Chapter 42: Chains
Near evening, the sun was setting in the west. The clouds filtered the bright red of the sunset, and the dim yellow light spread on the white tablecloth, as if it were covered with a thin layer of gold foil.
No wonder Gu Zhi had been buried in the kitchen all afternoon. The dining table was filled with a whole table of dishes, as if today were a day worth celebrating.
Su Yu looked at the light spots on the exquisite dishes, which were slightly swaying. The steaming hot air lingered at the tip of his nose, exuding a tempting aroma of food.
“You’ve made so much? We can’t finish it all.”
“If we can’t finish it, we can put it in the refrigerator and eat it tomorrow. But some of the dishes that can’t be kept overnight should be eaten first.” Gu Zhi smiled and handed Su Yu a pair of chopsticks. She sat down next to Su Yu, making it convenient for her to serve him. “I rarely cook before. Xiao Chan’s stomach was not good for a while, and he had been drinking porridge. Let’s eat more today.”
“That’s right. If we can’t finish it… we can leave it for tomorrow…”
Su Yu then realized that he had asked a very stupid question. How could a life of domestic bliss not have leftovers? But how many more tomorrows would he have to stay here?
He moved the iron chain that was locking his wrist under the table and picked up the food with some difficulty. He put it in his mouth and chewed. The beef had a good texture, but he didn’t seem to be able to taste much. He suddenly lost his appetite. The desire to escape was tormenting him all the time, and it had pushed aside all other desires. He had no heart to enjoy this seemingly comfortable and leisurely but actually cold and boring life.
“Let me feed you, Xiao Chan…”
Gu Zhi mistakenly thought that Su Yu was having trouble eating with his shackles. She suddenly had an idea. She peeled a shrimp, and her fair and slender fingers, which were painted with nail polish, did not mind the greasy dirt at all. She carefully peeled off the orange-red shrimp shell, revealing the snow-white and reddish, sweet shrimp meat. She handed it to Su Yu’s mouth. “Try it… it’s very fresh.”
Su Yu almost didn’t hesitate. He bit the shrimp and swallowed it. He chewed it carefully and replied to the woman’s expectant gaze in a low voice, “It’s delicious. I want to try the soup.”
“Oh, okay… okay. Try the soup.”
Gu Zhi was stunned for a moment. This change was beyond her expectations. Her Xiao Chan… seemed to be getting more and more obedient. He would get better… everything would get better. They would soon be the same as before.
She didn’t even have time to wipe off the grease. She picked up a porcelain spoon and scooped a spoonful of soup. She blew on it gently at her lips, but she was also worried that Su Yu was in a hurry. She explained seriously, “Wait a minute. It’s a little hot.”
“Yeah, no rush.” Su Yu smiled and shook his head, and his gentle eyebrows and eyes, which Gu Zhi liked so much, were curved, exuding a unique gentleness. “We still have a lot of time.”
The arm that was holding the soup spoon couldn’t help but tremble. Gu Zhi forcefully suppressed the increasingly turbulent throbbing in her chest.
A long time… is it a lifetime?
She didn’t even dare to ask for confirmation. The more she cared… the more hesitant she was. She was worried that she couldn’t accept the reality. This faint touch of the other party’s need and dependence filled her empty heart in that instant. She was satisfied with this short and empty love, and she couldn’t extricate herself.
After a meal, Gu Zhi’s rice in front of her had not been touched much. She was busy serving the boy and feeding him. She, who had always paid attention to her appearance and makeup, and could not tolerate even a single flaw, was almost covered in grease. The bright red polish on her nails was slightly smudged on her fair skin, and it was not so good-looking.
Psychological cleanliness was a disease that was born from an almost morbid obsession. But she looked at the flaw on her fingertips, and the long corners of her eyes were upturned with a happy arc. The mole was shrouded in the sunset, and it was dyed a vermilion color that was close to blood. It just happened to capture the moment when the sunset was extinguished in the sky, and it burst out with a beautiful and alluring charm.
Gu Zhi curled her lips and smiled. She was about to take a few wet tissues to wipe the grease from her fingers, but her slender wrist was suddenly wrapped in a warm touch. Her body was as if it had become a wooden doll, and she looked up at the boy’s face with an almost stiff and helpless expression.
The sun had completely set in the modern city’s towering buildings. The sky gradually dimmed, as if it had been replaced by a pure black curtain. A few scattered stars were twinkling indistinctly, preparing to perform this night’s dance drama.
The luxurious and complex chandelier above her head was dim. The boy’s half-face was drowned in the shadows and was blurry. Only his clear and moist eyes were bright and bottomless, as if a god had waved his hand and scattered a beam of light in pity for all living beings. She happened to catch a wisp of it, and it lit up the secret darkness in her heart. Even if this body was burned and broken, she would desperately imprison this ray of light.
“Dirty… so dirty…”
Gu Zhi subconsciously wanted to pull her hand out of that craving warmth, but it was held tightly by the other party. The boy took a wet tissue and wiped the yellowish grease from her fingers. He lowered his long, slender eyelashes and carefully wiped away the grease that was hidden in the corners.
“Sorry to trouble you. I can’t even do such a small thing.”
“Not at all. I’ll stay at home and accompany Xiao Chan every day in the future, okay?”
Gu Zhi held Su Yu’s hand in return. She smiled and envisioned the future. “I’ll be able to arrange everything in a while. Then I’ll accompany you every day, and cook for you like this. If you don’t like Qingchuan… we can go to other places to settle down. We can even go abroad… as long as you are by my side, Xiao Chan. Just as you said… there is still a long time.”
“But…”
Su Yu stared at Gu Zhi’s happy face, the light in her dark eyes flickering, making it hard to see through.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Gu Zhi asked hurriedly, as if she were afraid that she had said something wrong.
“But I can’t always live with you like this, with chains. There is still a long, long time. I don’t want to be a useless person who is bound by chains. At least… we can be closer. Isn’t that what you want too?”
“Of course it is. I dream of it!”
Gu Zhi held Su Yu’s wrist even tighter. She wanted to feel the other party’s pulse, but she was disturbed by the pounding of her heart in her chest. Her breathing was chaotic for a moment, and her heart was as if it had fallen into an endless sense of happiness. She couldn’t feel the other party’s pulse, but she could clearly feel the boy’s body temperature.
She took out the key in front of the boy and held it in her sweaty palm. She had already made up her mind, but she still looked up at the boy’s slightly excited expression and confirmed it as if she were seeking confirmation.
“You won’t run away, will you?”
Su Yu didn’t answer immediately. He lowered his eyebrows and hesitated for a moment, his voice a little sad. “Don’t you trust me that much?”
Her heart was as if it were covered with countless small ants. The hard little pincers bit a piece of soft heart meat, and a dense pain came. Her heart was limp, as if it couldn’t beat.
That touch of sadness completely melted the hesitation in her heart. She almost eagerly inserted the key into the keyhole.
Click.
The lock shaft turned with a crisp sound. Before it could spread, it was completely covered by the sound of the iron chain hitting the ground.
