Chapter 3 - How Much Do We Owe? (1/2)

After the three people finished their meal and came out of the restaurant, it was precisely 2pm in the afternoon, a time when the sun is scorchingly hot above their heads. ZhouXiang squinted his eyes and looked up. Just across the street in front of him is a huge LED advertising screen on top of the commercial building. The screen is broadcasting a commercial. Because the poor lighting with the building in the way, the screen was not clear for a few seconds. Just by chance, a cluster of birds flew by and blocked the sun. Everything on the screen is replaced by a commercial for a luxury brand watch. A man walked out from a purely black backdrop.

ZhouXiang’s expression suddenly changed.

It is a man in his early twenties. His tall and perfect figure wearing a pure white suit created a strong contrast to the dark backdrop. He raised his head slightly to reveal an exceptionally handsome face. This face had no expression; his chilling expression and tightly pursed lip reveals an unapproachable aura. He is putting a diamond watch on his wrist. Even with such a simple gesture, he did it with such elegance and grace. It is extremely captivating. Many passersby on the street either turned their heads around or froze just to stare at him.

A piercing pain struck his heart, ZhouXiang’s expression paled as he took a deep breath.

YanMingXiu? Why would he……why would he do commercials? With his influential family background, why would he sell his looks to the commercial industry?

CaiWei snorted next to him, his tone full of resentment.

ZhouXiang suddenly regained his senses and adjusted his facial expression for fear that CaiWei would notice something unusual.

The matters between him and YanMingXiu, CaiWei is fully aware. Because of that, CaiWei is full of hatred toward YanMingXiu. This had not changed these two years.

It seems that one person’s influence on another, is really not easy to dissipate.

To CaiWei, two years had passed. But to ZhouXiang, everything that happened between him and YanMingXiu was just a week ago. Even the last phone conversation he had with YanMingXiu, he still remembered it very clearly. He can still distinctly remember the scent on YanMingXiu’s body, his overbearing and willful demands, his always persistent in his own ways of hurting others and his uncaring personality. In fact, even his smiles, his temper, his undoubted love for WangYuDong are all so vivid in his mind. He wanted to forget all this as soon as possible. To him, these things just happened a few days ago. It is said that time is the best medicine but the time he had was too short. He thought that he was starting a new life again, not seeing and thinking of him, so he could completely forget this ill-fated failed relationship. Unexpectedly, on just the first day of being discharged, he is again forced to see YanMingXiu. In fact, it’s likely that in the foreseeable future, he’d still have to keep seeing him.

Seeing ZhouXiang and CaiWei looking at the commercial on the screen across the street, ChenYing also looked and then praised, “How can a boy look so beautiful? So beautiful.”

CaiWei responded disdainfully, “Being beautiful doesn’t mean shit. He’s just a bastard.”

ChenYing is stunned, “Xiao Cai, you know him?”

CaiWei responded depressingly, “Yea, I know.”

“What about him? He’s not a good person?”

CaiWei forcefully smiled, “Auntie, the entertainment industry is chaotic; there aren’t many good ones.”

ZhouXiang resisted the urge to ask CaiWei about YanMingXiu. The lesser he knew, the better off he is. It would be best for YanMingXiu to completely disappear from his life.

The watch commercial on the screen is over. ZhouXiang sighed secretly but the trembling in his heart did not disappear. He is powerless. He offended WangYuDong, had a fall out with YanMingXiu, fell off a cliff…all this gave him insomnia at night. To him, it all happened not long ago. He needed time. What he needed the most right now is time.

After CaiWei took them home, ChenYing was bashful for the longest time, too embarrassed to say “Xiao Cai, normally Auntie Chen should ask you to come up to chat but this rented apartment is too shabby. I’m embarrassed to ask you to come up. Today, thank you.”

CaiWei bunched his brows and looked at this old residential area. The area is bad, the surrounding environment is ghetto; it’s really not a good place. He sighed silently in his heart. In order to treat ZhouXiang, ChenYing depleted her entire savings and owed a lot of debt. Although ZhouXiang had awakened, the hard lives for the mother and son had only just begun.

After CaiWei left, ChenYing led ZhouXiang upstairs. The seven-story building is at least twenty years old. The corridor is dark, the stairs narrow, and the walls are so dirty that you could not see its original colors.

This little apartment that ChenYing rented is merely a bit over 40 square meters with only one bedroom. Although she tried to clean and tidy it up, it still couldn’t conceal the owner’s dire financial needs.

ChenYing smiled, “I cleaned up the bedroom and also bought a bed. From now on, I’ll sleep in the living room.”

ZhouXiang quickly said, “Mom, I’ll sleep in the living room.”