get there from home, I’ll drive you then. While you’re meeting him, I’ll wander around nearby, and you can call me when you’re done.”

As I said this, I kept wondering if I was being too controlling, unsure if Jiangluo would be annoyed by my actions.

Even now, I hadn’t completely figured out Jiangluo’s personality and thoughts, as he would sometimes frown just when I thought he was about to smile.

“Alright.” Jiangluo pushed the document towards me again, “It’s ready, take a look first.”

When he turned to leave, his watch suddenly fell to the ground. I looked up and saw that the leather strap had snapped.

I hadn’t paid attention to his watch before, but it must have been worn for many years judging from its appearance now.

He apologized to me and left after closing the door.

Jiangluo was always like this, apologizing to others no matter what happened, yet he hadn’t done anything wrong.

I pulled my attention back and refocused on the computer screen.

Looking at the reflection of my face on the clean screen, I suddenly recalled how Jiangluo looked when he first learned about Bolin’s AIDS diagnosis.

At that time, he kept apologizing, even attempting to jump from a building when I wasn’t paying attention.

Now, thinking back to that time, I thought everything had collapsed and life couldn’t continue. Yet, we made it to today and were both living well.

I didn’t know if Bolin’s death had left me with lingering unease, tossing and turning late at night, finally getting up to smoke on the balcony.

Turned out, Jiangluo was also there.

Wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the balcony sofa chair, he was looking up at the birdcage next door, smoking and lost in thought.

I opened the sliding door, startling him. He instinctively pressed down on his cigarette butt, but upon seeing it was me, he relaxed and put the cigarette back in his mouth.

“Weren’t we supposed to quit smoking?” I closed the door and lit a cigarette, standing beside him.

He curled further into the sofa, asking me, “Want to sit?”

I walked over and sat down by the edge of the sofa.

“What’s so nice about that bird?” I asked.

He chuckled softly, “Not much.”

I laughed along with him, turning to ask, “So why are you out here late at night not sleeping? Building a relationship with it?”

He was likely unaccustomed to my jokes, not knowing how to respond.

“Well, I do have something I want to talk to you about.” I took a deep drag of my cigarette, exhaling smoke, “Your relationship with Yi Li should be kept in check.”

He fell silent for a moment, probably wanting to ask why.

“It’s not because of what happened between us…” I explained, “He’s too playful, I don’t think he’s suitable for you.”

“Brother, where are your thoughts going?” He poked my shoulder with his finger, “You’ve misunderstood.”

Perhaps there was a problem with how I phrased it, now it was clearly Jiangluo who had misunderstood.

Before I could clarify, he said, “Yi Li has a new target recently. He said there aren’t many friends he can chat with here, but he wants someone to confide in. Perhaps he thinks I’m a good listener, that’s why he likes contacting me so much.”

His explanation satisfied me.

I nodded, taking a drag of my cigarette to hide my unease.

“In fact, I understand him.” Jiangluo’s tone was faint, cool in the depths of the night, “When you fall in love with someone, you always want to share that feeling with others. It’s like your heart is stuffed full, if you don’t express those emotions, your heart will burst.”

I kept replaying his words in my mind, then he unexpectedly laughed.

I turned to look at him, puzzled why he suddenly started laughing.

Jiangluo probably understood my confusion, laughing and saying, “Think about it, the heart is like a balloon, continuously inflating until it goes ‘bang’ and explodes. How violent and bloody!”

I looked at him sternly, thinking that scene was far from funny.

I put the cigarette in my mouth, raised both hands to mess up his hair.

Then I cupped his face, mumbling to him, “Stop overthinking, finish this cigarette and go to bed. All the messy stuff in your head is locked away, the key is with me, don’t even think about opening it again.”

His hand rested on the edge of the sofa, we stared at each other for a moment, then the burning end of the cigarette burned his finger.

On Saturdays, unless there’s something urgent, I’d never step out of the house, especially after spending the late night joking and smoking on the balcony.

But on this Saturday, I still got up early, prepared breakfast, waiting for Jiangluo to wake up so we could leave after eating.

Just as I placed the fried eggs on the table, he came out, sitting in a daze on the chair.

My mom came over with the puppy, telling me, “Find something for the little one to eat.”

Ever since Jiangluo brought this little thing home, my mom was inseparable from it.

Recently, my dad complained that the puppy had received all the affection, while he was left out.

Busy with the puppy all morning, when I was ready to leave, I noticed that Jiangluo hadn’t eaten much of his breakfast.

“What’s wrong? Stomach upset?” Jiangluo’s problem with poor appetite had already been resolved. Now, he ate normally every meal, and with my mom’s intentional care, his health improved significantly.

He shook his head, whispering to me, “Brother, I’m nervous.”

I was amused by his appearance, “Do you know what you look like right now?”

“What?”

“Like when I was a kid, sick, and my mom had to take me out to get injections.” I reached out to wrap my arm around his shoulders, leading him out, “Come on, it’ll be fine.”

Every day, I encouraged Jiangluo, actually also repeating these words to myself.

It’ll be fine, Jiangluo’s problems would eventually cease to be problems.

After dropping him off downstairs from Yi Li’s office, I followed our previous agreement. After parking the car, Jiangluo went upstairs, and I wandered around.

Across from this office building was a small commercial area. I crossed through the underground passage, planning to buy a new watch for Jiangluo.

This place was always crowded on weekends, I disliked shopping and wasn’t skilled at giving gifts.

Just across the street, I saw the brand store of the watch I was currently wearing, and without hesitation, I pushed the door open.

The salesperson was a girl in uniform, smiling warmly as she approached me, “Hello sir, how may I assist you?”

Most people seem to dislike being chattered at by salespeople when shopping, but I was the opposite. Since I was truly clueless about buying gifts.

“I’d like to look at men’s watches.” I scanned the shop, fixing my gaze on the glass display case.

Following my line of sight, she smiled and said, “I apologize sir, this watch is limited edition, not yet available in our country.”

I nodded, feeling a bit disappointed.

“You can come over here and take a look.” She led me to another section, “Are you purchasing for yourself or as a gift?”

“A gift,” I said, “For my younger brother.”

She nodded with a smile and asked, “What price range are you considering?”

I didn’t answer, instead focusing on the various watches in the display cabinet.

“Please take this one out for me to see.”

“Sir has excellent taste.” The salesperson opened the glass door of the display cabinet, handing the watch to me, “This brown leather strap paired with a simple and elegant dial is very suitable for young people to wear.”

I stared at the second hand, her words entering one ear and exiting the other.

“This one.” I handed it back to her, “Wrap it up for me, please.”

“Sure, please wait a moment.”

Walking back with the small paper bag still required passing through that underground passage. An old man was playing the saxophone, and a man across from him was listening intently.

I passed by them, still able to hear the sound of the saxophone after exiting the underground passage.

“The Jasmine Flower,” adapted by foreigners, remained graceful and beautiful.

I stood at the exit of the underground passage, listening to the entire piece before continuing on my way.