Chapter 112

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Fang Ying fetched the broom from the balcony and swept the broken glass on the floor.

An unhappy Xia Ye was smoking on the sofa in silence. Yang Youming sat diagonally opposite him, his injured face getting more and more swollen.

The sight of Yang Youming’s injury filled Xia Xingcheng with apprehension. He turned back to look at Xia Ye with sadness and anger, only to find that the hand he was holding the cigarette with was faintly shaking. The barrage of words that had rushed forth died in Xia Xingcheng’s mouth.

The smell of cigarette smoke permeated throughout the living room. The air was tense and oppressive.

Suddenly, Xia Ye spoke, “My little brother is ten years younger than me. Although we weren’t well-off when he was small, he grew up cherished by the entire family. He came out to act at a young age—your entertainment industry is complicated, we don’t ask for him to make it big, we only hope that he’ll have a smooth and happy life.”

“I also hope that he’ll have a smooth and happy life.” Yang Youming said, frowning as he spoke—it was probably because he’d pulled at his wound.

Xia Ye sneered, then lowered his head to smoke again.

Once Fang Ying had swept up all the broken glass, Xia Xingcheng said, “Sis-in-law, leave it be. I’ll call for someone to clean up.”

“It’s fine,” Fang Ying stood upright with the broom. “You know your brother is all brawn and no brains.”

Xia Ye eyed her like he was furious, and yet he didn’t react much.

Fang Ying striked his leg with the broom. “Xingcheng is twenty-five! He’s not a kid anymore. If you have something to say, then speak properly. All you know how to do is lose your temper, will getting angry solve anything?”

Xia Ye turned away in annoyance.

Fang Ying set the broom aside, sat down next to Xia Ye, and asked Xia Xingcheng, “Is your schedule packed recently?”

Xia Xingcheng answered, “I don’t have any work until the New Year.”

Xia Ye immediately roared, “Then you’re not going home for the New Year?!”

Fang Ying jumped, startled. She raised her hand and hit him. “Keep your voice down!”

Xia Ye was stifled once again.

Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m planning to go back after the New Year.”

Xia Ye’s cigarette reached its end; he snubbed the cigarette butt and cast it aside, then folded his hands in front of his chest, his breathing heavy.

Yang Youming grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand and said, “It’s my fault.”

Xia Xingcheng immediately turned to look at him. “You’re not at fault.”

Yang Youming patted the back of his hand. “I’m perfectly aware that anything I say is useless, and anything I do is harmful. If there’s anything you’re discontented with, you can come for me, but I want to say this one thing—I’m willing to give Xingcheng everything, anything, as long as he’s happy.”

Fang Ying was slightly stunned at these words, as if touched. She said, “I watched your movie.”

Xia Ye gave a cold snort.

Fang Ying paid him no mind and continued, “I cried at the ending. It was a really good movie, really.”

“Thank you,” Yang Youming said.

Fang Ying’s mood was a little chaotic. She ruffled her hair and hesitated on how she ought to say it, before finally asking, “Was it—when you were filming…”

Her question was vague.

Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng understood anyway.

Yang Youming answered her: “Yes.” Although they hadn’t gotten together at the time, it was indeed then that their hearts moved.

Fang Ying silently thought, then it was a case of catching feelings from the act. She secretly sighed. On one hand, she didn’t think that they did anything wrong, but on the other hand, she felt that Xia Xingcheng really shouldn’t have chosen this path.

Right as she was about to persuade him, Xia Xingcheng spoke up first, “Sis-in-law, back when your family opposed you being together with my brother, what went through your mind?”

Fang Ying froze at his question.

Xia Xingcheng went on, “Did you regret it?”

Of course she didn’t. Her family was happy and well-off, her two children were smart and lovely, and although her husband had an irritable temper, he was still very good to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dated him in the first place.

When Fang Ying still didn’t answer, Xia Xingcheng pressed on, “If my brother was still poor and didn’t earn much after all his hard work, would you regret it?”

Fang Ying laughed bitterly, then said, “Forget it, I’m not qualified to speak. I won’t try to convince you.”

Yet Xia Ye said, “I don’t approve.”

Xia Xingcheng glanced at him, a hint of anger bubbling up along with the urge to fight Xia Ye, but at the sight of Xia Ye’s downtrodden look, he suddenly didn’t have the heart to.

Everyone here loved him. Each of them loved him in different ways, from different viewpoints. His happiness was their ultimate goal. He resented the fact that Xia Ye had hurt Yang Youming, yet he also couldn’t stand the thought of hurting Xia Ye. He was the only link between them, and it was only if he was calm enough to take charge that they’ll believe that the choices he made were well thought out.

Thus, Xia Xingcheng stood up and walked up to Xia Ye, saying, “Ge, look at me.”

Xia Ye dismissed him.

Xia reached out and cupped Xia Ye’s face, forcing him to look up at him. “I was wrong,” he said, and with that, he got down on his knees in front of Xia Ye.

Xia Ye and Fang Ying jumped up at the same time to help Xia Xingcheng up, with Xia Ye all the more furious. “Who told you to kneel?! Who are you kneeling for?!”

Yang Youming had subconsciously moved, yet he sat back down again, his gaze resting on Xia Xingcheng.

Xia Xingcheng refused to get up. He said, “I grew up following you like a little duckling. You gave me everything I wanted. You even wanted to pluck all the stars in the sky for me. When I left for university, I rarely returned home. Mom and dad are old, and you and Sis-in-law have been taking care of them. I do too little for the family, but you said it didn’t matter, our family has you anyway.” At this point, Xia Xingcheng was also somewhat moved, and he choked with emotion. “Why can’t I kneel to you?”

Xia Ye looked at him in a daze.

Xia Xingcheng continued, “Today, I knelt to you. The next time I go home, I’ll kneel to mom and dad. Since you think I’m in the wrong, then I can only apologize to all of you. I may have to stay on this wrong path to the end.”

Yang Youming gazed at Xia Xingcheng wordlessly.

Xia Ye closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Don’t talk to me. I won’t approve.” With that, he stepped around Xia Xingcheng and turned towards the bedroom.

Fang Ying promptly helped Xia Xingcheng up.

“Sis-in-law,” Xia Xingcheng called.

Fang Ying said, “Don’t rush, I’ll talk to him again.” She glanced at Yang Youming before saying to Xia Xingcheng, “To tell you the truth, when I was young, I also thought that love was more important than anything else. But when I got older and had kids, I felt that my parents’ objections back then were understandable. I don’t want you to regret it one day, so give it another thought, okay?”

Xia Xingcheng said, “I won’t regret it.”

Fang Ying raised a hand and touched his head. Xia Xingcheng was a good deal taller than Fang Ying, but in Fang Ying’s eyes, he was still like a little boy. Fang Ying smiled and said, “I definitely hope you won’t. Sis-in-law isn’t a conservative person. Age, gender, whether or not you want kids—in my opinion, they aren’t too big a deal. But what path you take is your own choice, no matter the outcome, you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.”

Xia Xingcheng looked at her and said, “I understand.”

Laughing, Fang Ying patted his shoulder. “You don’t need to care too much about your brother’s attitude. His approval or disapproval isn’t that important. What you should actually think about is how to tell mom and dad later.”

Xia Xingcheng lowered his gaze. Compared to Xia Ye, he was indeed more scared of facing his parents. But so what if you had fears—you’d always have to face them. Wasn’t it a lifetime that they wanted? He turned his head to look at Yang Youming, nodded at Fang Ying, then asked, “Why didn’t you guys come with mom and dad?”

Fang Ying said, “Mom and dad are spending the New Year with Second Uncle’s family in the South. They said they’ll be staying for a month. Your brother was worried about you and insisted on going to Beijing to see you instead, so I took a leave in advance, and we arrived yesterday with Ding Ding and Dong Dong.”

Xia Xingcheng hurriedly said, “Then where are you staying?”

“A hotel,” answered Fang Ying.

Xia Xingcheng said, “A hotel? Stay here instead!”

Fang Ying glanced at the direction of the bedroom, and whispered, “You won’t be staying here today?”

Xia Xingcheng nodded. “I’m going back home with Ming ge.”

Fang Ying sighed. “Got it. You guys go back first then, I’ll go ask your brother.”

Xia Xingcheng looked towards the bedroom and saw Dong Dong trying to poke his head out and peep at them through the gap of the slightly open door.

Fang Ying crooked her finger at Dong Dong. “Come here Dong Dong”

Dong Dong immediately pulled the door open and ran out with his short little legs. He ran behind Fang Ying and hugged her legs, shyly looking at Xia Xingcheng, then at Yang Youming.

Fang Ying lowered her head and asked him, “Remember Second Uncle and Uncle Yang?”

Dong Dong nodded. “Remember.”

Fang Ying nudged him in front of her. “Why don’t you greet them?”

Dong Dong looked at Xia Xingcheng and called out, “Second Uncle.” Yet he didn’t turn to Yang Youming and kept his gaze on Xia Xingcheng as he shouted, “Uncle Yang.”

Yang Youming smiled, then said to Dong Dong, “Uncle Yang is over here.”

Dondong snuck a look at him. His eyes then moved away again before glancing back at him. He said, “Uncle Yang got hit?”

Fang Ying reached out and tugged at his hair. “It’s all because of your daddy’s bad temper. Go blow on Uncle Yang’s wound.”

Dong Dong looked up at Fang Ying, then turned back to Yang Youming, his expression growing solemn. He walked over tensely, crawled up and knelt on the sofa, then shifted closer to Yang Youming’s face and gently blew on it. “No hurty.”

Dong Dong turned around and sat down on the sofa, pasted to Yang Youming’s side, smiling bashfully.

Come the time Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming left, Xia Ye still hadn’t come out and spoke a single sentence to them.

Xia Xingcheng drove them back. He wanted to bring Yang Youming to the hospital first.

With a pair of glasses on his face, Yang Youming said, “Don’t go to the hospital for this kind of thing, it’ll cause a scene if we’re seen.”

When they got home, Xia Xingcheng applied some disinfectant on Yang Youming’s face. The swelling looked more obvious than it had that morning.

That night, Xia Xingcheng came out of the shower to the sight of Yang Youming sitting on the floor with his back against the bed.

He lightened his footsteps as he walked over to Yang Youming’s side, crawled over on his knees, and sat down on the floor, snugly fitted to his side.

Yang Youming kept mum. Along with the injury on his face, he seemed a bit low.

Xia Xingcheng rested his head on the man’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Yang Youming quietly said, “Honestly, your brother was right, I am shameless[1].”

Xia Xingcheng raised his head at once. “What are you talking about!”

Yang Youming said, “You’re still young. You come across how many people, how many things, you know—”

“Stop it,” Xia Xingcheng covered his mouth, face gloomy. “If you keep talking, I’ll be mad.”

When Xia Xingcheng’s hand bumped into his wound, Yang Youming frowned in pain, and he reached out to pull away Xia Xingcheng’s wrist. “I’m the most powerless when I’m facing your family’s anger. I watched you kneel down to your brother, but I wasn’t able to do anything. I’m sorry, Xingcheng.” After Yang Youming uttered these words, he wrapped his arms around Xia Xingcheng’s waist, and with all his strength, he firmly pressed Xia Xingcheng into his embrace.

Xia Xingcheng hugged him back. “I wasn’t wronged. My brother can be coaxed, but not forced, so once I kneel, he’ll soften up. It’s much much better than fighting it out with your fists. They’re my family—I’ll handle it. You only need to be with me all the way and not leave my side.”

Yang Youming didn’t speak, hugging him tighter and tighter.

After a while, Xia Xingcheng moved back slightly, looked at his face, and said, “You’re not shameless. How can you have no shame with that good-looking face of yours?[2] There’s no one who’d be willing to part with it.”

Yang Youming smiled faintly.

Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and pressed at his chest. “I’m done for. Even with you looking like this, I still think you’re handsome. I’m hopeless.” With that, he leaned in to kiss Yang Youming’s lips.

Yang Youming opened his mouth to greet him, but after a brief kiss, he withdrew.

Xia Xingcheng didn’t comply, chasing after him for another kiss.

Yang Youming cupped Xia Xingcheng’s face, and said, “Xingcheng—Xingcheng!”

Xia Xingcheng’s lips and eyes were red and moist, as he looked at him questioningly.

Yang Youming said, “My face is going to hurt.”

“Kissing hurts?”

Yang Youming nodded. “Talking hurts a little.”

Xia Xingcheng hugged him, his head buried in his shoulder. “This is all Xia Ye’s fault. Just see how I’ll sort him out later. He actually dared to hit your face! Doesn’t he know how much your face is worth?”

Smiling, Yang Youming said, “How much is it worth?”

“It’s the treasure of humankind, all right?!”

☆ ☆ ☆

[1] the term 不要脸 which i’ve translated as ‘shameless’ is a very serious insult in chinese that you can read about here

[2] this had a pun-joke-not-exactly-wordplay thing i had no idea how to convey in english with 不要脸 (lit. no concern abt saving one’s face) and xia xingcheng proceeding to mention yang youming’s face. I had to tweak the translation here too so it would still make sense, sorry about that :’)

t/n – thank you to Tinsunny for the kofi!

⟵ Chapter 111 | TOC | Chapter 113 ⟶

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