Chapter 119: Astonishment
In December, the cold winter was moving deeper. The capital had not snowed for a long time. The bright red of the lanterns and colored banners was burning, and the warm and reunion atmosphere of the New Year was spreading. The cold wave that was flowing between the tall buildings seemed to have lost its backbone and had suddenly become silent.
The shop was deserted, and not a single customer had been seen in or out all morning. The “open” sign of the milk tea shop was swaying and creaking in the cold wind. The restaurant across the street was shouting for people to hang lanterns on its sign. The New Year was getting closer and closer.
Su Yu wrung out the towel and wiped the water that had been scattered on the table. The air conditioner in the room was blowing warm air, and it was not cold. He was leaning on the table with his sleeves half-rolled up, and his eyes were as plain as water. The buttons on his collar were unbuttoned, and his deep collarbone was faintly visible. The thin shirt outlined his strong and thin muscle lines.
He was propping up his chin and was leaning on the counter. His pupils were dilated in the shadows, and he was in a daze. These past few days, he had been inexplicably thinking of the row of luxurious and eye-catching wedding rings in the jewelry store.
It had started with just a few inconspicuous small grass seedlings in the cracks of the wall. Later, the weeds had drawn nourishment from somewhere and had climbed up the wall. They had soon covered the entire high wall with their vines. When he had come back to his senses, they had already climbed over his ankles, and they had bound this body, which was in shackles.
What was he thinking? Marriage… was like a fool’s dream.
Even if he was willful, there should be a bottom line. Even if Xia Qiange tolerated all his unbearable faults, he should not push his luck.
But some things were uncontrollable. It was always like this.
Then what could he use to move her? A “I love you”?
He had almost forgotten how many times he had said this in the past. Perhaps she was already tired of hearing it. Would Xia Qiange not love him at all, but just pity him? After all, they had once been pretty good friends, and she was not a cold-blooded and ruthless person.
These years of hardship had made him slow and sensitive. He was a little pessimistic, but he couldn’t help but deny his own speculation. He stubbornly believed that she would not lie to him. He was so contradictory that he couldn’t find himself.
But so what? They were together now, sleeping in the same bed, and they would often hug and kiss each other, and they would express their love to each other with an open heart. She had never disliked him. It was like this now, and it would be in the future.
He could lose everything, but he could not be without her.
The wind chime suddenly rang urgently, and his thoughts were like a broken string of jade beads, scattered on the ground. The transparent curtain was suddenly lifted, and the girl rushed in in a panic. He looked up in astonishment, and the two of them looked at each other for a few seconds. The girl suddenly pounced on him and held his wrist, her voice trembling with a soft and frail cry.
“Xiao Yu… it’s gone!”
Lin Keke’s voice was filled with a cry, and her lips were bitten white. A red halo was around her eyes. She held Su Yu’s hand and refused to let go. Her deep black eyelashes were wet and drooping, and it was hard to tell if it was sweat or tears.
“It’s gone? It was just… it’s okay. It’s so small. It can’t have run too far. I think it’s still quite attached to home.” Su Yu comforted her a few times, took off his overalls, and walked out of the counter.
Xiao Yu was a stray cat that Lin Keke had adopted here. It had been raining heavily that day, and the business in the shop was not good. The little guy, whether it was to hide from the rain or because it was extremely hungry, had run out of the green bushes with a trembling gait and had crawled to the entrance of the shop. By the time it had reached the entrance, it was already soaked. It had called out a few times in a sweet and childish voice and had attracted their attention.
The little girl was kind-hearted. She had sent it to the pet hospital without a second thought. It was not a serious illness. Later, it was kept in the shop. Seeing the little guy grow up bit by bit, it had even attracted customers. Many customers had come just to pet the kitten.
“I was going to get it some small dried fish. I had a temporary phone call, and when I turned around, it was gone.”
Lin Keke pulled Su Yu and walked out. “Su Yu, let’s go and find it quickly. It’s getting dark. It’s so small. I’m really afraid that Xiao Yu, it…”
Su Yu closed the door without a word. The sign at the entrance was turned to the “temporarily closed” side. He followed the girl out to look for the cat.
It was getting late, and the light from the thick clouds was visibly dimming. Xiao Yu had always been very clever. He would even respond in a sweet and childish voice when his name was called. But he was also timid and knew the danger. He probably wouldn’t cross the road without permission.
So they separated and looked for the cat on both sides of the place where it had disappeared. The phone was on all the time. He could hear Lin Keke’s intermittent crying on the other end. But he had searched almost all the corners and green bushes along the way, but he hadn’t heard Xiao Yu’s slightly sharp cry.
“Su Yu, will something happen to Xiao Yu? It had just recovered from its illness and had survived. I even bought it new clothes…”
“It’s okay. Let’s go back. Maybe it’s already back.”
Su Yu’s heart was dark. The streetlights above his head suddenly lit up along the way. It was dark without any warning. The hazy halo of light made the figures gradually stretch. There were not many people on the street. The withered branches were swaying in the cold wind, as if a monster with ferocious limbs were chasing behind them. He could barely see the way back.
He walked quickly and returned to the entrance of the shop with the last bit of hope. The steps in front of the door were empty. A cold wind was blowing. He had come out in a hurry and was only wearing a thin shirt. The tip of his nose was red, and his hands and feet were cold. He looked around without a care, but he still didn’t see the little guy’s shadow.
He remembered the girl’s red-rimmed eyes, and he was inevitably a little disappointed. These days, he had gotten along very well with Lin Keke. He had been infected by the girl’s youthful vigor, like a dazzling sunlight that had shone through a gloomy and dense swamp, and it had dispelled the oppressive and gloomy air on his body.
Su Yu thought for a long time but still couldn’t find an excuse. He was a little annoyed and pulled open the retractable door, which had a small gap on the ground. Before he could even turn on the light, he heard a sharp and soft meow. He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight and shone it around the shop. He saw the black and white kitten curled up in its little nest, looking at him. Its innocent appearance was as if it didn’t know that it had caused trouble at all.
He walked over and picked up the kitten, whose eyes were shining in the darkness. He rubbed its fluffy little head. Xiao Yu’s big, watery eyes were blinking with a full of innocence, and it was just like its owner.
“Xiao Yu!”
A cry of surprise suddenly sounded. Su Yu didn’t have time to hand out the kitten in his arms. Lin Keke rushed up eagerly. She was in a hurry to pick up Xiao Yu and didn’t care about anything else. Her tear-stained face was close, and there was only a young kitten between them. The tight air pressure was surging, and her body had a rich strawberry and milk fragrance.
Su Yu’s body was a little stiff. He had touched the girl’s soft body, but he had quickly suppressed it and had let go and had retreated. The charming and ambiguous encounter was fleeting. Lin Keke was holding the cat and was completely unaware. She was comforting the possibly frightened Xiao Yu.
The temperature dropped sharply at night, and the howling cold wind was fierce and surging. The unfallen leaves were rustling, as if they had entered another country. The dark and gloomy forest around them was rising from the ground, covering the clouds and the sun, and swallowing every ray of light.
His just-relaxed gaze suddenly tightened in the next second. The girl was standing in the darkness that could not be penetrated by light. She was covering her figure, and he didn’t know how long she had been standing there. She was holding a few bags of groceries and was silently watching him.
It was a pair of dark eyes, as dark as this deep and dark sky. He couldn’t see any end, nor any emotion.
Su Yu’s heart suddenly broke, as if it had been tightened by a silk ribbon. A square and protruding flesh and blood was formed. He looked at the mottled and fragmented ground in a panic.
