Chapter 27

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter 27, Madness

Ye Zi collapsed onto the floor. His thoughts were a chaotic mess and his heart was beating fast.

He pressed his ear to the door, but he couldn’t hear anything clearly. He stood up and paced about the room. He got his phone and tried calling his mother’s number, but no matter how many times he tried, it would never go through.

He knocked on the door, but nothing happened. He shouted, but nobody responded. It felt as if he were the only person left on this Earth. Nobody could hear him, nobody could sense his existence, and nobody knew his pain…

His ears began ringing again. Just like the call of a cicada in summer, buzzing in his right ear, then soon the noise infected his left ear as well.

He began to see a bizarre mess of jumbled images, colors running haphazardly through his eyes like a roll of film zooming past, accompanied by an incessant ringing…Jiang Wei screamed and sobbed as her blood sprayed over him and the gray walls; his haggard mother looking out the window, staring out at the sunset; red blood seeping out from under the sofa, the voice of a soprano, transforming into haunting, unearthly cries; Zhang Tao with all his limbs amputated, crawling towards him, screaming for help as blood spilled from his mouth…

He shut his eyes, but even that did not help. Instead, the world behind his shut eyes was even more terrifying—dark, endless, filled with blood and horror. In the dark maelstrom, the person he loved the most, his mother, was crying, blood spilling down from her dress…

No!!!

He can’t allow anyone to hurt his mother!

He swore at the age of eleven that no matter what happened, he had to protect his mother.

After his mother brought him out of that house, he understood that in a house devoid of a man, he had to do his best to fill that gap and become a man that his mother could depend on. If he could, he wanted to replace his father.

He wanted his mother, the woman who raised him for over twenty years, to have a complete family, to have her own dreams, and he wanted to fulfill those dreams…

That’s why he couldn’t let her die here!

Definitely not!

Anger overtook fear. Ye Zi pushed himself off the ground and kicked and banged at the door without a care for anything else. Lifting up the coffee table, he slammed it against the handle as hard as he could.

He succeeded. The wooden door was completely broken, and he was able to kick it open.

He stormed out, red-eyed and face twisting with rage, his body shaking the whole time.

Then, he saw her.

There, his mother slumped against the sofa, her long hair falling to the floor. Her skin was ashen and her pale, bloodless lips were agape. She looked lifeless, just like a dead body laid to rest in a coffin.

He ran over and cradled his mother’s body, shaking her gently. “Mom! Mom!!”

But there was no response. His mother’s body was cold and her breathing was weak. Her skin was clammy, covered in sweat.

Hare sat on the sofa on the other side of the room, peeling an apple with a sharp knife. The beautiful apple skin hung down in small loops, suspended in the air as if he were creating a work of art.

When he saw him, extreme rage was ignited inside of Ye Zi. He snatched the “work of art” from Hare’s hands and threw it to the ground, asking, “What have you done to her?”

Hare looked up with a puzzled expression. “Nothing. We just had a little chat with each other. Don’t worry, she—”

Before he could finish, Ye Zi punched him.

He punched him so hard that Hare’s face swelled up in an instant. A trail of blood had even run down his nostrils.

Hare’s vision blurred instantly. His lips were pursed, showing his obvious dissatisfaction with this treatment. In the past, Ye Zi may have been soft on him, but this time, Ye Zi didn’t even spare him a glance.

He carried Han Yao on his back and ran out the door, hailing a cab and rushing straight to the hospital.

For the whole night, Ye Zi remained awake.

Hen Yao was able to be resuscitated in time and by early the next morning, she was admitted into the general ward and was being administered fluids.

The doctor’s diagnosed her symptoms as a result of neurological shock. More specifically, it was a mental shock or a scare that led to her current unresponsive state. Fortunately, Ye Zi acted fast and was sensible enough to pad her up and tilt her head back in the taxi. Otherwise, she could have died.

Ye Zi bought some food from the shops in front of the hospital and sat down next to his mother’s bed, keeping her company.

As soon as Han Yao woke up, Ye Zi eagerly bombarded her with questions about what happened yesterday. To his surprise, Han Yao seemed puzzled. She had forgotten all about her visit to the villa yesterday night.

However, even in such circumstances, she did not forge to question Ye Zi about his cohabitation with Chengxi, even begging him to move out.

Ye Zi nodded. He was no longer just giving her a perfunctory answer. This time, he had truly made up his mind that he was going to move out of Hare’s villa.

In fact, both his father and his mother had warned him about “getting close with Hare” on many occasions. He agreed to distance himself from Hare each time, but he never acted on those promises. He had to admit that he found it hard to let go.

For so long, he had been facing a dilemma.

On one side was his father, who left the deepest impact on him, his beloved mother, and his bright future. On the other hand, there was his little brother, the boy he liked. He was his irredeemably insane lover who had been abandoned by everyone else.

The hope that his father brought Ye Zi was a hope for a new life, whereas his relationship with Hare was dark end without a future. Without even mentioning the fact that their incestuous relationship must never see the light of day, the mere thought of their sins alone was enough to leave him in deep despair. He knew that if their secrets were ever to be revealed, then the only thing waiting for them next was nothing more than their utter demise.

Anyone with a bit of sense would know which side to choose, right? But Ye Zi couldn’t let go. He was afraid. He didn’t want to see Hare fly into a mad rage or cry because of his decision. If possible, he wanted to have both sides.

But this time, Hare had gone overboard.

He touched the one thing he should never have laid his hands on—Han Yao.

Ye Zi was willing to kill for Han Yao, so of course he was willing to let go of this ridiculous relationship for her sake.

※ ※ ※

On the evening of the 17th, Ye Zi walked back to the villa. Despite having stayed up all night, his mind felt strangely clear.

In fact, with every step he took, it felt like he was being reborn. The rosy afterglow of the setting sun, the grand melody playing in his earphones, his figure, neither too tall nor too short in stature, combined to create an almost theatrical effect. It was as if he was the protagonist on stage, donning armor and wielding a sharp blade. He was not going to pack his things, he was cutting through his dark past, slashing down those monstrous emotions.

He unlocked the door with his key and walked into the familiar living room.

It was empty without a single person in sight.

Ye Zi did not care whether Hare was at home or not. He went straight into his room and grabbed his bag, packing all of the clothes, books, documents, and whatnot that he needed into it. In just half an hour, he was done packing. It couldn’t be helped since he hardly had much stuff at all. Most of what he had were things that Hare bought for him.

As he walked out of the room, he noticed that the lights had been turned on in the living room.

In fact, all the lights were on.

The crystal chandelier, table lamps, wall sconces, even the classic candelabra on the table was lit.

Dark orange, pure white, rosy red, all these colored lights mingled together. Even though it was clearly nighttime, it felt like it was day.

The overly bright lights gave Ye Zi the illusion that his flesh and bones, down to his sinews and veins, everything were being exposed under the lights. It felt like there was nothing he could hide, but that did not matter.

He continued walking, and then he saw Hare.

Hare wore his favorite shirt. A white shirt with a romantic French ruffled collar and cuffs, trimmed with silver. He sat on the sofa, holding a book with a navy blue hardback cover, The Thorn Birds. Under the intensely bright lights, his hair seemed even lighter than usual.

Ye Zi had no intention of talking to him but did not want to cause a scene either since this was goodbye.

So, he spoke up. “I’m going home.”

Hare barely raised his head to look at him, confusion on his face. “But Ah Zi, isn’t this your home?”

“Let’s break up.”

“Why?”

“You know why. Stop acting like you don’t—”

“Hey, Ah Zi. I’ve been reading The Thorn Birds all day today, and there’s a really interesting scene. Why don’t I tell you about it?”

Ye Zi frowned. “Not interested.”

But Hare had already continued. “Say, which do you think is the better choice? Thirteen million pounds, or love?”

“…”

“Father Ralph left Meggie to become a cardinal for thirteen million pounds.”

Ye Zi had never seen The Thorn Birds, so he had no idea what he was talking about.

But that did not bother Hare. He spoke with a cheerful expression as he turned the pages with his pale fingers. Then, he picked up the book and read it out with full emotion. “Ashes of roses, ashes of roses. My Meggie, I have forsaken you. But can’t you see, you’ve become a threat? Therefore have I crushed you beneath the heel of my ambition; you have no more substance to me than a bruised rose in the grass.[1]”

At that point, Hare looked up, a glow shimmering in his eyes.

But Ye Zi did not look at him. He stared only at the crushed roses beneath his feet. The fresh red roses had been trampled on by Hare, turned into a smear on the floor. Even though he felt nothing anymore, a strong sense of guilt welled up inside Ye Zi again at that moment. He understood what Hare was trying to say.

Hare was telling Ye Zi that the reason why he left was simply that he had chosen wealth. Ye Zi tried to argue with him, but he could not even utter a single syllable.

He approached him, the fragrant scent of roses hitting Ye Zi’s nose.

“Hey, Ah Zi. Why didn’t you kill Ye Cheng?”

At that instant, Ye Zi could find no answer, and he could not stop his body from stepping back.

Hare seemed to have little interest in his answer as he continued walking toward Ye Zi. There was a slight furrow on his brow and a hallow look of pity on his face like that of a saint. “Everything would have been fine if you just killed him. If you killed him, then you could have proven your love to me, then we would be able to live happily ever after. Why didn’t you kill him, hm? Why?”

“…”

“Ah, I know why…It’s because he’s just like Mary Carson[2]. That old spider was poisoning you with money, wasn’t he? No…He’s not Mary Carson. Mary was in love with Ralph, but he doesn’t love you. He only loves himself. In came a substitute, and he happily neglected and abandoned you, but he comes clinging to you again when he’s desperate! Do you really think he’ll support you forever? Did you know that even now, that old bastard is still trying to sire another child? Hahaha…”

“Shut up!!” Ye Zi yelled. He forced himself to calm down before speaking. “This is my own choice. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me?” Hare’s eyes widened as if he had heard a preposterous joke. He laughed so hard that his shoulders were shaking. “I’m the one you’ve abandoned and crushed beneath your feet, and you’re telling me it has nothing to do with me? Hah, you thought I wouldn’t feel anything, did you? Speaking of choosing…How desperately do you want that old bastard to pick you? Hm? How much do you revere him? What about that old woman? How much do you love her? You’re willing to taint your hands with blood for her sake, even willing to throw your whole life away for her…Why? Tell me why? Why do you keep forgiving them even after all they’ve done to hurt you, after all the times they abandoned you…Why?!”

Hare’s voice grew louder and louder with each question. His face was red with emotion and his body was shaking as if he was falling into a fit of hysteria. “But why…couldn’t you choose me? Why have you always hated me, even from the very beginning? Why have I always been the invisible one? Why can’t you love me? Why must even you have to betray me? Even though I…have always loved you. I’ve always, always, always loved you. Ever since we were just boys, I have loved only you, and I’m the only one who loves you so much, I’m willing to do anything for you. I’m the only one who’s willing to give you anything you desire. Even though I’m the only one who would never betray you…Why, why, why…Why do you always pick someone else? Why do you never pick me? Why not me…Ah—!”

Hare was in complete delirium.

The book fell to the floor. Hare threw his head back and roared, his voice going from loud to cracking and turning hoarse. Everything in the room was shaking with his cries, their voices forming a choir. Cradling his head with both arms, he gradually fell over on his knees, his body writhing like a devil set ablaze.

Ye Zi was stunned by his reaction. He approached him cautiously, asking, “Ye Chengxi, what’s wrong with you? Hey…Don’t scare me…”

Half a minute later, however, Hare stood up just like a robot, the tremors and madness gone as if he were a completely different person from the manic Hare from just a moment ago. He looked down at Ye Zi with his pale face, tears still streaked across his cheeks, but he was devoid of all emotion.

It was this face that was most terrifying of all—like a predator looking down on its prey, it was cold-blooded and ruthless. He rarely showed this expression in front of Ye Zi. After all, this was the face he had only when he was in that destructive and murderous state.

Gasping, Ye Zi stepped back until his bag was pressed against the steel door. As he reached out to fumble with the door handle, he spoke cautiously, as if afraid that he would irritate Hare. “You’re not in a good place right now, so I think it’s best if we part ways for a while. Once things have calmed down a bit between us, we can…”

Ye Zi’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

The door refused to budge.

He turned around and tried again and again to unlock the door, but to no avail.

Once again, the door was locked. He had no idea how Hare had done it, but it was locked.

Under the strong lights, Ye Zi saw a monstrous shadow behind him, gradually enveloping his own.

His heart pounded and sweat ran down his back, quickly soaking his shirt.

He admitted that he was afraid. Hare was psychotic, and he had no idea what he would do next. Now, Ye Zi could not even be sure that Hare would not hurt him.

An icy cold hand touched his waist, slowly slithering up like a snake until that cool body with the scent of roses was pressed against his back, locking him into an embrace from behind.

Hare breathed into Ye Zi’s neck, his voice gentle. “I won’t let you go, Ah Zi.”

Holding back both anger and fear, Ye Zi whispered, “Do you know what will happen if you do this? Many people know my whereabouts. Soon, someone will come looking for me. This is a crime.”

“A crime? I’ve been committing crimes for a long time running.”

Hare’s cold hands slid up Ye Zi’s neck before gradually covering his mouth and nose.

It was only when he took a breath that Ye Zi realized that Hare was drugging him, but it was too late.

A strong wave of drowsiness swept over him. He felt so weak that he could not even speak.

Hare caught his limp body and he stroked his cheek and his back tenderly, just like he was soothing a young child.

He sat on the floor, embracing the sleeping Ye Zi softly, a weird sense of excitement present in his voice, tinged with chilling pleasure. “I’ve wanted to do this since a long time ago, Ah Zi. How nice I thought it would be to keep you in a cage like a canary, belonging only to me…That way, no one will steal you away from me, no one can snatch you from my hands…How wonderful that would be.”

|TOC|

Notes:

[1]McCullough, Colleen. The Thorn Birds. Harper & Row, 1977

[2]A wealthy old woman desperately in love with the young Father Ralph in his thirties. After her death in her seventies, she left Father Ralph with a large inheritance of thirteen million pounds in order to entice him into abandoning his beloved Meggie (The young heroine in her teens. She also had the right to inherit her aunt’s will, but the new will disenfranchises her), and paving a future for himself with money. Her will is, presumably, the beginning of the tragedy for both the hero and the heroine.

Like this:Like Loading...