4388 The Other Side 357
Aware of his downcast mood, Gong Jie was not convinced. âIf thereâs really nothing going on, why do you look so glum?â
The boy muttered quietly, âIn what way do I look glum?â
âYou wear this scowl on your face and you ask me in what way you look glum?â
ââ¦â The boy fell silent.
Gong Jie put his hands behind him and shut his eyes, taking in the slightly damp sea air. Youyou was reluctant to answer, and he, on the other hand, was in no hurry to pursue the matter.
In the dead silence, the boy spoke hoarsely. âI⦠killed meâ¦â
Gong Jie was stunned, clearly not understanding what he meant by that. âWhat do you mean?â Amused, the man asked, âYou killed you? How did you kill you? Besides, arenât you perfectly fine now? I donât understand what youâre saying.â
Clearly exhausted, the boy buried his face in the crook of his arm. Before he knew it, he was crying. Gong Jie did not notice that he was crying, however. Youyouâs face was hidden and he was weeping silently.
When Gong Jie saw that he was no longer willing to speak, he fell silent as well, and simply accompanied him.
âThatâs my nephew for you. As a kid, when I was in a bad mood, I used to like sitting on the beach to enjoy the sea breeze. Then Iâd figure everything out.â
The boy looked up but said nothing.
The night wore on.
When Youyou finally stood up and turned around, he saw that Gong Jie had fallen asleep.
ââ¦â
Was this his real uncle?!
Alice had probably sent the man here to console him. But instead of having done that, he had actually fallen asleep.
Youyou lowered his gaze as he stomped on the manâs stomach.
âOooohâ¦â
Gong Jie sat up with a start and howled in pain. âWhat are you trying to do?â
âWhat exactly are you here for?â
The man looked dazed and confused for a moment before answering honestly. âAlice sent me to see how you were doing.â
âAnd?â
â⦠You fell asleep!â
Gong Jie shrugged off the boyâs snort. âYouâll have to give me a chance to care about you, wonât you? How am I supposed to console you when youâre just squatting here, not moving, not making a sound?â
The boy was stunned for a long time. Seeing the aggrieved expression on his uncleâs face, he suddenly felt that his uncle was extremely cute. He burst out laughing.
âHahahaha!â
The boy couldnât contain his laughter, and Gong Jie froze, dumbfounded.
âDumbstruck?â
âAhahahaha!â
âWhat are you laughing at!â The man rose in a huff and grabbed Youyou by the collar. âAre you laughing at me?â
âHahaha! Uncle, youâre so cute!â The boy laughed until tears came to his eyes.
Gong Jie stared at him, suddenly no longer angry. He was silent for a moment, his heart aching. âIf you feel bad, just cry.â
The boy laughed and slowly stopped. He seemed amused as he said, âHow am I upset? Iâm not upset. I just find your aggrieved expression really funny.â
âJust cry if you have to. Why do you have to shed tears by pretending to laugh?â
At his uncleâs words, the boyâs expression froze. His eyes widened as tears welled up in the corners but simply wouldnât fall, neither would they recede.