Young man's thoughts

Young man's thoughts

Xiang Zhixing and Xiang Jingshan arranged to meet off-campus.

He was wearing a grayish hat and an old leather jacket, huddled behind the bus stop outside the school, shivering in the cool air.

People who have been on the run for a long time without eating nutritious food are like this; their nutrition is insufficient and their resistance is very poor, which is why it's so cold in late autumn.

Xiang Zhixing slowly walked to his side without saying a word, but Xiang Jingshan's eyes welled up with tears. He took a step forward, but Xiang Zhixing took a step back.

Sensing his son's aloofness, he froze. He hesitated, wanting to exchange pleasantries, but Xiang Zhixing simply asked casually, "Have you eaten?"

Xiang Jingshan shook his head.

Xiang Zhixing walked forward with his hands in his hoodie pockets, at a slow pace, as if deliberately waiting for him. They continued until they reached a casual restaurant, where he asked the waiter for a private room.

This should be nap time, there weren't many students, and the restaurant wasn't busy either, so the food was served quickly.

This was probably Xiang Jingshan's first meal of the day. He wolfed it down, not even having time to exchange pleasantries with Xiang Zhixing.

Xiang Zhixing had already eaten and was sitting back, relaxed and at ease. However, his gaze was no longer constantly fixed on the aging middle-aged man before him.

Xiang Jingshan buried his entire head in the rice bowl in front of him, looked up from the pile of rice and saw the time in the private room. Thinking that his son was still a student, he asked him if he had class in the afternoon.

Xiang Zhixing shook his head: "It's not time yet, I don't have class until the second period this afternoon."

"Okay, okay," Xiang Jingshan replied with a hint of bitterness.

The small private room was filled only with the sounds of chewing and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, a stark contrast to the cheerful laughter coming from the adjacent room.

Before long, the food on the table was almost completely devoured by Xiang Jingshan.

He unpacked the tissues provided by the restaurant on the table and took one out to wipe his mouth.

After the meal, an even more awkward scene unfolded. The father didn't know what to say, and the son remained silent.

"I changed my number, and I'll be using this number from now on and won't change it again."

It was the father who spoke first.

Xiang Zhixing didn't look at him, but stared at the wood grain of the table and chuckled, making Xiang Jingshan a little nervous.

"Whatever," Xiang Zhixing said. "I've finished eating. Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving now."

Xiang Jingshan's lips were slightly parted, as if he were pondering something, or perhaps he was in a daze.

Just now, while eating, he took off his hat, revealing gray hair at his temples. The skin on the back of his hand, which was holding the bowl, was as dry as tree bark. You could see that the way he held chopsticks was different from before; now, the way he held chopsticks always looked somewhat clumsy and comical.

It was probably to cover up the little finger that was already missing.

"Are you... alright?" After saying this, he realized that his question was unreasonable. Liang Huizhi now held shares in several companies and was a successful and influential figure in the business world. She was also a good mother, and naturally, she treated her own son exceptionally well.

Xiang Zhixing showed none of the harshness he had shown in his youth, but his relationship with his father was as cold as water.

"All is well."

"Oh...that's good, that's good." Xiang Jingshan gave a smile that was more like a grimace, the wrinkles on his face unable to hide the bitter years he had endured.

The last time they met was when Xiang Zhixing took the college entrance exam. No one knew how he found out which test center Xiang Zhixing was taking, and he was wearing the same baseball cap he was wearing today, hiding among the many parents.

Liang Huizhi put aside her company business to come and pick up her son.

Xiang Zhixing left the examination hall relatively early. While he was still slowly moving forward with the crowd, he saw his mother standing under a tree outside the school. She was extremely elegant, and her face could not hide her joy and pride.

The mother and son's eyes met in mid-air. Xiang Zhixing smiled at his mother and was about to change course and walk to the side when his eyes, as if equipped with radar, locked onto one of the many heads.

Xiang Jingshan was so thin he looked like a skeleton, wearing only a thin T-shirt. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a walking corpse.

Without a second's hesitation, he quickly walked forward, grabbed his mother's arm, and headed to the car. Once inside, he told Uncle Wang to drive.

However, the area outside the school was already packed with people. Liang Huizhi's car was very inconspicuous, and passersby could hardly recognize it, only guessing that it was probably expensive. The Hongqi LS7, on the other hand, was a luxurious and dignified model, and many drivers nearby recognized it and automatically gave way.

Liang Huizhi has been using this car for both taking her son to and from the exam these past two days, symbolizing a successful start and wishing him all the best in his exams.

Seeing Xiang Zhixing's anxious expression, Liang Huizhi's eyes reddened, and her lips trembled as she asked, "Is he here? Is he here?! What is he coming for! Is he going to ruin you! He's going to ruin you! I won't allow it! I won't allow it!"

Liang Huizhi was so emotional that her voice cracked from shouting.

Xiang Zhixing held her hand tightly, pressing her down on the seat, while telling Uncle Wang to leave quickly and comforting his mother.

"He didn't contact me, he didn't contact me. I did very well on the exam, it went very smoothly, and I wasn't affected by him."

Finally, after leaving the school gate, the road became wider, and Uncle Wang accelerated and drove off.

Liang Huizhi's emotions eventually calmed down as the car gradually slowed down.

She could never forget that her son's bright future in basketball would be ruined by her husband. The memory of that terrifying evening still sent shivers down her spine.

Xiang Zhixing found that he showed no emotion whatsoever when he saw him this time. His hands were in his pockets and he didn't even clench his fists. It was as if he had just taken a great act of kindness and saved a homeless beggar.

So, this is the first time in all these years that the father and son have officially met.

"Dad heard..." Xiang Jingshan's voice choked with sobs, "I heard they injured your leg..."

He seemed to have finally broken down and burst into tears.

Are you still playing basketball?

Xiang Zhixing was so indifferent that he felt like he was acting, and he didn't know who he was crying for.

"Of course not, there are steel nails in my bones, how could they be inserted?" He spoke in a flat tone, even the last rhetorical question, which should have had a rising tone at the end, just fell smoothly.

Xiang Jingshan suddenly felt a throbbing pain throughout his body. He knew his son's love for basketball and how much sweat his son had shed for his dream.

He doesn't play basketball anymore?

How can he not play basketball? He and basketball are inseparable; basketball is his everything. How can he not play basketball? What would he do if he didn't play basketball?

Are you angry? Of course I'm angry.

Xiang Jingshan slammed his right fist on the table and spat out two words: "These beasts! I'll avenge you!"

He hadn't even taken two steps after standing up when he heard Xiang Zhixing suddenly burst into wild laughter.

Xiang Zhixing laughed so hard his chest was shaking, and the private room was now just as "joyful" as the one next to it.

After laughing for a long time, Xiang Zhixing took out a tissue and wiped away the tears that had come out of his eyes.

He didn't turn to look at Xiang Jingshan, who had already walked to his side, but instead smiled wryly: "Back then, you just left like that, leaving those people to come looking for me and Mom. We were having dinner then, and I still remember what was on the table. A stir-fried cauliflower, a Mapo tofu, a pork rib soup... oh, and a fish, the kind of fried fish you loved. Those people came in and started smashing things, grabbing Mom and trying to do something drastic. What could I do if I didn't protect her?"

Xiang Zhixing's voice stopped abruptly; he didn't want to say anything more, nor did he want to recall it.

He picked up his phone from the table and stood up, much taller than Xiang Jingshan.

"Seeing that you're not doing so well these days, I'm relieved." A faint smile played on his lips, but it wasn't warm; instead, it was as sharp as an ice pick.

"Consider this meal as my way of repaying you for giving me life. You've given my mother and me such a 'gift,' so I'm treating you to a meal. This way, we can consider our past grievances settled."

Xiang Zhixing took two steps toward the door and then turned back, saying, "Don't come looking for me again, and don't look for my mother either. You'll only bring bad luck."

In the instant he turned around, he had already turned on his phone and blacklisted Xiang Jingshan's number.

He walked out of the private room calmly, as if he had finally come to terms with the past. He saw the end of the villains, which satisfied him, yet he wasn't entirely satisfied.

Pay by scanning the QR code at the front desk and exit the restaurant.

A light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky, gently landing on his neck. It was cool, but instantly warmed by his body heat.

This is how it is in Hui City in November: it always rains, but there are few heavy rains, mostly light rains like this. You can't shield yourself with an umbrella, but if you don't, you'll be covered in rain and mist.

He put on his hoodie hood and prepared to return to school.

When it was time for the first class in the afternoon, the campus was crowded with people heading to class. He could see the river of people flowing by from a distance, and he stood still by the roadside.

Gray clouds drifted slowly overhead. He didn't know what kind of families those students came from. Some might have families as bad as his, some might have even worse. At least he had his mother, who sheltered him as he grew up and helped him through difficult times.

The rain seemed to have gotten a little heavier, soaking his hat.

Xiang Zhixing walked against the current with his head down.

There were too many people, and as he squeezed in, all sorts of smells filled his nostrils. He seemed to smell the helpless scent of that evening again.

The man in the lead wore an oversized floral shirt, and his gold chain, as thick as a thumb, somewhat complemented the coiled dragon tattoo on his neck. He laughed and said, "Damn, your husband's got some nerve, abandoning you all and running away? He's a real coward. How could you end up with someone like that? He even dared to sleep with my wife! That's why I had to come find you..."

The ensuing arguments, screams, and even chaos continued to assault his mind. So much time had passed that he couldn't quite remember how it all happened, but several images remained etched in his mind—bloody and terrifying scenes that he couldn't shake off.

As soon as he arrived at the dormitory building, he noticed a wooden table provided by the dormitory supervisor. He remembered seeing the same wooden table by the supervisor when he took Shen Muwei back to her dormitory earlier that day. With a sense of hope, he took out his phone and saw two missed calls from Shen Muwei.

When I called back, the girl on the other end still sounded a little weak, asking in a sleepy voice, "Xiaoyun said it was you who bought the brown sugar?"

He suddenly felt relieved, his tone softened, and he patiently replied, "Yes."

Shen Muwei chuckled softly, as if finding it amusing: "You're quite knowledgeable, thank you."

He smiled along without realizing it, saying "You're welcome," and then asked her if she was feeling better.

"I feel a bit better lying down. I don't have class this afternoon, so I'm going to take a nap. Did you go to class? Is it raining outside?"

He replied that there was no class in the first period because it was raining and cold outside, so he should wear more clothes. However, he said it was okay since you were sleeping, just make sure you covered yourself up so you wouldn't catch a cold.

Shen Muwei laughed twice more, this time for a longer time. She said, "Xiang Zhixing, why are you being a bit fussy?"

He just smiled, and after a long while said, "Shen Muwei, thank you."