Break-up CH 20(2/2)
“Then look at what he brought.” Gu Yanting said slowly, word for word, “Is there.. anything for me?”
Mom Gu was unsure, but after wiping the corners of her eyes and urging him to eat his porridge quickly, she still went to the living room as he wished.
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Tang Yi brought quite a few things, a few nutritional products for Mom Gu, several medicinal herbs such as old mountain ginseng soaked in alcohol for Dad Gu, and a box of chess with a mellow texture. Mom Gu couldn’t help but feel a bit distressed as she brought the items over one by one. Any one of these items would cost several thousand. Tang Yi bought so many at once, how much money could he make in a year?
This was because he didn’t want to take advantage and be a freeloader!
Mom Gu sighed and didn’t know what to say, so she could only continue to look. Finally, she saw a luggage bag. On it were the three characters ‘Gu Yanting’.
“Yanting, there really is!” Mom Gu lifted the bag, which was quite heavy, so she dragged it into the bedroom with an effort, “Mom will put it here for you. Do you want me to open it for you?”
Gu Yanting lay motionless on the bed, and when his eyes fell on the luggage bag, he squinted violently as if he had been scalded.
“No,” he said in a dumb voice, “I’ll look at it myself.”
—
Tang Yi returned to T City just in time for Shen Fan to drive to pick him up. The Shen family was in C City, which was not far away and could be reached in two hours by plane. After her divorce, Shen Fan’s mother had opened a teahouse in C City, and later got the tea assessor’s certificate and then used her contacts to raise the level, slowly turning the teahouse into a high-class clubhouse.
There was no shortage of real ladies in the circle who would come here, with graceful bodies and elegant manners, ranging in age from thirty to sixty or seventy. All of them paid great attention to their status and their voices were as light and soft as if they were soulstealers(4).
Shen Fan attentively bought a gift from Tang Yi in advance, according to his mother’s preference: a pair of jade bracelets that a friend had won at an auction. Although Tang Yi was well versed in the ways of the world, Shen Fan’s mother’s vision had been cultivated over the years and he didn’t want Tang Yi to spend a fortune nor did he want Tang Yi to be hurt in case his purchase didn’t meet his mother’s eyes and her expression showed something as a result.
Knowing Shen Fan’s good intentions, Tang Yi accepted it without insisting. Then before going to the airport, he bought two valuable pens from the mall and stuffed one into Shen Fan’s hand.
“Hey, why do you bother?” Shen Fan did like to use fountain pens on a regular basis, but it wasn’t exaggerated to the point of using luxury goods for this. It seemed a bit out of place for Tang Yi to do such a thing, making him feel weird.
Tang Yi looked at him, smiled and didn’t say anything.
Shen Fan took the pen and looked at it again, only to find that Tang Yi had actually chosen the ef (extra fine) tip. It was quite a surprise to Shen Fan that he could buy him a nib suitable for writing in Chinese after such a quick trip in.
Tang Yi saw him being taken aback for a moment, obviously noticing, so he smiled and explained, “I bought it for someone else and got another for you by the way.”
Only then did Shen Fan notice that what he had was a bare pen and a complimentary ink from the shop. What Tang Yi was holding was a carefully wrapped box and a handbag.
“Hey, who are you giving it to?” Shen Fan couldn’t help but glance at him, asking sourly, “Such a big gift, what’s it for?”
“A return gift,” Tang Yi smiled, “For the one of ninety-nine roses.”
Shen Fan followed Tang Yi to the airport with a shocked expression on his face before he realised that what Tang Yi said was true. Zhou Hao was wearing a trench coat, holding a little dignified child on his arm and a suitcase in his hand.
The father and son looked like models stepping out of a magazine. Zhou Weiwei obviously had chocolate in his mouth, his big eyes darting around, and his round cheeks puffed out, making him look like an innocent little hamster.
Zhou Hao, on the other hand, was wearing light-coloured slacks and a trench coat of the same colour that was a little longer than his knees. He held Zhou Weiwei on one arm, while his other hand was stuck idly into the pocket of his trench coat, as if the child’s weight of several dozen pounds was not even worth mentioning.
The mature charm that accumulated over the years was more dazzling than simple handsomeness. Between people coming and going, many men and women couldn’t help but look at him frequently. Zhou Hao’s deep, cold eyes were expressionless until he turned around and saw Tang Yi walking up to him with a smile. Then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, his face like winter snow in spring melting into an expression full of tenderness and sweetness.
That expression gave Shen Fan a jolt. He followed behind Tang Yi vigilantly and then saw Tang Yi handing the handbag to Zhou Hao.
“Tang Susu, I missed you!” Zhou Weiwei laughed so hard that his eyes were turned into crescents. He jumped over from Zhou Hao with a grin and hugged Tang Yi’s neck with a loud and clear smacking of his lips.
“Kiss kiss!”
The child’s mouth still had chocolate on it, and his saliva printed on Tang Yi’s cheek was sticky, making Tang Yi smile bitterly.
Tang Yi raised his head and met Zhou Hao’s smiling eyes. Just as he was about to say hello, he saw Zhou Hao slightly lower his head. A refreshing aura wrapped around him unexpectedly.
Zhou Hao followed Zhou Weiwei’s dexterity in hugging Tang Yi, pulling Tang Yi into his arms. Then with a light chuckle, he also pressed his lips to the place where Zhou Weiwei had just smooched.
The dry, warm kiss fell gently and left quickly. Tang Yi’s body stiffened when he heard a low laugh in his ears, “I missed you too.”
1) Stage 2 of the relationship: Power Struggle.
2) In China, square dancing or plaza dancing, is an exercise routine performed to music in squares, plazas or parks. It is popular with middle-aged and retired women who have been referred to as “dancing grannies” in the English-language media
3) It seems to be from Psychoanalysis: social interactions, sports, hobbies, etc.
4) Sorcerers chanting magical incantations over people in order to steal their souls.
