Chapter 32 – Xing Baichuan 1.5

I found that my life couldn’t seem to escape Xu Zhao’s shadow.

First, he took on Bolin’s case, then he tangled with Jiangluo, and now, unbelievably, he was mixed up with Yi Li as well.

Was it really true that the more you hated someone, the more they’d insist on making their presence known in your world?

Xu Zhao was also taken aback when he saw me enter. Neither of us spoke first, while Yi Li, full of cheer, stood up to greet me and said to Xu Zhao, “Let me introduce you!”

Just as I was about to say we already knew each other, Xu Zhao stood up, extending his hand politely and saying, “Hello, my name is Xu Zhao.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, complying by shaking his hand and saying, “Xing Baichuan.”

I couldn’t fathom why Xu Zhao was pretending to be a stranger to me, nor did I understand how these two had ended up together.

The thought that Yi Li’s so-called “true love” was actually Xu Zhao left me feeling uneasy.

Xu Zhao clearly loved Jiangluo; either he had fallen out of love in a short span of time, or he was simply playing with Yi Li.

I felt it was necessary to warn Yi Li, but since the first act had been “first meeting,” figuring out how to tell Yi Li became a challenge.

What was Xu Zhao up to, hidden within that enigmatic facade? I was incredibly curious.

We three drank and chatted idly. Xu Zhao maintained his arrogant demeanor, nothing like the man he was in front of Jiangluo.

Yi Li spoke to him, but Xu Zhao responded indifferently, which displeased me.

Regardless, Yi Li and I were close friends, despite there being no chance of us getting back together. I didn’t want to see him bullied or deceived.

Midway through, I went to the restroom, and Xu Zhao followed me over.

He glared at me, making me impatient.

“If you have something to say, just spit it out.”

He smiled, asking, “Are you satisfied now?”

I furrowed my brows, unsure of his meaning.

“Is it true that as long as Jiangluo doesn’t die, your family isn’t planning to let him go?”

“What do you mean?”

Xu Zhao fell silent for a few seconds, flipping me off before turning to leave.

Naturally, I wouldn’t let him walk away like that, grabbing him and pushing him against the wall, saying, “Explain yourself. What do you mean? And why are you pretending not to know me?”

“Why should I tell you?” Xu Zhao pushed me away, straightening his clothes. “I haven’t given up on Jiangluo. Not seeing him these days was just to give him some space. Your family isn’t worthy of having him.”

“It’s not up to you to decide who’s worthy.” Anger boiled inside me, making me wonder if I should get into a fight with a police officer right here.

“Fine, then judge for yourself.” He leaned against the wall, lighting a cigarette and smiling. “You didn’t know, did you? Your precious little brother wanted to die, but he didn’t intend to let Jiangluo live on peacefully either.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, frowning at him.

“He had AIDS, which you know. His death was deserved, but even as he died, he wanted Jiangluo to join him in the grave. Tell me, is that kind of person hateful or not?” Xu Zhao blew smoke in my face. “Fortunately, Jiangluo got back late that day. Maybe your idiot brother still had some humanity left in him, because in the end, he decided to stab himself instead of Jiangluo.”

“I’m warning you,” I said. “Don’t spout nonsense.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m making things up. You can always claim there’s no proof. But think about it. If he didn’t have that intention, why would he bother stabbing himself in addition to hanging himself? Was he just bored?”

I was speechless, my mind in chaos.

Xu Zhao laughed triumphantly in front of me, finishing his cigarette.

“Yi Li is quite annoying,” he said. “He clung to me after just one night together. Please take him off my hands.”

Watching Xu Zhao leave, I once again felt that he didn’t deserve to wear the uniform of a police officer.

When I returned to the private room, Xu Zhao had already left, leaving only Yi Li slumped on the couch, drinking.

“Where’s he?”

“Gone.” He raised his glass in a toast to me. “He doesn’t actually like me.”

I remained silent, thinking that since you know, you should stay far away from him.

“But it’s rare for me to fall in love with someone else.” Yi Li drained his glass. “Ever since breaking up with you, I hadn’t liked anyone else. He revived my love.”

Suddenly, I wanted to punch him, comparing me to that scoundrel, it was an insult to me.

“Since he’s gone, let’s head back.” I found the noise here unbearable, wanting to leave soon.

“You go ahead.” He lay down on the couch. “I’m upset. I need to get drunk.”

“…Enough of that nonsense.” Yi Li enjoyed drinking, he was a small-time alcoholic. Leaving him here unattended, he might run off with someone by nightfall.

I pulled him off the couch, dragging him out. “I’ll send you home. Stop being stubborn with me.”

He didn’t say anything, unusually quiet for a moment.

His place wasn’t far from here. Before he got out of the car, I told him, “Since you say he doesn’t like you, stop pursuing him relentlessly. There are plenty of men out there, why bother?”

“If I could figure out why I’m doing this, it wouldn’t be true love.” Yi Li stepped out of the car. “You don’t understand a damn thing!”

He slammed the door shut, humming loudly as he walked away.

I mulled over his words repeatedly. Indeed, when love strikes, you can’t explain why you would do so many foolish things.

Driving home, a song played on the traffic radio.

Lisa sang passionately,

Once I crossed seven rivers to find my love
And once, for seven years, I forgot my name

Arriving home, a small night light illuminated the living room.

It was the one Jiangluo had kept in his box when he moved. The same one that greeted me on my first visit to his and Bolin’s home.

Thanks to it, I made my way smoothly from the entrance hall to my bedroom door without bumping into anything.

Before entering, I subconsciously glanced at Jiangluo’s room. The door was closed; at this hour, he should have been asleep.

I recalled Yi Li’s words. If you knew why you were doing it, it wouldn’t be true love.

I chuckled at myself, pondering those words while thinking of Jiangluo. It was funny because my feelings for Jiangluo weren’t love.

It was merely familial affection, merely wanting to make amends for Bolin towards him, merely needing someone to fill the void Bolin left behind.

That was all. It certainly wasn’t love.

I opened the door, raising my hand and noticing my cufflinks, causing my heart to tighten.

Jiangluo remained close to Yi Li, keeping me on edge throughout the day.

I worried that Yi Li might foolishly ask Jiangluo if I liked him, or that Yi Li might drag Jiangluo to meet Xu Zhao.

My thoughts revolved around Jiangluo. During the entire day he was out, I only turned one page of my book, and I didn’t remember a single word of its contents.

“Son…” My father suddenly spoke from behind me, startling me.

“What is it?” I wanted to scold him for not knocking, but realized I was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

This was too strange. Ever since Jiangluo left, my mind seemed to have left with him, leaving an empty shell here.

“What are you pondering?” My father sat beside me, holding Zai Zai in his arms. “Are you hiding something from us?”

A father knows his son best, but I didn’t plan on telling him the truth.

“It’s about work. I’ve encountered some trouble recently.”

My father scoffed, pinching Zai Zai’s ear. “Did you hear that? Your brother is lying again!”

I smiled helplessly. “Dad, it doesn’t understand.”

“How do you know it doesn’t understand?” My father glared at me. “Zai Zai is smarter than you.”

In our household, Zai Zai now held the top spot in popularity, with Jiangluo relegated to second place, and me far below.

“In a few days, I might have to start calling it ‘Brother’,” I rubbed Zai Zai’s face. This little guy had grown significantly recently. With the way my parents pampered it, it would eventually become a ball of fluff.

“Son.” My father hugged the dog close, looking at me seriously. “If you have any worries, talk to Mom and Dad. Our family…”

I knew continuing this conversation would lead to uncomfortable topics, so I hastily interrupted him. “I know, but there’s really nothing. Don’t worry.”

Indeed, I didn’t know how to explain it to him, because even I didn’t understand what was happening.

When Jiangluo returned, he held a small bag in his hand. Shamelessly, I assumed it was another gift for me.

However, he took the bag straight to his room and never mentioned it afterward.

I felt a sense of loss, completely self-inflicted.

People rarely reached the level of self-deception I had achieved.

During dinner, my mother asked him what he did today. I listened intently, then sighed in relief.

“I went shopping with a friend. He wanted to buy a birthday present for his friend,” Jiangluo answered seriously. “Then we watched two movies.”

“Two movies?” My mother asked, full of curiosity. “What did you watch? Were they good?”

“Eh…” Jiangluo took a bite of food, smiling a bit embarrassedly. “Both times we watched the same movie, the recently released ‘Love Me Not.’ It was pretty bad.”

My mother burst into laughter at his straightforward review. Afraid she would choke, I poured her a glass of water and placed it next to her. “Stop laughing, eat properly.”

“Son, why did you watch a bad movie twice?” My mother calmed down after taking a sip of water.

Jiangluo continued to feel embarrassed, unable to resist laughing. “It was… boring.”

I didn’t understand why this sentence was so amusing. My mother couldn’t stop laughing.

“Mom, are you alright?”

My mother waved her hand, turning to my father. “Old man, why don’t the two of us go watch it tomorrow?”

“Huh?” Jiangluo hurriedly said, “It’s not good…”

“No problem,” my father interjected. “She enjoys watching bad films.”

I felt our family’s thinking was becoming increasingly peculiar. Making eye contact with Jiangluo for that brief second, he immediately lowered his head.

I was puzzled, unsure why he reacted that way.