I am a passerby.
Nonchalant: Seeing You at Just the Right Time for Love
I’m an ordinary person in a domineering president’s text.
When the male lead ditched the meeting and went straight to the female lead, I desperately tried to apologize to A.
At three in the morning, when the female lead is sick, I get up at a call from the male lead to find a doctor and buy medicine.
When the two of them were making love on the yacht, I was in the cabin cleaning the room and eating the food they had gotten tired of.
They said, “What’s the point of living like you? Better than a dog.”
But I just wanted to live well, and even this humble wish became a luxury after the heroine’s death.
1
I’ve been coming to Nancheng for ten years now, from the joy and happiness at the beginning to the complexity of my feelings towards this city, I can’t say whether I hate it or loathe it, I want to run away every day, but I don’t want to be sad about the day when I really have to leave.
Cup after cup of wine into the belly, I resisted the urge to vomit, fawningly said he heard all want to vomit words, called this Mr. Wang, shouted that Li manager.
And the culprit of all this is frantically calling me, I have no choice but to excuse myself to go to the toilet and then answer: “What are you doing, so long to answer the phone?”
“I’m talking business with a client.”
The person on the other end of the line was called Xiao Jing, my boss, my breadwinner, so he made it a rule that his employees had to be the first to answer his calls no matter what time of day it was.
This lord has recently fallen in love with a young lady surnamed Zhang, and not only has he made a big fuss, but a few days ago he even left his client at the signing of a contract and went straight out to sea with that young lady.
It was with great difficulty that I was able to make an appointment with the client and convince them to re-sign the contract, and then this old man called again, and the moment I heard his voice, not to mention that the wine had sobered up most of the time, but I also lost half of my life.
Sure enough, he was very dissatisfied and said that the next time I dared to answer the phone so late, I wouldn’t be able to do it, before he shouted, “No matter where you are right now, come to my house immediately.”
“But, but I have a client over here ……”
“That’s your business, if you’re not here by 3am, you’re on your own, and it’s already 2am.” He gave me an ultimatum, I can only return to the room, one person a glass of wine to make amends.
In fact, now talk about business has long been not this drink to drink, but who let Xiao Jing pro-forma escape is just, today also refused to come out, a phone call want to call me away.
I rejected the good intentions of colleagues, standing alone on the side of the road to take a taxi, in front of the garbage can is a new, shiny stainless steel reflecting my messy appearance, I kicked up through the wine, but the high heels are stuck in the top.
“Master, don’t go, don’t go.” My arms and legs were too weak to pull down my heels, so I was only able to take them off and run furiously towards the stopped cab, and repeatedly assured myself that I wouldn’t throw up in the car.
The driver looked at me and asked a few concerned questions, but I was focused on reaching Xiao Jing’s home before three o’clock.
But no matter how to rush, still a few minutes late, Xiao Jing cold face opened the door, smelled me all over the smell of alcohol even more upset, said: “I hate is the most late people, you are already five minutes late.”
“I was stuck in a traffic jam on the road, and I’ve come here very quickly.”
“I don’t want to hear these excuses from you.” He told me to find myself a pair of slippers to wear, with the special note that they were to be taken away directly afterward, as he never kept any other woman’s things in his house.
“What is so important that you wanted to see me at this late hour?” I was very tired and didn’t dare to sit down, I could only stand aside in a regular manner, because Xiao Jing’s rules are like this, no one can sit on his sofa which is worth millions of dollars, in his words, you people can’t earn me a sofa money in your whole life.
He frowned and threw me a tablet, saying, “Yun Yun’s birthday in a few days, you help me choose a gift, and she’s working overtime to catch up with the drawings today, you help me to send her a late night snack, watch her finish it, and you’re not allowed to go home if she doesn’t finish it.”
“You called me here to do this.” I am a little angry, apologize to the customer, accompany the customer to eat and drink I can tolerate, but called me over in a hurry just for this kind of small things, I really do not understand.
Originally I could have eaten, gone home, washed up and rested, tomorrow is a holiday, I can sleep beautifully, but now he has to take a car for more than twenty kilometers to deliver a late night snack to that Miss Zhang of his.
Xiao Jing laughed contemptuously in the face of my anger, “You’re drunk and smelling of booze, but other people have to do their jobs properly, just to sober you up and let you know what you should and shouldn’t do.”
I wanted to smash the tablet into his face and shake it off and say that I quit, but thinking of the high salary of Xiao Group I could only bite my teeth and said, “Okay.”
I helped Xiao Jing look at a few necklaces, he was not very satisfied, dare to call me over to do the elimination method, because his family these millions of sofas, hundreds of thousands of chairs, I do not know how many thousands of carpets, I was waiting for the kitchen to do the night snack time, I forced my spirit to play the will of the beaten worker, and try not to touch a trace of things.
Even if I was sleepy, I opened the door and went out, then leaned against the wall to sleep.
Watching Ms. Zhang finish her midnight snack, no, it should be breakfast, she looked at the slippers on my feet, my messy hair, and sniffed the smell of alcohol on my body, pinched her nose and said, “You really are willing to do anything for money ah.”
She droned on and on about her independent speech, she regarded money as dirt, and I hated to take a turd to paint money, and when someone threw mud at me, I lay down and blackmailed him for eighty-eight thousand dollars.
“Do you think you are living with dignity like this, all women, I don’t want to see you like this, Xiao Jing let you do what you want to do.”
Her words entered my ears and traveled into my brain, then turned into a mass of glue, making me just want to sleep, I wanted to refute her words but I was too tired to say anything.
Ms. Zhang hated her words and threw the bowl into my arms, saying, “Is he a big deal just because he’s rich, don’t think that if you bring me food, I’ll be soft, go back and tell him that I have my own job, I don’t need him to support me.”
I said in my heart, “If it wasn’t for Xiao’s raising me, I would have died long ago, now that I’m getting such a big salary, it’s only normal to get a couple of sentences, when we save enough money to take care of my brother’s illness, we can go and live somewhere else, I have to hold back, I have to hold back.”
Miss Zhang was finally willing to let me go, and before she left, as if she had a grudge against money, she threw out the clothes Xiao Jing had given her, “I don’t care if you throw them away or give them back to him, in any case, you help me to tell him that I’m different from other people, and that in my case, it’s useless for him to smash money.
This is my job, so please show me some respect,” he said.
“Do people like you who get paid to do your job still need respect, don’t you just pay?” She slammed the door heavily.
I sent the clothes back to Xiao Jing’s house, and when I could finally go home and rest, I even slept directly on the sofa, and when I woke up again, my cell phone was full of missed calls, and a random message from a co-worker said that Xiao Jing was looking for me, and looked very angry.
I warily called Xiao Jing, and his roar came from the other end: “What the hell did you say to Yun Yun?”
2
Originally in a daze, I was so scared that I almost dropped my phone when I heard his rant, “Yun Yun called this morning, she said that she would never send anything over again.
“She said she eats with her own two hands, not a canary relying on me to feed her, and why did you wear those slippers when you knew you were going to see her, she’s misunderstood me now.”
The alcohol gave me an unbearable headache, and hearing him talk was even more distracting, but no matter how much I explained, he wouldn’t listen, “Don’t rely on my father to watch over you, you’re just going to do whatever you want around me.”
If it was possible, I really wanted to kneel down to him and beg him to let me be quiet for a while, even for a minute, ever since I entered Xiao’s I haven’t had any time for myself, every minute and second has been given to Xiao Jing, to Xiao.
“I’m sorry.” I said flatly.
Xiao Jing choked on my ‘I’m sorry’ and said after a pause, “I want you to personally come to my door and apologize to Yun Yun.”
“Tomorrow, it’s my day off.” I suppressed my anger and consoled myself with the thought that it was okay to be angry tomorrow with a high salary, but Xiao Jing was still unforgiving and said, “Don’t forget, your brother is still lying in Xiao’s hospital.
“On the day you entered the Xiao family, you have already sold out to the Xiao family, you have to do whatever I tell you to do.”
Come on, young master Xiao started to threaten again, who can survive him ah, do whatever he wants, other people in his eyes is just a toy.
Looking at the haggard face in the mirror, and the bruises on my neck, I let out a bitter smile then put on thick foundation to make my face look better, and put on a silk scarf.
My brother and I were both orphans, with no names or family, and had been wandering the streets since we were young, a small house in the middle of a city village piled with garbage was our home.
My brother was seven years old at the time, and I was eight.
He always said that when he grew up he wanted to work for Xiao and make lots and lots of money, then buy a house and we’d live together and never have to blow in the wind or rain again, but all he can do now is lie in the hospital.
Twenty years have passed, and he’s spent his twenty years lying in the hospital, relying on those medical instruments to be able to sustain his life.
I think Xiao Jing’s father knew that I was resentful and was afraid that I would hurt Xiao Jing, so he made me sign a contract that Xiao Jing could cut off his brother’s medical bills at any time, trapping me in Xiao’s, trapping me in Xiao Jing’s side.
If it wasn’t Xiao Jing in the first place, I wouldn’t have left this scar, and my brother wouldn’t have been lying in a hospital bed since he was seven years old, unconscious and just a shell that would grow up.
Before leaving the door, I practiced smiling in the mirror a few times, telling myself that when I save enough money, everything will be fine, and went to buy some pastries that Zhang Yunyun loves to eat, hoping that these two people can fall in love and stop tossing me around, and that I just want to work hard and save money.
That Ms. Zhang brainstorming employee seduced the president of that set really does not exist, I do not smile is my nature is not love to smile, you have seen which part-time workers, all day smile and mouth, really have the opportunity, this kind of oppression of the staff of the boss I can not wait to get killed him, ashes with a rocket launched into space.
I knocked several times at Zhang Yunyun’s door, “Miss Yunyun, I’m Xiao Ying, it’s General Manager Xiao who asked me to apologize to you.
“Yesterday was all a misunderstanding, I was too tired, that’s why I looked like that, you should be kind enough to give me a favor on General Manager Xiao’s side.”
“Wait outside.” Xiao Jing’s voice came from inside, and then there was the sound of the two of them flirting.
I sighed, leaned against the door and played with my cell phone, because I know that these two people have to be at least two hours, we also do not know what special fetishes these overbearing president, do this kind of thing still have to let the subordinates listen.
“Someone is …… ah …… outside.” Needless to think, Zhang Yunyun must be very shy now, Xiao Jing low voice back: “What to be afraid of, she is not unheard of.”
I am outside the white eyes are almost rolled out, I really do not think that the behavior of these two people have a trace of romance to speak of, on the contrary, I feel a little disgusting, can not help but think in my heart, no wonder she can get together with Xiao Jing, in exchange for which family’s golden girl, Xiao Jing this broken nature can let people give a crippling.
“Dinner is postponed, I’m on guard at the door.” Su Yuanheng sent me an understanding emoticon, and jokingly asked if he wanted to buy me a good headset.
He is the private doctor of the Xiao family, and he is the one who has been treating my brother, in his words, working beside Xiao Jing is all about taking money to buy his life, and he is now planning to retire at the age of thirty-five, and who can’t carry this call that doesn’t distinguish between day and night, and it’s not a summoned beast.
“I won’t talk to you anymore, it’s almost time, when he comes out and sees me talking to you, he’ll have to lose his temper again.”
“Okay, okay, wait for you.” This victim-to-victim conversation ended and the door finally opened.
I tried to squeeze out two tears, bowed ninety degrees, raised the gift up with both hands, and said, “Please forgive me, Ms. Zhang.”
It’s not that I’m dogged, it’s really that these two love to see this, it’s probably their love interest to enhance their relationship, the domineering president standing up for his little petite wife, the dogged vixen subordinate apologizing at the door.
Xiao Jing was satisfied with my behavior and mercifully let me into the house, “Come in, don’t disgrace Xiao outside.”
I was thankful on my face, but in my heart I was thinking, who will say my salary is high again in the future, every cent of my money is exchanged for my acting skills, my level is placed in the internal entertainment, what award is not a handful of ah.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong that day.” I continued. I continued.
Zhang Yunyun grunted twice, her face still flushed, and said in a lecturing tone, “You’ve already done me harm, do you think it’s useful to apologize?
“If it wasn’t Xiao Jing, would you apologize to me?
“If it was someone else here today, would you still be like this, people like you, groveling to the higher ups and bossing others around, your apologies are nothing more than helplessness under the oppression of the powerful.”
“Yes, yes, yes, there’s nothing wrong with that.” I nodded my head and thought to myself, “Why don’t I kowtow to you three times, I kowtow in good faith.
The two of them can see my perfunctory, Zhang Yunyun even more angry, and began her independent speech, I do not know if she memorized the script, hard to give me a whole speech.
I from the beginning of the bend to the end of the hand holding the knee, really sore back want to secretly stand up a little, suddenly caught by Xiao Jing: “What are you doing?”
“Huh?” His tone was too serious, so I couldn’t figure out what was going on, and thought to myself, “Can this thing even guess what I’m thinking?” “It shouldn’t be, he’s not that smart.
If I hadn’t dodged quickly, I guess Zhang Yunyun’s slap would have been thrown in my face.
I opened my eyes wide, completely unable to believe what she said next, “I thought that after you heard what I said, you would have repentance, I didn t think that you would still think of using your body to …… use your body even at this time,” she looked furious, so furious that she couldn t even complete her words.
Following their eyes, I realized it was my neckline that was causing the trouble.
Even though I was dressed tightly enough and had a silk scarf tied on, all that bending and bowing had caused my neckline to sag a bit and I was able to see inside slightly.
“You don’t have to come to work tomorrow.” Xiao Jing said coldly.
3
I straightened up and looked at these two people, thinking that it really answered the old saying that where there is a crouching dragon, there must be a phoenix chick: “Are you firing me?”
Xiao Jing sneered, “Otherwise, but I’m a kind hearted person, I won’t cut off your brother’s treatment until you’ve found your next home.”
“What brother? Did her brother get very sick?” Zhang Yunyun suddenly spoke up, naturally sitting beside Xiao Jing and looking at him with worried eyes.
Xiao Jing, the man who ate this up the most, took her into his arms and said, “Her brother is a vegetable, if it wasn’t for the Xiao family raising him, he would have died a long time ago.”
His contemptuous tone made me feel very disgusted, but there was nothing I could do, if I could, I didn’t want to be so tired, I also wanted to shake them two slaps at such a time, and then walk away, telling the world that I quit, but I couldn’t.
Since I was eight years old, my life doesn’t only belong to me, I’m living with the one that belongs to my brother, all the humiliation is for the sake of leaving this place, leaving the Xiao family.
Zhang Yunyun exclaimed after hearing Xiao Jing’s words, “She is also doing this for her brother, you’d better not fire her.”
She walked over and handed me a cup of hot water, and thoughtfully asked me to sit again, “I thought you were just like those women, but it turns out you’re just a poor person too.”
“If you’re really short of money, I can ask Xiao Jing to lend it to you, it’s dangerous for a woman to be drinking that late.” She talked about the last time I was covered in alcohol, I was silent and looked at this pair of dogs and men who were immersed in their own world, I drank until the early hours of the morning and it wasn’t because Xiao Jing just talked about love and ran away straight away when it was time to sign the contract.
“I heard Xiao Jing say that you grew up in the Xiao family and are considered Xiao Jing’s younger sister, and in the future you will also be my own sister.” Zhang Yunyun straightened my neckline for me, with the posture of a mistress of the Xiao family.
I’ve heard enough of her self-esteem and self-love nonsense, who doesn’t understand, who doesn’t know, but do I have a choice.
Before leaving the Zhang family gate, Xiao Jing, like disposing of an insignificant thing, said to me, “Be humble in the future, next time there will be no one to plead for you.”
I laughed coldly, tears flowed into my mouth before I realized, one day, I will make them regret.
The street lights on the side of the road were already on, Su Yuanheng’s horn honked a few times before I reacted to him.
After getting into the car, he handed me a cup of coffee and said, “Finally escaped from the clutches?”
I let out a bitter laugh, “Yeah, don’t laugh at me, I think it’s your turn next time.”
He hemmed and hawed and magically took out two meals and said: “I had prepared, bought a boxed lunch, eat quickly, whoever he is looking for later, we will not go hungry.”
“Why didn’t I realize you were so smart before?” I opened the lunch box, it was my favorite eel rice, and it looked like the one at the East Street entrance.
I opened the lunch box and ate, only by Su Yuan Heng’s side would I feel at ease, but when I looked up, I realized that he was looking at me with a worried face.
“Aren’t you going to eat? Did you secretly eat something delicious behind my back?” I joked.
“How could I, I’ve arranged to have dinner with you, how could I possibly go and eat something delicious by myself.”
“Don’t worry about me, I can eat and sleep now, although sometimes I feel very hard, but who doesn’t have a hard time in the modern society, every time I think, he scolded me and still have to give me money, I still have to be angry, I won’t have a hard time.” He laughed and said I was still like a little girl at my age.
“I went to see Elder Xiao.” Su Yuanheng’s words made me stop chewing.
“Is he better?” I asked.
Su Yuanheng nodded, “His body is better, but people always become a bit superstitious when they get old, after I gave him an injection, he kept saying that he was sorry for you, sorry for Xiao Hao, and wanted to make amends.”
I lowered my head and took a big bite of my rice, “Although the words are not nice, but things have already happened for so long, no matter what, it won’t help.” I choked out the words, tears no longer under control, falling into my rice in big chunks before mixing with the rice and being carried into my mouth.
At the age of eight, my brother was not yet in bed, he was smart enough to know which bosses were kind enough to give us something to eat, and where to go to pick up clothes for the winter.
He was also kind enough to pick up Xiao Jing, who had been kidnapped and then escaped.
Xiao Jing couldn’t get used to eating the leftovers we picked up, so he took the bread given to him by a kind person and walked several kilometers to deliver a letter to Xiao Jing’s father with blistered feet.
He didn’t know what it was to be rich or powerful, he only knew that a child without a father would wander like us, so he wanted to help Xiao Jing go back.
But the people who kidnapped him still found their way here. They didn’t dare to hurt Xiao Jing, so they were only able to threaten Xiao Jing’s father with us. I clearly remember how I was tied up in front of the camera that day, and how I recited the passage that the kidnappers taught me.
Those kidnappers wanted to kill me, so they used a knife to cut a slash on my neck, because the business is not skillful, so I did not die, only left an ugly scar.
In order to threaten Xiao Jing to pay the ransom and prove their ruthlessness, those kidnappers beat their brother’s small body, “We’ll do anything, either pay the money or collect your child’s body.
“This is just the beginning, if you dare to call the police, we will do it to your son.”
After redeeming Xiao Jing, my brother and I were sent to the hospital, he never woke up from that day, and I became the adopted daughter of the Xiao family because of Xiao Jing’s father’s guilt.
I don’t know if he was in shock or not, but Xiao Jing fell into a coma a few times after we returned, and kept running a high fever, screaming to escape.
After waking up, he forgot about the kidnapping, paranoid that I was his father’s illegitimate daughter outside, no matter what I do, he is not satisfied, targeting me at every turn.
Master Xiao was afraid that Xiao Jing would be stimulated again if he knew the truth, and kneeled in front of me and begged me to bury this matter in my heart, on the condition that he would use the best resources to provide for my upbringing and bear all the expenses of my brother.
“No matter how much I make up for it, Xiao Hao won’t wake up.” I wiped the tears from my eyes to make myself look not so wretched.
Su Yuanheng looked out the window and said after a moment of silence, “The old man knows about Xiao Jing and Zhang Yunyun, and also knows that he doesn’t have much time left.”
“You also understand, on Xiao Jing’s untouchable nature, it’s impossible to keep the Xiao Clan, door to door, willing to marry him or not, not to mention, I’m only afraid he will be eaten up.
“So the old master changed his will, this matter has not been announced to the public, even Xiao Jing does not know.
“The content of the will is that if Xiao Jing wants to inherit the Xiao Clan, there is only one requirement and that is to marry you and give birth to an heir.”
4
Desperation enveloped me, I didn’t even know what I was doing, I could only mechanically eat rice, my mind was blank.
Maybe Zhang Yunyun was right, choose your own life, but I had no choice at all.
“Isn’t that really right?” I pulled out a smile, hoping that Su Yuanheng would say that it was a joke, but he still nodded, the heavy pressure made me nearly collapse, all the bits and pieces of these years had all turned into boulders weighing heavily on my heart.
I wanted to find an outlet, but I realized that there was nothing I could do, nothing I could do to change anything.
I took a deep breath and said, “Isn’t this how it’s been for so many years?”
Lying in bed, I hid under the covers and cried helplessly, questioning everyone in my mind, why am I being treated this way, why am I like a tool, am I not a living human being, I just want a simple life, is it really so difficult?
The hands go minute by minute, in the middle of the night, all the sounds are amplified, the footsteps downstairs, the sound of cars, the sound of electrical appliances running in the room as well as the sound of my heartbeat, which seems to be trying to escape from my chest, as it too can’t bear the humiliation of all these years.
I poured bottles of wine and tried to sleep, the moment I closed my eyes, I really hoped that I would not wake up again, I feel that in this world, I am just a sad npc, a supporting role in other people’s lives, so I can not choose, having a mind is the biggest punishment of the Creator to me.
When I woke up, the expected storm didn’t come, my cell phone was empty, without any call alerts or messages, I made breakfast at home for the first time, and for the first time, I went to the office without slowing down.
But when I got to the office, the low air pressure still made me realize that something was wrong, everyone was sitting quietly at their workstations, no one was chatting, no one was even secretly shopping online.
Everything was so unusual, I quickly walked to Xiao Jing’s office, it was empty, and the phone call to Su Yuanheng was also unanswered.
“What’s wrong today?” I asked a colleague, he looked around and saw no one, pulled me into the pantry, “Chairman Xiao said, forbid any company employees to discuss this matter, but I’m afraid that you don’t know about this matter and then angered Mr. Xiao, I’d better talk to you about it.”
“What exactly is it?” An ominous premonition took root in my heart.
“Mr. Xiao’s girlfriend died.”
“What, what?”
“I heard that she had a conflict with Mr. Xiao and ran away from home, not knowing where she was hiding, Mr. Xiao called all of us employees up to look for her, and she was finally found under the flyover, as if she was hit by a car.”
Cell phone ringing, is Xiao Jing’s father, connected first came his violent coughing, and then a few false greetings: “You woke up ah, I specially ordered to call whoever do not disturb you.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t like to talk too much nonsense, I think you should already know about the will, letting you know in advance is also to give you a mental preparation.”
“But I don’t have any feelings for Xiao Jing, he is also full of hatred for me, we both won’t have a good ending together.”
All these are not important, the important thing is how you choose, some time ago, Dr. Su’s father told me that your brother’s kidneys have some problems, if you don’t treat it in time, even the best instruments and medicines won’t help.” “You’re the one I’ve watched grow up.
“You are the one I watched grow up, in my heart there is no difference with my own daughter, your brother also became like this for the sake of Xiao Jing, so when I knew this situation, I immediately found a kidney for him.” Elder Xiao’s words sent chills down my back, I froze in place and didn’t dare to move, I didn’t think that he would be able to be so ruthless for Xiao Jing, to help him remove all obstacles.
“Do you want it or not.” His tone was very peaceful, like an old man asking his granddaughter what she wants for dinner.
5
To be or not to be, I don’t know paralyzed on the ground, the commotion attracted concerned colleagues, only under their assistance did I come back to my senses from the vertigo, their expressions varied, even if they had been numbed by life, but they were still a living human being after all.
I finally understood Su Yuanheng’s sentence, my brother has long been dead, and what is now lying on the hospital bed is nothing more than my obsession.
“Have you ever thought about what Xiao Hao would do if he were still conscious? Would he want to live like this? Would he want his sister to live in pain every day?
“If he is still conscious, these twenty years are not living for him, they are hopeless and more painful than torture.”
Su Yuanheng’s words kept echoing in my ears. I believed in his medical skills and character, and knew he wouldn’t lie to me, but I always hoped that Xiao Hao would wake up one day.
“He is just a seven year old child, even if he does wake up one day, what will happen? How will he accept this world?”
“I don’t want to.” Even I didn’t expect to say those three words so calmly.
There was a short silence on the other end, before saying, “You really are the good daughter-in-law I picked.”
After the phone hung up, I went straight out of the company, I didn’t care about going to work or anyone else, I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could, looking at the instruments on my brother’s body as well as his pale and thin body, I asked the caregiver to push a wheelchair.
“Come on, let’s go out in the sun.” I rarely came to see him because I always felt we had a long time ahead of us, a lifetime.
I pushed him onto the lawn and told him the story of “The Little Girl Who Sold Matches” as I did when I was a child, when we too longed for a magical match that we could light to see the smell of roast duck and the warmth of the fireplace.
“When the last match is struck, the little girl meets her dead grandmother, who takes her home in the warmth of the fire.”
The sunshine made me lazy, wanting to lie down on the lawn and take a long, painful nap. I had saved enough money over the past few years to take my brother anywhere and live well.
Before he passes away, I want to show him the landscapes of this world.
“You’re quite laid back.” A familiar voice rang out, shadows blocking out the sun, “What? Does he need sunlight too?” Xiao Jing put the blanket that had slipped down back over Xiao Hao’s legs.
“This has nothing to do with you.” I stood up with the intention of pushing Xiao Hao out of this place.
Zhang Yunyun’s death didn’t seem to have any effect on Xiao Jing, it just made him look disheveled, his eyes covered in blood, as he grabbed the wheelchair and looked at me condescendingly, “I already know about the will.”
“She died for you.” He said as he leaned in to Hao’s ear, his tone was gentle in a way he had never seen before, and full of danger.
“She died for you.” I sent his words back to him.
“You’re really disgusting, always with this dying look, from the first day you entered the Xiao family, I’ve found you disgusting, disgusting.” Xiao Jing seemed like he wanted to vent all his emotions on me, using all the insulting words to scold me.
“He is my father, why should he treat you so well, why do you do whatever you want, I even have to lose the woman I love.”
“You stole everything from me.” There was an imperceptible vulnerability in his fierce gaze, “He gave you Xiao’s too.” The fatigue in his words was evident, it seemed that he already knew about the will.
I smiled, it was rare to see this lord in this state and said, “She died for you.”
Xiao Jing saw my smile first anger, then fear and shock, no matter how stupid he was, he now understood Master Xiao’s intentions.
Zhang Yunyun’s existence would only hinder Xiao Jing’s development, and would even make Xiao’s decline from then on, so he wanted to help Xiao Jing get rid of the obstacles before he died, and also gave him a good lesson to understand that only by being strong could he be able to protect the things he cherished.
“I am nothing more than a tool for you.” I said mockingly, Xiao Jing’s confused expression made me feel even more ironic.
For twenty years, Xiao Jing had hated me, believing that I had robbed him of his father’s love, so what I could do, he had to do as well, and better than me, all of which came to naught when Zhang Yunyun appeared.
“The moment you left your client to go out to sea, you should have realized that she would die for you.”
“Shut up! You shut up!”
「Don’t fool yourself, punk.」 My disgusted gaze made him wonder why I, who had put up with him at every turn, had become like this.
“Don’t think you can be arrogant just because of that will.”
I glanced at the building and said, “Your father isn’t dead yet, how long he will live is still different, if I were you I would use every trick in the book to get him to change his will.”
“Don’t think I’ll be impressed if you’re like this, you’re not her even if you learn to look like her.” Xiao Jing still has that stupid look, it’s unbelievable.
“Grow up. You’ve only known each other for a few days and you’re already in love? She was just an excuse for you to escape from your boring life, a reason for you to indulge yourself, and now it’s just as well, she’s dead, so you can tell yourself that you’re in love till death do you part, but don’t forget, without you, she’s still alive and well, chasing after her dream of being a designer.”
I knew how to provoke Xiao Jing, to make him feel angry and powerless, to experience the insults I had suffered.
His hand was raised high in the air, about to land on my face in the next second.
6
His slap was stopped by Su Yuanheng who rushed over.
“If you have the ability to go to Xiao Dong, don’t take it out on Xiao Ying.” Su Yuanheng shielded me behind him and forcefully pushed away the wheelchair, “Last time you told me that he wouldn’t feel free to do anything to you again.”
His expression was serious, I didn’t dare to go against him, so I could only say, ”If I don’t let him take out his anger, I might not know how to torment me in the future.”
I also knew Su Yuanheng because of Xiao Jing’s punches and kicks to me, and it was because of me that he chose to stay in the country and become the Xiao family’s personal doctor.
“When I move out, I’ll find a few big men to block Xiao Jing at the intersection and put a sack on his head to beat him into a pig’s head.” My words amused Su Yuanheng, he pushed Xiao Hao back, I followed behind, the bottom of my eyes actually a little wet, as if I have been looking forward to life has been within reach.
After being adopted by Master Xiao, because of Xiao Jing’s prejudice against me, I have always been out of town to go to school, ten years ago, the focus of Xiao’s industry shifted to the South City, I returned to the South City, this city is both strange and familiar to me, just like Xiao Dong’s feeling with me.
I stood in front of the door of the room, listening to the coughing inside, hesitated again and again or pushed the door to go in, Xiao Dong sat in front of the desk to see me go in to put down the documents, said: “Standing outside for so long, why not come in.”
“I’m hesitating.” I do not have the slightest concealment.
“You want to leave Nancheng, leave the Xiao family.” He poured me a cup of tea and said, “All these years you’ve been thinking about that, it’s my fault for using you all this time.”
“Are you saying sorry to me?” Looking at the terminally ill old man in front of me, in a trance I remembered the first time I saw him, so spirited.
He shook his head and walked over to the window, “Compared to Xiao Jing, you’re actually the one most like me, so I’ve always admired you.” Admiring to the point of threatening me, admiring to the point of tying me to Xiao Jing.
“I don’t understand what you mean.” My tone was cold.
“If you leave now, you won’t get anything.”
“I don’t want anything, I’ve figured out that it’s better to let Xiao Hao pass into the afterlife rather than letting him lie in bed for the rest of his life without dying.
“You know, I’m not a superstitious person, but lately I’ve always wondered, if people really do have souls, is he just confined to me for twenty years, maybe if I let go of him long ago, he would have returned to this world.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, afraid to continue for fear that the next second I would regret it and give up on the decision.
“But this means you have to start everything from scratch.” Xiao Dong reminded me.
“The last thing I’m afraid of is starting over.”
He laughed instead of being angry and talked about the first time he saw me when I was a child, when Xiao Jing was not intimate with him, when he himself had just been rescued and was trembling with fear, yet he still knelt on the ground for me and Xiao Hao, begging him to take us in and begging him to heal Xiao Hao.
Maybe it’s because the nanny has been a nanny for a long time and thinks she is the mistress of the house, Auntie Mei, who brought Xiao Jing up from a young age, dislikes us very much, and Xiao Jing always wants to visit Xiao Hao in the hospital when he goes back, so Auntie Mei often uses the kidnapping thing to scare Xiao Jing.
Over and over again, Xiao Jing was more afraid of our siblings than he liked them, and even felt that we had planned the kidnapping. Children less than ten years old, and is the landlord’s family’s stupid son, can have what IQ, a scare, coupled with a high fever, woke up and forgot all about it.
Xiao Dong know this matter, the aunt Mei swept out of the door, and no one is not allowed to mention this matter, for fear that this stupid son again onset.
Maybe there is also Aunt Mei’s factor, that’s why Xiao Jing has not been treating me well.
“Your body is still strong, the matter of the will should be discussed later.” I said.
He shook his head and surprisingly there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, “I don’t have much time left.”
“So? What does this have to do with me, so you sacrifice me to fulfill your touching father-son bond? I respect you as an elder, but don’t bully me too much.
“Your son is a human being, am I a dog or a pig? I can’t make my own choices, you’ve been forcing me and threatening me, now I want to live my own life, can’t I?
“Do I deserve to be trampled on by you?” I said all the words that I have been holding back for more than twenty years, and even resentfully thought that Xiao Dong had better be angry with me to die, so as to be able to relieve the hatred.
But after he heard my words, he was just a little stunned, then calmly said, “You go out, I will inform you if there is anything else.”
After walking out of the room, I found Xiao Jing sitting outside, dressed in all black, with the appearance of observing the festival for Zhang Yunyun.
As I passed him, he pulled out my arm and asked, “Is everything you guys said true?”
7
“False, not a word of truth comes out of my mouth.” I shook off his hand and sent his words back to him.
“Your brother is a vegetable because of me?” He was hot on his heels, and I suddenly understood why Xiao Dong suddenly talked about his childhood, why he wasn’t surprised by my words, so he knew Xiao Jing was outside the door.
All the words were said to him.
Because as long as Xiao Jing knew, there was absolutely no way he would let me go.
“Don’t, put away this disgusting expression of yours, I don’t want to see it.” Xiao Jing’s expression of remorse and pity makes me almost vomit, and his touch makes me shudder and retch.
He tries to reach over and grab my arm again, but I subconsciously dodge it, a muscle memory from years of practicing under his punches and kicks.
I mentally laughed to myself, “With my reflexes, in the old days, how could I have been a warrior or something, nothing, with full evasive skills.”
“Right, sorry.” Xiao Jing’s hand reached back.
“I can’t afford it, I really can’t afford it, you know this thing, so say sorry to me, if there is no this thing, I have suffered all these years in vain, right, I deserve it, I owe you, my brother owes you.
“You are the protagonist of life, I am only a small supporting role, you want to make use of the call, want to do what to do, say sorry for what ah, anyway, you have a lot of ability, today pretend to be pathetic, tomorrow continue to spend the day drinking.
The most disgusting thing in my life is Xiao Jing, so I don’t understand why someone would fall in love with someone who targets them at every turn, and this person is also their boss, I didn’t have a choice in the past, but now I just want him to die, even if he doesn’t, I have to bury a thorn in his heart and stab him for the rest of his life.
“Small things, it is not almost cut throat to death, it is not by you randomly scolded, it is not a seven-year-old child for you to lie in bed for twenty years, and now it is dying, it is not an innocent girl for you to die, of course, say sorry on the line,” I understand Xiao Jing, I know the knife, I know that the knife is the only way to make him die.
I know Xiao Jing, I know where to stick the knife, know what kind of words will make him toss and turn in the night, sleepless, sleepless, I cursed in my heart, “stupid”, leaving the stiff Xiao Jing stood in place.
After leaving Xiao’s house, I immediately got into the car, but Xiao Jing came out of the gate and blocked the front to prevent me from going, I furiously honked the horn, and thought in my heart that you’d better get out of the way before I lose my patience, or I’ll hit the gas and run you over, it’s a sin for me to meet this strange boss.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, why did you keep it from me.” His eyes were red and he blocked in front of the car.
“If I had told you earlier, you would have listened. Don’t you know what kind of person you are? If you really had a brain, you’d have understood yourself long ago even if you’d spent your cussing time asking others.”
“But ……”
“No buts, the reason for today’s situation, besides the fact that you have a selfish and egotistical father, is because you are a rotten person, rotten to the point of being incorrigible.” I stepped on the gas and at the last minute he moved his honored feet and froze.
In the rearview mirror, I saw him enter the gate of Xiao’s house, my heart breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that he would be unable to do anything drastic, and then put the blame on me.
In the hospital, Xiao Hao is still lying on the bed, all kinds of instruments inserted in his thin body.
“I don’t want him to suffer any more.” I thought it would be difficult to say these words from my mouth, but now I only felt relief and peace.
I put a ring on Xiao Hao’s hand, “In your next life, remember to come to your sister earlier, I will be waiting for you.”
Su Yuanheng held me in his arms, “Why don’t we wait for him together? We wait for him together?”
“Let’s leave Nancheng together.” I don’t want to stay in this place for another day.
Su Yuanheng nodded.
8
On the day of my departure, I brought my brother’s ashes to the airport, and Su Yuanheng had already arrived at the destination in advance to set up everything.
In the cab, the driver played the news station, from which came the news that Mr. Xiao had passed away after a long illness, and had left all his assets to his two living children, Xiao Jing and Xiao Ying.
“I really didn’t realize that Boss Xiao had an illegitimate daughter outside until I died.”
“But wasn’t he in good health, why did he suddenly die? I think he must have been angered to death by that ridiculous son of his. I heard that before Boss Xiao’s death, the two of them had a big fight, that’s why the old man died.”
The cab is still talkative, chattering about the city’s secrets: “I think that little one, this time to be angry, originally thought he was the only son of the family, so how to toss as much as you want to toss, this time stupid eyes, there is another one outside.”
The cell phone is still ringing, as usual, it is Xiao Jing called, hesitate again and again I still connected.
“Where are you now?” Xiao Jing’s voice is a bit tired, in a short period of time, he lost his lover, his father, and learned the truth of the year, Xiao Hao’s death is even more devastating to him.
On the day of Xiao Hao’s cremation, he waited outside the funeral parlor, looking at us from afar, but not daring to go forward.
“On his way to the airport.”
“Are you leaving Nancheng?”
“There’s nothing here that’s worth staying for.”
“Can you stay? I have nothing now but you. As long as you stay, I can give you anything.” His voice was urgent.
“I don’t need anything, the only thing I need is to stay away from you, away from the Xiao family.”
When going through the security check, Xiao Jing rushed over but was stopped by the airport staff, he shouted, “Don’t you go, I can give you anything, you stay okay?”
I didn’t look back, I went straight through the security check and entered the waiting room, letting him make as much noise as he wanted.
9
“Xiao Jing called you again?” Su Yuanheng took a glass of milk and handed it to me, I threw my cell phone aside and said, “There’s something wrong with this guy, why do you care about him.”
I took out my computer to calculate the income and expenditure of the dessert store, and said bitterly, “It’s not that easy to run a small business, it’s much more difficult than working for me”.
“Why don’t you go back to work at Xiao’s?” Su Yuanheng flirted with me and was kicked by me, he laughed and then turned on the TV.
The news of a rich businessman having a son in his old age was playing on the TV.
I heard that this rich businessman has been married for many years, but has never had any children, and now he is almost fifty years old, before finally having his first child.
He had been looking for someone to calculate, said he would have a son in his destiny, but the child could not let go of his relatives in the past life has not left to reincarnation, so the rich businessman will be old enough to have a son.
Originally, this matter can be regarded as folklore, but the rich merchant’s son has a birthmark on his right index finger, just like a ring.
Su Yuanheng and I looked at each other with a smile and changed the mother and baby channel.
End –
