Chapter 53: Loyal Dog (Part 6)

Shao Quan slept very deeply. He opened his eyes groggily and found himself wearing a school uniform, sitting in a classroom. The girl at the adjacent desk leaned her face over to look at him, whispering: “Shao Quan, you’re drooling!”

Mr. Shao, who had maintained dignity for most of his life, immediately flushed bright red. He wiped a few times, realized his deskmate was tricking him, and glared at her speechlessly.

The class bell rang. Zheng Siyuan in the front desk turned his head back, enthusiastically seeking him out to discuss a recently released game.

Shao Quan was still a bit dazed. He somewhat realized this was a dream. But he didn’t want to actively wake up. Let him be friends with the young Zheng Siyuan for a while longer.

He didn’t know how time moved in dreams. The next scene was Zheng Siyuan riding a bicycle leading him home for a meal.

…

Half parents already.

This also foreshadowed later when they had disagreements, Shao Quan would stand without hesitation on the side of the Zheng parents.

The Zheng family had two sons. The eldest son was very accomplished. At this point he was already studying at university abroad. Zheng Siyuan was dragging at the tail end of an ordinary class at a public school. The contrast was like heaven and earth.

During adolescence Zheng Siyuan and his parents didn’t have such a great rift yet. In this friendship with him, besides envy, Shao Quan also had a little bit of jealousy. Occasionally he also thought, if he could swap identities with Zheng Siyuan that would be good. He wouldn’t let down his parents’ expectations.

He needed this kind of family environment where parents kept discipline more than Zheng Siyuan did.

“My parents always praise you for good grades, good temper, and being tall and handsome. Hmph, if they like you so much, they should just make you their real son.”

Zheng Siyuan ran away from home, carrying his schoolbag, kicking pebbles by the roadside as he complained in a low voice.

Shao Quan’s height had already shot up. He had a bit of the self-awareness of approaching adult masculinity. Carrying a single-shoulder bag to look cool, he silently followed behind him. He had figured out long ago that if Zheng Siyuan had an accident, he wouldn’t get any benefit either. Before university graduation, he still had to rely on the Zheng family for support for a while longer.

The scene began changing again. Heavy rain poured down. The two couldn’t get home, together hiding in a park pavilion waiting for the rain to stop.

Zheng Siyuan said: “I want to go to a university farther away. What about you?”

Shao Quan: “Can you survive living far away alone? Uncle and auntie won’t follow over to take care of you. You don’t even know what clothes to wear when.”

“…” Zheng Siyuan couldn’t refute, sighed, propped his face and said: “Won’t you learn it?”

Shao Quan neither confirmed nor denied, turned around to look at the rain curtain.

Zheng Siyuan continued talking to himself: “I definitely want to live alone in the future, and I also want to raise a small dog.”

Shao Quan seemed to suddenly be frozen in place, his soul imprisoned in the shell of the past, through the passage of time, vaguely casting his gaze toward his youthful friend.

Later you really fulfilled today’s wish, Zheng Siyuan. Actually you weren’t that much of a failure.

University. Zheng Siyuan really ran away, alone to a very distant northern school. The Zheng parents flew into a rage. Relatives and friends all knew the Zheng family’s younger son was acting crazy again, and this time he had acted out big.

Shao Quan often was entrusted by the Zheng parents, carrying large and small bags of things to visit Zheng Siyuan. His own will wasn’t that strong. Not having to take care of Zheng Siyuan, this overgrown child, was actually a kind of relief for him.

But from Zheng Siyuan’s perspective, Shao Quan was naturally the best friend under heaven.

When classmates asked, he would say this was his own blood brother, his real older brother.

Zheng Siyuan’s skin had darkened a bit, his smiles more plentiful than before. After sorting out the large and small bags of items, he led Shao Quan out to eat at a restaurant.

“You don’t come back during winter and summer breaks. Don’t you miss uncle and auntie at all?” Shao Quan asked.

Zheng Siyuan shook his head.

Shao Quan: “Watch fewer of those videos online.”

Zheng Siyuan laughed: “What videos, you watch them too.”

Family of origin? Childhood trauma?

Zheng Siyuan held his stomach, laughing for a good while. Shao Quan was still expressionless: “After graduation then, also not going home?”

“Yeah.” Zheng Siyuan picked up his phone screen to show him, saying: “I’ve already thought it through. After graduation directly retire. This small city is quite nice. I plan to go travel there for a period first. If the situation is suitable, I’ll settle down there! Just rent a slightly smaller place.”

Shao Quan really hadn’t expected he made such a big decision without a sound, speechlessly pushing the phone back.

“If you occasionally want to come visit, I can find a slightly bigger place.” Zheng Siyuan’s tone was still enthusiastic.

Shao Quan: “Not necessary. I will buy my own house.”

Zheng Siyuan asked: “Then will you leave a room for me?”

Shao Quan: “No.”

Zheng Siyuan made a scoffing sound, somewhat regretting chatting about these pointless things with Shao Quan. Every time he would kill the mood. Maybe he would even sell him out in front of his parents later.

From the moment he cut off contact with his family, Zheng Siyuan had already been slowly saving up travel expenses for after graduation. As long as he saved enough for the preliminary budget that was enough. As for living expenses later, he would think about it later.

He had always only pursued small goals, not setting big goals. When the cart reaches the mountain there will be a road. Everything was still in time.

After much persuasion, Shao Quan decided to only accompany him in this madness one last time. So hiding it from family, the two began their post-graduation budget travel according to Zheng Siyuan’s planned route.

Who would have thought the opening of this trip would be extremely terrible. The two had bad luck and insufficient experience. At the first stop they got lost in the mountains.

Evening. The weather suddenly changed. Mountain floods erupted. Zheng Siyuan was nearly swept away by the rushing current. Fortunately Shao Quan had quick hands and sharp eyes, grabbing him in one go, dragging him upward with all his strength.

Zheng Siyuan’s mind went blank, his face green with fright, barely catching his breath.

After Shao Quan dragged him to a slightly higher position, both were completely drained, unable to speak.

After recovering, Zheng Siyuan’s first sentence was: “Don’t tell them about this.”

Shao Quan was practically angered to laughter by him, turning around to rummage through his waterlogged bag. But the phone’s waterproof function was robust enough, still usable.

He had no strength left to make any extra expressions, leaning against a large rock asking: “Still continuing?”

“…” Zheng Siyuan really thought for a good while, saying: “Let’s go.”

Shao Quan looked at him, his tone infinitely admiring: “Zheng Siyuan, you really are a lunatic.”

Later Zheng Siyuan would always recall this day. This was probably destined to be the day he would owe Shao Quan a life?

Actually if he had died in this mountain flood, it would instead have been a good thing for Shao Quan. As long as his parents didn’t know the truth, they would pour all the possible little bit of guilt they might have toward him onto Shao Quan.

In the year they turned twenty-five, the Zheng family’s eldest son got married. Zheng Siyuan secretly ran back, left a big red envelope, didn’t show his face, and vanished from the human world again. Shao Quan was the best man.

The father cursed furiously. The mother suppressed her temper and persuaded, it’s a big happy day, don’t say these things.

The eldest brother looked at Shao Quan, his tone regretful: “Little Quan, Little Yuan was supposed to come together with you to be my best man. What a pity.”

Shao Quan was quite adept at conducting himself before others, immediately also showing a regretful expression, following with: “Yes, what a pity.”

The scene switched again. This year they were twenty-seven. Shao Quan went on a blind date, dated a girlfriend, entangled for half a year. The woman’s family was quite snobbish, seeing the prospective son-in-law had no power, no influence, no wealth, didn’t approve. The two broke up.

Zheng Siyuan raised a golden retriever, comforting him over the phone: “You’ve already progressed very fast. Reaching management at twenty-seven, very impressive.”

Shao Quan took a small sip of wine: “How can it compare to you rich second generation living smoothly.”

Zheng Siyuan was silent, grabbed Bingbing’s paw, saying: “Bingbing, this is godfather. Say godfather is prosperous, wealth is prosperous.”

Bingbing was still a tiny puppy at this point, barking in a milky voice several times.

Shao Quan didn’t intend to pick up his thread, deliberately asking under the influence of alcohol: “What about you? Just planning to keep going like this? No girlfriend, no marriage, no children, spending a lifetime with a dog?”

Zheng Siyuan finally got a bit angry: “Aren’t we talking about your matters right now?”

“Not necessary, thank you.” Shao Quan said.

Zheng Siyuan hung up the phone.

After falling out he would always be the first to lower his head. Because Zheng Siyuan himself was too awkward. No one was willing to be friends with him. So he would definitely come back to reconcile with himself.

Shao Quan firmly believed this.

The images began decomposing and recombining again. In the year they turned thirty-two, they had their most intense argument.

Shao Quan got promoted, reaching a small peak in his life. The Zheng parents were no longer entrusting him to visit their son on their behalf. This time he himself actively carried gifts to Zheng Siyuan’s door.

The Zheng Siyuan behind the door had completely changed in appearance. His hair had grown, his body thinner, his face lacking vitality. But the first moment he saw Shao Quan he was still very happy.

Shao Quan was somewhat angry. For a moment he didn’t know what this anger was composed of.

“How did you take care of yourself into this state?” He entered the room, without any pleasantries, launching into a barrage of questioning without allowing explanation.

Zheng Siyuan said blankly: “What’s wrong with me?”

Bingbing had seen Shao Quan many times, naturally remembering his scent, fawningly coming up to wag its tail at him. Shao Quan somewhat irritably told it to go away.

Zheng Siyuan saw he was in poor spirits, took Bingbing to its own small room, closed the door, and spoke alone with Shao Quan.

“You came over today not just to scold me, right?” Zheng Siyuan rummaged through the things he brought over.

Good wine and good dishes, it couldn’t be.

Shao Quan didn’t intend to sit down, his brows pressed down, saying: “I got promoted. Next year I’ll be transferred away. I can’t be disturbed by you every now and then anymore.”

Zheng Siyuan oh’d, his brows pressed down, saying: “I understand.”

Back then when he ran to the neighboring city, Shao Quan followed right behind to join a startup company in the adjacent city.

What fate. Heaven destined them to be friends, always active together within a certain range. From childhood to adulthood they never strayed very far apart. This was too coincidental, Zheng Siyuan thought.