Half an hour later, an employee from the Department of
Homeless Services of the Bureau of Civil Affairs showed up. He thanked
the medical staff and everyone who had come with Xie Qingcheng as he
explained the situation.
"This old man is called Zhuang Zhiqiang. He really is a stubborn old
nail house."
Xie Xue and Bai Jing—who'd insisted on hitching a ride—had also
come up from the underground parking garage. They sat on the sofa in the
doctor's office to listen to the details.
"Mr. Zhuang Zhiqiang…his situation is rather unique. Homeless
Services has been struggling to resolve this problem." The employee wrung
his hands and took a sip of the tea that the nurses had brewed in disposable
paper cups. He smacked his lips and sighed. "He came to Huzhou about
three years ago and said that he was looking for his daughter. But we
checked the registry—he's just an old man who lives all by himself. He
doesn't have any family. He used to reside in a yaodong in Shanzhou, a
place so poor even birds don't want to live there. He didn't have any
neighbors whatsoever, and he had to walk over a mile just to get water. We
even sent people down to inquire with the other villagers, and they all said
that the old man was very antisocial and that they didn't know anything
about him at all."
"But that's not an excuse for you to shirk your responsibilities!" Bai
Jing blurted out stridently. "Shouldn't you lock up people who pose a
danger to society? He disrupts the municipal environment and might even
attack others!"
"Miss, you must understand," the employee said with an awkward
expression. "We can't lock up the homeless, they are citizens as well. We
can only arrange housing for them or send them to a hospital for medical
care…"
Bai Jing's tone was vicious. "I don't care. Nutcases should all
be forcibly institutionalized. Shouldn't all these abnormal things be
quarantined?"
Before this exchange, He Yu hadn't yet formed an opinion on this
woman. He was someone who didn't have a particularly strong moral
compass—in other words, he had a rather high tolerance for all sorts of
people. To him, what Xie Qingcheng had told him about her wasn't even
worthy of comment—everyone had their own way of living, their own
choices.
But Bai Jing's rant about "nutcases" really was tap-dancing right on
Young Master He's nerves.
The corners of He Yu's mouth suddenly curved into a slightly
mocking smile, but he lowered his head and kept quiet.
The employee from the Department of Homeless Services wiped
away his sweat. "Young lady, please calm down a little. Since Mr. Zhuang
Zhiqiang's condition does seem likely to worsen to the point where he
might lose his ability to function in society, we'll take him to our affiliate
psychiatric hospital for treatment and supervision once his situation here
improves…"
"Which psychiatric hospital?" Xie Qingcheng suddenly asked.
"Given the current situation, it'll probably be Cheng Kang. Even
though it's not the best in terms of facilities and management, the
accommodations we have reserved with Wanping have already been filled
up. There's nothing we can do."
Hearing this, Bai Jing was finally satisfied. "That's more like it…"
she muttered.
Just as they were talking, the emergency doctor arrived.
He informed them about Zhuang Zhiqiang's condition: Because he
had been treated in time, he was no longer in mortal danger. One visitor was
allowed if they wanted to go check on him. "A girl would be best," the
doctor explained. "The patient is still in a state of confusion. He keeps
trying to look for his daughter."
Xie Xue stood up. "I'll go." She followed the doctor out of the room.
He Yu had been sprawled over the reception room sofa with his elbow
propped up on its back, listening to the conversation with his head lowered
and an indifferent expression on his face. However, now that Xie Xue was
leaving, he swung his long legs down and prepared to get up as well.
"Hold it," said Xie Qingcheng, his guarded wariness obvious.
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you following my sister around all the time?"
The schoolboy sat back down on the sofa, falling silent for a moment.
Though it seemed like they were having a sophisticated and courteous
conversation, his almond eyes were, in fact, full of derision and ridicule.
"Then, what if I follow you around all the time instead, Doctor Xie?"
To this, Xie Qingcheng had no reply.
With a steady warmth in his voice, He Yu said, "Both you and your
matchmaking date are here. Isn't it inconvenient for me to be around? I'll
give you some room. I don't want to be in your way."
Bai Jing immediately snatched the bait and yelled, "There's no
chance we'll get together!"
He Yu laughed softly without looking at Bai Jing. Tilting his head, he
added quietly at a volume only Xie Qingcheng could hear, "Doctor Xie,
don't you think your charisma is fading with old age? You can't even get
that little girl."
Xie Qingcheng said nothing.
Wicked thing.
Could it be that his ancestral tomb had been renovated into an
outhouse? How'd they produce such a depraved beast?
Xie Qingcheng's expression was cold as his lips moved just enough
to reply, "Hurry up and get lost."
He Yu smiled. He stood up suddenly, and his arm shot over
Xie Qingcheng's shoulder. Xie Qingcheng started, bewildered as to what
this depraved gentleman, who was flouting normal etiquette, was doing.
Even though they were several centimeters apart, he could pick up the scent of He Yu's adolescent hormones, as well as feel the heat emitting from the
boy's chest as he loomed over him.
The domineering aura unique to young males made Xie Qingcheng, a
fellow man, extremely uneasy. As a rather traditional man, he immediately
felt a sense of irritation at his "male territory" being invaded.
Xie Qingcheng was just about to shove He Yu away when this
invasive and imposing schoolboy straightened back up. In his hand was a
large bag of coffee he had picked up from the counter behind him—the
drinks He Yu had just ordered.
"Ge, I was just getting the drinks," he said.
He Yu's derisive smile widened at the sight of the man's dark
expression. He took out the cups of coffee from the paper bag and passed
them to the employee from Homeless Services, the doctors, and the nurses.
He also asked someone to bring one to Xie Xue and even handed a cup to
Bai Jing.
But then, he clicked his tongue and looked at Xie Qingcheng. "Would
you look at that. I'm so sorry, I forgot to get one for you."
After a brief pause, He Yu held out his cup of iced coffee to Xie
Qingcheng. "Why don't you drink mine?"
But this clearly wasn't a sincere offer. He had already inserted the
straw into the cup and was holding it right up to Xie Qingcheng's lips, as if
it were the most natural thing to do.
He was certain Xie Qingcheng would refuse.
But to his surprise, it sparked Xie Qingcheng's temper instead. Xie
Qingcheng subverted all of He Yu's expectations as he sat right there on the
sofa with the air of a man getting waited upon by a little brat. With a sly lift
of his gaze, he stared into He Yu's eyes, parted his pale lips and slowly
closed them around the straw that had been shoved in front of his face.
Without breaking eye contact, he sucked deeply on the straw without
a hint of courtesy.
Xie Qingcheng's throat bobbed as he swallowed the drink. It was as
though he were egging He Yu into a fight.
Then he let go of the straw, his wet lips glossy, his eyes sharp.
"You can put it over there. I'll take it as a gesture of filial piety."
He Yu was speechless.
When he saw Xie Qingcheng dip his head and close his lips around
the straw, he felt a maddening heat in his chest, probably from sheer anger.
He thought that this person really deserved to be tormented thoroughly,
more than words could describe. He had wanted to see Xie Qingcheng stuck
in an awkward dilemma or snap back in embarrassed rage.
But in the face of He Yu's challenge, Xie Qingcheng had answered
him with an air of composure, radiating arrogance.
For a second, He Yu had the urge to toss the coffee all over that
fatherly ice cube of a face, to see how miserable he would look with his
face dripping wet and his clothes soaked through.
But in the end, he only smiled and set the iced coffee lightly down
onto the tea table. Ducking his head for a moment, he spoke quietly to Xie
Qingcheng. "All right, since you wanted it, be sure not to waste a drop.
Drink it all, drain the cup, and let me know if it's not enough. I'll get you
another."
"How could I possibly impose? You've acted as my driver and
handed over your checkbook tonight, and now you're even offering to
become my delivery boy." Xie Qingcheng laughed coldly and picked up the
coffee, his long, slender fingers sliding through the droplets of condensation
collecting on the cup. "You're dismissed."
After Xie Qingcheng finished speaking, he swirled the cup at He Yu.
He Yu walked away, a dark expression on his face.
After witnessing this verbal pissing contest, it was clear to everyone
present that the two of them weren't exactly on the best terms. It was
somewhat awkward, but Xie Qingcheng acted as if everything were fine.
He got up, and under the circle of watchful eyes, tossed the coffee
into the trash. Only schoolboys ordered coffee so late. How was he to get
any sleep that night if he messed around like this at his age?
Xie Qingcheng sat back down, his expression calm as he looked
toward the Homeless Services staff. "Sorry about making such a scene. My client's son doesn't know any better."
"I-it's fine." The worker laughed awkwardly.
"So where were we… Oh, that's right… So, you're certain that
Zhuang Zhiqiang doesn't have a daughter?"
The employee snapped out of it. "That's right, he doesn't. Mr. Zhuang
Zhiqiang doesn't have any relatives at all. We help homeless individuals get
in touch with their family or other community members, but there was no
one we could contact for this old man."
Xie Qingcheng fell silent.
From his experience, he felt that Zhuang Zhiqiang's reaction didn't
seem like a meaningless or random dissociative episode. The matter of his
"daughter" had to be a weight on his mind.
"Daughter…" The old man lay on the hospital bed with an oxygen
cannula, still muddled and rambling under his breath about the person who
might have been a figment of his imagination. "My wonderful daughter…
Your old man watched you grow up right before his eyes, watched you go
to school with your little backpack on your shoulders, watched you pass the
college entrance exam and move to the big city…"
He stopped for a moment, a cloudy tear seeping out from the
wrinkled folds of his eyelids. The old man's sleep-talking was tainted in
pain and choked with sobs. "Why couldn't you…ever come back to see
your old man…?"
Xie Xue was softhearted, and her tears flowed freely as she listened at
his side. After getting the nurse's permission, she reached out for Zhuang
Zhiqiang's hand and said from his bedside, "Uncle, don't cry anymore. I…
I'm here. I'll stay here with you. Please get better soon…"
As he was still ill, she couldn't spend too much time with the patient.
After she comforted the old, confused man for a while, the doctor told her it
was about time to leave.
After disinfecting herself, Xie Xue walked out of the emergency
room. She reached into her bag for tissues to wipe her tears, only to
discover that they'd already been used up.
A pretty hand passed her a man's handkerchief.
Xie Xue looked up. Her slightly swollen and red eyes were met with
the sight of He Yu's gently smiling face.
With Xie Qingcheng, He Yu had behaved like a degenerate beast, but
with Xie Xue, he was rather like a well-behaved show dog. The
handkerchief he passed over was a square of snowy white silk of a very
delicate and exquisite make, without a single crease marring its surface.
"Here you go."
"Th-thank you."
"It's nothing."
He'd already known that Xie Xue would react like this.
Xie Xue's parents died soon after she was born, and her grandparents
had already passed away long before that. Ever since she was little, she'd
been very envious of others who could shout "Daddy," "Mommy,"
"Grandpa," or "Grandma." In her case, it was only during the annual
Qingming festival that she could quietly say those words as she stood
beneath Xie Qingcheng's black umbrella with a bouquet of dainty white
chrysanthemums in her hands, facing those ice-cold, rain-soaked
gravestones.
Thus, the one thing she couldn't bear was seeing people of her
parents' or grandparents' age without children to keep them company.
"Doctor?" Wiping her tears, she spoke to the emergency physician
again. "Can you please let me know when he's moved to the psychiatric
hospital? I'll go with him."
He Yu frowned slightly. "What would you go to that kind of place
for?"
"It's no trouble. It just so happens that the university wants me to go
to several prisons and psychiatric hospitals to discuss whether we can bring
students to visit. They said it's to give the screenwriting and directing
students some hands-on experience in civic engagement, but I haven't had
the chance to discuss it with them yet." Xie Xue blew her nose. "It's not
like I'll be going out of my way."
Since she'd put it that way, He Yu couldn't really say anything else.
He could only walk over to the side and pick up that little yellow stray.
He Yu put his hands under its chubby front legs and lifted it up to his
face. Its yellow-and-white-striped legs kicked a few times in midair, and its
black bean nose met his almond eyes as it fell into somewhat of a daze.
He Yu said gently, "I'll get a dog permit so that you can stay at my
place for the time being. Once your owner's better, I'll send you back to
him."
Trembling and shivering, the little dog let out a whimper.
It is said that animals have a sixth sense, allowing them to detect
danger and madness hidden behind a person's smile. So, despite the
kindness of He Yu's words, the little dog was frightened but attempted to
get on He Yu's good side anyway. It nervously stuck out the tip of its soft
tongue and gave He Yu a lick.
He Yu laughed and reached out to stroke the dog's head, letting the
dog lick the tips of his fingers. Eyes dark, he said, "Good boy. You're much
more sensible than him."