Bai Yang had added an extra bed in the hospital room and spent the night there. The foldable bed in the hospital was nowhere near as comfortable as the one at home. He tossed and turned all night and hardly got any sleep. It was nearly dawn when he finally drifted off.
When he woke up and picked up his phone, he saw that it was already past nine in the morning. Upon connecting to the internet, a flood of well-wishing messages came in instantly, but the pinned message from Shao Cheng still had no response.
He hesitated for a moment; he really missed Shao Cheng. So, he dialed Shao Cheng’s number again. This time, it went through, but after just a couple of rings, the call was hung up.
Bai Yang assumed that Shao Cheng might not be able to answer the phone at the moment, so he sent a message, asking: “[When will you be back?]” He needed to clean the house before Shao Cheng returned, prepare a nice meal – even though Aunt Fang could handle these tasks better, he still wanted to do it himself.
After about half an hour, Shao Cheng replied: “[After the New Year.]”
“After the New Year,” which meant there were still seven days left. Thinking about not being able to see each other for that long made Bai Yang feel a bit down, but he rallied and replied: “[Alright, I’ll be at home waiting for you to come back.]”
“There’s something I forgot to tell you,” Shao Cheng suddenly said.
Bai Yang was puzzled: “[What is it?]”
The chat box indicated that Shao Cheng was typing, and after waiting for about five minutes, Shao Cheng’s message finally came through:
“[In the next few days, find a time to move back to your old place. From now on, I’ll deduct the monthly rent from my card.]”
Bai Yang froze in place, his mind going blank.
It was as if a massive tsunami was rushing towards him, the air permeated with a cold and desperate feeling. However, he had lost the strength to escape, and he could only stand there in fear and helplessness, waiting to be swallowed.
“Can I ask why?” He typed out these words with trembling fingertips.
He had anticipated this outcome. If there were any reasonable and ordinary explanations, Shao Cheng would have provided them first, not in such a resolute and firm tone as he did now.
It was probably just that Shao Cheng was tired of him.
“You know why.”
With this cruel and heartless response, the tsunami finally roared before him. Its terrifying momentum made him lose all sense and capacity for thought. He could only watch helplessly as the giant waves engulfed him, dragging him under the sea, into the frigid and chilling depths of darkness.
He had considered that someday Shao Cheng might grow tired of him and ask him to leave, but he hadn’t expected that day to come so quickly and abruptly.
“Did I do something wrong? …….”
“I will move out, can I come to see you?”
“Can I meet you once before I move out?”
He knew he must look pitiful as he desperately clung on, but he had no other recourse. His voice grew more choked with each recording, the calls he made were hung up one after another, and eventually, he couldn’t even get through.
Shao Cheng had blocked him.
Bai Yang stared at his phone in a daze, his gaze gradually unfocused. When he managed to gather a trace of willpower after struggling through almost suffocating pain, the screen had been dark for a while, with no response from Shao Cheng.
He sniffled and wiped his face.
“I’ll go back and pack, remember to take your medicine and rest well.”
“Thank you, I’ve been really happy during this time, I’ll remember it forever.”
Even if the final outcome was a nightmare, at least he had truly been given a chance to dream.
On that day, Bai Yang returned to the villa, lying in the bedroom for the whole afternoon. He didn’t eat or do anything, and although his eyes were closed, he couldn’t fall asleep for a single second.
It wasn’t until the sky grew dark that he finally got up and began to pack his belongings systematically.
He had to be strong, just like when he lost his parents. He didn’t have the luxury to be sad and mop around. He still had to live, go to school, work to earn money, and take care of his younger sister. As for this love that was destined to have no outcome, he shouldn’t have foolishly entertained expectations in certain moments.
Shao Cheng was not wrong; he had already given him enough tenderness and generosity. Between them, besides love, everything else had happened. What more was there to be unsatisfied about?
People like Shao Cheng were people he could never be with in his lifetime.
Bai Yang neatly folded the clothes Shao Cheng had given him and placed them in his room. He changed into the simple outfit he had worn when he arrived and copied all the data from his computer to his old one. He packed up all his books as well.
When he stood at the front door after packing all his belongings, he realized that he had brought just as little with him when he had arrived.
Despite staying for two months, he hadn’t left a single trace behind.
He gave one last look at this familiar yet foreign place before turning and walking out the front door.
