He remained silent the entire way, only speaking when he dropped her off at her apartment building again. "Get some rest early."
Shame, doubt, anger, grievance... a whirlwind of emotions churned inside her, leaving no room for apology. She snapped angrily, "What is this? Are you punishing me with the silent treatment, or showing me you never cared about me from the start?"
"Xiao Yan, I don't blame you, but I really don't have the mood to say anything more today."
"What do you take me for? Am I your girlfriend, or some mistress who should act generous and indifferent no matter how you summon and dismiss me?"
Gao Xiang frowned. "What's gotten into you? Insulting me is one thing, but why insult yourself?"
His casual attitude infuriated her completely. She spoke word by word, "Your mother arranged for us to meet. You told me from the beginning you had no interest in marriage and weren't suitable for it. Yet I still refused to break up—I was degrading myself by clinging to you. No wonder you look down on me."
She got out of the car, slammed the door shut with force, and hurried into the apartment building, pressing the elevator button. However, Gao Xiang followed her inside, one hand holding her back while the other pressed the floor button. "Xiao Yan, stop making a scene."
His voice was as gentle as ever, carrying a soothing power. After all, she was already 28 years old. Even if he was 10 years older, she couldn't just cast aside her pride and throw a tantrum. When he held her, she only struggled symbolically before tears uncontrollably welled up, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
Gao Xiang walked Zhu Xiao Yan to her door. Zhu Xiao Yan asked him, "Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?"
He clearly understood the plea in her eyes but still shook his head. "Another time. You should get some rest early."
Author's note: New story...
☆、02
I
Gao Xiang drove back to his home located in a quiet spot within the bustling city center. The spacious duplex apartment's first floor was occupied by his mother, Chen Zi Hui, who was already asleep. After going upstairs, he noticed light still seeping from his son Gao Fei's bedroom. He knocked on the door but received no response. Pushing it open, he found Gao Fei sitting in front of the computer, wearing headphones, completely absorbed in playing a game—just as he had expected.
Both amused and exasperated, he walked over and removed the headphones. "Kid, it's late. Have you finished your homework?"
Gao Fei, not yet 16 and a ninth-grader at the city's key high school, No. 1 Middle School, clearly wasn't afraid of being caught gaming. He grinned cheekily and said, "It's not even 11 yet. Weren't you on a date today? Why are you back so early?"
"None of your business. Your homework—"
"Finished it ages ago."
Gao Xiang glared at him, reached over to exit the game and shut down the computer. "Go to sleep."
Gao Fei grabbed the hem of his shirt. "Wait, wait! Let's have a heart-to-heart."
Gao Xiang knew full well that a teenager proactively seeking a "heart-to-heart" with his father was unlikely to have any real issues to discuss. "About what?"
"Are you planning to marry Aunt Zhu?"
"Did your grandmother put you up to asking that again?"
"I'm curious too!"
"Do you like Aunt Zhu?"He tilted his head thoughtfully, "You only took me to have a meal with her last month, so I can't really say whether I like her or not. She seems alright—friendly and considerate. Grandma likes her too. If you really must bring a stepmother home, of course it's better to have someone kind and pleasant-looking."
Gao Xiang couldn't maintain a stern fatherly demeanor in front of his laid-back son. Moreover, he cherished the uninhibited atmosphere they had cultivated over the years. He pulled up a chair and sat down, "So you want me to get married?"
"Originally, I thought our family wasn't missing anything. You seemed perfectly content being single. But Grandma really hopes you'll get married. Plus, I recently read in a magazine that staying single isn't good for a man's..." Gao Fei grinned slyly, "...physical and mental health. You might as well just tie the knot."
Gao Xiang was taken aback, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "What kind of magazine are you reading? That's nonsense."
"It's not just the magazine saying that. Teacher Chen, who teaches physics in our class, is about your age and has never married. He's really eccentric. The girls in our class all say he must have had his heart broken when he was young and never recovered." Gao Fei found it increasingly amusing, "They're practically writing a whole romantic novel about him."
"What kind of nonsense is this? You're in ninth grade now—you should focus more on your studies. Last time your homeroom teacher called me in..."
"Wasn't it just because I brought my phone to school and she caught me? She's making a big deal out of nothing."
"According to her, if you don't work hard during these last two semesters, it might be difficult for you to get into our school's high school program."
"I've thought about it—I don't plan to attend No.1 High School. I'm already sick of wearing this uniform."
Gao Xiang glanced at the school jacket draped over the chair back—a loose gray tracksuit with blue stripes paired with navy blue trousers. Like all middle school uniforms, it was far from stylish. He couldn't help laughing, "Insufficient reason. Denied."
"Besides the uniform, there are all those trivial and boring school regulations treating us like prisoners, controlling everything from head to toe. They even check our hair and nail length regularly—it's unbearable. Hey, why are you staring at me like that again? My hair totally meets the standards!"
"No matter which school you attend, there will be regulations. Some schools have even stricter requirements."
Gao Fei slapped his thigh, "You sound exactly like our homeroom teacher! By the way, she visited your alma mater, Qinggang Middle School, last week. When she came back, she warned us that we have nothing to complain about. The students there arrive at school at 6:30 every morning, have evening self-study until 9:30, then continue studying in their dorms. No one sleeps before midnight, and weekends don't exist. Tsk tsk, that's seriously insane. You studied there for six years—how come you didn't go crazy?"
"I didn't go crazy studying there, but listening to your nonsense is driving me mad. How about considering studying abroad for high school?"
Gao Fei hesitated immediately, "Where to?"
"England or Canada—you choose."
"England's weather is too gloomy, and Canada is supposedly boring. I still think Hanjiang is better."
Gao Xiang was both annoyed and amused, "Alright then. I hope you'll get decent results in your high school entrance exam."“How could you bear to send me so far away? I’m not afraid of living independently, I just don’t want to go abroad because I’ll miss you and Grandma.”
Gao Fei grinned mischievously, but the emotion in his words was genuine. Gao Xiang, his mind weighed down with concerns, was once again touched. He had no heart to continue chatting idly with his son. Standing up, he patted Gao Fei’s shoulder. “Let’s talk about this another time. Get into bed and go to sleep—no more video games.”
Gao Xiang returned to his own room, changed into workout clothes, and ran on the treadmill for 60 minutes—15 minutes longer than his usual routine. By the time he stepped off, he was drenched in sweat. Panting heavily, he realized he had indeed passed the age where intense exercise could serve as a means to regulate his mood. He could only wait for his heart rate to gradually return to normal before taking a shower. Yet, even after lying down in bed, he still felt wide awake.
Resigned, he got up, poured himself a glass of red wine, and walked to the window. Pushing it open, he felt the late September breeze carrying a hint of autumn’s faint coolness, refreshing and pleasant. But he hadn’t reached the stage of constant nostalgia. Of course, the past was never forgotten, yet when he tried to recall it, he didn’t know where to begin.
His gaze fell upon a row of photos displayed on the shelf by the window.
Gao Fei didn’t have a hundred-day photo taken like other children. His first photo with eyes open, looking straight at the camera, was taken at a studio when he was one year old, brought by his grandparents. He had just been woken up by the photographer and was quite displeased. But he naturally had slightly curved eyes, dark and bright, so even with a serious expression, he seemed to carry a hint of a smile. Paired with the chubby cheeks and petal-like lips unique to young children, he looked utterly adorable.
The photo closest to Gao Xiang was taken a little over two months ago, during summer vacation. Gao Fei was already almost as tall as him, perched playfully on his back, chin resting on Gao Xiang’s left shoulder while making a V-sign with his right hand above Gao Xiang’s head. Grinning widely, he revealed a small canine tooth on the right, radiating cheerfulness with a touch of playful mischief—just like any other boy in his early teens.
He stared intently at Gao Fei’s smile in that photo. From birth until now, this child had spent most of his life with him. Since he turned one, his meticulous grandmother had kept a complete record of Gao Fei’s growth—a series of photos from babbling and toddling to kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. Yet, watching that fragile, drooling infant who could only express himself with sharp cries grow into a handsome young man right before his eyes—this magic trick performed by time still left him somewhat astonished and wistful.
Early the next morning, Gao Xiang once again drove to the Riverside Hotel. He went to room 517, only to find the door open and housekeeping staff changing the bedsheets.
“Excuse me, has the guest staying here gone out?”
“The guest has already checked out and left.”
Gao Xiang hurried downstairs to the front desk and asked the staff, “When did Zuo Si’an from room 517 check out?”
The young woman checked the records. “This guest checked out and settled the bill about half an hour ago.”
“Did she mention where she was going?”
The front desk staff shook her head. “No.”He hadn't expected her to leave so abruptly, nor had she left any contact information. For a moment, he was at a loss. Just then, a young porter nearby chimed in, "Sir, when I was helping that lady with her luggage, she noticed my accent and asked if I was from Qinggang. She mentioned she happened to be heading to Qinggang and inquired about where to take the long-distance bus."
Gao Xiang quickly replied, "Thank you."
He hurried out, started his car, and drove toward Qinggang City.
Qinggang was a county-level city approximately 150 kilometers from the provincial capital, Hanjiang City. Driving along the flat, straight highway, he felt an indescribable sense of anxiety.
Gao Xiang had traveled between Qinggang and Hanjiang countless times, but the last time he had driven this road with such a troubled heart was exactly sixteen years ago. Long-buried memories surfaced, making his emotions even more unsettled.
Author's Note: No major contradictions regarding Gao Xiang's appearance, right? Also, someone asked if Gao Xiang had proposed to Wang Can in "Your Childhood Sweetheart, Her Bamboo Horse"... The answer is: No. If you don't believe it, go back and reread that chapter carefully—it should highlight Wang Can's intelligence even more, haha. This story has little connection to my other works in terms of content.
☆、03
Chapter 2: 1996, Qinggang
In 1996, Gao Xiang was only 22 years old. After graduating from university, he stayed in the provincial capital to manage his family's sales company. One day in early October, he suddenly received a call from his mother, Chen Zi Hui, saying that his uncle, Chen Zi Yu, was in trouble. She refused to elaborate on the details, only insisting that he return home immediately. Unable to reach Chen Zi Yu on his phone, Gao Xiang had no choice but to set aside his work and drive to Qinggang. Along the way, he pondered what trouble his troublemaking uncle had gotten into this time. Having witnessed Chen Zi Yu's endless mischief since childhood, his mother's vague words gave him an ominous premonition.
Gao Xiang's maternal grandfather, Chen Li Guo, was a native of Qinggang. He started with agricultural import-export trade, then acquired a nearly bankrupt distillery, producing a liquor called "Qinggang Daqu." The liquor was of good quality and affordable, selling well within the province and surrounding areas, making him one of the earliest entrepreneurs to prosper. Gao Xiang's father, Gao Ming, initially worked for him and caught the eye of his only daughter, Chen Zi Hui. After careful consideration, Chen Li Guo and his wife found that aside from his impoverished background, Gao Ming was indeed upright in character, hardworking, and steady in temperament. They approved of their daughter's choice and, after some matchmaking, Gao Ming married Chen Zi Hui, becoming a live-in son-in-law of the Chen Family, naturally continuing to work for his father-in-law, who was now also his boss.
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