Chapter 54: Loyal Dog (Part 7)

“It doesn’t matter. When we have time we can video call. When new games come out I’ll call you too.” Zheng Siyuan said.

Shao Quan took a deep breath, paced back and forth in the room a few steps, and the accumulated grievances of many years finally erupted: “Zheng Siyuan, I really don’t understand you. Why can you always play a good hand so badly? Do you know how many people envy you? Huh? You have family when you need family, you have resources when you need resources. What the hell are you doing running here alone to act all deep and melancholic? I’ll tell you the truth today. Back in university, if it weren’t for your parents being worried sick, repeatedly ordering me to send you this and that, do you think I was willing to sacrifice my study time to run over and see you every now and then? Do you know how old you are this year? All day games games games. Can you find something proper to do?”

Zheng Siyuan was stunned, stunned, and said timidly: “Wait, why are you suddenly exploding in anger?”

“What are you so happy about all day? Heartless and thoughtless. I call you a fool twice and you really think you’re a fool?” Shao Quan walked up to him, poking his forehead with one finger: “If it weren’t for your parents secretly working hard behind the scenes, do you really think this overgrown mentally disabled child could live so carefree? Do you know why nothing has gone your way these past two months? Because they really don’t want to care about you anymore, Zheng Siyuan. Do you understand? Just hug your dog and live out your life!”

Hearing these words, Zheng Siyuan’s expression was indeed as he imagined, struck by lightning, dejected, blank, at a loss.

This was right. This was the true appearance that this useless wretch Zheng Siyuan should have.

Shao Quan felt that he himself was extremely contradictory at this moment. He should feel relieved. After all, he had never regarded Zheng Siyuan as some once-in-a-lifetime good friend.

But if Zheng Siyuan was willing to soften, willing to reflect, willing to reform, he would also appropriately help out, letting him get back on the right path sooner.

Now that Shao Quan was already half a successful person, even if Zheng Siyuan became a good kid, it wouldn’t shake his status in the Zheng parents’ hearts.

Unfortunately Zheng Siyuan showed no intention of reflecting, and instead looked at him quite hurt, saying: “Oh, so you also always looked down on me, thought I was a freak. You’re the same as all of them.”

Shao Quan didn’t understand. The words had already been spoken to this point. How was Zheng Siyuan still fixated on this? He was really too stupid. Did it really take this to finally understand?

“You leave.” Zheng Siyuan was silent for a moment, then pointed at the bag on the table: “Take these with you too, Shao Quan. Then let’s not be friends anymore.”

“…”

The door was forcefully shut, and Shao Quan left with a dark face.

The heavy sound of the door closing seemed to link to reality in an instant. Shao Quan suddenly opened his eyes. The ceiling was very familiar. He was still in his own home.

He fumbled around on the nightstand twice. There were countless missed calls on his phone. He called back, and the person on the other end was extremely emotional, repeatedly asking where he was right now.

Shao Quan rubbed his temple, somewhat headachey: “I’ve already changed my itinerary. Didn’t Elsa tell you?”

“That’s good, that’s good…” The other side didn’t have the expected furious outburst, instead letting out a long breath of relief.

Shao Quan asked: “What happened?”

The other party said: “The flight you originally booked had an accident.”

“Hello?”

“Shao Quan?”

A long buzzing sounded in Shao Quan’s ears. He slapped himself with a snap. It hurt. He was really awake now. This was not a dream.

Zheng Siyuan, what kind of compassion are you showing me?!

…

One cicada-chirping afternoon, Shao Quan once again stepped into Wan Shi Zhai.

Chen Jiu had laid out children’s crawling mats in that small cubicle. Sometimes Su Xiaoyu would nap inside with Bingbing and Xiaoxuan. Right now she was braiding Bingbing’s fur. Bingbing was quite cooperative, only when it smelled that familiar scent, it turned its head to look toward the door.

“Mr. Shao?” Chen Jiu stood up, saying: “Long time no see.”

“I want to take Bingbing back. Is that okay?” Shao Quan asked this directly, getting straight to the point.

His condition was not very good. It seemed he had been exhausted by work for days on end. His whole person looked somewhat haggard.

But Chen Jiu said: “Have some tea.”

The two sat by the table. Chen Jiu pushed the cup over, saying: “Mr. Shao, you don’t like dogs. Are you sure you can maintain patience with Bingbing?”

“I’m going to completely leave this place. In the future it won’t be convenient to come see it.” Shao Quan didn’t show his previous disgust for Wan Shi Zhai’s inferior tea. He took two sips, explaining: “Zheng Siyuan probably also hoped I would take care of it.”

Chen Jiu didn’t know what entanglements existed between these two people. She only knew that Zheng Siyuan would rather suffer the whipping punishment of his spiritual body to help Shao Quan avoid a calamity. There was probably still feeling there. The so-called breakup was just that they hadn’t talked it through at the time. Both of their hearts definitely still had feelings.

Apart from life and death there are no great matters. The person was already gone. No matter how unwilling Shao Quan was, he should let go.

“Then…” Chen Jiu was about to speak, but Su Xiaoyu slowly walked to the table’s edge, her big eyes blinking as she looked at the two of them.

Bingbing also followed closely behind her, tongue out. It still recognized Shao Quan, happily lunging at him once.

Shao Quan instinctively withdrew his foot, then froze there, staring blankly at Bingbing.

Su Xiaoyu leaned on the table’s edge: “Uncle Shao, where are you taking Bingbing? I’m afraid it won’t be used to living there.”

Bingbing was born in Qiu City, adopted by Zheng Siyuan in Qiu City, grew up in Qiu City. Now it was also getting on in years. If it rashly followed Shao Quan away, it would very likely suffer from being unaccustomed to a new environment.

Obviously everyone present thought of this point. The atmosphere was somewhat silent.

Shao Quan came back to his senses, saying: “I don’t know either…”

If only he had asked him that day… How was he still like that even after death? Not a single word about how to talk to his parents, how to talk to his older brother, not a mention of Bingbing’s matters. His whole mind was just thinking about how to stall him. Always single-thread processing mode. So stupid.

“He really left?” Shao Quan looked at Chen Jiu.

Chen Jiu nodded.

Shao Quan asked: “Is there any way I can speak with him one more time?”

Chen Jiu nodded again: “Mr. Zheng lingered in the living world for a very long time. I think it was precisely to wait until that point in time. Once his long-cherished wish was fulfilled, he left on his own. Uh, by now he has probably already scattered his soul or reincarnated.”

Shao Quan: “…”

The dozen or so minutes spent at Wan Shi Zhai were extremely torturous and long. Shao Quan ultimately decided not to take Bingbing away. This little girl was right. Bingbing had long been accustomed to living in Qiu City. Its new owner treated it quite well. He really had no need to forcibly take it away just for the guilt in his own heart.

Before leaving, Shao Quan left a huge sum of money, enough for Bingbing to live happily until a natural death of old age.

Chen Jiu stared at that string of numbers in a daze, repeatedly reminding herself not to let money dazzle her eyes, repeatedly promising to let Shao Quan rest assured, that he could video check anytime.

Shao Quan was of course assured. Every time he came without announcement, Bingbing was always in good condition. Even someone who didn’t raise dogs could tell that Chen Jiu and Su Xiaoyu were putting their hearts into it.

…

Landing in the new city, the first thing Shao Quan did was burn paper for Zheng Siyuan once again.

“I left a room for you.” Shao Quan was quiet for a while, complaining to the few photos they had together: “You didn’t stop bothering me while alive, and after death you had to scare me once more.”

Actually he had also left a room for Zheng Siyuan in that big house before. It’s just that he never came once. Both of them were quite awkward.

After settling everything, Shao Quan had a phone call with Zheng’s mother. The woman’s voice had aged considerably. It seemed the younger son’s death had also drained a bit of her vitality and spirit.

“If anything doesn’t go smoothly at work, just tell your Uncle Zheng. Maybe he can help?” she said with concern.

Shao Quan listened quietly, then agreed, very patient.

Actually by the time he reached his current position, the Zheng family could no longer help him. But he didn’t want to disappoint the elderly couple. He just went along with it.

The woman rambled on hearing a bunch of things, and finally still got to Zheng Siyuan. She had asked this helplessly more than once: “How did Little Yuan become like that? He was very obedient when he was little, also very clingy with us. How did he become like this?”

Shao Quan hurriedly comforted her, but in his heart a faint voice was refuting, did you really not know?

He thought he also had some cheap bones in him. After Zheng Siyuan left for so long, he stepped out of the parallel perspective, and finally began to empathize with this friend.

Zheng Siyuan’s sensitivity and fragility were innate. Unfortunately the Zheng family had tasted the sweetness of suppressive education on the eldest son, and did the same with the younger son. Who would have thought the younger one simply didn’t eat this approach. The more suppression, the weaker he became. During the final period of adolescence, he could almost only chat and communicate normally in front of Shao Quan. In front of his parents and older brother he behaved like an autistic child, silent and withdrawn, cold and aloof.

“Zheng Siyuan! Your grades this time are almost at the bottom of the year! What the hell is going on in your brain every day?! What kind of books are in your schoolbag? Today I must tear them up!”

“What sin did we commit? Your older brother came to repay kindness, and you came to collect a debt?! We spent so much money on tutoring for you. Why can’t you learn anything?! Do you know how many ranks Shao Quan improved this time?!”

Zheng Siyuan didn’t understand why his parents always looked at him with such disgust and contempt. He just wanted to leave.

Unfortunately the Zheng parents didn’t take their child’s reactions to heart at all. They only felt their son had reached rebellious adolescence. And Shao Quan, because various selfish motives were mixed together, from beginning to end had no intention of mediating. Zheng Siyuan grew up awkward and stubborn just like this, and just as relatives and friends described, he acted on impulse and ran off to the north alone.

He thought he could never live the kind of life his older brother lived. Freedom was an instinct carved into his bones. He was destined not to survive according to human society’s rules: a happy marriage, massive wealth, supreme power. He had no desire to seek upward.

Being a salted fish was also a pretty good wish.

He only needed to earn money slowly, return what he owed to his parents little by little, and then he could be completely free.