Chapter 28

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Chapter 28, Cage

When he opened his eyes, all that greeted his vision was darkness.

Ye Zi struggled to get up, and his head felt heavy. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, each throb sending a jolt of pain to his head.

It wasn’t until a while later did he discover that he was sitting on a small bed. It was too dark for him to see anything. He got off the bed and stood on the cold cement floor, trying to figure out his bearings. Through groping around, he came across a sturdy surface. The smooth ceramic object seemed to be a bathtub. Then, next to it was a toilet.

Where was the wall? What about the light switch?

After walking a few more steps, Ye Zi felt something cold, something akin to a long steel bar. What could it be?

Subconsciously, he probed around the bars, figuring out their length, numbers…Gradually, he remembered what happened before he fell unconscious, as well as Hare’s strange words. He could imagine what these steel bars were, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

Walking on his bare feet, he probed around the bars in a circle and sure enough, it was a cage.

Was he dreaming? How could such a large cage exist?

And if it really were a cage, then there had to be a door, right?

After diligently groping around for a while, he finally found two linked bars and the huge lock keeping them together!

Ye Zi tried hard to pull the door open and reached out the bars, fumbling with the lock, but he couldn’t get it open. He had nothing thin and sharp with him, not that he was one of those amazing people on TV that could open a lock with a needle anyway.

What was going on here? Was Hare really going to lock him up? What kind of joke was this?!

He shouted, “Ye Chengxi, get out here! What the fuck are you trying to do? Are you going to lock me up in here? Come out here, now!”

His shouting seemed to have worked.

In less than a minute, he heard a clink, and the door was open.

After remaining locked in the darkness for so long, even a candle seemed blinding to his eyes.

Ye Zi had to cover his eyes for a while to adjust to the brightness before he could see Hare coming in from outside.

Holding a classical white candelabrum, Hare’s fingers and lower jaw seemed especially pale under the light. His loose sleeve cuffs were unbuttoned, and the light, gradually flickering between the wrinkles of his shirt, revealing the silver embroidery around the edges.

The glow of the five candles in the candelabrum swayed along with his movements, reflecting the cage on the wall. Only then did Ye Zi realize—

The cage stood about three meters tall and fifteen square meters in width in the shape of a dome. Both the base and the top were decorated with intricate floral engravings, just like a gigantic black birdcage.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ye Zi asked sternly.

Hare seemed to be in a good mood. He walked over, gently stroking the intricate patterns on the black cage and asking, “Ah Zi, did you know? I spent three whole years making this cage. Heating, melting, treating, shaping…The paint that I applied to it is completely safe for the body, and I referenced thousands of photos before I was able to create these rococo-style patterns. Look here, these are the roses in the thorn bushes. Some of them have bloomed, but others are still waiting eagerly in their buds…”

Unable to bear the talk any longer, Hare’s voice was interrupted by Ye Zi. “I’m asking you what you’re trying to do. Are you planning to lock me up in here? …Where’s my phone?”

“Ah, I tossed it away by accident, not that you’ll find any signal here to begin with.”

“Where the fuck is this place?!”

Hare narrowed his eyes, eyes wavering faintly like a puddle.

Just like that, he watched Ye Zi from outside the cage, a strange smile playing on his lips. “Where? Ah Zi, don’t you feel that swaying feeling?”

Ye Zi frowned, completely oblivious as to what Hare was talking about.

Hare looked at him patiently and held his hand behind his ears, whispering, “Don’t you hear it? The sound of the waves, crashing over and over again, mixed with the call of the seagulls.”

“…” It seemed like Ye Zi really could hear them.

Hare stuck his hand casually back into his pocket. “So, you get it now, don’t you? We’re on a boat, cruising on the most open sea in the world. It’s a windy day today. It feels like the wind is almost strong enough to rip the sails apart. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be swallowed up by the ocean tonight. Ah, or maybe…we’ll be blown off to an island somewhere? Ah Zi, there’s no going back for us. We’re never going to see those annoying flies again. How wonderful is that?”

Ye Zi was practically going insane at what he was being told.

He wanted to grab onto something and beat some sense into Hare, but sadly, he had nothing. By sheer force of will alone, he thrust his fist between the bars and aimed for Hare.

Candlelight swaying wantonly, Hare evaded him with ease.

The bars could easily limit Ye Zi’s movements. In fact, his unnecessary movements were only causing harm to himself. Still, the pain was the last thing on his mind right now. He shouted, “You crazy psycho, you’ve lost your fucking mind! What the fuck did I ever do to you? Tell me what the fuck I’ve done to deserve this! All because I love you, you expect me to just accept it when you try and kill my mother and lock me up? Does loving you warrant me sacrificing everything for you?! Am I still human in your eyes? Well, tell me! Am I?!”

Ye Zi was struggling more and more to control himself as if the anger that he had been suppressing inside him blew up all at once. He kicked at the door with his bare feet and punched the steel bars with his fists, pulling and shaking them, but the only thing he got as a result of his efforts were cuts and bruises.

Hare seemed to be calling his name anxiously, but Ye Zi did not hear it.

The buzzing in his ears grew shrill, blocking out all noise. He covered his ears with his hands, trying to suppress the splitting headache.

Then, his mind went blank. He lost consciousness.

A dream seemed to take place after that.

He dreamt that he was lying in a bathtub, candlelights dancing in his surroundings, some short and some long, just like fireflies.

A man bathed him with gentle movements, covering him with bubbles. When he leaned over to scrub his body, his light hair would slip off his ear. He could also see long eyelashes hiding behind the strands.

After the bath, he was carried to the bed, where ointment was carefully applied to his wounds. Starting with the palms, he moved around the back of his hands, his fingers, then to his calves and feet, working gently. The ointment was cool, but it slowly warmed up as the man massaged it into his skin.

Then, a slow feeding session followed.

Once that was all over, he was tucked in with a blanket, and as if he were a child, a kiss was planted on his forehead.

In his dream, the man spoke by his bedside.

He said, “Ah Zi, I’ve loved you since we were little.”

“I had been able to develop an awareness since I was very young, so I knew that my life was hell. Mother would bring different men over every day, and she told them that I was her little brother, but they did not believe her, so she locked me up. I knew she hated me. She would only think of me when she was sad. If she were given the choice over me or a new dress, perhaps she would not even hesitate to pick the dress.

“But one day, many people came to our home. I had no idea what they were there for, but for some reason, I was taken into an airplane and arrived at a large mansion. Nobody spoke to me back then. The servants hated me, calling me a whore child, a bastard, filth, and so on, but not you. You talked to me.”

He smiled. “I stood at the door, not daring to enter. All the adults around me were talking behind my back, nobody helped me. But then you came and opened the door. At that time, I thought you were tall and dazzling, just like a hero. Even though the first thing you told me was not to dirty the doorway, I still thought that it was wonderful to have a big brother like you.

“Of course, I knew that you hated me too. You never looked straight at me, never taught me how to play the piano, never played with me…you even hated having to eat at the same table as me.

“Even though you never looked at me, you would always reprimand the maids who hit me; when I bawled my eyes out, you would still come over and take my hands, silently pulling me home; when I was six, I ran into the woods alone, but then a storm broke out. I really thought I was going to die that night, but you came and saved me. You were the only one who came to save me.

“Back then, you bore through the rain and brought me into a room in your arms…that’s right, this was the room you brought me into. There was nothing in this room then, but I was burning up with a fever, so you picked up some branches and started a fire, then you held me close…that was the best night of my life.

“It was probably that night when I fell die you.

“I wanted to be with you every single day, and I asked the maids to take me to your school so that I could see you, but that was when I realized that you did not belong to me alone. You had many friends with whom you stood with arms over each other’s shoulders, and you also came home with another girl, a girl who spoke to you with blushing cheeks…I hated them, I hated them so much.

“Not only did I hate them, I hated everyone you came in contact with, hated the maids and the butler who kept talking to you, hated the mother who kept watching you…

“I wondered why, why couldn’t you be mine and mine alone? What did I have to do to make that happen?”

“Perhaps that was when it all began. Vague hopes sprouted in me, hopes that I could kick you up, hopes that I could have you to myself.

“…Ah, have you fallen asleep? Then sleep. Good night, big brother.”

…

When he next woke up, he was shrouded in darkness again. Everything that he experienced before felt just like a dream. Once again, Ye Zi had forgotten where he was. Just like the first time, he probed around the bars before finally remembering that he had been locked inside of a birdcage.

Only this time, he did not make a fuss. His mind had gradually become clear.

He remembered the words that Hare spoke in his ear, then with that prompt, recalled the past.

He remembered his relationship with Hare. Since when did it begin to warp and become the distorted mess it was today?

And what could he do to save himself?

What did he have to do to convince Hare to let him out?

What did he have to do…to return to reality?

Ah, even though he made plans to go to the car dealership, made plans to meet up with all sorts of bigwigs. Even though he had so many more books to study, and such a long…bright future ahead of him.

Maybe plenty of people were looking for him right now. His mother must be worried sick.

Was everything just going to end like this?

Was he going to live here, just like an animal?

What should he do? What could he do?

Ye Zi pondered these questions whenever he was awake.

In fact, it did not take long to realize what he had to do. He became eager to see Hare, eager to speak with him, and so he called out his name from the cage, over and over again.

But this time, Hare did not come.

Ye Zi did in the cage, waiting, but Hare did not show up.

Ye Zi called out to him again, even throwing his steel cup against the bars, but Hare never showed up.

Ye Zi laid down, half-dreaming, half-conscious.

He kept dreaming that Hare had come. At first, he kept dreaming that they argued, dreaming that they fought, but then the dreams took a softer turn after that. He dreamt that Hare held him tight in his arms in the middle of a bustling street, dreaming that he shouted the words, “you picked me!” in glee.

However every time he woke up, his world would be shrouded in darkness again. Hare never showed up.

Darkness was probably the scariest thing. Time seemed to blur and become long. It was hard to tell whether it was day or night in the dark as if one had become blind or even dead.

In these days, Ye Zi forgot everything.

He had forgotten the bright future he was supposed to have, the hate he had for Hare, and his plans.

He just felt miserable and lonely.

What does it matter anymore?

Be it a monster or a demon…

It did not matter no matter how crazy that man was.

He just wanted Hare to come to his side and lift him from the terrifying darkness, hoping that he could stay with him!

And so, the next time Hare appeared with his candelabrum and approached him, Ye Zi neither made a fuss nor cursed at him.

He sat on the floor looking up at the light, a glazed look in his eyes. His voice sounded hoarse. “Ye Chengxi.”

Hare asked, “What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”

Ye Zi’s throat bobbed and he slowly inched toward the light. “Come here.”

Hare put the candles aside and crouched down by the cage.

Kneeling down in front of Hare, Ye Zi extended his hands between the bars. His fingers were pale, and there were still traces of old scars left behind.

“Ah Zi?”

Ye Zi caught Hare’s clothes, pulling him in and circling his arms around him with difficulty.

Hare was shocked, and even his body had gone stiff. “Ah Zi? What’s wrong, are you not feeling well?”

Ye Zi tried his best to stick close to Hare as if yearning to feel the slightest hint of warmth. Only, the cage was in his way, and the only parts of him that could feel Hare’s warmth were his hands.

“Didn’t you say you loved me?”

“…Yes, I do love you.”

“Then why is it that you never come no matter how much I call for you?” Ye Zi’s voice quivered as he spoke. Even his eyes grew bleary.

“I’m sorry, I had something to deal with last night…” A rosy tint gradually appeared on Hare’s alabaster cheeks. Even his eyes were gleaming. “Ah Zi? Do you finally understand how I feel? You’ve finally changed your mind, and you agree that staying with me like this is beautiful, right?”

However, Ye Zi calmed down at hearing his words.

No…he had merely been immersed in darkness for too long, and so he wished unconditionally for someone to stay with him.

But was loneliness really a reason to overlook Hare’s inane behavior? To understand him and to throw everything else aside? How could that even be possible?!

While Hare was still bubbly with joy, Ye Zi reorganized his thoughts before saying, “Unlock the door, Hare. I can’t bear to be shut in this place alone. It’s terrifying. Since we’re bobbing around in the middle of the ocean, it’s not like there’s anywhere I can run to, right? Let me out.”

Hare gave an awkward laugh. “Actually…it was a lie. We’re not in the middle of the ocean, we’re just…in the suburbs.”

“Is that so? Then what’s the difference? I won’t leave you, I promise.”

“Yeah. I trust you.”

Hare unlocked the door.

As soon as the door was open, the two threw themselves into each other’s arms.

Under the flickering candlelight, Ye Zi pressed Hare down on the bed and leaned over, kissing him on the chin.

The romantic atmosphere brought them back to the past.

Back to their passionate days of love, to their sweet days of cohabitation.

But of course, these feelings were merely illusions.

The simplest proof of that was most likely the look in Ye Zi’s eyes, as well as his actions.

Would he ever kiss Hare this calmly in the past?

Would he calmly search Hare’s body for the keys and observe his reaction?

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