Home/ The Selfish Gene/ Chapter 15
Faced with my provocation, Shi Hao’s eyes turned dark, and he was about to step forward.
I didn’t hide or dodge in any way, to see if he dares to come over.
Sure enough, he didn’t dare.
In the end, he only took one step. Shi Hao is not that stupid, after all, this is the mourning hall of Mr. Shi, if he dares to make trouble, his father’s uncles and brothers would kick him out of the family and exile him forever.
He glared at me fiercely, and reluctantly withdrew his feet, his face was as black as charcoal.
The matter with Shi Hao is a bit complicated to talk about. In the end, it wasn’t me who had a problem with him, but Zheng Jieyuan.
Shi Hao’s birth was not honorable, his mother was a mistress, who forced the legal wife out of the family with her big belly back then. And this legal wife happened to be Zheng Jieyuan’s aunt.
The world of children is very simple, whoever treats their loved ones badly is a big villain. Therefore, even if the two families had dissolved their marriage relationship before Zheng Jieyuan was born, he still had his own views on the Shi family and Shi Hao from what he had heard and seen since he was a child.
“Are you the son of that lowly woman?” These were the first words that seven-year-old Zheng Jieyuan asked in a childish voice after seeing Shi Hao for the first time. This is how their grudge started.
Because of their similar age, the two were sent to the same 12-year international school. Subsequently, just like the vulgar plot of a tv soap opera, they became incompatible like fire and water from the beginning, continuing the grievances of the previous generation to the next generation.
Originally, it was just a matter of a bad relationship between their two families, and had nothing to do with me. But this dog Shi Hao seemed to be suffering from rabies, he not only bit Zheng Jieyuan, but also his good friends, and finally I wasn’t spared either.
Although three years have passed, the memory of that night is still vivid in my mind.
It was Zheng Jieyuan’s 22nd birthday, and he invited a group of his friends to a bar for a party, including me.
At that time, I had just found out about the relationship between Yan Shanhua and Ji Chenfeng, so I was a little upset, and drank all night without any intention of having fun. After drinking so much in the middle of the night, my consciousness was a little fuzzy, and while I was resting on the seat, I heard Zheng Jieyuan’s cursing.
It was such a coincidence that even though there are so many bars in Hong city, Zheng Jieyuan and Shi Hao chose the same one. On that day, Shi Hao and his companions also wanted to book the venue, and when he heard that someone had already taken the lead and left, he saw his lifelong enemy Zheng Jieyuan.
Just like every other time in the past, both parties quickly clashed, and exchanged harsh words.
The music stopped, but the light ball was still spinning, emitting a dazzling white light. Seeing that a fight was about to start, I thought that if Sang Zhengbai knew that I was also involved, maybe he would call me over to give a lecture. One thing more is worse than one thing less, so I stood up, ready to pull Zheng Jieyuan away.
“Why, are you going to run away now?” This Shi Hao obviously didn’t know when to stop, seeing me pulling Zheng Jieyuan away, the expression on his face became more and more arrogant.
“Who the hell is running away?” Zheng Jieyuan rolled up his sleeves and was about to fight.
I stood between him and Shi Hao, and said with a downcast face: “That’s enough, Shi Hao.”
After all, the Sang family and the Shi family also have many business dealings. I thought that even if Shi Hao would not care about my face, he had to let it go for Sang Zhengbai’s sake. But this was really an idiot, he completely disregarded my intentions, and even pointed the finger at me and stabbed me.
“What are you doing, do you really regard yourself as the boss? Don’t fucking order me.” Shi Hao sneered, “Zheng Jieyuan is willing to be your dog, but I am not.”
This sentence completely ignited Zheng Jieyuan, and he wanted to jump over me to reach Shi Hao: “Who are you calling a dog! You are a fucking dog, and your mother is a bitch who sleeps with thousands of people. Do you really think you will become the young master if you are recognized by the Shi family? Shit! You and your mother will never be on the stage!”
“Hold him.” I turned my head and gave the friends behind me a look, asking them to control Zheng Jieyuan and stop him from shouting nonsense.
Shi Hao’s expression at this moment could no longer be described as “ugly”. His background was his sore point that he doesn’t want to be mentioned by others. Zheng Jieyuan poked him in front of so many people, it is impossible for him to let it go tonight. The way he looked at Zheng Jieyuan was like looking at a piece of meat, a piece of bloody meat that was about to be minced by his meat grinder.
Can’t you people go crazy when I am not here? Pressing his chest, I stopped him from moving forward.
He growled fiercely at me: “Get out of the way!”
“Don’t go any further, I’m afraid it will end badly for you.” I warned him.
“Fuck!” Shi Hao stared at me and nodded, “Okay.” His face was twisted, but he suddenly laughed in this situation.
I frowned, feeling uncomfortable with his laugh.
“Then I will beat you all together!” He suddenly brought his face closer to me, and said in a voice that only he and I could hear, “I heard from the woman who slept with you that there is something wrong with you, there are marks of being burned by cigarettes, on your back, waist and buttocks, were you abused by the nanny when you were a child? How pitiful. Do you know how we talk about you behind your back?”
“No matter how bad my mother is, it’s better than the two of you who were born without a mother to raise.”
Because of the alcohol in my body, the memory became fragmented, and when I regained my senses, there were screams all around. I pressed Shi Hao to the ground, choked his neck with one hand, and raised the other hand high, holding the glass wine bottle that was only half left.
On Shi Hao’s face, wine and blood intersected, and a hideous bloodstain extended from his forehead to the corner of his eyes. Blood covered his eyes, but he was still laughing.
“Kill me if you have the ability!” Blood seeped into the corners of his open lips, staining his teeth red.
Die.
Go to hell!
There was only one thought left in my mind, no fear or hesitation, only killing intent full of anger.
The sharp end was aimed at his neck, and under the full view of everyone, the wine bottle was moved towards Shi Hao, but at a distance of only two centimeters, it was stopped by Zheng Jieyuan who rushed towards me from behind.
Holding my arm tightly and dragging me away from Shi Hao, Zheng Jieyuan’s voice sounded far away and unrealistic.
“Let go! Sang Nian, let go!” After a long time, I gradually understood what he was shouting.
As half a bottle of wine fell between my fingers, the police rushed in.
I was pushed to the ground, handcuffed behind my back, and then escorted into a police car. That night, Zheng Jieyuan and I stayed at the police station.
For this matter, Sang Zhengbai personally went to find Mr. Shi. The two of them negotiated, but we didn’t know exactly what they talked about, but Zheng Jieyuan and I were both released early the next morning. Not long after, Shi Hao was also sent abroad.
Externally, I only said that Shi Hao provoked Zheng Jieyuan, and I acted impulsively in order to protect him. But only I know the truth. Just like Shi Hao, who was stabbed into a sore spot and turned into a mad dog, I was also stabbed into a festering wound that couldn’t be touched, and went crazy because of the agonizing pain.
“Alright, you can go back now.”
As soon as the condolence ceremony ended, Sang Zhengbai couldn’t wait to drive me away. It seems that if I stay for one more minute, someone will unconsciously come forward and ask him to introduce his son.
Stepping away from the auditorium, I loosened my tie on the way to the parking lot.
Tang Bian was dozing off, and was awakened by the sudden sound of me tapping the window. He stroked his chest and unlocked the car.
“So fast? Where are you going now? A hotel?”
“Go back.” I sat down in the back row, threw the tie aside, and unfastened two more buttons, only then did I feel that my breathing was easier.
“Ah? Oh…okay.” Tang Bian couldn’t help but observe my expression through the rearview mirror, and act careful not to offend me, which was really annoying.
I kicked the back of the seat, and said coldly: “Look ahead and drive carefully.”
Tang Bian hurriedly looked away, and didn’t dare to talk to me all the way after that.
Watching Tang Bian’s car disappear around the corner, I didn’t go upstairs, but directly opened the door of a red sports car in the garage, and drove it on the road again.
Passing through the prosperous city center, there is a low urban village on the other side of the river. Because the poor people living in this city have a very dirty and messy environment, this area is known as the “slums” of Hong city.
Many people live in this dilapidated shanty town, including snakes, insects, rats and ants. It is like the psoriasis of the city, which cannot be eradicated or cured, so one can only let it grow wildly on its own.
This is where Ji Chenfeng grew up.
I parked the car on a deserted roadside, where there were no people or surveillance cameras.
The car may get smashed by thieves, but I didn’t care.
I put my hands in my pockets and walked one step at a time until I reached the end of the stairs. The narrow aisle was full of debris, and the room next to the stairs was the cleanest in front of a row of doors, with only a simple small square table with two smaller benches buckled upside down.
The sound from the clashing of the knife and the cutting board came from the thin door panel. Although it was only five o’clock, the owner of the house had already started preparing dinner.
There was no doorbell, so I could only hold back my nausea and knocked on the door panel, which didn’t look very clean.
“Who is it?”
The blue iron door was pushed open from the inside. Yan Shanhua, wearing sleeves and an apron, stuck her head out of the door.
Seeing me, she opened her eyes in disbelief.
“Xiao Nian…”
“Where are the letters?” I cut to the chase.
She reacted and immediately turned around and entered the room: “Oh, oh, wait, I’ll find them for you.”
Stepping into the dimly lit room, the kitchen on the right side was so small that only one person could turn around, while the bathroom on the left side was big enough to accommodate only one person to use. Further inside is a crowded and cramped living and dining room with tatami mats.
There was no extra space for chairs, only a small low table on the ground. There are two curtains installed in the center of the living room, and a pillow and quilt are stacked in a place near the balcony. It seems that once the curtain is pulled, it can also serve as a bedroom. There was another door along the living room, which should be another bedroom.
Yan Shanhua got into this bedroom, and quickly came out with a stack of things.
“This is it!” She handed a thick envelope to me.
I took it, sat down on the ground in front of her, took out the letters and started reading them one by one.
Ji Chenfeng’s handwriting is neat and beautiful, with a cold and sharp edge that suits him very well.
The letters are mostly words of thanks, interspersed with boring daily life. Talking about the weather, school, and occasionally telling me about new and wonderful sounds he heard.
Just looking at the text, it seems like one can almost imagine his posture and expression, writing these letters in this dark house.
I let him hear the sound again.
I am his salvation.
Ha, if I knew that he looked at me like this, why would I go to such great lengths to get close to him? As long as I hook my fingers, he will crawl to my side.
There were a lot of letters, and I got fascinated by them unconsciously, and forgot the time.
“Xiao Nian, that…” Yan Shanhua knelt beside me, with a troubled expression on her face, “Chenfeng is going to get off work soon, if you don’t leave now, I’m afraid you will bump into him.”
I looked up at the clock on the wall, and it was already six o’clock.
Putting the letter back into the envelope and returning it to Yan Shanhua, I smiled at her: “Since he already knows, why should I avoid him?”
Yan Shanhua took the envelope in a daze, and muttered: “Then…do you want to stay…stay for dinner?”
Dirty kitchen, moldy air, and with the ingredients brought from who knows where, how could I possibly eat the food here?
I thought so, but I still gave the opposite answer.
“Well, please, you have to cook for one more person.”
Yan Shanhua’s gray eyes lit up and she stood up with joy, “No trouble, no trouble, I…I’ll cook right away!”
Listening to the repeated noise of pots and pans in the kitchen, I supported my chin and began to look at the space I was in again.
There are many photos hanging on the wall, ranging from big to small, new to old. One of them was Ji Chenfeng, who had a shy smile on his face when he was a child, he was sitting next to a thin man by the bedside.
The man had a sickly face and a haggard complexion, he should… be Yan Shanhua’s unlucky husband Ji Wei.
After being severely injured by a brick, Ji Wei was in a coma for nearly a year, thinking he would never wake up again, but he suddenly woke up. In order to take care of him, Yan Shanhua had to resign from the Sang family. After that, I was handed over to a new nanny to take care of.
After difficult reconstruction, Ji Wei recovered his ability to speak, but he never stood up again and could only lie in bed all day long. When Ji Chenfeng was eight years old, the man who hardly managed to survive died of a cold——lying in bed all year round made him weak, causing a small virus to take his life.
At this point, he passed away after a miserable and meaningless life.
If you want me to say, I think if he died early, maybe Yan Shanhua and Ji Chenfeng’s life would’ve been easier.
“Xiao Nian, I… I’m going out to buy two cold dishes, please sit and wait for me for a while.”
I only heard another sound from the old iron door, which made my teeth ache, and before I could even tell Yan Shanhua to stop rushing around, the door closed again.
I don’t know why, although it’s dirty and small here, the light and temperature made me a little sleepy.
Or maybe it was because of a hangover and that I was lying on a low table that I fell asleep without knowing it.
Half an hour passed or maybe more, and another sound came from the broken door again. I thought it was Yan Shanhua who came back, so I just frowned and continued to sleep, not taking it seriously until I heard the heavier and faster footsteps coming towards me.
Looking up drowsily, Ji Chenfeng was gasping for breath, staring at me with a surprised expression.
“Why are you…at my house?”
It seems that he was also tortured by the excessively long “stairs” outside the door.
Supporting my head, I yawned drowsily and smiled, “Because I have nowhere to go, I can only come to your house for dinner.”
Leave a Reply